Knuckles.EXE belongs to the fan-made .EXE creepypasta tradition, in which familiar Sonic characters are reimagined as corrupted, malevolent versions for horror stories, fan games and edited videos. These versions spread through forums, YouTube and short-form video, where creators used distorted voices, glitch effects and sudden scares to turn a nostalgic character into something unsettling. The jumpscare format stuck because it is instantly recognisable to Sonic fans and works without explanation, so editors still drop it into horror edits, meme compilations and reaction clips for a quick shock.