Background
Shovel Knight is the titular protagonist of the Shovel Knight series. This chivalrous adventurer is trying to stop The Enchantress from taking over the Valley and find his beloved Shield Knight, lost to the Tower of Fate.
Always honest and helpful, Shovel Knight aids people he meets along his journey. He constantly dreams of his long-lost partner Shield Knight, fighting away imaginary enemies while attempting to catch her.
He solves many physically and mentally challenging puzzles throughout the lairs of the Order of No Quarter, proving his great intelligence and strength. Shovel Knight is a shining example of the Code of Shovelry: Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly!
This dropdown contains the synopsis of Shovel Knight's story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!
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Codex Statistics
Key: Pre-Tower of Fate | Shovel of Hope | Return to Tower of Fate
Tier: Low 8-C, High 8-C with stronger relics | High 8-C, Higher with relics and armors | 8-A, Higher with relics and armors
Name: Shovel Knight (Real name unknown)
Origin: Shovel Knight
Sex: Male (Original), Female (Body Swap)
Age: Unknown, at least an adult
Classification: Knight, Treasure Hunter, Farmer
Status: Alive
Alignment: Lawful Good (Shovel Knight believes in the code of Shovelry, and often helps out others in need. He prefers to make peace with others instead of fighting to resolve conflict. Although he and Shield Knight are renowned for their treasure hunting career, both knights prioritize the safety of the people of the lands and will even put forth their own safety to stop a potential evil threat. Shovel Knight has successfully made peace with several warriors over the course of his various journeys)
Dimensionality: 3-D
Attack Potency: Small Building level (Can damage members of the Hexcavators such as Drill Knight, who can effortlessly tear through stone pillars and cell walls with his drills), Large Building level with stronger relics (Relics such as the Morph Lance can increase in power by 500% through consecutive hits) | Large Building level (Far stronger than Black Knight, who can break the ground, giving these results. Defeated Specter Knight twice in combat, who can cut through cannon balls. Destroyed Tinker Knight's giant machine and fought Kratos who could effortlessly tear stone pillars apart), Higher with relics and armor (Relics such as the War Horn deal far greater damage than Shovel Knight's standard attacks. Armors such as the Armor of Chaos allow him to absorb red orbs to shoot a powerful fire projectile) | City District (Defeated Black Knight after being empowered by only a tiny amount of The Enchantress's power. He was able to summon meteors at these speeds. Shovel Knight defeated The Enchantress at full power alongside Shield Knight), Higher with relics and armor
Durability: Small Building level (Shovel Knight can survive big bomb explosions point-blank and survive large falls underground) | Large Building level (Can take strikes from Black Knight, Tinker Knight, and is comparable to Shield Knight. Can survive being catapulted from a long distance), Higher with armor (The Mail of Momentum prevents most knockback, thus making Shovel Knight tougher) | City District level (Survived the meteors shot by Black Knight. Comparable to Shield Knight, who survived the collapse of The Tower of Fate, which was potent enough to cause an earthquake), Higher with armor
Striking Strength: Small Building Class, Large Building Class with stronger relics Large Building Class, Higher with relics and armor | City District Class, Higher with relics and armor
Lifting Strength: Class 1 (Can lift his bag of treasure which contains various treasures) | At least Class K (Scales to King Knight who could effortlessly carry Mr.Hat while he was lifting his store off the ground. Lifted the Order of No Quarter, several adult males with full-body armor) | At least Class K, possibly Higher (Scales to Black Knight after he was amplified by the Enchantress' dark magic who could pull meteors)
Travel Speed: Supersonic (Can keep up with Mole Knight who can create sparks with his movement and keep pace with cannonballs), Higher with accessories | Supersonic (Can outrun cannonballs and should be faster than before), Higher with Toad Gear (The Toad Gear increases Shovel Knight's movement speed) | Supersonic (Can outrun cannonballs and should be higher than before), Higher with Toad Gear
Combat Speed: Supersonic (Can hit Mole Knight who can create sparks with his movement) | Massively Hypersonic (Can keep up with Specter Knight) | Faster Than Light (Can tag the Enchantress in combat after dawning her true form, who should be well superior to King Birder who can fire lasers)
Reaction Speed: Supersonic (Can dodge cannonballs from Tinker Knight's submarine) | Massively Hypersonic (Can dodge attacks from Phantom Striker, who uses cloud-to-ground lightning attacks. Superior to Specter Knight, who can dodge lightning early in his quest) | Faster Than Light (Can dodge meteors from Black Knight. Scales to the Enchantress who should be far superior to her creations such as the Grand Triumvirate which fires lasers)
Stamina: Very High (Chased down each of the Hexcavators back-to-back without stopping) | Very High (Traversed the lands and challenged each Knight of the Order of No Quarter) | Very High (Can fight the Black Knight, the entire Order of No Quarter, and The Enchantress in one sitting)
Range: Standard Melee physically, Extended Melee to Several Meters with Shovel Blade and several melee relics, Tens of Meters with mid-range Relics, Shockwave Generation, and Absorption, Kilometers to Hundreds of Kilometers with Portal Creation, Cross-Dimensional with Phase Locket and Sealing
Intelligence: At least Gifted (Noted to be the best hero and treasure hunter according to the game's intro. Defeated the entire Order of No Quarter, a group of skilled knights with various skills. Was stated by Mole Knight to be better at digging than him. He and Shield Knight have gone on hundreds of journeys together)
Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Human Achievements (Was a renowned treasure hunter alongside Shield Knight and became a farmer), Acrobatics (Preforms a long flip at the start of each level and is naturally athletic with his Shovel Blade in combat), Dimensional Storage (Can carry all of his relics and treasure), Weapon Usage (Along with being skilled with his Shove Blade, he also knows how to use various relics, such as the Flare Wand, Dust Knuckles, Throwing Anchor, Alchemy Coin, Mobile Gear, War Horn, Propeller Dagger, and Chaos Sphere), Penetration Damage (Physical Penetration; Shovel Knight's shovel blade is innately sharp enough to pierce through solid structures with ease), Perfect Guard & Attack Reflection (His Shovel Blade can send back projectiles. Can perform a parry when being attacked that reflects incoming damage), Reactive Adaptation (Shovel Knight is capable of adapting to certain ailments to benefit himself instead and can quickly revert the negative attributes of inflicted ailments), Accelerated Development (Battle; Physical Statistics. Shovel Knight went from fighting a weakened Enchantress at his prime to challenging a fully powered Enchantress after being exhausted in battle), Sheer Will & Restoration (Even after fighting tirelessly against the Enchantress and considering himself well past his peak condition, he was able to muster up all of his energy to fight the Enchantress alongside Shield Knight for the final battle), Magic (Shovel Knight has an innate pool of magic, which allows him to use his relics. Is noted to be a mage by other magic users), Aquatic Breathing and Self-Sustenance (Respiratory Self-Sustenance; Shovel Knight can freely breathe underwater. Can fight other knights in the Event Horizon stage in showdown), Non-Standard Interaction and Soul Manipulation (Can interact with and kill ghosts), Damage Boost and Durability Negation (Shovel Knight can charge his power for one attack with the Charge Handle, which can bypass armor and shields that are normally Invulnerable), Fire Manipulation (When at full health, Shovel Knight can use the Drop Spark, which creates a spark-based projectile), Limited Subjective Reality (The treasures that Shovel Knight gets in his dreams are transferred to real life), Divine Protection (Noted by Kratos to have the Gods' favor during their battle), Damage Transferal (When enemies or objects are nearby, Shovel Knight can harm all of them at once)Resistance to Penetration Damage (Physical Penetration and 2; Can survive attacks from Specter Knight's scythe and can tank being struck by the Throwing Anchor), Extreme Heat (Shovel Knight is fine being near lava and within Smeltworks. Can tank attacks from Specter Knight), Fire Manipulation (His armor blocks himself from being burnt), Extreme Cold (Perfectly fine fighting in snowy and ice areas and being frozen solid), Ice Manipulation (Can break free from being frozen solid), Electricity Manipulation (Can survive electrical attacks with enough voltage completely fry his body and armor with minimal damage. Can tank attacks from Baz), Explosion Manipulation (Can survive the big bomb explosion, along with various other explosive attacks. Can tank attacks from Plague Knight in their battle), Size Manipulation (Shovel Knight can quickly revert status effects that change his size), Water Manipulation (Can take attacks from Mole Knight in Shovel Knight DIG who uses concentrated water attacks), Radiation Manipulation, Biological Manipulation, and Gravity Manipulation (Should be comparable to King Knight who can survive in the vacuum of space. Can fight in the Event Horizon stage in Showdown), Magic (Shovel Knight was able to resist the Enchantress' dark magic blast), Sealing and Fusionism (Was unaffected by the Enchantress' dark magic which sealed the Hexcavators into gemstones and fused them into a much larger Drill Knight), Darkness Manipulation (Resisted the dark magic's vortex which fired dark energy through the entire Tower of Fate), Mind Manipulation (Shovel Knight describes the Enchantress' dark magic as "Compelling him to keep digging", to which both Shovel Knight and Shield Knight were able to ultimately overcome), Illusion Manipulation (Type 1; A mage notes that dark magic can show one visions) Damage Boost (The Morph Lance increases in power with each consecutive hit, and reaches a boost of 500%), Astral Projection & Limited Teleportation (The Shadow Locket creates an astral projection of Shovel Knight that he can teleport to after a short period), Intangible Attacks (Various relics such as the Reverse Exa can fire projectiles through solid surfaces), Sound Manipulation (The War Horn fires an omnidirectional soundwave that damages targets), Fire Manipulation and Explosion Manipulation (The Flameo Wand lobs balls of fire that bounce along the ground and then explode once they burn up), Air Manipulation (The Gusteo Wand manifests and launches small gusts of wind that can scale walls), Ice Manipulation and Durability Negation (The Blizzeo Wand fires snowflakes that freeze enemies on hit to such an extent that their whole body is as fragile as ice), Summoning and Invulnerability (Physical Invulnerability; The Coffer of Safekeeping summons a coffin around Shovel Knight that completely protects him from harm), Water Manipulation and Flight (The Bubble Frog creates a small bubble around Shovel Knight that keeps him afloat indefinitely so long as the bubble doesn't pop. The Rising Dagger propels Shovel Knight into the air by spinning the hilt and blade tip like a propeller), Technological Manipulation and One Hit KO (The Omega Driver can be thrown like a boomerang as both a damaging projectile to instantly one-shot enemy knights, and a means to disable technology)Passive Summoning, Homing Attack, & Statistics Nullification (Can summon an Enchanted Slamvil that seeks out and crushes foes before battle to weaken them. The Lucky Magic Vial spawns a magic jar when Shovel Knight uses a relic), Spike Manipulation & Enhanced Burrowing (Can upgrade his horns to the Burrow Horns which allow him to tear dirt with his helmet horns), Fire Manipulation & Shockwave Generation (Comet Collar gives Shovel Knight a flaming boost to his attacks, knocking enemies back further and dealing more damage. Can increase the range of his Shovel Blade with a spark through the Shovel Blade Flint accessory. When at full health, Shovel Knight can use the Drop Spark accessory, which creates a spark-based projectile), Aura & Rage Power (The Berserker Bauble accessory doubles Shovel Knight's damage output when he's at half health and gives him a red aura), Damage Boost (Comet Collar gives Shovel Knight a flaming boost to his attacks, knocking enemies back further and dealing more damage. The Berserker Bauble accessory doubles Shovel Knight's damage output when he's at half health and gives him a red aura. The Dynamo Gauntlets accessory empower Shovel Knight with a powerful charge slash after two consecutive Shovel Drops), Statistics Amplification (The Scoot Boots allow Shovel Knight to traverse terrain quicker. Leaping Plume allows Shovel Knight to jump higher. The Dynamo Greaves accessory gives Shovel Knight a speed boost after performing two consecutive Shovel Drops), Transmutation & Probability Manipulation (The Book of Bomb makes it to where enemies drop bombs when they're slain. The Platter Charm makes enemies occasionally drop food on death or found in chests), Power Modification & Enhanced Magic (Can double the use of magic relics with the Tome of Relic Thrift)
Resurrection & Glyph Creation (The Fenix Feather revives Shovel Knight once after death and summons a Fenix to eliminate nearby targets), Healing (Various food items can heal a portion of Shovel Knight's health), Life Manipulation (The Blinding Hot Curry doubles Shovel Knight's life count. The Overstuffin' Muffin increases Shovel Knight's life count each time he consumes food at full health), Statistics Amplification (Various food items can fortify and enhance Shovel Knight's health into shields), Enhanced Magic (Various food items can increase Shovel Knight's magic capacity), Power Modification (The Magic Borscht can turn Shovel Knight health blue, making it to where he drops magic jars every time he's hit), Forcefield Creation (All of the elemental rings put up a barrier when Shovel Knight is hit with the correlating element attack type), Limited Resistance to Spike Hazards (The Spikeproof Sabatons grant safe traversal over spikes, but do not protect the rest of Shovel Knight's body), Resistance to Fire Manipulation (The Flameo Ring protects Shovel Knight from fire-based elemental attacks), Explosion Manipulation (The Blast Ring protects Shovel Knight from explosive-based attacks), Electricity Manipulation (The Bolteo Ring protects Shovel Knight from electricity-based elemental attacks), Air Manipulation (The Gusteo Ring protects Shovel Knight from wind-based elemental attacks), Ice Manipulation (The Blizzeo Ring protects Shovel Knight from frost-based elemental attacks), minor Resistance to One Hit KO (The Tears of Mercy will sacrifice a portion of Shovel Knight's maximum health when hit by a fatal attack)Minor Shapeshifting & Social Influencing (Suave Salve is an accessory that makes Shovel Knight more attractive, allowing him to haggle with shopkeepers), Magnetism Manipulation and minor Logic Manipulation (Can magnetize gems nearby, even when they're behind solid surfaces with Inverse Repeller), Supernatural Luck (The Lucky U-Shaped Charm ensures more riches appear in Shovel's Knight spelunking), Enhanced Senses & Extrasensory Perception (The Looking Glass allows Shovel Knight to easily spot secret areas within hidden walls), Transmutation & Probability Manipulation (The Boom Rock Trigger turns rocks into bombs when Shovel Knight hits them. The Platter Charm makes enemies occasionally drop food on death or found in chests)), Curse Manipulation and Limited Deconstruction (The Dirtwrecker Curse curses Shovel Knight to destroy any dirt he is currently standing on or walks into)
Summoning (Eggs can be used to hatch allies to assist Shovel Knight in battle), Flight and Teleportation (Most of the pets can fly to cover ground and attack foes and teleport to Shovel Knight's location), Organic Manipulation and Shapeshifting (The Horned Blue Blorb summons a blue slime that somewhat resembles Shovel Knight. The slime will bounce on enemies performing slimey attacks), Natural Weaponry (The Fairy summons a deadly fairy that bites foes nearby), Fire Manipulation (The Miniature Griffoth summons a baby Griffoth that fires fireballs at nearby targets), Healing (The Winged Troupple will heal Shovel Knight once he is in critical condition)Damage Reduction (The Final Guard Plate reduces damage by about half its original output), Enhanced Acrobatics (The Ornate Plate, though seeming useless, grants Shovel Knight the ability to more easily perform acrobatic maneuvers), Passive Power Bestowal & Summoning (The Streamline Mail Plate grants Shovel Knight one accessory or relic per room he completes), Supernatural Luck, Social Influencing, and Lifeforce Reduction (The Scrounger's Suit Plate enhances the amount of treasure Shovel Knight finds in a run and lowers the prices at shops, all at the cost of reducing Shovel Knight's lifeforce), Transformation, Spin Dash, & Aura (The Ballistic Armor Plate allows Shovel Knight to transform into a ball-like state that forms a blue aura around him), Enhanced Magic, Magic Absorption, Enhanced Dimensional Storage, & Statistics Reduction (The Conjurer's Coat Plate, at the cost of lower defense, increases Shovel Knight's magic, allows him to harvest magic from slain foes, and carry two relics), Statistics Amplification (The Bash Bracers Plate increases Shovel Knight's attack power), Duplication and Energy Manipulation (The Combo Cuirass Plate builds up energy in Shovel Knight based on damage he inflicts and blocks he destroys which ultimately grants him more money upon completing a floor), Power Modification and Pseudo-Transmutation (The Pandemonium Plate randomly swaps out Shovel Knight's current armor each floor he completes) Statistics Amplification (The Berserker Bee doubles the amount of knockback inflicted), Explosion Manipulation (With Bombs), Sealing (The Joustus Card seals opponents inside), Flight (The Propeller Pack allows the user to fly), Time Manipulation (The Chronos Coin slows down time), Energy Projection (The Cube of Zorix and Remnant Spiral fires energy beams), Psuedo-Telekinesis (The Repeller pushes enemies away if close to the user), Transmutation (With the Fairy Wand, which turns enemies into fairies), Teleportation (With the Warping Glass, which swaps the placements of all enemies), Electricity Manipulation & Paralysis Inducement (With the Witherbolt, which fires thunderbolts and stuns an enemy), Invulnerability (With the Ichor of Fortitude, which makes the user invincible), Summoning (With the Egg, the user can hatch a Griffoth, Fairy, or Birder to attack), Vibration Manipulation (With Slamvil, an earthquake is caused to both damage enemies and stun them)Fire Manipulation (The Flare Wand shoots fireballs that can even be fired underwater), Intangibility (Phasing, possibly Spatial. The Phase Locket briefly allows Shovel Knight to phase through anything. The Phase Locket is implied to be phasing between dimensions), Transmutation (The Alchemy Coin can turn enemies into treasure when struck by the relic directly), Penetration Damage and Durability Negation (Type 2; The Throwing Anchor is a purple anchor that Shovel Knight throws in an upward arch, allowing it to pass through solid surfaces and strike foes), Sound Manipulation and Shockwave Generation (The War Horn fires a powerful sound wave to damage nearby foes), Enhanced Burrowing & Limited Flight (With the Dust Knuckles, Shovel Knight moves forward when punching anything, sustaining himself within the air and destroying anything he hits. The Propeller Dagger allows Shovel Knight to briefly fly forward), possible One Hit KO (The Mobile Gear is capable of one-shotting weaker foes, though it is unknown if this exclusive to Tinker Knight) Healing and Magic Restoration (The Ichor of Renewal fully heals and restores Shovel Knight's health and magic), Invulnerability (Metaphysical Invulnerability; The Ichor of Boldness makes Shovel Knight invincible for ten seconds. This even makes Shovel Knight invulnerable to Specter Knight's attacks), Magnetism Manipulation (The Ichor of Fortune draws in nearby treasure to Shovel Knight for a full minute). Limited Resistance to Spike Hazards (The Mobile Gear allows Shovel Knight to traverse spike-based hazards without any repercussions)Power Modification (The Final Guard lowers the amount of money Shovel Knight drops on death from 25% to 12%), Enhanced Magic, Statistics Reduction, & Transmutation (The Conjurer's Coat doubles Shovel Knight's magic capacity in exchange for lower defense. The armor also allows Shovel Knight to harvest magic from slain foes), Damage Boost (Dynamo Mail increases Shovel Knight's power for one strike after preforming two consecutive shovel drops. The Toad Gear gives Shovel Knight a more powerful thrust attack at the end of a combo), Enhanced Acrobatics (The Ornate Plate is stated to be acrobatic and allows Shovel Knight to perform acrobatic moves far more easily), Fire Manipulation and Weapon Modification (The Armor of Chaos gives Shovel Knight fire-based attacks that replace his innate Shovel Blade abilities. Absorbing a red orb allows him to shoot a large fire projectile. The Toad Gear gives Shovel Knight the morphing abilities of the Battle Toads, replacing his Shovel Blade abilities with their own), Absorption (When attacking enemies with the Armor of Chaos, Shovel Knight can absorb various orbs that can increase his power like Kratos), Healing and Magic Restoration (Can absorb green and blue orbs from opponents which heal Shovel Knight and replenish his magic), Size Manipulation (The Toad Gear allows Shovel Knight to increase the size of his Shovel Blade or helmet horns), Statistics Amplification (The Toad Gear increases Shovel Knight's travel and combat speed. The Dynamo Mail likely has the Dynamo Greaves integrated into them which gives shovel Knight a speed boost after performing two consecutive Shovel Drops), Shapeshifting (The Toad Gear can turn itself into a big boot), Resistance to Knockback (The Mail of Momentum prevents most knockback at the cost of being difficult to stop when moving) Healing (Potions and various foods heal its user. The Troupple Chalice heals the user overtime), Explosion Manipulation (With Bomb, Fire Bomb, Ice Bomb, Crystal Clear, and Bomb Cannon. Dynamallet blows up enemies hit by a chain attack), Fire Manipulation (With Fire Bombs, which explodes into fire. The Flame Axe burns enemies when hit. The Fizzle Wand leaves a trail of fire wherever the user walks), Ice Manipulation (With Ice Bomb, which freezes anyone hit by the explosion. The Ice Axe freezes enemies when hit), Statistics Amplification (Wood Blade, Steel Blade, and Hero Blade respectively increase the user's attack power. The Troupple Chalice, Meal Ticket, and Premium Meal Ticket increases the user's maximum health. The Single Glove deals extra damage to one enemy. Diamond Dust increases the user's item power and durability. Too Big Bomb increases the size of bomb explosions), Sound Manipulation (With the War Horn, which blasts a soundwave around the user), Time Stop (The Chronos Coin stops time. Chronos Glass freezes time at the start of battle), Durability Negation (The Wildcard defeats all foes that look alike), Electricity Manipulation (The Zap Wand shoots electricity), Smoke Manipulation (With Smoke Bomb, which explodes a field of smoke), Damage Boost (The Swift Dagger deals extra damage for the first hit. The Third Amulet deals extra damage for every third hit on the same enemy. Five String deals extra damage for every 5th hit done to the same enemy. The Power Pail increases damage once the gem meter is full. The Obsidian Drill deals extra damage to blocks), Resurrection & Summoning (The Fenix Feather revives its user upon death, while also summoning a phoenix to destroy everything), Flight (The Nimbus Balloon allows its user to float over hazards), Rage Power (The Fury Horns increase damage and enrage the user when on low health after preforming a chain attack), Holy Manipulation (Divine Liquid deals more damage to undead beings while also recovering full health if preforming a 10+ chain attack), Absorption (The Desperation Talon heals the user from attacking others when on low health), Pain Manipulation (Shockproof Socks deals damage for every 10 steps its user takes), Poison Manipulation (Toad Totem poisons enemies with any attack), Enhanced Senses (The Snoutin' Charm allows the user to find gems in blocks).
Resistance to Electricity Manipulation (Shockproof Socks resist electric damage), Explosion Manipulation (Bomb Seed Bag grants bomb resistance)[1][2]Save and Load & Regeneration (Low-Godly, possibly Mid-Godly. Shovel Knight has access to Checkpoints, as shown in the ending of Shovel Knight DIG. Checkpoints allow Shovel Knight to reload to the last Checkpoint he activated after dying), Portal Creation & BFR (Type 2; Can use a Drifting Glass to open portals to a desired location), Sealing, Subjective Reality, and Time Manipulation with the Pocket Dungeon (Can use the Pocket Dungeon to trap people within an impossible labyrinth with an irregular system of causality that works based on your movement. Plague Knight notes that the Pocket Dungeon changes based on the person traversing it, thus making it harder for them to escape)
- Shovel Blade: The Shovel Blade is Shovel Knight's signature and ever-trusting weapon; it is a solid and versatile tool used for digging as well as attacking, and is the only gear that Shovel Knight doesn't need to equip. Those who wield such a weapon follow an honorable moral code known as the Code of Shovelry.
- Showdown: Berserker Bee, Bomb, Joustus Card, Propeller Pack, Chronos Coin, Cube of Zorix, Remnant Spiral, Repeller, Griffoth Egg, Fairy Egg, Birder Egg, Slamvil, Fairy Wand, Warping Glass, Witherbolt, and Ichor of Fortitude
Notable Techniques
- Drop Spark: Makes Dig Slashes generate rolling sparks while Shovel Knight is on full health.
- Trench Blade: Lets the Shovel Blade dig up Dig Piles with just one Dig Slash instead of five.
- Charge Handle: Lets Shovel Knight charge up the Shovel Blade to perform stronger and wider Dig Slashes.
Other
Standard Tactics: Shovel Knight will typically use his Shovel Blade and various relics to attack. He also sometimes preforms sneak attacks by playing dead.
Weaknesses: Has a limited supply of magic and only fights when forced to.
Note: Do not attempt to scale Shovel Knight to Kratos. Despite being claimed as canon from both parties, their words contradict their games. To start with, Cory Balrog's statement of it being canon was in a clear joking manner, "He appears on his journey from Greece to Scandinavia. So that was actually a part of the God of War history where he suddenly became 8-bit... it's canon. Wait for the box set". Along with this, it cannot fit anywhere in the timeline Cory notes here as it's meant to take place in between his journey from the Greek Pantheon to the Norse Pantheon. At the end of God of War 3, Kratos killed the entire pantheon, flooding the earth and killing everyone, if this is canon to Shovel Knight, this implies the world of Shovel Knight is completely destroyed as the events of God of War 3, it's noted that their fight takes place in the City of Olympia also, which would not make sense if this is meant to be post God of War 3. This also doesn't make sense due to how Kratos acts in Shovel Knight. Along with this, even if he is shown to use weapons from God of War 3, this is a Kratos before the events of the games, as he notes to Athena he is still being tested by the gods, which is a thing that was done all the way back in the first God of War and even prior in Chains of Olympus where he was 7-A. Along with noting Shovel Knight has the Gods favor, which is something he would not do in God of War 2 and onward where he has broken free from the chains of fate. Along with this, if this was GoW 2 or onward, he would not simply accept the Gods favor one as he detests the Gods after their betrayal in GoW 2. Another thing to note is the timeline of events, if this is meant to take place after God of War 3, Kratos would no longer be allied with Athena as their alliance ended after he gave hope to all of humanity, with Kratos still detesting her all the way into God of War (2018). One other point to note is that even in a game like God of War Ragnarok, where Playstation All Stars is treated as canon, Shovel Knight is not once mentioned. Even if we were to assume this battle was canon, it would be deemed as an outlier due to Shovel Knight and those comparable to him being threatened and harmed by lesser feats much after the battle against Kratos.
References
Battle Records