An interesting post on the mulch plug and saving a few bucks https://www.lawnmowerforum.com/threads/works-almost-as-well-as-the-plug-honda-hr-214-mower.67211/ Well, save a bunch of bucks actually.
It does have a mulch plug. The mower is a HRC-216HXA K3. It's just the Canadian version, instead of the US version.That model doesn't have a mulch plug