Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
''
video game franchise
This is a list of video game franchises, organized alphabetically. All entries include multiple video games, not counting ports or altered re-releases.
0–9
*''1080° Snowboarding''
*''1942''
*''3D Ultra Minigolf''
*'' 3-D Ultra Pinball''
*'' ...
began in 1991 with the game ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' for the
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
, which pitted a blue
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
hedgehog named
Sonic
Sonic or Sonics may refer to:
Companies
*Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain
*Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider and CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities
*Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...
against a rotund male human villain named
Doctor Eggman
Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Oh ...
(or Doctor Ivo Robotnik). The sequel, ''
Sonic 2
is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. It follows Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Eggman from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space stationnamed The Death Egg. Like the first '' ...
Sonic CD
is a 1993 platform game for the Sega CD developed and published by Sega. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he attempts to save an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, from Doctor Robotnik. Like other '' Sonic'' games, Sonic runs and ...
'' introduced
Amy Rose
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...
, a female hedgehog with a persistent crush on Sonic. ''
Sonic 3
is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. Like previous '' Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. They control Sonic and Tails, who attempt to retri ...
'' introduced
Knuckles the Echidna
is a fictional character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's best friend and former rival. Determined and serious, but sometimes gullible, he has the ability to punch enemies w ...
, Sonic's rival and, later, friend. All five of these have remained major characters and appeared in dozens of games.
The series has introduced dozens of additional recurring characters over the years. These have ranged from anthropomorphic animal characters like
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
and Cream the Rabbit to robots created by Eggman like
Metal Sonic
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Docto ...
and
E-123 Omega
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game), Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgeh ...
, as well as human characters like Eggman's grandfather
Gerald Robotnik
The '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or D ...
. The series features three fictional species: Chao, which have usually functioned as
digital pet
A virtual pet (also known as a digital pet, artificial pet, or pet-raising simulation) is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. People may keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet.
Digital ...
s and minor gameplay and plot elements; Wisps, which have been used as
power-up
In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...
s; and Kocos, which when collected grant new abilities for Sonic, among other things.
The ''Sonic'' games keep a separate continuity from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comics published by
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York. is a blue anthropomorphic
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...
and the main
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the series. Developed as a replacement for their existing
Alex Kidd
is a platform video game series developed by Sega, and starring the titular Alex Kidd.
Games
The franchise includes seven titles.
* ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' - 1986, Master System
* '' Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars'' - 1986, Arcade, 1988, ...
mascot, as well as Sega's response to
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
, his first appearance was in the arcade game ''
Rad Mobile
is a racing arcade game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega. It was first published in Japan in October 1990, followed by an international release for arcades in February 1991. ''Rad Mobile'' was Sega's first 32-bit game, using Sega's ...
'' as a cameo, before making his official debut in ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' (1991). Sonic's greatest ability is his running speed, and he is known as the world's fastest hedgehog.Amy's profile from the
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
manual Using the power of the seven
Chaos Emeralds
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
, he becomes
Super Sonic
is a title character and the main protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog, video game series of the same name published by Sega, and appears in numerous spin-off comics, Animated cartoon, animations, and other media. He is an anthropomorphism, ...
and can achieve even greater speeds.
Doctor Eggman
Sega (1991). ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' instruction manual (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
version), pp. 4 better known by his alias Sega (1999). ''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'' instruction manual, pp. 31 is a human mad scientist and the main
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.
Etymology
The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
of the series. Debuting in the first game of the series, ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', he was shown attempting to collect the
Chaos Emeralds
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
and turn all of the animals inhabiting the land into robots. He is a self-proclaimed or certifiable genius with an IQ of 300.
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
(2001). ''
Sonic Adventure 2
is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...
'' instruction manual, pp. 9
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
(2004). ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' instruction manual, pp. 14 His fondness for mechas has made him a renowned authority on robotics. Ultimately, Eggman's goal is to conquer the world and create his ultimate utopia, Eggmanland, alternatively known as the Eggman Empire and Robotnikland.
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
(2005). ''
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
'' instruction manual, pp. 8
When Sega had petitioned its
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
department to create a character who would replace
Alex Kidd
is a platform video game series developed by Sega, and starring the titular Alex Kidd.
Games
The franchise includes seven titles.
* ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' - 1986, Master System
* '' Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars'' - 1986, Arcade, 1988, ...
as its company mascot, a
caricature
A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...
of U.S. President
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
was among the proposed designs. It lost to Sonic the Hedgehog, but the design was kept for the basis for Dr. Eggman instead.
Miles "Tails" Prower
better known by his
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
is a two-tailed
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
who is Sonic's best friend and sidekick. His name is a
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophonic ...
on "
miles per hour
Miles per hour (mph, m.p.h., MPH, or mi/h) is a British imperial and United States customary unit of speed expressing the number of miles travelled in one hour. It is used in the United Kingdom, the United States, and a number of smaller countrie ...
". He is able to use his two tails to propel himself into the air like a
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
for a limited time.
Yasushi Yamaguchi
, also known as Judy Totoya is a game designer and artist. He designed the character Miles "Tails" Prower in an internal contest hosted by Sonic Team. He originally named the character "Miles Prower", however SEGA wanted to call the character "Tail ...
, originally the main artist and zone designer for
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
's Sonic Team, designed Tails for an internal competition for a
sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany.
Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...
to Sonic. His first appearance was in ''Sonic 2'' for the Game Gear, where he was kidnapped by
Doctor Robotnik
Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ohshi ...
for a "hefty" ransom, and was first made playable in the Genesis version of ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Eggman from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space stationnamed T ...
''. Tails has appeared in almost every Sonic game since his first appearance. Tails starred in two solo spinoff games for the
Sega Game Gear
The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...
in 1995 – ''
Tails' Skypatrol
is a 1995 shoot'em up, horizontal-scrolling shooter video game published in Japan by Sega for the Game Gear. It is a spin-off of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise, and one of two Game Gear games to star Sonic's sidekick Tails (Sonic the Hedge ...
'', and ''
Tails Adventure
''Tails Adventure'' is a platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega in 1995 for the Game Gear. The game stars Tails from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series in a solo adventure, as he collects an array of items to help him explore ...
''. Frequently portrayed as a sweet-natured
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
(1999). ''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'' instruction manual, pp. 20 and humble fox,
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
(2004). ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' instruction manual, pp. 7 Tails used to be picked on because of his twin tails, before he met Sonic. Tails has a very high IQ and excellent mechanical ability.
Amy Rose
(voiced by
Cindy Robinson
Cindy Robinson is an American voice actress who voices in animations and video games. Some of her major roles are Makoto Nanaya and Gii from the ''Blazblue'' series, Betty Boop in commercials, Queen Beryl in '' Sailor Moon'', Chitose Nanbu in ...
in English as of 2010 and
Taeko Kawata
is a freelance Japanese voice actress best known for voicing Amy Rose from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. While working at a confectionery shop after graduating from Jissen Commercial High School, she attended a voice acting school in the ...
in Japanese) is a pink hedgehog and Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, who is an energetic
tomboy
A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...
. Amy was created by
Kazuyuki Hoshino
is a video game artist who works for Sonic Team as the studio's creative director. His first role involved working with Sega on ''Sonic the Hedgehog CD'' as a character/ sprite, special-stage, and visual designer. He is notable for creating Metal ...
for ''
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
is a 1993 platform game for the Sega CD developed and published by Sega. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he attempts to save an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, from Doctor Robotnik. Like other ''Sonic'' games, Sonic runs and ju ...
'' (1993), although she appeared
Kenji Terada
is a Japanese scenario writer, anime director, series organizer and novelist. His more notable works include writing the first three games of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. He also worked on '' Batman: Dark Tomorrow'', created the concept for the ...
's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' manga a year before. Hoshino created her in-game graphics, with many staff members contributing ideas to her design. Her headband and trainer shoes reflected ''Sonic CD'' director
Naoto Ohshima
(born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese artist and video game designer, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman characters from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Although Yuji Naka created ...
's tastes, and her mannerisms reflected the traits Hoshino looked for in women at the time. Her fur color was red at first, and her skirt orange. The character had two other names in game previews: Rosy the Rascal and Princess Sally (a character in the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' TV series and comics). Amy received her present design, with a red dress and boots, in ''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'' (1998), courtesy of designer
Yuji Uekawa
is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for the long-running '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights ...
.
In the games, Amy is depicted as driven and competitive. She spends much of her time following Sonic to get his attention or make sure he is safe while demonstrating her affection. Series co-creator
Yuji Naka
, credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game programmer, video game designer, designer and video game producer, producer. He is the former head of the Sega studio Sonic Team, where he was the lead programmer of the original ''Sonic t ...
said that Amy was designed "to always chase Sonic", and has made it her life goal to one day marry him.Alt URL Not possessing the speed or strength of the other characters, Amy uses a hammer to defend herself instead. In ''Sonic CD'',
Metal Sonic
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Docto ...
kidnaps Amy and Sonic must rescue her. When he does, Amy kisses him. Amy's first appearance in a ''Sonic'' platformer as a playable character was in ''Sonic Adventure''; she is playable in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' (2003) and ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' (2006), and appears as a
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
in games such as ''
Sonic Unleashed
''Sonic Unleashed'' is a 2008 platform video game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic as he attempts to restore the world after his nemesis Doctor Eggman shatters it with a powerful laser ...
'' (2008).
While some journalists have called Amy cute and powerful, others find her annoying. Justin Towell of ''
GamesRadar+
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
'' and writers from ''
Mean Machines
''Mean Machines'' was a multi-format video game magazine published between 1990 and 1992 in the United Kingdom.
Origins
In the late 1980s '' Computer and Video Games'' (''CVG'') was largely covering the outgoing generation of 8-bit computers l ...
'' expressed general displeasure at her introduction in ''Sonic CD''. Additionally, some have criticized developers' treatment of Amy as a female character and analyzed her implications on
gender representation in video games
The portrayal of men and women in video games, as in other media, is a subject of research in gender studies and is discussed in the context of sexism in video gaming.
Although women make up about half of video game players, they are significant ...
. The ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' staff found her pink coloring and tendency to run from danger to be stereotypical and common in Japanese-created female characters, while feminist blogger
Anita Sarkeesian
Anita Sarkeesian ( ; born 1983) is a Canadian-American feminist media critic and public speaker. She is the founder of ''Feminist Frequency'', a website that hosts videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of women in popular culture. She has ...
cites Amy as an example of the "Ms. Male Character" trope, in which female characters in games with male protagonists often resemble those protagonists, but with stereotypically feminine features added. Despite this, Amy is one of the series' most popular characters, coming in fifth place in a Japanese popularity poll in 2006. Her likeness has been used in ''Sonic'' merchandise, and she appears in the television adaptations ''
Sonic X
is a Japanese anime television series based on Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series. Produced by TMS Entertainment under partnership with Sega and Sonic Team, and directed by Hajime Kamegaki, ''Sonic X'' initially ran for 52 epis ...
'' (2003–2006) and ''
Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...
'' (2014–2017).
Metal Sonic
is an evil robotic version of Sonic created by Dr. Robotnik. He first appears in ''
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
is a 1993 platform game for the Sega CD developed and published by Sega. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he attempts to save an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, from Doctor Robotnik. Like other ''Sonic'' games, Sonic runs and ju ...
''. He is given orders to go back in time and change the past so that Dr. Eggman can rule the future. Sonic must race him in Stardust Speedway to free Amy Rose. He is severely wounded when he crashes and falls, but is rejuvenated by Robotnik in '' Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II'', only to be defeated again in a similar style. He returns in ''
Knuckles' Chaotix
''Knuckles' Chaotix'' is a 1995 platform game developed by Sega for the 32X. A spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Doctor Robotnik ...
'', where he attempts to obtain the Chaos Rings, but he is stopped by the Chaotix. Metal Sonic notably acted as the main antagonist in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'', appearing in a new form as Neo Metal Sonic before transforming into the game's final boss, the Metal Overlord. Upon being defeated by Super Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, he reverts to his traditional appearance. He appears as the main antagonist in the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog (OVA)
or ''Sonic the Hedgehog the Movie'', is a two-part 1996 Japanese original video animation (OVA) based on the video game franchise by Sega. Produced by Pierrot and directed by Kazunori Ikegami, the OVA was originally released in Japan on Janua ...
'', where Eggman records Sonic's abilities and uploads them to Metal Sonic, who proceeds in attempting to destroy the world before being tossed into lava by Sonic. Metal Sonic appears as a bonus playable character in '' Sonic Rivals'', reprogrammed to aid Eggman Nega in his attempt to take over the world. He returns as a playable character in ''
Sonic Rivals 2
''Sonic Rivals 2'' is a 2007 racing video game, the sequel to the 2006 game '' Sonic Rivals''. The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console. ''Sonic Ri ...
'', under orders from Eggman to aid Shadow in stopping Eggman Nega's plans. In ''
Sonic Free Riders
is a motion controlled racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game requires the use of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral and was a Kinect launch title in November 2010.
''Sonic Free Riders'' ...
'', Metal Sonic is a playable character and the final opponent in the game's story mode. In ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'', he appears in his classic form as a rival boss, battling Classic Sonic in Stardust Speedway before ultimately being destroyed. Metal Sonic returns as a boss character in '' Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric'' and '' Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal''. He appears in the ''
Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...
'' episode, "It Wasn't Me, It Was the One-Armed Hedgehog". Metal Sonic appears as a boss in the Sonic story mode of ''
Lego Dimensions
''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. It fo ...
''.
Metal Sonic appeared as a playable character in the multiplayer mode of '' Sonic Adventure 2: Battle'', as well as ''
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
is a 2010 kart racing video game, produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS (February 23, 2010), and Microsoft Windows (March 3, 2010), featuring characters from multiple List of Sega video game franchises, Sega franchises. The game ...
'', ''
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
is a Kart racing game, kart racing video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U in November 2012, for PlayStation Vita in December 2012, for Windows in January 2013, for ...
'', and all the '' Mario & Sonic'' titles beginning with ''
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
is a 2009 and 2011 sports and party game developed by Sega. Like its predecessor, it was published by Nintendo for Japan and Korea and by Sega in the Western world. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) th ...
''. Collecting all the emblems in '' Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut'' unlocks Metal Sonic as a bonus playable character in Sonic's stages, and purchasing both episodes of ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
is a 2010 platform game developed by Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team, and published by Sega. It is a sequel to ''Sonic & Knuckles'' (1994), following Sonic as he sets out to stop a returning Doctor Eggman. Like the '' Sonic the Hedgeh ...
'' unlocks bonus levels in which Metal Sonic is playable.
He possesses great strength, including a
laser cannon
A laser weapon is a directed-energy weapon based on lasers. After decades of R&D, directed-energy weapons including lasers are still at the experimental stage and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-perfo ...
, a
jet engine
A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition can include rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term ...
and a force field device he can use to protect himself from projectiles and certain attacks. He usually only communicates with a series of electronic noises. The only notable time Metal Sonic was able to talk was in ''Sonic Heroes'' in which he was voiced by
Jun'ichi Kanemaru
is a Japanese voice actor and singer employed by 81 Produce as of 2020. His roles included Hayato Kazami in ''Future GPX Cyber Formula'', Ryo Akiyama in ''Digimon Tamers'' and Sonic the Hedgehog in the eponymous series since 1998. He came in ei ...
in Japanese and
Ryan Drummond
Ryan Drummond (born January 10, 1973) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer, clown, mime artist and performer who is best known for his role as the original English voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video gam ...
in English.
GameDaily
GameDaily (GD) was a video game journalism website based in the United States.
It was launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads. The site changed its business model from a flat fee ...
placed Metal Sonic 13th on their "Top 25 Video Game Robots" list, describing him as Dr. Robotnik's "greatest creation" and praising the strength of his abilities.
Knuckles the Echidna
is a red
echidna
Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae . The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the ...
and Sonic's friendly rival. First introduced in the Genesis game ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. Like previous '' Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. They control Sonic and Tails, who attempt to retri ...
'', Knuckles lives on Angel Island, which hovers in the sky due to the power of the
Master Emerald
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformer ...
. As the last surviving member of the Echidna people who once inhabited the island, his duty is to guard the Master Emerald.
During conception of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'', the development team wanted to create a new rival for Sonic. The final design of Knuckles was the result of dozens of possible designs inspired by numerous different animals. A character with many different abilities and skills, he is physically one of the strongest characters of the ''Sonic'' series. His strength and mastery of martial arts, specialising in punches, enables him to perform feats such as shattering boulders with his fists, while he can trap air underneath his dreadlocks in order to glide for short distances.
Fang the Sniper
initially known as Nack the Weasel in English localizations, is a purple
jerboa
Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts.
When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...
/
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
hybrid that first appeared in the
Game Gear
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
Chaos Emeralds
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
; however he does not know of their true power and merely wants to sell them for his own profit. He is a slick, sneaky, and mischievous character who will steal the Emeralds for an easier job. Fang tries hard to outwit others, but is held back by his clumsiness and often fails.
Outside of ''Triple Trouble'', Fang has had playable roles in '' Sonic Drift 2'' and ''
Sonic the Fighters
also known as ''Sonic Championship'' on arcade versions outside Japan, is a fighting game developed by Sega AM2. First released in 1996 in arcades on Sega's Model 2 arcade system, ''Sonic the Fighters'' pits players in one-on-one battles wit ...
'' in 1995 and 1996, and had been planned to be in the cancelled ''
Sonic Xtreme
''Sonic X-treme'' was a platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute from 1994 until its cancellation in 1996. It was planned as the first fully 3D ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, taking Sonic into the 3D era of video games, and the first ...
''. He has not had any significant roles since however, though he did make a cameo appearance on an in-game poster in 2011's ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'', and as an illusion during the boss fight with Heavy Magician in ''
Sonic Mania
''Sonic Mania'' is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series' 25th anniversary, ''Sonic Mania'' pays homage to the origin ...
'' in 2017.
Chaotix
The Chaotix are a group of initially four characters who debuted in the game ''
Knuckles' Chaotix
''Knuckles' Chaotix'' is a 1995 platform game developed by Sega for the 32X. A spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Doctor Robotnik ...
'' as the main characters, later forming their own detective agency in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' where only three of them (Vector, Espio and Charmy respectively) returned, after the three were redesigned and rebooted into essentially new characters.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
described the characters as "charming" and noted that they were introduced before fans became weary of all the new characters in the series.
Vector the Crocodile
(voiced by
Keith Silverstein
Keith Silverstein is an American voice actor, known for lending his voice to English Versions of Japanese anime and video games, affiliated with Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Viz Media, Studiopolis and Funimation. He is best known for his roles as ...
in English as of 2010 and
Kenta Miyake
is a Japanese voice actor and narrator who is affiliated with 81 Produce.
Career
Miyake was born in Okinawa Prefecture. As a teenager, he dreamed of becoming a voice actor in hopes of meeting an actress that he admired and wanted to co-star wit ...
in Japanese) is a large
crocodile
Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...
who is the "head honcho" and brains of the Chaotix Detective Agency. Divided between being both "bossy" and "easy-going", his rough speech and outward appearance mask his clear reasoning and ability to resolve cases. For the right price he will take on most jobs, unless they involve doing something immoral. Vector has a strong sense of justice and kindness, despite his argumentativeness. He often does unpaid work due to his charitable nature, such as finding a lost child or taking up meager chases for children. This leaves the agency constantly short on money. Vector hates having to work for the landlord, but he enjoys singing, and his trademark accessory is a set of
headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an au ...
. He is physically very strong and his powerful jaws are a formidable weapon.
Vector was, originally, supposed to be in the sound test of the first ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' game, but he along with the feature itself, was removed prior to its release. Vector then made his official debut was in the video game ''
Knuckles' Chaotix
''Knuckles' Chaotix'' is a 1995 platform game developed by Sega for the 32X. A spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Doctor Robotnik ...
''. And in 2003, he was part of Team Chaotix in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' and is featured in ''
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
'', ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'', ''
Sonic Forces
is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. The story sees Sonic the Hedgehog joining a resistance force to stop Docto ...
'' and several other games (alongside both Espio and Charmy in said games). In all instalments of '' Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games'', he is a playable athlete. He has also been playable in other spinoff titles such as ''
Sonic Free Riders
is a motion controlled racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game requires the use of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral and was a Kinect launch title in November 2010.
''Sonic Free Riders'' ...
'' and ''
Team Sonic Racing
''Team Sonic Racing'' is a 2019 kart racing game and a Spin-off (media), spin-off from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Controlling one of 15 characters from List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the series' cast, players compete in races ...
Sonic Dash
''Sonic Dash'' is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega. It is Hardlight's second ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, the first being 2012's ''Sonic Jump''. The game was released in March 2 ...
''.
Vector was also the only 'Modern exclusive' character (besides Shadow) to appear in the ''
Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...
'' Franchise, making his debut into the sub-franchise in the season two episode; Vector Detector. He later made a few cameo appearances before the show's end. Like the other game characters, he was redesigned for the series, sporting an arm tattoo and a leather jacket in place of his traditional headphones. In 2021, he was later added as a playable character in the tie-in mobile game; '' Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom''.
Espio the Chameleon
(voiced by
Matthew Mercer
Matthew Christopher Miller (born June 29, 1982), better known as Matthew Mercer, is an American voice actor. He is best known for his work with Studiopolis, Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Viz Media, and NYAV Post in anime, cartoons, and ...
in English as of 2016 and
Yuuki Masuda
Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to:
Places
* Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan
* Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan
* Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan
* Yuki, ...
in Japanese) is a
chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
who is a
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
. He is described as the "opinionated number one" of the Chaotix, also being the calmest. He has a "militaristic discipline" while being quiet and laid back. Confident in his skills, opinionated and self-obsessed, he revels in training and self-discipline. He is not concerned by danger, and often yearns to face it in order to use his ninja skills. With his extensive training in
ninjutsu
, sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some tradit ...
and an ability to turn himself invisible, he is able to move around unnoticed. However, a blunder like a sneeze could cause him to inadvertently become visible.
Espio's debut was in the video game ''
Knuckles' Chaotix
''Knuckles' Chaotix'' is a 1995 platform game developed by Sega for the 32X. A spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Doctor Robotnik ...
''. In the game, his color subtly changes while he moves to demonstrate the technical capabilities of the
Sega 32X
The 32X is an add-on for the Sega Genesis video game console. Codenamed "Project Mars", it was designed to expand the power of the Genesis and serve as a transitional console into the 32-bit era until the release of the Sega Saturn. The 32X us ...
console. Espio was incorporated into ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' as part of a move to reintroduce neglected characters, and because the development team considered him to have a unique, interesting personality. He was the designated "speed" character in ''Sonic Heroes'' while teammates
Vector the Crocodile
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game), Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgeh ...
and
Charmy Bee
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...
respectively represented "power" and "flight". Espio was added to ''
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
'' and ''
Sonic Rivals 2
''Sonic Rivals 2'' is a 2007 racing video game, the sequel to the 2006 game '' Sonic Rivals''. The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console. ''Sonic Ri ...
'' to help "round out our cast of characters", and because designer
Takashi Iizuka
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his 33-year career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He has also worked for Pro Wrestling Noah ...
appreciated the character's "stealthy agility". Espio appeared as a playable character in the arcade fighting game ''
Sonic the Fighters
also known as ''Sonic Championship'' on arcade versions outside Japan, is a fighting game developed by Sega AM2. First released in 1996 in arcades on Sega's Model 2 arcade system, ''Sonic the Fighters'' pits players in one-on-one battles wit ...
Colleen O'Shaughnessey
Colleen Ann O'Shaughnessey (born September 15, 1971) is an American voice actress. She is best known as the voice of Sora Takenouchi in the ''Digimon'' anime, Jazz Fenton in ''Danny Phantom'', Wasp in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes' ...
in English as of 2010 and
Yoko Teppouzuka
Yoko may refer to:
People
* Yoko (name), a Japanese feminine given name; variants include Yōko and Yohko
* Yoko Gushiken (具志堅 用高, born 1955), Japanese professional boxer
* Yoko Taro (横尾 太郎, born 1970), Japanese video game di ...
in Japanese) is a
bee
Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...
who is the "scatter-brained funny-kid" of the Chaotix. He is cheerful, curious, playful, careless, and greatly energetic, often talking about things no one else cares about. Charmy's fooling around makes the rest of the detective agency staff look professional, and he is generally seen as a "cute mascot". Despite an innocent, good-natured and light-hearted personality, he uses his stinger on rare occasions where he gets angry. In addition to being a playable character in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' and ''
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
armadillo
Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along wi ...
who debuted in the arcade game ''
SegaSonic the Hedgehog
is a 1993 arcade game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series by Sega. Controlling Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, the player must escape an island as quickly as ...
'' and later appeared in the 32X game ''Knuckles' Chaotix''. The character is described as a traveler who loves nature and desires to see every place. Mighty hates to see weaknesses in others and detests violence. He prefers to be gentle but undergoes a drastic change and is capable when needed. Mighty's only appearance as part of the Chaotix was in ''Knuckles Chaotix'', and was absent when the rest of the group was reintroduced into the series with ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' in 2003.
His long period of absence was alluded to in ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'', in which he is shown on a missing persons poster alongside fellow ''SegaSonic'' character Ray the Flying Squirrel. Both Mighty and Ray appeared as playable characters in the ''
Sonic Mania
''Sonic Mania'' is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series' 25th anniversary, ''Sonic Mania'' pays homage to the origin ...
'' expansion ''Sonic Mania Plus'', as well as appearing in the accompanying web series ''
Sonic Mania Adventures
''Sonic Mania'' is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series' 25th anniversary, ''Sonic Mania'' pays homage to the origin ...
''.
Ray the Flying Squirrel
is a yellow
flying squirrel
Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...
who debuted in the arcade game ''
SegaSonic the Hedgehog
is a 1993 arcade game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series by Sega. Controlling Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, the player must escape an island as quickly as ...
''. While he can run as fast as Sonic, Ray can also climb trees and glide.
His long period of absence was alluded to in ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'', in which he is shown on a missing persons poster during the City Escape level alongside fellow ''SegaSonic'' character Mighty the Armadillo. Both Ray and Mighty appeared as playable characters in the ''
Sonic Mania
''Sonic Mania'' is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series' 25th anniversary, ''Sonic Mania'' pays homage to the origin ...
'' expansion ''Sonic Mania Plus'', as well as appearing in the accompanying web series ''
Sonic Mania Adventures
''Sonic Mania'' is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series' 25th anniversary, ''Sonic Mania'' pays homage to the origin ...
''.
Big the Cat
(voiced by
Kyle Hebert
Kyle Henry Hebert ( ) is an American voice actor and DJ who works for anime and video game series, such as the teenage/adult Gohan and the narrator in the Funimation dub of the ''Dragon Ball series'', Sōsuke Aizen in '' Bleach'', Ryu in the ...
in English as of 2010 and
Takashi Nagasako
is a Japanese voice actor who is currently affiliated with Arts Vision. He has voiced in a number of video games with roles such as Ganondorf in ''The Legend of Zelda'', Big the Cat in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, Cervantes de Leon and R ...
in Japanese as of 2003) first appeared in the 1998
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...
game ''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'', where he was placed to justify the presence of a fishing rod in the game, although he was conceived beforehand. Big is a large, purple
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
cat, who is depicted as—while unintelligent—sweet, easygoing, and physically strong.''Sonic Heroes'' (GameCube) instruction manual, p. 11.
In ''Sonic Adventure'', Big's story involves fishing his frog friend, out of various bodies of water after Froggy swallows a
Chaos Emerald
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mos ...
and part of the tail of Chaos, the game's antagonist. In ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'', Big teams up with
Amy Rose
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...
and
Cream the Rabbit
The '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or ...
to search for Froggy and a lost Chao creature called Chocola. He is a more minor playable character in other ''Sonic'' games like '' Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'' and ''
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
is a 2010 kart racing video game, produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS (February 23, 2010), and Microsoft Windows (March 3, 2010), featuring characters from multiple List of Sega video game franchises, Sega franchises. The game ...
'' and a
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
in titles such as the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
version of ''
Sonic Colors
(known as ''Sonic Colours'' in the PAL region) is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior ''Son ...
''. Reflecting the story of ''Adventure'', Big appears in the ''
Sonic X
is a Japanese anime television series based on Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series. Produced by TMS Entertainment under partnership with Sega and Sonic Team, and directed by Hajime Kamegaki, ''Sonic X'' initially ran for 52 epis ...
'' anime and the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' comics.
Big has been derided by the video game press and fanbase for his obesity, low intelligence, one-dimensional development and uselessness within his games; he has appeared on several lists of the worst video game characters of all time and within the ''Sonic'' cast. Due to his poor reception and apparent uselessness,
Sonic Team
is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for the long-running '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights ...
claimed they would be retiring the character from appearing in future games in 2012, although head
Takashi Iizuka
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his 33-year career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He has also worked for Pro Wrestling Noah ...
has since stated that a game starring Big is a possibility. Despite this statement, Big has continued to appear in other titles, including ''
Sonic Runners
was a 2015 endless runner game in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise for Android and iOS. It was developed by Sonic Team as its first ''Sonic'' game exclusive to smartphones and published by Sega. In ''Sonic Runners'', the player-charac ...
'', ''
Lego Dimensions
''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. It fo ...
'', ''
Team Sonic Racing
''Team Sonic Racing'' is a 2019 kart racing game and a Spin-off (media), spin-off from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Controlling one of 15 characters from List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the series' cast, players compete in races ...
'', and ''
Sonic Frontiers
is a 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, the player explores the Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds, after Sonic and his friends are separated when falling thr ...
''.
Chaos
is a Chao mutated by the Chaos Emeralds that acts as a guardian for its species, protects the Master Emerald, and provides clear water around its altar. It is a water-like being that can easily manipulate its body. Without any Chaos Emeralds, it is known as "Chaos Zero", but with each Emerald it absorbs, it transforms into a more powerful form, eventually becoming "Perfect Chaos" with all 7 Emeralds.
Its first appearance is in ''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'', where Dr. Eggman attempts to use it to conquer the world. Chaos tracks down the emeralds, becomes "Perfect Chaos", and floods all of Station Square, but is ultimately defeated by Super Sonic. It reappears in ''
Sonic Adventure 2
is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...
'' as a bonus multiplayer character, in ''
Sonic Battle
is a 2003 fighting video game developed by Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being ''Sonic the Fighters''. It was released in Japan in December 2003 and in Nor ...
'' as a playable fighter, and in ''
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
is a 2009 and 2011 sports and party game developed by Sega. Like its predecessor, it was published by Nintendo for Japan and Korea and by Sega in the Western world. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) th ...
'' as an ice version of Perfect Chaos. He reappears in his perfect form in ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'' as a boss where he has a new look with green teeth and dark blue reptilian skin for the upper half of his body. This was supposed to be how he always looked, but the technology of the
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...
at the time made this look impossible. Chaos appears as the final boss in the Sonic the Hedgehog pack of ''
Lego Dimensions
''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. It fo ...
''.
E-100 Series
The E-100 Series is a group of
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
s created by
Doctor Eggman
Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Oh ...
, who uses them in his quest to conquer the world; however, some of their members have since gone rogue.''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'' (Dreamcast) instruction manual, pp. 26–27.
E-100 Alpha
better known as Zero, is the first of the E-100 series and considered the prototype of the line. He was created by Dr. Eggman and ordered to capture the Chaos Emerald from Amy Rose's Flicky friend, Birdie. He first appeared in ''Sonic Adventure'' as the main antagonist in Amy's story, where he repeatedly tries to capture Birdie. At the end of Amy's story, she destroys him. In ''Sonic Advance 2'', he appears in special stages, trying to prevent players from getting the seven Chaos Emeralds.
E-102 Gamma
(voiced by Stevie Broadie in English and Joji Nakata in Japanese) also primarily appears in ''Sonic Adventure''. He is a red, bulky robot with a powerful gun built into his arm. Gamma turns against his master after a heartfelt conversation with
Amy Rose
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...
, who becomes his friend, and destroys the other E-100 Series robots to free the trapped animals inside them before ultimately doing the same to himself. He offers shoot-'em-up gameplay to a largely platforming-focused game. Gamma later made a spiritual return in the form of Chaos Gamma, who appeared as a playable character in ''
Sonic Battle
is a 2003 fighting video game developed by Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being ''Sonic the Fighters''. It was released in Japan in December 2003 and in Nor ...
''. He has garnered mixed comments from critics. While ''
Xbox World
''Xbox World'' was a British Xbox and Xbox 360 magazine published by Future plc.
History
''Xbox World 360'' began life as Xbox World, with issue one released in early 2003, over a year after the Xbox's release. Published by Computec Media, the ...
'' generally commended his story, others criticized the slow and repetitive nature of his gameplay.
E-123 Omega
(voiced by Aaron LaPlante in English as of 2019 and
Taiten Kusunoki
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Amuleto. He is best known dubbing roles for Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and many more.
Biography
Filmography
Television animation
;1995
* ...
in Japanese) first appears in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'', Eggman seals Omega within an abandoned base, along with Shadow, until
Rouge the Bat
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...
releases Shadow from his stasis pod, accidentally reactivating Omega. Omega expresses a deep hatred for Eggman due to the latter locking him up in stasis for an extended period of time. Omega decides to team up with the other two in order to obtain revenge on Eggman and prove that he is the most powerful robot of all. He returns with the same goal in ''
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
'', and teams up with Shadow in certain levels to destroy Eggman's robots. During '' Sonic the Hedgehog 2006'', he is playable after Rouge orders him to support Shadow many years in the future. He is also one of the secret unlockable characters in '' Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood''. He also appeared in the DS version of
Sonic Colors
(known as ''Sonic Colours'' in the PAL region) is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior ''Son ...
where he challenges Sonic to perform a mission, and reveals to Sonic the location of Eggman's base in the Asteroid Coaster world. In ''
Sonic Forces
is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. The story sees Sonic the Hedgehog joining a resistance force to stop Docto ...
'', Omega is severely damaged by Infinite, but is repaired by Tails and becomes a member of the Resistance. Omega has appeared in ''
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
is a 2009 and 2011 sports and party game developed by Sega. Like its predecessor, it was published by Nintendo for Japan and Korea and by Sega in the Western world. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) th ...
'' as a rival in speed skating and intense short track and in ''
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
is a 2011 fictional crossover, crossover sports game, sports and party game developed by Sega Japan. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and Korea and by Sega elsewhere. As the third instalment in the ''Mario & Sonic'' series, it was released ...
'' as a rival in the
100m
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...
Sprint. Omega appears as a playable racer in ''
Team Sonic Racing
''Team Sonic Racing'' is a 2019 kart racing game and a Spin-off (media), spin-off from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Controlling one of 15 characters from List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the series' cast, players compete in races ...
''.
Omega has an array of destructive weapons concealed in his arms, including
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
s,
flamethrower
A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...
s,
missile launchers
A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile.
History
The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...
, beam cannons and rocket-propelled drills. He can retract his hands in order to attach a spinning Shadow and Rouge in their place, either using the two as
melee
A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...
weapons or firing them. Omega has seen negative reception.
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
staff writer Tom Bramwell called Omega a "lesser" character among the ''Heroes'' cast. An ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' preview of ''Heroes'' referred to him as an imitation of the
T-1000
The T-1000 is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' franchise. A shapeshifter, shapeshifting Android (robot), android Terminator (character concept), Terminator Assassination, assassin, the T-1000 ...
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
called Omega a "supreme machine".
Omochao
() (voiced by
Erica Lindbeck
Erica Lindbeck (born May 29, 1992) is an American voice actress known for her work with Bang Zoom!, Studiopolis, and NYAV Post in voicing characters in English-dubbed anime and video games. She was the voice of the Barbie dolls and merchandis ...
in English as of 2019 and
Etsuko Kozakura
, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese voice actress from Mizuho. She was formerly with Ohsawa Jimusho, but now heads her own agency called Little Portal with husband Jin Domon. Some of her major roles are Ryo-Ohki in the ''Tenchi Muyo ...
in Japanese) is a
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
on its head. Omochao was introduced in ''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'' as part of the Chao Races, and it later appeared in ''
Sonic Adventure 2
is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...
'', where it serves as an in-game
manual
Manual may refer to:
Instructions
* User guide
* Owner's manual
* Instruction manual (gaming)
* Online help
Other uses
* Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ
* Manual (band)
* Manual transmission
* Manual, a bicycle technique similar to ...
to teach players how to play the game. It has filled a similar tutorial role in other games such as ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'', ''
Sonic Advance 3
is a platform video game developed by Dimps and Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. It is part of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and the sequel to ''Sonic Advance 2''. The game stars the characters Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, ...
'', ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'', and ''
Lego Dimensions
''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. It fo ...
''. The character has made other sporadic appearances throughout the series, including as a type of gun in ''
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
'', a referee in ''
Sonic Riders
is a 2006 racing video game for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox in which the player controls characters from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series on hoverboards. In the game's 16 tracks, the player competes against characters—either control ...
'', a collectible card and referee in ''
Sonic Rivals 2
''Sonic Rivals 2'' is a 2007 racing video game, the sequel to the 2006 game '' Sonic Rivals''. The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console. ''Sonic Ri ...
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a 2007 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A Spin-off (media), spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog ( ...
'', and the host of the World Grand Prix in ''
Sonic Free Riders
is a motion controlled racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game requires the use of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral and was a Kinect launch title in November 2010.
''Sonic Free Riders'' ...
''. Its only playable appearance is as one of a group of playable chao in ''
Team Sonic Racing
''Team Sonic Racing'' is a 2019 kart racing game and a Spin-off (media), spin-off from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Controlling one of 15 characters from List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the series' cast, players compete in races ...
''. "Omochao" is a pun on and "chao".
Tikal the Echidna
() is an orange
echidna
Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae . The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the ...
, who is the daughter of from the same tribe that
Knuckles the Echidna
is a fictional character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's best friend and former rival. Determined and serious, but sometimes gullible, he has the ability to punch enemies w ...
descends, the Knuckles Tribe. She first appears in ''
Sonic Adventure
is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'' and returns in ''
Sonic Adventure 2
is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...
''. Thousands of years before the main events of the series, she opposes her father's power-hungry ways of invading other countries. She eventually comes into contact with Chaos and a group of Chao at the shrine of the Master Emerald, who accept her due to her friendliness to them. She tries to reason with him about raiding the shrine for the emeralds, but he, hesitated by what she said to him, briefly snaps at her and orders the Knuckles Clan to attack. When the Clan does as it is told, they ran over Tikal and the Chao, which angers Chaos, as he punishes Pachacamac and the Knuckles Clan for what they did to Tikal and the Chao, by destroying them, absorbing the negative power of the emeralds. After that, Tikal tells the Master Emerald to stop Chaos, as it seals her inside itself. Several thousand years later,
Doctor Eggman
Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Oh ...
shatters the Master Emerald and awakens the angry Chaos and Tikal's spirit. Tikal helps the main characters defeat Chaos and then leaves with it. Tikal appears in ''
Sonic Advance
is a 2001 platform game developed by Dimps for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It was the first ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game released on a Nintendo console with ''Sonic Adventure 2: Battle'' on the GameCube, and was produced in commemoration of t ...
'' and ''
Sonic Advance 2
is a 2002 Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling platform game, platform video game developed by Dimps for the Game Boy Advance. It is an installment in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and the sequel to 2001's ''Sonic Advance''. The story ...
'' in a Chao minigame, and makes a cameo appearance on the Angel Island board of ''
Sonic Pinball Party
is a video game released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. It is a celebration of sorts for Sonic Team featuring many references to its previous games, mostly prominently '' Sonic the Hedgehog'', '' Nights into Dreams'', and ''Samba De Amigo''. ...
Sonic Rivals 2
''Sonic Rivals 2'' is a 2007 racing video game, the sequel to the 2006 game '' Sonic Rivals''. The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console. ''Sonic Ri ...
'', she appears on a variety of collectible cards. In ''
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
is a 2011 fictional crossover, crossover sports game, sports and party game developed by Sega Japan. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and Korea and by Sega elsewhere. As the third instalment in the ''Mario & Sonic'' series, it was released ...
Mii
A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis c ...
costume. In ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'', she is a collectable sticker. Tikal appears as a playable character in ''
Sonic Runners
was a 2015 endless runner game in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise for Android and iOS. It was developed by Sonic Team as its first ''Sonic'' game exclusive to smartphones and published by Sega. In ''Sonic Runners'', the player-charac ...
'' and is mentioned in ''
Sonic Frontiers
is a 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, the player explores the Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds, after Sonic and his friends are separated when falling thr ...
''.
Shadow the Hedgehog
is an artificially created life form in the design of a black and red
male
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization.
A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...
, similar to Sonic. His trademark hover skates propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic.
According to official profiles, Shadow was created 50 years ago by Professor Gerald Robotnik as the "Ultimate Life Form", which is ageless and immortal. Sharp witted and seemingly always on the edge, once he has set himself to a goal, he will do whatever it takes to accomplish it, regardless of any danger. After the trauma of the death of his only friend,
Maria Robotnik
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game), Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgeh ...
, Shadow strives to fulfill his purpose and keep the promise he made to her. Although his relationship with Sonic seems to have developed from antagonistic to friendly rivalry, animosity from not understanding their different mindsets still occurs.
However, Shadow shares a lot of similarities with Sonic. He can perform spin attacks common to Sonic, which are a variation on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Additionally, with the power of a
Chaos Emerald
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mos ...
, Shadow can warp time and space with Chaos Control. Shadow is also able to use a variety of other Chaos powers, such as "Chaos Spear" and "Chaos Blast".
Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow uses his super transformation to transform into Super Shadow and bestows new abilities of flight and near invulnerability, with normal abilities of speed and enhanced Chaos powers.
Rouge the Bat
(voiced by
Karen Strassman
Karen Strassman (born June 5 is an American stage, television and voice actress who has provided English language voices for Japanese anime shows, animation, and video games. Some of her major roles are Kallen Stadtfeld in the ''Code Geass'' seri ...
in English as of 2010 and
Rumi Ochiai
is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. She is currently affiliated with Theatre Company Subaru. After the death of Sumiko Shirakawa in 2015, she took over her role as Hiroshi Nakajima in ''Sazae-san''.
Biography
Oc ...
in Japanese) is a white, anthropomorphic
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
who made her first appearance in ''
Sonic Adventure 2
is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...
'' in 2001, and who has been featured in most games since. She is depicted as a professional treasure hunter devoted to the pursuit of jewels,
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
(2004). ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' instruction manual, pp. 9 calling herself the "World's Greatest Treasure Hunter". She has a tendency to ignore abstract morality or manners for potential profit; her "feminine charm" makes her appear careless, but she is actually scheming and manipulative. Additionally, she serves as a part-time spy for the government, and is a competent fighter. She battles using kicks, especially her signature "Screw Kick," and she can fly using her wings.
Professor Gerald Robotnik
is the grandfather of
Maria Robotnik
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game), Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgeh ...
and Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Fifty years before the main series, he attempted to create the "Ultimate Life Form" under the funding of the United Federation, hoping that it can help cure Maria's illness. However, when Maria was killed during a G.U.N. raid, Gerald, fueled by anger over his granddaughter's death and becoming resentful of humanity's increasingly callous nature, infiltrated Project ARK in order to combine the space station with the Chaos Emeralds and turn it into a doomsday weapon. He appears in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and ''Shadow the Hedgehog''.
Maria Robotnik
is a character that appears mostly in flashbacks in ''
Sonic Adventure 2
is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...
'' and ''
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
''. She is the granddaughter of Professor
Gerald Robotnik
The '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or D ...
, and is the cousin of Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Maria suffers from the illness known as "NIDS" (Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome), which was incurable at the time. Gerald takes on Project Shadow in order to save her life. Soon after Shadow is created, the two bond deeply, though it is short-lived as the government organization "G.U.N." soon raids the ARK, fatally shooting Maria. Before she dies, she encases Shadow in an escape pod and asks him to bring hope to humanity and give humans a chance to be happy. This experience with Maria scars Shadow for life, but ultimately his determination to keep his promise to her leads him to team up with Sonic and save the Earth multiple times.
Maria's first, and only, playable appearance is in ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', where she can be controlled as a partner character by a second player during specific in-game missions.
Cream the Rabbit and Cheese
(voiced by
Michelle Ruff
Michelle Ruff is an American voice actress known for her work in anime and video games. In her early voice acting career, she used her mother's name, Georgette Rose, as a pseudonym. Some of her roles include Fujiko Mine in ''Lupin the Third'', C ...
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
with a constant companion named a blue Chao with a red bow-tie. Their names were based on "
cream cheese
Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration de ...
". Cream is portrayed as being naive because of being brought up like a princess by her mother, Vanilla. She always politely minds her manners but sometimes acts childishly. Cream can achieve flight for short periods of time by flapping her two large ears, while Cheese often attacks on Cream's behalf by ramming into her adversaries.
Cream first appeared as a playable character in ''
Sonic Advance 2
is a 2002 Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling platform game, platform video game developed by Dimps for the Game Boy Advance. It is an installment in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and the sequel to 2001's ''Sonic Advance''. The story ...
''. She returned in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' as part of "Team Rose", working together with
Amy Rose
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...
and
Big the Cat
Big or BIG may refer to:
* Big, of great size or degree
Film and television
* ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks
* '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show
* ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...
to defeat Metal Sonic, and then again for ''
Sonic Advance 3
is a platform video game developed by Dimps and Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. It is part of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and the sequel to ''Sonic Advance 2''. The game stars the characters Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, ...
''.
Since her first trio of games, she has been relegated to being an extra playable character in ''Sonic'' spinoffs and multiplayer games. She is a playable character in the ''
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a 2007 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A Spin-off (media), spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog ( ...
'' multiplayer mode, a playable fighter within ''
Sonic Battle
is a 2003 fighting video game developed by Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being ''Sonic the Fighters''. It was released in Japan in December 2003 and in Nor ...
Sonic Riders
is a 2006 racing video game for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox in which the player controls characters from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series on hoverboards. In the game's 16 tracks, the player competes against characters—either control ...
Sonic Free Riders
is a motion controlled racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game requires the use of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral and was a Kinect launch title in November 2010.
''Sonic Free Riders'' ...
''.
Cream has received mostly negative opinions from the video game press. Thomas East of ''
Official Nintendo Magazine
''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo.
Originally published by EMAP as ''N ...
'' ranked her as the fifth worst ''
Sonic
Sonic or Sonics may refer to:
Companies
*Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain
*Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider and CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities
*Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...
'' character, criticizing various aspects of her like her high-pitched voice, repetitious speech in ''
Sonic Heroes
is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'', "ridiculous smile", and single eyelash on each eye. Christian Nutt of
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
singled her out as one of the negative features of ''Sonic Advance 2'', calling her "corny" and "dopey-looking".
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
writer Jim Sterling ranked her as their second worst, stating that she "represents perhaps everything that's wrong with Sonic the Hedgehog characters", particularly finding her name to be random. Similarly, Tom Bramwell of
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
exclaimed "oh God" at her and Cheese's names. David Houghton of GamesRadar ranked her name as one of the 25 worst among all video game characters, seeing a
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
in the word "
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
". In contrast, ''
Xbox World
''Xbox World'' was a British Xbox and Xbox 360 magazine published by Future plc.
History
''Xbox World 360'' began life as Xbox World, with issue one released in early 2003, over a year after the Xbox's release. Published by Computec Media, the ...
''s review of ''Heroes'' stated that "we love Cream" and called her "the best new Sonic character since Tails."
Blaze the Cat
(voiced by
Erica Lindbeck
Erica Lindbeck (born May 29, 1992) is an American voice actress known for her work with Bang Zoom!, Studiopolis, and NYAV Post in voicing characters in English-dubbed anime and video games. She was the voice of the Barbie dolls and merchandis ...
in English as of 2019 and
Nao Takamori
is a Japanese voice actress from Chiba Prefecture affiliated with Production Ace.
Filmography
Television animation
*'' Aquarian Age: Sign for Evolution ''(Receptionist, nurse)
*''Bakugan Battle Brawlers'' (Wavern)
*'' Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Ne ...
in Japanese) is a purple
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
from an alternate dimension. She has been appointed as guardian of the Sol Emeralds, her dimension's version of the Chaos Emeralds, making her role similar to that of
Knuckles the Echidna
is a fictional character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's best friend and former rival. Determined and serious, but sometimes gullible, he has the ability to punch enemies w ...
. She is portrayed as calm and levelheaded, hiding her true feelings. She is sometimes "bogged down" by her own strict discipline and devotion to her position, making her appear withdrawn. Blaze can control fire, but wears a
cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
to conceal it as she was teased about her
pyrokinetic
Pyrokinesis is the purported List of psychic abilities, psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind. As with other parapsychological phenomena, there is no conclusive evidence in support of the actual existence of p ...
abilities when she was young. Using the Sol Emeralds, she transforms into Burning Blaze. Blaze wears a purple
dress
A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that covers ...
and white
tights
Tights are a kind of cloth garment, most often sheathing the body from the waist to the toe tips with a tight fit, hence the name. They come in absolute opaque, opaque, sheer and fishnet styles — or a combination, such as the original concept ...
with pink
high heels
High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels, are a type of shoe with an angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the ...
and a yellow
necklace
A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve Ceremony, ceremonial, Religion, religious, magic (illusion), magical, or Funerary ...
.
Blaze debuted in ''
Sonic Rush
is a 2005 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and Dimps for the Nintendo DS as part of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. It was released on November 15, 2005, in North America, November 18 in the PAL region, and November 23 in Japan ...
'' as a playable character along with Sonic. She arrives in Sonic's dimension from another dimension along with the Sol Emeralds. While searching for the Emeralds, she befriends Sonic and Cream and helps them stop Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega before returning to her dimension. She reappears in ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' as
Silver the Hedgehog
The '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doc ...
's friend during the future of Sonic's dimension. The two attempt to fix their ruined future world by traveling back in time. Blaze ends up sacrificing her life to seal Iblis, the fiery monster that has destroyed their world, inside herself, but is brought back to life at the end of the game when Sonic destroyed Iblis in his own time period. She appeared again as the main character in ''
Sonic Rush Adventure
is a 2007 adventure platform game for the Nintendo DS and the sequel to 2005's ''Sonic Rush''. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails, who are teleported to an alternate dimension and seek the help of Blaze the Cat, while battling a band of ro ...
'', where Sonic and Tails are transported to her dimension and help her retrieve the "Jeweled Scepter".
Since her first trio of games, she has been relegated to being an extra playable character in ''Sonic'' spinoffs and multiplayer games. She is an unlockable multiplayer character in the ''
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a 2007 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A Spin-off (media), spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog ( ...
'' and ''
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic or Sonics may refer to:
Companies
* Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain
*Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider and CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities
*Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whi ...
Sonic Free Riders
is a motion controlled racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game requires the use of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral and was a Kinect launch title in November 2010.
''Sonic Free Riders'' ...
'' and ''
Team Sonic Racing
''Team Sonic Racing'' is a 2019 kart racing game and a Spin-off (media), spin-off from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Controlling one of 15 characters from List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the series' cast, players compete in races ...
'', and a playable athlete in all five '' Mario & Sonic at the Olympics'' games. She appears together with Silver in ''
Sonic Colors
(known as ''Sonic Colours'' in the PAL region) is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior ''Son ...
'' DS in several cutscenes and missions. She is also mentioned in ''
Sonic Frontiers
is a 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, the player explores the Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds, after Sonic and his friends are separated when falling thr ...
''.
Blaze has been mostly well-received by critics. IGN remarked upon seeing her at TGS 2005 that she "easily earned her place in the team" amidst unremarkable secondary characters. Her gameplay has been praised as "fast-moving and fun" as opposed to slower characters introduced earlier in the series, but criticized for its resemblance to that of Sonic. Blaze has been called "a nice addition to Sonic's cast" and "one of the more complex, multifaceted characters in the Sonic canon".
Chikao Ohtsuka
was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He was most known for the roles of Captain Hook (''Peter Pan no Bōken & Disney's Peter Pan''), Dick Dastardly (''Wacky Races'' & ''Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines''), Goemon Ishikaw ...
in Japanese) is Eggman's descendant from 200 years in the future, first introduced in ''
Sonic Rush
is a 2005 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and Dimps for the Nintendo DS as part of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. It was released on November 15, 2005, in North America, November 18 in the PAL region, and November 23 in Japan ...
'' as the arch-enemy of
Blaze the Cat
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game), Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgeh ...
and later
Silver the Hedgehog
The '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doc ...
. He is known to cause trouble not only through time travel, but through inter-dimensional travel as well. Although his outward appearance resembles that of
Doctor Eggman
Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Oh ...
, his personality is different. He is heartless and calculating, but maintains polite speech and manners. His exact role in the overall series varies; in the ''Sonic Rush'' series, he works alongside the original Eggman as a team.
Babylon Rogues
The Babylon Rogues are a group of
avian
Avian may refer to:
*Birds or Aves, winged animals
*Avian (given name) (russian: Авиа́н, link=no), a male forename
Aviation
*Avro Avian, a series of light aircraft made by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s
*Avian Limited, a hang glider manufacture ...
thieves. They have only appeared collectively in the ''
Sonic Riders
is a 2006 racing video game for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox in which the player controls characters from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series on hoverboards. In the game's 16 tracks, the player competes against characters—either control ...
'' sub-series. Producer Takashi Yuda considered them best-suited for ''Sonic'' series racing games, and noted in a 2006 interview that ''Sonic'' characters are usually designed with one specific storyline in mind.
The Rogues have received predominantly negative comments from gaming journalists. Alex Navarro and Joe Dodson of
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
separately criticized their clichéd backstory, as did
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
's Tom Bramwell.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Jack DeVries specifically called Jet a "jerk" and stated that his voice is annoying, especially in ''Free Riders''.
Jet the Hawk
(voiced by Michael Yurchak in English as of 2010 and
Daisuke Kishio
is a Japanese voice actor, singer and narrator from Matsusaka, Mie. He changed his given name from 大輔 to だいすけ on June 1, 2007 with the pronunciation and romanization remaining the same. He joined Aoni Production on April 1, 2014. He ...
in Japanese) is a green
hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
and the leader of the Babylon Rogues, and nicknamed the "Legendary Wind Master" due to his mastery of Extreme Gear. This mastery comes from his forefathers. His skills make him a possible match to Sonic the Hedgehog, whom he considers a rival. Jet is aware of his duties as leader but must sometimes be helped by his team. Filled with extreme pride, the thing he likes most other than treasure is himself. He despises losing and those who are faster or more confident than him and fights using Bashyo Fans. Jet is briefly mentioned in ''
Sonic Frontiers
is a 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, the player explores the Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds, after Sonic and his friends are separated when falling thr ...
''.
Wave the Swallow
is a purple
swallow
The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
who is the team's
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...
, as her father was for the previous generation of the Babylon Rogues. Gifted in this craft, she has a superb mechanical knowledge of Extreme Gear, which surpasses both Miles "Tails" Prower and Dr. Eggman. Because of this knowledge, she is full of confidence. She hates thick-headed or stupid people and notices everything, but her advice tends to be understandable only to her. Although she looks on Jet the Hawk as an "unreliable younger brother" and can be stubborn, she follows his leadership.
Storm the Albatross
is a hulking
albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacifi ...
who is described as the muscle of the Babylon Rogues and Jet the Hawk's "right hand man." The strength of his loyalty to Jet is greater than any other and he hates rivals to the team. When he is angry, he becomes destructive; and the raw power of his physical strength makes up for his lower intelligence and lack of speed. With his quick temper, he may stutter when flustered, and he hates having to wait.
Silver the Hedgehog
(voiced by
Bryce Papenbrook
Bryce Austin Papenbrook (born February 24, 1986) is an American voice actor and martial artist who has done voice work for Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Viz Media, Animaze, Studiopolis and Scoffer Studios. He has voiced in several anime ...
in English as of 2019 and
Daisuke Ono
is a Japanese voice actor and singer who won the 4th and 9th Seiyu Awards for best lead actor for his role as Sebastian Michaelis in ''Black Butler'', Jotaro Kujo in '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' and Shukuro Tsukishima in ''Bleach'', as well ...
in Japanese) is a silver-furred
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...
from 200 years in the future of the main timeline. He first appeared in the 2006 ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
''. His individual episode revolves around him traveling back in time with
Blaze the Cat
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game), Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgeh ...
to find and slay Sonic the Hedgehog, who they believe is the cause of their world being destroyed in the future. Silver's primary ability is
telekinesis
Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
; he is able to levitate objects and use them as projectiles to either defeat enemies, or interact with his environment. Like Sonic and Shadow, he transforms into his "super form" by using the power of the seven
Chaos Emeralds
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
.
Silver's creation was inspired by the game's early development stages, where the development team was making huge levels with multiple paths through them, and decided they wanted to include a new character with unique abilities for an alternate way to play through the levels. The design team developed over fifty different concepts for the character. At one point he was to actually be an orange
mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
named Venice (named after the city of the same name), but the developers ultimately decided against this, fearing a mink would not blend in with the rest of the characters. They ended up deciding to make another
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...
instead. Orange was originally decided for his fur, but they soon moved away from that in color, in favor to a white-gray one. While developing the character models and textures, they focused on using the hardware to develop the textures rather than just use white-gray, which lead to Silver's color and name. Additionally, Silver's backstory was inspired by Trunks from the 1984 - 1995 manga ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'', who made a similar journey to the past to kill two androids that would eradicate most of humanity in his own time; the script for ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006) flat-out states "Essentially, think Trunks from ''
Dragon Ball Z
''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...
''."
Since his first appearance in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006), he has mainly appeared in the Sonic series' spinoffs, multiplayer games, and small cameo roles. He is one of the playable characters in '' Sonic Rivals'' and ''
Sonic Rivals 2
''Sonic Rivals 2'' is a 2007 racing video game, the sequel to the 2006 game '' Sonic Rivals''. The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console. ''Sonic Ri ...
'', a playable character strictly in the multiplayer modes in ''
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a 2007 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A Spin-off (media), spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog ( ...
'' and ''
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic or Sonics may refer to:
Companies
* Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain
*Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider and CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities
*Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whi ...
Sonic Free Riders
is a motion controlled racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game requires the use of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral and was a Kinect launch title in November 2010.
''Sonic Free Riders'' ...
'' and ''
Team Sonic Racing
''Team Sonic Racing'' is a 2019 kart racing game and a Spin-off (media), spin-off from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Controlling one of 15 characters from List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the series' cast, players compete in races ...
'', and a playable athlete in the ''Mario & Sonic'' series beginning with ''
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
is a 2009 and 2011 sports and party game developed by Sega. Like its predecessor, it was published by Nintendo for Japan and Korea and by Sega in the Western world. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) th ...
''. He appears in ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'' as a boss in the stages Crisis City (console version) and Tropical Resort (3DS version). Additionally, Silver was one of a few Sega characters to make a cameo in ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'', in the background of Sonic's Green Hill Zone stage, and as a trophy and sticker.
The character has generally not been very well-received by critics.
Orbot and Cubot
() (voiced by
Kirk Thornton
Kirk Thornton is an American voice actor, director and script writer working mainly with English-language versions of Japanese anime shows.
Career
His major roles include Brandon Heat in ''Gungrave'', Hotohori in ''Fushigi Yūgi'', Klein in ' ...
in English and
Mitsuo Iwata
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer who was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama.Endo, Akira et al. "Voice Actor Spotlight". (November 2006) ''Newtype USA''. pp. 110-111. He is married to voice actress Rikako Aikawa. Mania.com praised him as "tr ...
in Japanese) is a red robotic assistant of Dr. Eggman who first appears in ''
Sonic Unleashed
''Sonic Unleashed'' is a 2008 platform video game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic as he attempts to restore the world after his nemesis Doctor Eggman shatters it with a powerful laser ...
''. While he generally assists in monitoring Eggman's data, he often makes sarcastic remarks pointing out general flaws in Eggman's plans, prompting a quick smack in return. He appears again in ''
Sonic Colors
(known as ''Sonic Colours'' in the PAL region) is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior ''Son ...
'', alongside a similar yellow robot named () (voiced by
Wally Wingert
Wallace Eugene Wingert (born May 6, 1961) is an American voice actor. His roles include Almighty Tallest Red in ''Invader Zim'', Renji Abarai in ''Bleach'', Kotetsu T. Kaburagi / Wild Tiger in '' Tiger & Bunny'', The Riddler in the '' Batman: ...
in English and
Wataru Takagi
is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi), ''After War Gundam X'' (as Garrod Ran), '' Slayers Try'' ( ...
in Japanese). Conversely to Orbot, Cubot is rather slow, not witty, and suffers from a defect in ''Sonic Colors'' that causes him to randomly speak with different accents. The two have continued to appear as assistants to Dr. Eggman in subsequent titles, such as ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
,'' ''
Sonic Lost World
is a 2013 Action-adventure game, action-adventure platform game developed by Sonic Team. It is part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and was released in October 2013 for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in PAL regions by Nintendo and by Sega in No ...
'' and ''
Sonic Forces
is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. The story sees Sonic the Hedgehog joining a resistance force to stop Docto ...
''. The duo made a cameo in ''
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
is a 2011 fictional crossover, crossover sports game, sports and party game developed by Sega Japan. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and Korea and by Sega elsewhere. As the third instalment in the ''Mario & Sonic'' series, it was released ...
'' as one of the helping characters in the London Party, copying stickers for the participants. The duo appeared in '' Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games'' as the hosts of the Action and Answer Tour and in the ''
Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...
'' animated series.
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
praised their inclusion in the plot of ''
Sonic Colors
(known as ''Sonic Colours'' in the PAL region) is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior ''Son ...
,'' especially Cubot for his humorous observations and self-awareness about the game's tropes.
Wisps
are a race of extraterrestrial creatures who live on the grassy, lush planet called Planet Wisp. The mother of all Wisps is a much larger, pink one named Mother Wisp. She created Planet Wisp and raised all of her children. Wisps speak a common language that Sonic and Tails cannot understand, though Tails builds a translation device in the game ''
Sonic Colors
(known as ''Sonic Colours'' in the PAL region) is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior ''Son ...
''. Their Japanese and English name comes from Tails' translation of a word in their language; other characters in the game refer to them as "aliens". Wisps are composed of an energy force called "Hyper-go-ons", which they can use to phase into the body of playable protagonist Sonic and give him temporary elemental powers. They come in numerous breeds, each carrying one of many elemental powers known as "Color Powers". When Sonic collects a Wisp, he can use its power once at will; however, he can only carry one at a time.
There are numerous types of Wisps, each with its own special ability. ''Colors'' introduced ten types between the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
and
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
versions of the game; some only appear in one version. For example, Purple Wisps, whose "Frenzy" ability turns Sonic into a difficult-to-control demon that can chomp through obstacles, is exclusive to the Wii version, but Violet Wisps, which scale up Sonic's density to
black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
-like levels and causes him to absorb enemies, obstacles, and rings, appear only in the DS version. However, others appear in both versions, such as Yellow Wisps, which allow Sonic to drill underground and find otherwise inaccessible areas. ''
Sonic Lost World
is a 2013 Action-adventure game, action-adventure platform game developed by Sonic Team. It is part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and was released in October 2013 for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in PAL regions by Nintendo and by Sega in No ...
'' introduced more types of Wisps while keeping some old types. Among these are Magenta Wisps, which bounce Sonic across paths of
musical note
In music, a note is the representation of a musical sound.
Notes can represent the Pitch (music), pitch and Duration (music), duration of a sound in musical notation. A note can also represent a pitch class.
Notes are the building blocks of much ...
s by having the player tap them on the Wii U's touch screen, and Black Wisps, which turn Sonic into a bomb that can roll over enemies and explode. The ''Colors'' manual describes each type of Wisp as having a different general personality; for example, Cyan Wisps, which allow Sonic to bounce off surfaces, are scatterbrained and energetic, while Orange Wisps, which blast him rapidly into the air, have fluctuating and explosive emotions.''
Sonic Colors
(known as ''Sonic Colours'' in the PAL region) is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior ''Son ...
'' (Wii instruction manual , pp. 11–13.
In ''Sonic Colors'', Eggman builds an
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
spanning the Wisps' planets under the pretense of making up for past transgressions. Suspicious, Sonic and Tails investigate and rescue two Wisps from Orbot and Cubot. One of them, a talkative male White Wisp named Yacker, tags along with Sonic and Tails during the game. It turns out that Eggman is converting Wisps to a corrupted, purple (Wii version) or violet (DS version) state to fuel a
mind control
Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashin ...
ray and control the universe. Sonic frees Wisps from their confines in each level, then uses several of them to defeat Eggman at the end of the game. However, Eggman's mind control cannon malfunctions and creates a black hole, which sucks Sonic in until the Wisps combine their power to pull him out and neutralize the black hole. Yacker frees the remaining Wisps, reverts them from their corrupted form, thanks Sonic and Tails, and leaves. The DS version features Mother Wisp as a post-game boss, as she was corrupted by the corrupted Wisps' Hyper-go-ons. Wisps have also appeared in the level "Planet Wisp" in ''
Sonic Generations
''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'' and the comics. Iizuka stated in an interview that the Wisps were added to ''Colors'' to "expand and strengthen the
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
gameplay" without forcing the player to switch to other playable characters. Another goal was to encourage players to revisit already-played levels; Sonic Team accomplished this by adding segments requiring certain types of Wisps to levels preceding their first appearances. Iizuka has said that he now considers them a staple in the ''Sonic'' series.
Critics have given mixed opinions toward Wisps and their integration into ''Sonic'' gameplay.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Arthur Gies called them "the big addition" to ''Sonic Colors'', outshining its polished physics and controls. Dave McComb of film magazine ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' called them "cutesy" and "strange", while John Meyer of ''
Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' found them "cuddly" and Dale North of
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
called them "a cute little alien race". Randy Nelson from
Joystiq
''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''W ...
called them "plush" and speculated that they could easily lend their image to profitable merchandise. Positive attention has been directed at the variety of Wisps available in ''Sonic Colors'' and ''Lost World'' and at the variety of gameplay styles they brought to the titles: for example, Gies stated that "almost all of them add interesting quirks to Sonic's basic abilities." Reviewing the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
version of ''Colors'', Tim Turi from ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' stated that "each adds an interesting new gameplay mechanic" to the game. Gies and Turi also praised the ability to revisit old levels with Wisps unlocked afterwards. ''
Nintendo Power
''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
''s Steve Thomason identified them as "a truly interesting addition to the Sonic formula" amidst a series of missteps, and praised their "cleverly designed" variety. ''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' writer Chris Scullion described Wisps in ''Lost World'' as "familiar power-ups that emulate mechanics in
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
's Wii adventures" as part of a larger, ambivalent point about the game being derivative of ''
Super Mario Galaxy
is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D game in the '' Super Mario'' series. As Mario, the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach, save the universe from Bowser, and collect 120 ...
''. However, control and pacing aspects of the Wisps in general, as well as of individual types, have been criticized: for example, Turi opined that "for almost every useful ability there is a complete dud" and bemoaned the Wii controls. Justin Speer from
GameTrailers
''GameTrailers'' (''GT'') was an American video gaming website created by Geoffrey R. Grotz and Brandon Jones in 2002. The website specialized in multimedia content, including trailers and gameplay footage of upcoming and recently released v ...
thought similarly and added that the Wisps "don't really feel like they belong". ''Hardcore Gamer Magazine''s review of ''Lost World'' stated that none of the Wisps make satisfying use of the Wii U's gamepad. Chris Shilling of
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
found them to "lead to clumsy touchscreen or gyro interludes that kill a level's pacing."
Deadly Six
The Deadly Six are a group of six Zeti, a species that has the ability to manipulate magnetic fields. Their exact origins are unknown, but prior to the events of ''
Sonic Lost World
is a 2013 Action-adventure game, action-adventure platform game developed by Sonic Team. It is part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and was released in October 2013 for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in PAL regions by Nintendo and by Sega in No ...
'', Dr. Eggman had taken control of the group in order to capture animals to create Badniks. He controlled them and their powers with an item known as the Cacophonic Conch, which causes them great pain when he blows into it. However, when Sonic subconsciously kicks the Conch away from Eggman, they use their powers to control Eggman's Badniks, which prompted Sonic and Tails to reluctantly team up with Eggman to get past the Zeti and stop them. After turning on Eggman, they use his machine which was designed to suck the life out of the Earth and give it to themselves, making them stronger.
The members of the Deadly Six are:
*Zavok (voiced by
Patrick Seitz
David Patrick Seitz (born March 17, 1978) is an American voice actor
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists ...
in English as of 2019 and Joji Nakata in Japanese), the strong, muscular, red-colored Zeti who acts as the group's leader. In his boss fights, he pilots a robotic dragon. He is the most recurring member of the Deadly Six, he commonly reappears in the ''Mario & Sonic'' series since 2016, and has reappeared in both ''
Sonic Forces
is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. The story sees Sonic the Hedgehog joining a resistance force to stop Docto ...
'' and ''
Team Sonic Racing
''Team Sonic Racing'' is a 2019 kart racing game and a Spin-off (media), spin-off from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Controlling one of 15 characters from List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, the series' cast, players compete in races ...
''.
*Zazz (voiced by
Liam O'Brien
Liam Christopher O'Brien (born May 28, 1976) is an American voice actor, writer, and director. He is a regular cast member of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' actual play series ''Critical Role,'' playing Vax'ildan ("Vax"), Caleb Widogast, and Orym. ...
in English and
Yutaka Aoyama
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator.
Biography
Aoyama became interested on films, while attending elementary school. He did not have the film study group in high school. He joined Bearer's group with a yearning. It has forty female m ...
in Japanese), a lanky, pink-colored Zeti who is always ready for a fight. He pilots a Moon Mech, which has the ability to spit out stars. He reappears in ''
Sonic Dash
''Sonic Dash'' is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega. It is Hardlight's second ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, the first being 2012's ''Sonic Jump''. The game was released in March 2 ...
'' and the ''Mario & Sonic'' series.
*Zomom (voiced by Patrick Seitz in English and
Chafurin
, better known by his stage name is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who is affiliated with Office Osawa. After graduating from Toyo University
is a university with several branches in Japan, including Hakusan, Asaka, Kawagoe, Ita ...
in Japanese), a gluttonous and dimwitted yellow-colored Zeti who is always seen eating.
*Master Zik (voiced by
Kirk Thornton
Kirk Thornton is an American voice actor, director and script writer working mainly with English-language versions of Japanese anime shows.
Career
His major roles include Brandon Heat in ''Gungrave'', Hotohori in ''Fushigi Yūgi'', Klein in ' ...
in English and
Mugihito
, better known by his stage name of , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Musashino, Tokyo. Mugihito was formerly credited under his birth name and also .
Filmography
Television animation
;1976
*''Dokaben'' (Domon)
;1978
*''Future ...
in Japanese), an elderly, blue-colored Zeti who is skillful in martial arts. He is the founder of the Deadly Six and mentored Zavok in martial arts.
*Zeena (voiced by
Stephanie Sheh
Stephanie Sheh is an American voice actress, ADR director, writer and producer who has worked for several major companies, including Cartoon Network and Sony. She is often involved with work in English dubs of anime, cartoons, video games and fi ...
in English and
Yumi Toma
is the Japanese term for a bow. As used in English, refers more specifically to traditional Japanese asymmetrical bows, and includes the longer and the shorter used in the practice of and , or Japanese archery.
The was an important wea ...
in Japanese), a green-colored Zeti who is the team's only female. She has many female related obsessions, such as painting her nails.
*Zor (voiced by
Sam Riegel
Samuel Brent Oscar Riegel, sometimes credited as Jack Lingo, is an American voice actor, director, and writer. He is a regular cast member of the web series ''Critical Role'', in which he and other fellow voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons' ...
in English and
Yuki Tai
Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to:
Places
* Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan
* Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan
* Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan
* Yuki, ...
in Japanese), a purple-colored Zeti who is always seen holding a blue rose. He has a very pessimistic and
emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
personality.
Characters in other media
Sally Acorn
Sally Acorn (voiced by
Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to:
* Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm
* Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
* KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska
* KATH (AM)
KATH (910 kHz) is an ...
Sonic Spinball
''Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball'' is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega. It is a spinoff of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series set in the continuity of the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated s ...
'' game and in the ''
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' is an animated series that was based on the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series produced by Sega of America, DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. in associ ...
'' animated series. In the animated series for which the character was created and also in the Archie Comics series she was depicted as a princess and leader of a group of freedom fighters, whose goal is to restore peace to the Kingdom of Acorn taken over by Robotnik. Sally is known for being Sonic's childhood friend and love interest, with Sally fighting alongside Sonic in many cases.
Sticks the Badger
(voiced by
Nika Futterman
Nika Futterman (born October 25, 1969) is an American voice and television actress. She is known for her voices in various animated series, including Asajj Ventress in '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' and Adam Lyon in ''My Gym Partner's a Mo ...
in English and Aoi Yuki in Japanese) is an orange and brown
badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...
, first introduced in the animated ''
Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...
'' television series. Her characteristics are wild, energetic and paranoid, having lived in the wilderness alone for most of her life. Nonetheless, she is portrayed as wanting to strengthen her newfound friendship with Sonic, Amy, Tails and Knuckles.
Sticks appears in a non-playable role in '' Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric'' and as a playable character in '' Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal''.
She is described as "infantile" by Scott Thompson of ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' and an "unlikeable idiot" by Becky Cunningham of ''
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
'', albeit a "nice addition" by Chris Carter of ''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
''.
Sticks has appeared in other ''Sonic Boom'' titles, including '' Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom'' and '' Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice'', and has appeared in other ''Sonic'' titles not associated with the ''Boom'' sub-series, such as ''
Sonic Runners
was a 2015 endless runner game in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise for Android and iOS. It was developed by Sonic Team as its first ''Sonic'' game exclusive to smartphones and published by Sega. In ''Sonic Runners'', the player-charac ...
'' and ''
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
is a crossover sports and party game in the ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games'' series, released for the Nintendo 3DS in February 2016 in Japan, March 2016 in North America, and in April 2016 for Europe and Australia, and for the Wii U world ...
''. She is mentioned in the mainline ''Sonic'' game ''
Sonic Frontiers
is a 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, the player explores the Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds, after Sonic and his friends are separated when falling thr ...
''.
Tangle the Lemur
is a white and gray
ring-tailed lemur
The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the ''Lemur'' ge ...
comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
in the stories featuring her. She is described as being a kindred spirit to Sonic, sharing his love for action and adventure, and forms a close bond with another character from the comics, Whisper the Wolf. She also suffers from
claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces. It can be triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms with ...
. Her signature trait is her super-stretching
prehensile tail
A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp or hold objects. Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees. If the ta ...
, which she utilizes in various ways.
Author
Ian Flynn
Ian Flynn (born May 31, 1982), also known by his Internet pen name Ian Potto, is an American comic book writer. He was chief writer for Archie Comics's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' since issue #160, after the departure of the previous chief writer Ken P ...
conceptualized Tangle as a "kick-butt female character... who could easily go on ''Sonic'' adventures and be cool", a role he considered Sonic's traditional female allies rather unsuited for. Her abilities were inspired by Sonic's original design, a rabbit with elastic prehensile ears. Artist
Tyson Hesse
Tyson Hesse (born August 30, 1984) is an American graphic novel illustrator and director, known for his work on the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise.
Career Webcomics
Hesse produced the webcomic ''Boxer Hockey'', which he started in 2006. Hes ...
handled the character's design.
The character has been very well-received by fans. In July 2020, she along with Whisper were added to the mobile spin-off games ''
Sonic Dash
''Sonic Dash'' is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega. It is Hardlight's second ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, the first being 2012's ''Sonic Jump''. The game was released in March 2 ...
'' and ''Sonic Forces: Speed Battle'' as playable characters.
Plush toys
A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be cal ...
of the two, among other merchandise, have been released as well. Tangle is also mentioned in ''
Sonic Frontiers
is a 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, the player explores the Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds, after Sonic and his friends are separated when falling thr ...
'', indicating that she exists within the franchise's main canon.
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...