Sonic the Hedgehog

This article is about the video game character. For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog (disambiguation).

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic Frontiers.

Sonic the Hedgehog, from

Appearances

First appearance

Rad Mobile (cameo)

Game appearances

• Puzzle Construction
• Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
• Sonic Eraser
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)
• SegaSonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog CD
• Sonic Chaos
• Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
• Sonic Spinball (8-bit)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3
• Sonic Drift
• Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio
• Sonic the Hedgehog’s Gameworld
• Tails and the Music Maker
• Sonic & Knuckles
• Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
• Sonic Drift 2
• Knuckles’ Chaotix (cameo)
• Tails Adventure (cameo)
• Sonic Labyrinth
• Sonic the Fighters
• Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Windows 95)
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic Blast
• Sonic’s Schoolhouse
• Sonic Jam (Game.com)
• Sonic R
• Sonic Adventure
• Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2001 Sonic Cafe)
• Sonic Shuffle
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
• Sonic Advance
• Sonic Advance 2
• Sonic Pinball Party
• Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut
• Sonic Battle
• Sonic Heroes
• Sonic Advance 3
• Sega Superstars
• Sonic Jump
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2005 Sonic Cafe)
• Shadow the Hedgehog
• Sonic Rush
• Sonic the Hedgehog Mobile
• Sonic Riders
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2006 Sonic Cafe)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
• Sonic Rivals
• Sonic and the Secret Rings
• Sonic Rush Adventure
• Sonic the Hedgehog (iPod)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
• Sonic Rivals 2
• Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl
• Sega Superstars Tennis
• Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
• Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3)
• Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PlayStation 2)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (Didj)
• Sonic and the Black Knight
• Sonic Unleashed (mobile)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Level Creator
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
• Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
• Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
• Sonic Adventure (2010)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
• Sonic Free Riders
• Sonic Colors (Wii)
• Sonic Colors (Nintendo DS)
• Sonic Generations (console/PC)
• Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS)
• Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii)
• Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal
• Sonic Adventure 2 (2012)
• Sonic the Fighters (2012)
• Sonic Jump (2012)
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Sonic Dash
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2013)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2013)
• 3D Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic Lost World (Wii U)
• Sonic Lost World (Nintendo 3DS)
• Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
• Sonic Jump Fever
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
• 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic Runners
• Sonic Lost World (PC)
• Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)
• Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS)
• Sonic Runners Adventure
• Sonic Forces: Speed Battle
• Sonic Forces
• SEGA Heroes
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• Team Sonic Racing
• Sonic Racing
• Sega Ages: Sonic the Hedgehog
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
• Sega Ages: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic at the Olympic Games (2020)
• Sega Streaming Theater Sonic Edition
• Sonic Colors: Ultimate
• Sonic Speed Simulator
• Sonic Frontiers

Appearances in other media

• Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic
• Sonic the Hedgehog (promotional comic)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (manga)
• Stay Sonic
• Archie Comics
• Sonic the Comic
• Virgin Books
• Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure Gamebook
• Sonic Adventures
• Troll Associates
• Ladybird
• Sonic the Animation
• Sonic in Sydney
• Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie
• Sonic Underground
• Dash & Spin Super Fast Sonic
• Sonic X
• Sonic World Adventure (manga)
• Sonic: Night of the Werehog
• Sonic and the Black Knight (manga)
• Sonic Colors (manga)
• Sonic Chronicles (manga)
• Sonic Generations (manga)
• Sonic Boom
• Sonic Comic
• Sonic Forces digital comic (mentioned)
• IDW Publishing
• Team Sonic Racing One-shot
• Team Sonic Racing Overdrive
• OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes
• Chao In Space
• Sonic the Hedgehog (film series)
• Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps
• Sonic Colors Comics
• Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence
• Sonic Prime

Real-world designer(s)

Creator(s) (real-world)

Naoto Ohshima

Artist(s)

• Naoto Ohshima
• Akira Watanabe
• Yuji Uekawa

Voice actor(s)

English voice actor(s)

• Meg Inglima (Sonic’s Schoolhouse)
• Ryan Drummond (1998–2004)
• Jason Griffith (2005–2010)
• Roger Craig Smith (2010–present)
• Deven Mack (Sonic Prime)

Japanese voice actor(s)

• Takeshi Kusao (1991-1993)
• Masato Nishimura[1] (Sonic the Hedgehog CD)
• Jun’ichi Kanemaru (1998–present)

Other language voice actor(s)

• Aiman Afandi Mohd Nadzari (Malay; Sonic Prime)
• Alexandre Gillet (French)
• Ángel de Gracia (Spanish, 2016-present)
• Christian Hedlund (Swedish; Sonic Prime)
• Daniel Magon (Hebrew; Sonic Prime)
• Even Bergan (Norwegian; Sonic Prime)
• Gonçalo Carvalho (Portuguese; Sonic Prime)
• Ignacio Castaño (Galician; Sonic Prime)
• Jan Makino (German; Sonic Prime)
• Joey Schalker (Dutch; Sonic Prime)
• Jonatán López (Spanish, 2011-2016, 2018)
• Joonathan Kettunen (Finnish; Sonic Prime)
• Josu Díaz (Basque; Sonic Prime)
• Luka Starman (Croatian; Sonic Prime)
• Manolo Rey (Brazilian Portuguese; Sonic Prime)
• Marc Stachel (German)
• Marcin Hycnar (Polish; Sonic Prime)
• Máté Szabó (Hungarian; Sonic Prime)
• Michal Michálek (Czech; Sonic Prime)
• Mihai Dăscălescu (Romanian; Sonic Prime)
• Muhammad Aytoni (Arabic; Sonic Prime)
• Ngọc San (Vietnamese; Sonic Prime)
• Nugraha Sukma Ramadhan (Indonesian; Sonic Prime)
• Ohm Plengkham (Thai; Sonic Prime)
• Panagiotis Apostolopoulos (Greek; Sonic Prime)
• Pelle Emil Hebsgaard (Danish; Sonic Prime)
• Renato Novara (Italian)
• Revant Bhatia (Hindi; Sonic Prime)
• Roger Isasi (Catalan; Sonic Prime)
• Sang-hyun Um (Korean; Sonic Prime)
• Sercan Gidişoğlu (Turkish; Sonic Prime)
• Weebz Herrera (Filipino; Sonic Prime)

Biographical overview

Age

[2]

15

Birthplace

Christmas Island

Nickname(s)

• Big Blue
• Blue Blur
• Blue Buffoon
• Blue Hedgehog
• Blue Rat
• Blue Wind
• Faker
• Iblis Trigger
• Little Blue Savior
• Knave the Hedgehog
• Modern Sonic
• Pin cushion
• Sir Sonic, Knight of the Wind
• Speed Demon
• The Fastest Thing Alive
• The Legendary Blue Hedgehog
• World’s Fastest Hedgehog

Species

Hedgehog

Physical description

Gender

Male

Height

[2]

100 cm (3′ 3″)

Weight

[2]

35 kg (77 lb.)

Fur

Blue

Skin

Peach

Eyes

Green (originally black)

Attire

• Sonic’s shoes
• White gloves

Alignment and character traits

Alignment

Good

Affiliation(s)

• Team Sonic
• Resistance (formerly)

Favorite food

Chili dog

Likes

• Fast moving things[3]
• Cool music[3]
• Running
• Making new friends
• Freedom[4]
• Truth[4]
• Adventures
• Stopping Eggman
• Breakdancing
• Relaxing
• Being a hero
• Challenges
• Racing
• Saving the world
• Showing off
• Proving that he is the fastest
• Speed
• Having time for himself
• Joking around with his enemies
• Peace and serenity
• Green Hill[5]
• Seaside Hill[6]
• Planet Wisp[7]
• “Old World”-like locations[8]
• Grand Metropolis and similar places[9]
• Interacting with different cultures[10]
• His Werehog abilities
• Reading (specially on rainy days)[11]

Dislikes

• Dr. Eggman[12]
• The word “slow”[3]
• Tears[3]
• Lies[13]
• Evil[12]
• Deep water[12]
• Being underwater[14]
• Injustice[12]
• Being constrained
• His friends threatened
• Crookedness[15]
• Bullies[16]
• Secrecy[2]
• Losing
• Slowness
• Boredom
• Amy flirting with him
• When Amy gets angry
• When Amy brings out her hammer
• Insults directed at his speed
• Waiting
• Being impersonated and thought to have turned evil
• Having to quit a battle
• When someone claims to be faster than him
• Being unable to run
• Twinkle Park and similar places[17]

Powers and abilities

Skills

• Super speed
• Enhanced durability
• Enhanced acrobatic skills and reflexes
• Enhanced strength
• Enhanced jump
• Enhanced agility
• Enhanced stamina
• Hand-to-hand combat skills
• Indomitable will
• Breakdancing skills
• Extreme Gear riding skills
• Marksmanship
• Swordsmanship
• Vehicle intuition
• Sensing danger[18][19]
• Grinding
• Harnessing Chaos Emerald energy
  • Chaos powers
  • Hyper Mode initiation
  • Super transformation
  • Hyper Sonic transformation
• Darkspine Sonic transformation
• Werehog transformation (formerly)
• Excalibur Sonic transformation
• Hyper-go-on usage
• Hyper Mode

Moves and techniques

• Acceleration Up Lv 2
• Air Boost (Sonic Boost)
• Air Boost (Sonic Rivals)
• Air Kick
• Air Ride
• Air Slide
• Air Spin
• Attack
• Attack Support 6
• Axe Kick
• Back High Kick
• Back Punch
• Blast Attack
• Blue Bomber (requires Tails)
• Boost
• Boost Mode
• Blue Tornado
• Bound Jump
• Cartwheel
• Charge Jump
• Chao Attack
• Chaos Control
• Cliffhanger Flip
• Climb
• Color Powers
  • Final Color Blaster
• Copter Combo (requires Tails)
• Cross Slash
• Crouch
• Crouch (grinding)
• Custom Actions
  • Gun Drive
  • Homing Smash
  • Mach Speed
  • Scale
  • Slow
  • Thunder Guard
  • Tornado
• Cyclone Kick
• Cyloop
  • Quick Cyloop
• Dash
• Dash Boost
• Dash Spin
• Dizzy Spin
• Drift
• Drop Kick
• Dodge High Kick
• Dodge Spin
• Dodge Spin Dive
• Double Jump
• Double Boost (requires the Avatar)
• Double Jump Kick
• Double Kick
• Double Punch
• Double Side Kick
• Double Spin (Sonic the Fighters)
• Emerald Dive
• Energy Field (requires Elise)
• Fastball (requires Amy)
• Fire Sliding
• Fire Somersault
• Fireball Spin Dash
• Flying Kick
• Flying Spin Attack
• Focused Homing Attack
• Foot Crush
• Foot Sweep
• Grand Slam
• Gravity Control
• Gravity Dive
• Grind Step
• Guard
• Hail Storm (requires Tails, Knuckles and Amy)
• Hammer Attack
• Head Spin
• High Kick
• Homing Attack
• Homing Dash
• Homing Shot
• Horse Kick
• Hop
• Hop Jump
• Hop Punch
• Humming Top
• Insta-Shield
• Item Box Transfer
• Jump Dash
• Kick
• Kick (Sonic the Fighters)
• Kick boost
• Kick Dash
• Leg Throw
• Light Speed Dash
• Light Speed Attack
• Lock-On
• Loop Kick
• Magic Hands
• Parkour
  • Hang
  • Side Step
  • Vault
  • Vault Dash
  • Wall Climb
  • Wall Jump
  • Wall Run
  • Wall Spin Dash
• Phantom Rush
• Punch (Sonic the Fighters)
• Punch-Kick
• Punch-Spin
• Punch Attack
• Punch Rush
• Quick Step
• Radial Burst
• Recovery Smash
• Rival Takedown
• Rocket Accel (requires Tails and Knuckles)
• Rolling Combo (requires Tails)
• S. Air Cracker
• Safe Landing
• Scissor Punch
• Side Kick
• Skid Attack
• Skip Kick
• Skim Boost
• Skydiving
• Slide
• Slide Turn
• Slingshot
• Slip-Around
• Smackback Kick
• Somersault
• Sonic Ballet
• Sonic Boom
• Sonic Boom (Sonic Frontiers)
• Sonic Cracker
• Sonic Drive
• Sonic Eagle
• Sonic Flare
• Sonic Guard
• Sonic Jump
• Sonic Kick
• Sonic Leap
• Sonic Meteor
• Sonic Overdrive (requires Tails and Knuckles)
• Sonic Punch
• Sonic Rocket
• Sonic Run
• Sonic Storm
• Sonic Style
• Sonic Up Draft
• Sonic Wave
• Sonic Wind
• Soul Gauge
• Soul Surge
• Speed Boost
• Speed Break
• Speed Up
• Spin Attack
• Spin Dash
• Spin Dive
• Spin Jump
• Spin Rocket
• Spin Slash
• Spiral Feint
• Spiral Spin
• Spring Jump
• Stomp
• Stomp (Sonic the Fighters)
• Stomp Dive
• Strength Support 8
• Submarine Combo (requires Tails)
• Super Skid
• Super Peel Out
• Super Rush
• Tag Action
• Team Ultimate
• Time Break
• Time Stop
• Top Kick
• Tornado
• Tornado Boost
• Toss & Attack
• Triangle Jump
• Trick Action
• Triple Boost (requires the Avatar and Classic Sonic)
• Triple Kick
• Triple Punch
• Triple Side Kick
• Triple Tornado (requires Tails and Knuckles)
• Turnaround
• Twin Punch-Spin
• Volley Toss
• Wall Jump
• Wall Shuffle
• Wall Spin
• Wall Stamp
• Weapon Grab
• Whirl Attack
• Whirlwind
• Wild Rush
• Wimpy Punch
• Windmill
• Windup Punch

Ability type

Speed

What you see is what you get! Just a guy that loves adventure! I’m Sonic the Hedgehog!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure 2 http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotSonic.ogg

Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu?, born 23 June[20][21][22]) is the titular main protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and Sega’s mascot. He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog born with the ability to run faster than the speed of sound, hence his name. As his species implies, Sonic can also roll up into a concussive ball, primarily to attack enemies.

Born on Christmas Island, Sonic abandoned his home at an early age to persue danger and adventures.[20][23] Becoming a carefree adventurer, he has spent most of his life traveling around the world and far beyond, usually in his beloved Tornado with his best friend, Tails, as his sidekick.[24][25] A free-spirited and fun-loving adventurer, he has used his abilities to defend his world and those far beyond from the forces of evil, especially his arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman, and his empire.

During his many adventures, Sonic has traveled from the ends of the world to the far reaches of space and time, facing countless trials that have tested him to the fullest, earning him many titles, allies, and the scorns of several foes. Well-known for his legendary attitude and somewhat short temper, yet strong sense of justice, compassion, and love for freedom and adventure, Sonic’s countless victories over the villains he has faced and his extraordinary set of abilities both have given him somewhat of a celebrity status, having many fans who yearn for his cool lifestyle. However, he does not care about that at all and continues to run freely to this day.[27]

Concept and creation

While several people have been involved in the creation of Sonic, the artist Naoto Ohshima, programmer Yuji Naka, and designer Hirokazu Yasuhara are generally credited with the creation of the character.

In April 1990, Sega requested a game that involved a mascot for their company.[28][29] They wanted a character to rival Nintendo’s flagship mascot Mario; Sega president Hayao Nakayama in particular wanted a character as iconic as Mickey Mouse.[30] Sega had previously used Alex Kidd as their mascot, but because he was considered too similar to Mario, he was deemed unsatisfactory.[28] Several character designs were submitted by its AM8 research and development department. These included a wolf, a bulldog, a robot, and a warrior character. However, the team put emphasis on speed for the game, which came from Yuji Naka attempting to get through Super Mario Bros.‘s World 1-1 as fast as he could.[31] Due to this, Sega started to only consider fast creatures, such as kangaroos and squirrels, while scrapping designs not associated with fast animals.[28] One of these ideas involved a rabbit who could grab objects with prehensile ears. It showed potential, but was too complex for the Sega Mega Drive’s hardware. Afterward, the team narrowed its search down to animals that could roll into a ball, based on the idea for an attack-based move, which led them to consider armadillos and hedgehogs.[30][32] The hedgehog character, which was proposed by Naoto Ohshima,[29] ultimately prevailed. After that, Ohshima went on vacation to New York, taking sketches with him. There, he went to Central Park, where he would ask locals for their opinions on them, which led to the hedgehog character being deemed the favorite.[33]

The new character was originally named “Mister Hedgehog” (ミスターハリネズミ, Misutā Harinezumi?). However, due to a mistranslation of Ohshima’s notes by English-speaking fans, it was believed that Sonic’s original development name was “Mister Needlemouse” until it was corrected by Yuji Naka in January 2021.[34] Wanting a name that could convey an image of speed, the team initially went for light speed-related terms, including “Raisupi“, a shortening of the Japanese “raito supiido” (ライトスピード, “raito supiido”? lit. “Light speed”), and “LS“, an acronym of “light speed”. However, none of these nicknames were found good enough for the character. Then, a member of the crew came up with the idea of a name representing the speed of sound instead, leading the final name to become Sonic the Hedgehog,[35] which Ohshima stated was chosen because it represented speed.[36]

During the design of his debut game, Sonic was originally colored teal,[29] though he was later given a light shade of blue, but that got changed to dark blue fur so he would stand out against certain backgrounds[37] and so that he would match the color of Sega’s logo. According to Ohshima, Sonic’s basic design was created by combining Felix the Cat’s head with Mickey Mouse’s body.[38] He was also designed so he could be easy for children to draw and look familiar, as well as to exhibit a “cool” attitude, representative of the United States at the time.[33] His shoes had buckles that drew inspiration from Michael Jackson’s boots on the album cover for Bad and Santa Claus’ red and white color scheme, whom Ohshima deemed the most “famous character in the world”.[29] Meanwhile, his personality was inspired by then-future president of the United States Bill Clinton’s “get it done” attitude, who Ohshima felt embodied a modern sensibility of wanting to get things done right away, righting wrongs as they presented themselves instead of letting them linger.[39][40][41] According to Yuji Naka, Sonic’s color was also meant to symbolize peace, trust, and coolness, which are the attributes of his character. Sonic’s spikes were emphasized to make him look sleeker, and he was given the ability to spin while jumping so that attacking and jumping could be controlled with a single button.[42] However, Sonic was created without the ability to swim because of a mistaken assumption by Naka that all hedgehogs could not do so.[43]

Early concepts gave Sonic fangs and put him in a band with a human girlfriend named Madonna.[44] However, Sega of America scrapped these ideas to keep his identity simple. They also expressed concerns that most Americans would not know what a hedgehog is and initially proposed a full-scale recreation of the character. Nevertheless, compromises with Sonic Team led to them making some simple design changes instead.[29] To further help sell the idea to Sega, Ohshima also pitched the concept framed by a fictional American fighter pilot that had earned the name “Hedgehog” due to his spiky hair, and had decorated his plane with images of Sonic. When this pilot retired, he married a children’s book author, Mary Garnet, who wrote stories about the Sonic character, the first of which became the plot for the first Sonic game; Ohshima stated that this influence can be seen in the logo of the game, which features Sonic in a pilot’s wing emblem.[33] When Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released, Sonic’s proportions changed. The original 1:2 head to height ratio changed to 1:2.5.[45]

At the time of the release of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega of America had little to no exposure to the established Japanese material for the game.[46] This led to them developing a new canon through what is known as the Sonic Bible, a collection of internal documents detailing the supposed backstory of the game. Notably, these documents established things not seen in Japanese sources, such as Sonic’s home planet being named “Mobius” and that Sonic befriended a kind scientist named “Dr. Ovi Kintobor” who became Dr. Robotnik following a laboratory accident. They also appeared to contain information that was never used later on; for example, the first draft described Sonic as an ordinary hedgehog living in Nebraska with his mother and five sisters. This draft also stated that his true name was Sonny Hedgehog. Some modifications to Sonic’s design were done too; these included a different fur color, sharper eyes, a brow in between his eyes, and a mohawk-like hairstyle. However, these changes were slowly abandoned as time went on, and the Japanese canon began being adapted worldwide.

During the development of Sonic Adventure, Sonic Team had trouble representing well the existing characters in 3D. However, with concerns that the series was being perceived as “Japanese” arising, the team wanting to rework their character designs in an “new, edgy and Western” fashion,[47] and the feeling that Sonic’s design was “dated” allowed the developers to give him and the rest of the cast a redesign. Kazuyuki Hoshino, art director of the game, recalled that “retro” games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man at the time were becoming popular again due to them appearing in “urban street” fashion and with indie music. This made the team want to make Sonic appeal to this type of subculture, or at least “have some cool T-shirts with the character on them”.[48] As such, an internal contest was held at Sega to determine who would be in charge of redesigning the characters, specially Sonic. Some of the proposed designs for the character were from Satoshi Okano, the promotional artist for Sonic Jam; Yuji Uekawa, the character designer of Sonic R; Naoto Ohshima; and Takumi Miyake, the designer of Knuckles’ Chaotix. In the end, Uekawa won the content, though he would take inspirations from the other designs for his redesign,[49][50] and also from Akira Toriyama’s style of deformation and line art style, Susumu Matsushita’s airbrush art, and the cartoon designs of Walt Disney and Looney Tunes. While the character’s age remained intact, his proportions were made much taller compared to his original design and now had emerald green-colored eyes. The reason for this color for his eyes was not only to contrast with the rest of his color scheme, but also, according to Uekawa, “because he [was] always seeing these green pastures around him, like in Green Hill Zone”. There were more tweaks to accomodate the 3D space, such as new soles for his shoes and a deeper blue, the latter of which was done to reflect the color of Sega of America’s logo.[47] Sonic’s new design was also meant to become more aware of the fashion trends at the time and be a good fit for club music, which Hoshino was into back then.[48] In addition, Takashi Iizuka noted that this new design was more suitable for 3D than Sonic’s original and more compact design, which was meant to be seen from the side.[51][52] Furthermore, this Sonic was purposefully made more of a “bad boy” for Sonic Adventure, so that he did not become too “cutesy” or “immature” like so many other mascots and Japanese-styled characters (Yuji Naka stated that Hello Kitty already owned the market in cuteness).[47][35]

For Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic’s design was slightly modified to make him look adult-like and taller to appeal to the next generation players, adding visible fur and making him a bit lankier. This was done because Sonic would interact with humans more often and his design was supposed to fit.[53]

In regards to Sonic’s birthday, it was Yuji Naka who decided to make it June 23, which is the same day as the release day of the original Sonic the Hedgehog in Western territories.[22]

Appearance

Sonic is a slim anthropomorphic hedgehog with blue fur that covers most of his body, and peach skin that covers his arms, muzzle, insides of his ears and front torso. He has small, triangular ears on top of his head, six long quills on the back of his head, two spines protruding from his back behind his shoulders, and a short tail.

Back when he was younger, up until the Chaos incident, Sonic was shorter and stubbier, had a round head and an equally round torso, and black eyes. Following said crisis, he has grown taller and thinner, and developed green eyes. Prior to the Neo Metal Sonic incident, he was also often shown to have peach-skinned eyelids, until they eventually were portrayed as blue as well.

For attire, Sonic wears red boots with a white strap, cuff and gold buckle each; and a pair of white gloves with sock-like cuffs on the hands.

On special occasions, Sonic has worn different outfits that differ from his normal attire:

Personality

Sonic is said to be “like the wind”,[54] a drifter that is always on the move and is noted for being free-spirited[55] and with an endless appetite for adventure,[10] whose motto is “Run daily whenever in the mood“.[19] Going wherever the flow takes him,[56] Sonic values freedom above all else and strives to live his life according to his own rules and whims rather than the standards of those around him or for the sake of heroism and duty,[57][58][2] never thinking twice about what other people say or think.[54] Because of this, he does not see himself as a “hero”. Owning to his love of freedom, he is also a very independent guy who is willing to live and die by his own rules.[54]

Born to run and loving to cover as much ground as possible,[54] Sonic enjoys nothing more than adventure and traveling around the world.[19] This is because he believes life should be exciting.[59] In fact, the ways of his heart are much like the Sun; the hedgehog runs and rests, while the Sun rises and sets.[60] The hedgehog also loves interacting with the many cultures present on the planet, and enjoys tasting the regional dishes, specially chili dogs; because of this, he likes to call himself a connoisseur.[10] Endowed with a strong passion for enjoying life, he is never in one place for long and always moves forward to look for his next challenge, viewing his life as a never-ending series of adventures.[2] Because of his need for freedom, the hedgehog loathes the idea of being constrained;[61] being cooped up or being forced to stay in one place tends to make him very uneasy and restless. By the time of the War to Take Back the Planet, however, Sonic appears to have somewhat overcome his stir-craziness, remaining calm and snarky even after being imprisoned aboard the Death Egg for six months. Nevertheless, he does enjoy a few indoor activities, such as reading, specially on rainy days. Some books he reads include the Arabian Nights and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.[11] Needless to say though, his primary passion is speed, and as such, he likes anything fast;[3] if there is anything he prefers to take slow, it is a vacation.[62]

Sonic’s demeanor is normally easygoing, calm, and carefree, no matter the crisis.[54][57][2] However, he is generally impatient as he hates boredom,[63][54] cannot hold still,[61] and can be impulsive and short-tempered.[64][2][63] Because of this, Sonic can be reckless and quick to act before thinking, throwing himself into trouble without a second thought and regards for others’ warnings,[63] to the point that he has awknowledged that his speed has gotten him in all kinds of conflicts.[65] Nevertheless, he is honest,[2] fearless,[66] and always keeps his promises.[2]

Sonic’s personality is a juxtaposition of kindness and ferocity.[63] He is extremely benevolent, driven by his own strong sense of justice and fair play,[54] being driven to fight injustice for the ideal of freedom rather than in the name of the law.[67] He is similarly always looking for the truth.[13] Due to this, Sonic is never the one to rest in the face of injustice or oppression, and he always protects and fights for the underdog.[54] He similarly hates lies, unfairness, and evil in all its forms,[13][68][2] exploding with anger when witnessing anything unjust[57] and doing all he can to snuff it out,[63] throwing his life on the line without hesitation.[63] Adding to his selflessness, the hedgehog believes people should ask what they can do for others rather than the other way around,[69] and never asks for anything in return for his heroic deeds; to him, the smiles he brings to others is all the reward he needs.[70] However, he usually sees his heroics as an opportunity to have fun, making him a thrill-seeker; to him, saving the world is no big feat and just another thrilling episode in his life.[54][71] When he finds himself in a pinch, he acts as though nothing can stop him.[54] However, this keen and intense personality can make him seem reckless.[59] In times of crisis, though, he is aggressive and focuses intensely on the task at hand as if his personality has undergone an astonishing change.[57][2] At the same time, Sonic has a big and kind heart and is fully committed to helping out anyone in need at any time when they are in trouble,[2] even if it means getting himself into trouble or being despised by others.[71][72]

Sonic has a lot of self-confidence and courage, making him believe that he can do anything as long as he is brave enough. Whenever he finds himself in a tough chalenge, he never tries to “cheer himself up”; rather, he thinks that people should refresh and believe in themselves rather than the previous option, and is always like “whatever will be, will be”.[73] His signature positive attitude is where his massive internal ego comes from; he thinks that he and his friends will always find a way out of any situation[74][75] and that he can be unstoppable,[54] and takes great pride in his absolutely unbeatable speed and strength.[19] However, this attitude sometimes leads to him underestimating his enemies and the task at hand. Nevertheless, this ego is not to be confused with narcissism, as Sonic does not see himself as more important than others. No matter the threat or how dangerous it is, he always remains cool under pressure.[54]

In Japanese versions of media, Sonic omits honorifics and speaks informally (if not rudely), using “ore” instead of “I” when addressing himself or others (“ore” is a boastful way to say “I” in Japanese). However, he will still occasionally use honorifics when addressing close friends or acquaintances. He often jokes around to light the mood and will also take any opportunity to taunt his opponents. Being so smug, he has developed a habit of talking to destroyed robots, even when he knows they cannot hear him, which he can be embarrassed about when caught in doing.[76] Despite this, he can be a gentleman when he wants to and be modest with fancy titles.[77][78] Additionally, while Sonic generally assumes he can deal with things on his own,[74] he also realizes he has friends to back him up in situations too big for himself and believes strongly in teamwork and the bonds he has made, having noted that he would not have come as far as he has today without his friends and allies.[79] In keeping with his smugness and confidence, he often engages in playful banter with his enemies; an example is during the War to Take Back the Planet, where he asked Infinite “optional” questions to glean into what the secret behind the latter’s powers were, what his favorite color was and whether he liked long, romantic walks on the beach; and also “asked” a Zavok Phantom Copy if he would let Sonic join a party occurring on the Death Egg, referring to the commotion resulting from the Resistance’s infiltration of the area. Sonic is likewise very competitive; while he takes no interest in challenges he knows he can win easily,[80] he always welcomes a good competition that has him squaring off against others on even ground. Sonic likewise never holds back when pitted against others in a test of skills and abilities,[81] and is not above trash-talking his opponents.[82] Nevertheless, Sonic is not one to usually hold ill against others in case he loses in an competition to them; while he got angry that he lost his victory to Jet during the first EX World Grand Prix due to someone sabotaging his Extreme Gear and had to bear the blunt of the hawk’s trash talking, Sonic usually maintains a good sense of sportsmanship, even in defeat.[83][84][85]

Early on, Sonic showed no interest in competing in race.[80] However, during Dodon Pa’s Grand Prix, he admitted that he had a lot of fun while driving the Speed Star for the first time,[86] and raced using cars to give his friends a chance at winning[87] and to have some fun himself.[86][62] In his own words, he uses racecars “’cause it’s cool”.[10]

I’ll never look back. I’ve got no regrets. ‘Cause time doesn’t wait for me. I choose to go my own way.

— Sonic’s calling card, Sonic Adventure

In keeping with his footloose lifestyle, Sonic never dwells on the past or allows his painful experiences to weigh him down. Instead, he lives in the present and always looks forward to his next adventure, holding no regrets for what has transpired. It is only in the moments of greatest loss that his macho and carefree appearance falls away, like in the apparent deaths of his closest friends or loved ones.[88] Similarly, he always does what he thinks is right and never second-guesses what he does, remaining steadfast to the end.[63] Together, these qualities give the hedgehog an incredibly strong character and will; no matter the situation, he never doubts himself or gives up, never once submitting to the darkness in his heart.[89]

Sonic deeply cares about his friends and will risk his life for them without any due consideration.[2][63] While he can leave them hanging, act rude towards them, or endanger them due to his fast-paced nature, Sonic never intends to make his friends – specially girls[90] – unhappy and values them above all else, treating each of them as the most important person in his life. He will likewise always accept help from his friends and show great trust in them. He places everyone one on the same level as him and does not show interest in treating anyone differently because of a supposed superiority. Because of this, he can come across as rude to figures of authority by speaking to them informally, which often lands him in trouble.

Regardless of the many foes he has faced, Sonic rarely considers them true enemies and instead tends to admire them for how powerful some of them are and how much fun they can provide him.[91] Likewise, he is shown to have a remarkable capacity to forgive; the most notable example of this is when he forgave Silver and worked with him after the latter had tried to kill him twice.

Sonic has proven himself to be much more insightful than he usually lets on, being capable of seeing through deception or noticing things that others would have overlooked. Notably, he has been able to figure out the schemes of even the intelligent and manipulative Rouge.[92][93] Also, despite his teenagehood, he can freely get on with children and adults alike.[14] He can likewise give valuable and comforting advices that drastically change the outlook of others, such as in the case of Elise, Merlina, and Blaze. These two points, combined with a charismatic personality, allow the hedgehog to get along with virtually anyone he meets, even if they were his enemies at one point. However, while he is able to change those around him for the better, he himself has not really changed over the course of his adventures; he firmly sticks to his beliefs and does not let anything but himself define him.

As seen during the Wisp incident, Sonic appreciates scenic views,[94] and was incensed to find out that Eggman was destroying Planet Wisp’s beautiful and lush environment.[95] During the Solaris incident, he was shown to have a fondness for locations that are filled with flowers, trees, and other kinds of plants. However, he once said he loved locations like Grand Metropolis, despite these not having any vegetation at all.[9]

Said to be “picky” about sound[64] and “fuzzy” about music,[15] Sonic has been shown to enjoy cool music. Furthermore, it was displayed during the Sol Emerald incident that he also likes breakdancing, which is reflected in his Trick Actions. His battle moves seen during the Emerl incident are also based on break dancing as mentioned in the attack descriptions. He also breakdances numerous times, usually when he is victorious.

Sonic tends to get irritated when his enemies often misidentify his species, namely by calling him a rat, making him correct them and state his actual species is a hedgehog. This was best demonstrated with his encounters with the Erazor Djinn during the World Ring incident, and to a lesser extent with his encounter with Infinite at the Mystic Jungle.

Powers and abilities

Despite not having undergone any known training, Sonic’s years of battles have made him a skilled and powerful fighter. He has defeated giant robots, demons, and god-like beings on his own; gone up against and bested those with far more combat experience; and even beaten individuals who equally match his abilities. It has also been noted that Sonic is steadily growing stronger;[96] during the Time Eater incident, Sonic could beat the Egg Emperor and Perfect Chaos on his own where he previously required additional power to defeat them. Sonic even told Infinite upon holding his own against the latter compared to the previous time they fought that he becomes more powerful every second.[97] It is safe to assume that Sonic is far more powerful than he lets on.[98] His victories over Emerl at the Gizoid’s maximum potential and Perfect Chaos in his base form are prime examples of his true power.

Sonic’s greatest strength is his super speed.[3] He has proven himself to be in a class of his own with his speed, having been credited as “the fastest thing alive” and even the fastest being in the universe.[99] He has the ability to instantly accelerate to the speed of sound and run at speeds that exceed Mach 1,[19][3][100] which is at the blistering speed of about 768 mph, and can run backward just as well as he can forwards.[101] Due to such speed, he can scale vertical surfaces and ceilings, run over water, outspeed lasers, and even cause the ground to explode and lift off in his wake.[102][103] Even then, Sonic can take his speed even further. By revving up in one place, he can take off at turbo speeds in an instant. He can also envelope himself in a blue energy field that lets him accelerate beyond the sound barrier on both the ground and in midair for a short time,[104] allowing him to not only smash straight through enemies and obstacles like a living projectile, but also fly immense distances through midair. Using certain techniques, he can even achieve light-speed momentarily.

It is unknown what Sonic’s unaided top speed is. During the Emerl incident, it was stated he can move several times the speed of sound and when facing Emerl at his maximum potential, he went at least ten rounds with him in less than thirty seconds. He is also able to run in circles around an enemy at such speeds that he can stun it.[105] Some sources claim that Sonic’s maximum speed is Mach 1.2.[27] It has also often been stated that Sonic can move at supersonic speeds[19][63][note 1] (which ranges from 915-3,840 mph). There are as well records stating that Sonic can instantaneously reach the speed of light (about 671,000,000 mph);[15][106][107] E-123 Omega himself calculated that Sonic’s speed could potentially exceed light speed and the hedgehog has boasted that light speed is “small time” to him.[108] Additionally, during the Little Planet incident, Sonic was able to enter the Time Warp, which required him to run at speeds exceeding the speed of light.[109]

Sonic has demonstrated complete mastery of his speed in any environment and can use it for both high-speed offense and defense.[110] Not only can he run at maximum tilt in straight lines, but also in full tight circles and through sharp turns with full control over his momentum. As far as stamina goes, Sonic’s is seemingly limitless as he is never winded from running. His speed also allows him to perform several impressive feats; he can heal at rapid speeds, launch shockwaves by spinning rapidly, leap in midair, launch stunning waves with fast kicks, increase the force of his blows by striking with increased momentum, and create barriers of super speed. He can also spin in circles or rotate his extremities at super speed to create winds strong enough to attack or blow away opponents, similar to aerokinesis.

Sonic possesses astounding kineticism and precision, and has the reaction time to match his speed. He has profound acrobatic skills and agility, along with incredible reflexes that lets him avoid any incoming obstacles with precise and delicate movements. As seen in his first meeting with Silver, Sonic can even detect attacks beyond his field of vision due to his sharp reflexes.[111] When launched into the air, he can also pull off several tricks before landing. He also has incredible jumping skills,[102] capable of jumping up to several hundred meters, even with extra weight.[112]

Sonic possesses notable strength. He can push and lift things bigger and heavier than himself, run without extra weight slowing him down, smash through metal and rock, and damage foes countless times his size. However, it is debatable whether the latter’s power comes from his speed, strength, or a combination of both. Sonic’s strength particularly lies in his legs; with a single kick, he can topple the Egg Golem[113] and send Badniks flying. This does not mean that Sonic’s arms are not strong either; he has enough strength to tear robots apart by hand[105] and punch through a collapsed wall.[114]

Sonic has frequently demonstrated extreme resilience to damage. He can survive getting caught in the crossfire from all angles by Eggman’s robots (which only knocked him out cold briefly), withstand the force of a massive explosion and a Hyper-go-on-based void unscathed, being pummeled with swords, resist a powerful punch from Knuckles from his foot, smash through several robots with his fist without discomfort, and take a ruthless pummeling from the Time Eater.[115] Additionally, Sonic has more than once survived impacts from falls at extreme heights, bordering at the edge of space, only to shake it off when landing, and has even withstood atmospheric entry.

Even at night, when I’m like this, I’m still myself. Not like all the other people we’ve seen. You must have been protecting me this whole time.
I haven’t done anything, Sonic. You’re the reason you haven’t changed at all. You’re too strong to lose yourself!
I’m the reason?
Yeah! You never doubt yourself, no matter what. You never give in to the night, or to the darkness inside your heart.

— Sonic the Werehog and Chip, Sonic Unleashed

Sonic possesses an unbreakable and incorruptible spirit; in situations where most others would give up and where he is severely outnumbered and outgunned, Sonic never loses faith in himself and never surrenders. This trait enables him to keep on fighting when utterly exhausted or after taking an abnormal amount of damage.[116] His will even lets him withstand mind-controlling powers, like the corruptive influence of Dark Gaia. Even when possessed by the Ifrit, Sonic was arguably able to occasionally regain control.

Sonic has also demonstrated the ability to harness Chaos Emerald energy for his own use; with a Chaos Emerald, Sonic can perform the chaos power Chaos Control, and occasionally gain a boost in power.

Sonic’s core offensive maneuver is the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Sonic can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed and hit with enough force to pierce colossal boulders.[117] Highly adept in its usage, Sonic can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both grounded and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, Homing Attack, the super-charged Focused Homing Attack, and the Light Speed Attack, which attacks at the speed of light.

Even without his Spin Attack, Sonic is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. He mostly relies on his fast footwork since the majority of his power lies in his legs, though he has been known to use his fists and arms from time to time, albeit in a rather straightforward manner. His fighting style is mostly derived from breakdancing moves[118][119] which utilize Sonic’s legs to their fullest, allowing him to deliver swift, wide-ranged kicks. He has also been known to use flying forward kicks, split kicks, and scissor kicks.[120] Sonic was also shown during the scabbard of Excalibur incident to excel in swordsmanship. Even as a rookie swordsman, Sonic could beat a dragon and after receiving formal training, he could best master swordsmen like the Knights of the Round Table. In addition to using advanced techniques, Sonic can apply his speed to his swordplay for quick and swift slashes, and become a buzzsaw by spinning with his sword, enabling him to slice clean through enemies. He has also learned the martial art of Linshao Kung Fu from Shuifon, though he is yet to be seen using it.

Sonic has extraordinary skill in operating vehicles. He has excellent skills when it comes to piloting planes like the Tornado, and water bike surfing on vessels like the Wave Cyclone. He is also experienced in a variation of sports such as boarding and surfing, and other recreational activities like grinding. As shown during Dodon Pa’s Grand Prix, Sonic is also an expert at driving sport cars like the Speed Star. He has even demonstrated that he is capable of driving his car sideways and backwards just as well as he can forwards, and can keep up with other expert drivers like Shadow while driving from these directions.[121]

Sonic has proven himself as a world-class Extreme Gear rider. He is said to move faster than he can run on an Extreme Gear[122] and can go head-to-head with legendary Wind Masters like Jet the Hawk. Sonic seemingly has a knack for Extreme Gear riding, quickly grasping the controls on his first try and later developing advanced techniques despite being self-taught. After the second World Grand Prix, Sonic can be considered the best Extreme Gear rider in the world, having beaten Metal Sonic in a race, who at that point was an “unbeatable” rider with the skills of the world’s finest Extreme Gear riders at his disposal.

It appears that Sonic can control the strength and durability of his otherwise soft quills at will.[123] While he is spinning, they appear to be extremely hard like buzzsaw blades; as demonstrated during the Neo Metal Sonic incident, his quills (and body) are durable enough to slice through battleships without even moving at the speed of sound. In addition, Sonic’s quills can sense nearby dangers, which they warn him about by creating a tingling sensation.[18] A similar precognitive ability of his that allows him to sense nearby danger comes in the form of sneezing.[19] Sonic has also demonstrated the ability to transfer his speed throughout various parts of his body, allowing him to immediately set off from stationary positions and even channel it into objects to speed up their movements and make them pierce through solid objects as he does while running. He can also create an effect reminiscent of a time halt, even though it is unknown what it is derived from.

Equipment

Though he does not prefer to use weapons, mainly dissing firearms,[124] Sonic has wielded a number of tools during his adventures, albeit never permanently. During the Space Colony ARK incident, Sonic used 2G Hi-Speed Shoes, which were specifically made for grinding.[125] Also, during the Emerl incident, he utilized deployable landmines in battle, and one time, he would wield his own version of the Piko Piko Hammer. During the World Ring incident, he also wore Shahra’s Ring, allowing him to harness Shahra’s magic for himself. Similarly, during the scabbard of Excalibur incident, Sonic would wield swords; he initially wielded Clarent, but later exchanged it for Caliburn, a sapient sacred sword with magical properties.

Transformations

Super Sonic

Main article: Super Sonic

By harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic can enter a Super State, transforming him into Super Sonic. Easily his most used transformation, Super Sonic is one of Sonic’s strongest forms. In this state, all of Sonic’s abilities far surpass his normal ones. He is also able to fly and is nearly invulnerable.[126] However, this transformation consumes a lot of energy, meaning it cannot be maintained for long.

Hyper Sonic

Main article: Hyper Sonic

By using the power of the seven Super Emeralds, Sonic can achieve an extended and more powerful form of Super Sonic called Hyper Sonic. This form basically shares the same traits as Super Sonic, except Hyper Sonic commands greater power and all of his Super State abilities are greatly enhanced.

Hyper Mode

Main article: Hyper Mode

A weaker variant of the super transformation. Sonic is capable of using this mode for a brief time on his own by drawing power from the Chaos Emeralds. In Hyper Mode, Sonic’s speed and attack power are greatly increased.

Darkspine Sonic

Main article: Darkspine Sonic

By harnessing the World Rings of rage, hatred, and sadness, Sonic can undergo a transformation into Darkspine Sonic. In this state, he can fly, has greater strength, unlimited usage of his Soul Gauge powers and as well elemental abilities over flames, wind and darkness. However, because of the intense emotions sealed inside the World Rings that Sonic uses to transform, he becomes slightly darker and more violent.

Excalibur Sonic

Main article: Excalibur Sonic

By using the power of the four sacred swords, Sonic is able to transform into Excalibur Sonic. This form grants Sonic a strong golden armor with a red cape, the ability to fly, greater strength and the power to wield the legendary sacred sword Excalibur.

Sonic the Werehog

Main article: Sonic the Werehog

After unwillingly absorbing the power of Gaia, Sonic gained the power to turn into a werewolf-like form named Sonic the Werehog at night time. In this state, Sonic lost his trademark speed, but retained his lightning reflexes and agility. He also gained super strength, sharp claws, extendable arms, and limited energy control. While Sonic’s strong will prevented him from becoming fully corrupt like most others would, he did gain some minor feral behavior. He permanently lost this form when the power of Gaia that granted him his Werehog form was re-absorbed by Dark Gaia.

Color Powers

Main article: Color Power

By harnessing different variants of Hyper-go-on from Wisps, Sonic can use specific Color Powers to transform into a certain form, such as a drill, a laser or even a fireball, each one possessing its own unique abilities. So far, Sonic has been able to transform into the Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill, Blue Cube, Green Hover, Pink Spikes, Purple Frenzy, Violet Void, Orange Rocket, Red Burst, Indigo Asteroid, Magenta Rhythm, Crimson Eagle, Ivory Lightning, Gray Quake, Black Bomb, and Jade Ghost. However, these transformations require a steady supply of Hyper-go-on to be maintained.

Weaknesses

Noted to not be the strongest swimmer,[66][3] Sonic is incapable of swimming properly.[127][19][128] This may be due to aquaphobia; in a certain circumstance, should Sonic fall into water, he may feel trapped with no one to get him out.[43] However, he does not demonstrate that fear very often. Furthermore, whilst underwater, Sonic’s speed will be greatly decreased.[127]

It has been stated that if Sonic does not sleep for eight hours during the night, it will spoil his running.[129] In addition, he has trouble keeping his balance when coming to a sudden halt when running at high speed.

Because of Sonic’s giant internal ego, he often banters and plays around with his enemies. This usually makes him underestimate his opponents and leave his guard down, as seen during his encounter with Infinite in Mystic Jungle during the War to Take Back the Planet and when he got trapped by Eggman onboard the Chaos Energy Cannon at the start of the Dark Gaia incident. Also, his impulsiveness and recklessness can often cause trouble, such as during the Lost Hex incident where he got rid of Eggman’s Cacophonic Conch, which Eggman used to keep the Deadly Six in line, before listening to Tails’ warnings about the conch.

Relationships

Dr. Eggman

You’ve turned into a big-time villain, doctor!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure 2 http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotSonic%26Eggman.ogg

Dr. Eggman is Sonic’s eternal nemesis and arch-enemy,[130] whose plans he has foiled for years as of now[131] ever since either before[132] or during[133] the South Island incident. If their relationship can be described with a single word, it is hostile,[134] but explaining it properly is surprisingly difficult.[130]

From Sonic’s point of view, Eggman is first and foremost what can be defined as a “handful”.[130] Because of the hedgehog’s hatred of anything unjust and how his nemesis can be considered an annoying and troublesome old man who inflicts terrible things on his friends and destroys beautiful cities and nature,[130] Sonic holds a great mutual loathing for the doctor and his ambitions and has spent years rescuing the victims of his conniving schemes.[135] Whenever Eggman hatches a plan to conquer the world, the hedgehog always shows up and thwarts him. Because they have also fought each other to win, the doctor has become a longtime rival of Sonic’s as well as an enemy;[136] likewise, their many battles with each other have made the hedgehog able to see through his adversary’s tricks and knows what his true motivations are.[131] Also, whenever Sonic’s anger explodes over injustice, he always makes his nemesis the receiving end of this aggression;[57] notably, at the start of the West Side Island incident, Sonic would curse at the doctor in fury after realizing that he was destroying West Side Island’s forests to get the Chaos Emeralds.[137]

Ha, I may not know what your plan is, but it’s never going to work.

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Rush

Despite his dislike of Eggman, Sonic has never really taken account of his adversary and does not consider him his enemy in the true sense of the word.[91][132] In truth, the doctor is the kind of guy that the hedgehog is just willing to go toe to toe with, which does not only include battles, but also when it comes to verbal exchanges such as insults and witty quips; whenever Eggman has an insult prepared for Sonic, the latter is equally ready with a mocking response, and the sarcastic banter between the two is always a highlight during their encounters.[130] Whenever dealing with his nemesis, the hedgehog remains fully confident that he can spoil his plans and never really takes them seriously.[138] In fact, Sonic finds entertainment in spoiling the doctor’s plans, seeing as a way of making his life an adventure;[91] to him, Eggman is “the one who brings adventure.”[130] he is likewise so used to beating his nemesis that he considers it an everyday job.[139][140]

Usually, Sonic is rather frank or taunting towards Eggman and will almost always seize the opportunity to tease him with jokes and sarcasm. Over time, the hedgehog would also begin to take his arch-rival less and less seriously, remaining casual whenever the latter pulls off a scheme[27] and boldly calling him a “giant talking egg” and a “big loser”.[141] Sometimes, the hedgehog even finds the doctor more bothersome and annoying than threatening: when he discovered his nemesis was behind the Time Eater during its incident, he just facepalmed and shrugged disapproving. Nevertheless, he remains vigilant about Eggman and his actions, like when he alone refused to believe that he had turned over a new leaf during the Wisp incident. In the cases the hedgehog does deem his adversary a legitimate threat though, he becomes very serious about the doctor and targets him with fierce anger. While Sonic will not admit that Eggman is a nuisance to him, this is nonetheless one aspect of his nemesis’ that he finds appealing.[130] Also, if “adventure” can be replaced with “ambition”, then Sonic could also be considered something of the sort for Eggman, which could be considered another aspect of the relationship between the true sworn enemies that they are.[130]

When presented with a more terrible threat that endangers both of them and their goals, Sonic is willing to put aside his differences with Eggman and join forces with him to stop it. Even in such cases though, the hedgehog remains reluctant about it, feeling that teaming up with his rival is like the end of the world and a dirty affair,[142] and will in some cases suspect the doctor has an ulterior motive (which is often proven true). Because of Eggman’s complicated tendency to instantly switch between morals, Sonic has a hard time figuring him out.

While Sonic has been known to make fun of Eggman by using his alias instead of his real name,[143] which was given by the hedgehog himself, he actually uses this name affectionately rather than trying to make fun of him.[144]

In spite of Eggman’s horrible deeds, Sonic is content with simply stopping him and is never out to put him out of commission for good on purpose. Because of the doctor’s tendency to survive their encounters and refusal to give up however, he always returns with a new scheme, prompting the hedgehog to stop him again. As such, Sonic remains forever locked in a conflict with his nemesis where it is nearly impossible for both individuals to defeat the other once and for all, making their battle a never ending one. From the ends of the world and into outer space, the two of them will continue to clash with each other in a full-force battle of ambition and adventure.[130]

Miles “Tails” Prower

Uh, dude! You can fly anytime you want! And you’re also like a super-genius! You’re basically the coolest guy I know!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, “TailsTube #1 (feat. Sonic)”

Miles “Tails” Prower is Sonic’s best friend and sidekick, as well as his most faithful and loyal friend. Sonic first met Tails on West Side Island where he noticed Tails following him. Though he was not interested in Tails at first, Sonic grew impressed with his tenacity when he kept up with him and let him tag along. When Dr. Robotnik then attacked West Side Island, Sonic joined Tails when the fox followed him into the conflict.[137] In time, Tails proved himself a great ally to Sonic, and after defeating Robotnik, the two had built the foundation for the friendship that would define their future. Eventually, Sonic took Tails under his wing[145] as his sidekick and took upon himself to train him. In time, the fox would become his protégé.[146] Additionally, Sonic would stop bullies from teasing Tails for his twin-tails, which only improved Tails’ admiration of him.[147]

Since meeting each other, Sonic and Tails have been inseparable, their friendship having grown to the point where they have a brotherly relationship. During the Gemerl incident, they are noted to have an “Unbreakable Bond”, and they have even been referred to as the “fastest and greatest duo”.[148] Also, when Tails was mind-controlled into fighting Sonic during the Wisp incident, the hedgehog never laid a finger on him in refusal to hurt his friend. Sonic himself sees Tails as a cute surrogate/adopted kid brother and looks over him accordingly.[145][147][148][149] However, he also sees Tails as a dependable sidekick and treats him as his equal partner on their adventures,[148] and has even called him “the coolest guy he knows”.[10] The fact that Tails can as well move at great speeds by rotating his twin-tails and can fly in the air has helped Sonic many a times when he has found himself in trouble.[148] Additionally, Tails’ skills as a mechanic, as well as his intellectual prowess has aided Sonic many times on his adventures.[148] As such, Sonic places an immense amount of trust in Tails, who expands Sonic’s range of activities and sometimes lights the way for him to go.[148] Whenever on an adventure, Sonic always asks Tails to come along and will accept his help at any time. That said, however, Sonic’s impatience and recklessness will at times make him ignore Tails when he gives advice or information, often when it is most useful, though he is big enough to admit when he should have listened to him.

Sonic cares very much for Tails’ well-being. He will not hesitate to threaten those who endanger him and will always make his safety his top priority, regardless of the matters on hand, like when he sent Tails away against his will when the Nega-Wisp Armor attacked them during the Wisp incident. Similarly, after Wave the Swallow mocked Tails at the first World Grand Prix, Sonic was angered by her behavior and exasperatedly defended him. When Tails finds himself in doubt, Sonic is always there to give him moral support. Throughout their adventures, the two have proven themselves a perfect team who can handle nearly anything; both provide strengths to the other’s weaknesses (Sonic handles the muscle while Tails handles the smarts) and neither of them would get far without the other’s aid. Tails as in particular proven himself Sonic’s most reliable ally, always providing him with invaluable help, knowledge, and machines. In turn, Sonic is impressed with Tails’ work and considers his technical skills unparalleled, though this faith makes him leave all the tech work to him.[150]

Sonic usually holds absolute faith in Tails’ skills, although that faith has been known to waver. When Sonic planned for Dr. Eggman to do the tech work to save the world from the Deadly Six’s abuse of the Extractor during the Lost Hex incident, his own frustrations over having caused the mess they were in allegedly made him doubt Tails’ skills. This would strain their friendship over time. At the end though, Sonic apologized for doubting Tails, mending their brotherly bond.

Perhaps the biggest strength of Sonic and Tails’ friendship is the united bond their hearts share. Whenever the two are around each other, they both feel as if they can overcome any struggle they may be facing. Also, without even having to say anything to each other, they know inside of themselves what is needed of themselves to be a good partner to the other. As such, it can be speculated that there is something that surpasses even trust between the two of them.[148] The two will continue to run together through numerous adventures,[148] and will remain best friends until the day they die.[151]

Amy Rose

Amy Rose is one of Sonic’s oldest and most loyal friends, and his self-proclaimed girlfriend.[152] Since meeting Sonic, Amy has looked up to him as her hero and been madly in love with him, and her greatest wish is to marry him. Sonic first met Amy during his adventures on Little Planet where he saved her from Metal Sonic and Dr. Robotnik’s captivity which made them fast friends.[153] Right from the start though, Sonic has not liked her like a girlfriend or reciprocate her advances.[154] However, this attitude has done nothing to deter Amy.

Since their first meeting, Amy has chased Sonic down wherever he goes, with him seemingly unable to escape her,[155] and has tried to win his heart by any means. The blue hedgehog, however, is rather annoyed by her affection and even disturbed by her over-the-top displays, which makes him treat the pink hedgehog as little more than an annoyance,[156][157] and her cheerful spirit almost always keeps him on her feet.[158] As such, he considers her a near constant pain in his life[159] as well as “a bit of a burden” who slows him down.[160] Whenever Amy tries to show him affection, Sonic gets rather uncomfortable, exasperated or embarrassed and will try to avoid her when she goes overboard, usually by running away or by more rude means. Rejecting the idea of marrying Amy, Sonic would rather go on without aid from Amy at all to avoid making a deal about marrying her; during the Space Colony ARK incident for example, Sonic rejected getting vital intel that Amy had on Shadow, whom Sonic sought payback at, when she asked him for his hand in marriage in exchange. Additionally, Sonic fears Amy’s anger; he will become nervous or run away when he thinks he has provoked her, and he often finds himself overwhelmed by her powerful personality.[161] Usually, that leads to Sonic going along with Amy’s demands for a date or wishes to come along on his adventures, although he always seize the opportunity to run away from her scot-free when he can.[162] Over the course of the series, Sonic running away from Amy has become a running gag.

Regardless of how much dismay Amy has put Sonic through, he still considers her to be one of his closest friends and a reliable partner he can count on.[163][99][162] It is stated that in his heart he may not dislike her as much as it seems[160][156] and that deep down he might actually have some feelings for her.[164] Weirdly enough, the blue hedgehog is also very shy to admit his true feelings about his friend, always trying to dodge questions about that.[163] During the Dark Gaia incident, Sonic was even stumped that Amy did not recognize him as the Werehog, and when he shortly after saved her from some of Dark Gaia’s Minions, he initially chose to run away than face her with his condition. Fortunately, after learning that Sonic was inside the monster form, she claimed to him that he was still the Sonic she loved.[165] Additionally, during the Lost Hex incident, Sonic was crestfallen when he thought Amy and the others had died from the Extractor.

When Amy does show maturity, Sonic’s friendship with her becomes much more positive. An example of this is shown just before and during Dodon Pa’s Grand Prix, where she very rarely obsesses over him, which in turn makes him more comfortable about being around her, like when she invited him to a picnic, and he agreed.

Overall, Sonic cares about Amy as a good friend and worthy comrade whom he can rely on, and he appreciates her efforts to help him when she is not flirting with him. Their relationship has been described as somewhat subtle in nature. In reality though, Amy’s self-paced temper and the untidy reaction that comes from Sonic in these situations is more or less a stable and carefree exchange between the two. Though it also may be due to Amy’s spirit, during the adventures and competitions they have been through, a certain bond of trust has grown between Sonic and Amy. In fact, because of the long relationship they have had for some reason, they have gotten a deepened understanding of each other.[162] When Amy is in trouble, Sonic will likewise always be there to help her out should the need arise, though he tends to overlook her when she is caught in the middle of his showdowns with the villains. It may be this kind of charm between the two that the outfield tends to be so concerned about the two. As such, both are looking forward to their successes and future.[162]

Metal Sonic

Anytime you want a rematch, just let me know. I’ll be waiting.

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Heroes http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:Sonicmetalrematch.ogg

Metal Sonic is Sonic’s robotic alter ego, created by Dr. Eggman for the sole purpose of destroying him.[166][167] However, even though their appearances are similar, there is a certain difference between the two of them that goes beyond their obvious physical dissimilarities. While Sonic enjoys life freely and lives for adventure, Metal Sonic is obsessed with the one purpose he was made for and will cut off anything not related to that goal. As such, even though they are both super-speedy hedgehogs (albeit with one of them being a robot), their worldviews are completely different.[167]

Metal Sonic is one of Sonic’s earliest foes[168] and his first true rival, being able to copy both his speed and power. Both of them share a strong rivalry with each other.[169] Sonic first encountered Metal Sonic on Little Planet where the robot kidnapped Amy Rose, forcing Sonic to defeat him to save Amy, inadvertently turning Metal Sonic from one viewing him as an enemy[170] into a bitter and deadly rival. However, it can be said that Sonic’s first victory over Metal Sonic was more than just the beginning of their ongoing conflict, but also a “fated” relationship that would be reduced to “rivalry”.[167] Even so, Sonic has never considered Metal Sonic his enemy in the true sense of the word.[91] Sonic in particular affectionally refers to Metal Sonic as “Metal”, and though he recognizes him as a formidable opponent, he seems to enjoy their battles as worthy games between rivals.[167]

Since meeting each other, Sonic and Metal Sonic have almost always fought whenever they meet, never once having an instance where their objectives align. In Sonic’s opinion, Metal Sonic is the worst creation Dr. Eggman has ever made due to how it always causes trouble for him, and he views Metal Sonic as a very serious threat.[171] Regardless, Sonic always remains confident that he can beat Metal Sonic and considers him a “lame robot copy” which can never match up to the original that is him.[172] Still, this does not keep him from enjoying pitting his skills against his.[91] Despite being determined to not let Metal Sonic win in their clashes though, Sonic does not want to have unfair advantages over Metal Sonic or have his victories over Metal Sonic handed to him by default. As such, Sonic will willingly put all he has on the line if Metal Sonic is willing to do the same, gracefully accept a tie with him if Metal Sonic has earned enough of his own fair share of victories to match his, or even denounce an easy chance at victory if Metal Sonic cannot compete any further.[167]

While Sonic has many rivals, Metal Sonic is special in his own right. As the hedgehog’s rival, while the robot is a tremendously powerful combatant, it cannot be denied that a large proportion of his skills are committed to speed competitions, as he was designed to defeat Sonic by outmatching his speed. As such, Metal Sonic’s speed capabilities make him an outstanding and strong rival to Sonic.[167][173]

Over time, Sonic and Metal Sonic have had countless fights, with the former always managing to either beat or tie with the latter in the end, though not without cutting it close on most occasions. However, the hedgehog’s triumphs over the robot have only increased the latter’s hatred for him and endowed him with an unhealthy obsession to surpass and defeat him.[167] At one point, Metal Sonic’s hatred and obsession for Sonic pushed him over the brink, making him usurp control of the Eggman Empire to build a robot kingdom with the goal of killing his organic counterpart. He even adopted the warped belief that the hedgehog was his copy and that he was the real Sonic.

Since Metal Sonic is a machine, Sonic cannot tell what his robot double is thinking. Sometimes, however, the hedgehog can feel the robot’s will, his excitement, and his iron-clad determination to win. Even from a distance in the middle of a race, Sonic can occasionally feel Metal Sonic’s determination, like a burning sensation. Even when knowing that and racing him with a serious attitude though, Sonic cannot help but get excited about competing against Metal Sonic like this while pushing himself further to overcome him. Also, despite them being enemies/rivals, Sonic still have some concerns for Metal Sonic, as he is willing to try and warn the robot for the latter’s own safety when he is pushing his body to the point of self-destruction. Even more so, he cannot help but feel a strange sense of relief when Metal Sonic survives his own reckless attempts to defeat him.[167]

While Sonic has always managed to survive his clashes with Metal Sonic, he rarely condemns him for his villainous actions in the aftermath. Instead, he always gets a satisfaction from the challenges his rival provides him with and will promise his robot double that he will await any future rematch between them.[167][174]

Knuckles the Echidna

Heh, just letting Knuckles pilot the shuttle on the way over here was more dangerous than you could ever be!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure 2 http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotSonic%26Knuckles.ogg

Knuckles the Echidna is one of Sonic’s greatest rivals and best friends.[155] They have known each other for a long time, but their relationship is somewhat complicated, the two of them having been summed up as “best frenemies.”[175] When Sonic first met Knuckles, they two of them had a shocking and dreadful encounter,[176] with Knuckles trying to keep Sonic from stopping the Death Egg’s re-launch after being deceived by Dr. Robotnik. As such, they started off as adversaries. However, when the echidna discovered that Robotnik had tricked him, the two of them joined forces to keep Robotnik and his robots from stealing the Master Emerald, and they departed on good terms.

Because of their first impressions of each other and their personalities and competing feelings, Sonic and Knuckles did not start out as “good friends”.[176] In fact, Sonic and Knuckles are much like oil and water. While Sonic exemplifies the wind and is laid-back, cool and free, Knuckles exemplifies the mountain and is stern, serious and unmovable,[176][177] which cause them to argue a lot. They share a competitive rivalry and often end up fighting when clashing, although it has become less serious in recent times, being now more of a form of slapstick between the two.[176] With Sonic’s speed equaling Knuckles’ strength in every way, their fights are anything between climactic to just plain funny.

Sonic always welcomes a challenge from Knuckles. He also enjoys poking fun at Knuckles whenever he can (usually when Knuckles is serious or insightful) and will even deliberately try getting him angry so he can get a reaction out of him. From Sonic’s point of view, their relationship tends to work out with him always having to bail Knuckles out of trouble.[176] On a personal level however, Sonic also respects Knuckles for his dedication, although it also makes him want to poke fun at him even more.[176]

Due to his lack of social abilities in the past, Knuckles used to fall for Dr. Eggman’s deceiving very often, which, in turn, would be the cause of most of his confrontations with Sonic, although as time passed, the echidna has generally become more aware of Eggman’s plans and has stopped believing his claims regarding Sonic. Whenever Sonic discovers Eggman has tricked Knuckles, he tends to chide him by calling him “Knuckle-head,” which Knuckles does not take too well, though they always make peace with each other at the end of the day.

Despite their differences, after having several adventures together since meeting each other, Sonic and Knuckles’ relationship have improved, and they have always rushed to each other’s aid when they are in a pinch.[176] The two of them are connected by a hot-blooded friendship[178] and while they may exchange quips and complain to each other, they are in perfect harmony when it comes time to act.[176] Small details aside, they both know what is really important. In fact, when it all comes down to it, Knuckles can be considered Sonic’s best friend next to Tails. It can even be argued that the two of them are as close to each other as Sonic and Tails are, as the nature of their rivalry/friendship lets them have a relationship that does not require any restraint.[176] Also, according to Tails, Sonic and Knuckles are “funny” together.

While Sonic does not hold back on Knuckles’ shortcomings, the two of them deeply acknowledge each other.[178] Nonetheless, Sonic is still somewhat reluctant to admit when Knuckles is right and he was wrong.[179] While Knuckles at times rebuts his help and claims he could do better, Sonic just rolls with it and is merely glad to help him. They are also great and loyal teammates. In addition to Knuckles being a vital part of Sonic’s team, the two of them have been called “Fighting Buddies” during the Gemerl incident. Noticeably, when they do manage to work together, Sonic and Knuckles form an unstoppable team. For better or worse, Sonic will also be there to give Knuckles needed, if not harsh, consoling whenever he is in doubt. Additionally, during the Lost Hex incident, Sonic was crestfallen when he thought Knuckles and the others had died due to the Extractor.

Shadow the Hedgehog

He was what he was. A brave and heroic hedgehog, who gave his life to save this planet. Shadow the Hedgehog…

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure 2 http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotShadow%26Sonic.ogg

Shadow the Hedgehog is an occasional rival of Sonic’s. They look almost identical (to the extent that many initially got them confused), and they can match each other in speed, agility and abilities,[180][181] including Chaos Control. The two of them first met each other as enemies, with Sonic holding a grudge at Shadow for getting him into trouble with GUN, but they put aside their differences to team up and save the world from Gerald Robotnik’s doomsday plans. Since then, they have been both lethal adversaries and comrades.[182]

The only similarity Sonic and Shadow share is their silhouette, as their personalities and tendencies are completely different.[183] In fact, Shadow is one of the most formidable opponents to Sonic in every way[183] and the antithesis to all that Sonic stands for. As such, since they first met, they have fought, argued, and even had outright death matches. Despite this, Sonic is never out to take Shadow’s life and does not consider him an enemy in the true sense of the word.[91] In contrast, Shadow’s cold-hearted nature and willingness to use any means necessary to achieve his goals has a dangerous purity to it that sometimes makes him an enemy of Sonic.[183] Their moral differences are as far apart as black and white as well, always causing the two of them to clash. Sonic has a joyful, free-spirited attitude that looks for fun adventures, while Shadow is a brooding loner with a merciless and excessively violent edge. Sonic has few limitations on his goals and will do anything to help save the world, but Shadow will stop at nothing to get what he wants, with little concern for who or what it affects. Another sharp contrast between them is that Sonic lives freely as he wishes without thinking about the pain of the past, while Shadow has let himself be haunted by his own painful experiences.[183] Nevertheless, Sonic does not care about their clashing world views and they always see their conflicting differences as yet another reason to fight each other.

Both Sonic and Shadow share a strong rivalry. When they first met, Sonic accused Shadow of copying him, with Shadow maintaining a mutual belief regarding Sonic. This feeling is still present in both of them because each thinks he is better than the other. Regardless, their rivalry has developed over time and is now much more friendly than before,[184] yet still fiercely intense.

Sonic has awknowledged Shadow is a very strong rival.[173] As shown in all their clashes, they are each other’s equal,[185] with both sides neither lacking in any category that separates them from skill in their respective prowess: while Sonic is becoming faster and more honed than Shadow, Shadow is becoming stronger and more destructive than Sonic, which has only increased the intensity of their rivalry. They have an unshakable need to showcase their growth and improvement for every encounter they have, and anything considered competitive is suitable for their rivalry, though Sonic usually remains more casual about it than Shadow and enjoys pitting his skills against his.[91]

Despite their differences, Sonic and Shadow share a mutual respect for each other’s abilities,[186] though it did not start out like that. In fact, over the course of their first encounters during the Space Colony ARK incident, they collided with each other several times, each with a fierce opposition to the other, as they saw each other as a rival who might be more than an equal. However, they eventually reached the internal conclusion where they mutually recognized each other’s abilities (although they would never admit that to each other).[183] Even so, Sonic himself has personally acknowledged Shadow’s capabilities,[187] even admitting that Shadow is only one who would have a chance against him in a race,[100] and after Shadow sacrificed himself to save the world at the end of the Space Colony ARK incident, he recognized him as a brave and heroic hedgehog.[188] Sonic also appears to hold faith in Shadow’s sense of right and wrong to a certain extent as seen in some of the scenarios of during the Black Arms incident where he would show disbelief and confusion about Shadow siding with the Black Arms,[189][190] even admitting in one scenario that he did not believe Shadow had it in him for his selfish acts.[191] At the same time though, Sonic can be surprised by how Shadow, for all his cold-heartedness, is willing to secretly fight for world peace, although he knows that Shadow is not willing to let his guard down when questioned about it.[183] Regardless of their disagreements, they are willing to put their differences aside for the greater good, and together they are an unbeatable team.

If there is one thing that can be said about Sonic and Shadow, it is that they are rare ones who can get up close and personal with each other. Because of the high performance of both Sonic and Shadow in terms of their physical abilities and their thoughts, there are not many who can keep up with them. Also, there are fewer still of the ones who, despite their rejection, are able to persist, to offer opinions, to meddle, or to stand in their way and try to stop each other like those two can. In fact, Sonic is perhaps the only person who can get so up close and personal with Shadow as he can and say something to him that reaches his heart (though it often does not). In a sense, Sonic’s kind of presence is troublesome to Shadow, but it is also one of the most important ones. Regardless of much of an impact they each have on each other, the two of them both share the philosophy of following their hearts’ desires, which makes them colliding with each other, crossing paths with each other, and sometimes dividing into ally and enemy.[183]

Rouge the Bat

Sonic and Rouge the Bat do not seem to have any dislike for each other, despite the latter having antagonized Sonic’s friends, notably Knuckles, on various occasions. In fact, they appear to be on good terms. They were initially enemies when they first met (though they did not interact until much later), mainly because Rouge was working with Shadow and Dr. Eggman, but they became allies towards the end in order to save earth. Also, after Shadow’s supposed death after defeating the Finalhazard, Sonic comforted Rouge by giving her Shadow’s Inhibitor Ring, showing that he had come to care about Rouge’s feelings.

Even when antagonized by Rouge herself, Sonic has yet to hold anything against her. Most noticeably, during the Emerl incident, Rouge challenged him to a battle; if she won, he would have to get her gems and work for her. Although Sonic managed to win, he did not hold any grudge against her as seen later on. Later, Sonic even let Emerl say hello to Rouge, which suggests Sonic somehow trusts her. However, even Sonic noted during the Wisp incident that she is a shady character, suggesting that he knows he has to be careful around Rouge due to her mercenary nature.

At his birthday party, Rouge was shown to be one of the attendees. Sonic likewise treated her like all of his other friends, which shows a friendly relationship between them. Additionally, Rouge would return this friendship by showing up to motivate Sonic to defeat the Time Eater during the final battle.

Although they do get along with each other quite well, they still have been on opposing sides on a few occasions, like during the Neo Metal Sonic incident when Team Sonic and Team Dark fought in Lost Jungle, and during the Emerl incident when she kidnapped Emerl to train him to be a thief. He also told her that if she did something to Emerl, he would not let her off easily. Also, when Rouge was introduced to Emerl, she gave them an idea to help Emerl, but Sonic refused, calling her “a thief”. Whether this means their friendship has grown since then or that Sonic just does not trust her completely is yet to be seen. While there is technically no hostility between the two, Sonic, along with Tails and Knuckles, displayed some noticeable disgust towards Rouge’s selfishness during the second World Grand Prix where she and Shadow held no empathy for their teammate E-10000B, and exerted him past his limits in order to get the cash prize.

Overall, Sonic sees Rouge as a “dependable suspect”, though the “suspect” part never bugs him as he deems it to be part of the “thrilling appeal” of Rouge. This means that Sonic can be confident about the accuracy of the information Rouge brings to him and her ability to search for it at all times. However, she often hides more important information or the real purpose of giving him the information from him, so he must always be on his guard around her, or otherwise, she will take advantage of him.[192] When Sonic does find himself duped and usurped by Rouge, he is understandably miffed about it, and will therefore make sure that he gets the last laugh. Nonetheless, he is not willing compete with her over something as a Chaos Emerald, which does not belong to anyone in particular, when the world is not in immediate danger, showing a respect for Rouge’s desire for jewels.[93]

Most of the time, the conversations between Sonic and Rouge are often “probing”, camouflaged by jokes, but Sonic loves to joke and talk lightly, while Rouge is a sarcastic person. Still, both Sonic and Rouge enjoy these conversations that play out their “good-natured” rivalry, and can think of each other as people they can rely on in times of need, with appropriate levels of trust and caution. Rouge’s presence in Sonic’s life brings many new developments to the adventures he goes through.[192]

Cream the Rabbit

What a polite girl…

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Advance 2

Cream the Rabbit is basically like a younger sister to Sonic.[193] Cream similarly looks up to Sonic like an older brother.[194] Sonic first met Cream and her Chao companion Cheese during the incident where Dr. Eggman kidnapped the pair, thus leaving it to Sonic to rescue them. After saving the pair, Sonic was amazed by Cream’s politeness. Afterward, Sonic ran off to settle the score with Eggman, only for Cream to come along in order to save her mother. Towards the end of this adventure, where Eggman kidnapped Vanilla in front of Cream, Sonic’s resolve to stop Eggman was strengthened upon seeing Cream weep over the loss of her mother, prompting Sonic to go Super Sonic and save the day, much to Cream’s eternal gratitude.

Because their first meeting was so brief, there was no deeper interaction between Sonic and Cream. However, it seemed that the small and polite Cream left an impression on him.[194] Since then, they have teamed up on a number of adventures, with Cream proving to be an asset to Sonic many times. Even so, Sonic is still concerned with Cream’s safety and is well aware that her young age makes her less experienced and more vulnerable than his other companions.[194] For example, when they met during the Gemerl incident, Sonic mainly took Cream with him on his adventure because she was not safe unchaperoned.[195] Sonic thus actively tries not to involve Cream in some of his more dangerous adventures, even when she follows him around trying to convince him to let her tag along.[194]

When interacting with each other, Sonic never raises his voice in front of Cream. Instead, he always talks calmly and gently on the same level as her while using a lot of encouraging gestures.[194] During the Time Eater incident for example, Sonic encouraged her bravery while she was turned to stone by the Time Eater with a thumbs up and a smile. However, he sometimes has trouble finding the right words when needing to tell Cream that she is too young to go on some of his more dangerous adventures, as he knows Cream does not enjoy being treated like a little kid. Even so, Sonic recognizes Cream’s thirst for adventure and desire to get involved in the same experiences as him. Sonic is similarly willing to offer Cream words of encouragement when she feels down. In order to make her understand what the best adventures for her mean, Sonic has also taught Cream that being on an adventure means being both kind and strong. This has helped Cream understand that by just showing kindness towards others while Sonic supplies the muscle, she can still have the best adventures with Sonic without having to endanger herself.[194]

During their adventures together, Sonic has shown that Cream can rely on him like an older brother to keep her safe and make everything turn out well. Even Sonic cannot stop himself from sometimes petting Cream and feeling the need to protect her like he actually was her older brother.[194]

Team Chaotix

Team Chaotix is a group of detectives for hire and another faction of Sonic’s trusted friends and allies. They are also the only detectives Sonic knows.[196] Sonic first met Team Chaotix during the climax of the Neo Metal Sonic incident. There, the group agreed to back Sonic and his team up by occupying Metal Sonic while Sonic and his team prepared to take him down with the Chaos Emeralds. Since then, Sonic and Team Chaotix have been on good terms, with the team even coming to attend Sonic’s birthday party during the Time Eater incident, which seems to hint that they are close friends. When it comes to trusting Team Chaotix’s detective work though, Sonic has his doubts about their capabilities and does not necessarily think highly about them in that field,[197] having once noted that following a lead from Team Chaotix was a “dumb idea.”[198] Nonetheless, Sonic seems to trust Team Chaotix to be ready for action when he is. Also, while he may get confused by how this strange group of people manage to stick together, he does not really dislike the bonds they share.[196]

Sonic has unique relationships with each of Team Chaotix’s members. In regards to Vector the Crocodile, Sonic keeps a casual friendship with him. Having earned Vector’s recognition,[199] the two of them hang out from time to time as friends and they do not shy away from making fun of one another in a relaxed manner.[196] Sonic in particular likes poking fun at Vector for his shortcomings, including his agency’s almost perpetual work drought and his big mouth (figuratively and literally).[199][200] Vector also seems to respect and relate to Sonic’s free-spirited nature, which make them hit it off well.[196] Occasionally though, their big egos have made them clash.[200] Sonic can likewise get caught unprepared by Vector’s positive attitude and proclamations of professionalism, especially when he relies on him to verify them, although he is supportive enough to not directly disagree with Vector’s claims.[196] When they work together, Sonic has also been known to have issues with Vector’s messy and outlandish investigation skills.[196] Despite this, Sonic can rely on Vector when the situation calls for it, like when Vector helped him by giving him the support needed to take down the Time Eater.[201] He has also been surprised and even impressed by Vector’s kindheartedness, keen intellect, and trust. Notably, Sonic is able to look through Vector’s goofy façade and is willing to put his faith in him when he recognizes that there is defined method in his otherwise unconventional methods. Also, at the end of the day, they are willing to acknowledge each other for being more than meets the eye.[196]

In regards to Espio the Chameleon, Sonic has a bit more respect for him than Vector, taking the warnings he gives him quite seriously.[202] However, he does not hold his profession as a detective in high regards, as he playfully thinks that he is just “playing” detective.[197] Nonetheless, Sonic appreciates Espio’s recognition of his skills, and has even managed to earn the straight-laced chameleon’s respect.[203] Espio even once offered Sonic to join him on the path of ninjutsu, although Sonic declined, thinking this path was “a bit too narrow” for him.[203] Sonic similarly recognizes Espio’s militaristic drive to improve himself, although being the easy-going person he is, it makes him advise Espio to not push himself too hard.[204] Also, while the two of them have been on opposite sides once, Sonic can rely on Espio when the situation calls for it, like when Espio helped him by giving him the support needed to take down the Time Eater.[201]

Charmy Bee is the youngest member of Team Chaotix, and also the one Sonic arguably has the simplest relationship with. Sonic in particular has earned both Charmy’s respect and admiration with his skills and speed, causing Charmy to look up to him and praise him with child-like enthusiasm.[205] Sonic is also amazed by Charmy, although not so much by his personality or skills, but rather by how surprisingly scatterbrained and carefree the young bee can be, even when on a serious job with his colleagues.[206][207] He is likewise confused and puzzled by Charmy’s mindset and overall behavior.[208] Regardless, Sonic can rely on Charmy when the situation calls for it, like when Charmy helped him by giving him the support needed to take down the Time Eater.[201]

Blaze the Cat

You need to be true to yourself.

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Rush

Blaze the Cat is one of Sonic’s friends and a valuable ally of his. However, they did not get off on the right foot. When they first met during the Sol Emerald incident, the mysterious attitude that Blaze showed Sonic when their paths first crossed made Sonic concerned that she had a part in Eggman Nega’s latest scheme.[209] After learning that Blaze was opposing Eggman Nega as well and trying to resolve the current crisis, albeit alone, however, Sonic became more friendly towards her and tried to encourage her to seek aid, only to be rejected.[210] Sensing some oddness in Blaze’s response, Sonic kept following Blaze. However, Blaze’s refusal to let Sonic get entangled in her affairs eventually let to Blaze trying to make Sonic leave by force. After their fight however, Sonic had come to understand that Blaze had had a rough past and encouraged her to not assume too much responsibility and be true to herself. This advice helped Blaze realize that she could allow herself to rely on others if she let her guard down.[211] The two of them became real friends afterwards[211] and would subsequently help each other resolve the crisis brought on by Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega. Since then, Sonic and Blaze have steadily become better friends and allies.

Sonic, especially during their first adventure together, found Blaze way too tense and harsh after hearing her threats of using lethal force to stop Eggman Nega,[212][213] as well as a bit overzealous.[211] However, he mellowed out about his opinions of her as he came to understand Blaze’s rough past.[211] In addition, after they became friends, Sonic would come to establish a firm belief in Blaze, insisting that believing in a friend is a part of friendship as well.[214] Over time, Sonic and Blaze have come to share a great deal of mutual respect and trust. This became evident when Sonic entrusted her to save Cream, while Blaze trusted him to face Eggman Nega on her behalf. Also, like Blaze respects Sonic and his skills, Sonic has acknowledged Blaze’s.[211] Also, whenever Blaze’s emotions get the better of her, Sonic will be there to remind her of what is important and to stay cool.[215] They have also displayed an occasional custom where they shake hands when they depart, signifying their growing friendship and the promise to meet once more.

Sonic and Blaze are alike in many ways, having similar skills and self-assumed duties. On the other hand, they possess very different backstories and contrasting traits, the most obvious of them being Sonic and Blaze’s “free” and “stoic” personalities:[216] Sonic is inwardly free and adventurous, yet outwardly level-headed and cool, whereas Blaze is outwardly stoic and blunt, yet inwardly highly emotional. When it comes down to it, Sonic’s way of life is vastly different from Blaze’s. However, Sonic’s way of living life like an adventure also means that there is no enjoyment to be found in it if one does not follow their own rules, which demands a strong and flexible mind; in other words, it does not just mean being lax. It is thanks to this perspective that Blaze has been able to achieve some of the results that are nothing short of admirable and have brought smiles to many faces. As such, Blaze respects Sonic’s way of life to a certain extent, because he has a different perspective and approach, but also produces results that overlap with the direction she is aiming for.[216]

Sonic is responsible for many changes in Blaze’s outlook on life; their time together has enabled Blaze to understand the meaning of friendship which ultimately let her to discovering the true power of the Sol Emeralds and how to use them,[217][218] and his advices have made Blaze come to understand that her pyrokinetic powers were not the curse she made them out to be.[219]

A far as his present-day relationship with Blaze goes, Sonic has been show to welcome Blaze’s distant and noble earnestness that does not let her get up close and personal with people easily. Sonic recognizes as well that while there has been a change in Blaze’s heart since their first adventure together, which he has happily welcomed, he knows that the roots in Blaze’s nature still makes her shy and withdrawn.[56] Also, because of her sense of responsibility, Blaze tends to push herself to solve things on her own, but Sonic does not stop her from doing so any more than necessary. This may be due to how Sonic respects Blaze’s freedom to do what she wants. However, he also seems to respect her personal principles of doing the best she can with pride in the position she is in, which he does not have. It is because of Blaze’s endearing trails that Sonic is able to trust and cooperate with her when the time comes.[216] They are also shown to be great partners in combat, displaying a brilliant coordination that makes it hard to believe that they do not see each other often.[56]

Additionally, the situation of living in different dimensions also affects Sonic’s relationship with Blaze. Fundamentally, since they both live in different worlds, it is for the best that they take care of their own world. While they respect and honor that, they also cooperate with each other in times of real trouble. This is a difficult balance to achieve, but so far it seems to have been adjusted to some extent by the guidance of the Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds. And the fact that Sonic and Blaze are the ones who are responsible for this is another interesting aspect of their relationship.[216]

Silver the Hedgehog

Silver the Hedgehog is a good friend and friendly rival of Sonic’s. They originally met during the Solaris incident, where Silver started out as a lethal enemy to Sonic, as Silver believed (at the time) that killing Sonic would prevent the event that would devastate his era.[111] Even with Silver seeking his death though, Sonic was far more lenient towards Silver, a prime example of this being Sonic checking up on Silver to see if he was okay after beating him in their first fight. However, letting his guard down around Silver would result in Sonic putting his life at risk.[220] Even so, Sonic did not seem to carry a grudge at Silver for his attempts at his life; after Silver appeared to help Sonic save Elise from Dr. Eggman and explained that “circumstances have changed”, Sonic quickly teamed up with Silver with a smile on his lips, and proceeded to work together with him. Towards the end, Sonic would as well impress Silver with his faith in him and willingness to help save his era as well. At that point, Sonic appreciated Silver for everything he had done for him.[221] Due to a time paradox pulled off by Sonic and Elise however, Sonic and Silver’s first encounter was erased from history, causing them to forget their friendship.[222]

Sonic and Silver eventually met again during the Onyx Island incident. In this encounter, Sonic was annoyed by Silver’s impatient and pushy attitude, but nonetheless gladly welcomed the challenge he gave him when they competed to get to Eggman Nega first.[223][224] He would occasionally even tease Silver with clues he had been missing.[225] In the end though, the two of them put their differences aside and worked together to stop Eggman Nega’s master plan. When they later met again during the Ifrit incident, Sonic had become more tolerant of Silver’s attitude, as demonstrated by how Sonic casually greeted Silver in spite of the latter’s impatience, while retaining his competitiveness towards Silver.[226] When not competing with each other though, Sonic and Silver are much more relaxed towards each other; when they met during the Wisp incident, Sonic and Silver were able to maintain a friendly and positive-minded conversation,[227] and Silver was even willing to offer Sonic his help with the current crisis.[228]

Nowadays, Sonic and Silver are very friendly towards each other. Sonic in particular has gotten Silver’s respect and unwavering support to rely on; during Sonic’s final showdown with the Time Eater, Silver came to Sonic’s aid by giving him the support needed to take down said monster.[201] Regardless, they still retain a friendly rivalry; during the Time Eater incident in particular, whenever Sonic would challenge him to a fight, Silver would note that their showdown was going to be a fun activity.[229]

In regards to what kind of person Silver is to Sonic, there is no doubt that Sonic values Silver’s character because of his abilities and his positive mental attitude. To put it in another way, one could say that Silver is a reliable person who has something that Sonic does not. This “something” is namely Silver’s tendency to deal with things too head-on because of the strength of his feelings and how he usually takes everything upon himself, unlike Sonic who is always calm and cool and free to act as he pleases. However, Sonic recognizes the appeal of the qualities Silver has as they are an aspect of his purity and endearing virtues. Also, while they have not had many adventures where the two of them spend a lot of time together, when they do team up, they are good buddies who can make up for each other’s shortcomings.[222]

Emerl

Emerl… I’m not your guardian anymore, so if there’s one thing I want to leave you with, it’s this: I want you to live your life to the fullest!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Battle

Emerl was another one of Sonic’s best friends, though their relationship did not last long. The hedgehog was the first one to establish a Link with the robot, and was the one to come up with the name “Emerl”.[230] Throughout the incident in which the Gizoid was involved, Sonic would make several attempts to protect his new friend from the clutches of Dr. Eggman, who sought him to conquer the world, in addition to other opportunists who wanted to exploit Emerl to their advantage; even willing to go to extreme lengths to save the Gizoid from danger.

Despite Emerl growing wiser and smarter over time, he would still be close to Sonic. Addtionally, the robot appeared to have inherited the hedgehog’s boastful and impulsive, but kind personality.[231][232] After the Gizoid’s encounters with Shadow, Sonic quit his position as his guardian and wanted him to live his life to his fullest.[233] Tragically, however, the robot’s merciful character was what led to Eggman setting in motion the events that led to the Gizoid’s destruction at the Death Egg. This forced Sonic to go to the doctor’s spaceship himself and defeat the rogue robot, who now sought to use the Final Egg Blaster to destroy the earth. In the aftermath, the hedgehog witnessed Emerl’s destruction, even attempting to convince him to go back to his world with him and his friends.[234] Soon after, he comforted a saddened Cream and assured his companions that they would meet the Gizoid again in the future.[235]

Jet the Hawk

Even without wings, I can still fly! Right?

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Riders

Sonic has been rivals with Jet the Hawk since they first met, and their dynamic relationship is based on their competitive nature and distinct respect for one another. The main difference in personality between the two, however, is that they both have giant egos which are portrayed in different ways. The hedgehog’s ego comes from his positive attitude and belief that he can do anything whereas the hawk’s comes from thinking he is better than everyone. This causes their personalities to clash.

In their first meeting, Sonic lost to Jet in an Extreme Gear chase, but rather than being upset, the hedgehog eagerly recognized him as a worthy new rival. Early on though, his rivalry with the hawk was rather one-sided, and the latter would often anger him with his constant mockery of him. Nevertheless, Sonic recognized Jet’s skills as an Extreme Gear rider and kept a professional, yet competitive, attitude around him. Eventually, the hedgehog settled his own dispute with the hawk after he beat him in a race. Soon after, they would establish a more friendly relationship based on mutual respect, and promised each other to compete again later, though they still remain firm rivals.

Despite their rivalry, Sonic and Jet are willing to put aside their differences when a greater threat is present. In fact, they have teamed up on a few occasions.

Since defeating Jet, Sonic has kept a more relaxed and tolerant attitude towards him, taking his insults and rash determination to beat him in stride. Nevertheless, their rivalry remains as strong as ever, and the hedgehog will gladly, if given the right opportunity, race him for fun. However, even when determined to beat the hawk, Sonic does not wish to have any unfair advantages, and will give him the chance to race him at his best. Despite how many times they face each other, their rivalry has seemingly no end in sight, although Sonic always looks forward to his next rematch with Jet.

Princess Elise

Nothing starts until you take action. If you have time to worry, then run!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotSonic%26Elise.ogg

Sonic and Princess Elise the Third had a very close relationship with each other, and they shared a strong bond. Mephiles was aware of this, and decided to take advantage of it, so he killed Sonic which caused Elise to cry, which freed Iblis. Elise later revived Sonic with the Chaos Emeralds, kissing him as he awakens as Super Sonic. Sonic was very grateful towards Elise, thanking her with a hug. After the defeat of Solaris, Sonic and Elise found Solaris in its frail, core form. She theorized that by putting out the flame now, Solaris would have never existed, which would make it so that she would never have met Sonic. Elise nearly broke down and declared that she did not care what happened to the world, but Sonic simply reminded her to smile, convincing her to be brave and blow out Solaris. This event instantly resulted in a time reboot. In the aftermath, Sonic watched the Festival of the Sun in the distance as Elise sensed something familiar about his presence.

Marine the Raccoon

Marine! Come on. The captain’s not supposed to cry! If you stick with it, then we really will meet again someday!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Rush Adventure

Marine the Raccoon is a good friend of Sonic from the Sol Dimension, as they quickly befriended each other soon after meeting. When making herself captain, Marine declared Sonic one of her assistants despite Sonic never agreeing to it. Sonic was likewise genuinely annoyed by Marine’s antics, her bossy behavior, and the way she insisted that he followed her orders. Though Marine would get jealous at Sonic for tackling their more dangerous enemies, she admires his skills and marked him as her “best pupil” and deputy captain.[236] Despite this, Sonic was willing to endure it, as he often noted how “hopeless” a case Marine was.

When Marine learned that Sonic thought of her as a nuisance, she felt betrayed and called him stupid. They later made up though when Marine stopped bossing Sonic around. When Sonic later departed Marine’s home with Tails, Marine earned his respect with a newfound sense of maturity and told him how he and Tails were the best friend ever.[237] Though she cried at Sonic’s departure, she vowed to meet him and Tails again no matter the boundaries.

Shahra

I’ll have you smiling by the end of this. And that’s not me ordering you as your master. That’s a promise from me to you.

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic and the Secret Rings http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:Sonicshahra.ogg

When Sonic first met Shahra, she asked for his help so that he could save her world from the Erazor Djinn. While Sonic agreed to help, he could only go into Shahra’s world on one condition; he had to wear a ring and have her serve as his wish granter. Although Shahra was bound to treat Sonic as his master from then on and would refer to him “Master” on several occasions after that, Sonic would feel uncomfortable about this title and insist that she referred to him by his real name.

Like his other allies, Sonic would go to great lengths to keep Shahra safe. This led him to take the shot from Erazor Djinn’s Flame of Judgment curse when he tried to cast it on Shahra. With the curse slowly burning away Sonic’s life force, Shahra regretted getting Sonic involved in her world’s affairs. Not wanting Shahra to feel sad, Sonic promised her with a pinky swear that he would have her smiling at the end of this adventure, not as her master but as a friend.

Throughout their adventures, Sonic would often annoy Shahra with his reckless behavior and easy-going attitude. Nevertheless, they were never apart from one another, and Sonic often received helpful advice from Shahra. Also, while Sonic was curious about Shahra’s relationship with the Erazor Djinn, he respected Shahra’s privacy enough to not press her for details when she was reluctant to reveal it. Regardless, towards the end of their adventure, the two of them had built up a relationship of great trust, enough for Shahra to tell Sonic about her own wish: for the Arabian Nights to go back to the way they were.

When the time came to face Erazor, Sonic, much to his shock, saw Shahra force herself to obey Erazor. Refusing to let Shahra go through with this and let her wish be in vain, Sonic commanded her, as her master for the first time, to do what she truly thought was right. This caused Shahra to faint. When Shahra later took a lethal blow from Erazor to protect Sonic, Sonic assured her in her final moments that he held no ill will against her for bringing him into this mess in spite of what she thought herself. Later, Sonic forced Erazor to revive Shahra with the first of the three wishes he was forced to grant him, hinting that he prioritized Shahra before anything else. After then sealing Erazor away, which made Shahra cry, Sonic wished for a mountain of handkerchiefs so she could cry for as long as she needed to.

Erazor Djinn

If this is your world, then it’s a world that I don’t want any part of.

— Darkspine Sonic, Sonic and the Secret Rings http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotDarkspineSonic.ogg

Sonic has been enemies with the Erazor Djinn ever since he found out that the Djinn had been erasing the pages of the Arabian Nights. Being against any form of evil, Sonic tried to stop him from carrying out his ambitions.

When meeting him, Sonic casually treated Erazor like any other power-hungry despot he had faced by showing no fear of him and teasing him with his carefree banter. However, he came to dislike Erazor greatly for constantly calling him a rat, and would attempt again and again to remind him that he was a hedgehog. Meanwhile, Erazor initially just saw Sonic as an insignificant vermin. However, when Sonic took the Flame of Judgment for Shahra in their first encounter, Erazor decided to use Sonic and told him to gather the seven World Rings for him before the Flame of Judgement burned out, or he would die.

Throughout their subsequently encounters, Sonic would casually ask Erazor to remove the curse he had place on him while both teasing him and maintaining his bravado in the face of the Djinn’s malice. When Sonic finally arrived with the World Rings however, Erazor betrayed him, and attempted to kill him to gain full access to the World Rings’ power. After defeating Erazor, Sonic, using Erazor’s Magic Lamp, wished for Erazor to bring Shahra back to life, restore the Arabian Nights, and spend eternity trapped in his lamp, all of which Erazor has no choice but to do. Sonic also showed disappointment in Erazor as he got dragged into his lamp while begging for Shahra to help him.

Knights of the Round Table

When Sonic and the Knights of the Round Table first met, they started off as enemies, as the formers were ordered to slay Sonic on sight by King Arthur. However, Sonic’s adversarial relationship with the group came to an end when he gained their respect, and when they realized Arthur was a fake. Individually, Sonic would often make comparisons to their counterparts, and kept a casual, yet vigilant attitude around them.

When Sonic first met Sir Lancelot (the alternate reality doppelgänger of Shadow), who challenged him to a duel, Sonic displayed an attitude similar to the one he shows towards Shadow; a competitive, but fierce demeanor. Despite this, Lancelot had a small degree of respect for Sonic, as he respectfully acknowledged him as a worthy adversary.

Sir Gawain (the alternate reality doppelgänger of Knuckles) held an inhospitable attitude towards Sonic, and accused him of trying to steal a dragon’s treasure before attempting to slay Sonic. Sonic however, was reluctant to fight Gawain since he was in a hurry to save some villagers, and would admit out loud that he was a knucklehead, much like Knuckles. Regardless, Sonic later stopped Gawain from committing suicide. Sonic would then slightly open Gawain’s eyes to new possibilities when he asked him if there was more to being a knight than serving a king.

Initially, Sir Percival (the alternate reality doppelgänger of Blaze) was another adversary of Sonic. However, it was not until Sonic came after her sword that they met. In comparison to the other knights, Percival was the only one who showed Sonic respect from the beginning. She then challenged him, under the name “Sir Sonic, Knight of the Wind”, being the first person to call him that. After Sonic defeated her, Percival fell off a ledge, but was saved by Sonic. Although Percival was confused by Sonic’s act of chivalry, she nonetheless did not object to this. Percival would later repay Sonic’s kindness by being the first of the Knights of the Round Table to show faith in him when he came to them with news about their king.

Chip

Do I need a reason to want to help out a friend?

— Sonic the Werehog, Sonic Unleashed http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:Werehogchipfriend.ogg

Chip is a dear and good friend to Sonic. When Chip first met Sonic, he was afraid of his Werehog form, but he soon realized he was a good person. When Sonic then told Chip that he would help him recover his lost memories, Chip quickly took a liking to Sonic and thanked him wholeheartedly. In addition, Chip subconsciously felt kindness in Sonic and wanted him to help him.

Chip spent most of his time next to Sonic, and soon formed a great friendship with him. Chip also enjoyed participating in friendly competitions with Sonic, like when they fought for the last dumpling in Chun-nan. However, Chip was sometimes a nuisance to Sonic due to his naïve frankness would occasionally annoy him, although he never had a bad intention. Also, when he accidentally caused Sonic to become depressed with his Werehog form, Chip tried to cheer him up.

After recovering his memories, Chip was deeply grateful to Sonic for everything he had done for him. However, he did not want Sonic to get involved in his conflict with Dark Gaia and he tried to leave. However, Sonic persuaded him to help him anyway, insisting that he needed no reason to help a friend, and Chip thanked him. During his battle with Dark Gaia, Chip prioritized Sonic’s well-being whenever he was weak, such as when he was weakened by the loss of Dark Gaia energy or when he fell unconscious after defeating Perfect Dark Gaia. When the last continent fell and they had to leave, Chip gave him a goodbye before returning him to the surface. There, Chip contacted Sonic telepathically, telling him that he would never forget him and that he would always be with him.

Wisps

Sonic has a very loving relationship with the Wisp race of aliens. Sonic first encountered these alien beings during the Wisp incident in Dr. Eggman’s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, where his first action upon seeing Yacker and a Cyan Wisp being hunted by Dr. Eggman’s henchmen was saving them from capture. This small, but significant gesture, earned Sonic the trust of the Wisp race, and thus the Wisps’ permission to use their Color Powers. The first Wisp Sonic personally befriended in particular was Yacker,[238] who would not only become a good friend to Sonic, but also a vital supporter in his efforts to liberate the remaining Wisps in Dr. Eggman’s captivity. In the meantime, the other Wisps served as Sonic’s powerful assistants, giving him the edge to overcome many of the obstacles during the Wisp incident. Eventually, the Wisps had become very grateful to Sonic, so much that they saved his life when Dr. Eggman’s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park imploded and saved Sonic’s world from a black hole made from Hyper-go-on.

To Sonic, the Wisps are good-natured playmates, and the two parties share a mutual love for one another. Because the Wisps love to play, and Sonic loves to have fun, they get along very well. In addition, thanks to the Wisps’ Color Powers Sonic is able to make his runs faster, more fun, and more varied. The Wisps are likewise fun for Sonic to run with. In the end, Sonic could not ask for better playmates than the Wisps. Their adventures throughout the Wisp incident have likewise made Sonic and the Wisps best friends. As such, they will play together when they meet and rush to the aid of each other whenever something happens. Also, while they may not be able to communicate verbally without a translator, they can always communicate with each other with their hearts, giving them a very good heart-to-heart relationship.[238]

The Deadly Six

Oh, man, when I get my hands on you guys…

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Lost World

The Deadly Six are some of the most despised enemies Sonic has ever faced. Unlike his past foes whom he has never viewed as actual enemies, the Deadly Six are the only ones Sonic has shown true contempt for.

Sonic first met the Deadly Six while they were under Eggman’s control, where he treated them with confident mockery like any foe. However, when Sonic recklessly got rid of the Cacophonic Conch used to control the Deadly Six, they rebelled and planned to destroy the world, making Sonic responsible for the subsequent danger to the planet. As such, Sonic set out to stop them with more seriousness. He soon grew extremely hostile towards them when they captured Tails, an act of which made Sonic lose his cool for once. As he sought to save Tails, Sonic threatened the Deadly Six with aggressiveness and spite which only intensified as Zavok taunted him with his plans to roboticize Tails and his friends’ apparent deaths. By the time of their final showdown, Sonic was thoroughly tired of them and threatened them aggressively when he thought they had turned Tails into a robot. In the end though, Sonic defeated the Deadly Six and got Tails back, redeeming himself and proving himself the hero he is.

When encountering Zavok again (or rather, his Phantom Copy) aboard the Death Egg, his demeanor towards him was more laid back, as evidenced by Sonic engaging in his usual confident mockery towards Zavok both prior to and immediately after the fight.

Classic Sonic

Hey Sonic! Enjoy your future! It’s gonna be great!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Generations (console/PC)

Sonic is shown to be on very good terms with Classic Sonic. When they first met during the Time Eater incident, they were left somewhat confused about standing face-to-face with another one of themselves, although they put that aside to sort out the crisis at hand. After that, they quickly forged a bond based on their common interest in the adventure they faced together.

Due to having so many things in common with each other, Sonic and Classic Sonic have demonstrated great collaboration and teamwork in battle. Overall, Sonic and Classic Sonic share a great degree of mutual respect and admiration for each other, and Sonic seems to enjoy teaching Classic Sonic techniques he has yet to learn, such as the Homing Attack and the Boost.

Infinite

Your mask can’t hide how sad and lonely you are! That Phantom Ruby Virtual Reality of yours is the real illusion!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Forces http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotSonic%26Infinite1.ogg

Sonic first encountered Infinite in the City, where he was beaten easily by the mysterious henchman of Dr. Eggman. Later, when encountering Infinite at Mystic Jungle and had his first formal meeting with Infinite, Sonic dismissed the latter’s insinuation that his sweat was due to fear and explained he ran all the way to the location to save Silver, and also proceeded to smugly explain to Infinite that the latter failed to leave an impression on him at all despite the earlier beating, not even knowing his name. Upon learning it, however, Sonic, in his trademark banter, then tried to get Infinite to reveal the secret to his power, although Infinite refused to divulge the ability.[239] He also expressed some annoyance at the latter’s reference to him as a “sewer rat.”[240]

Avatar

Here goes, partner! When we join forces, the sky’s the limit!

— Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Forces http://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:QuotSonic%26Avatar.ogg

Sonic met the Avatar after the former escaped from the Death Egg and latter having arrived with a shuttle to rescue him. Together they proceeded to team up on various missions. He ultimately inspired the Avatar to not give in to their fear against Infinite.[241] Likewise, the Avatar was shown to be loyal to Sonic, making an attempt at saving him from the Null Space, and ultimately succeeding, despite being sucked in with him. After the war was over, Sonic suggested they would see them around when the Avatar went their own way and took their leave from the Resistance after it was disbanded.[242]

Friends/allies

Neutral

Enemies

Notes

1. ↑Sonic Adventure calls Sonic “the world’s fastest, hypersonic hedgehog” when the Japanese instruction booklet for the same game states that Sonic can reach supersonic speeds.

   Due to a mistranslation, the English version of the instruction booklet forcalls Sonic “the world’s fastest, hypersonic hedgehog” when the Japanese instruction booklet for the same game states that Sonic can reach supersonic speeds.

References