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Sonic the Hedgehog (JP) is a video game character and the protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series produced by Sega. Sonic is Sega's mascot as Mario is to Nintendo. However, Sega stopped console production in 2001[2] and made Sonic games for GameCube, Game Boy Advance, DS, Wii, Wii U, 3DS and Switch.

Sonic's main claim to fame is his ability to achieve speeds faster than Mach 1 (speed of sound)[1] which has earned him nicknames like "The Blue Blur" and "The Fastest Thing Alive". He is often recognized as being somewhat cocky, self-absorbed and ignorant, while still retaining strong sense of justice with a large heart, a friendly personality and an attitude like the wind.

Throughout the series, he has had many different rivals, such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Jet the Hawk. Among all, his oldest foe and perhaps arch-nemesis is Dr. Eggman. However Sonic does have many friends that help him complete his tasks, such as Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Silver the Hedgehog. He does have some love-interest, as Amy Rose has appointed herself his girlfriend. Sonic, however, sees her as nothing more than a friend and finds her schemes to get him to date her quite annoying.

Sonic the Hedgehog began his life on the Sega Mega Drive, and continued to be Sega's winning edge throughout their stay at the console department. However, when the Sega Dreamcast was discontinued, Sega saw fit to place Sonic, as well as their other franchises, on multiple platforms. Sonic would continue to be Sega's mascot on foreign technology.

His first game outside a Sega platform was in 2002 when Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was published for the Nintendo GameCube, but the first multi-platform Sonic game was Sonic Heroes, released in 2003 for GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC. Sonic Advance was also a launch window title for the Game Boy Advance.

The last Sonic game released during the sixth generation of consoles was Sonic Riders for the Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC. Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis for the Game Boy Advance marked the end of Sonic's life on the sixth gen handhelds. Sonic leapt onward to the seventh generation of consoles and handhelds with Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Nintendo Wii.

Sonic's last games for seventh gen consoles were Sonic Colors for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, mobile devices, PC, and Ouya, and Sonic Generations for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Sonic would later shift gears to the 8th gen consoles starting with Sonic Generations for the Nintendo 3DS and Sonic Lost World for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.

Sonic has appeared with longtime mascot rival, Mario, in Olympic Games-themed sports games: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games which were released between 2007 and 2009 for the Wii and Nintendo DS, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games for the Wii and 3DS, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games for the Wii U, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for the 3DS, Wii U, and arcade, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in for the Switch and arcade. Sonic is also included in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a playable character.

While Sonic was created to compete with Mario, thus creating the largest console war in video game history, after Sega stopped producing consoles after the Dreamcast, their relationship with Nintendo improved, and this also affected Sonic's relationship with Mario: In the Olympic Games-themed games, their rivalry has become a friendly rivalry.

This is also shown in artworks and in a trailer for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in which they shake hands at the top of the Big Ben, or in their customized victory pose when they win an event composed by teams of two in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in which they fist-bump and shake hands, showing that they have mutual respect of each other. Their friendship became more evident in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: at the end of the Story Mode in this game, they give each-other a high-five.

Main stream Sonic games (not necessarily in release order) released for Nintendo platforms include the following:

Other media[]

Super Smash Bros. series[]

Sonic first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and continued to appear in both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In Ultimate, Sonic is one of the best characters in the game.

His special moves in the Super Smash Bros. series include:

  • Neutral special: Homing Attack. "Leaps into the air, then home in on the nearest fighter if one is close."
  • Side special: Spin Attack. "Rolls forward at high speed. Can be charged and redirected."
  • Up special: Spring Jump. "Creates a spring and leaps up high. The spring sticks around if used on the ground."
  • Down special: Spin Charge. "Dashes forward rapidly. Can be powered up by pressing the special-move button."

Personality[]

Sonic has been described as being "like the wind"; a drifter that is always on the move and is noted for being free-spirited and adventurous. He values freedom above all else and lives his life according to his own rules rather than the standards of those around him and without concern for what others think, and enjoys nothing more than traveling the world. Endowed with a strong passion for life, he is never in one place for long and always moves forward to look for his next challenge, making his life a never-ending series of adventures. Because of his need for freedom, Sonic loathes the idea of being constrained, as he gets extremely impatient and uneasy when cooped up or when being forced to stand in one place.

Sonic is most of the time easy-going, cool and care-free. However, he never second guesses and can be impulsive. Because of his impulsive nature, Sonic can be reckless and quick to act before thinking, throwing himself into trouble without a second thought and regardless of other's warnings. Nevertheless, he is honest and always keeps his promises.

Sonic's personality is a juxtaposition of kindness and ferocity. He is extremely benevolent, driven by his own strong sense of justice and fair play, and firmly stands for freedom, but he is never the one to rest in the face of injustice or oppression. He hates all forms of evil, exploding with anger when witnessing it, and will do all he can to snuff it out, throwing his life on the line without hesitation. However, he usually sees his heroics as an opportunity to have fun, making him a thrill-seeker. 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. At the same time, Sonic has a big and gentle heart and is fully committed to help out and protect those in all kinds of trouble at any time, even if his actions will have ill consequences.

Sonic has a lot of self-confidence making him sassy, quick-witted, cocky, and at times overconfident. Sonic’s signature positive attitude is where his giant internal ego comes from; he thinks he and his friends will always find a way out of any situation, but that attitude sometimes leads him to underestimating his enemies and the task at hand. However, unlike his nemesis Dr. Eggman this ego is not to be confused with pride, as Sonic does not see himself as more important than others. No matter the threat or how dangerous, Sonic always remains cool under pressure. Also, Sonic is incredibly strong of character and will: no matter the situation, he never doubts himself and will never give up no matter what. It is only in the moments of greatest loss that his macho and carefree appearance falls away.

Sonic is extremely loyal to his friends and will risk his life for them without any due consideration. While he can leave them hanging or even endanger them due to his fast-paced nature, and at times acts rude, Sonic never has any intention of making his friends unhappy and values them above all else. Equally, Sonic is always willing to accept help from his friends if offered, and will show great trust in them, though he is not above making mistrusting assumptions of them.

Regardless of the countless 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 have given to him. Likewise, Sonic is shown to have a remarkable capacity to forgive, forgiving Silver and working with him after he had tried to kill him twice.

Despite his outward demeanor, Sonic has shown to be much more insightful than he usually lets on, capable of seeing things others would have overlooked and can as well give valuable and comforting advice that drastically changes the outlook of others, such as Elise, Merlina and Blaze. This insight, combined with a charismatic personality, allows Sonic to get along with virtually anyone he meets even if at one point they were his enemies.

Sonic has a fondness of the beauty of nature and he stands as a protector of it. He appreciates scenic views in Sonic Colors and showed anger and rage when he found out that Eggman was polluting Planet Wisp's beautiful environment. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic is also shown to have a fondness for locations that are filled with flowers, trees and other kinds of plants. Sonic has been shown to enjoy music, but seems to have an special interest in rock music. Furthermore, it is displayed in Sonic Rush that Sonic also enjoys break dancing which is reflected in his Trick Actions. His battle moves in Sonic Battle are also based on break dancing, as mentioned in the attack descriptions. He also breakdances in numerous games usually when he is victorious.

Gallery[]

  Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog (character)/gallery

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Sonic Channel" (in Japanese). Characters: Sonic. Sega. http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/sonic.html. Retrieved on July 3, 2015. 
  2. Ahmed, Shahed (January 31, 2001). "Sega announces drastic restructuring". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/news/2680518.html. 

External links[]

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