Sonic (SSB4)

Sonic in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Sonic the Hedgehog
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Super Sonic

Sonic (ソニック, Sonic) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return from Brawl was announced during the Nintendo Direct on October 1st, 2013, in celebration of Sonic Lost World being released in the same month. Sonic is one of the three third party characters in the game, along with Capcom's Mega Man and Bandai Namco's Pac-Man, and the first non-Nintendo veteran in the series.

In the English version, Sonic uses Roger Craig Smith's voice clips from games such as Sonic Generations, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, reflecting his voice actor change in 2010 from Jason Griffith, who had previously voiced Sonic since 2005. Sonic also has alternate voices for the French, Spanish, German, and Italian languages, as Sonic games from Generations onwards were dubbed into those languages. The Japanese game simply reuses Jun'ichi Kanemaru's recordings from Brawl.

Changes from Brawl

Sonic has been buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. He generally has less trouble KOing with most of his attacks, and a lot of them have become more useful. However, his recovery was slightly nerfed as some of his options are not as reliable as before (Homing Attack) or they travel a shorter distance (Spring Jump).

Aesthetics

• Sonic's appearance has been slightly altered to match his appearances in recent Sonic the Hedgehog games that use the Hedgehog Engine, such as Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Generations and Sonic: Lost World.
• Sonic's facial expressions show his mouth is now placed more to the side of his muzzle rather than right below his nose, reminiscent in the Sonic series; although its placement reverting to being under his nose can be seen in his losing animation and one of his winning animations in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• Like most characters, Sonic's front now faces the foreground more on either side.

Attributes

• Attacks which involve spinning emit a lower-pitched sound effect, similar to that heard in Sonic Lost World.
• Some of Sonic's attacks produce more visualized lighting effects.
• Sonic walks slightly slower.
• Sonic has slightly faster air speed.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack combo deals 1% more damage.
• Dash attack is now a multiple hit attack that ends with a rolling side kick, giving the move overall better utility.
• Forward tilt is noted to have more KO power.
• Forward smash is stronger.
• Up smash is significantly stronger to the point where it can now KO reliably, and it's also much harder to SDI out of.
• The removal of DACUS makes his up smash easier to connect against opponents.
• Up tilt deals less damage.
• Down tilt knocks opponents forward instead of up, reducing follow up options.
• Down smash has been changed to a split kick, similar to that of Fox's down smash.
• Down smash has become much faster while also being a semi-spike.
• Down smash's front hit can no longer KO until 140% fully charged.
• Down smash can hit opponents from behind quicker and stronger. In terms of knockback, it can KO at 97% if fully charged.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial deals slightly more damage.
• Neutral aerial now has a bluish sphere around it for the duration of the move, similar to the Insta-Shield seen in his games.
• Forward aerial is slightly stronger.
• Forward aerial has more ending lag and deals only half the damage it dealt in Brawl.
• Back aerial deals more damage, now dealing 14% as opposed to 13%.
• Back aerial has much more landing lag.
• Down aerial is now a meteor smash if sweetspotted.

Throws/other attacks

• Pummel deals slightly less damage.
• All throws deal less damage.
• Up throw is weaker. It also has increased base knockback, which makes it difficult to follow-up into up aerial for juggling.
• Down throw is slightly stronger and sends foes at a lower trajectory if used standing on an edge, improving its already strong edgeguarding capabilities.
• Forward and Back throws are stronger, now KOing at high percentages.

Special moves

• Spring Jump's spring now lingers on after it hits a foe.
• Spring Jump travels slightly less vertical distance.
• Sonic can now auto-sweetspot after some time after using Spring Jump, making it a safer recovery.
• After landing on a grounded spring, Sonic can use Spring Jump again.
• Spin Dash and Spin Charge combo into other attacks more easily.
• The short hop of Spin Dash is much quicker.
• The quicker short hop of Spin Dash makes the move less safe in terms of recovering.
• Sonic can now keep holding Spin Dash while jumping. However, he cannot release a charged Spin Dash while in the air.
• Spin Dash now appears to have the same flashing charge animation that Spin Charge uses.
• Homing Attack has less start-up lag, deals more damage, and has higher knockback.
• Homing Attack can only be used once without standing on the ground again, nerfing one of his great recovery options. A missed Homing Attack sends Sonic further than it did in Brawl, making it less safe to use off stage.
• Super Sonic is much weaker, dealing less damage and knockback.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two punches, followed by a kick.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt		rowspan="1"	4% (first hit), 7% (second hit)	A horsekick that hits twice.
Up tilt		rowspan="1"	2% (first hit), 6% (second hit)	Kicks upwards twice, similar to Captain Falcon's up smash.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	6%	Sweeps his foot along the ground. If used repeatedly, it will slowly move him forwards.
Dash attack			6%	Curls up into a spiky ball and rolls a short distance. Hits multiple times.
Forward smash	↗		14%	Throws a punch forwards. Can be angled up or down.
	→		14%
	↘		14%
Up smash			14%	Jumps, curls up into a spiky ball, and hits multiple times.
Down smash			12% (front), 12% (back)	A split kick that attacks on either side, similar to Fox's down smash.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	12% (clean), 8% (late)	Curls up into a spiky ball.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	7%	Spins on the horizontal axis, similar to Falco's forward air.
Back aerial			14% (clean), 10% (late)	A back kick with high knockback.
Up aerial			3% (first hit), 6% (second hit)	A scissor kick.
Down aerial			8% (clean), 7% (late)	A diagonal stall-then-fall kick. Has meteor smashing capabilities.
Grab			—
Pummel			2%	Knees the opponent.
Forward throw			7%	Kicks the opponent high.
Back throw			7%	Flips multiple times, then lands.
Up throw			6%	Throws the opponent up and sharpens his spikes, which then hit the opponent.
Down throw			7%	Spin Dashes into the opponent.
Floor attack (front)			6%	Does a spinball sweep.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Quick foot sweep.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Spin kicks all around.
Edge attack			7%	Gets up onto the stage with a spinball attack. This attack resembles his 'cliffhanger flip' attack from Sonic Spinball.
Neutral special	Default	Homing Attack	12%	Curls up into a spiky ball, then aims for his target.
	Custom 1	Stomp	5%	Instead of moving towards a target, Sonic goes straight down, meteor smashing the opponent.
	Custom 2	Surprise Attack	8%	A faster variant of Homing Attack, albeit with less power and range.
Side special	Default	Spin Dash	5-10%	Curls up into a spiky ball, performs a short hop, then starts rolling towards the opponent. Easily combos into one of his aerial attacks.
	Custom 1	Hammer Spin Dash	7%(first hit), 5%(second hit), 3%(late)	Has a larger hop at the beginning, with the descending part of the arc having burying capabilities.
	Custom 2	Burning Spin Dash	12%(first hit), 7%(second hit)	The hop is non-existent, but Sonic is on fire. Has shorter hops out of the move.
Up special	Default	Spring Jump	4%	Pulls out a spring from the Sonic the Hedgehog games.
	Custom 1	Double Spring	2%(first hit), 2%(second hit)	Can pull out two springs, but has much less distance.
	Custom 2	Springing Headbutt	3% on the ground, 1% in the air	Slightly shorter distance, but has the added ability to hit opponents on the way up.
Down special	Default	Spin Charge	2% for each hit	Works like Spin Dash, except there is no hop, and the player must repeatedly press the B button in order to charge it.
	Custom 1	Auto-Spin Charge	2% for each hit (10% total)	Removes the need to repeatedly press the B button in order to charge.
	Custom 2	Gravitational Charge	2% for each hit (11% total)	Pulls opponents in front of Sonic towards him, and pushes opponents behind Sonic away from him.
Final Smash		Super Sonic	5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, (slow) 9%, 10%, 11% (moderate),14%, 16% (fast)	Transforms into Super Sonic, from the Sonic the Hedgehog games.

Taunts

• Does a front flip, then crosses arms with his index finger pointing out while making a teasing clicking tune, which forms into one of his signature poses.
• Does a figure eight peelout dash, saying “Sonic Speed!”.
• Says “C'mon!” while breakdancing.

On-Screen Appearance

Sonic enters the stage in ball form from the foreground and gives a thumbs-up.

Idle Poses

• Turns towards the player, waving his finger in a patronizing manner while grinning. He did this on the title screen for a few of his games.
• Taps his foot impatiently. This is similar to his idle animation from the classic Sonic The Hedgehog games for the Sega Genesis.

Victory Fanfare

The Stage Clear theme from the 2006 edition of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Victory Poses

• Collects a Chaos Emerald and poses with it, saying "Piece of cake!".
• Sprints off the screen and back, and gives a thumbs up, saying "That was almost too easy!".
• He break-dances and then does a pose with his fist, saying "Let's do that again sometime!".

Trailer

<youtube>T7w5XUPHFoY</youtube>

Trophies

Sonic

The main star of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He's an easygoing hedgehog who blows past the competition with his speed. Seriously, on the ground he's faster than anyone else in Smash Bros. Use this to your advantage, avoiding blows while landing lightning-fast attacks.

A certain hedgehog from a certain series you just might have heard of. Unlike most hedgehogs, he's incredibly fast. Like most hedgehogs, however, he can't swim. He's by far the fastest runner of all the fighters, so take advantage of that by making sure no one gets the chance to hit him. (Just try not to end up in the water.)

Sonic the Hedgehog (06/1991)

: Sonic Lost World (10/2013)

Sonic (Alt.)

Sonic's up special Spring Jump lets him reach great heights by jumping on a spring, becoming invincible for a moment. He can't use any other specials during the jump, but he can attack or dodge. This move's great for returning from a long launch. Other fighters can use the spring, though!

Sonic's Spring Jump up special lets you bounce to great heights and briefly makes you invincible at the start. You can't use other specials while in the air, but you can use normal attacks, dodge and so on. It's great for getting both back to the stage and out of tough spots, but just remember that everyone else can use the spring too!

Sonic the Hedgehog (06/1991)

: Sonic Lost World (10/2013)

Super Sonic

The Chaos Emeralds are said to hold enough power to control the whole world. It's that power that turns Sonic into Super Sonic. He turns a glorious golden color and can fly at nearly the speed of light. In his Final Smash, this high-speed flight damages anyone who gets in its way and can even launch them!

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Super Sonic

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Secret: Sonic is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are characters that have been unlockable in previous Super Smash Bros. games.
• The FINAL Final Battle: The player must defeat Sonic, alongside Mario, Pac-Man, and Mega Man.
• Up to Speed: Sonic must defeat Fox, Falco, and Captain Falcon in a high-speed 1 stock battle.

Co-op Events

• Full Speed Ahead: Sonic and Captain Falcon must defeat another Sonic and Captain Falcon in a high-speed stock battle.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Update history

1.0.4

• Spring Jump can now be re-used if Sonic is grabbed mid-air after using it.
• Ending lag of his forward smash has been increased.

1.0.6

• Back throw deals considerably less knockback, weakening one of Sonic's most potent kill moves.
• Spin Dash now deals 7% instead of 10% during the rolling hitbox; the jumping hitbox now deals 3% instead of 6%. This results in a full Spin Dash combo doing 6% less overall.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Sonic in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Sonic's amiibo.

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  Sonic's confirmation image on the official site.

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  Sonic blocking Mario's punch with his palm.

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  Sonic using his side taunt (Super Peel-Out).

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  Sonic preparing to dodge Mega Man's attack.

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  One of Sonic's landing animations.

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  Sonic using his Homing Attack, damaging both Pit and Fox at once.

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  Sonic in mid-air.

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  Dodging Samus' aerial by using an air dodge (presumably).

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  Dashing.

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  Homing Attack on Luigi.

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  Sonic's up taunt in the 3DS version.

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  Sonic's forward air.

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  Spin Dash.

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  Spin Charge.

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  Spring Jump.

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  Sonic using his back aerial.

• SonicDownAerial.png

  Down aerial

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  Sonic and Mega Man using Spring Jump and Rush respectively.

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  Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man on Battlefield.

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  Sonic jabs his foot into Bowser's stomach.

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  Mario's Fireball colliding with Sonic's neutral attack.

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  Sonic using a Homing Attack on Bowser.

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  Sonic's idle pose.

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  Sonic's neutral attack (third hit).

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  Sonic's down aerial in the 3DS version.

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  Sonic and Wii Fit Trainer running at a Soccer Ball with Mega Man watching.

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  Sonic hitting Pit with the Ore Club while fighting in Palutena's Temple.

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  Sonic performing his down aerial on Marth, meteor smashing him.

• ChargingSpinDash.gif

  Sonic charging his spin dash; note the flashing animation.

Trivia

Sonic's double mouth bug

• Sonic dashes so fast that if one were to customize Sonic with all speed-based equipment, then combine that with a Bunny Hood and Superspicy Curry, he can outrun the Spirit Train.
  • Additionally, an unedited Sonic with Superspicy Curry runs at the exact same speed as the water slide in the Flood Chamber of the Kalos Pokémon League stage, causing him to run in place.
• Sonic is the only third-party character in the series to be present in more than one game, as well as the only one to be dubbed into languages other than Japanese and English.
• Despite having existing 8-bit sprites from the Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Master System and Game Gear, Pac-Man and Duck Hunt's newcomer posters depict Sonic using 16-bit sprites from the Genesis/Mega Drive Sonic the Hedgehog.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, there is a bug where Sonic has two mouths instead of one when rolling backwards or forwards. It's not known as of now if Sonic has the same bug in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • This is slightly reminiscent of a strikingly similar bug that Sonic had in Sonic Lost World.
• Sonic is the only third party character in Smash 4 who actually speaks in-game. Though Pac-Man and Mega Man have both spoken during games within their home series, (Pac-Man World 3 and Mega Man 8 respectively), neither of them speak during gameplay.