Sonic (SSB4)

Sonic in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Sonic the Hedgehog
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Super Sonic
Tier	A (5)

Sonic (ソニック, Sonic) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return to the series was announced on October 1st, 2013 during a Nintendo Direct. Sonic is one of the six third-party characters in the game, alongside fellow Sega representative Bayonetta, Capcom's Mega Man and Ryu, Bandai Namco's Pac-Man, and Square Enix's Cloud. He was the second third-party character to be revealed in the game, and is the first and only third-party veteran in the series.

In the English version, Sonic is voiced by Roger Craig Smith, albeit via recycled voice clips from games such as Sonic Generations, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. This reflects Smith's succession of Jason Griffith as Sonic's voice actor, who voiced Sonic from 2005 until 2010. Sonic also has alternate voices for the French, Spanish, German, and Italian versions, as Sonic the Hedgehog games from Sonic Generations onward were dubbed into those languages. However, the Japanese version simply recycled Jun'ichi Kanemaru's voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, who has been his Japanese voice actor since Sonic Adventure.

Sonic is currently ranked 5th out of 58 on the tier list, placing him at the top of the A tier. This is a vast improvement over his mid-tier placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 22nd out of 38. Sonic has the fastest dashing speed in the game, which is complemented by his special moves allowing him to attack while moving with little fear of reprisal, giving him a powerful approach and neutral game. Unlike in Brawl, Sonic now has respectable KO potential thanks to his smash attacks, clean back aerial, and up aerial, while his moveset has improved utility.

However, Sonic's KOing options are hindered by their high lag, which makes them risky and impairs his ability to KO outside of the neutral game. Despite his mobility, the linearity of Sonic's recovery makes him susceptible to gimping. By extension, he has trouble contending with projectile camping, owing to both his lack of a reliable projectile and an effective way to stop them.

Owing to his newfound and retained strengths that outweigh his flaws, Sonic has attained a large playerbase, and consistently achieves strong results in tournaments.

Attributes

Sonic is a middleweight that, like in his home series, possesses outstanding mobility. He fittingly boasts the fastest dashing speed in the game, yet also possesses the seventh fastest walking speed, while his air speed is tied with Mario and Donkey Kong's for the ninth fastest in the game. When coupled with his below average falling speed and above average gravity, Sonic has nigh-omnipresence, as he is able to travel at a blinding speed across any stage. This, in turn, makes him able to easily and effectively utilize a hit-and-run playstyle. To round out his outstanding mobility, Sonic is capable of wall jumping.

Sonic possesses very useful special moves. Spin Dash and Spin Charge are perhaps Sonic's best neutral game options, as they allow him to roll across the stage at varying speeds while also dealing damage upon contact. Spin Dash allows Sonic to jump even while charging, and can be canceled with a grab or by shielding, which grants it mindgame potential. Spin Charge, however, hits multiple times and moves even faster, making it a reliable alternative to dashing. Both, however, can give Sonic additional protection when recovering and even chain into other attacks. As such, opponents have to tread carefully when dealing with these moves, since a single misstep can result in a very fast chain of attacks that can deal impressive damage. These moves are also good for mindgames, considering that they look identical. Homing Attack deals a varying amount of damage, but homes in on the nearest opponent, making it useful for punishing laggy attacks and edge-guard breaking. Spring Jump is a useful recovery move that grants intangibility during start-up and covers an impressive amount of vertical distance. It is also one of the few recovery moves that does not cause helplessness, as Sonic is able to attack and dodge during his descent, while the spring that is dropped can be useful both on-stage and off-stage by allowing him to pressure and gimp opponents, respectively.

Sonic also has a capable air game. Neutral aerial is a great combo starter when SHFF'd, thanks to its long-lasting hitbox, fairly low landing lag, and launching angle. Forward aerial is useful for edge-guarding and, in certain instances, can combo into itself on-stage at low percentages, thanks to its auto-canceling window and Sonic's fast air speed. Up aerial possesses KO potential near the upper blast line and is great for combos, while its auto-canceling window makes it deceptively safe. Back aerial's clean hitbox is powerful, making it one of his few reliable KOing options like his up aerial. Lastly, down aerial is stall-then-fall; while it is Sonic's least useful aerial attack, it has noticeably less ending lag than other stall-then-falls, and its clean hitbox is a meteor smash.

Sonic's neutral attack, tilt attacks, and throws have decent damage outputs and minimal lag, which make them hard to punish. Incidentally, his grab game is decent overall. While none of his grabs excel in speed and each of them have average ranges, they are still fairly easy to land thanks to his mobility. Sonic's pummel is quick and has an average damage output, which allows him to rack up a fair amount of damage before throwing an opponent. Down throw is a semi-spike and has high base knockback, which make it excellent for setting up edge-guards and tech-chases. Back throw, like his down throw, has high base knockback, but KOs much earlier than his other throws, especially if it is used while near the edge. It also moves Sonic backward, which makes it useful for setting up an immediate edge-guard attempt. Up throw is a fairly reliable combo starter: while its combo potential is not as consistent as Spin Dash and Spin Charge's, it still possesses decently damaging combos beginning at 0%, as well as Spring Jump-assisted aerial combos beginning at medium percentages. It also has KO potential, although it only KOs reliably when used on high platforms at very high percentages. Lastly, forward throw is his least useful throw, as its primary utility is for forcing the opponent into the air. Like up throw, it can also function as a KOing option when used on high platforms at very high percentages.

However, Sonic has some weaknesses, most noticeable his KO potential. Despite having been noticeably improved since Brawl, his KO potential is held back by his most reliable KOing options (smash attacks, clean back aerial, and up aerial) requiring good positioning and, aside from up aerial, having noticeable start-up and ending lag. His forward and up smashes are also burdened with low base knockback, which forces them to be used for KO attempts later instead of earlier. Despite his outstanding mobility, Sonic also has trouble landing without the use of Homing Attack or Spring Jump, owing to his forward, back, up and down aerials have at least 21 frames of landing lag. This is further exacerbated by his slow air acceleration leaving him susceptible to juggling. Sonic can also have difficulty dealing with camping, since any ground-level projectile can severely limit his movement options. Lastly, Sonic can be susceptible to early KOs. Unlike other middleweights, such as Mario and Luigi, some of his attacks are very punishable should they miss, and thus allow openings for opponents to punish him. His recovery is also predictable if Spring Jump is his only recovery option, as its linearity makes him susceptible to gimps even at relatively low percentages.

Sonic has many beneficial custom moves at his disposal. Stomp can meteor smash opponents, making it more useful for edge-guarding. Hammer Spin Dash can bury opponents during start-up, allowing for follow-ups that Spin Dash would not permit. In comparison, Burning Spin Dash deals much more damage and its lower jumps leave Sonic less vulnerable after landing a hit. Auto-Spin Charge removes the need for button mashing in order to charge and has a deceptive charging animation that does not reveal when the move starts losing power, the latter of which makes it suitable for mindgames. Lastly, Gravitational Charge has a wind effect that pulls opponents in front of Sonic toward him, making it easier for him to hit them. However, it also pushes away opponents behind him, which can make it more difficult for them to punish him directly.

Overall, Sonic is a character with incredible offensive prowess that must force opponents to make a mistake in order to safely rack up damage and use his excellent mobility to avoid heavy punishment. Despite receiving nerfs from game updates, Sonic remains a strong choice for competitive play, with professionals such as KEN, 6WX, and komorikiri consistently achieving great results with him.

Changes from Brawl

Sonic has been buffed significantly in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. The most noticeable improvement has been to his KO potential, which was a crippling weakness in Brawl. Several of his attacks have had their knockback increased: his smash attacks are now reliable KOing options like his up and back aerials, while his back throw now possesses KO potential. Like back throw, up throw has increased knockback and, when coupled with the changes to hitstun canceling, results in it becoming a better combo starter. Lastly, a number of Sonic's moves have been improved from being ineffective and situational to possessing utility: forward tilt is better at spacing and starting tech-chases, his new dash attack is better at punishing and ending his tech-chases, his new down smash is a semi-spike that has a consistent damage output and much less start-up lag, and his neutral aerial is now a capable combo starter when SHFF'd.

However, Sonic also received minor nerfs. Spring Jump covers less vertical distance, and Homing Attack can no longer be used repeatedly without landing on the ground again, both of which weaken recovery. Sonic is also slightly hindered by the removal of DACUS, which would have supplemented his newly buffed up smash to the point of making it a viable approach option, and possibly his most viable KOing option. The ending lag for his KOing options have also been considerably increased, which makes them riskier than before. Lastly, Sonic has also been nerfed by several game updates, particularly to his KOing options. However, none of these nerfs are significant enough to hinder his considerably higher viability.

Aesthetics

• Sonic's design is now based on his appearance as of Sonic Unleashed. His quills are slightly shorter and significantly less fluid, his mouth is positioned on the side of his muzzle by default, and his irises are spread slightly farther away from each other. Additionally, Sonic's fur and skin are slightly more vibrant, and his eye color is slightly more subdued. Lastly, his shoes have a polished finish.
• Spin Dash-based attacks emit a lower pitched sound effect similar to the one used in Sonic Lost World. Some attacks also have updated visual effects.
• Idle poses' animations have slightly changed. Sonic's expression now remains unchanged throughout their durations.
• Side taunt's animation has slightly changed. Sonic now grins throughout its duration, instead of grinning and then quickly assuming a stern expression.
• Victory pose's animation has slightly changed. The blue Chaos Emerald now levitates in Sonic's hand after he grabs it, instead of directly touching his hand.

Attributes

• Sonic is lighter (95 → 94).
• Sonic walks slower (1.4 → 1.375).
• Sonic's air speed is faster (1.1092 → 1.15).
• Sonic's fast falling speed is faster (2.0 → 2.32), making him less susceptible to juggling.
• Sonic's traction is lower (0.07 → 0.06).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's last hit deals 1% more damage (3% → 4%).
• Forward tilt can now be angled and its second hit has increased base knockback (10 → 30), improving its spacing and tech-chasing potential.
• Up tilt deals less damage (3% (early)/4% (hit 1)/7% (hit 2) → 2% (hit 1)/6% (hit 2)) and its early hitbox has been removed.
• Up tilt has decreased ending lag (frame 48 → 40).
• Down tilt's angle has been altered (80° (near)/70° (mid)/361° (far) → 361° (all)). This improves its spacing and edge-guarding potential, but removes its combo potential.
• Down tilt can now lock at low percentages. Its chance of tripping has also increased (10% → 20%).
• Sonic has a new dash attack, a Spin Dash followed by a flying kick. Unlike the previous dash attack, it hits multiple times and has more knockback, making it better at punishing and tech-chasing.
• Dash attack has more ending lag (frame 43 → 61) compared to the previous dash attack.
• Forward smash has increased knockback growth (98 → 101), improving its KO potential.
• Forward smash has increased ending lag (frame 44 → 48).
• Sonic now grunts when using forward smash, instead of saying "Go!"
• Up smash's last hit has increased knockback (70 (base)/153 (growth) → 80/165), improving its KO potential.
• The weakening of SDI makes up smash significantly more difficult to escape from.
• The removal of DACUS significantly hinders up smash's approach potential.
• Sonic has a new down smash, a split kick. Compared to the previous down smash, it deals consistent damage (12% (early)/9% (clean)/7% (mid)/5% (late) → 12% (front/back)) and has less start-up lag (frame 17 → 12). Unlike the previous down smash, it is a semi-spike, making it better at edge-guarding.
• Down smash has different knockback (40 (base)/100 (growth) → 55/63 (front), 50/80 (back)) compared to the previous down smash.

Aerial attacks

• Clean neutral aerial deals 1% more damage (11% → 12%). Neutral aerial also has a larger hitbox and now launches opponents at 75°, improving its combo potential.
• Neutral, back, and down aerials have increased landing lag (12 frames → 16 (neutral), 9 frames → 30 (back), 30 frames → 38 (down)).
• Forward aerial deals less damage (1%-2% (hits 1-5)/4% (hit 6) → 0.8%/3%), although its last hit's knockback growth was compensated (120 → 135). It also and has increased ending lag (frame 36 → 46).
• Forward aerial has decreased landing lag (30 frames → 26).
• The weakening of SDI makes forward aerial significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Forward aerial now has a normal effect, instead of a slash effect.
• Back aerial deals 1% more damage (13% (clean)/9% (late) → 14%/10%), although its knockback growth was compensated (94 (clean)/90 (late) → 90/100). This improves its KO potential.
• Back aerial auto-cancels later (frame 29> → 33>).
• Up aerial's second hit has altered knockback (63 (base)/90 (growth) → 66/82), hindering its KO potential. Up aerial's duration is also shorter (frames 14-16 → 14-15).
• Up aerial has decreased landing lag (22 frames → 21).
• Up aerial's animation has slightly changed. Sonic no longer twists around when performing the scissor kick.
• Down aerial has decreased ending lag (frame 50 → 46). Due to its angle being altered (37° → 285°), clean down aerial is now a meteor smash, improving its edge-guarding potential.

Throws/other attacks

• Pummel deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%).
• Forward throw deals 2% less damage (9% → 7%), although its base knockback was compensated (60 → 100).
• Back throw deals 1% less damage (8% → 7%), although its knockback growth was compensated (60 → 79). This grants it KO potential at very high percentages in spite of its lower damage output.
• Up throw deals 6% less damage (12% → 6%), although its knockback was compensated (65 (base)/70 (growth) → 92/80). Its angle has also been altered (100° → 92°). When coupled with the changes to hitstun canceling, these changes improve its combo potential at low to medium percentages.
• Down throw deals 1% less damage (8% → 7%).

Special moves

• Homing Attack no longer deals consistent damage (8% → 5%-12%).
• Homing Attack has increased knockback growth (80 → 90) and decreased start-up lag (frame 51 (non-inputted)/frame 26 (inputted) → 34/22).
• Aerial Homing Attack can only be used once instead of repeatedly, hindering its recovery potential. A missed Homing Attack also propels Sonic farther, hindering its safety while off-stage.
• Spin Dash's roll and jump deal 3% less damage (10% (roll)/6% (jump) → 7%/3%), decreasing full Spin Dash combos' overall damage potentials by 6%.
• Spin Dash's short hop is much faster. This improves its combo and mindgame potential, but hinders its recovery potential.
• Charged Spin Dash can now be held while jumping, though it cannot be used while in midair. These changes improve its mindgame potential.
• Spring Jump's spring now lingers after it hits an opponent. Sonic can also now edge sweetspot some time after using it.
• Spring Jump covers slightly less vertical distance, slightly hindering its recovery potential.
• Spring Jump now grants intangibility, instead of invincibility. A grounded spring also remains on-stage for a shorter amount of time (240 frames → 235).
• Sonic can immediately reuse Spring Jump after landing on a grounded spring, slightly improving its safety.
• Spring Jump's animation has slightly changed. Sonic now scowls during the ascent, instead of grinning.
• The removal of the grab release glitch allows Sonic to re-use Spring Jump if he has been grabbed in midair.
• Spin Charge has improved combo potential.
• Super Sonic deals less damage (13% (idle)/18% (ram) → 5% (idle)/6%-14% (slow to fast ram)/16% (fastest ram)) and has decreased knockback, slightly hindering its KO potential.
• Super Sonic's fastest ram's angle has been altered (90° → 70°).
• Sonic now says "Super Sonic style!" upon activating Super Sonic, instead of "Now I'll show you!"

Update history

Sonic has been nerfed by game updates. Update 1.0.6 severely decreased the knockback growth of his back throw, which was one of his most potent KOing options, as well as slightly toning down his damage racking ability by lowering the damage outputs of Spin Dash's rolling and jumping hitboxes. Update 1.0.4 increased the ending lag of his forward smash, while updates 1.0.8 and 1.1.0 decreased the knockback growth of his up smash and forward smash, respectively.

However, Sonic also received somewhat noticeable buffs. Update 1.0.4 removed the grab release glitch, which enables Sonic to re-use Spring Jump if he is grabbed in midair. Update 1.0.8 decreased his down aerial's ending lag, which made it easier to avoid self-destructing with, and thus more reliable for edge-guarding when it is sweetspotted. Lastly, Sonic's multiple hit attacks benefit from the changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1. While the nerfs to Sonic's KOing options, damage racking ability, and combo game have slightly toned down his offensive presence, many professional players have shown that he is still a very viable character regardless.

1.0.4

• Forward smash's ending lag increased: frame 44 → 48.
• Fixed the grab release glitch.

• The removal of the grab release glitch allows Sonic to re-use Spring Jump if he has been grabbed in midair.

1.0.6

• Back throw's knockback growth decreased: 90 → 79, hindering its KO potential.
• Homing Attack now only targets characters. Previously, it could target Luma and certain projectiles, such as Trick Shot.
• Spin Dash's roll and jump deal 3% less damage: 10% (roll)/6% (jump) → 7%/3%.
• Burning Spin Dash's invincibility removed.
• Spring Jump can no longer be Pocketed.

1.0.8

• Up smash's last hit's knockback growth decreased: 177 → 165, hindering its KO potential.
• Down aerial's ending lag decreased: frame 50 → 46.

1.1.0

• Forward smash's knockback growth decreased: 106 → 101, hindering its KO potential.

1.1.1

• Floor attack's shield damage increased: 1 → 10.

1.1.3

• Weight slightly decreased: 95 → 94

Moveset

• Sonic can wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	The Punch + Punch + Kick combo from Sonic the Fighters. Its first hit can be jab canceled reliably into any tilt attack, and is capable of jab locking.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			4% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2 feet), 5% (hit 2 legs)	The Horse Kick from Sonic the Fighters. It hits twice, has minimal start-up lag, and can be angled. Altogether, these traits make it useful for spacing, starting tech-chases, or as an out of shield option.
Up tilt			2% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	A 540 kick, similar to Captain Falcon's up smash. Its decent vertical range makes it a fairly useful anti-air attack, although it has poor horizontal range. It can also combo into a short hopped forward aerial at 0%-40%, and into a Spring Jump-assisted forward aerial at 80%-90%. However, the former is consistently reliable only against heavyweights and fast-fallers, the latter is consistently reliable only against middleweights, and both are heavily reliant on DI. It resembles the Skip Kick from Sonic the Fighters.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	6%	A legsweep. It can potentially trip opponents and, if used repeatedly in succession, will slowly move Sonic forward. It resembles the Leg Throw from Sonic the Fighters.
Dash attack			1% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4)	A Spin Dash followed by a flying kick. It is a reliable follow-up from a down throw. While its very minimal start-up lag can allow it to pressure unwary opponents, it is very punishable because of its considerable ending lag. It resembles the Somersault, an attack that debuted in Sonic Adventure 2.
Forward smash			14%	The Wind-Up Punch from Sonic the Fighters. It has high knockback growth, deceptive range, and can be angled, all of which make it one of Sonic's most viable KOing options. However, its very low base knockback makes it better suited for KO attempts later instead of earlier. It also has noticeable start-up and ending lag, making it risky if used unwisely. It KOs middleweights at 102% while near the edge of Final Destination in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and at 92% in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Up smash			5% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-7), 3% (hit 8)	A jumping Spin Dash. It hits multiple times, with its last hit having extremely high knockback growth, and grants intangibility on frames 18-20. However, its last hit has average base knockback, which makes it better suited for KO attempts later instead of earlier. Its last hit KOs aerial middleweights at 120% from anywhere on Final Destination in the 3DS version, and at 110% in the Wii U version.
Down smash			12%	A split kick, similar to Fox and Falco's down smashes. It has the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Sonic's smash attacks and hits on both sides, which make it useful for punishing rolls. It is also a semi-spike, which makes it very useful for edge-guarding, especially when landing its back hit. Its back hit KOs middleweights at 122% while near the edge of Final Destination in the 3DS version, and at 108% in the Wii U version. However, it lasts for only 1 frame, has considerable ending lag, and its front hit is KOs later than its back hit because of its below average base knockback and knockback growth.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	12% (clean), 8% (late), 5% (latest)	Curls up into a ball and spins while slightly undulating up and down. In addition to being a reliable follow-up from Spin Dash, Spin Charge, and Spring Jump-assisted combos, its launching angle makes its clean and late hitboxes into useful combo starters at low to medium percentages when SHFF'd. It resembles the Air Spin from Sonic the Fighters and the Insta-Shield, an attack that debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	0.8% (hits 1-5), 3% (hit 6)	A corkscrew battering ram, similar to Pikachu's forward aerial. It is tied with up aerial for the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Sonic's aerials, while its last hit's very high knockback growth makes it useful for edge-guarding. It can also combo into itself in certain instances, thanks to Sonic's fast air speed and its fairly large auto-canceling window. It resembles the Emerald Dive from Sonic the Fighters.
Back aerial			14% (clean), 10% (late)	A hook kick. Its clean hitbox's impressive damage output and high knockback growth make it one of Sonic's most viable KOing options, especially when used for edge-guarding. Its clean hitbox KOs middleweights at 118% while near the edge of Final Destination in the 3DS version, and at 107% in the Wii U version. However, it has moderate start-up and ending lag, as well as high landing lag.
Up aerial			3% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	A scissor kick. Its very large auto-cancel window makes it deceptively safe and easy to avoid its fairly high landing lag. In addition to being a reliable follow-up from Spin Dash, Spin Charge, and Spring Jump-assisted combos, it is a viable KOing option near the upper blast line, especially as a follow-up from Spring Jump. Its second hit KOs middleweights at 133% while near the upper blast line of Final Destination in the 3DS version, and at 118% in the Wii U version.
Down aerial			8% (clean), 7% (late)	A diagonal flying kick. It is a stall-then-fall, but unlike the majority of other stall-then-falls, it is relatively safe to use off-stage thanks to it having less ending lag in comparison. It can also meteor smash aerial opponents on frames 19-22, but not grounded opponents. It resembles the Stomp Dive from Sonic the Fighters and the Sonic Rocket from Sonic Battle.
Grab			—	Clinches the opponent. Sonic's overall grab range is average.
Pummel			2%	A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			1% (hit 1), 6% (throw)	A stretch kick. Due to its average damage output, very high base knockback, and average knockback growth, it is mainly used to force the opponent off-stage. It can also be used for KOing, albeit only on with stages with highly positioned platforms, such as Battlefield. It resembles the Top Kick from Sonic Battle.
Back throw			7%	Quickly backflips repeatedly with the opponent in tow before performing the tomoe nage, a Judo throw. It is Sonic's only throw with consistent KO potential and, prior to update 1.0.6, was one of his most viable KOing options, thanks to it being one of the strongest back throws in the game. As of update 1.0.6, KOs middleweights at 167% while near the edge of Final Destination in the 3DS version, and at 165% in the Wii U version.
Up throw			1% (hit 1), 5% (hit 2)	Heaves the opponent upward and sharpens his quills to stab them. It can be followed up with an up aerial and inputted Homing Attack at 0%-20%, and Spring Jump-assisted neutral, forward, back, and up aerials beginning at medium percentages. Like forward throw, it can be used for KOing, albeit only on with stages with highly positioned platforms, such as Battlefield.
Down throw			1% (hits 1-3), 4% (throw)	Pins the opponent to the ground and then Spin Dashes onto them. Due to being a semi-spike, it is reliable for tech-chasing and setting up edge-guards. It resembles the Double Spin from Sonic the Fighters.
Floor attack (front)			6%	Spin Dashes around in a circular motion while getting up.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Performs a legsweep while getting up.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Performs a legsweep while getting up.
Edge attack			7%	Spin Dashes forward while climbing up. It resembles the Cliffhanger Flip from Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball.
Neutral special	Default	Homing Attack	5%-12%	Curls up into a ball while briefly ascending, homes onto the nearest opponent, and then rams into them. Pressing the special button will execute the move earlier.
	Custom 1	Stomp	5%	Instead of homing onto an opponent, Sonic plummets straight down. It deals less damage, but meteor smashes opponents. It resembles the attack of the same name that debuted in Sonic Unleashed.
	Custom 2	Surprise Attack	8%	A faster variation that deals consistent damage. If it does not home onto an opponent, Sonic will launch himself upward instead of downward, which can enable it to be used for recovering. However, is has less knockback, more ending lag, and shorter range.
Side special	Default	Spin Dash	7% (roll), 3% (jump)	Curls up into a ball, performs a short hop, and then starts rolling toward the opponent at a fast speed. Holding the special button charges it up and increases its speed. In addition to granting intangibility on frames 1-6, it boasts impressive combo and mindgame potential, thanks to its ability to be followed up with any aerial attack, and its ability to be canceled via shielding, respectively. It also boasts horizontal recovery potential when it is jump-canceled immediately upon releasing the special button; this turns the dash into a "Spin Shot", a quick, long-ranged short hop that can be performed either on the ground or in the air.
	Custom 1	Hammer Spin Dash	7% (hit 1), 5% (hit 2), 3% (late)	The short hop at the beginning is higher, and the descent of the hop's arc is capable of burying opponents. However, it has a late hitbox that deals less damage.
	Custom 2	Burning Spin Dash	12% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	Deals more damage and has a flame effect, but lacks a short hop and any jumps out of the move are considerably lower. It resembles the Fire Somersault from Sonic Adventure 2.
Up special	Default	Spring Jump	— (jump), 4% (spring)	Pulls out a spring and uses it to springboard into the air. Although it is primarily used for recovering, it is also useful for partaking in combos. It grants intangibility on frames 5-13, while the spring itself can also be used to gimp recovering opponents underneath Sonic.
	Custom 1	Double Spring	2% (per spring)	Sonic can pull out two springs, but each spring deals less damage and the move covers much less distance overall.
	Custom 2	Springing Headbutt	3% (grounded hit), 1% (early aerial hit), 7% (late aerial hit)	Headbutts opponents while ascending. It deals the most damage if Sonic hits the opponent at its ending instead of at its beginning. However, it covers slightly less distance, and the spring does not remain on-stage.
Down special	Default	Spin Charge	2% (per hit)	A Spin Dash that hits multiple times and has more momentum. It also has slightly different aesthetics, requires button mashing in order to charge, and can become a "Spin Shot" like Spin Dash. However, it lacks a short hop at the beginning, cannot be canceled in any way, and it can only become a "Spin Shot" when used in the air.
	Custom 1	Auto-Spin Charge	2% (per hit)	Functions like Spin Dash by lacking the need to button mash in order to charge. It also has altered aesthetics, which make it more deceptive than Spin Charge, and thus better at mindgames.
	Custom 2	Gravitational Charge	2% (per hit)	Pulls opponents in front of Sonic toward him and pushes opponents behind Sonic away from him.
Final Smash		Super Sonic	18% (Chaos Emeralds), 5% (idle), 6%-8% (slow ram), 9%-11% (moderate ram), 12%-14%, (fast ram), 16% (fastest ram)	Gathers the Chaos Emeralds and uses them to attain his Super Transformation from the Sonic the Hedgehog games. When activated while very close to an opponent, the Chaos Emeralds will damage the opponent. Upon being activated, Sonic is invincible during its duration, and can fly in any chosen direction, depending on where the control stick/circle pad is tilted. The longer the control stick is held in a certain direction, the faster and more damaging his ramming attack will be.

On-screen appearance

• Spin Dashes onto the stage from the foreground and strikes a pose.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Somersaults and then crosses his arms with his index finger pointing out, one of his signature poses, while making three tsking sounds.
• Side taunt: Performs the Super Peel Out, a technique that debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, while saying "Sonic Speed!" (遅すぎだぜ！, You're too slow!).
• Down taunt: Performs the windmill, a breakdancing move, while saying "C'mon!" both in English and Japanese.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Looks at the camera for a moment while tapping his foot impatiently. It is his idle animation from the Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Sega Genesis.
• Turns towards the player and waves his finger in a patronizing manner while smiling. It resembles an animation he uses after clearing an Act or defeating a boss in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	So-nic!	Go! Go! So-nic!
Pitch	Crowd chant	Crowd chant

Victory poses

The Mission Clear jingle from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), which is an orchestrated remix of the Act Clear jingle from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

• Collects the blue Chaos Emerald and then poses with it before saying "Piece of cake!" In Japanese, he says "A piece of cake! 楽勝だぜ!" (A piece of cake! An easy win!)
• Sprints off-screen and then sprints back on-screen before giving a thumbs up and saying "That was almost too easy!" In Japanese, he says "モタモタしてると置いてくぜ!" (Leaving behind to be dawdling!)
• Performs the pike, a breakdancing move, and then strikes a pose while saying "Let's do that again sometime!" In Japanese, he says "Hey guys! また遊んでやるぜ!" (Hey guys! I'll play again next time!) It resembles his victory animation upon achieving an S-Rank in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Sonic Unleashed, as well as Blaze the Cat's victory animation when she clears a mission in Sonic The Hedgehog (2006).

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Sonic	1213	1211	1313	1311	1113
	1321	2213	3213	1223	1331

Notable players

Active

•  6WX - One of the best Sonic players in the world. Placed 4th at Apex 2015. Ranked 31st on the Panda Global Rankings.
•  aperture - Placed 7th at B.E.A.S.T 7, 25th at 2GGC: Nairo Saga, and 17th at 2GGC: West Side Saga. He has wins over ANTi and Tweek.
•  Craftis - He has wins over ANTi, Mr.E, and Pugwest.
•  Ixis - The best Sonic player in the United Kingdom. Ranked 1st on the United Kingdom Power Rankings.
•  KEN - The best Sonic player in the world. Ranked 16th on the Panda Global Rankings and 1st on the JAPAN Power Rankings.
•  K.I.D.Goggles - Placed 9th Pound 2016. He has wins over Mr.E, Vinnie, and False.
•  komorikiri - One of the best Sonic players in the world. Ranked 8th on the Panda Global Rankings and 2nd on the JAPAN Power Rankings.
•  Manny - One of the best Sonic players in the world. Placed 9th at both EVO 2015 and CEO 2015. Ranked 40th on the Panda Global Rankings. He has wins over Dabuz, ANTi, and Zinoto.
•  Phoenix - Placed 13th at 2GGT: Abadango Saga. Ranked 13th on the SoCal Smash Rankings.
•  Seagull Joe - The third player to take a set off of ZeRo in 2015 upon defeating him at The Big House 5.
•  SuperGirlKels - The best Sonic player in Canada. Placed 5th at Royal Flush. Ranked 2nd on the Montreal Power Rankings.
•  Wonf - The best Sonic player in Mexico.
•  Wrath - One of the best Sonic players in the world. Ranked 43rd on the Panda Global Rankings. He has wins over Ally, Fatality, and ScAtt.

Inactive

•  Blue - One of the best Sonic players in the United States before switching to Mewtwo and Charizard.

Tier placement and history

Sonic was initially perceived as a high-tier character, with the buffs he gained from his transition from Brawl largely mitigating most of the weaknesses he had in that game. While his newfound KOing options would be nerfed in game updates, Sonic's playerbase has nevertheless managed to display many different and effective playstyles. In addition to enriching his metagame, his playerbase's efforts have also resulted in him achieving very strong tournament results, thanks to the likes of 6WX, KEN, Komorikiri, Seagull Joe, SuperGirlKels and many more. The highly favorable perception of Sonic resulted in him being ranked 6th on the first and second iterations of the tier list, while his playerbase's continued success would result in him being ranked 5th on the third and current tier list.

Reveal 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!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Super Sonic

In Event Matches

Solo Events

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

Co-op Events

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

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

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

• 

  Sonic's amiibo.

• 

  Sonic's confirmation image on the official site.

• 

  Sonic fighting Mario.

• 

  Using his side taunt.

• 

  Sonic preparing to dodge Mega Man's attack.

• 

  Using his new dash attack.

• 

  Using Homing Attack on Pit and Fox.

• 

  Sonic in mid-air.

• 

  Air dodging Samus' forward aerial.

• 

  Dashing alongside Link.

• 

  Using Homing Attack on Luigi.

• 

  Using his up taunt.

• 

  Using his forward aerial alongside Mario while Yoshi uses his back aerial.

• 

  Using Spin Dash.

• 

  Using Spin Charge.

• 

  Using Spring Jump.

• 

  Using his back aerial alongside Mario's neutral aerial.

• 

  Using Spring Jump alongside Mega Man's Rush Coil.

• 

  Using his down aerial alongside Mario and Mega Man.

• 

  Using neutral attack's final hit on Bowser.

• 

  Using neutral attack against Mario's Fireball.

• 

  Using Homing Attack against Bowser's up smash.

• 

  One of Sonic's idle poses.

• 

  Using neutral attack's final hit on Fox and alongside Kirby.

• 

  Using his down aerial in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Sonic and Wii Fit Trainer dashing after Header's soccer ball as Mega Man looks on.

• 

  Sonic hitting Pit with an Ore Club.

• 

  Using his down aerial to meteor smash Marth.

• Spindashcharging.gif

  Using Spin Dash.

Trivia

Sonic's double mouth glitch.

• Sonic's dashing speed is so fast that if he were to be to customized with all speed-based equipment and used both a Bunny Hood and Superspicy Curry, he would outrun the Spirit Train.
  • Additionally, an unedited Sonic using Superspicy Curry dashes at the exact same speed as the water slide in the Flood Chamber of Kalos Pokémon League, which causes him to dash in place.
• Sonic is the only third-party character in the series to be present in more than one installment of Super Smash Bros. and the only one to be dubbed into languages other than English and Japanese.
• 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's 16-bit sprite from the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, there is a glitch that results in Sonic having two mouths when rolling forward or backward.
  • This is slightly reminiscent of a similar glitch that he had as Super Sonic in Sonic Lost World.
• In non-Japanese versions of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Sonic reuses his voice clip from Super Smash Bros. Brawl when he is in the water, due to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS lacking swimming.
  • This results in his voice reverting to the one used by his previous voice actor, Jason Griffith, as well as being one of four reused voice clips of him in SSB4 (the others used when Sonic is asleep, his up taunt and one of his attack grunts). However, Jason Griffith is not listed in the credits because of this developmental oversight.
• The European description for Sonic says "Unlike most hedgehogs, he's incredibly fast. Like most hedgehogs, however, he can't swim." This is wrong on both counts. Like dogs, cats and most mammals, hedgehogs swim reasonably well. And while it is rare to see a hedgehog run, since they usually conserve their energy by strolling or curling into a motionless ball when threatened, their top speed is nevertheless respectable for their body size.
• On the official Super Smash Bros. Facebook page, there is a picture for every character in SSB4, including Sonic. Sonic's was posted on December 29th, 2014 with the caption "Five gold rings", in reference to the Twelve Days of Christmas.