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Sonic the Hedgehog

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For fighter info, see Sonic (SSBB), Sonic (SSB4), and Sonic (SSBU).
For the universe, see Sonic (universe).
Sonic the Hedgehog
File:TSR Sonic.png
SonicSymbol.svg
Official artwork of Sonic the Hedgehog for Team Sonic Racing.
Universe Sonic the Hedgehog
Debut Rad Mobile (1991, cameo)
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Smash Bros. appearances Brawl
SSB4
Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance Sonic Racing (2019)
Console/platform of origin Arcade (cameo)
Sega Genesis
Species Hedgehog
Gender Male
Place of origin Christmas Island
Created by Naoto Ōshima
Yuji Naka
Hirokazu Yasuhara
Designed by Naoto Ōshima (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Akira Watanabe (Classic artwork)
Yuji Uekawa (Modern artwork)
English voice actor Jason Griffith (Brawl)
Roger Craig Smith (SSB4/Ultimate)
Japanese voice actor Jun'ichi Kanemaru
French voice actor Alexandre Gillet
German voice actor Marc Stachel
Spanish voice actor Jonatan Lopez
Italian voice actor Renato Novara
Article on Wikipedia Sonic the Hedgehog (character)

Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonic the Hedgehog) is the titular character of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the mascot of Sega. After making a cameo in 1991's Rad Mobile, Sonic debuted a few months later in his eponymous game.[1] In addition to succeeding Alex Kidd as Sega's mascot, Sonic was also the company's attempt at rivaling Nintendo's mascot, Mario, during the fourth and fifth generations of video games.[2]

Sonic made his Super Smash Bros. debut in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which he and Solid Snake gained the distinction as the first third-party characters to appear in the Super Smash Bros. series. Sonic has since reappeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Origin

Sonic is a 15-year-old anthropomorphic hedgehog who, as his name suggests, is capable of running at supersonic speeds. He is 3 ft, 3 in (1 m) tall, weighs 77 lbs (35 kg), and has large quills, blue fur, and green eyes. Sonic also wears a pair of Power Sneakers[3] alongside a pair of white gloves.

The self-described "fastest thing alive", Sonic is confident, quick-witted, carefree, virtuous, and adventurous to the point that he hates being constrained, yet he can also be impulsive, hot-headed, snarky, and cocky. As a result of his love for freedom, Sonic always campaigns to stop subjugation of any kind, most notably the plots concocted by his archnemesis, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.

Sonic gathers golden rings for energy, and when he collects the seven Chaos Emeralds, he can transform into Super Sonic, which grants him flight and invincibility so long as he has a sufficient number of rings. Initially, early Western profiles sometimes portrayed Sonic as being from the fictional planet Mobius. However, Japanese profiles (which Western territories would follow starting with Sonic Adventure) and Yuji Naka, the former head of Sonic Team, have since stated that his birthplace is Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island), one of the numerous atolls that comprise the real world sovereign state of Kiribati.[4]

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Although Sega and Nintendo were hardware and software rivals at the release of the Nintendo GameCube, then-head of Sonic Team Yuji Naka claimed that it was possible to include Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Melee.[5] However, time constraints apparently caused these plans to fall through. It would later be revealed that both Shigeru Miyamoto and Masahiro Sakurai would have approved the idea of adding Sonic to Melee.[6]

An infamous hoax claimed that Sonic and Tails were unlockable in Melee. Despite having been proven as false, the hoax became well-known in both the Super Smash Bros. community and the wider world of gaming.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a playable character

Main article: Sonic (SSBB)
Sonic, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Sonic is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and was confirmed on October 10th, 2007.[7] According to Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai, Sonic's inclusion was not guaranteed; as a result of his last-minute inclusion, the delay of Brawl's release date was announced alongside his confirmation.[8]

According to Sakurai, he played a number of both classic and modern Sonic the Hedgehog games in order to develop a basis for Sonic's appearance in Brawl.[8] Aesthetically, Sonic's design is from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and his dashing animation is his Super Peel Out from Sonic the Hedgehog CD.[8] Mechanically, his moveset largely consists of his attacks from Sonic the Fighters,[8] although two of his special moves are the Homing Attack from Sonic Adventure and the Spin Dash from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.[7]

Sonic's Final Smash, Super Sonic, functions almost identically to its appearances in his home series: he is rendered invincible and can fly, yet his transformation has a fairly short duration.[7] Possibly as a result of his last-minute inclusion, Sonic also appears very late in Brawl's Adventure Mode, The Subspace Emissary. Ultimately, he plays a pivotal role in the defeat of the Subspace Army's leader, Tabuu, during the final battle.

Sonic fittingly possesses the fastest dashing speed in the game, as well as among the fastest walking and air speeds. His blisteringly fast mobility is further accentuated by Spin Dash and Spin Charge, which enable him to blitz an opponent and are integral to his solid combo game. Sonic also possesses an excellent recovery, courtesy of his aforementioned air speed and the considerable distance granted by Spring Jump. However, Sonic's strengths are almost completely offset by his severely unimpressive KO potential, and most of his moveset generally has minimal utility.

Despite his flaws and the general consensus that he lacks truly advantageous matchups, Sonic has nevertheless managed to achieve decent tournament results, even at the national level. As a result, he is currently ranked 22nd out of 38 on the tier list; this places him in the D tier, and renders him a mid-tier character.

Trophy

Sonic the Hedgehog trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Sonic trophy in Brawl.
Sonic

The world's fastest hedgehog, who can run at supersonic speeds. Generally speaking, he loves being able to do what he wants and loathes being constrained. Holding still is something he would never consider. He's got a bit of an attitude but can't pass by someone in trouble. When he collects the seven Chaos Emeralds, he transforms into the mighty, gold Super Sonic.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Wii: Sonic and the Secret Rings

Stickers

Name Game Effect Characters
Classic Sonic Sonic the Hedgehog JP Ver. AttackArm+021TypeIcon(Hand).png Attack +21 SonicSonicHeadSSBB.png
Classic Sonic Sonic the Hedgehog US Ver. AttackThrowing+020TypeIcon(Throwing).png Attack +20 SonicSonicHeadSSBB.png
Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog AttackBodySpin+032TypeIcon(Body).pngTypeIcon(Spin).png Attack +32 SonicSonicHeadSSBB.png
Brawl Sticker Classic Sonic (Sonic The Hedgehog JP Ver.).png
Classic Sonic
(Sonic The Hedgehog JP Ver.)
Brawl Sticker Classic Sonic (Sonic The Hedgehog US Ver.).png
Classic Sonic
(Sonic The Hedgehog US Ver.)
Brawl Sticker Sonic The Hedgehog (Sonic The Hedgehog).png
Sonic The Hedgehog
(Sonic The Hedgehog)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As a playable character

Main article: Sonic (SSB4)
Sonic as he appears in Super Smash Bros. 4.
Sonic, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Sonic reappears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4, with his return being confirmed during a Nintendo Direct on October 1st, 2013.[9] Unlike in Brawl, his design is now based on his appearance as of Sonic Unleashed. This is further reflected by him now being voiced by Roger Craig Smith, who succeeded Jason Griffith in 2010. On a related note, Sonic is now fully voiced in Spanish, French, Italian, and German.

Sonic has been heavily buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. Sonic's previously abysmal KO potential has noticeably improved, and a number of his moves have improved utility. Outside of this, Sonic's outstanding speed and mobility have improved even further, thanks to his air and fast falling speeds becoming noticeably faster. Although Sonic's recovery was slightly weakened and some of his moves, particularly his KOing options, had their lag increased, these nerfs are largely outweighed by his aforementioned buffs.

Thanks to his improvements and consistent tournament success at all levels of play, Sonic is currently ranked 7th out of 55. This places him in the A tier, which ties him with Fox and renders him a top-tier character.

Trophies

Sonic
North America 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.
Europe 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 (Alt.)
North America 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!
Europe 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!

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Main article: Sonic (SSBU)
Sonic, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Sonic reappears as an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with his return being confirmed during Nintendo's E3 2018 presentation on June 12.[10] Due to being the first character in Mario's Classic Mode character unlock tree, Sonic can potentially be the first character unlocked in the game.

Spirits

Trivia

  • Sonic has appeared in more Super Smash Bros. games than any other third-party character and is the first third-party veteran.
  • Sonic is the only third-party character to undergo a redesign between games. He uses his Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) design in Brawl, and has used his design as of Sonic Unleashed in both SSB4 and Ultimate.
  • Despite not being able to swim in his home series, Sonic can do so in the Super Smash Bros. series. However, to reflect his adverse mobility in water in his home series, he is one of the slowest swimmers in the series because of his very frantic swimming style. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this trait is further accentuated, as Sonic receives damage while swimming.
    • Ironically, real-world hedgehogs can swim, but have difficulty getting out of water.
  • Sonic is the only playable character whose console of origin is the Sega Genesis.
  • Sonic has appeared alongside some Nintendo characters and several playable third-party characters (excluding Simon Belmont, Richter Belmont, Hero, and Terry Bogard) outside of the Super Smash Bros. series:
    • He appeared alongside Mario and every other character from the Mario and Mario-related universes (except for Piranha Plant and King K. Rool) in the Mario & Sonic series.
    • He appeared alongside Yoshi and Link in DLC levels for Sonic Lost World.
    • Miis are playable in the Wii version of Sonic Colors.
    • He and Mega Man were the stars of the Worlds Collide and Worlds Unite crossover mini-series in the Archie Comics, the latter also featuring appearances from Ryu and Ken.
    • He appeared alongside Pac-Man, Ryu, Ken and Bowser in the movie Wreck-It Ralph. While Mario and Snake did not appear, the Super Mushroom and the "!" alert icon from Metal Gear (accompanied by its signature sound effect) did make cameos in the movie. The former was also mentioned, and was originally planned to be in the movie.
    • He and Bayonetta are downloadable guest characters in the Japan-only game Samurai & Dragons.
    • He, Ryu, and Snake have costumes based on their designs in LittleBigPlanet.
    • He, Ryu, Snake, and Cloud have costumes based on their designs in LittleBigPlanet 2.
    • In a special event in 2018, Pac-Man was announced as a playable guest character in Sonic Dash, with Sonic simultaneously making a guest appearance in the mobile port of Pac-Man, complete with his own exclusive level.
    • Sonic and Ryu both appeared in the film Ready Player One.
    • A custom character outfit for Joker, alongside other Sega characters, appeared in Sonic Forces as DLC. Additionally, Sonic was referenced a couple of times in Persona 5.
    • Sonic and Banjo & Kazooie both appeared in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, although the latter was only available in the Xbox 360 version.
  • Sonic is the only playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series to have appeared in EC-rated games, those being Sonic's Schoolhouse, Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld and Tails and the Music Maker.
  • Sonic is the only one of the three playable SEGA characters (others being Bayonetta and Joker) whose franchise is mostly E-E10+ rated, and who does not use a gun in his moveset.
  • Sonic and Kirby are the only playable characters to make a cameo in a game released before the proper debuts of their respective series.

References