TOP 10 SONIC CHARACTERS Over the years, the Sonic franchise has given
us a plethora of diverse and fascinating characters, some of which have helped Sonic in his quest
for good, while others, well, not so much.
But that doesn’t stop fans from loving them.
So today, we’re taking a look at some of these fan favourites, and counting them down
in our list of the top 10 sonic characters.
10 Doctor Ivo Eggman Robotnik The main antagonist of the Sonic series, and
one of the first characters whose origins go back right to the start of Sonic’s story,
Robotnik made his debut in 1991’s Sonic the Hedgehog.
His conception occurred a year earlier, in an attempt to replace Sega’s then mascot,
Alex Kidd.
A caricature of Theodore Roosevelt in pjs combined with the idea of creating an egg-shaped
character was the basis for his visual design.
He was then positioned as being the opposite of Sonic, representing machinery, and became
Sonic’s first foe.
Due to the English manual of the 1991 game calling him Doctor Ivo Robotnik and the Japanese
one calling him Doctor Eggman, there has always been a mix up between the two, despite Sega
commenting the Robotnik is his true name, and the other just a “common name taken
after his shape.”
9 Silver Despite making his debut in the definitely-not-the-best
sonic game, Sonic 06, Silver the Hedgehog comes from around 200 years in the future,
with the goal of altering events in the past in order to save his era.
Capable of psychokinesis, an ability that is apparently of the norm in his time, Silver
is an optimist with a strong sense of justice, who wears his heart on his sleeve.
There are those who aren’t fans of the time travelling hedgehog, though; one of the character’s
biggest critiques was that he was too similar to Sonic, especially considering Shadow, who
is pretty much on par with the blue blur, already existed as a parallel to the protagonist.
8 Rouge the Bat First appearing in Sonic Adventure 2, Rouge
is a spy trained in stealth, infiltration, combat and is capable of some grade A SASS.
Oh and a high powered kick and flight, which also comes in handy.
She’s a world famous freelance treasure hunter, whose motivations are always a bit
of an enigma.
In Sonic Adventure 2, she’s introduced to us when she tries to steal the Master Emerald
out from under Knuckles, and then goes on the hunt for it’s shards when Knuckles smashes
it to prevent Eggman from getting it.
While fans seem to adore Rouge, her critical response upon her arrival left some feeling
that she was just the female version of Knuckles, except with bat wings and breasts.
7 Amy Rose Amy Rose, Sonic’s self proclaimed girlfriend,
first appeared in the games in 1993’s Sonic CD.
Her debut was not in the games though, but rather in the Sonic the Hedgehog manga, where
she went under a different name, and was the girlfriend of a hedgehog who turned into the
superhero, Sonic the Hedgehog.
But it’s important to remember that Amy isn’t a character who solely chases after
Sonic’s affections.
Having appeared in pretty much every Sonic game prior to Sonic CD, as well as being a
playable character quite often and having her own game with Cream the Rabbit, Amy is
notable for her piko piko hammer, an aspect of the character that made players adore playing
or teaming up with her in the games.
6 Metal Sonic Another reoccurring antagonist of Sonic’s,
Metal Sonic is a robotic creation made in Sonic’s image by Doctor Robotnik.
And oh boy, does Metal Sonic have his moments, giving players some of the best boss battles
of the series.
An intelligent, cold hearted machine, nothing drives Metal Sonic more than his desire to
prove he is superior to Sonic, even to the point where he will disobey Eggman, his maker
in order to do so.
5 Blaze the Cat Blaze is a pyrokinetic who is from an alternate
dimension in which she is tasked with guarding the Sol Emeralds.
Calm and elegant but with a fiery disposition, Blaze quickly became a fan favourite after
first appearing in Sonic Rush, appearing in multiple Sonic games proceeding it.
First created as a female parallel to Sonic, the two fought against each other at first,
and then eventually worked together, proving that Blaze is definitely a force to be reckoned
with.
Especially when she transforms into Burning Blaze, a state in which she harnesses the
power of the Sol Emeralds.
4 Tails Sonic’s faithful sidekick, Miles Tails Prower
first appeared on the scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 1992.
Tails has also shown that you don’t always need speed to hold your own; his flight abilities
have always been a great asset to the blue blur, and in the narratives of the games,
comics and cartoon shows, Tails mechanical knowledge and gusto have helped Sonic and
friends in more ways than one, making him an incredibly handy resource outside of just
being a loyal buddy.
3 Shadow Sonic’s arch-rival was created by Gerald
Robotnik, intended to be the ultimate life form, in hopes to help cure his granddaughter
Maria.
While he was contained, Eggman would release him 5 years later, hoping to use his power
to further his agenda.
But Shadow wasn’t feeling that, rather turning a heroic cheek, and instead of getting his
vengeance for Maria’s death, he decided to help keep the world safe instead.
That being said, Shadow is pretty much on par in terms of abilities with Sonic, and
has been described as the quintessential anti-Sonic, typically being rated as second to none except
Sonic himself.
The only reason Shadow doesn’t come in higher on this list is due to the fact that there’s
a small divide between some Sonic fans, with part of the fandom strongly disliking Shadow
for being somewhat of a carbon copy of Sonic, except darker and more broody.
2 Knuckles It’s easy to see why Knuckles is adored;
occasionally referred to as the Batman of the Sonic series, Knuckles shares many similar
traits to the superhero, minus, you know, being an echidna.
His heart is always in the right place, and he’s dead set on doing the honourable, just
thing, whatever the situation.
Incredibly loyal but not without his flaws – having a fiery temper, that is – Knuckles
goes beyond just being a companion to Sonic, despite their initial rivalry.
Ever since his first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, he’s been largely popular, even
becoming a playable character in the games follow up, Sonic and Knuckles in 1994.
And let’s not forget that Knuckles packs quite the punch, possibly being the most powerful
character in terms of sheer strength in the entire series, whose muscle has been noted
to be on par with Sonic’s speed in terms of power.
1 Sonic I mean, come on.
Do I really need to tell you why Sonic is the best?
The leading face of the franchise, Sega’s iconic mascot, a character that millions have
fallen in love with since hitting the video game scene in 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog is
undeniably one of the greats.
And despite a history of ups and downs with the franchise, you can’t deny that the Sonic
games have had a impact on 2D side scrolling games in general, as well as taking massive
strides in 2D to 3D gameplay mechanics, as we first saw in Sonic Generations.
Being one of the highest selling video game franchises, Sonic, as a character, has gone
further than just being a character on our home consoles, reaching into other aspects
of pop culture, like comics, manga and tv series.
There we have it friends!
Who is your favourite Sonic character?
Let us know in those comments below!
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And maybe check out more of our sonic lists on our top 10 sonic playlist.
In the meantime, thanks for watching!
I’ve been Kelly Paoli and this has been top 10 gaming.
Catch you all in the next one!