Sonic the Hedgehog

Bio

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Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Sonikku za Hejjihoggu) is the title character and main protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and Sega's mascot. He is a fifteen-year-old, blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog gifted with the ability to run at the speed of sound and beyond, hence his name, and he possesses lightning fast reflexes to match. As his position as a hedgehog implies, S

onic can also roll up into a ball, primarily to attack enemies.

Ever since stepping into the battle against injustice, Sonic has been the champion of peace and is renowned the world over for saving it many times. Well-known for his legendary cocky attitude, easy-going demeanor and somewhat short temper, yet strong sense of justice and love for freedom and adventure, Sonic uses his abilities to protect the innocent of his world and those beyond from the forces of evil, especially his arch-nemesis Dr. Eggman who constantly seeks world domination.

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 always moving 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, such as in Sonic Adventure 2 where he could not stand being held up in a tiny cell.

Sonic is most of the time easygoing, cool and care-free. However, he is often impatient, hates boredom and has a short temper. 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. Regardless, 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 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 types of trouble at any time, even if his actions will have ill consequences.

Sonic has a lot of self-confidence and possesses a large ego to match it, making him sassy, quick-witted, proud of his skills and sometimes overconfident. Possessing a snarky tongue, he often jokes around to light the mood, but will also take any opportunity to taunt his opponents. Despite this, he can be quite the gentleman when he wants to and be modest with fancy titles. Following his free-spirited nature, Sonic never dwells on the past or allows his loses or hurtful experiences to weight him down. Instead, he choses to live in the present and always looks forward to his next adventure, while holding no regrets for whatever has transpired. Also, Sonic is incredibly strong of character and will: no matter the situation, he never doubts himself and will never give up before the day is saved.

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 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.

Powers & Abilities

Sonic is known best for his speed, with the ability to run at speeds greater than Mach 1, which is at the blistering speed of 761 mph (1,225 km/h). This is evident in many games, where Sonic is recorded to run at speeds faster than 765 mph (1,231 km/h). It is also stated in the Sonic Adventure DX manual that "He's the world's fastest, hypersonic hedgehog" which is at a staggering speed ranging from 3,840 mph (6,180 km/h) to 7,680 mph (12,360 km/h). He is occasionally referred to as "the fastest thing alive," and is even noted to be the fastest being in the universe. Additionally, he can run backwards at full speed just as well as forwards, as shown in the Team Sonic opening cut-scene of Sonic Heroes. Due to such speed, he is able to scale right up the walls of buildings, or similar structures, and can also run right over water.

It is unknown how much faster Sonic can run beyond Mach 1, though it is on various occasions assumed that he can. In Sonic Battle, it is stated that he can move several times the speed of sound and when the Final Egg Blaster was about to fire, Sonic defeated Ultimate Emerl in less than 30 seconds. It is also believed that Sonic can move faster while in spinball form than running, possibly even reaching the speed of light as seen in Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes where he could utilize the Light Speed Attack and the Light Speed Dash to achieve light speed movements. Also, in Sonic Unleashed, the Checkpoints, which measure his speed (SPD) in-game, can clock Sonic going over 2,800 SPD; in comparison, the Light Speed Dash measures 396 SPD. This may suggest that Sonic can move at speeds far greater than the speed of light.

His speed does not seem to have certain weaknesses in that recklessness (the possibility of crashing into unintended targets) and "straight-line only" concepts are invoked, showing he has complete mastery over his speed. Sonic is additionally shown to be able to run in full tight circles, thus is not exposed to the impotency of only being able to run fast in straight lines. Should he be running at uncontrollable speeds, he can utilize the Drift to opportunely control his momentum and even crash into foes with it.

Aside from running, Sonic can also apply his super speed for other abilities. He is able to heal himself by vibrating his body at supersonic speeds, launch shockwaves by spinning in his spinball form at high speeds, and set strong winds in motions with high-speed movements which he can use to attack opponents, similar to aerokinesis.

Sonic has shown astounding feats of kineticism, precision and has the reaction time to match his speed. He possesses great acrobatic skills and agility, alongside astonishing reflexes, making him able to avoid sizably voluminous and minuscule obstacles with precise jumps and delicate movements despite their incoming speed, along side double jumps and wall jumps. When launched into the air, he can also perform several airborne tricks before landing on ground. He also has incredible jumping skills, allowing him jump several hundred meters.

In terms of physical prowess, Sonic has often been noted for lacking overall physical strength by comparison. However, it is extremly likely that Sonic might possess a degree of superhuman strength (though nothing in comparison to Knuckles' strength). He is able to push things several times bigger and heavier than himself, carry beings as large as himself while still run at top speed, and his Spin Dash and other spin forms are strong enough to cut through metal, burrow through the ground, smash through surfaces by stomping, or break down walls. However, it is debatable whether the latters power comes from his super speed, his super strength, or a combination of both. Most of Sonic's fighting moves involve his feet and legs more than his hands, which suggests that Sonic's legs are more powerful than his arms; as seen in Sonic Adventure 2, he was able to topple the colossal Egg Golem with a single kick. This does not mean that Sonic's arms are not strong either as demonstrated in Sonic the Hedgehog CD where Sonic exhibited enough strength to tear robots apart by hands.

Several times, Sonic has been shown to have great resilience to physical damage. He can survive getting caught in the crossfire from all angles by Eggman's robots (which only knocked him out cold briefly), and he can smash through several robots in a row with his fist without showing any sign of pain or injury. It is also worth noting that, for nearly all the battles Sonic has endured, he has never been crippled, nor has he displayed any serious injuries. It is also shown in various games that Sonic can survive free-falls from extreme heights, bordering at the edge of space. In Sonic Adventure, he fell face-first from a high point in the atmosphere twice, merely shaking it off after landing, and additionally in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic is able to survive atmospheric reentry unharmed.

Sonic also possesses an indomitable force of will; in situations where most others would give up and resign themselves to defeat or imprisonment, and in situations where he is severely outnumbered and outgunned, he always forges on, never loses faith in himself and never surrenders. This character trait is most noticeable in Sonic Unleashed, wherein, thanks to his will, he is one of the few people on the planet who is immune to the influence of Dark Gaia. This is also shown in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, where the Voxai Overmind attempts to use mind control on Sonic, and he resists when all other characters fail to do so, though he possessed some protection against it by having a Chaos Emerald filled with the Overmind's power. It appears once more in Sonic and the Black Knight, where he continues to fight Merlina despite having Caliburn broken in half and beaten to the point where he could barely stand. The only time his will did not work was in Sonic Rivals 2, when he was possessed by the Ifrit in Tails' story scenario. It is safe to assume though, that if he does get possessed, he does all he can to regain control.

Sonic has also demonstrated the ability to harness the power of the Chaos Emerald for his own use. With a Chaos Emerald, Sonic can perform Chaos Powers, such as Chaos Control which lets him warp time and space, and occasionally gain a boost in power, and do have more abilities prior to chaos control.

It is safe to say that Sonic is far stronger, faster and more skillful than he lets on. Only in truly bleak situations does he reveal his true power - his fight with Ultimate Emerl, who had the abilities of every character, all seven Chaos Emeralds and the power of the Final Egg Blaster (therefore being mainly superior to him in almost every way possible), is a prime example of this, and Sonic was able to defeat him. It would appear that his cockiness, overconfidence and reluctance to fight at full power stop him from truly being considered the most powerful character in the series. Also, Sonic is often reluctant to use his Chaos Powers, and relies on his speed and other abilities in his arsenal in most cases.

Despite not having received any known training in martial arts, the many years of battles Sonic has been through has made him a skilled fighter and a profound user of hand-to-hand combat, being able to go up against others with far more battle experience. It has also been noted by people, such as Blaze and Shadow, that Sonic's combat skills are always improving; in the different versions of Sonic Generations, Sonic was able to beat the Egg Emperor and Perfect Chaos on his own where he previously required additional support and power.

In battle, Sonic mainly tend to use his legs and fast footwork to attack his opponents as his greatest strengths lies in his legs, though his is also shown to use his arms in battle as well. In hand-to-hand combat, Sonic makes use of his greater speed to deliver fast strikes to his opponents, allowing him to either deliver several strikes in a split second or strike foes with increased force. For stronger physical strikes, he tends to perform Spin Attacks, Spin Dashes and Homing Attacks.

Sonic's Back-Grab in Super Smash Bros. Brawl has him backflip backwards (while holding the opponent), land on the ground, and kick the opponent at a decent knockback. His forward smash consists of Sonic swinging his arm around for a short time and then releasing a charged punch (which might resemble his buzzsaw type attacks, and resembles his wind-up punch from Sonic the Fighters). This attack is one of his most powerful smash attacks in terms of knockback. Also as a nod to his footwork, Sonic also at times like in Sonic Battle, applies some forms of Capoeira to his combative footwork, especially in his Sonic Flare attack.

Even though he does not prefer to use weapons in combat (mainly dissing firearms as said in Shadow the Hedgehog), Sonic is shown to greatly excel in swordsmanship as seen in Sonic and the Black Knight. Even after just picked up a sword, Sonic was able to slay a dragon with swordplay and after receiving formal training from Caliburn, Sonic becomes capable of going up against and defeating several members of the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur himself. By applying his speed to his swordplay, Sonic can make quick and swift slashes and as well become a buzzsaw with his sword by spinning. He also has basic knowledge of how to use a Piko Piko Hammer to fight as seen in Sonic Advance 3.

Many of Sonic's fighting moves are variations on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Since his introduction in the first Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic's primary offensive maneuver is the basic Spin Attack. As Sonic jumps or runs, he curls up and spins into a spiky ball when in motion that can damage, destroy, mow down, or burrow through many obstacles or foes. Later games in the series expanded on this basic attack. Two of these enhancements are now basic moves: the Spin Dash was introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and involves Sonic spinning on the spot before blasting off at full speed, and the Homing Attack, officially introduced in Sonic Adventure, although unnamed variations of it appeared in Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic 3D Blast, in which Sonic dashes in midair toward a target.

The Super Peel Out, or Figure 8 Dash, made its debut in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, but since has only had minor recurrences in the Archie Comic series and anime. In the Figure 8 Dash, Sonic stays pivoted in one place and his legs move fast enough to create the illusion of an infinity symbol (more correctly a Möbius strip) beneath him in red. He holds this and then blasts forward, and in Sonic CD, it shows that The Super peel Out can push Sonic out extremely fast speeds.

Another technique, the Blue Tornado is when Sonic jumps into the air, and creates a whirlwind by circling a particular spot at high speeds which can throw his opponents into the air or blow away armor and weapons. Sonic Wind is when Sonic creates a cyclone of blue swirling winds and fires it at the opponent.

One of Sonic's newest signature moves is the Sonic Boost, a technique which increases his speed further, where he envelopes himself in blue aura and turn himself into a projectile, allowing him to destroys any enemy caught in his path. He does not even need to have contact with the ground in order to execute the move and can use it to temporarily fly immense distances through midair. 

In the Sonic Storybook series Sonic can perform different techniques related to the Soul Gauge; the Time Break lets him slow down time, the Speed Break increases his speed and makes him invulnerable, and his Soul Surge lets him attack with lightning fast sword slashes.

Weaknesses

Sonic is incapable of swimming and sinks like a stone in water, which may be due to aquaphobia. A slight exception being in Super Smash Bros. Brawl where he is able swim very briefly before drowning.(although it is more of flopping around like a fish rather than actually swimming) In some games Sonic can bypass water while running across its surface, while in others he can survive extended periods underwater by breathing air bubbles, in most 3D games however he drowns instantly on contact with water. Sonic usually avoids water and in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Sonic is the only character to wear a life-preserver.

Yuji Naka stated that Sonic can not swim because previously SEGA thought that hedgehogs could not swim, and that if Sonic does not sleep for eight hours during the night, it would spoil his running.

Quotes

"I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."

—Sonic introducing himself.

"Long time no see!"

—Sonic greeting people in a few games.

"I'm outta here!"

—Sonic when the player waits for too long in Sonic the Hedgehog CD.

"Aw, yeah! This is happenin'!""

—Sonic enjoying a run on the rooftops of Station Square in Sonic Adventure.

"Hey, I'll play with you some other time!"

—Sonic in Sonic Adventure after defeating a boss.

"It won't change how he feels inside, will it? His heart will still remain in turmoil and his anger just won't vanish!"

—Sonic claiming that sealing Chaos in the Master Emerald will not change anything in Sonic Adventure.

"Talk about low budget flights, no food or movies? I'm outta here! I like running better."

—Sonic when escaping from G.U.N. in Sonic Adventure 2.

"Let's head back to the planet that's as cool and blue as me!"

—Sonic after defeating the Finalhazard and talking with Amy in Sonic Adventure 2.

"Time to crack that Eggman wide open... Yeah, let's party."

—Sonic when setting out to defeat Eggman in Sonic Heroes.

"Let's blast through with Sonic speed!"

—Sonic when selecting Team Sonic in Sonic Heroes.

"Alright. Let's get ready to do this. We'll show that creep the REAL SUPER POWER of TEAM WORK!"

—Sonic and his friends about to confront Metal Madness in Sonic Heroes.

"You need to be true to yourself!"

—Sonic talking to Blaze in Sonic Rush.

"Looks like the party's getting started! Time to rock and roll!"

—Sonic about to fight the black Arms with Shadow in Shadow the Hedgehog.

"Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead using one of those things!"

—Sonic saying that he would never use a firearm in Shadow the Hedgehog.

"What, that lame robot copy of yours again? You really need to get a hold of better toys!"

—Sonic when Dr. Eggman Nega dispatches Metal Sonic to race against him for the second time in Sonic Rivals.

"My... That's a pretty snazzy performance there."

—Sonic when saving Elise for the first time in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

"Nothing starts until you take action. If you've got time to worry, then run!"

—Sonic giving Elise advice to go by in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

"Sonic's the name, speed's my game!"

—Sonic after winning a match in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

"And enough of that 'rat' stuff! Seriously! I'm a hedgehog! HEDGE-HOG!"

—Sonic after Erazor Djinn calls him a rat inSonic and the Secret Rings

"Yeah, this is the real me. Pretty cool huh?"

—Sonic to Chip

"Yo, Eggman. Thanks for that little skydiving adventure the other day!"

—Sonic meeting Eggman in Mazuri in Sonic Unleashed.

"Do I need a reason to want to help out a friend?"

—Sonic insisting on helping Chip fight Dark Gaia when Chip tried to say the task was his responsibility in Sonic Unleashed

"Hey! Hold up a minute. Girls hate guys who rush them, Jet."

—Sonic coming to Amy's aid after Jet accuses her of stealing an Ark of the Cosmos in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.

"I'm Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog! I have no master, except the wind that blows free!"

—Sonic introducing himself to Sir Percival in Sonic and the Black Knight.

"It was... never about chivalry for me... I just gotta do what I gotta do, that's all!"

—Sonic when badly beaten by the Dark Queen in Sonic and the Black Knight.

"YIKES!!! NO, AMY WAIT! PUT DOWN THAT HAMMER!"

—Sonic flees from an angry Amy at the end of Sonic and the Black Knight.

"Wait, we're going up against them? Seriously?"

—Sonic after finding out he is going up against Team Rose in Sonic Free Riders.

"I did a little shopping, grabbed a bite to eat, and trashed a giant killer robot."

—Sonic when when Tails asked where he was in Sonic Colors

"Eggman! I AM going to save this planet, and I AM going to free these aliens. No copyright law in the universe is going to stop me!"

—Sonic before fighting the Refreshinator in Sonic Colors.

"Look I know you're trying to be clever with this whole amusement park pun thing, but it's just coming off lame. Say you're going to destroy us and stop embarrassing yourself."

—Sonic telling Eggman to give it a rest with his lame speeches in Sonic Colors

"Well, I can jog around the planet again if you want."

—Sonic to Tails after knowing about his surprise birthday party in the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations.

"An adventure's no fun if it's too easy"

—Sonic to Classic Tails when he says they have their work cut out for them in Sonic Generations.

"Destroy me? You and what mustache? I beat you all the time by myself, and now there's two of me!"

—Sonic about him and his past self to both Classic Eggman and Modern Robotnik before fighting the Time Eater in Sonic Generations.

"Hey Sonic! Enjoy your future. It's going to be great!"

—Sonic's farewell to his past self when he is going to return to his original timeline at the ending of Sonic Generations.

"Okay, if it pleases the court, all those who think Eggman is a total bonehead, raise their hands."

—Sonic as he sends Eggman away in Sonic Lost World

"Oh no, what I meant to say is I'm so sorry that you have nothing more important to do in life?"

—Sonic meeting Zeena for a second time in Frozen Factory in Sonic Lost World.