- "Sonic's world" redirects here. For other uses of the term, see Earth (disambiguation) and Sonic's world (disambiguation). For this planet in various Western material, see Mobius.
The Earth[1][2] (地球 Chikyū?), also known as Sonic's world,[3][4] is the overall main setting of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Notable for its many oddities and hidden wonders,[5] it is a lush and beautiful planet in Sonic's universe, inhabited by various creatures, most notably humans and anthropomorphic animals.
Throughout its history spanning over a billion years,[6] the Earth has seen the rise and fall of ancient civilizations, major wars, plagues and tragedies, and visits from beings from other planets. Unfortunately, various members of its inhabitants have developed weapons of mass destruction, and several power-hungry tyrants have caused crises and even catastrophes. Due to this, the Earth is far from peaceful, and though some have implored its inhabitants to live together harmoniously without violence, no attempts at permanent peace in the world have been successful.[7] Nonetheless, the majority of the people on Earth are well meaning at heart and only wish to live their lives and make their dreams come true.[8][9]
In the present day, Dr. Eggman, a human super-genius, seeks to conquer the Earth and enslave its inhabitants. At every turn, however, the doctor's plans for world domination have been thwarted by Sonic the Hedgehog and his numerous friends and allies, who always manage to restore peace and maintain freedom for the planet.
Naming[]
Sonic's world was named Mobius by Sega of America in their 1991 series bible. This was adopted into Western media, and occasionally mentioned in the English video game instruction manuals, with the games being said to be set there. Japanese media, conversely, never used the term, and the planet went unnamed or was called simply "Earth" there. The notable exception was the Japanese manual of Sonic Spinball, in which "Mobius" was implied to be a separate planet from Sonic's.[10] The name "Mobius" was discarded in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Sonic Adventure 2 establishing that the canon name of Sonic's world was "Earth". Since then, very few sources have referred to the planet as "Mobius", instead calling it "Earth" or "Sonic's world".
Description[]
Little Planet, one of the Earth's natural satellites, from Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
The Earth, much like the real-life Earth, is a spherical astronomical body. It possesses a breathable atmosphere that is made out of numerous gases, such as hydrogen[11] and oxygen, and that burns up small Solar System bodies on a collision course with the planet.[12] Its surface is covered mostly in water, making it primarily blue in color. Dotting the planet's surface are also a number of massive continents that can be seen from orbit, as well as a "bajillion" of smaller islands that cannot be seen from space.[5] In addition, it possesses a moon that orbits it. Other satellites and similar objects include Little Planet, a tiny world that appears above Never Lake for one month every year and vanishes completely for the remaining eleven months;[13][14] and the Lost Hex, an unexplored floating continent hidden in the Earth's sky.[15]
The landscapes covering the Earth are very diverse, to the point that the entire planet can be considered a pretty crazy place, namely due to its checker-patterned soils, floating islands of various sizes, and natural loop-de-loop rock formations, which can be attributed to the "twisty, bouncy beauty of nature".[5] The planet's natural environments range from barren deserts and deep canyons to fertile valleys, sandy coastlines, fiery wastelands, frozen polarcaps, grassy hills, expansive jungles and forests, underground tunnel networks, undersea regions and spiral villages.
The Earth is also home a number of settlements built by civilizations that include, but are not limited to, countless cities spread around the planet, with at least six of them possessing significant influence over the rest.[16] Some cities appear very advanced in terms of technology, with cutting-edge ones like Metal City and Monopole in particular holding robots, flying cars, Extreme Gear, and transport tubes. Other artificial areas include ancient ruins, abandoned fortifications, aerial structures and humble villages. Robots and breakthrough technology are also common.
Anthropomorphic animals, Smaller, non-anthropomorphic animals, and humans, the most representative species on Earth, from Sonic Jam.
The Earth is home to a plethora of different species and creatures coexisting peacefully with one another, including humans, animals of various species and races (anthropomorphic or otherwise), Chao, and later Wisps;[17] although humans remain the planet's dominant species. The planet also houses several forms of supernatural creatures like ghosts and, for a time, Dark Gaia's Minions; several deities that include Chaos and Solaris; and physical embodiments of nature; such as Dark Gaia and Light Gaia. Even the Earth itself has been speculated to have a will of its own.[18]
The Earth is full of fascinating countries, each with its own cultures and people. The anthropomorphic animals usually live on the islands dotting the planet while humans tend to live in the bigger countries.[5] Notable countries include the United Federation, the Eggman Empire, and the Principality of Soleanna. Other countries also exist, each modeled after real-world locations. Some modes of transportation on the planet varies from Cars, Extreme Gear for races or certain events, flying cars, trains in large cities, planes etc.
The depiction of the Earth during the Black Arms incident, from Shadow the Hedgehog.
Over the course of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the Earth has been portrayed inconsistently, its landmasses and locations having often varied in size and shapes from game to game. Sometimes, the Earth has included locations and areas from the real world, like Japan, Asia and in other cases, it is portrayed with entirely new and original locations not seen elsewhere. Additionally, the concept of months, years, days, and time works virtually the same as the real world.[19]
Similar to the real world, the inhabitants of the planet have been shown throughout canon media to celebrate holidays such as New Years[19], Halloween[20], Easter, Christmas, Valentines and Mother's Day. Not only that but Santa Claus has also been shown to exist as a real phenomenon on the planet.
History[]
Past[]
A mural in Adabat's Gaia Temple depicting Dark Gaia and Light Gaia's eternal conflict, from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed.
The Earth came into existence in the beginning of time.[21] Around that time, two embodiments of the planet's desire for a balance between light and darkness supposedly came into being: Dark Gaia and Light Gaia.[18] From then on, following an eternal cycle, Dark Gaia would awaken once every couple of millions of years from the Earth's core after gathering enough strength, breaking the planet apart in an attempt to destroy it until Light Gaia stops Dark Gaia and restores the damage done during an event known as the time of awakening. Once this event has passed, these two entities would return to sleep in the Earth's core until they are able to awake to continue their cycle.[21] Ages ago, to help restore the planet whenever it got broken apart, the Gaia Temples were built around the world to house the planet's power.[22]
In ancient times, the Earth's civilizations were very primitive and their technology was still underdeveloped. During this time, the most advanced societies were stranded alien races that came to the planet. Noticeably, tens of thousands of years ago, a race known as the Ancients came to the Earth after their home planet was attacked - and destroyed - by an unknown entity named The End. This civilization set camp on the isolated Starfall Islands, but they had a difficult time rebuilding their society in the Earth's environment, having to deal with a different nature and dealing with technological incompatibilities that were not present on their home world. They also created an alternate world known as Cyber Space to preserve their cultural heritage, and filled the Starfall Islands with weaponry and advanced robots in the event of a possible invasion by The End. When such invasion did occur, the Ancients bound the entity with their Titans and sealed it onto Cyber Space to prevent it from destroying the Earth.
The ancient Babylonians as depicted in legends, from Sonic Riders.
Many centuries later, another group of aliens, known as the Babylonians, crash-landed on Earth when they were forced to eject their engine units, the Arks of the Cosmos, from their spaceship, which would become known as Babylon Garden, into the orbit around Earth in order to prevent the formation of a black hole.[23][24] Making a life for themselves on Earth, they made Babylon Garden their home, which became known as the "divine wings" (神の翼 Kami no tsubasa?), a legendary bird that the gods rode through the heavens.[25][26] However, the Babylonians, still longing to go home, would also wait for the Arks of the Cosmos to fall out of orbit so they could use them to go home.[24] In time, the Babylonians recovered two Arks of the Cosmos and put them in secure locations.[27] Over time, the Babylonians also became a legendary band of great thieves and Extreme Gear specialists known as the Babylon Rogues, who would roam the world looking for treasure.[26] However, accordingly, the Babylon Rogues ended up incurring the wrath of the Gods, who cast Babylon Garden into the depths of the Earth, leaving the Babylonians scattered for all time.[26] However, a branch of the Babylonians, known as the Babylon clan,[28] would endure and continue their thieving ways as the Babylon Rogues for generations to come, passing down the Key to Babylon Garden along with them.
Some tens of thousands of years ago, the Earth experienced another time of awakening. This event became known as a legendary disaster, which was recorded in the Gaia Manuscripts.[29]
Since the Chaos Emeralds were brought by the Ancients from their home world, they have been involved in multiple instances throughout history. Notably, in the distant past, the people of West Side Island used these Emeralds to develop their civilization and achieve great prosperity. However, this prosperity was lost overnight when these people tried misusing the Chaos Emeralds, supposedly prompting the gods to seal them somewhere on the island.[30] Existing as a counter to the Chaos Emeralds however, is the Master Emerald, another relic of unknown origin with the special power to neutralize the Chaos Emeralds' energies.[31][32]
Once, there was an ancient civilization on a lone island on the South Sea that entered a period of prosperity. Under unknown circumstances however, this civilization disappeared, and its ancient ruins, now known as the Regal Ruin, became a mysterious maze and an archeological site.[33][34]
4,000 years ago, there was a culture known as the Fourth Great Civilization. This civilization created a weapon known back then as the "Gizoid", a learning robot capable of copying combat and weapon data, as well as harnessing the Chaos Emeralds' power. Eventually though, the Gizoid's great power caused the destruction of the Fourth Great Civilization, and the Gizoid itself vanished.[35][36]
The Knuckles Clan raiding the Altar of Emerald, from Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut.
Approximately 3,000 years ago, the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald resided in the Altar of Emerald. This altar and the Chao inhabiting it were guarded by a deity known as the Sprit of Water. Back then, there was also an ancient civilization of echidnas known as the Knuckles Clan, which ruled the territory encompassing the Mystic Ruins during a time or rivaling warlords. During his leadership of the clan, Chief Pachacamac, seeking domination and power, led his clan into a series of successful wars that greatly increased the Knuckles Clan's prosperity. Unsatisfied however and hungry for more power, Pachacamac plotted to steal the Chaos Emeralds. Disapproving of his warmongering, Pachacamac's daughter, Tikal, tried preventing this unnecessary raid. However, her efforts were for nothing, and Pachacamac ultimately injured both Tikal and many Chao when he attacked the altar. Seeing his friends hurt, the Spirit of Water became a corrupt being through anger and sadness, and used the Chaos Emeralds to turn into Perfect Chaos. As Perfect Chaos attacked the Knuckles Clan though, Tikal sacrificed herself to seal herself and the Spirit of Water inside the Master Emerald before Perfect Chaos could destroy the rest of the world. After that, the Chaos Emeralds were lost and the Spirit of Water became known as "Chaos". Humbled by the attack, the remaining members of the Knuckles Clan used the Master Emerald's power to suspend the Emeralds' altar area into the sky, creating Angel Island. There, the Knuckles Clan would live, bearing the duty of observing and protecting the Master Emerald, so that an incident with Chaos would never happen again.[37] Over the years however, the Knuckles Clan entered terminal decline.
Another alien race, known as the Black Arms, would also observe the Earth. These beings inhabited a celestial object known as the Black Comet that passed by the Earth every fiftieth year.[38] Their leader, Black Doom, in particular planned to harvest the Earth's human population as food for his heirs as a part of his prosperity ritual.[39] However, the Earth's atmosphere prevented Black Doom from bringing the Black Comet down to Earth for his ritual.[12] Over 2,000 years ago, to aid with his plans, Black Doom had an armada of sky ships transported down to Earth in Glyphic Canyon.[40]
Gerald Robotnik and Black Doom overseeing Shadow the Hedgehog's awakening, from Shadow the Hedgehog.
Over fifty years ago, Professor Gerald Robotnik, one of the most brilliant minds in Earth's history, was approached by the President of the United Federation of that time to create the Ultimate Life Form, which the government planned to use as a weapon for war.[41][42] Though Gerald refused to do so at first, he found out that he could find a cure for his granddaughter, Maria, who suffered from the incurable Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome decease by co-opting the immortality research. Starting work on "Project Shadow" onboard the Space Colony ARK, a research station in orbit around the Earth, Gerald and his fellow researchers went to work.[41] During the development however, Gerald needed help, and so contacted Black Doom when the Black Comet made its pass by Earth.[43][44] The two of them then made a deal: Black Doom would provide Gerald with a sample of his DNA for Project Shadow, and Gerald would have his creation bring Black Doom the seven Chaos Emeralds the next time the Black Comet returned in fifty years.[44] However, Gerald eventually discovered Black Doom's real plans and so developed the Eclipse Cannon to destroying the Black Comet and the Black Arms with it upon their return.[45] Eventually, with the aid of Black Doom's DNA, Gerald created the ultimate life form: Shadow the Hedgehog.[46] During this time, Gerald also found the Gizoid and discovered its capabilities, prompting him to research for a way to keep it under control and keep it from being used for evil.[36][47][48] Despite this, with the upper echelon going crazy and threatening to freeze Project Shadow, Gerald handed the Gizoid over the government as a bribe to buy more time for his research.[49][50] Unfortunately, the Gizoid soon went out of control before being subdued. Unable to destroy the Gizoid, Gerald resorted to programing it with a free will so that it could choose not to become a weapon of mass destruction.[51] Eventually though, GUN came to regard Gerald's research as too dangerous. As such, GUN enacted an operation where they invaded the ARK and began exterminating everyone related to Project Shadow, with the goal of detaining Gerald and contributing the subsequent shutdown of the ARK to an accident. During the attack, Maria was killed while sending Shadow down to Earth.[41][52] Afterwards, Gerald was detained and brought to Prison Island to continue his work on Shadow, who had been found by GUN and put into stasis on the island, under military control.[53] Unable to cope with the loss of Maria, Gerald slowly went insane.[54] After putting the finishing touches on the Gizoid's free will program,[52] Gerald finally lost it and set up a plan that would destroy the Earth as his revenge on humanity for Maria's death, which he brainwashed Shadow into enacting when he awoke.[54] Not long after, he was executed when GUN began fearing his retaliation.[53]
Ten years ago, the Duke of Soleanna began the Solaris Project in hopes of harnessing the time-controlling powers of Soleanna's deity, Solaris. However, the project backfired, resulting in Solaris being split into Iblis and Mephiles the Dark. With the aid of Shadow and Silver however, who had come from the future to witness the Solaris Project, Mephiles was sealed inside the Scepter of Darkness while Iblis was sealed inside the Duke's daughter, Princess Elise, although the Duke died soon after.
In the recent past, Gerald's grandson, the infamous Dr. Ivo Robotnik, began planning to establish his own empire and dominate the world. Some of his known operations involved establishing MeteorTech, a security company which he secretly used to plant his robot armies everywhere;[55][56] and building a massive interstellar amusement park to harness the Hyper-go-on energy of the alien Wisps. However, he was unable to finish the park until years later.[57] In addition, his other plans for domination would be wrecked by a young hedgehog named Sonic, who soon became his worst enemy.[58]
Present[]
For some time, various conflicts between Dr. Robotnik, later known as "Eggman", and Sonic would occur on certain regions of the Earth over the fate of the planet. Fortunately, the hedgehog would always come out victorious, ensuring the world would live in peace before the doctor would strike back, repeating the process.[58]
At some point, Cocoa Island was invaded by the Battle Kukku Empire when its leader, the tyrannical Great Battle Kukku XV, sought to get the Chaos Emeralds that were resting there to achieve world domination.[59] However, their operations soon began to backfire due to interference from Miles "Tails" Prower, who repelled the empire's forces from the island. Eventually, Tails infiltrated the Battle Kukku Empire's base of operations, the Battle Fortress, and defeated what was left of the empire, leaving the Battle Fortress to sink in the sea.
Around this time period, Dr. Eggman and his minions invaded South Island in the doctor's bid to find the six of the seven Chaos Emeralds resting there and use them to conquer the Earth,[58] but this plan was foiled by Sonic, sending the six Emeralds, alongside the seventh one, to West Side Island.[60] In the aftermath of this incident, Little Planet made its annual appearance over Never Lake. Seeking to get the seven Time Stones resting on the tiny planet to control time itself, Eggman chained Little Planet to a mountain in Never Lake and took over the planet.[61] Fortunately, however, Sonic went to Little Planet, where he defeated Eggman and secured the Time Stones. After being saved, Little Planet would leave Earth for another year.
Dr. Eggman's Death Egg re-entering the Earth's atmosphere after the events of the West Side Island incident, from Sonic Origins.
Soon after, Dr. Eggman invaded West Side Island to get the seven Chaos Emeralds there, much like how he did on South Island earlier. This time though, he wanted the Emeralds to create a massive superweapon, the Death Egg, and launch it to space to achieve global domination.[30] However, interference from Sonic and his new sidekick, Tails, forced the doctor to launch the space station without the Chaos Emeralds. Onboard the Death Egg, Sonic encountered and defeated Mecha Sonic and the Death Egg Robot, triggering a chain-reaction that caused the massive fortress to enter the earth's orbit and plummet down to the Floating Island. There, Eggman manipulated the island's local guardian, Knuckles, to help him repair the Death Egg. When Sonic and Tails arrived on the Floating Island, the space station was almost finished and ready to be launched to space. However, the heroes managed to damage the Death Egg and make it fall down to the Floating Island's main volcano. This time, Eggman betrayed Knuckles and stole the Master Emerald from him to power the once-again-repaired Death Egg, but Sonic and Tails managed to destroy the space station for good and return the Master Emerald back to the Floating Island.
Following the Death Egg's destruction, Dr. Eggman's rage peaked and made him revisit his past inventions to defeat Sonic once and for all,[62] but this plan ended in failure. Over the next few months, more crises would arise on Earth due to the doctor's operations, forcing Sonic to go and stop him. In one circumstance, Eggman kidnapped Sonic, alongside Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, and sent them to the trap-ridden Eggman Island, where he planned to execute them. However, the trio teamed up and managed to overcome the island's many traps, forcing Eggman to activate a self-destruction mechanism that caused Eggman Island to explode. Regardless, Sonic, Mighty and Ray successfully escaped in one piece. Another incident would see Little Planet returning to Earth, allowing the doctor to build a second Death Egg around it, but Sonic and Tails foiled this plan.
During the Phantom Ruby incident, Dr. Eggman discovered an ancient power buried on Angel Island, and sent an elite squad of Eggrobos to obtain it. However, by the combined efforts of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, Eggman's plans were foiled, which also resulted in Sonic and the Phantom Ruby being sent to the future. Regardless, Sonic returned shortly afterwards alongside the Phantom Ruby, only to find two of his friends, Mighty and Ray, both of whom were trapped in a capsule. After Sonic freed the duo though, one of them was revealed to be the Heavy Magician in disguise, who had survived the previous incident, and set off to revive the other Hard Boiled Heavies who had been destroyed. Thus, now with the aid of Mighty and Ray by his side, alongside Knuckles and Tails, Sonic set off in search of the Phantom Ruby once again. Despite the combined efforts of Sonic and his group, Eggman once again took the Phantom Ruby, and rematched them with old foes. After chasing down Eggman to the Titanic Monarch, Sonic and friends were finally able to stop Eggman, causing a chain reaction which caused the Phantom Ruby to go haywire and create a rift that consumed it and the doctor, and put an end to that scheme for good.
The horrors of the Knuckles Clan's actions returning to the present with Perfect Chaos flooding Station Square, from Sonic Adventure.
During the Chaos incident, Eggman learned of the legends of Chaos, and shattered the Master Emerald to liberate the beast and use him to destroy Station Square and build Eggmanland on its ruins. To further his agenda, the doctor created the first line of E-Series robots, the E-100 Series, and built the Egg Carrier.[63] Throughout the incident, Eggman would collect the Chaos Emeralds to power up Chaos and make him reach his maximum potential for his plan to succeed. Despite interference from Sonic and his friends, Chaos was eventually able to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds. After betraying Dr. Eggman, the beast turned into Perfect Chaos and flooded Station Square on his own. Fortunately, before Chaos could cause any further damages, Sonic turned into Super Sonic and defeated the beast.
When the Space Colony ARK incident came around, Dr. Eggman discovered documents of his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, that mentioned an "Ultimate Lifeform". Wanting to use Gerald's creation to conquer earth, Eggman raided Prison Island on his own and released this Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog. From the hedgehog, the doctor learned of the ARK's weapons of mass destruction, including the Eclipse Cannon, and wanted to use it to subjugate the world to his empire. Meanwhile, Sonic was arrested after being mistaken with Shadow, prompting his friends to go to Prison Island and release him. With help from Rouge the Bat, Eggman and Shadow destroyed Prison Island and, with six Chaos Emeralds, destroyed part of one of the moons to show off the Eggman Empire's power to the United Federation. After a battle against Tails onboard the ARK, Eggman was able to get the last Chaos Emerald and install it into the Eclipse Cannon. However, this activated a doomsday program written by Gerald Robotnik that would make the ARK enter into a collision course with the Earth, destroying it instantly. This forced Eggman, Rouge and Shadow to team up with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles to stop the space station from destroying the planet. However, they faced interference from the Biolizard, who had fused with the ARK itself as Finalhazard, allowing the station to continue its collision course towards the Earth. Fortunately, Sonic and Shadow, transformed into Super Sonic and Super Shadow, respectively, defeated the Finalhazard and sent the ARK back to space again with a super-powered Chaos Control, preventing the planet from being destroyed, seemingly killing Shadow in the process, though it would later be revealed that he was saved by Eggman at some point afterwards.
Later incidents would see Sonic dealing with Eggman again when the doctor made more attempts to establish his Eggman Empire on Earth, while befriending new faces such as Cream the Rabbit in his adventures. Eventually, however, the doctor's empire was taken over by Metal Sonic, who, transformed into Neo Metal Sonic, sought to destroy Sonic once and for all to prove himself as the real Sonic. During this crisis, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles formed Team Sonic and, after teaming up with Teams Dark, Rose, and Chaotix, defeated Neo Metal Sonic, turning him back to normal.
During the Emerl incident, Eggman would once again look into his grandfather's documents, eventually learning of a weapon of mass destruction named the Gizoid. Wanting to use this robot to achieve world domination, Eggman acquired the Gizoid, but got disappointed after seeing it could not respond to his commands. The doctor thus disposed of the Gizoid and built replicas of it that could obey him. Days afterwards, Sonic found the Gizoid on a beach, and named it "Emerl". Through encounters with Sonic and his friends, Emerl was able to develop a new personality, learn different battle moves, and get the seven Chaos Emeralds. Meanwhile, refusing to give up, Eggman built a new Death Egg and equipped it with the Final Egg Blaster, which was powerful enough to destroy all of Earth in an instant. After luring Emerl to a trap onboard his space station, Eggman was able to put him under his command. However, Emerl went rogue and threatened to use the Final Egg Blaster to obliterate the planet. Fortunately, Sonic went to the Death Egg and defeated the robot in less than thirty seconds, though this caused Emerl to self-destruct.
Following this incident, Eggman somehow got Emerl's data and used it to build Gemerl, a new robotic lackey of his. He subsequently used a Chaos Emerald to activate a massive Chaos Control that split the earth into multiple pocket dimensions. As usual though, Sonic and his allies put a stop to the doctor's plans and managed to restore the planet back to normal. However, Gemerl betrayed Eggman and used the seven Chaos Emeralds to transform into Ultimate Gemerl and threaten the Earth. Using the Chaos Emeralds as well, Sonic turned into Super Sonic and, with Eggman's help, defeated Gemerl, who would later be turned into a friendly robot by Tails and live with Cream and her family afterwards.
The Black Arms invading the Earth, from Shadow the Hedgehog.
Later on, the Black Arms invaded Earth and began to bring destruction and darkness to the world immediately after their arrival.[64] The aliens' leader, Black Doom, reached to Shadow and ordered him to hand over the Chaos Emeralds "as promised" for a prosperity ritual. Desiring to learn more about his past, the black hedgehog went to find the Emeralds, which he managed to do so following unspecified events. However, when he was about to give them to Black Doom onboard the Black Comet, his allies came in and begged him not to do so, but the alien took the Emeralds for himself and used them to teleport the Black Comet to Earth's surface, releasing a powerful, paralyzing gas that spread all across the planet. Black Doom then explained how Shadow came to be and left. However, the hedgehog followed the alien and used the Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Shadow as Black Doom turned into Devil Doom. After defeating the alien, the hedgehog used the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the Black Comet.
During the Sol Emerald incident, the Earth and all of Sonic's universe were threatened when Dr. Eggman made a cooperation with his descendant from the future, Eggman Nega, to create an interdimensional Eggmanland. To create their desire paradise, the villains sought to harness the powers of the Chaos and Sol Emeralds, bringing the dimension into a collision course with the Sol Dimension, another universe. Fortunately, the combined efforts of Sonic and Blaze the Cat resulted in the scientists being defeated and both dimensions being restored.
When Dr. Eggman learned of the so-called "treasure" of the ancient Babylonians sealed within Babylon Garden, he reached the Babylon Rogues, the descendants of this society, and had them collect the seven Chaos Emeralds in an EX World Grand Prix the doctor would host. After a long series of races between the Rogues and Team Sonic around the world, the thief group got the seven Emeralds and used the Key to Babylon Garden to hoist the ancient spaceship back up into the sky. The scientist took this opportunity to infiltrate the Garden and take the ancient treasure there. However, it turned out to be a Magic Carpet, which disappointed Eggman, who was expecting a powerful technology to take over the world.
In an aborted timeline involving Solaris, the horrors of the Solaris Project returned after ten years when Eggman sought the "Flames of Disaster" sealed within Princess Elise the Third to conquer all of time. While Sonic would fight to protect the sovereign from the doctor's claws, Silver, an inhabitant of a ruined future, came to the present to kill the blue hedgehog, hoping that this would restore his timeline as a suspicious figure known as Mephiles the Dark had promised him, while Shadow would have several confrontations with the creature. As it turned out, Mephiles was one of Solaris' halves, alongside the Flames of Disaster, known as Iblis. Eventually, the two monsters reunited to form Solaris and threaten to consume all of earth, followed by Sonic's universe itself and later all dimensions. Fortunately, however, Sonic and Elise went back in time to erase the sun god from existence, resulting in these events being undone.
While this catastrophe was aborted, the future of the Earth would be under threat again when Eggman Nega returned to the present armed with a mysterious camera that would allow him to turn objects into cards. Angry that Dr. Eggman's failures would not give him the reputation he deserved in his timeline, the villain turned his ancestor into a card and took over his empire in his bid to improve his family's image in the future. In addition, he managed to transport the future Angel Island, known as Onyx Island, to the present. However, with interference from Sonic and his friends, as well as Silver, Nega was defeated, causing him to try to use his camera to turn all of the Earth into a card, but was fortunately stopped and trapped into a card himself. He would resurface not long after though, planning to release the interdimensional Ifrit to Sonic's universe to destroy the world. As part of this plan, the villain hired Rouge to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds to open the portal to the Ifrit's home dimension, the Chaotic Inferno, and also kidnapped various Chao to use them as a livestock for the beast. However, various duos of heroes and villains opposing Nega would defeat him and prevent the Ifrit from wreaking havoc, thus saving the Earth.
The last two Arks of the Cosmos falling down to the Earth's surface, from Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.
Months after the incident involving the Babylon Rogues, the last two of the five Arks of the Cosmos landed on Earth, resulting in a global robot rampage that Eggman wanted to take advantage of to conquer the world. However, this eventually led to the formation of a black hole within Babylon Garden when the Arks were reunited there, forcing Team Sonic and the Babylon Rogues to work together to overcome this threat. Luckily, they were able to disconnect the Garden's core unit, subsiding the black hole and sending the spaceship into orbit around Earth. Later on, Eggman hosted a second EX World Grand Prix to prove himself the best at riding Extreme Gear. During this event, he had Metal Sonic copy the data of all the other racers and then give them to the doctor. However, this data turned out to be useless for the scientist as the robot had given him false information and used the real data to make himself the fastest Gear racer. Soon after, Sonic would stop the treacherous machine, but he and the others were disappointed that the villain did not have any awards or prize to begin with.
The Earth having been split apart by Dr. Eggman's Chaos Energy Cannon, from Sonic Unleashed.
During the Dark Gaia incident, Dr. Eggman learned of the Gaia Manuscripts, which told of Dark Gaia and the time of awakening that would shatter the Earth. Wanting every few millennia to harness the ancient creature's powers to finally make his dreams of building Eggmanland become a reality, the doctor kidnapped Professor Pickle, a scholar with great knowledge on the Manuscripts, and took away all of his data and intel. Soon after, following a confrontation with Sonic in outer space, the villain took the seven Chaos Emeralds the hedgehog had with him and used them to power his "Chaos Energy Cannon", which he fired at the planet, shattering it and prematurely waking up Dark Gaia along with its light counterpart, Light Gaia. With help from Light Gaia, who gained the nickname "Chip", Sonic used the drained Chaos Emeralds to restore the Earth's continents and recharging the gems. Eventually, however, Dark Gaia completed its awakening as Perfect Dark Gaia and fought Sonic, now transformed into Super Sonic, during an epic showdown. Fortunately, the evil creature was defeated and sealed in the Earth alongside Chip.
When the Wisp incident came along, Eggman completed his Egg Planet Park by chaining five planets to it; while he claimed that this was done as a public apology for his past transgressions, the doctor was actually using the chained planets to enslave a local alien race known as Wisps and harness their Hyper-go-on power to fuel a Mind Control Ray, which he would then use to take control of the Earth as a stepping stone to achieve universal domination. When Sonic inevitably interfered and liberated the planets from his rule, the villain would fire the charged mind control cannon at Earth. However, as the cannon had been damaged, it instead created a Hyper-go-on void that consumed the entire amusement park. Fortunately, the Wisps would neutralize the void, preventing it from causing further damages, and sent the hedgehog back to the surface of the Earth.
Following this incident, Eggman would be left stranded in space, where he would come across a mighty creature known as the Time Eater which possessed the power to consume time and space. Coveting this monster's abilities to erase his past mistakes, the doctor tamed the creature and teamed up with a version of himself from the distant past to perfect him. Following that, the villains would tamper with the Earth's history, trapping various of its locations and sending them to a white void known as White Space. However, Sonic and Tails, alongside younger versions of themselves, managed to stop this threat and the Time Eater was destroyed. The doctors would then be trapped within White Space and the heroes would return to their respective times while the Earth was restored back to normal.
The life energy of the Earth being drained by the Extractor, from Sonic Lost World.
Eventually, Dr. Eggman set foot on the lost continent known as the "Lost Hex" and enslaved its inhabitants, six Zeti demons known as the Deadly Six, to control their electromagnetic abilities. Additionally, he built an Extractor on the floating landmass to drain the life of the Earth, which he would then use to power his machines. However, due to interference from Sonic and Tails, the Deadly Six were liberated from their enslavement and rebelled against the doctor, forcing him to team up with the heroes to stop the evil creatures from harnessing the planet's life for their own gain. When the hedgehog defeated the demons though, the scientist used this opportunity to use the extracted life to power a massive Eggrobo mech, which he tried to use to destroy his nemesis. As expected, nevertheless, the villain was defeated, while Tails tampered with the Extractor to return the stolen energy to the dying Earth, restoring it yet again.
Following a previous incident, the mystical Phantom Ruby was transported to the present Earth. Happening across this gem, Eggman learned of its impressive powers and sought to use it during his campaign to conquer the world. Having hired the Jackal Squad, a group of mercenaries run by a jackal called Infinite, the doctor ran various tests on the Phantom Ruby, discovering its potential and creating various prototypes based off of it, the final one being incorporated within Infinite to give him the gem's powers. When he invaded a City, the scientist's forces managed to overwhelm Sonic himself and imprisoned him inside of a new Death Egg. Over the next six months, the virtually unopposed Eggman Empire would conquer 99% of the planet in what became known as the War to Take Back the Planet. It was during this conflict that the villain's empire would be opposed by the Resistance, a rebellion created by Sonic's friends. Eventually, the heroes managed to rescue the hedgehog and, with him, reclaim various territories formerly controlled by the empire, destroy the Death Egg and diminish its forces. They would also have help from Classic Sonic and a person known as the Avatar. In the meantime, Eggman moved his army to the Eggman Empire Fortress, where he prepared a doomsday plan to wipe the Resistance out with a sun created by the Phantom Ruby in three days. When the moment came, however, the Avatar used the last remaining Phantom Ruby prototype to dispose of this sun at the last moment, saving the Resistance. With Infinite having been taken out for good by Sonic and his friends, Eggman dispatched a massive Death Egg Robot powered by the real Phantom Ruby as a last-ditch effort to dispose of the heroes. Luckily though, Sonic, Classic Sonic and the Avatar joined forces to defeat this mech, thus ending the Eggman Empire's rule over the Earth.
When Team Sonic receives a vaguely worded invitation to the Ultimate Test of Racing Skill, curiosity soon gets the better of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, who make a beeline for the rendezvous at the beach. There, they come across Amy, Big, and Omochao, who are having a picnic. After Sonic explains their reasons for coming, Amy remarks that Team Rose did not get any invitations. Soon after, an enigmatic stranger approached, a Tanuki calling himself Dodon Pa. He explains to them about racing in his Grand Prix in various locations on Earth and the universe for a large cash prize which eventually led them to join and soon Team Vector would also be given the strange invitation and compete while Vector called Espio and Charmy to investigate Dodon Pa. Meanwhile Eggman would contact Zavok despite recent events about build their personal cars to race versus competitor's though beforehand Team Dark entered the fray and offered assistance toward the investigation. Soon Big would mention how Wisp work with nice people which revealed to the others that Dodon Pa is nice though he would be kidnapped by Eggman and brought to Final Fortress which ultimately ended up destroyed with Team Eggman wanting to steal the Ultimate Energy Engine. After Dodon pa promised the racers new cars for saving his life and ended up counting their friendly race.
Sometime later, the Chaos Emeralds were attracted by advanced technologies on an unexplored archipelago. Once Dr. Eggman discovered it, he planned to make the technologies his and created an artificial intelligence he called Sage. Just as he inserted Sage into a portal on Kronos Island, activating the Ancients' technologies, Eggman was sucked in. To discover Eggman's intentions, Sonic, Tails and Amy reached the Starfall Islands on the Tornado, but the plane was suddenly sucked into a wormhole. Sonic managed to escape and found himself alone on Kronos Island, attracting the attentions of a spooky female voice. This voice persuaded the blue hedgehog to "find the Chaos Emeralds, destroy the Titans and tear down the walls between dimensions". Sonic found Amy, Knuckles and Tails as holograms trapped in Cyber Cages on Kronos, Ares and Chaos Islands, destroying the three Titans and absorbing more and more Cyber Energy. After defeating the third Titan, the mysterious voice ordered Sonic to shut down the six towers on Rhea Island, so that he would've ended his task. Once the last tower was shut, Sonic's friends and Eggman were released from Cyber Space, but the hedgehog ended being stuck between reality and Cyber Space due to his full Cyber Corruption. Sage warned his creator to re-enter Cyber Space in order to be safe from the exiting threat, who claimed to be finally free since immemorial time. Not giving up, Tails, Amy and Knuckles returned into Cyber Space to restore Sonic, so that he could get the Chaos Emeralds one fourth time on Ouranos Island with the help of Eggman and Sage. Once Super Sonic defeated the last Titan, the entity retired into space to regain its' full powers; Sage joined Sonic by piloting Supreme and faced their enemy, who introduced itself as The End. During the fight, The End shot a powerful beam to annihilate its enemies, but it was blocked and Super Sonic smashed the enemy. The End attempted to blow itself up in desperation to wipe out the Earth, but Sage sacrificed herself flying into The End to contain the explosion, asking the supersonic hedgehog to "protect... Father". Sonic's friends were free at last and left the archipelago onboard the Tornado, while Eggman, saddened by the loss of his "daughter", managed to restore her inputting a command on a computer.
Main locations[]
In other media[]
Animation[]
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie[]
Planet Freedom, from Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.
In Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, the Earth goes mainly by the name of Planet Freedom and serves as the home planet of Sonic and his friends and enemies. In this media, it is divided into two layers: the Land of the Sky and the Land of Darkness.
Sonic X[]
The Earth, from "Showdown in Space".
In the Sonic X anime series and its comic series published by Archie Comics, it is revealed that Sonic, his friends and Dr. Eggman originate from an alternate reality version of Earth. A long time ago, Sonic's world and Earth were once one, but a cataclysmic event split the planet into two and sent them to different dimensions. The flow of time in Sonic's world is considerably slower than on Earth, with one month in Sonic's world equaling an entire year on Earth.
When Sonic came to Earth, the two worlds began to merge into one once again, which would ultimately stop the flow of time completely, thus forcing Sonic and co. to return to their world.
Sonic Boom[]
The Earth, from "Dude, Where's My Eggman?".
In the Sonic Boom franchise, Earth is where the series takes place.[65] In this media, the planet resides in the Sonic Boom World and holds a mysterious past that has spawned both legends and lore alike. Its surface consists mostly of lush and wild nature filled with jungles, mountains, undersea civilizations, cloud cities, and all kinds of other environments. The Earth has very little urbanization and most of the known residents live in and around a Village.[66] The series centers around Seaside Island where Team Sonic fight against Dr. Eggman to keep the doctor from achieving domination over the planet.[67]
The majority of the planet's population is made up of anthropomorphic animals referred to as animal people,[68] though humans like Dr. Eggman are also present. While civilization here is predominantly rustic, modern commodities such as ice cream stands, airplanes, televisions and highly advanced technology are also found here, though in much lesser quantity. A few places on the planet, like Dr. Eggman's lair and the Ancients' civilization, are highly futuristic and technological areas.
Books and comics[]
Sonic the Hedgehog (manga)[]
In the Sonic the Hedgehog manga published by Shogakukan, the Earth is the home planet of Nicky, Dr. Eggman, and many others.
Archie Comics[]
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Earth was almost identical to the real-world planet, with a history virtually identical to that of its real-life counterpart. In the early 21st century, however, Earth was contacted by an alien race known as the Xorda. However, the Xorda ambassador was captured and dissected by humanity, and the aggressive Xorda race declared war on Earth. Though some of humanity managed to preserve themselves, the Xorda ended the world with their Gene Bombs which broke all forms of life down to their basic components. Thousands of years later, this combined biomatter gave birth to the mobian race, who would repopulate the Earth and rename it Mobius.
After the Super Genesis Wave re-wrote history, Mobius became known as Sonic's World. The planet is now virtually identical to its game counterpart.
Sonic the Comic[]
The Earth, from Sonic the Comic #114. Art by Roberto Corona and John M. Burns.
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Earth is considered entirely separate from Sonic's home planet of Mobius. In an early Sonic's World strip, the Kintobor Computer claimed that Mobius was in a small galaxy that was "117,63222[sic] light years from Earth", in a parallel dimension, in a different time zone and the whole region is made up of dark matter.[69]
Amy Rose and Tekno the Canary crash-landed on Earth in a spaceship after being teleported across the universe accidentally. During this short stay, they were mistaken for aliens. They befriended a human named Professor Cratermass and earned the enmity of Colonel Granite, the deranged commander of Operation Starwatch, who believed they were the vanguard of an invasion fleet. Amy and Tekno managed to escape and teleport back to Mobius with some help from Professor Cratermass, who deleted the teleportation program afterwards so that Colonel Granite could not follow.[70][71] Amy and Tekno encountered Granite again on Earth during their trips through the Ring of Eternity,[72][73] and as a result of this story, rogue British military forces led by Colonel Granite subsequently invaded Mobius before being hurled out by the spirit of the planet itself.[74][75] An even later story showed that, due to their highly similar ecosystems, Earth and Mobius were twin planets.
IDW Publishing[]
Films[]
Paramount[]
The Earth, from Sonic the Hedgehog.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced by Paramount Pictures, Earth is a planet on the far side of the universe. Sonic was sent to Earth to hide from people who want to use his power by Longclaw. In this media, the Earth closely resembles the real planet.
After staying in hiding on Earth for ten years, Sonic accidentally made his presence known to the United States government, who sent Dr. Robotnik out to investigate the matter, prompting Sonic to try and leave Earth. Robotnik himself tried to capture Sonic, but with the aid of Tom Wachowski, Sonic banished him to the Mushroom Planet. Afterward, Sonic settled down on Earth once more, but in the company of the Wachowski family.
Trivia[]
- Few real-world civilizations are known to exist on Earth; in early Western manuals, there are references to the Romans and Egyptians in the descriptions of Aquatic Ruin and Regal Ruin, respectively,[76][77] but these peoples are not mentioned in Japanese sources. The Sonic Riders series features the Babylonians as ancestors of the Babylon Rogues, but Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity confirms that these people have no relation to the ancient settlement in modern-day Iraq.
- Additionally, while most of the Earth's population is entirely fictional, some real-world figures have existed in the past too; for instance, Prima Games' Sonic Adventure 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide says that Gerald Robotnik was referred to as "a modern-day Leonardo da Vinci".[78] Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) also confirms that earth housed people like Aristotle and Albert Einstein.[79][80]
- In the final cutscene of Sonic Adventure 2 before the credits, a city resembling Jerusalem can be seen, featuring the Dome of the Rock. This would imply that Earth features similar religions to real-world religions.
- The backgrounds of Chaos Angel and Crimson Crater from Sonic Advance 3 and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity show two moons in the sky of Earth.[81][82] In Sonic Channel's "Sonic X Shadow" cover story, it is confirmed that the Space Colony ARK can be seen in front of the moon once every year, though it is unknown whether the space station is actually this "second moon" seen in the aforementioned levels.[83]
- Yuji Naka in a 2011 interview asserted that action on Earth begun at Christmas Island, with Sonic traveling to more urbanized and human filled lands like Station Square between the Classic games and Sonic Adventure.[84]
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is the first and only instance in the series so far to use the terms "Earth", "Sonic's world", and "Sonic's World" in the same game.
- In interviews leading up to the release of Sonic Forces, Takashi Iizuka once said that the Sonic games takes place across two worlds: one is human, and the other one is set on the non-human side, the latter of which Sonic Colors takes place in.[85] However, it has not been clarified whether this means the games literally take place across two different versions of the earth like in Sonic X, or across different societies. The PR and Social Media Manager of Sonic the Hedgehog Aaron Webber, to his understanding, confirms the former while former Sega Europe community manager Kevin Eva disapproves it.[86][87] In a later interview, Iizuka stated that the portrayal and nature of the Earth depends on which of these two worlds is being portrayed in each game, and sometimes there may be some "crossovers" between them.[88] This idea of the canon world structure has now since been abandoned in the lead up to Sonic Frontiers, reunifying Sonic's world as one in a creative sense.
- Ian Flynn also backed up the now abandoned idea at the time, stating that according to Sega, Sonic's world and the human world are two separate planets, with travel between them accomplished via the use of Giant Rings.[89] However, Flynn later implied that this was no longer officially considered to be the case, though stated that he was unable to elaborate at the time.[90]
- As of the first official broadcast of TailsTube, this bit of lore appears to no longer be considered to be canon, as humans and anthropomorphic animals are stated to both inhabit a single world, albeit different parts of it.
- Ian Flynn officially refers Sonic's world as Earth, due to the new canon of the series seems fitting.[91]
- Ian Flynn also backed up the now abandoned idea at the time, stating that according to Sega, Sonic's world and the human world are two separate planets, with travel between them accomplished via the use of Giant Rings.[89] However, Flynn later implied that this was no longer officially considered to be the case, though stated that he was unable to elaborate at the time.[90]
- Modern Sonic writers are explicitly forbidden from referring to Earth/Sonic's World as Mobius. The lone exception was the novelizations for the Paramount Sonic The Hedgehog movies due to an oversight from the writer of them (the writers of the Sonic 2 movie were specifically instructed not to give a name to Sonic's home world).
- This does not appear to effect Mount Mobius from Sonic Spinball, which has since been confirmed to be canon to the mainline continuity.
Gallery[]
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References[]
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