This article is about the video game character. For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog (disambiguation).

Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu^?) is the titular main protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and Sega's mascot. He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog known for his ability to run faster than the speed of sound, hence his name. As his species implies, Sonic can also roll up into a concussive ball, primarily to attack enemies.

Born on Christmas Island, Sonic abandoned his home at an early age to pursue a life of adventures. He has spent most of his life traveling around the world and beyond, usually accompanied by his best friend, Tails. In his journeys, he has defended his world and others from various threats, especially his arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman.

During his many adventures, Sonic has traveled from the ends of the world to the far reaches of space and time, earning many titles, allies, and foes. Known for his attitude and somewhat short temper, yet strong sense of justice and love for freedom, Sonic's victories have made him a celebrated hero. However, he remains indifferent to his fame, preferring to live on his own terms.

Quick Answers

When did Sonic the Hedgehog first appear in a video game?

Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared in the video game Rad Mobile, eight months before his debut game was released on the Mega Drive.

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What does Sonic like to do?

Sonic loves going on adventures, helping others out, and nature. Despite his passion for speed, he enjoys quieter abilities like relaxing and reading books, noticeably the Arabian Nights or King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

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How many solo theme songs does Sonic the Hedgehog have?

Throughout the video games in the series, Sonic the Hedgehog has nine songs that are definitively about him, such as It Doesn't Matter, His World, Endless Possibility, and I'm Here. He also has at least ten theme songs that he shares with other characters, such as Live and Learn, We Can, Dear My Friend, and Fist Bump.

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Where does Sonic the Hedgehog live?

Sonic the Hedgehog is a free spirit and therefore does not have a home. Sonic has, however, referred to many recurrent locations as his "home", most notably Green Hill Zone.

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Is Classic Sonic from another dimension?

Classic Sonic is Sonic the Hedgehog from the past. Incidents involving time travel, including the Time Eater and the Phantom Ruby, have brought this younger version of Sonic to the present day temporarily. To put it simply, Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic are the same person but at different ages.

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Concept and creation

While several people have been involved in the creation of Sonic, the artist Naoto Ohshima, programmer Yuji Naka, and designer Hirokazu Yasuhara are generally credited with the creation of the character.^[1]

In April 1990, Sega sought a new mascot to rival Nintendo's Mario.^[25][26][27] The company had previously used Alex Kidd as their mascot, but was considered too similar to Mario.^[25] Sega's AM8 R&D department submitted several designs, including a wolf, bulldog, robot, and warrior character. An early idea by Ohshima was a rabbit who could grab objects with his ears, but was found too slow and complex for the Sega Mega Drive's hardware.^{[28][25][27][29][30]} Naka, who had joined Ohshima as a programmer, wanted a fast-paced yet simple game. Conceptualizing a rolling attack, the duo, supervised by Yasuhara, researched animals that could naturally roll, arriving at a shortlist of an armadillo and a hedgehog. The latter was chosen due to the spikes' visual appeal.^[24][23] Around the same time, Ohshima took a trip to New York City and conducted an informal survey in Central Park, where he showed people sketches of various character designs, including a hedgehog, a dog, and a character that would later become Doctor Eggman. The hedgehog design proved the most popular, reinforcing the team's choice.^[30]

Sonic's base design was based off an originally discarded sketch of a character named "Mr. Hedgehog",^{[note 1][31]} by Ohshima. The team settled on Sonic's final name to represent speed and took the name Sonic Team.^[32][33] Sonic was designed to be easy for children to draw.^[30] His shade of blue was adjusted several times during development to match Sega's logo and for higher contrast against backgrounds.^[26][34][35] Ohshima combined Felix the Cat's head with Mickey Mouse's body for Sonic's design, with inspiration from Michael Jackson's boots on the album cover for Bad and Santa Claus's red and white color scheme for his shoes.^[36][26] Sonic was created without the ability to swim because of Naka's mistaken assumption that hedgehogs could not do so.^[37]

Sonic's personality was defined by three pillars that aligned with Sega's image: "cool", "challenger", and a backstory.^[30] He was made to appeal to American audiences, under the belief that success in the US would attract Japanese consumers. He was made impulsive, which Ohshima saw as representative of Americans, and influenced by Bill Clinton's "get it done" attitude.^[38][39][40] Ohshima and Yasuhara wrote a backstory, influenced by World War II-era aviation imagery, that featured a jet pilot nicknamed "Hedgehog" due to his spiked hair, who had Sonic's likeness emblazoned on his flight jacket and plane as nose art. According to this story, the games were set in a children's story written by the pilot's wife.^[30]

Early concepts gave Sonic fangs and put him in a band with a human girlfriend named Madonna, ideas scrapped by Sega of America to keep his identity simple.^[24][41][26] Sonic's proportions were adjusted for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the original head-to-height ratio changed from 1:2 to 1:2.5.^[42] During the series' early years, Western material did some modifications to his design, such as sharper eyes and a mohawk-like hairstyle, but these were slowly phased out as the Japanese canon became the standard.

Redesign

Sonic Team redesigned Sonic and the other characters during the development of Sonic Adventure to make them more suitable for 3D environments and give them an "edgy" look.^{[43][44][24][45]} A contest was held at Sega to determine who would be in charge of the redesigns, with Yuji Uekawa emerging as the winner. His new design was influenced by various styles, including other Sega artists, Akira Toriyama, Susumu Matsushita, and Walt Disney.^[46][47] For Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), his design was further modified to look more adult and taller, with visible fur and a lankier body to fit better with the game's human characters.^[48]

Voice

Sonic had a few voice samples in Sonic CD provided by designer Masato Nishimura.^[49] In Japanese arcade games, including SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Sonic was voiced by Takeshi Kusao. Jun'ichi Kanemaru voiced Sonic in Sonic Adventure; he was chosen because of his juvenile voice and frequent use of English.^[50][51] Kanemaru has continually voiced Sonic in the games since. In Sonic Unleashed, the character's Werehog form was voiced by Tomokazu Seki.

Sonic first spoke in the games in English in Sonic's Schoolhouse, where he was voiced by Meg Inglima. Sonic was voiced by an unknown voice actor in SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter's English translation in Sega World Sydney. Starting from Sonic Adventure, Sonic was voiced by Ryan Drummond. Jason Griffith, who voiced the character in Sonic X, replaced Drummond from 2005's Shadow the Hedgehog. Griffith was later replaced by Roger Craig Smith from 2010's Sonic Free Riders onwards. Smith stated in January 2021 that he would no longer voice Sonic,^[52] but he reversed course later in May.^[53] Smith continues to voice the character as of January 2025. In Sonic Prime, Sonic was voiced by Canadian Deven Mack.

Appearance

Sonic is an anthropomorphic hedgehog with blue fur that covers most of his body, and peach skin that covers his arms, muzzle, insides of his ears and front torso. He has small, triangular ears on top of his head, six long quills on the back of his head, two spines protruding from his back behind his shoulders, and a short tail. Sonic is 100 centimeters (3 ft 3 in) tall and weighs 35 kilograms (77 lb).^[3] For attire, he wears red shoes and white gloves.

Sonic's original design gives him a short body, with a round torso and black eyes. His current design features a taller and thinner body with green eyes. Originally, he was shown to have peach-skinned eyelids, until they were changed to blue in Sonic Heroes.

For a list of Sonic's alternate outfits, see Sonic the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Outfits.

History

Note: This is an abbreviated look at Sonic's history, focusing primarily on his three most recent mainline adventures. For a complete history of Sonic, see Sonic the Hedgehog/History and appearances (1991 - 2006) and (2007 - present). For his history in the IDW comics and Sonic Prime, see Sonic the Hedgehog/History and appearances (IDW) and Sonic the Hedgehog/History and appearances (Sonic Prime).

Past

Sonic was born on June 23 on Christmas Island, but abandoned his home to pursue adventures.^[54][55][56] At some point, he met Doctor Ivo Robotnik, a mad scientist seeking global domination. Sonic nicknamed his adversary "Eggman" —a name later picked by the doctor himself—and would consistently thwart his plans.^[57][58]

Present

At the start of the Death Egg saga, Sonic learned that Eggman had invaded South Island to seek out the Chaos Emeralds resting there, kidnapping the local Animals and turning them into robots called "Badniks".^[57] After expelling the doctor from the island,^[59] he thwarted his plan to capture Little Planet and adquire its Time Stones to conquer spacetime, meeting Amy Rose along the way.^[60] Soon after, Sonic travelled to West Side Island and met Miles "Tails" Prower, who joined him in stopping Eggman from launching his Death Egg space station.^[61] However, the Death Egg crash-landed on Angel Island, whose guardian, Knuckles the Echidna, was fooled into thinking Sonic and Tails had evil intentions. The duo traveled through Angel Island, sabotaging the Death Egg's relaunching and causing it to crash into Lava Reef. They eventually befriended Knuckles and destroyed the space station for good, with Sonic transforming into Super Sonic with the seven Chaos Emeralds to chase Eggman into space.^[62][63]

In the aftermath, Sonic would find himself facing more schemes from Eggman. Amongst other adventures, he would destroy the Death Egg mk.II,^[64] face a bounty hunter known as Fang the Hunter,^[65] and meet an older version of himself.^[66] Despite Eggman's persistence, Sonic emerged victorious in every situation.

Sonic eventually found out that Eggman was seeking to tame Chaos, an ancient god of destruction, to annihilate Station Square. He teamed up with Tails to acquire the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman did to power up the beast. Along the way, he met the ancient echidna spirit Tikal, and from her learned much of the Chaos's violent history. Ultimately, despite Sonic's efforts, Chaos harnessed the seven Emeralds and transformed into Perfect Chaos. Sonic transformed into Super Sonic and defeated Perfect Chaos, reverting the creature to his original peaceful form.^[67]

Sonic was later falsely framed as an escapee by the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) military. While fleeing persecution, he discovered that he had been mistaken with Shadow the Hedgehog, who had teamed up with Eggman to adquire the seven Chaos Emeralds. Sonic partnered with his friends to uncover Eggman's plan, which was to hold the world hostage with the Eclipse Cannon, a superweapon held onboard the Space Colony ARK. The heroes infiltrated the colony to sabotage the doctor's scheme. Although they ultimately failed, both parties learned that they had been fooled by an elaborate revenge plan posthumously initiated by Eggman's late grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. With the colony on a rapid collision course with Earth, Sonic teamed up with his friends and foes and saved the world.^[68]

Sonic would later form "Team Sonic" alongside Tails and Knuckles to foil Neo Metal Sonic, a transformed version of Metal Sonic that was masquareding as Eggman. After a series of battles against rival teams, the group defeated the robot.^[69] Afterwards, Sonic discovered and befriended Emerl, who was later discovered to be an ancient weapon of mass destruction. He was forced to destroy the robot to save the world after Eggman attempted to control Emerl.^[70] In another adventure, Sonic met a time traveller known as Silver the Hedgehog and found himself embroiled in a conflict revolving around a sun deity called Solaris that was split into two, leading to him protecting Princess Elise the Third from Eggman and ultimately going to the past to erase Solaris from existence.^[71] Later, when Eggman shattered Earth and unleashed an entity called Dark Gaia, Sonic was infused with a Werehog transformation and embarked on a journey around the planet to restore it.^[72]

In a subsequent adventure, Sonic befriended aliens called Wisps and destroyed Eggman's Egg Planet Park, which he was using as a cover-up for world conquest.^[73] Sonic would later celebrate his birthday party when he and his friends were kidnapped by the Time Eater, a deity of time later revealed to be controlled by Eggman. Trapped in a void known as White Space, Sonic met a younger version of himself known as Classic Sonic and traveled through various points of his earlier life. The Sonics eventually gathered the seven Chaos Emeralds and destroyed the Time Eater before parting ways.^[66] Afterwards, Sonic and Tails pursued Eggman to the Lost Hex, where they were forced to team up with the doctor after the locals, the Deadly Six, took over Eggman's inventions to destroy the world.^[74]

Sonic was later defeated by Infinite, Eggman's new right-hand man who was using a mysterious gem known as the Phantom Ruby to empower himself. He was then held captive onboard the rebuilt Death Egg. Without his nemesis to foil him, Eggman conquered the world but was opposed by Sonic's friends, who formed a guerrilla group known as the Resistance, triggering the War to Take Back the Planet. After six months of captivity, Sonic was freed by a Resistance recruit known as the "Avatar" and reunited with Classic Sonic. The trio, alongside the rest of the Resistance, faced off against Eggman's army and Infinite, ultimately overthrowing the doctor's regime.^[75]

During his latest adventure, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy traveled to the Starfall Islands following unusual Chaos Emerald readings.^[76] Upon arrival, they were sucked into a wormhole, separating Sonic from his friends. After escaping a digital realm called Cyber Space, Sonic journeyed through the Starfall Islands, encountering his friends in digitized states and suffering from increasing cyber corruption. Guided by a mysterious voice, Sonic was tasked with destroying the islands' Titans to rescue his friends. He also met Sage, an AI created by Eggman, who was trapped in Cyber Space. After destroying the Titans and freeing his friends and Eggman, Sonic inadvertently released a malevolent entity called The End. Transforming into Super Sonic, he teamed up with Sage to destroy The End, leading to Sage's sacrifice.^[77]

Personality

Sonic's in-game profiles, from Sonic Jam (top) and Sonic Generations (bottom).

Sonic is described as "like the wind",^[78] a free-spirited drifter with an insatiable appetite for adventure.^[79][80][11] He values freedom above all else and lives by his own rules rather than societal standards.^{[81][82][3][78]} Sonic's primary passion is speed, and he likes anything that is fast.^[4]

Sonic loves traveling around the world,^[22] interacting with different cultures present on the planet, and tasting regional dishes—particularly chili dogs—considering himself a connoisseur.^[11] He never stays in one place for long and always seeks his next challenge, viewing life as a never-ending series of adventures.^[3] Sonic hates being constrained,^[83] which tends to make him very uneasy and restless. However, he has shown the ability to remain calm even after six months of imprisonment onboard the Death Egg. Despite his love for the outdoors, he enjoys quieter activities, such as reading on rainy days.^[12]

Sonic has a calm and carefree demeanor^[78][81][3] but can be impatient, impulsive and short-tempered.^[84][78][85] He can be reckless and quick to act before thinking, acting before thinking and ignoring others' warnings.^[84] Nevertheless, he is honest,^[3] fearless,^[86] and always keeps his promises.^[3]

Sonic's personality is a juxtaposition of kindness and ferocity.^[84] He hates deceit, unfairness, and evil in all its forms,^[14][88][3] being enraged when witnessing injustice and doing all he can to stop it.^[81][84] For this reason, he has a very strong sense of justice,^[78] but fights for the ideal of freedom rather the name of the law.^[89] He is also very selfless, always standing for the underdog without expecting anything in return.^[78][90][91] He is motivated by personal entertainment, indifferent to his fame, and will always do what he sees as correct, even if it means trouble or being despised by others.^[92][90][93] For this reason, he does not consider himself a "hero".^[80]

Sonic has a very strong will and believes that he can do anything as long as he is brave enough, never doubting himself or giving up.^[94] His positive attitude fuels his massive internal ego; he thinks that he and his friends will always find a way out of any situation^[95][96] and views himself as unstoppable,^[78] taking great pride in his skills.^[22] In times of crisis, though, he becomes aggressive and intensely focused.^[81][3] It is only in the moments of greatest loss that his carefree appearance falls away, like in the apparent deaths of his closest friends or loved ones.^[97]

Sonic deeply cares about his friends^[80] and will risk his life for them without any due consideration.^[3][84] He maintains that making others unhappy is the worst thing one could do,^[98] and shows great trust and acceptance. While he generally assumes he can deal with things on his own,^[95] Sonic believes strongly in teamwork and the bonds he has made, having noted that he would not have come as far as he has today without his friends and allies.^[99]

Sonic holds everyone to the same level as himself, but can often appear rude, specially to authorities.^[100] Despite this, he can be a gentleman when he wants to and be modest with fancy titles.^[101][102] He also admires his enemies for their strength and the challenges they present.^[103]

Sonic often makes quips and jokes to lighten the mood and will take any opportunity to taunt his opponents.^[104][105] He is also very competitive, never holding back when pitted against others in a test of skills and abilities.^[106] Nevertheless, Sonic is not one to usually hold ill against others in case he loses in an competition to them.^{[107][108][109]} Despite his penchant for sarcasm, Sonic gets irritated when his species is misidentified, always correcting others to emphasize that he is a hedgehog.^[110]

Sonic is very insightful, capable of seeing through deception or noticing things that others would have overlooked.^[111][112] He can likewise give valuable and comforting advices that drastically change the outlook of others. He has an adversion for eternity, believing that a world that goes on forever is dull and maintaining that life is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest. He also has a remarkable capacity to forgive, one example of this being when he partnered with Silver and worked with him after the latter had tried to kill him twice.

Sonic loves nature and scenic views,^[113][114] and detests environmental pollution as a result.^[115] Additionally, he enjoys cool music and frequently breakdances, incorporating such moves in his attacks.

Always prepared to put his life on the line to protect others, be they friends or civilians, Sonic is a carefree spirit and a fearless daredevil at heart.^[116] He is driven by his own personal code of justice that compels him to respond to any form of evil, no matter how great or how overwhelming its threat is.^[117] This attitude sometimes gets him in trouble, but it also makes him the answer to evil anywhere and everywhere.^[117] Unlike most others, Sonic finds fun in fighting and thwarting evil, primarily in the form of Dr. Eggman and his empire.^[116] Even when locked in a battle to the death, Sonic cannot help finding excitement and entertainment in such situations, namely because he has experienced them so many times that the stakes of such fights hardly faze him anymore.^[118] Regardless, he will still confront his enemies with a serious demeanor when the situation warrants it.^[119] Despite his usual cocky and laid-back attitude and massive ego, Sonic's defining traits have always been his pure heart of gold and his utter dauntlessness in the face of danger.^[116] Despite his ego, Sonic is willing to swallow his pride for the greater good, as shown when he used obsequious flattery to convince his rival, Jet, to help him save the world.^[120] Also, despite his devotion to the greater good, he is notably rash, often throwing himself into trouble without much of a plan in mind.

In keeping with his footloose lifestyle, Sonic values freedom above all else and strives to live his life according to his own rules rather than the standards of those around him or for the sake of heroism and duty. As such, despite his loyalty to his friends and allies, Sonic is typically reluctant to commit to anything that requires him to act primarily under the authority of others, including his friends. As a result, he does not consider himself a part of larger organizations like the Resistance or Restoration, believing that he knows what is best for himself and and can do much more on his own without being tied down by a greater power.^[121] At one point, Sonic found error in his ways as he was an indirect catalyst for Eggman's return and the spread of the Metal Virus.^[122]

Sonic is an optimistic individual; as mentioned by his friends, he always puts a positive spin on things.^[123] He thus refuses to give into despair, even when faced with a hopeless situation, although he has been known to drop his positivity in the darkest moments in favor of a more sympathetic outlook and somber mood.^[124][122] Despite this, he never gives up and always fights to the end, believing firmly in the righteousness of his decisions and refuses to compromise his ideals and morals out of fear.^[124][125] Also, since he is a hedgehog of action and is constantly looking for new adventures and challenges for himself, having nothing to on an adventure will severely bore Sonic, and staying cooped up for too long tends to make him uneasy due to his hatred of confinement.^[126]

Sonic's personality is a juxtaposition of kindness and ferocity. Extremely benevolent, Sonic's heroism is an extension of his philosophy;^[127] preferring to keep things simple, Sonic lives for the moment and wants to see the world and enjoy all the thrills and adventures that come from that.^[118] Sonic lives his life according to this sense of freedom and wants everyone else to have the freedom to do that too. As such, if he were to take a life, he would be taking away that person's freedom too, which goes against his own rules. Similarly, the peace he has made with several of his enemies in the past has taught him that there are better alternatives to neutralizing a threat than eliminating it, having experienced difficult cases of villains who wanted to destroy the world but were reformed by him and his allies.^[118] As such, while he does everything he can to snuff out evil, he is always willing to give people that he has "a rocky start" with a chance to rebound and reform themselves so they can restart their relationships on better terms, a philosophy that he is willing to extend even to villains like Dr. Eggman or Dr. Starline.^[118] He similarly cannot turn away when someone is in need of aid. Most noticeably, after helping defeat Metal Sonic, he compassionately had the robot repaired in hopes he could convince him to abandon his evil ways.^[123] He likewise believes that even the worst person has good in them.^[124] Far from a pacifist, however, Sonic refuses to let anyone take away the freedom of others, even when they follow his own philosophy, and will willingly resort to physical methods when a peaceful route is not feasible.^[118] As such, he recognizes that peaceful methods do not always work, especially when dealing with an unpredictable enemy.

If Sonic has a flaw besides recklessness and a certain disregard for authority, it is that he tends to take things too much upon himself.^[128][129] Another flaw of his is that he puts a lot of faith in the belief that everyone, even villains like Eggman, has some good in them and are redeemable, something that he himself sometimes regrets and individuals like Shadow and Espio challenge.^{[124][130][122]} Also, because he knows that giving others a choice cannot prevent them from making poor decisions, Sonic tends to become disappointed when those he gives a second chance to choose an undesirable path.^[118] This does not make him naïve, because he is still aware when enemies pose too much of a threat to be reasoned with.^[120]

Sonic cares deeply for his many friends. Despite his loyalty to them, though, he never lingers too long in one place. However, his friends know he will be cruising back into their lives in no time.^[117]

As the amnesiac Mr. Needlemouse, Sonic was a more aloof and relaxed individual, taking great interest in learning new things he had not heard of before.^[129]

Powers and abilities

Despite not having undergone any known training, Sonic's years of battles have made him a skilled and powerful fighter. He has defeated giant robots, demons, and god-like beings on his own; gone up against and bested those with far more combat experience; and even beaten individuals who equally match his abilities. It has also been noted that Sonic is steadily growing stronger;^[131] during the Time Eater incident, Sonic could beat the Egg Emperor and Perfect Chaos on his own where he previously required additional power to defeat them. Sonic even told Infinite upon holding his own against the latter compared to the previous time they fought that he becomes more powerful every second.^[132] It is safe to assume that Sonic is far more powerful than he lets on.^[133] His victories over Emerl at the Gizoid's maximum potential and Perfect Chaos in his base form are prime examples of his true power.

Sonic's greatest strength is his super speed.^[4] He has proven himself to be in a class of his own with his speed, having been credited as "the fastest thing alive" and even the fastest being in the universe.^[134] He has the ability to instantly accelerate to the speed of sound and run at speeds that exceed Mach 1,^[22][4][135] which is at the blistering speed of about 768 mph, and can run backward just as well as he can forwards.^[136] Due to such speed, he can scale vertical surfaces and ceilings, run over water, out speed lasers, and even cause the ground to explode and lift off in his wake.^[137][138] This speed also allowed him to restore the time and space erased by the Time Eater during that incident. Even then, Sonic can take his speed even further. By revving up in one place, he can take off at turbo speeds in an instant. He can also envelope himself in a blue energy field that lets him accelerate beyond the sound barrier on both the ground and in midair for a short time,^[139] allowing him to not only smash straight through enemies and obstacles like a living projectile, but also fly immense distances through midair. Using certain techniques, he can even momentarily reach the speed of light.

It is unknown what Sonic's unaided top speed is. During the Emerl incident, it was stated he can move several times the speed of sound and when facing Emerl at his maximum potential, he went at least ten rounds with him in less than thirty seconds. He is also able to run in circles around an enemy at such speeds that he can stun it.^[140] Some sources claim that Sonic's maximum speed is Mach 1.2.^[92] It has also often been stated that Sonic can move at supersonic speeds^{[22][84][note 4]} (which ranges from 915-3,840 mph). There are as well records stating that Sonic can instantaneously reach the speed of light (about 671,000,000 mph);^{[16][141][142]} E-123 Omega himself calculated that Sonic's speed could potentially exceed light speed and the hedgehog has boasted that light speed is "small time" to him.^[143] Additionally, during the Little Planet incident, Sonic was able to enter the Time Warp, which required him to run at speeds exceeding the speed of light.^[144]

Sonic has demonstrated complete mastery of his speed in any environment and can use it for both high-speed offense and defense.^[145] Not only can he run at maximum tilt in straight lines, but also in full tight circles and through sharp turns with full control over his momentum. As far as stamina goes, Sonic's is seemingly limitless as he is never winded from running. His speed also allows him to perform several impressive feats; he can heal at rapid speeds, launch shockwaves by spinning rapidly, leap in midair, launch stunning waves with fast kicks, increase the force of his blows by striking with increased momentum, and create barriers of super speed. He can also spin in circles or rotate his extremities at super speed to create winds strong enough to attack or blow away opponents, similar to aerokinesis.

Sonic possesses astounding kineticism and precision, and has the reaction time to match his speed. He has profound acrobatic skills and agility, along with incredible reflexes that lets him avoid any incoming obstacles with precise and delicate movements. As seen in his first meeting with Silver, Sonic can even detect attacks beyond his field of vision due to his sharp reflexes.^[146] When launched into the air, he can also pull off several tricks before landing. He also has incredible jumping skills,^[137] capable of jumping up to several hundred meters, even with extra weight.^[147]

Sonic possesses notable strength. He can push and lift things bigger and heavier than himself, run without extra weight slowing him down, smash through metal and rock, and damage foes countless times his size. However, it is debatable whether the latter's power comes from his speed, strength, or a combination of both. Sonic's strength particularly lies in his legs; with a single kick, he can topple the Egg Golem^[148] and send Badniks flying. This does not mean that Sonic's arms are not strong either; he has enough strength to tear robots apart by hand^[140] and punch through a collapsed wall.^[149]

Sonic has frequently demonstrated extreme resilience to damage. He can survive getting caught in the crossfire from all angles by Eggman's robots (which only knocked him out cold briefly), withstand the force of a massive explosion and a Hyper-go-on-based void unscathed, being pummeled with swords, resist a powerful punch from Knuckles from his foot, smash through several robots with his fist without discomfort, and take a ruthless pummeling from the Time Eater.^[150] Additionally, Sonic has more than once survived impacts from falls at extreme heights, bordering at the edge of space, only to shake it off when landing, and has even withstood atmospheric entry.

Sonic possesses an unbreakable and incorruptible spirit; in situations where most others would give up and where he is severely outnumbered and outgunned, Sonic never loses faith in himself and never surrenders. This trait enables him to keep on fighting when utterly exhausted or after taking an abnormal amount of damage.^[151] His will even lets him withstand mind-controlling powers, like the corruptive influence of Dark Gaia. Even when possessed by the Ifrit, Sonic was arguably able to occasionally regain control.

Sonic has also demonstrated the ability to harness Chaos Emerald energy for his own use; with a Chaos Emerald, Sonic can perform the chaos power Chaos Control, and occasionally gain a boost in power.

Sonic's core offensive maneuver is the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Sonic can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed and hit with enough force to pierce colossal boulders.^[152] Highly adept in its usage, Sonic can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both grounded and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, Homing Attack, the super-charged Focused Homing Attack, and the Light Speed Attack, which attacks at the speed of light.

Even without his Spin Attack, Sonic is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. He mostly relies on his fast footwork since the majority of his power lies in his legs, though he has been known to use his fists and arms from time to time, albeit in a rather straightforward manner. His fighting style is mostly derived from breakdancing moves^[153][154] which utilize Sonic's legs to their fullest, allowing him to deliver swift, wide-ranged kicks. He has also been known to use flying forward kicks, split kicks, and scissor kicks.^[155] Sonic was also shown during the scabbard of Excalibur incident to excel in swordsmanship. Even as a rookie swordsman, Sonic could beat a dragon and after receiving formal training, he could best master swordsmen like the Knights of the Round Table. In addition to using advanced techniques, Sonic can apply his speed to his swordplay for quick and swift slashes, and become a buzzsaw by spinning with his sword, enabling him to slice clean through enemies. He has also learned the martial art of Linshao Kung Fu from Shuifon, though he is yet to be seen using it.

Sonic has extraordinary skill in operating vehicles. He has excellent skills when it comes to piloting planes like the Tornado, and water bike surfing on vessels like the Wave Cyclone. He is also experienced in a variation of sports such as boarding and surfing, and other recreational activities like grinding. As shown during Dodon Pa's Grand Prix, Sonic is also an expert at driving sport cars like the Speed Star. He has even demonstrated that he is capable of driving his car sideways and backwards just as well as he can forwards, and can keep up with other expert drivers like Shadow while driving from these directions.^[156]

Sonic has proven himself as a world-class Extreme Gear rider. He is said to move faster than he can run on an Extreme Gear^[157] and can go head-to-head with legendary Wind Masters like Jet the Hawk. Sonic seemingly has a knack for Extreme Gear riding, quickly grasping the controls on his first try and later developing advanced techniques despite being self-taught. After the second World Grand Prix, Sonic can be considered the best Extreme Gear rider in the world, having beaten Metal Sonic in a race, who at that point was an "unbeatable" rider with the skills of the world's finest Extreme Gear riders at his disposal.

It appears that Sonic can control the strength and durability of his otherwise soft quills at will.^[158] While he is spinning, they appear to be extremely hard like buzzsaw blades; as demonstrated during the Neo Metal Sonic incident, his quills (and body) are durable enough to slice through battleships without even moving at the speed of sound. In addition, Sonic's quills can sense nearby dangers, which they warn him about by creating a tingling sensation.^[21] A similar precognitive ability of his that allows him to sense nearby danger comes in the form of sneezing.^[22] Sonic has also demonstrated the ability to transfer his speed throughout various parts of his body, allowing him to immediately set off from stationary positions and even channel it into objects to speed up their movements and make them pierce through solid objects as he does while running. He can also create an effect reminiscent of a time halt, even though it is unknown what it is derived from.

Equipment

Though he does not prefer to use weapons, mainly dissing firearms,^[159] Sonic has wielded a number of tools during his adventures, albeit never permanently. During the Space Colony ARK incident, Sonic used Grind Shoes, which were specifically made for grinding.^[160] Also, during the Emerl incident, he utilized deployable landmines in battle, and one time, he would wield his own version of the Piko Piko Hammer. During the World Ring incident, he also wore Shahra's Ring, allowing him to harness Shahra's magic for himself. Similarly, during the scabbard of Excalibur incident, Sonic would wield swords; he initially wielded Clarent, but later exchanged it for Caliburn, a sapient sacred sword with magical properties.

Sonic's trademark ability is his super speed. He can travel up to speeds surpassing Mach 1, which is at the blistering speed of about 768 mph(1234 km/h). He also utilizes this in hand-to-hand combat as shown when facing Neo Metal Sonic, giving him quick reflexes and reaction time. While running, Sonic resembles a blue streak from a distance that leaves a blue trail behind him.^[161][119] At the same time, he is experienced enough with his speed to turn easily while maintaining his speed.^[116]

While Sonic's top speed is unknown, glimpses of Sonic's prowess are shown in his tendency to routinely scale vertical walls,^[162] effortlessly knock down enemies in his path,^[116] run over water,^[121] and ability to build up enough momentum to throw spears with such force that they can pierce large metal structures while exerting enough air pressure to blow said structures apart.^[161] His speed also allows him to perform several impressive feats, such as creating small tornadoes by running around in circles at super speeds.^[163][164] Sonic's speed is so great that he could eventually outpace a spatial maze reality that folds back in on itself ad infinitum, which even Dr. Eggman knew could not hold Sonic for long.^[165][166] Sonic can also use the Boost to not only increase his speed but also barge through obstacles in his path.^[121]

Sonic has demonstrated complete mastery of his speed at nearly any level. Not only can he run at a maximum tilt in straight lines, but also through sharp turns with full control over his momentum, and without recklessly crashing into unintended targets. To match his super speed, Sonic also has immense, though not quite limitless,^[163][124] stamina that allows him to run at high speed for days without rest.

Sonic is also a skilled acrobat with quick reflexes and reaction time to match. He is able to perform a variety of aerobatic moves and techniques, even while running.^[116] Despite his size, he also has great physical strength; he is able to easily fling Amy Rose and her Piko Piko Hammer several feet into the air singlehandedly,^[121] overpower Master Overlord's giant grip alongside Shadow} and Knuckles,^[167] and set off with enough power to bend thick metal armor.^[121] Sonic can also ascend hundreds of meters into the air with a single jump.^[121] He is also incredibly durable, being capable of taking a hit from an artillery shell and emerging from it without a scratch,^[161] as well as enduring several powerful blows from Zavok without any serious injuries.^[168]

Sonic possesses the ability to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds. With them, Sonic can give himself a boost in power.^[169] He is also a capable aerial pilot, able to properly pilot the Tornado at high speed, although he is not nearly as skilled as Tails.^[170]

Sonic's core offensive maneuver is the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Sonic can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed, and perform moves like the Spin Dash, Homing Attack and Rolling Combo, though the last one requires the aid of Tails.^[116][121]

Transformations

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Transformations

Super Sonic

Main article: Super Sonic

By harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic can enter a Super State, transforming him into Super Sonic. Easily his most used transformation, Super Sonic is one of Sonic's strongest forms. In this state, all of Sonic's abilities far surpass his normal ones. He is also able to fly and is nearly invulnerable.^[171] However, this transformation consumes a lot of energy, meaning it cannot be maintained for long.

Super Sonic 2

Main article: Super Sonic 2

By harnessing the power of the Cyber corruption at half its potential, Super Sonic can enter a superior state, transforming him into Super Sonic 2. Being a "successor" of Super Sonic, this form retains the same traits as it, except Super Sonic 2 gains a power and speed increase.

Color Powers

Main article: Color Power

By harnessing different variants of Hyper-go-on from Wisps, Sonic can use specific Color Powers to transform into a certain form, such as a drill, a laser or even a fireball, each one possessing its own unique abilities. So far, Sonic has been able to transform into the Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill, Blue Cube, Green Hover, Pink Spikes, Purple Frenzy, Violet Void, Orange Rocket, Red Burst, Indigo Asteroid, Magenta Rhythm, Crimson Eagle, Ivory Lightning, Gray Quake, Black Bomb, and Jade Ghost. However, these transformations require a steady supply of Hyper-go-on to be maintained.

Weaknesses

While not aquaphobic,^[172] Sonic is a very poor swimmer,^[86][4] and he is incapable of swimming properly.^{[173][22][174]} Furthermore, whilst underwater, Sonic's speed will be greatly decreased.^[173]

It has been stated that if Sonic does not sleep for eight hours during the night, it will spoil his running.^[175] In addition, he has trouble keeping his balance when coming to a sudden halt when running at high speed.

Because of Sonic's giant internal ego, he often banters and plays around with his enemies. This usually makes him underestimate his opponents and leave his guard down, as seen during his encounter with Infinite in Mystic Jungle during the War to Take Back the Planet and when he got trapped by Eggman onboard the Chaos Energy Cannon at the start of the Dark Gaia incident. Also, his impulsiveness and recklessness can often cause trouble, such as during the Lost Hex incident where he got rid of Eggman's Cacophonic Conch, which Eggman used to keep the Deadly Six in line, before listening to Tails' warnings about the conch.

Although well-versed in his own super speed, Sonic has trouble building up his speed in unfavorable environments, like in deep snows where it is hard to get traction or inside small rooms.^[176][126] Additionally, Sonic's stamina is not unlimited; if pushed to run often for several days on end with little to no sleep, Sonic's stamina can reach its limits, causing him to feel actual fatigue and exhaustion.^[163][124]

Relationships

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog/Relationships

In other media

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#In other media

Sonic Prime

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog/History and appearances (Sonic Prime)

After Sonic does a mistake that causes his reality to shatter, he must go on an adventure of redemption and self-discovery to save the friends he once took for granted. He quickly learns that these new worlds and its inhabitants are not as friendly as his usual friends, but that doesn't stop the energetic and charismatic hedgehog to try and befriend them. Sonic also needs to befriend his old rival Shadow once again, which proves to be a difficult task.

Paramount

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced by Paramount Pictures and its spin-offs, Sonic is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog from Mobius who was born with immense powers that are desired by many people. He lived with his parental figure, Longclaw, until he was forced to leave his home planet to go to planet Earth. He lived hidden from the society for ten years, until he was forced to leave his home again, since he was wanted by Dr. Robotnik. Trying to escape, Sonic hid in Tom Wachowski's garage, but is discovered and shot by a soothing dart from the police officer, causing him to lose his Rings, his only way to escape. Both had to recover the Rings and escape from the evil Robotnik, who wished to obtain Sonic's powers to conquer the world, but Sonic heroically defeats Robotnik and banishes him into the Mushroom Planet and resettled in Green Hills with the Wachowski family. Later, Sonic found himself in a race to recover the Master Emerald with his newfound partner Tails before it fell into the hands of Robotnik and Knuckles the Echidna. Later teaming up with Knuckles as well, Sonic managed to defeat Robotnik and began to swore to protect the Master Emerald with Tails and Knuckles while they resided with him and the Wachowskis.

IDW Publishing

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog/History and appearances (IDW)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, Sonic's past is the exact same as it is in the games, up until after the events of Sonic Forces. After the Eggman War, Sonic traveled the world to destroy the remaining Badniks, who had been left directionless following Dr. Eggman's disappearance. It later turns out that Eggman had lost his memory, and that Neo Metal Sonic had taken control of Eggman Empire. Together with his friends, Sonic defeated Metal Sonic, but let him go, convinced that without Eggman, he would be harmless. Sometime later, Sonic became infected with the Metal Virus, a Zombot-producing virus created by Eggman, who had his memories restored by Dr. Starline. In spite of the incoming pandemic, Sonic managed to cure himself and save the world from the Deadly Six's attempt to use the Zombot hordes to destroy the world, but he had to join forces with his enemies to succeed. In the aftermath, Sonic went missing for a while by accidentally ending up in Blaze's dimension. However, he returned in time to save his friends from Eggman. Over the next period, Sonic would clash with Dr. Starline, Eggman, and the Deadly Six.

Reception and legacy

As Sega's mascot and one of the key reasons for the company's success during the 16-bit era of consoles, Sonic is one of the most recognizable video game characters in the world. In 1996, Sonic was the first video game character to be seen in a Rose Parade. Sonic is also the first video game character to have a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Sonic was one of the three game characters inducted on the inaugural Walk of Game class in 2005, along with his Nintendo rivals Mario and Link.^[177] One of a class of genes involved in fruit fly embryonic development, called hedgehog genes, has been named "Sonic hedgehog" after the character.^[178]

Sonic has been acknowledged as, undoubtedly, the most recognizable and famous character in the Sonic the Hedgehog series according to an official popularity poll.^[179] As Sega's mascot, Sonic has also been used as a symbol for the company's various sponsorships. Between 1993 and 1997, Sega sponsored the JEF United Ichihara Chiba football team, during which period Sonic appeared in the team's uniform. During the 1993 Formula One championship, Sega sponsored the Williams Grand Prix team, which won the Constructors' Championship that year, as well as the team's lead driver, Alain Prost, winning the Drivers' Championship. Sonic was featured in the cars, helmets, and rival McLaren used to paint pictures of a squashed hedgehog after winning races over Williams.^[180] The 1993 European Grand Prix featured a Sonic balloon and Sonic billboards, and the race's trophy was in the shape of a hedgehog. Sonic also appears on some versions of the willow video store logo.^[181]

In 2008, Sonic was voted the most popular video game character in the UK with a 24% vote.^[182] His old rival, Mario, came second with 21% of the vote.^[182]

Quotes

For more quotes, see Sonic the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Quotes

Trivia

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Trivia

Gallery

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog/Gallery

Sonic Dream Team, model sheet. Art by Tyson Hesse.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

Sonic Adventure

Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Mania

Sonic Channel, June 2024. Art by Yui Karasuno.

Notes

References

External links

• Sonic the Hedgehog's profile on Sonic Channel
• Sonic the Hedgehog (character) at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Sonic the Hedgehog on Sonic Retro

Sonic the Hedgehog characters

• Heroes
• Antiheroes
• Villains
• Miscellaneous
• Groups

Sonic the Hedgehog

Miles "Tails" Prower

Knuckles the Echidna

Amy Rose

Vector the Crocodile

Espio the Chameleon

Charmy Bee

Big the Cat

Cream the Rabbit

Cheese

Blaze the Cat

Silver the Hedgehog

Mighty the Armadillo

Ray the Flying Squirrel

Trip the Sungazer

E-102 Gamma

Tikal

Omochao

Vanilla the Rabbit

Chocola

Emerl

Gemerl

Princess Elise

Shahra

Marine the Raccoon

Chip

Caliburn

Sir Lancelot

Sir Gawain

Sir Percival

Yacker

Mother Wisp

Sticks the Badger

Avatar

Barry the Quokka

Ariem

Shadow the Hedgehog

Rouge the Bat

E-123 Omega

Chaos

Chaos Gamma

Commander Abraham Tower

Jet the Hawk

Wave the Swallow

Storm the Albatross

Bean the Dynamite

Bark the Polar Bear

Merlina the Wizard

Shade the Echidna

Dr. Eggman

Metal Sonic

Orbot

Cubot

Silver Sonic

Mecha Sonic

Mecha Sonic Mk. II

Eggrobo

Fang the Hunter

Witchcart

Carrottia

Hocke-Wulf

Bearanger

Great Battle Kukku

Battle Kukku XVI

Dr. Fukurokov

Tails Doll

Metal Knuckles

Pachacamac

E-101 Beta

E-103 Delta

E-104 Epsilon

E-105 Zeta

E-100 ZERO

King Boom Boo

Biolizard

Mecha Knuckles

Black Doom

Doom's Eye

Shadow Android

E-121 Phi

Guard Robo

Eggman Nega

E-10000R

Babylon Guardian

Mephiles the Dark

Iblis

Solaris

SCR-HD

Metal Sonic 3.0

Captain Whisker

Johnny

Mini & Mum

Ifrit

Imperator Ix

Erazor Djinn

Captain Bemoth

Dark Gaia

SA-55

King Arthur

Time Eater

Zavok

Zazz

Zomom

Master Zik

Zeena

Zor

Heavy King

Heavy Gunner

Heavy Shinobi

Heavy Magician

Heavy Rider

Jimmy

Infinite

The End

Mirage Express

Black Dragon

Metal Tails

Metal Trip

Metal Amy

Froggy

Gerald Robotnik

Maria Robotnik

President

Secretary

Breeze

Heavy the Robot

Bomb

Honey the Cat

Birdie

Lumina Flowlight

Void

Illumina

Tabby

Colonel

Kylok

Daikun

Gardon

Norman

Professor Pickle

Su

Uh

King Shahryar

Ali Baba

Sinbad the Sailor

Nimue

Blacksmith

Sir Galahad

Sir Lamorak

Dodon Pa

Fox Bullies

Sage

Giganto

Wyvern

Knight

Supreme

Crane

Dragon

Snake

Tiger

Master King

Elder

Conductor

Conductor's wife

Professor Victoria

Team Sonic

Team Dark

Team Rose

Team Chaotix

Animals

Flicky

Pocky

Ricky

Rocky

Cucky

Picky

Pecky

Badnik

Master Robots

Eggman Empire

Chao

Chaotix Detective Agency

Knuckles Clan

E-Series

E-100 Series

Guardian Units of Nations

Beetle Series

Hawk Series

Hornet Series

Hunter Series

Rhino Series

Artificial Chaos

Pawn Series

Black Arms

Juggler Series

HEXAeco

Battle Kukku Empire

Babylon Rogues

MeteorTech

Coconut Crew

Djinn

Townsperson

Knights of the Round Table

Knights of the Underworld

Nocturnus Clan

Gizoid

Kron

N'rrgal

Voxai

Zoah

Humans

Gaia Temple guardians

Egg Fighter Series

Dark Gaia's Minions

Wisp

Deadly Six

Hard Boiled Heavies

Phantom Heavies

Jackal Squad

Eggman Army

Phantom Copy

Resistance

Team Vector

Team Eggman

Ancients

Koco

Elder Koco

Hermit Koco

Guardians

Titans

Defensive weapons

Master Koco

Metal Fighter