The Unidasu^[1] (ウニダス^[2], Unidasu^?), is an enemy that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced sea urchin-based Badnik created by Dr. Eggman, as well as one of the primary Orbinaut models.

Appearance[]

As part of the sea urchin-like Orbinaut series, Unidasus resemble their other variations, such as Uni Uni. They have a spherical body with wide eyes and four red spiked balls orbiting their body. Usually, their body is blue when in their neutral state, but when spotting an enemy, their body turns red. They also usually have black eyes, but had cyan eyes in Sonic Lost World.

In Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, the Unidasus' bodies were colored black with cyan eyes. They were also given a grey bottom plate and small motors on their back. Orbiting them are four black explosive orbs with white spikes on them.

Game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

In the 16-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, the Unidasus (ウニダス^[2], Unidasu^?) appear in Labyrinth Zone and Scrap Brain Zone Act 3. In the case of the latter, they are normally found in the underwater sections where they are cramped inside narrow passages, thus obstructing the player's path.

In gameplay, the Unidasus hover around very slowly. They are orbited by four red spiked balls which they fling off in rapid succession upon being approached. It is a dangerous assault, but once it is done, the Unidasu is completely open to attack. Upon their destruction, they release an Animal.

In the 8-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, the Unidasus once again appear in Labyrinth Zone. In this version, they have a light blue body instead. That aside, they behave like their 16-bit counterparts. Like other Badniks in the game, they also do not have any Animals powering them.

Sonic Adventure[]

In Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, the Unidasu is referred to as the Spiky Spinner^[9] (ウニダス^[3][11], Unidasu^?, lit. "Unidus") and Unidus.^[12] In this game, they were given a slight redesign, making them look more mechanized. They appear in the following Action Stages for each character:

In gameplay, Spiky Spinners hover back and forth. They start attacking should the player get close enough and will use one of two attack patterns: they either throw their explosive spiked balls at the player or rotate their spiked balls over a wider radius for a sweeping attack. After losing their spiked balls, the Spiky Spinners will still follow the player, but are now wide open to attacks. When destroyed, they release a collectible Animal.

Sonic Adventure 2[]

In Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the Unidasu is named Unidus^[4] (ウニダス^[5], Unidasu^?). They feature the same design they had in Sonic Adventure. The Unidus appear in the following Action Stages for each character:

In gameplay, Unidus use their attack pattern from Sonic Adventure where they rotate their spiked balls over a wider radius for a sweeping attack. However, they will not launch their spiked balls at the player, similar to their Uni Uni relatives. Defeating an Unidus rewards the player with one hundred points and releases a collectible Animal inside it.

Sonic Rivals 2[]

In Sonic Rivals 2, the Unidus from Sonic Adventure 2 appears as a collectible card. Their card is collected by getting the high score in the boss duel for Neon Palace Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, the Unidasus (referred to here as Spike Spinners^[8]) appear in Lost Labyrinth Zone with a slightly upgraded design. Despite that, they have the same attack patterns from previous games. However, Unidasus' bodies are in this game constantly red instead of changing color when spotting Sonic.

Sonic Lost World[]

In the Wii U version, PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the Unidasus appear as enemies. During the games' events, the Deadly Six hijacked all of Dr. Eggman's Unidasus.

In the Wii U/PC version of the game, Unidasus can be found in Frozen Factory Zone 4 and Sky Road Zones 1, 4 and ?. They also retain their coloration change from blue to red when spotting the player. In the 2.5D side scrolling sections, Unidasus hover around while their spiked balls orbit them laterally. They are here often stacked with Uni Unis to create huge enemy walls. In the 3D sections of the game, their spikes orbit them horizontally instead. When noticing Sonic, their spiked balls freeze in their position and are launched laterally at the player one by one rather fast.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Unidasus appears only in the 3D sections of Sky Road Zone 2. Unlike the Wii U/PC version, Unidasus never fire their spiked balls or turn red when spotting the player, and instead hover around with their spiked balls like in Sonic Adventure 2. The player has to avoid hitting their spike balls by targeting their bodies from above.

When a Unidasu is destroyed in any of the versions of Sonic Lost World, it will release an Animal.

Powers and abilities[]

As an Orbinaut, Unidasus are capable of levitation. However, their main skill lies in their spiked balls which they can hold in orbit around them to act as both weapons and a shield. Alternatively, they can throw these spiked balls at enemies from a distance, albeit slowly. Unidasus are completely defenseless after throwing all of their spiked balls, however.

In most of their appearances, the Unidasu's spiked balls are thick obstacles, while in Sonic Adventure, their spiked balls are explosive and will explode after they come in contact with their targets.

In other media[]

Archie Comics[]

Main articles: Orbinaut (Archie) and Orbinaut (Pre-Super Genesis Wave)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Unidasus' name is never mentioned and are instead referred to as Orbinauts. They were among the first generation of Badniks produced by Dr. Robotnik. Over time though, the Orbinauts were rendered obsolete by more advanced robots and got decommissioned.

Following the events of Worlds Collide, the Orbinauts' history became nearly identical to that of their game counterparts.

IDW Publishing[]

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, during their escape from the Eggperial City, Sonic, Tails, and Belle were pursued by the Badnik Horde, with a Unidasu being among them.^[13]

Sonic the Hedgehog X Angry Birds[]

2 Unidasus appeared alongside various Badniks during Eggman's invasion of the Angry Birds World in the comic.

Trivia[]

• In 2013 re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit), by using the Debug Mode in Star Light Zone reveals Unidasu as an unused Badnik to be placed anywhere on the Zone. Their color palette is corrupt with yellow color scheme instead of red when they are about to fire their spiked balls.
• Inside the Sonic Heroes game's data, there are unused models of the Unidus from Sonic Adventure 2 (see image gallery on the right side). This leads to uncertain speculation of whether the Unidus would have actually appeared in the game.
• Unidasu's name is derived from uni and dasu, meaning "sea urchin" and "to send" in Japanese.

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic Adventure Sonic Adventure 2

Sprites[]

A mad Uni Uni as it can be placed around Star Light Zone by using the Debug Mode, from the 2013 re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit).

Models[]

Sonic Lost World

Screenshots[]

Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic Adventure Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I Sonic Lost World (Wii U) Sonic Lost World (Nintendo 3DS)

References[]