Sonic the Hedgehog (character)

Sonic first made a cameo appearance in the arcade game Rad Mobile (1990) before starring in Sonic the Hedgehog, a platform game for the Sega Genesis, in 1991. Sega sought a mascot character to compete with Nintendo's Mario, and Ohshima designed Sonic based on a prototype programmed by Naka. Sonic's design was influenced by a variety of sources, including Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse, Michael Jackson, and Santa Claus; his pigmentation was chosen to match Sega's cobalt blue logo. Sonic was redesigned by Yuji Uekawa for Sonic Adventure (1998) to suit the franchise's transition to 3D computer graphics, with a more mature look designed to appeal to older players. Jun'ichi Kanemaru voices Sonic in Japan, while his English voice has been provided by Ryan Drummond, Jason Griffith, and Roger Craig Smith.


Sonic media characterizes Sonic as an impatient, snarky drifter and daredevil who despises injustice. He battles Eggman, a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Chaos Emeralds and take over the world. Sonic can curl into a ball to attack enemies and use the Chaos Emeralds to become invulnerable. He has appeared in over 100 video games, in addition to guest appearances in other Sega franchises and in crossover games such as Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series. He has been featured in comics, animations, and films, including a live-action film franchise distributed by Paramount Pictures in which he is voiced by Ben Schwartz.


An established pop culture icon, Sonic is widely considered one of the most famous video game characters in history. His popularity inspired a wave of imitators, and his likeness has been featured in merchandise and Sega sponsorships. The Sonic series is one of the bestselling video game franchises and one of the key reasons for Sega's success during the 16-bit era in the 1990s.

Characteristics

According to various official materials from Sega, Sonic is described as a character who is "like the wind":^[65] a drifter who lives as he wants,^[66] and makes life a series of events and adventures.^[67] Sonic hates oppression and staunchly defends freedom.^[68] Although he is mostly quick-witted and easygoing,^[66] he has a short temper^[66] and is often impatient with slower things.^[65] Sonic is a habitual daredevil hedgehog who is honest, loyal to friends, keeps his promises,^[67] and dislikes tears.^[69] He took the young Tails under his wing like a little brother,^[70] and is uninterested in marital proposals from Amy Rose.^[71] In times of crisis, he focuses intensely on the challenge^[65] as if his personality had undergone an astonishing change.^[67]


Sonic's greatest strength is his running speed, being known in the game's universe as the world's fastest hedgehog.^[68] Many of his abilities are variations on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection with the addition of spinning his body. Since his introduction in 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic's primary offensive maneuver is the basic "Spin Attack" (or "Sonic Spin Attack").^[72] Later games in the series expanded on this basic attack and two of these enhancements have become mainstays of his: the Spin Dash which was introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and involves Sonic spinning on the spot before blasting off at full speed,^[73] and the Homing Attack, officially introduced in Sonic Adventure, in which Sonic dashes toward a target in midair.^[68] Sonic's only weakness is that he cannot swim, sinking like a rock if plunged to a deep body of water.^[69] The reason for this is because Yuji Naka had a misunderstanding about hedgehogs not being able to swim.^[74] The only exception is that he can swim in the Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure Gamebooks.^[75] When the seven Chaos Emeralds are collected and used, Sonic transforms into "Super Sonic" (スーパーソニック), a faster, stronger and invulnerable version of himself that can fly.^[76] In Super Sonic form, Sonic's irises turn red and his body becomes golden.