Editing Sonic the Hedgehog

:''For the universe, see [[Sonic the Hedgehog (universe)]]. For the smasher, see [[Smasher:Sonic]].''

|name           = Sonic the Hedgehog

|image         = [[File:Sonic.png|200px]]

|caption       = [[File:SonicSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]<br>Official artwork of Sonic from ''{{s|wikipedia|Sonic Forces}}''.

|universe       = {{uv|Sonic the Hedgehog}}

|firstgame     = ''{{s|wikipedia|Sonic the Hedgehog|1991 video game}}'' (1991)

|lastappearance = ''[[wikipedia:Shadow Generations|Sonic X Shadow Generations]]'' (2024)

|games         = ''[[Brawl]]''<br>''[[SSB4]]''<br>''[[Ultimate]]''

|console       = Sega Genesis

|species       = Hedgehog<!--Do not insert Mobian here. For non-canon Sonic continuities such as the Sonic Archie Comics and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, yes, for the canon video games themselves, no.-->

|gender       = Male

|homeworld     = [[wikipedia:Kiritimati|Christmas Island]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Страна Игр|edition=317|url=[https://retrocdn.net/images/6/64/Strana_Igr_RU_317.pdf ]|language=Russian|publisher=GameLand|pages=86|month=January|year=2011}}</ref>

|creator       = Naoto Ōshima<ref name=Oshima/><ref>[https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/315731/Sonic_the_Hedgehogs_origin_story_according_to_the_devs_who_made_him.php ''Sonic the Hedgehog''<nowiki/>'s origin story, according to the devs who made him]</ref>

|artist       = Naoto Ōshima<ref name=Oshima>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2017/07/04/sonic-mania-gets-some-lovely-new-artwork-from-naoto-ohshima/#20988c192a90 'Sonic Mania' Gets Some Lovely New Artwork From Naoto Ohshima]</ref> (Classic artwork)<br>Yuji Uekawa<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/4/17/15099400/how-sega-moved-sonic-from-2d-to-3d How Sega moved Sonic from 2D to 3D]</ref> (Modern artwork)

|japanactor   = {{s|wikipedia|Jun'ichi Kanemaru}}

|franceactor = {{s|wikipedia|Alexandre Gillet}}

|germanactor = Marc Stachel

|spainactor   = Jonatán López

|italyactor   = Renato Novara

|interwiki   = wikipedia

 

'''Sonic the Hedgehog''' ({{ja|ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ|Sonikku za Hejjihoggu}}, ''Sonic the Hedgehog'') is the titular protagonist of the {{uv|Sonic the Hedgehog}} franchise and the mascot of [[Sega]]. After making a cameo in 1990’s ''{{s|wikipedia|Rad Mobile}}'',<ref>[http://didyouknowgaming.com/post/27783610171/sonic-the-hedgehog-rad-mobile-submitted-by-dr Did You Know? Sonic the Hedgehog in ''Rad Mobile'']</ref> Sonic debuted a few months later in [[wikipedia:Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|his eponymous game]]. In addition to succeeding {{s|wikipedia|Alex Kidd}} as Sega's mascot, Sonic was also the company's attempt at rivaling [[Nintendo]]'s mascot, [[Mario]], during the [[wikipedia:Fourth generation of video game consoles|fourth]] and early [[wikipedia:Sixth generation of video game consoles|sixth generations of video games]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070715195921/http://uk.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_sonic/ The History of Sonic the Hedgehog]</ref>

Before the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', Sonic debuted in the arcade racing game ''Rad Mobile'' as an ornament hanging on the driver's rearview mirror. Self-described as "The Fastest Thing Alive", Sonic is confident, quick-witted, carefree and virtuous, yet he can also be impulsive, hot-headed, snarky, and cocky. He is also adventurous to the point that he hates being constrained. On a related note, Sonic's love of freedom is a primary reason behind his campaigns to stop subjugation of any kind, most notably the schemes concocted by his arch-nemesis, mad scientist Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.

 

Sonic's most defining feature is his speed, as it was his main gimmick and driving force during his inception. Sonic is constantly seen outrunning traditionally fast objects like cars and trucks, rockets, fighter jets and even time and space itself. This even applies to gameplay, with players often finding ways to glitch and sequence break several games by simply going fast enough. Aside from his speed, his main ability is to curl up into a ball and effectively make himself a projectile that can damage enemies. His most iconic method of achieving this state is the [[Spin Dash]], where Sonic curls up into a ball and spins around in place enough times to launch forward at high speeds. A variant of this technique called the Super Peel-Out exists, which has a similar effect except without curling into a ball. While Sonic initially could only jump and land on the heads of enemies, later games introduced the [[Homing Attack]], where Sonic will lock on to the closest enemy for a near guaranteed hit. Later games also introduced a boosting technique, where Sonic can further increase his speed by using a resource that varies depending on the game.

 

Sonic gathers golden rings for his primary source of health and energy. If he takes damage, the rings will fly out of him, the amount fluctuating depending on the game, and he has a few seconds to get them back before they disappear. Sonic also collects power-ups such as Power Sneakers that increase his speed further, various elemental shields that let him interact with the level in unique ways and allow him to take a hit without losing rings, invincible boxes that temporarily turn him invincible, several permanent power-ups that let him perform new techniques and access new areas, and wisps that temporarily change Sonic's abilities.

Sonic's most iconic power-ups are the seven [[Chaos Emeralds]], which appear in most games as either collectibles or plot devices. Sonic has been shown to know how to perform Chaos Control, which is using the energy of at least one emerald to warp the fabric of reality, usually resulting in time slowing to a crawl or stopping entirely. If Sonic collects all seven emeralds, he can transform into [[Super Sonic]], which grants him flight and invincibility so long as he has a sufficient number of rings.  

Initially, early Western profiles sometimes portrayed Sonic as being from the fictional planet Mobius. However, Japanese profiles (which Western territories would follow starting with ''{{s|wikipedia|Sonic Adventure}}'') and Yuji Naka, the former head of Sonic Team, have since stated that his birthplace is {{s|wikipedia|Kiritimati}} (also known as Christmas Island), one of the numerous atolls that comprise the real world sovereign state of {{s|wikipedia|Kiribati}}.

Although Sonic does not make any sort of appearance in ''Super Smash Bros.'', the game's Japanese website included his results from a poll to gauge interest for potential playable characters in a sequel.<ref>[http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/03/23/if-there-were-a-smash-2-poll/ If there was a Smash 2 Poll]</ref>

With the untimely demise of the {{s|wikipedia|Sega Dreamcast}} in early 2001, Sega was slated to become a strong supporter of the [[Nintendo GameCube]] by the time of its release. Because of this, Yuji Naka stated that Sonic was strongly considered to be playable in ''Melee'', but was ultimately not added due to time constraints.<ref>[[Media:YujiNakaInterview.jpg|Yuji Naka on the road - ''Edge Magazine'']]</ref> It was later revealed that both [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] and [[Masahiro Sakurai]] would have approved the idea of adding Sonic to ''Melee'' if there were no time constraints.<ref>[http://www.gamnesia.com/news/miyamoto-liked-the-idea-of-sonic-in-smash-bros.-way-back-in-2001#.VXzn9flVhBc Miyamoto Liked the Idea of Sonic in Smash Bros. Way Back in 2001]</ref>

[[List of rumors#Sonic and Tails hoax|An infamous hoax claimed that Sonic and Tails were unlockable in ''Melee'']]. Despite it being confirmed that the rumor wasn't true, the hoax still became well-known in both the ''Super Smash Bros.'' community and the wider world of gaming anyway. This rumor got to such notoriety that the US website for ''Melee'' had to notify players in its FAQ that Sonic and [[Knuckles]] (who was not the subject of a major rumor) do not appear in the game.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/2huph9/here_have_an_old_faq_from_the_original_smash_bros/#lightbox</ref>

According to Sakurai, he played a number of both classic and modern ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games in order to develop a basis for Sonic's appearance in ''Brawl''. He was primarily focused on the classic games and based him on their gameplay style as one-button games.<ref name=SourceGaming>[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2016/07/24/sonic-the-hedgehog-joins-the-battle/ Sonic the Hedgehog Joins the Battle!! - Source Gaming]</ref> Aesthetically, Sonic's design is from ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006) and ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' (the latter being the origin of the model), and his [[dash]]ing animation is his Super Peel Out from ''Sonic the Hedgehog CD''.<ref name=SourceGaming/> Mechanically, his moveset largely consists of his attacks from ''Sonic the Fighters'',<ref name=SourceGaming/> although two of his [[special move]]s are the [[Homing Attack]] from ''Sonic Adventure'' and the [[Spin Dash]] from ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''.<ref name=Dojo/>

Sonic's [[Final Smash]], [[Super Sonic]], functions almost identically to its appearances in his home series: he is rendered invincible and can fly, yet his transformation has a fairly short duration.<ref name=Dojo/> Possibly as a result of his last-minute inclusion, Sonic also appears very late in ''Brawl''{{'}}s [[Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary|The Subspace Emissary]]. Ultimately, he plays a pivotal role in the defeat of the mastermind behind the [[Subspace Army]], [[Tabuu]], during the final battle.

|image=Sonic the Hedgehog - Brawl Trophy.png

|desc-ntsc=The world's fastest hedgehog, who can run at supersonic speeds. Generally speaking, he loves being able to do what he wants and loathes being constrained. Holding still is something he would never consider. He's got a bit of an attitude but can't pass by someone in trouble. When he collects the seven Chaos Emeralds, he transforms into the mighty, gold Super Sonic.

|desc-pal=The world's fastest hedgehog, who can run at supersonic speeds. Generally speaking, he loves being able to do what he wants and loathes being constrained. Holding still is something he would never consider. He's got a bit of an attitude but can't pass by someone in trouble. When he collects the seven Chaos Emeralds, he transforms into the mighty, golden Super Sonic.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|game1=SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (1991)|console2=Wii|game2=Sonic and the Secret Rings}}

}}

! Fighter(s)

Sonic appears as a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', with his return being confirmed during a [[Nintendo Direct]] on October 1st, 2013.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8khWAH13fg Nintendo Direct 10.1.2013]</ref> Unlike in ''Brawl'', he is now a starter character, and his design is now based on his appearance as of ''{{s|wikipedia|Sonic Unleashed}}'', which in turn was based on the CGI models from ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006). This is further reflected by him now being voiced by Roger Craig Smith, who succeeded Jason Griffith in 2010. On a related note, Sonic is now fully voiced in Spanish, French, Italian, and German.

Thanks to his improvements and consistent tournament success at all levels of play, Sonic is ranked 7th out of 55. This places him in the A tier, which ties him with {{SSB4|Fox}} and posits him as a top tier character.

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{{main|List of SSB4 trophies (Sonic the Hedgehog series)}}

|desc-3ds-ntsc=The main star of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He's an easygoing hedgehog who blows past the competition with his speed. Seriously, on the ground he's faster than anyone else in Smash Bros. Use this to your advantage, avoiding blows while landing lightning-fast attacks.

|desc-wiiu-ntsc=The star of the Sonic The Hedgehog series. He's an easygoing hedgehog who blows past the competition with his speed. Seriously, on the ground he's faster than anyone else in Smash Bros. Use this to your advantage, avoiding blows while landing lightning-fast attacks.

|desc-pal=A certain hedgehog from a certain series you just might have heard of. Unlike most hedgehogs, he's incredibly fast. Like most hedgehogs, however, he can't swim. He's by far the fastest runner of all the fighters, so take advantage of that by making sure no one gets the chance to hit him. (Just try not to end up in the water.)

|gamelist={{Trophy games|game1=Sonic The Hedgehog|release1=06/1991|console2=WiiU|game2=Sonic Lost World|release2=10/2013}}

}}

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|name=Sonic (Alt.)

|image-3ds=SonicTheHedgehogAltTrophy3DS.png

|image-wiiu=SonicTheHedgehogAltTrophyWiiU.png

|desc-ntsc=Sonic's up special Spring Jump lets him reach great heights by jumping on a spring, becoming invincible for a moment. He can't use any other specials during the jump, but he can attack or dodge. This move's great for returning from a long launch. Other fighters can use the spring, though!

|gamelist={{Trophy games|game1=Sonic The Hedgehog|release1=06/1991|console2=WiiU|game2=Sonic Lost World|release2=10/2013}}

{{clrl}}

[[File:Sonic SSBU.png|thumb|Sonic, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

Sonic appears as a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', with his return being confirmed during Nintendo's E3 2018 presentation on June 12.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - E3 2018 - Nintendo Switch]</ref> Due to being the first character in {{SSBU|Mario}}'s {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} character unlock tree, Sonic can potentially be the first character unlocked in the game.

 

Sonic was nerfed slightly overall in the transition from ''SSB4'', with the changes he received demanding a more aggressive playstyle. Most notably, [[Spin Dash]] and [[Spin Charge]] can no longer [[cross-up]] shields or be charged indefinitely, with Spin Dash also losing its ability to be shield-canceled. As a result, both moves have become noticeably less effective as both neutral and camping options. Up aerial's angle and knockback adjustments have worsened its hits' consistency when Sonic is ascending, as well as its KO potential. However, it remains a useful combo starter when [[SHFF]]'d, thanks to its noticeably lower landing lag and the retention of its excellent auto-cancel window.

Despite these nerfs, Sonic received some noticeable buffs. [[Homing Attack]] is faster and more controllable, giving it greater combo potential and neutral utility. Adjustments to Spin Charge's angles, knockback, hitlag and SDI have improved its consistency significantly, while [[Spring Jump]] is even more useful for recovering thanks to it regaining the vertical height it had in ''Brawl''. Most of Sonic's standard attacks have also been strengthened or boast greater utility. Sonic has also been indirectly buffed by gameplay changes: he benefits from the expansion of [[dash-canceling]]'s utility more so than the rest of the cast because of his unrivaled dashing speed, and the reintroduction of directional air dodging allows him to extend his already impressive recovery.

*Sonic has made the most ''Super Smash Bros.'' appearances out of any third-party fighter that has been playable in the series, having appeared in all games since his debut in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''.

*Sonic is the only third-party fighter to undergo a redesign between games. He uses a modified version of his model from ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'', with much more detailed textures that have the colored shading of Yuji Uekawa's artwork, in ''Brawl''. From ''SSB4'' onwards, his design is his standard look as of ''Sonic Unleashed'' (previously used in pre-rendered cutscenes and promotional renders from other ''Sonic'' games) with elements from the Classic and Uekawa designs. ''Wii U'' uses a new model designed to fit the ''Brawl'' model's animation rig, while ''3DS'' reuses the ''Brawl'' model with some modifications to better resemble the ''Wii U'' model. ''Ultimate'' uses a heavily remodeled version of the ''Wii U'' model. The ''3DS'' model oddly enough retains the Uekawa-esque shading of the ''Brawl'' model that is gone from the models in ''Wii U'' and ''Ultimate''.

**Additionally, he is the only third-party fighter to have their voice actor changed between installments, switching from Jason Griffith to Roger Craig Smith in ''SSB4''. However a few of Griffith's voice clips, such as Sonic's snoring and water surfacing sound, are still used in ''SSB4'' and ''Ultimate''.

*Although he is unable to do so in his home series, Sonic can [[swim]] in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. However, to reflect his adverse mobility in water in his home series, his very frantic swimming style makes him among the slowest swimmers in the series. In ''Ultimate'', this trait is further accentuated, as Sonic receives damage while swimming.

*Sonic is the only fighter who debuted on a [[Sega]] console.

*Sonic, [[Mewtwo]], [[Joker]] and [[Terry Bogard]] are the only fighters to have more than one reveal trailer.

**Of those four, he is the only one who was not DLC at the time, and whose trailers contained actual gameplay (the latter three only had gameplay in their second trailer), were for two separate installments (being ''Brawl'' and ''SSB4''), and did not have splash art.

**Furthermore, in the case of ''SSB4'', he was the first veteran in the series to have a dedicated reveal trailer, followed by {{SSB4|Mewtwo}}, {{SSB4|Lucas}} and {{SSB4|Roy}}. Of those four, he is the only one who is not DLC and whose trailer lacked both splash art and a tagline.

*Sonic and [[Wii Fit Trainer]] are the only two non-''Pokémon'' fighters to have a voice actor for the French, Spanish, German, and Italian versions of ''SSB4'' and ''Ultimate''.

**On a related note, he was only voiced in English and Japanese in ''Brawl'', making him the only fighter to start out voiced in two languages for their first ''Super Smash Bros.'' appearance, and then be voiced in more languages in their subsequent appearance.

[[Category:Third-party characters]]