Sonic (SSB4)

Sonic in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Sonic the Hedgehog
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Super Sonic

Sonic (ソニック, Sonic) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return from Brawl was announced during the Nintendo Direct on October 1st, 2013, in celebration of Sonic Lost World being released in the same month. Sonic is one of the four third-party characters in the game, along with Capcom's Mega Man and Ryu and Bandai Namco's Pac-Man, was the second third-party character to be revealed in the game, and is the first non-Nintendo veteran in the series.

In the English version, Sonic uses Roger Craig Smith's voice clips from games such as Sonic Generations, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, reflecting his voice actor change in 2010 from Jason Griffith, who had previously voiced Sonic since 2005. Sonic also has alternate voices for the French, Spanish, German, and Italian languages, as Sonic games from Generations onward were dubbed into those languages. The Japanese game simply reuses Jun'ichi Kanemaru's recordings from Brawl.

Attributes

Sonic, true to his name, is the fastest character in SSB4. He possesses the fastest dashing speed, among some of the fastest walking and aerial speeds, and very fast rolls. Like Greninja, Sonic fits the "hit-and-run" archetype, but focuses more closely on close-range combat due to lacking a campable projectile like Greninja. As a result of his lightning-fast speed, Sonic can allow quick pressure on an opponent in order for him to dash in at the correct time and punish them accordingly through his amazing poking tools, throw-initiated combos, strong aerial finishers, and/or slow gimps through the use of his effective special moves.

Sonic's KOing power has significantly improved from Brawl, with most of his attacks dealing much more knockback, especially his throws and smash attacks (although his back throw was significantly nerfed in update 1.0.6 and his up smash also underwent a major nerf in update 1.0.8). His back and up air attacks are also rather deadly KOing moves, and can be used directly after an up throw for a powerful KO string. In addition to their improved knockback, Sonic's throws also have utility for different situations. His down throw is capable of tech-chasing into his dash attack, Spin Dash or Spin Charge, his up throw can lead into aerial juggles, and his back throw and forward throw are viable KOing options at high percents. His grab game is further complimented by his speed, which allows him to tech-chase into follow-ups with ease.

Sonic is one of the hardest characters in the game to gimp and punish. This is courtesy of many of his attacks being lagless, his ability to wall jump, and Spring Jump granting him tremendous vertical recovery, invincibility during the jump's ascent and the ability to attack out of his recovery. His Spin Dash and Spin Charge can also function as potential recovery options when combined with his Spin Shot technique to safely return to the stage's edge while bypassing the effects of projectile campers. As a result, these traits grant Sonic decent survivability despite his status as a middleweight.

Sonic's defense is also capable due to him having one of the best shield games in SSB4 due to the multiple ways he can go into it, which also grants him good mind reading and punishment options. Spin Dash can be shield cancelled from the ground and Sonic can still jump while charging it. These techniques set up for potential mix-ups and allow Sonic to trick his opponents, causing them to make hasty moves, something Sonic can capitalize on.

Sonic also has many beneficial custom moves. Stomp can meteor smash opponents, which further helps his edge-guarding game. Hammer Spin Dash can bury opponents that are too close upon initiation, allowing follow-ups Spin Dash would not permit. Burning Spin Dash deals almost twice the damage, and the shorter hops leave Sonic less vulnerable after landing a hit. Auto-Spin Charge, other than having a more convenient charging method, has a deceptive charging animation that does not reveal when the move actually starts losing power. Lastly, Gravitational Charge has a suction effect in front of Sonic, enabling him to hit opponents easier than before. It also pushes them away if they end up behind Sonic, preventing immediate follow-ups against him.

However, despite excelling in many ways, Sonic still has flaws. One weakness he has is a vulnerability to camping due to Spring Jump, his only projectile, being completely ineffective offensively outside of edge-guarding. Furthermore, despite having among the best frame data in SSB4, some of his KOing options are rather laggy, such as his forward smash and back aerial. This results in Sonic having some trouble KOing small and/or other fastcharacters such as Pikachu without said KOing move being the end of a combo. Also, while Sonic has among the longest distance recoveries in SSB4, his options outside of Spring Jump are somewhat predictable and punishable. Despite this, Sonic's strengths have been considered more than enough to compensate for his setbacks. In tournaments, he has had significant representation and great results, with one of the most notable outcomes being Seagull Joe's victory over ZeRo at The Big House 5.

Changes from Brawl

Sonic has been buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, and many of the flaws that nearly crippled him in Brawl have been addressed. Several of his attacks have been given more knockback, and his KOing power has drastically improved. Also, many of his less effective and situational moves from Brawl (which were most of his attacks outside of his special moves) have been buffed to possess more utility by either being capable of comboing into other attacks or KOing outright.

However, Sonic also also received some nerfs. His overall recovery was slightly nerfed, as some of his options are either not as reliable as before (such as Homing Attack) or they travel a shorter distance (such as Spring Jump). Additionally, the game updates have nerfed his combo and his KOing games. Overall, Sonic is much more viable than he was in Brawl nonetheless.

Aesthetics

• Sonic's appearance has been slightly altered to match his appearances in recent Sonic the Hedgehog games that use the Hedgehog Engine, such as Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Generations, and the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World. This includes his facial expressions now showing his mouth being placed more to the side of his muzzle rather than right below his nose, although its placement reverting to being under his nose can be seen in his losing animation and one of his winning animations in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• Sonic's front now faces the foreground more on either side.
• Attacks which involve spinning emit a lower-pitched sound effect, similar to that heard in Sonic Lost World.
• Some of Sonic's attacks produce more visualized lighting effects.

Attributes

• Sonic's walks slower (1.4 → 1.375).
• Sonic's air speed is faster (1.1092 → 1.15).
• Sonic's traction is lower (0.07 → 0.06).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack combo deals 1% more damage (7% → 8%).
• Dash attack is now a multiple hit attack that ends with a rolling flying kick, giving it better utility overall.
• Forward tilt has more base knockback (10 → 30).
• Up tilt deals 6% less damage (14% → 8%).
• Down tilt knocks opponents forward instead of up, reducing follow-ups.
• Forward smash has increased knockback growth (98 → 101).
• Forward smash has more ending lag.
• Up smash's last hit has more knockback (70 base/153 growth → 80 base/165 growth) and it is also much harder to SDI out of.
• The removal of DACUS makes his up smash easier to connect against opponents.
• Sonic has a new down smash, a split kick similar to Fox's and Falco's.
• Down smash has become much faster while also being a semi-spike.
• Down smash's front hit has less knockback (40 base/100 growth → 55 base/63 growth).
• Down smash's back hit has more base knockback but less growth, making it around the same strength (40 base/90 growth → 50 base/80 growth).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial deals 1% more damage (11% → 12%).
• Neutral aerial sends opponents an a more upward angle (75°), which gives it more combo potential.
• Neutral aerial now emits bluish aura around it for the duration of the move, similar to the Insta-Shield from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
• Forward aerial's last hit has more knockback growth (120 → 135).
• Forward aerial deals 7% less damage (14% → 7%) and has more ending lag.
• Back aerial deals 1% more damage (13% → 14%) and is stronger.
• Back aerial has much more landing lag (9 frames → 30 frames).
• Down aerial is now a meteor smash if sweetspotted.
• Down aerial has significantly decreased landing lag.

Grabs and throws

• Pummel deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%).
• All throws deal less damage (9% → 7% (forward throw), 8% → 7% (back throw), 12% → 6% (up throw), 8% → 7% (down throw)).
• Up throw's knockback has been increased (? base/? growth → 92 base/80 growth), making it difficult to follow-up into aerial attacks.
• Forward throw has much higher base knockback (60 → 100) and can KO around 160%.
• Back throw has more knockback growth (60 → 79) and can KO around 140% near the edge.
• Down throw is slightly stronger, no longer has set knockback, and sends foes at a lower trajectory if used standing on an edge, improving its already strong edge-guarding capability.

Special moves

• Homing Attack has less start-up lag, deals more damage, and has higher knockback scaling (80 → 90).
• Homing Attack can only be used once without standing on the ground again, nerfing one of his great recovery options. A missed Homing Attack sends Sonic further than it did in Brawl, making it less safe to use off-stage.
• Spring Jump's spring now lingers on after it hits a foe, and he can now use it again after being grabbed midair.
• Spring Jump travels slightly less vertical distance.
• Sonic can now sweetspot the ledge after some time after using Spring Jump, making it a safer recovery.
• After landing on a grounded spring, Sonic can use Spring Jump again.
• Spin Dash and Spin Charge combo into other attacks more easily.
• The short hop of Spin Dash is much quicker.
• The quicker short hop of Spin Dash makes the move less safe in terms of recovering.
• Spin Dash's rolling and jumping hitboxes deal less damage.
• Sonic can now keep holding Spin Dash while jumping. However, he cannot release a charged Spin Dash while in midair.
• Spin Dash now appears to have the same flashing charge animation that Spin Charge uses.
• Super Sonic is much weaker, having less overall damage potential (49% → 35%) and knockback.

Update history

Sonic was overall slightly nerfed in game updates so far, most notably to his KOing game. Update 1.0.6 severely reduced the knockback of his back throw, which was one his most potent KOing options, as well as slightly toning down his damage racking ability by weakening Spin Dash's rolling and jumping hitboxes. Update 1.0.4 increased the ending lag of his forward smash, update 1.1.0 decreased the knockback scaling of his forward smash, and update 1.0.8 nerfed the KOing power of his up smash. However, Sonic has also received some useful buffs as well. In 1.0.6, his down aerial ends sooner and is easier to avoid self-destructing with. He also benefits heavily from the changes to shield mechanics due to the multi-hit nature of most of his moves, most notably Spin Dash. Overall, while these changes slightly nerfed Sonic's KOing potential, damage racking ability and combo game, none of them are enough to mitigate his viability, as many players have shown that Sonic is still a very capable character.

1.0.4

• Spring Jump can now be re-used if Sonic is grabbed in midair after using it.
• Forward smash's ending lag increased.

1.0.6

• Back throw's knockback decreased, weakening one of Sonic's most viable KOing options.
• Spin Dash's rolling and jumping hitboxes deal 3% less damage: 10% → 7% and 6% → 3% respectively. This results in a full Spin Dash combo dealing 6% less damage overall.
• Burning Spin Dash's invincibility decreased.
• Spring Jump can no longer be Pocketed by Villager.
• Homing Attack will only target characters. Previously, it could target Luma or the can used in Duck Hunt's Trick Shot.

1.0.8

• Up smash KOs 10% later.
• Down aerial ends sooner, making it harder to self-destruct with.

1.1.0

• Forward smash's knockback scaling decreased: 106 → 101.
• Forward smash has different SFX.

1.1.1

• Floor attack's shield damage increased: 1 → 10.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two punches followed by a side kick. Nicknamed the "Punch Punch Kick" (PPK) by fans.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			4% (first hit), 7% (second hit)	A back kick that resembles the baby freeze, a variation of the freeze breakdancing move. It hits twice and can be angled. Can be used to tech-chase. Originates from Sonic the Fighters.
Up tilt			2% (first hit), 6% (second hit)	A butterfly kick that hits twice, similar to Captain Falcon's up smash.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	6%	A spinning legsweep that can trip opponents. If used repeatedly, it will slowly move him forward. Originates from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
Dash attack			6%	Spin Dashes forward, which hits multiple times and ends in a rolling flying kick. Has high priority.
Forward smash			14%	Winds up his fist and then throws a punch forwards. Can be angled. Originates from Sonic the Fighters. Heavy endlag makes it punishable.
Up smash			5% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-7), 3% (hit 8)	A jumping Spin Dash that hits multiple times. Has relatively high base knockback, but very poor knockback scaling, even at mid-lower %'s.
Down smash			12%	A split kick that attacks on either side, similar to Fox and Falco's down smash. A semi-spike. Has a very fast start up, but lots of ending lag. Poor KO potential.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	12% (clean), 8% (late)	Curls up into a ball and moves in several circles. This attack highly resembles the Insta-Shield, a simultaneously offensive and defensive technique that debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	7%	Spins in a horizontal corkscrew to perform a drilling headbutt. Functions similarly to Falco's forward aerial.
Back aerial			14% (clean), 10% (late)	A back kick with high knockback. Useful for edge-guarding and one of Sonic's most viable KOing options.
Up aerial			3% (first hit), 6% (second hit)	A scissors kick. Its considerably large auto-canceling window makes it a safe and reliable move.
Down aerial			8% (clean), 7% (late)	A diagonal flying kick. It is a stall-then-fall that can meteor smash.
Grab			—	Sonic's grab range is relatively below average.
Pummel			2%	Knee strikes the opponent.
Forward throw			7%	Stretch kicks the opponent diagonally upward. A viable KOing option around 160%. Can combo into up aerial juggles, but it can be heavily DI'ed backwards.
Back throw			7%	Performs a high speed multi-flip version of the tomoe nage, a Judo throw. Prior to update 1.0.6, it was one of Sonic's most viable KOing options and one of the strongest back throws in the game. It still has viable KOing potential, despite the major nerf to its knockback.
Up throw			6%	Throws the opponent up and sharpens his quills to stab the opponent. Can be reliably followed up with any aerial attack.
Down throw			7%	Pins the enemy down, then Spin Dashes into them. Great for tech-chasing.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Performs a Spin Dash sweep.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	A legsweep.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Sonic spin kicks all around himself.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Sonic gets up onto the stage with a Spin Dash. This attack resembles his cliffhanger flip attack from Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball.
Neutral special	Default	Homing Attack	6-12%	Curls up into a spiky ball while ascending, aims for the nearest target, and then crashes into them.
	Custom 1	Stomp	5%	Instead of moving towards a target, Sonic dives straight down, meteor smashing the opponent. Based on the attack of the same name that debuted in Sonic Unleashed.
	Custom 2	Surprise Attack	8%	A faster variant of Homing Attack, albeit with less power and range, as well as more ending lag.
Side special	Default	Spin Dash	5-7%	Curls up into a spiky ball, performs a short hop, then starts rolling towards the opponent at high speed. Easily combos into one of his aerial attacks.
	Custom 1	Hammer Spin Dash	7% (first hit), 5% (second hit), 3% (late)	Has a larger hop at the beginning, with the descending part of the arc capable of burying an opponent.
	Custom 2	Burning Spin Dash	12% (first hit), 7% (second hit)	The hop is non-existent, but it deals more damage due to Sonic being engulfed in flames. Hops from out of the move are shorter.
Up special	Default	Spring Jump	4%	Pulls out a spring from the Sonic the Hedgehog games and uses it to leap into the air. It can also be used as a somewhat helpful projectile to gimp off-stage opponents that are underneath him.
	Custom 1	Double Spring	2% (first hit), 2% (second hit)	Can pull out two springs, but grants much less distance overall.
	Custom 2	Springing Headbutt	3% (grounded), 7% (air late hit) 1% (air early hit)	Slightly shorter distance and the spring does not stay behind, but it has the added ability to hit opponents on the way up. This move deals the most damage if Sonic hits the opponent at the end of this move instead of at the start.
Down special	Default	Spin Charge	2% for each hit	Works like Spin Dash, except there is no hop, and the player must repeatedly press the special button in order to charge it.
	Custom 1	Auto-Spin Charge	2% for each hit	Removes the need to repeatedly press the special button in order to charge.
	Custom 2	Gravitational Charge	2% for each hit	Pulls opponents in front of Sonic towards him and pushes opponents behind Sonic away from him.
Final Smash		Super Sonic	5%, 6%, 7%, 8% (slow), 9%, 10%, 11% (moderate), 14%, 16% (fast)	Transforms into Super Sonic from the Sonic the Hedgehog games. The player can use the Circle Pad or other movement buttons to make him fly in any direction they choose and invincibly ram foes, although he turns back to normal faster if he is hit.

Taunts

• SonicUpTauntSSB4.jpg
• SonicSideTauntSSB4.jpg
• SonicDownTauntSSB4.jpg

• Up Taunt: Does a somersault, then crosses arms with his index finger pointing out while making a teasing clicking sound, which forms into one of his signature poses.
• Side Taunt: Does his signature figure eight peelout dash while saying "Sonic Speed!" (遅すぎだぜ！, You're too slow!).
• Down Taunt: Says "C'mon!" both in English and Japanese while performing the windmill, a breakdancing move.

On-Screen Appearance

Sonic enters the stage in ball form from the foreground and gives a thumbs-up.

Idle Poses

• Turns towards the player, waving his finger in a patronizing manner while grinning. He did this on the title screen for a few of his games.
• Looks at the camera for a moment while tapping his foot impatiently. This is similar to his idle animation from the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Sega Genesis.

Victory Fanfare

The origin of this theme is from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), which itself is an orchestrated remix of the tune that plays when Sonic passed an Act in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This is the only victory theme to be ripped directly from the original game.

Victory Poses

• SonicPose1WiiU.png
• SonicPose2WiiU.png
• SonicPose3WiiU.png

• Collects the blue Chaos Emerald and poses with it while saying "Piece of cake!".
• Sprints off-screen then sprints back on-screen before giving a thumbs up and saying "That was almost too easy!".
• He breakdances and then does a pose with his fist, saying "Let's do that again sometime!".

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Sonic	1213	1211	1313	1311	1113
	1321	2213	3213	1223	1331

Notable players

•  6WX
•  Espy
•  Kai
•  KEN
•  Komorikiri
•  Mocha
•  Octo
•  Seagull Joe
•  StaticManny
•  Wonf

Trailer

<youtube>T7w5XUPHFoY</youtube>

Trophies

Sonic

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.

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.)

Sonic the Hedgehog (06/1991)

: Sonic Lost World (10/2013)

Sonic (Alt.)

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!

Sonic's Spring Jump up special lets you bounce to great heights and briefly makes you invincible at the start. You can't use other specials while in the air, but you can use normal attacks, dodge and so on. It's great for getting both back to the stage and out of tough spots, but just remember that everyone else can use the spring too!

Sonic the Hedgehog (06/1991)

: Sonic Lost World (10/2013)

Super Sonic

The Chaos Emeralds are said to hold enough power to control the whole world. It's that power that turns Sonic into Super Sonic. He turns a glorious golden color and can fly at nearly the speed of light. In his Final Smash, this high-speed flight damages anyone who gets in its way and can even launch them!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Super Sonic

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Secret: Sonic is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are characters that have been unlockable in previous Super Smash Bros. games.
• The FINAL Final Battle: The player must defeat Sonic, alongside Mario, Pac-Man, and Mega Man.
• Up to Speed: Sonic must defeat Fox, Falco, and Captain Falcon in a high-speed 1 stock battle.

Co-op Events

• Full Speed Ahead: Sonic and Captain Falcon must defeat another Sonic and Captain Falcon in a high-speed stock battle.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Sonic in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

• 

  Sonic's amiibo.

• 

  Sonic's confirmation image on the official site.

• 

  Sonic blocking Mario's punch with his palm.

• 

  Sonic using his side taunt (Super Peel-Out).

• 

  Sonic preparing to dodge Mega Man's attack.

• 

  One of Sonic's landing animations.

• 

  Sonic using his Homing Attack, damaging both Pit and Fox at once.

• 

  Sonic in mid-air.

• 

  Dodging Samus' aerial by using an air dodge.

• 

  Dashing.

• 

  Homing Attack on Luigi.

• 

  Sonic's up taunt in the 3DS version.

• 

  Sonic's forward air.

• 

  Spin Dash.

• 

  Spin Charge.

• 

  Spring Jump.

• 

  Sonic using his back aerial.

• SonicDownAerial.png

  Down aerial

• 

  Sonic and Mega Man using Spring Jump and Rush respectively.

• 

  Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man on Battlefield.

• 

  Sonic jabs his foot into Bowser's stomach.

• 

  Mario's Fireball colliding with Sonic's neutral attack.

• 

  Sonic using a Homing Attack on Bowser.

• 

  Sonic's idle pose.

• 

  Sonic's neutral attack (third hit).

• 

  Sonic's down aerial in the 3DS version.

• 

  Sonic and Wii Fit Trainer running at a Soccer Ball with Mega Man watching.

• 

  Sonic hitting Pit with the Ore Club while fighting in Palutena's Temple.

• 

  Sonic performing his down aerial on Marth, meteor smashing him.

• ChargingSpinDash.gif

  Sonic charging his spin dash; note the flashing animation.

Trivia

Sonic's double mouth bug

• Sonic dashes so fast that if one were to customize Sonic with all speed-based equipment, then combine that with a Bunny Hood and Superspicy Curry, he can outrun the Spirit Train.
  • Additionally, an unedited Sonic with Superspicy Curry runs at the exact same speed as the water slide in the Flood Chamber of the Kalos Pokémon League stage, causing him to run in place.
• Sonic is the only third party character in the series to be present in more than one game, as well as the only one to be dubbed into languages other than Japanese and English.
• Despite having existing 8-bit sprites from the Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Master System and Game Gear, Pac-Man and Duck Hunt's newcomer posters depict Sonic using 16-bit sprites from the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, there is a bug where Sonic has two mouths instead of one when rolling backwards or forwards. The glitch does not appear in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • This is slightly reminiscent of a strikingly similar bug that Super Sonic had in Sonic Lost World.
• In non-Japanese versions of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (since the 3DS version has no swimming), Sonic uses his reused voice clip from Super Smash Bros. Brawl when he is in the water.
  • This results in his voice reverting to the one used by his previous voice actor, Jason Griffith, as well as being one of three re-used voice clips of him in SSB4 (the others used when Sonic is asleep and his up taunt).
• Sonic is the only character to have a victory theme taken directly from another game, which is Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, when Sonic does his "Piece of cake!" victory animation, a part of his muzzle strangely goes up touching his eye and then goes back to its original position. This is most likely just a bug.
• Sonic, Little Mac, Ryu, and Meta Knight are the only characters whose entirety of special moves can aid their recoveries.
• On the official Smash Facebook page, there is a picture for every fighter in Smash 4, including Sonic. Sonic's was posted on December 29th, 2014, with the caption "Five gold rings", in reference to the Twelve Days of Christmas.