Sonic (SSB4)

Sonic in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Sonic the Hedgehog
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Super Sonic
Tier	A (5)

Sonic (ソニック, Sonic) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return to the series was announced during the Nintendo Direct on October 1st, 2013 to commemorate Sonic Lost World being released that month. Sonic is one of the six third-party characters in the game, alongside fellow Sega representative Bayonetta, Capcom's Mega Man and Ryu, Bandai Namco's Pac-Man, and Square Enix's Cloud. He was the second third-party character to be revealed in the game, and is the first and only third-party veteran in the series.

In the English version, Sonic is voiced by Roger Craig Smith, albeit via recycled voice clips from games such as Sonic Generations, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. This reflects Smith's succession of Jason Griffith as Sonic's voice actor, who voiced Sonic from 2005 until 2010. Sonic also has alternate voices for the French, Spanish, German, and Italian versions, as Sonic the Hedgehog games from Sonic Generations onward were dubbed into those languages. However, the Japanese version simply recycles Jun'ichi Kanemaru's voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, who still voices Sonic in Japanese to this day.

Sonic is currently ranked 5th out of 58 on the tier list, placing him at the top of the A tier, which is the lower end of top tier. This makes him the second highest ranked third-party character, and a significant improvement over his mid-tiered placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 22nd out of 38. True to his name, Sonic has the fastest dashing speed in the game, which grants him excellent mobility. His outstanding speed is complemented by his special moves, which allow him to attack while moving with little fear of reprisal. He also has capable KOing options in his forward smash, up smash, back aerial and up aerial. However, Sonic's KOing options are hindered by their high lag, which makes them risky. Despite his mobility, he does have trouble contending with projectile camping, while Spring Jump is a predictable recovery move due to its linearity.

Overall, Sonic has retained his problematic knockback and lag issues, but his newfound KO potential and the retention of both his strong neutral game and outstanding mobility have resulted in him achieving a strong playerbase and consistent success in tournaments.

Attributes

Sonic is a middleweight that, like in his home series, possesses outstanding mobility. He has nigh-omnipresence due to possessing the fastest dashing speed in the game, the seventh fastest walking speed, and is tied with Mario and Donkey Kong for having the ninth fastest air speed. When coupled with his below average falling speed and above average gravity, Sonic is able to travel at a blinding speed across any stage, which allows him to easily and effectively utilize a hit-and-run playstyle. To round out his outstanding mobility, Sonic is capable of wall jumping.

Sonic possesses very useful special moves. Homing Attack deals a varying amount of damage, but homes in on the nearest opponent, making it useful for punishing laggy attacks and edgeguard breaking. Its knockback growth has also increased, which makes it a situational KOing option at very high percentages. Spring Jump is a useful recovery move that grants intangibility during start-up and an impressive amount of vertical distance. It is also one of the few recovery moves that does not cause helplessness, as Sonic is able to attack and dodge out of it, while the spring that is dropped can be useful both on-stage and off-stage by allowing him to pressure and gimp opponents, respectively. Spin Dash and Spin Charge are perhaps Sonic's best neutral game options, as they allow him to roll across the stage at varying speeds while also dealing damage upon contact. Spin Dash allows Sonic to jump even while charging, and can be canceled with a grab or by shielding, which grants it mindgame potential. Spin Charge, however, hits multiple times and moves even faster, making it a reliable alternative to dashing. Both, however, can give Sonic additional protection when recovering and even chain into other attacks. As such, opponents have to tread carefully when dealing with these moves, since a single misstep can result in a very fast chain of attacks that can deal impressive damage. These moves are also good for mindgames, considering that they look identical.

Sonic also has a capable air game, which is complemented by his air speed having become faster since Brawl. Neutral aerial is a great combo starter on grounded opponents due to its long-lasting hitbox, fairly low landing lag and launching angle. Forward aerial is useful for edgeguarding and, in certain instances, can combo into itself on-stage at low percentages due to its autocanceling window and Sonic's fast air speed. Up aerial is one of his few KOing options and is great for combos, while its autocanceling window makes it deceptively safe. Back aerial is powerful and does not have much ending lag, making it one of his few reliable KOing options like his up aerial. Lastly, down aerial is Sonic's least useful aerial attack, but it is a meteor smash when sweetspotted.

Sonic's neutral attack, tilt attacks and throws have decent damage outputs and minimal lag, which make them hard to punish. Incidentally, his grab game is decent overall. While none of his grabs excel in speed and each of them have average ranges, they are still fairly easy to land thanks to his mobility. Sonic's pummel is quick and has an average damage output, which allows him to rack up a fair amount of damage before performing a throw. Down throw is a semi-spike and has high base knockback, which makes it excellent for setting up edgeguards and tech-chases. Back throw, like his down throw, has high base knockback but KOs earlier than his other throws so long as Sonic is near the edge. It also moves Sonic backward, which makes it useful for setting up an immediate edgeguard attempt. His up throw is a fairly reliable combo starter: while its combo potential is not as consistent as Spin Dash's and Spin Charge's, it still possesses decently damaging combos beginning at 0% as well as Spring Jump-assisted aerial combos beginning at medium percentages. Additionally, it is a situational KOing option at very high percentages. Lastly, his forward throw is his least useful throw, as its only utility is for forcing the opponent into the air and, like up throw, functioning as a situational KOing option at very high percentages.

However, Sonic has some weaknesses. His most serious one is his KO power: despite having been noticeably improved since Brawl, it is still held back due to Sonic's small number of reliable KOing options (forward smash, up smash, back aerial and up aerial), all of which require good positioning and only one of which (up aerial) does not have noticeable start-up lag. His forward and up smashes have low base knockback and high knockback growth, which forces them to be used for KOing a little later rather than sooner. Additionally, they are both very laggy overall like his down smash. Sonic also has trouble landing without the use of Homing Attack or Spring Jump, since his forward, back, up and down aerials have at least 21 frames of landing lag. This is further exacerbated by his slow air acceleration leaving him susceptible to juggling. Sonic can also have difficulty dealing with camping, since any projectile that covers the ground can severely limit his movement options. Lastly, Sonic can be susceptible to early KOs. Unlike other middleweights, such as Mario and Luigi, some of his attacks are very punishable should they miss and thus allow openings for opponents to deal heavy damage. His recovery is also predictable if Spring Jump is his only recovery option, as its linearity makes him susceptible to gimps even at relatively low percentages.

Sonic has many beneficial custom moves at his disposal. Stomp can meteor smash opponents, making it more useful for edgeguarding. Hammer Spin Dash can bury opponents during start-up, allowing for follow-ups that Spin Dash would not permit. Burning Spin Dash deals much more damage and its lower jumps leave Sonic less vulnerable after landing a hit. Auto-Spin Charge removes the need for button mashing in order to charge and has a deceptive charging animation that does not reveal when the move starts losing power, the latter of which makes it suitable for mindgames. Lastly, Gravitational Charge has a wind effect that draws opponents in front of Sonic towards him, making it easier for him to hit them. It also pushes opponents behind him further away, making it more difficult for them to punish him directly.

Overall, Sonic is a character with incredible offensive prowess that must force opponents to make a mistake in order to safely rack up damage and avoid heavy punishment. Even after the nerfs brought about by game updates, Sonic remains a strong choice for competitive play, with professionals such as 6WX and Komorikiri achieving great results with him.

Changes from Brawl

Sonic has been heavily buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. The most noticeable improvement has been to his KO power, which was his greatest weakness in Brawl. Several of his attacks have had their knockback increased: his forward and up smashes are now reliable KOing options like his up and back aerials, his forward aerial has become more reliable for KOing via edgeguarding, and his forward, back and up throws and Homing Attack have become situational KOing options. The aforementioned knockback increase for his up throw also enables it to string together hits better, which further improves his already outstanding combo game. Lastly, a number of Sonic's moves have been improved from being ineffective and situational to possessing utility: forward tilt is better at spacing and starting tech-chases, his new dash attack is better at punishing and ending his tech-chases, his new down smash has a consistent damage output, is much faster and is a semi-spike, and his neutral aerial now has the potential to start combos.

However, Sonic also received minor nerfs. Spring Jump grants less vertical distance and Homing Attack can no longer be used multiple times without standing on the ground again, both of which weaken recovery. Sonic is also slightly hurt by the removal of DACUS, which would have supplemented his newly buffed up smash to the point of making it a viable approach option and possibly his best KOing option. The ending lag for his KOing options have also been considerably increased, which makes them riskier than before. Additionally, Sonic has also been nerfed by several game updates, particularly to his KO power. Despite these nerfs, none of them have significantly affected his increased viability.

Aesthetics

• Sonic's design is now based on his appearances in Sonic the Hedgehog games that utilize the Hedgehog Engine. This has resulted in his quills becoming very slightly shorter, the color schemes of his body and shoes becoming slightly more vibrant, his eye color becoming slightly more subdued, his irises and pupils being slightly spread out farther from each other, and his mouth being positioned to the side of his muzzle rather than directly in the middle of it. However, the placement of Sonic's mouth will revert to being in the middle of his muzzle during the results screen if he was defeated or the match ended in a no contest. Sonic is also more expressive.
• Sonic's front now faces the foreground more on either side.
• Spin Dash-based attacks emit a lower pitched sound effect similar to the one used in Sonic Lost World. Additionally, some attacks produce more visualized lighting effects.
• Side taunt's animation has slightly changed. Sonic now smirks throughout its duration, rather than shifting to a stern expression midway through.

Attributes

• Sonic is lighter (95 → 94).
• Sonic walks slower (1.4 → 1.375).
• Sonic's air speed is faster (1.1092 → 1.15).
• Sonic's traction is lower, which makes it harder for him to punish out of shield. (0.07 → 0.06).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's last hit deals 1% more damage (3% → 4%).
• Sonic has a new dash attack, a Spin Dash followed by a flying kick. Unlike the previous dash attack, it is a multiple hit attack and deals significantly more knockback, making it better for punishing and tech-chasing.
• Forward tilt has increased base knockback (10 → 30) and can now be angled, improving its spacing and tech-chasing potentials.
• Up tilt has decreased ending lag (FAF 48 → 40).
• Up tilt deals less damage (10%/11% → 8%).
• Down tilt now launches opponents at the Sakurai angle. When coupled with its increased chance to trip, this grants it edgeguarding potential and utility as a counter for reading get-ups, but removes its set-up potential into guaranteed follow-ups.
• Forward smash has increased knockback growth (98 → 101), improving its KO potential.
• Forward smash has increased ending lag (FAF 44 → 48).
• Up smash's last hit has increased knockback (70 (base)/153 (growth) → 80/165) and is significantly more difficult to SDI out of, improving its KO potential.
• The removal of DACUS hinders up smash's approach potential.
• Sonic has a new down smash, a split kick. Compared to the previous down smash, it deals consistent damage (12% (early)/9% (clean)/7% (mid)/5% (late) → 12% (front/back)) and has less start-up lag (frame 17 → 12). Unlike the previous down smash, it is a semi-spike, making it better at edgeguarding.
• Down smash has different knockback (40 (base)/100 (growth) → 55/63 (front), 50/80 (back)) compared to the previous down smash.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial deals 1% more damage (11% → 12%), has a larger hitbox and now launches opponents at 75°. Altogether, these changes improve its combo potential.
• Neutral, back and down aerials have increased landing lag (12 frames → 16 (neutral), 9 frames → 30 (back), 30 frames → 38 (down)).
• Forward aerial deals less damage (1%-2% (hits 1-5)/4% (hit 6) → 0.8%/3%) and has increased ending lag (frame 36 → 46).
• Forward aerial has decreased landing lag (30 frames → 26) and its last hit has increased knockback growth (120 → 135), improving its edgeguarding potential.
• Back aerial deals 1% more damage (13% (clean)/9% (late) → 14%/10%).
• Up aerial has decreased landing lag (22 frames → 21).
• Up aerial's second hit has altered knockback (63 (base)/90 (growth) → 66/82), slightly hindering its KO potential. Its hitbox duration is also 3 frames shorter (5 frames → 2).
• Down aerial also has decreased ending lag (frame 50 → 46). Sweetspotted down aerial is now a meteor smash.

Throws/other attacks

• Pummel deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%).
• All throws deal less damage (9% → 7% (forward), 8% → 7% (back), 12% → 6% (up), 8% → 7% (down)).
• Forward throw has increased base knockback (60 → 100), granting it KO potential at very high percentages.
• Back throw has increased knockback growth (60 → 79), granting it KO potential at very high percentages.
• Up throw has increased knockback (65 (base)/70 (growth) → 92/80), granting it KO potential at very high percentages. When coupled with the changes to hitstun canceling, it also has improved combo potential at low to medium percentages.

Special moves

• Homing Attack no longer deals consistent damage (8% → 5%-12%).
• Homing Attack has increased knockback growth (80 → 90), improving its KO potential. It also has decreased start-up lag.
• Aerial Homing Attack can only be used once, hindering its recovery potential. A missed Homing Attack also sends Sonic farther than it did in Brawl, hindering its safety while off-stage.
• Spin Dash's roll and jump deal 3% less damage (10% (roll)/6% (jump) → 7%/3%). This results in a full Spin Dash combo dealing 6% less damage overall, hindering its damage racking potential.
• Spin Dash's short hop is much faster. This improves its combo and mindgame potentials, but hinders its recovery potential.
• Charged Spin Dash can now be held while jumping, but it cannot be used while in midair. These changes improve its mindgame potential.
• Spring Jump's spring now lingers on after it hits an opponent. Sonic can also now edge sweetspot some time after using Spring Jump.
• Spring Jump grants slightly less vertical distance.
• Spring Jump's animation has slightly changed. Sonic now scowls throughout its duration, rather than smiling.
• After landing on a grounded spring, Sonic can immediately reuse Spring Jump. This slightly improves its safety in regard to avoiding a self-destruct, though it is largely impractical in regard to recovery.
• Grab release glitch has been fixed, allowing Sonic to reuse Spring Jump if he has been grabbed in midair.
• Spin Charge has improved combo potential.
• Super Sonic deals less damage overall (49% → 35%) and knockback, slightly hindering its KO potential.
• Super Sonic now launches opponents at a lower angle.

Update history

Sonic has been slightly nerfed by game updates, most noticeably to his KO potential. Update 1.0.6 severely decreased the knockback of his back throw, which was one of his most potent KOing options, as well as slightly toning down his damage racking ability by lowering the damage outputs of 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 growth 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 update 1.0.8, his down aerial's ending lag was decreased, which made it easier to avoid self-destructing with. He also benefits heavily from the changes to shield mechanics due to the multiple hitting nature of most of his moves, particularly Spin Dash. While the nerfs to Sonic's KO power, damage racking ability and combo game have slightly toned down his viability, many professional players have shown that he is still a very capable character regardless.

1.0.4

• Forward smash's ending lag increased: frame 44 → 48.
• Fixed the grab release glitch.

1.0.6

• Back throw's knockback growth decreased: 90 → 79, hindering its KO potential.
• Homing Attack now only targets characters. Previously, it could target Luma or the metal can used in Duck Hunt's Trick Shot.
• Spin Dash's roll and jump deal 3% less damage: 10% (roll)/6% (jump) → 7%/3%.
• Burning Spin Dash's invincibility removed.
• Spring Jump can no longer be Pocketed.

1.0.8

• Up smash's knockback growth decreased: 177 → 165, hindering its KO potential.
• Down aerial's ending lag decreased: frame 50 → 46, making it safer to use off-stage.

1.1.0

• Forward smash's knockback growth decreased: 106 → 101, hindering its KO potential.

1.1.1

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

1.1.3

• Weight slightly decreased: 95 → 94

Moveset

• Sonic can wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	A one-two combo followed by a side kick. Originates from Sonic the Fighters and has been nicknamed the "Punch Punch Kick" (PPK) by players. The first hit is capable of locking.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			4% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2 feet), 5% (hit 2 legs)	A two-footed back kick performed from the baby freeze, a variation of the freeze breakdancing move. It hits twice, can be angled, and is useful for spacing, starting tech-chases or attacking from out of shield due to its speed. Originates from Sonic the Fighters.
Up tilt			2% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	A 540 kick, similar to Captain Falcon's up smash. It has decent vertical range, but poor horizontal range. It can potentially be followed up with a short hopped forward aerial beginning at 0% and up to 40%, depending on DI. However, this combo is only reliable against heavyweights and fast-fallers. Originates from Sonic the Fighters.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	6%	A legsweep. It can trip opponents and, if used repeatedly in succession, will slowly move Sonic forward. Originates from Sonic the Fighters.
Dash attack			1% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4)	A Spin Dash followed by a flying kick. It is a reliable follow-up from a down throw.
Forward smash			14%	A wind-up punch. It has high knockback growth, deceptive range, and can be angled, making it one of Sonic's most viable KOing options. However, its low base knockback makes it better suited for KO attempts later rather than earlier. It also comes out on frame 18 and has 28 frames of ending lag, making it risky if used unwisely. It KOs at 116% from the center of Final Destination. Originates from Sonic the Fighters.
Up smash			5% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-7), 3% (hit 8)	A jumping Spin Dash. It hits multiple times, with its first hit rendering Sonic intangible. It has very high knockback growth, but average base knockback, which makes it better suited for KO attempts later rather than earlier. It also comes out on frame 19 and has 32 frames of ending lag, making it risky if used unwisely. Last hit KOs at 134% from the middle of Final Destination.
Down smash			12%	A split kick, similar to Fox's and Falco's down smashes. It is a semi-spike and has less start-up lag than his other smash attacks, due to coming out on frame 12. However, it has below average knockback overall, lasts for only 1 frame and has 42 frames of ending lag. As a result, it is better suited for setting up edgeguards and punishing rolls, rather than KOing. Front hit KOs at 180% from the middle of Final Destination. Back hit KOs at 141% from the middle of Final Destination.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	12% (clean), 8% (late), 5% (latest)	Curls up into a ball and spins while slightly undulating up and down. Due to its launching angle, it is an excellent combo starter from a short hop, yet it is also a reliable follow-up from Spin Dash/Spin Charge-based combos. Originates from Sonic the Fighters, although it also highly resembles the Insta-Shield, a simultaneously offensive and defensive technique that debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	0.8% (hits 1-5), 3% (hit 6)	A corkscrew battering ram, similar to Pikachu's forward aerial. Hits multiple times and its last hit has high knockback growth, which makes it useful for edgeguarding. It can also combo into itself in certain instances thanks to Sonic's fast air speed and its fairly large autocanceling window. Originates from Sonic the Fighters.
Back aerial			14% (clean), 10% (late)	A back kick. Useful for edgeguarding and one of Sonic's most viable KOing options, even the sourspot is strong to an extent. However, it has moderate start-up and high landing lag. KOs at 96% near the edge, 135% from the center of Final Destination.
Up aerial			3% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	A scissor kick. Its very large autocancel window makes it deceptively safe and easy to avoid its fairly high landing lag, while it is viable for either KOing near the upper blast line, especially as a follow-up from Spring Jump, or as part of a SHFF.
Down aerial			8% (clean), 7% (late)	A diagonal flying kick. It is a stall-then-fall that can meteor smash. It is difficult to use as such, however, since its meteor smash hitbox is present at frame 19. It is relatively safe to use offstage unlike most other stall-then-falls due to having less ending lag. Originates from Sonic the Fighters, although it also resembles the Sonic Rocket from Sonic Battle.
Grab			—	Clinches the opponent. Sonic's grab range is relatively average.
Pummel			2%	A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			7%	A stretch kick. Has very minimal utility, as it is only used to force the opponent into the air and function as a situational KOing option. KOs at 170%. It resembles the Top Kick from Sonic Battle.
Back throw			7%	A high-speed, multiple flipping version of the tomoe nage, a Judo throw. Prior to update 1.0.6, it was Sonic's most viable KOing options due to being one of the strongest back throws in the game. As of update 1.0.6, it KOs at 160% due to its knockback growth having been decreased. KOs at 146% near the edge with good DI.
Up throw			6%	Heaves the opponent upward and sharpens his quills to stab them. Depending on the opponent's damage, it can be reliably followed up with a neutral, forward, back or up aerial, although Spring Jump usually has to be used to secure these follow-ups beginning at medium percentages. KOs at 180%.
Down throw			1% (hits 1-3), 4% (throw)	Pins the opponent to the ground and then Spin Dashes onto them. Great for tech-chasing and a reliable edgeguard set-up. Originates from Sonic the Fighters.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Spin Dashes around in a circular motion.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	A legsweep.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Performs spin kicks around himself.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Spin Dashes while climbing up. It resembles the cliffhanger flip attack from Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball.
Neutral special	Default	Homing Attack	5%-12%	Curls up into a ball while ascending, homes onto the nearest opponent, and then rams into them. Pressing the special button will execute the move earlier.
	Custom 1	Stomp	5%	Instead of homing onto an opponent, Sonic dives straight down and meteor smashes them. Based on the attack of the same name that debuted in Sonic Unleashed.
	Custom 2	Surprise Attack	8%	A faster variation, albeit with less power and range, as well as more ending lag. If it does not home onto an opponent, Sonic will launch himself upward instead of downward.
Side special	Default	Spin Dash	7% (roll), 3% (jump)	Curls up into a ball, performs a short hop and then starts rolling towards the opponent at a fast speed. It can be followed up with any aerial attack. It can also be shield canceled, which can be used for mindgames.
	Custom 1	Hammer Spin Dash	7% (hit 1), 5% (hit 2), 3% (late)	The hop at the beginning is higher, with the descent of the arc being capable of burying opponents. However, it has a late hitbox that deals less damage.
	Custom 2	Burning Spin Dash	12% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	Lacks a short hop and any jumps out of the move are considerably lower, but it deals more damage and has a flame effect. It is similar to the Flame Somersault from Sonic Adventure 2.
Up special	Default	Spring Jump	— (jump), 4% (spring)	Pulls out a spring from the Sonic the Hedgehog games and uses it to springboard into the air, which can allow for recovering or partaking in combos. The spring itself can also be used to gimp recovering opponents underneath Sonic.
	Custom 1	Double Spring	2% (first spring), 2% (second spring)	Sonic can pull out two springs, but each spring deals less damage and the move grants much less distance overall.
	Custom 2	Springing Headbutt	3% (grounded hit), 7% (late aerial hit), 1% (early aerial hit)	Grants slightly shorter distance and the spring does not stay behind, but enables Sonic to hit opponents while ascending. It deals the most damage if Sonic hits the opponent at the end of it instead of at the start.
Down special	Default	Spin Charge	2% (per hit)	A Spin Dash that lacks a short hop at the beginning and cannot be shield canceled, but hits multiple times and has more momentum. It also has slightly different aesthetics and requires button mashing in order to charge.
	Custom 1	Auto-Spin Charge	2% (per hit)	Functions like Spin Dash by lacking the need to button mash in order to charge. It also has altered aesthetics, which make it more deceptive than Spin Charge and therefore better at mindgames.
	Custom 2	Gravitational Charge	2% (per hit)	Pulls opponents in front of Sonic towards him and pushes opponents behind Sonic away from him.
Final Smash		Super Sonic	5%-8% (slow), 9%-11% (moderate), 14%, 16% (fast)	Gathers the Chaos Emeralds and uses them to attain his Super Transformation from the Sonic the Hedgehog games. Sonic is invincible during its duration and can fly in any chosen direction, depending on where the control stick is tilted. The longer the control stick is held in a certain direction, the faster and more damaging his ramming attack will be,

On-screen appearance

• Spin Dashes onto the stage from the foreground and strikes a pose.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Somersaults and then crosses his arms with his index finger pointing out, one of his signature poses, while emitting a "tsk tsk tsk" sound.
• Side taunt: Performs the Super Peel Out, a technique that debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, while saying "Sonic Speed!" (遅すぎだぜ！, You're too slow!).
• Down taunt: Performs the windmill, a breakdancing move, while saying "C'mon!" both in English and Japanese.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Looks at the camera for a moment while tapping his foot impatiently. It is his idle animation from the Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Sega Genesis.
• Turns towards the player and waves his finger in a patronizing manner while grinning, similarly to an animation he uses after clearing an Act or defeating a boss in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	So-nic!	Go! Go! So-nic!
Pitch	Crowd chant	Crowd chant

Victory poses

The Mission Clear jingle from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), which is an orchestrated remix of the Act Clear jingle from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

• Collects the blue Chaos Emerald and poses with it before saying "Piece of cake!" or in Japanese, "A piece of cake! 楽勝だぜ!" (A piece of cake! An easy win!)
• Sprints off-screen then sprints back on-screen before giving a thumbs up and saying "That was almost too easy!" In Japanese, he says "モタモタしてると置いてくぜ!" (Leaving behind to be dawdling!)
• Performs the pike, a breakdancing move, and then strikes a pose while saying "Let's do that again sometime!" or in Japanese, "Hey guys! また遊んでやるぜ!" (Hey guys! I'll play again next time!) His breakdance is similar to Blaze the Cat's when she clears a mission in Sonic '06 and when Sonic performs a move similar to the pike in Sonic Unleashed.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

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

Notable players

Active

•  6WX - Placed 4th at Apex 2015.
•  72K
•  Camalange
•  Craftis
•  Espy
•  Ixis - Best player in the UK, ranking 1st on the Smash 4 UK Power Rankings, ahead of J.Miller.
•  JT5565
•  K.I.D. Goggles
•  Kai
•  KEN - The best Sonic player in the world, ranked 4th on the Umebura Smash 4 Power Rankings and 6th on the eSports Runner Japanese Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  Komorikiri - One of Japan's best Sonic players, ranked 1st on the eSports Runner Japanese Smash 4 Power Rankings and 2nd on the Umebura Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  Mocha
•  Phoenix
•  Seagull Joe - Notably beat ZeRo at The Big House 5, becoming the third person to take a set off of ZeRo in 2015 (after Mr. ConCon and Vinnie).
• Spark
•  SuperGirlKels - Best Sonic player in Canada and ranked 2nd on the Montreal Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  Wonf - Best Sonic player in Mexico.
•  Wrath

Inactive

•  Blue

Tier placement and history

Sonic was at first considered to be a high-tier character, with the buffs he gained from his transition from Brawl largely mitigating most of the previous weaknesses he had. Players pointed out his amazing raw mobility, decent frame data and quick movement options that constituted his very strong neutral game and let him even camp against most characters, as well as having a good recovery overall and surprisingly effective KO options. While the latter point was nerfed in game updates, his movement options were improved overall, whereas Sonic players have adapted to many different and effective playstyles while enriching his metagame, which has still left very strong tournament results from a strong playerbase, constituted of 6WX, KEN, Komorikiri, Seagull Joe, SuperGirlKels and many more. This culminated on Sonic being placed 6th on the first and second iterations of the 4BR tier list. Due to his continued strong results, as well as an even greater playerbase than before, he now ranks 5th on the current tier list.

Reveal trailer

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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!

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Super Sonic

In Event Matches

Solo Events

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

Co-op Events

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

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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

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  Sonic's amiibo.

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  Sonic's confirmation image on the official site.

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  Sonic fighting Mario.

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  Using his side taunt.

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  Sonic preparing to dodge Mega Man's attack.

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  Dash attack's new final hit.

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  Using Homing Attack on Pit and Fox.

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  Sonic in mid-air.

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  Air dodging Samus' forward aerial.

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  Dashing alongside Link.

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  Using Homing Attack on Luigi.

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  Using his up taunt.

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  Using his forward aerial alongside Mario.

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  Using Spin Dash.

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  Using Spin Charge.

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  Using Spring Jump.

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  Using his back aerial alongside Mario's neutral aerial.

• SonicDownAerial.png

  Using his down aerial in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Using Spring Jump alongside Mega Man using Rush Coil.

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  Using his down aerial alongside Mario and Mega Man.

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  Using neutral attack's final hit on Bowser.

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  Using neutral attack against Mario's Fireball.

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  Using Homing Attack against Bowser's up smash.

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  One of Sonic's idle poses.

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  Using neutral attack's final hit on Fox and alongside Kirby.

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  Using his down aerial in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Sonic and Wii Fit Trainer dashing after Header's soccer ball as Mega Man looks on.

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  Sonic hitting Pit with an Ore Club on Palutena's Temple.

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  Using his down aerial to meteor smash Marth.

• Spindashcharging.gif

  Using Spin Dash.

Trivia

Sonic's double mouth glitch.

• Sonic dashes so fast that if he were to be to customized with all speed-based equipment and used both a Bunny Hood and Superspicy Curry, he would outrun the Spirit Train.
  • Additionally, an unedited Sonic using Superspicy Curry dashes at the exact same speed as the water slide in the Flood Chamber of Kalos Pokémon League, which causes him to dash in place.
• Sonic is the only third-party character in the series to be present in more than one installment of Super Smash Bros. and the only one to be dubbed into languages other than English and Japanese.
• Despite having existing 8-bit sprites from the Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Master System and Game Gear, Pac-Man's and Duck Hunt's newcomer posters depict Sonic's 16-bit sprite from the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, there is a glitch that results in Sonic having two mouths when rolling backward or forward.
  • This is slightly reminiscent of a similar glitch that he had as Super Sonic in Sonic Lost World.
• In non-Japanese versions of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Sonic uses his reused voice clip from Super Smash Bros. Brawl when he is in the water, since Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has no swimming.
  • This results in his voice reverting to the one used by his previous voice actor, Jason Griffith, as well as being one of four reused voice clips of him in SSB4 (the others used when Sonic is asleep, his up taunt and one of his attack grunts). However, Jason Griffith is not listed in the credits, because this is a developmental oversight.
• The European description for Sonic says "Unlike most hedgehogs, he's incredibly fast. Like most hedgehogs, however, he can't swim." This is wrong on both counts. Like dogs, cats and most mammals, hedgehogs swim reasonably well. Their top speed is also respectable for their body size. It is rare to see a hedgehog run though, since they usually conserve their energy and stroll, or else curl into a motionless ball when threatened.
• On the official Super Smash Bros. Facebook page, there is a picture for every character in SSB4, including Sonic. Sonic's was posted on December 29th, 2014 with the caption "Five gold rings", in reference to the Twelve Days of Christmas.