Sonic the Hedgehog (universe)

Sonic the Hedgehog (universe)
	;
Developer(s)	Sega; Sonic Team; Various
Publisher(s)	Sega; THQ; Atari SA; Nintendo; Gameloft
Designer(s)	Yuji Naka; Akinori Nishiyama; Takashi Iizuka
Genre(s)	Platformer; Racing; Sports; Educational; Puzzle; Fighting; Party; Role-playing
Console/platform of origin	Sega Genesis
First installment	Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Latest installment	Sonic at the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020 (2020)
Article on Wikipedia	Sonic the Hedgehog (universe)

The Sonic the Hedgehog universe (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonic the Hedgehog) refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages and properties that hail from the world famous media franchise owned by Sega and centered on its company mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. This had been easily the most anticipated new franchise for inclusion in the Nintendo-based fighting game series and is considered the biggest "rival" franchise to Mario. Its logo is a silhouette of Sonic's head, similar to the logo of Sonic Team.

Franchise description

By 1988, Sega had released its 16-bit successor to the Sega Master System, the Mega Drive, worldwide. It was renamed as the Sega Genesis for its North American release due to Sega's inability to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in the region. Nintendo's flagship Mario franchise was at the height of its worldwide commercial success, with the recent release of Super Mario Bros. 3 in Japan, a week before the Mega Drive's launch, and both the North American releases of Nintendo's own 16-bit system, the Super Famicom, renamed as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and one of its launch titles, Super Mario World, would be released in mid-1991. Sega made a conscious effort to directly compete against Nintendo's powerful brand with a reliance on a new mascot for both the console and the company itself, one that would help sell systems and broaden its market demographic, and thus began development of its own platformer in April 1990 (two months after the North American release of Super Mario Bros. 3). The game placed an emphasis on horizontally-lengthy levels that could be navigated with a player-character that could run and roll through at a high velocity, with movements that were dictated by elements of momentum-based physics. The original concept for an emphasis on speed was that most video games in the 1980s did not have save files, and thus players would often memorize level patterns and attempt to speed through them as fast as possible to make any real progress. The screen scrolled as fast as it needed to keep up; it was a very technically difficult process to create the game's graphics engine so that it could allow this speed without sacrificing graphical clarity. The end result was the worldwide debut of the eponymous character Sonic the Hedgehog, whose game was released in June 23, 1991 in North America, 2 months ahead of the SNES's launch in the region.

Sonic and his "console war" rival, Mario, as seen in Sonic's Brawl reveal trailer.

The game Sonic the Hedgehog was both a critical and commercial success, and greatly increased the popularity of the Sega Genesis in North America, especially when it replaced Altered Beast as the game bundled with the console. This was done as part of the console's notable advertisement campaign led by then-CEO and president of Sega's American division, Tom Kalinske, despite the wishes of the company's Japanese division. As a result, the Genesis outsold the Super Nintendo nearly two-to-one during the 1991 holiday season in North America. The game, which would eventually sell 15 million copies and become the best-selling Genesis game in its lifespan, is credited as single-handedly changing the course of the 16-bit generation of video game consoles and providing a legitimate alternative to Mario in the eyes of many consumers, as well as influencing the development of various 2D video games in the following years (many of which were centered on their own mascots). For the first time since 1985, Nintendo was briefly overtaken as the leader in the console market. This subsequently gave way to one of the most notable video game rivalries in the industry's history, the fourth-generation "console wars" of Nintendo's SNES versus Sega's Genesis, which were symbolized to some degree by the image of Mario versus Sonic. The stiff competition between the two 16-bit consoles arguably stimulated both companies' stables of video game franchises, and also spawned some famous historical pieces of marketing; the SNES was technically superior in every specification, with the exception of its clock rate, and Sega capitalized on this by advertising how the Genesis had a "faster" speed in its games, but in place of reciting this technical difference in commercials, Sega marketed it under the name of "Blast Processing". The term itself originates from the DMA unit in the Genesis' VDP graphics processor's capability of "blasting" data to the latter and the DAC at high speeds, allowing for techniques used to great extent in Sonic games for the console, such as mid-frame palette swapping.^[1]

Sonic starred in many high-profile follow-ups, not just on Genesis, but on each of Sega's follow-up consoles and handhelds, in a similar pattern to Nintendo customarily releasing a game centered on or involving Mario at or near the launch of each of its own consoles or handhelds. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released in November 1992 and introduced a sidekick to Sonic named Miles “Tails” Prower. The sequel was regarded as a marked improvement over its predecessor and is regarded as one of the best games on the Genesis, while Sonic & Knuckles became the only Genesis game that could have another Genesis cartridge inserted onto the top of it (marketed as "Lock-On Technology"), and this was used to turn the game into a physical expansion of the previous game, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, when it was inserted (Sonic & Knuckles was supposed to be the second half of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but schedule constraints forced Sonic Team to develop a separate game to wrap up the story). Both of these games were released in 1994 and put the spotlight on another new character, the titular Knuckles, as a direct rival for Sonic. Following the Genesis era, however, Sega's fortunes as a competitor in the console market began to buckle in as the company's Japanese division began to make a series of questionable decisions for its future hardware plans. Two expensive, separate add-ons were developed for the Genesis, the Sega CD and Sega 32X, and both failed to attain their own significant libraries and stretched the company's resources thin. What was intended to be the appropriate next-generation follow-up, the Sega Saturn, was made after Sega of Japan rejected a number of hardware plans for the Sega Saturn with other companies, which would later spawn the console's two main rivals, the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation. The console was also infamously released four months earlier than anyone anticipated, including other game developers, in an attempt to gain an edge over Sony and its recent PlayStation console. However, the Sega Saturn, like its predecessor’s peripherals, failed to develop a substantial library of games, and the release of a Sonic game for the platform occurred considerably late in its lifespan. There were many other problems with the console as well, such as it being highly difficult to develop for, along with it competing with consoles with vastly more notable libraries, which ultimately resulted in its short lifespan and commercial failure. Despite Sonic continuing to star in games intended to sell these consoles, Sega had soured many on its own company brand too much, and while some Sonic titles during this period such as Sonic CD for the Sega CD and Knuckles' Chaotix for the Sega 32X are generally considered to be solid entries in the Sonic series, they were not enough to support Sega alone.

Sega's final console to be released, the Sega Dreamcast, was released in the West on September 9, 1999. As the first console of the sixth generation of video game hardware, it was widely hailed as ahead of its time, both technically and for its pioneering of online console gaming, and is retrospectively agreed to have been a much better-thought-out and executed system by Sega. The one out of its eighteen total launch titles that became the undisputed killer app for the console was Sonic Adventure, the first game in the series to feature free-roaming three-dimensional gameplay. It received glowing reviews at the time for its successful transition of the fast Sonic style into three dimensions and became the best-selling Dreamcast game, though recent retrospective reviews have been more critical of the game. But despite the console's financial success, Sega was in dire financial straits because of its failed hardware plans in previous years, and when the other high-profile consoles for the sixth generation were unveiled — the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube — Sega discontinued the Dreamcast in the West early March 2001, a year and a half after its launch, and withdrew from the console hardware business altogether and restructured itself as a third-party developer.

As a third-party developer, Sega was now in a position to release its titles for consoles that were formerly its competitors. The first releases of Sonic games on systems owned by Nintendo, its former archrival, were widely publicized; these included enhanced ports of both Sonic Adventure and its direct sequel on the Nintendo GameCube, as well as the Sonic Advance subseries on the Game Boy Advance. The Sonic franchise settled into a more stable release schedule, and the series continually branched out into a variety of genres for all of the competing platforms, though there were several releases that were met with notably mixed or negative reception; Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2006, was notorious for technical issues (resulting from it being rushed into the system's launch window, while also coinciding with the franchise's 15th anniversary), control problems, and a slant towards story and characterization that were negatively received as uncomfortably melodramatic, while Sonic Free Riders served to highlight control issues with the Kinect peripheral for the Xbox 360.

Nonetheless, there have also been commercially successful forays back into the series' platforming roots, particularly throughout the 2010s. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 releases on modern consoles' downloadable services in an episodic format starting in October 2010, albeit ending prematurely at Episode II due to both episodes' commercial failure. Sonic Colors was released exclusively on Nintendo hardware in November 2010, bringing the focus back to a simple lighthearted story premise and introducing new power-ups to the franchise known as "Wisps". Sonic Generations was released for the Nintendo 3DS and other home consoles in November 2011 and celebrated the franchise's 20th anniversary by revitalizing many levels from the most noteworthy core games in the franchise in both the modern "boost" gameplay and the classic momentum-based platforming gameplay, the latter of which also brought about the reintroduction of "Classic Sonic" as his own entity. The most recent of these back-to-basics forays is Sonic Mania for eighth generation consoles in August 2017, including the Nintendo Switch, which was developed by experienced indie developers in the Sonic fan community and received universal acclaim for its gameplay and presentation, with many outlets claiming Sonic Mania to be the best game in the franchise in over 20 years.

The legendary scenario of former video game archrivals Sonic and Mario crossing over in the same game was finally realized in late 2007 with the release of a game that pit the two against each other in a very unexpected scenario: a sports-themed minigame collection titled Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, where selectable characters from both the Sonic and Mario franchises compete against each other in all of the sporting competitions associated with the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China. This became a subseries - developed by Sega, published by Nintendo, and officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee - that would regularly release new installments for both Nintendo's consoles and handhelds at a biennial rate to correspond to each of the subsequent Olympic seasons - the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia; the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London, England; the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia; the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, with a new 2D retro mode set at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics. Meanwhile, Sonic was chosen as one of the first two third-party characters to co-star alongside Mario and many other Nintendo characters in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, becoming a mainstay of the series ever since.

Sonic the Hedgehog games are set in an Earth-like world populated by wildly anthropomorphized, colorful animal characters, but unlike Star Fox, humans are a feature in this world as well. The main character is Sonic, a blue hedgehog with an attitude and a pair of striped shoes as his only articles of clothing, and he has the capacity to run extremely fast and curl up into a rolling sphere. In a format similar to both Mario and Mega Man, Sonic's most persistent adversary is a mad human scientist bent on world domination named Dr. Ivo Robotnik (most commonly called "Eggman"), and Sonic speeds his way through levels to defeat him in his various combat machines and free innocent animals that have been transformed into robots by Eggman. Powerful jewels called Chaos Emeralds are both what Eggman covets for his schemes and what Sonic must collect to temporarily transform into an invincible Super state that can help him defeat his enemies. Over the chronology of the Sonic games, Sonic has encountered a vastly-expanded cast of side characters, allies, rivals, and enemies, and has battled even greater threats to the world than Eggman himself in narratives that have become increasingly involved. Meanwhile, Sonic has starred in several animated TV series, an upcoming movie series distributed by Paramount Pictures, and an expanded alternate universe for Sonic has been the focus of a long-running comic book continuity published by Archie Comics, which holds the Guinness World Record for being the longest-running comic book based on a video game character. While the comics were eventually cancelled in 2016 after running for over two decades, the series' publishing rights have been picked up by IDW Publishing, which started a brand-new series in 2018, led by the same creative team from the late Archie series.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

It has been verified that nothing to do with Sonic or anything from his franchise exists in Melee at all, in spite of the infamous rumor detailed below. However, when Yuji Naka was asked if Sonic had appeared in Melee in an interview with Edge Magazine, he stated that Sonic could not be included in the game due to time constraints.^[2]

Sonic & Tails Rumor

In the April 2002 edition of the video game magazine EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), an Aprils Fool's claim was that Sonic and Tails, the two most famous Sonic the Hedgehog characters, could be unlocked as playable characters in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee by defeating 20 or more Fighting Wire Frames in Cruel Melee.

The picture that came along with the EGM Sonic and Tails article.

Players have proven this rumor false both in premise and in practice. It would be highly unlikely that Sega (which, during Melee's development, was not yet a full-fledged third-party company, and thus was in competition with Nintendo) would sell its characters for use in a Nintendo game. There are no provisions to include Sonic and Tails in Melee's All-Star Mode (which showcases every playable character in the game), and an in-game message also indicates that Mr. Game & Watch is the last unlockable character (or whoever the player unlocks last). In addition, another message tells the player that they have unlocked every trophy. As beating single-player modes with Sonic and Tails would yield new trophies, this is impossible. Along with all of this, analyzing the game data reveals absolutely nothing of Sonic or Tails existing in the game.

Additionally, during an interview with someone at the head of SEGA, they claimed that they had talked to Smash series director Masahiro Sakurai about Sonic appearing in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but had ultimately decided not to put him in the game because the game was nearly complete in its development and Sonic had no existing games on any Nintendo system at the current time, although Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was currently in development.

Additionally, Cruel Melee strategies showed very quickly that Sonic and Tails did not appear after obtaining 20 KOs - in particular, a video of a Japanese player KO'ing 565 Wire Frames with Pikachu, along with an older video of a Danish player getting 10,000 KOs with Samus, disproved the rumor spectacularly. They can be seen here and here.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

The Sonic franchise makes a sensational debut in the Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Fighter

Sonic: The eponymous star of the franchise was the most anticipated and requested third-party character for Brawl. His appearance is based off of the "modern" Sonic appearance in the later Sonic games, such as Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Unleashed. Seemingly as expected, he is a character who emphasizes speed, and has been compared to Fox and Falco in Melee. His Final Smash is Super Sonic, during which he utilizes the seven Chaos Emeralds to transform him and fly around the stage, ramming into opponents at high speeds.

On the final character select screen (after all characters are unlocked), Sonic occupies the ninth column (miscellaneous characters) along with Mr. Game & Watch, Snake, and the random option.

Stage

Green Hill Zone: Based on the first level of Sonic the Hedgehog. The stage is based almost entirely around a huge crater-like formation at the center. The bottom areas of the dip are destructible and break away in squares. A checkpoint Star Post appears at certain places in random intervals which can be struck to make it spin, damaging enemies who touch it, other than the one that attacked it in the first place (unless it's a team battle, where it then it applies for all teammates). Also, Tails, Silver, and Knuckles can appear as cameos in the background of the stage.

Assist Trophy

Shadow the Hedgehog: Shadow uses Chaos Control on the battlefield, which causes the movement of opponents to slow down in a more extreme way than the Timer, but it lasts shorter and never backfires.

Music

Green Hill Zone - The theme of the first level, Green Hill Zone, from Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. It plays on its namesake, the Green Hill Zone stage.
Angel Island Zone: The theme of Angel Island Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 3, completely redone by Jun Senoue, the composer of the music for the Sonic Adventure titles. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage. This is the only Sonic the Hedgehog remix made for Brawl.
Scrap Brain Zone - The theme of the last level of Sonic the Hedgehog, Scrap Brain Zone. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
Emerald Hill Zone - The theme of the first level of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Emerald Hill Zone. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
Sonic Boom - The main theme of the US version of Sonic the Hedgehog CD, which played during the opening movie. This song is taken directly from said game, as performed by Pastiche. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
Super Sonic Racing - The main theme taken directly from the lesser known Sonic racing game Sonic R, performed by TJ Davis. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
Open Your Heart - The main theme of Sonic Adventure written and performed by Crush 40, this is a looped version of the very same song from said game performed by Crush 40. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
Live & Learn - The main theme of Sonic Adventure 2, it was written and performed by Crush 40, the same duo who performed Open Your Heart. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
Sonic Heroes - Also written and performed by the same band as the above two songs, this was the main theme of said game. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
Right There, Ride On - From the Nintendo DS title Sonic Rush, this is the music for the Leaf Storm level. This particular variant is the "Digital Remakin' Trax" from the game's soundtrack release. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage.
HIS WORLD (Instrumental) - An instrumental version of Sonic's theme from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), more commonly known as Sonic '06, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage. It is unlocked by playing in the Green Hill Zone stage 10 times.
Seven Rings in Hand - Taken directly from Sonic's first Wii title, Sonic and the Secret Rings, this was the main theme of that game performed by Steve Conte. It is used in the Green Hill Zone stage. This song also plays during Sonic's Classic Mode credits.
Sonic's victory theme - Sonic's victory fanfare is an orchestration of the one from various Sonic the Hedgehog titles, with it originating in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This version, entitled Mission Clear, is taken directly from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), more commonly known as Sonic 06, for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, making it the only victory theme to be directly imported from another game.
snd_bgm_U05_UCANDO - This track was originally going to be in Brawl, but was scrapped for unknown reasons. Assumed to be "You Can Do Anything", a track from non-North American releases of Sonic CD. As the song has not appeared with vocals in years, it can be assumed it was due to licensing issues with one of the original singers, Casey Rankin or Keiko Utoko.

Trophies

Main article: List of SSBB trophies (Sonic the Hedgehog series)

Stickers

Main article: List of stickers (Sonic the Hedgehog series)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Sonic the Hedgehog is the only third-party series introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl to return in Super Smash Bros. 4. Sonic is officially referred to as a "guest character". Content from Sonic games released between Brawl and Smash 4 - such as Sonic Generations and Sonic Lost World - is featured in the games. In general, Sonic has got a high boost in representation compared to Brawl, with a plethora of new music tracks, trophies and other contents.

Fighter

Sonic: a speedy freedom fighter who foils the plans of the nefarious Dr. Eggman. He is an iconic video game character created by Sega during the console wars to compete with Nintendo's Mario. He was revealed in October 2013 during a Nintendo Direct highlighting a console-exclusive partnership between Nintendo and Sega. He retains his special moves from Brawl, as well as his Final Smash. However, Sonic has a new down smash and his dash attack was slightly changed: for his down smash he now performs a split-kick, and for his dash attack, he now performs a scissor-kick at the end. His appearance is now based on his refined appearance that debuted in Sonic Unleashed and has been used for his "modern" design ever since. Like in his original games, Sonic's mouth is now positioned on the side of his face.

Stages

for Nintendo 3DS

Green Hill Zone: staged in the eponymous zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It is a hilly stage with walk-off boundaries and a mid-section that can give way to a bottomless pit. A Point Marker occasionally erupts from the ground. If struck, its head will spin and cause damage to any opponent within range. Tails, Knuckles, and Silver the Hedgehog occasionally make cameos in the background. This is one of the possible stages to appear in Level 4 of All-Star Mode as a home stage for Sonic. Its Ω form takes place on a plateau before the normal stage.

for Wii U

Windy Hill Zone: staged on the eponymous zone from Sonic Lost World. It is a large floating platform flanked by giant bumpers. The bumpers will bounce away fighters on contact. A giant windmill is positioned stage left with a small wooden platform attached to each of its sails. As the windmill rotates, it can carry fighters past the blast zone. Windy Hill is slanted and has an unorthodox center-of-gravity, similar to Mario Galaxy. Animals from the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Lost World - Flicky, Pecky, Picky, Pocky, Cucky, Ricky, and Rocky - make cameos in the background of the stage. It is one of the possible stages to appear in Level 4 of All-Star Mode as a home stage for Sonic and it is large enough to accommodate 8-Player Smash. Its Ω form is columnar. This is the only stage in Smash 4 where the normal form is a floating platform but its Ω form is not.

Assist Trophy

Shadow the Hedgehog: Sonic's rival from Sonic Adventure 2 and the second most popular Sonic character. When summoned, Shadow harnesses the power of a Chaos Emerald to perform Chaos Control, which slows down all opponents in battle. He cannot be attacked and he does not slowdown the summoner.

Enemy

Eggrobo: an ovate robot from Sonic & Knuckles armed with a large blaster. Its design derives from its appearance in Sonic Generations. It hovers around the stage and shoots bullet-like beams at opponents. It occasionally will fire a large, continuous beam similar to Samus' Zero Laser. It exclusively appears in Smash Run in the Nintendo 3DS version.

Mii Costumes

Main article: Alternate costume (SSB4)/Mii Fighter

Outfits

Tails Outfit (DLC): the outfit is based on Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic's sidekick from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He otherwise appears in the background of the Green Hill Zone stage. The costume was released with a corresponding hat in Tails' likeness as downloadable content on February 3, 2016. The Mii wears a yellow, two-tailed fox suit and carries a ray gun unique to Smash 4, though Tails has been associated with similar weaponry since Sonic Championship.

Knuckles Outfit (DLC): the outfit is based on Knuckles the Echidna, an island guardian from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He otherwise appears in the background of the Green Hill Zone stage. The costume was released with a corresponding hat in Knuckles' likeness as downloadable content on February 3, 2016. The Mii wears a red echidna suit and Knuckles' spiked gloves.

Headgear

Tails Hat (DLC)
Knuckles Hat (DLC)

Music

Returning track

Arrangements and remixes from previous Smash titles.

Angel Island Zone: an arrangement of "Angel Island Act 1" and "Angel Island Act 2" from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 led by an electric guitar. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.

Source tracks

Compositions and arrangements directly sourced from the Sonic series with no alterations.

Green Hill Zone: from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It plays on Green Hill Zone and Windy Hill Zone.
Open Your Heart: the main theme of Sonic Adventure. It plays in Windy Hill Zone.
Escape from the City: "Escape from the City ...city escape" from Sonic Adventure 2. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
Live & Learn: the main theme of Sonic Adventure 2. It plays on Green Hill Zone and Windy Hill Zone.
Sonic Heroes: the title track of Sonic Heroes. It plays in Windy Hill Zone. It is featured in the trailers "Sonic Joins the Battle!" and "Mii Fighters Suit Up for Wave Six".
Right There, Ride On: from Sonic Rush. This rendition is the "Digital Remakin' Trax" from the soundtrack SONIC RUSH Original Groove Rush. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
His World (Instrumental): "Theme of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 E3 Version)" from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
Seven Rings in Hand: the main theme of Sonic and the Secret Rings. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
Knight of the Wind: the main theme of Sonic and the Black Knight. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
Reach for the Stars: the main theme of Sonic Colors. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
Rooftop Run: "Rooftop Run: Act 2" from Sonic Generations, itself an arrangement of "Rooftop Run - Day" from Sonic Unleashed. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
Wonder World: the main theme of Sonic Lost World. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.
Windy Hill - Zone 1: from Lost World. It plays on Windy Hill Zone.

Victory fanfare

Victory! Sonic: "Jingle: Mission Clear" from Sonic (2006), itself an arrangement of "Act Clear" from Sonic 3. It is the only fanfare not arranged specifically for Smash Bros.

Trophies

Main article: List of SSB4 trophies (Sonic the Hedgehog series)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is still well represented in Ultimate and received a slight boost in representation from the post-Sonic Lost World titles, with one new Assist Trophy, several new music tracks ported from other games, several Spirits, and both stages from past games returning, making the Sonic series one of the only third-party franchises with multiple stages in one Super Smash Bros. installment along with Final Fantasy (after version 10.0.0).

Fighter

38.
Sonic: The iconic Blue Blur returns as an unlockable fighter after being a starter in Smash 4. He is considerably more expressive this time and many of his attacks and animations have been reworked, such as his jab, dash attack, and Homing Attack, he also has a new dash attack, a flying lunge kick. He retains his Final Smash, Super Sonic, but it now has altered functionality; the player has very little control over the movement of the attack, similar to both Pikachu and Diddy Kong’s reworked Final Smashes and Pichu's new Final Smash.

Stages

Green Hill Zone: Sonic's iconic grassy stage from Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS returns as a playable stage, with its design and functionality unchanged.
Windy Hill Zone: The first Zone from Sonic Lost World returns from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U with its functionality unchanged.

Assist Trophies

Bold italics denotes an Assist Trophy new to the Smash Bros. series.

Shadow the Hedgehog: Sonic's rival from Sonic Adventure 2 and the second most popular Sonic character. When summoned, Shadow harnesses the power of a Chaos Emerald to perform Chaos Control, which slows down all opponents in battle with a second phase that completely stops the opponents. He cannot be attacked and he does not slow down the summoner.
Knuckles the Echidna: Sonic’s hotheaded friendly rival since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. He attacks opponents using the Homing Attack and his fists, and he can also dig into the ground, attacking with a rising uppercut. He can be damaged and KO’d. He cannot be summoned on Green Hill Zone due to appearing as a background character on the stage.

Mii Costumes

Main article: Alternate costume (SSBU)/Mii Fighter

The following Mii costumes returned as downloadable content as part of version 3.0.0, within the first wave of Mii Fighter outfits and separate from Challenger Pack 1.

Returning track

"Angel Island Zone": An arrangement of the music that plays in both Acts of the first Zone, Angel Island Zone, from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Source tracks

Tracks sourced directly from the Sonic games.

"Green Hill Zone": The theme of Green Hill Zone, sourced from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Heard during Sonic's character trailer.
"Scrap Brain Zone": The theme of Scrap Brain Zone, sourced from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
"Emerald Hill Zone": The theme of Emerald Hill Zone, sourced from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
"Sonic Boom": The theme from the opening cinematic, sourced from the U.S. version of Sonic CD.
"Super Sonic Racing": The title theme that also played on Radiant Emerald while playing as Super Sonic, sourced from Sonic R.
"Open Your Heart": The main theme, plays during the final battle against Perfect Chaos, sourced from Sonic Adventure.
"Live and Learn": The main vocal theme, plays during the battle against the Finalhazard, sourced from Sonic Adventure 2.
"Escape from the City": The theme of City Escape, the first stage in Team Sonic's campaign, sourced from Sonic Adventure 2.
"Sonic Heroes": the main vocal theme, plays during the opening movie, sourced from Sonic Heroes.
"His World (Theme of Sonic the Hedgehog - 2006 E3 Version)": An instrumental version of Sonic's main theme, taken from the E3 2006 trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog.
"Seven Rings in Hand": The main vocal theme, sourced from Sonic and the Secret Rings.
"Knight of the Wind": The main vocal theme, sourced from Sonic and the Black Knight.
"Reach for the Stars": The main vocal theme, sourced from Sonic Colors.
"Rooftop Run": The Modern Sonic rendition of Rooftop Run, sourced from Sonic Generations.
"Wonder World": The main theme, sourced from Sonic Lost World.
"Windy Hill - Zone 1": The background track of Zone 1 of Windy Hill, sourced from Sonic Lost World.
"Lights, Camera, Action! (Studiopolis Zone Act 1)": The background track of Act 1 of Studiopolis Zone, sourced from Sonic Mania. Heard during the Tails and Knuckles Mii costumes reveal.
"Fist Bump": The main vocal theme, sourced from Sonic Forces.
"Sunset Heights": The background track of Stage 15, Sunset Heights, sourced from Sonic Forces.

Victory fanfare

"Victory! Sonic": An abridged and faster version of the stage clear jingle from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

Spirits

Main article: List of spirits (Sonic the Hedgehog series)

Media with elements from or in Super Smash Bros.