Espio the Chameleon

Espio the Chameleon (エスピオ・ザ・カメレオン Esupio za Kamereon) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic chameleon, who mainly serves as an intelligent ninja warrior and a member of the Chaotix Detective Agency alongside Vector the Crocodile and Charmy Bee. Together, the trio solves whatever cases they are given, where Espio is able to put his skills to good use. He possesses as well the ability to blend in with his environment. 
Espio is a calm and quiet chameleon, but also overly cautious and disciplined. However, his wariness and soulful character makes him a vital member of Team Chaotix, where his presence plays an important role as a restraint among his coworkers, who tend to be optimistic and energetic. Espio likewise thrives on the dangers of his missions, and although he is quite confident in his ninjutsu, he feels it is aesthetically pleasing to stay in the shadows as a ninja should.
== Personality ==
A single-minded, straight-laced detective committed to his job, Espio is serious, practical, intelligent and wise. He has a militaristic discipline despite being quiet, calm, and laid-back. Espio is additionally portrayed as being stubborn, opinionated and self-obsessed. Despite this, he has an excellent drive to all that he does and flourishes off of peril, getting himself into threatening situations to flex and polish his ninja skills, and, due to his extensive training, he can confront these troubles head-on unconcerned by danger.
Among his colleagues, Espio's opinionated attitude serves a key role in Team Chaotix, allowing him to reign in and balance out the more optimistic and zany behaviors exhibited by Vector and Charmy.
Beneath Espio's reserved demeanor lies a burning and very strong sense of justice and an absolute refusal to let evil have its way. As such, he gives the impression of a rather ruthless demeanor when facing villains; when encountering Eggman during the Neo Metal Sonic incident and the Black Armsincident, the usual civil and soft-spoken chameleon would make threats at the doctor's life. Espio is also seen as a ninja-based character; his battle poses and shuriken stars support that portrayal. Also in the Japanese script, the pronouns he uses to refer to himself are usually ware, and the more archaic onushi pronoun for referring to others.
Like any ninja, Espio has a soulful side to himself too. He is a lover of traditional ways and can play the shamisen but is left confused by computers and audio-video equipment. He is also fluid in 17 different languages.
=== Powers and abilities ===
Using speed and stealth to overcome his enemies, Espio is a powerful adversary (by his own accords), as he says it would take no less than a "mighty foe" to outclass him. He is likewise a fierce foe in direct combat, as he has been able to face skilled opponents like Rouge the Bat and Knuckles the Echidna on even ground during the Ifrit incident.
As a Speed Type, Espio possesses a great deal of speed. As demonstrated during the Ifrit incident, he can run at speeds compatible to Sonic and Shadow's, and his swiftness is potent enough to let him fool his enemiesand appear in different spots nigh-instantaneously. Also, while having not demonstrated power on a superhuman level, Espio has impressive physical strength too, enough to shatter obstacles and smash Badniks using only hand chops. Espio also has very impressive durability and endurance, having been able to withstand Sonic's Homing Attacks indefinitely and keep on fighting during their duel amidst the Time Eater incident. Espio also has extreme acrobatic skills, being capable of doing complex and nimble jumps even in midair, leap between walls with ease, pull off Spin Attack techniques at high speed, and grind on Grind Rails without any trouble.
Espio possesses a unique stealth camouflage trick that lets him change the hue of his skin to match his environment. His camouflage is so effective that he is rendered completely invisible to the naked eye, capable of passing through photocells, and able to pass by foes unnoticed. Combined with his keen mind, this ability makes Espio a very sneaky and effective spy.
Having undergone extensive ninja training, Espio is a skilled ninja and a master of ninjutsu. With his skills in the latter field having been described as "powerful", he is proficient with several forms of ninja-based weaponry. He is especially a master of throwing kunai, capable of striking targets with pinpoint accuracy while only barely looking at them. He can also expertly throw shuriken stars for offensive purposes, namely for offensive purposes by throwing them as projectiles at enemies. He is also capable of stealth, which combined with his camouflaging abilities makes him virtually undetectable. Espio's signature moves are likewise ninjutsu moves that utilize his camouflage trick. The Leaf Swirl lets Espio combine his camouflage with a Ninja Leaf Swirl maneuver to create a tornado to blow opponents away while he disappears, his Chroma Camo maneuver hides himself completely from his enemies' perception while increasing his speed, and his Ninja Arts: Camouflage hides himself completely from enemies' perception while he "warps" between places to disorient his enemy as he attacks them.
Espio also possesses an extremely keen sense of awareness of his surroundings on both the physical and empathic plane, detecting Team Dark nearby despite the group being out of his field of vision, Sonic's presence aboard the Death Egg, and the soul of the Time Eater.
Like a real lizard, Espio can climb along any surface and stick to them for an unprecedented amount of time. As seen during the Death Egg II incident, he also possesses a prehensile tongue which he can use as a short-range projectile attack in combat and as a grappling hook.
Espio is also able to perform the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Espio can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed. Adept in its usage, Espio can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both ground- and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, and Homing Attack.
Espio has as well a keen mind and experience in investigation and gathering intel. However, while having experience in solving mysteries alone, he is not as brilliant a detective as Vector. He also has some limited skill in hacking computers as seen during the Black Arms incident. Among other things, Espio can also harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds to empower himself.
== Weapons ==
As a ninja, Espio favors and employs ninja-based weaponry, such as kunai and shuriken stars. He uses his shuriken stars as a long-range offensive by throwing them at opponents and can do so in rapid succession. By attaching a rope to his kunai, he can also use it as a grappling hook to latch onto suspended targets and swing between them.
=== Transformations ===
==== Hyper Mode ====
Espio is capable of using this mode for a brief time on his own by drawing power from the Chaos Emeralds. In Hyper Mode, Espio's speed and attack power greatly increases.
==== Color Powers ====
By harnessing different variants of Hyper-go-on from Wisps, Espio can use specific Color Powers to transform into a certain form, such as a drill, a laser or even a planet, each one possessing its own unique abilities. So far, Espio has been able to transform into the Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill, and Indigo Asteroid. However, these transformations require a steady supply of Hyper-go-on to be maintained.
== Weaknesses ==
Espio's camouflaging ability, while practical, is not perfect. Its maintenance is tied to Espio's concentration, meaning it will falter should he lose focus due to things such as being blinded by light, sneezing, coughing, or being covered in a visible substance. His stealth is not flawless either as Rouge the Bat was able to detect his movements thanks to her heightened sense of hearing. He is also not mechanically-minded.