Sonic (SSBU)

Sonic (, Sonic) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Like all veterans, his return to the series was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. As in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sonic is an unlockable character instead of being a starter character. Sonic is classified as Fighter #38.
As in Super Smash Bros. 4, Sonic's voice clips from Brawl were repurposed for the Japanese version of Ultimate, while his voice clips from Sonic Generations and the series were repurposed for other versions of Ultimate.
All of the voice actors' portrayals of Sonic are as follows: 
* in English.
* in Japanese.
* in French.
*Renato Novara in Italian.
*Marc Stachel in German.
*Jonatán López in Spanish, in place of his current Spanish voice actor Ángel De Gracia. Ultimate is López's last game as Sonic's Spanish voice actor prior to his death in February 2020.
Sonic is currently ranked 2nd out of 82 on the Ultimate tier list, placing him in the middle of the S+ tier. This is a slight improvement from his 7th/8th out of 54 placement in Smash 4 (where he was tied with ), makes him the highest ranking base-game character and veteran, and marks his best placement in the series. Sonic's biggest strength is his speed, which allows him to utilize a hit-and-run playstyle. Complementing this speed is his massive array of burst options with a wide window of unreactable range thanks to moves like Spin Charge and Spin Dash, which are regarded as some of the best neutral options in the game. This grants Sonic unparalleled mobility over the stage, as he is able to weave around enemy defenses, bait out approaches, and control the overall pace of the game. In addition, Sonic can also play offensively, as his speed allows him to chase opponents across the entire stage, while his great recovery also allows him to place pressure on the opponents offstage. All of this allows Sonic to rack up damage fast while keeping damage done towards him at a minimum.
However, Sonic has some noteworthy flaws, most notably his KO potential. Many of his best KO moves either require proper positioning to be most effective or have noticeable starting and ending lag; this can lead to opponents surviving up to high percents if Sonic is unable to secure an early KO. In addition, some of Sonic's moves, such as Spin Charge and his up aerial, can occasionally have trouble connecting, which can render situations where the opponent may inadvertently escape one of his combos. Lastly, Sonic’s endurance has been decreased noticeably from his previous incarnation, making him more prone to getting KOed.
Overall, Sonic is a character that can rack up damage fast and pressure opponents both on and offstage. However, he can often have a tough time closing out stocks if his opponents space him effectively. While initial impressions on Sonic were rather lukewarm, they have since improved dramatically following the online era and the changes to the metagame. Sonic has since seen competitive success thanks to the efforts of and , and he is widely considered to be one of the best characters in the game, if not the best.
==How to unlock==
Complete one of the following:
*Play VS. matches, with Sonic being the 17th character to be unlocked.
*Clear with or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.
*Have Sonic join the player's party in World of Light.
Sonic must then be defeated on Green Hill Zone (the Ω form is used in World of Light).
==Attributes==
Sonic is a lightweight who, staying true to his home series, has outstanding mobility. He unsurprisingly possesses the fastest dashing speed in the game by default (which is surpassed only by while using Acceleratle), the 7th fastest walking speed, the 12th fastest air speed (which tied with , , , and ), and the highest traction in the game (surpassed only by Winged Form ). When combined with his above-average falling speed and jump heights, these attributes allow Sonic to move across the stage at a blisteringly quick pace, even in spite of his average gravity and low air acceleration. To round out his attributes, Sonic is also capable of wall jumping.
Sonic's special moves are quite useful. Spin Dash and Spin Charge allow him to travel across stages at varying speeds, inflict damage on contact, and follow up into an aerial attack or uncharged Homing Attack. Despite appearing very similar aesthetically and mechanically, they both have different strengths and uses for various different situations.
Spin Dash allows Sonic to jump around the stage while charging or holding the charge of the move and can be released in the air, and the hop at the start of the move allows Sonic to "spin shot" on ground as well as in the air, with it being the side special making it more ideal for aiming the spin shot to recover. The initial jump can also help Sonic avoid certain things like projectiles by hopping over them; it, however, loses this initial hop if fully charged. Spin Dash also has a moment of intangibility on startup, which can bypass even Wonderwing. The intangible fully charged version can pass through most grounded attacks but will clank with projectiles and aerial attacks.
The non-fully charged version with the hop though can bypass if not beat out almost anything due to being aerial. The fully charged version of Spin Dash will also be intangible whenever Sonic turns the move around. Due to the number of branching choices Sonic has when starting Spin Dash, it is his most reliable attack in neutral and one of his best approach options overall. From jumping into cancellation, charging it to alter its timing, switching directions after releasing, and utilizing the spin shot, Spin Dash plays an extremely important role when attempting to play mind games versus Sonic's opponent.
While Spin Dash is a one-hit move that mostly knocks opponents into the air, Spin Charge, on the other hand, hits multiple times, carrying the opponent, and moves a little faster, making it a good alternative for dashing. Jumping out of Spin Charge also has Sonic hop while spinning, making him a jumping hitbox. Also, due to charging up by pushing the Special Move button repeatedly, it can be charged up to full power faster than Spin Dash. Spin Charge can also perform a "spin shot", although it can only be done while airborne and can't be reversed.
Both give Sonic additional protection when recovering and combo into other moves. The mobility of both in tandem with Sonic's already impressive speed makes him capable of quickly adding on damage to unprepared opponents from anywhere on the stage, and they can clank and cancel out the effects of certain moves (such as C4 or Egg Roll). Both moves also have Sonic's hurtbox extend beyond the attack's hitbox. Both moves can be blocked by shield, making them a bit unsafe and committal or predictable, as Spin Dash can only be canceled with a jump and Spin Charge can only be canceled by jumping or stopping pressing the Special Move button. However, they can bypass shields if fully-charged and jump over them on initial contact.
Homing Attack deals a varying amount of damage, homes in on the nearest opponent and is good for punishing laggy moves and edge-guard breaking. Its uncharged state also has the potential to combo and its charged state has a small amount of KO potential at higher percentages. Spring Jump is a useful recovery that grants intangibility at the start, goes very high, and is one of few recovery moves that do not cause a helpless state, enabling Sonic to attack and dodge during his descent and even extend his recovery with a directional air dodge. The spring that is dropped can be useful both on-stage and off-stage by allowing him to pressure and gimp opponents, respectively.
Sonic also has a powerful air game. Neutral aerial is a great combo starter when SHFF'd, as a result of its long-lasting hitbox, low landing lag, and launching angle. Forward aerial is useful for edge-guarding and, in certain instances, it can combo into itself on-stage at low percentages thanks to its generous auto-cancel window and Sonic's fast air speed. Up aerial's auto-canceling window makes it a useful and deceptively safe combo starter when SHFF'd. Back aerial's clean hitbox is very powerful, to the point that it is one of Sonic's most reliable KO options. Lastly, down aerial is a stall-then-fall that has noticeably less ending lag compared to other stall-then-falls. When coupled with its initial hitbox's ability to meteor smash airborne opponents, down aerial can potentially gimp an opponent, if not KO them outright, and yet still allow Sonic to recover immediately afterward, even if he misses.
Sonic's neutral attack, tilt attacks, and throws have mediocre damage outputs, yet their quick speed can make them difficult to punish. His grab game is decent overall: while none of Sonic's grabs excel in speed and each of them have average ranges, they are still fairly easy to land thanks to his outstanding mobility. Sonic's pummel is also quick and has an average damage output, allowing him to rack up a fair amount of damage before throwing an opponent. Down throw is a semi-spike that has high base knockback, which makes it excellent for setting up edge-guards and tech-chases. Back throw also has high base knockback and KOs much earlier than his other throws, especially if it is used while near the edge. It also moves Sonic backward, which makes it useful for setting up an immediate edge-guard attempt. Up tilt can be reversed on startup and hit opponents through platforms above Sonic, and his forward smash has a bit of a deceptively large range due to him stepping forward during the punch.
Up throw is a reliable combo starter, having decently damaging combos beginning at 0%, as well as Spring Jump-assisted aerial combos beginning at medium percentages. It also has KO potential, although it only KOs reliably at very high percentages when used on high platforms, such as 's top platform, as well as stages with low upper blast zones. Lastly, forward throw is his least useful throw, as its primary utility is for forcing the opponent away from him and setting up an edge-guard.
Mastering Sonic's running game is crucial to Sonic's ability to perform at high-level play; thanks to Sonic having the fastest dashing speed, Sonic mains can take advantage of a variety of dash or dash-related techniques. Dash-dancing is extremely useful for mindgames, such as by running in one direction and then quickly turning the other way around to bait an opponent or catch them off-guard. The ability to use any attack out of a dash further compliments this strategy, as Sonic can retaliate almost immediately to an opponent's attack after dash-dancing. As such, it is often regarded by Sonic players that it is better to run away from the opponent and run back than to use rolls to avoid opponents.
This allows the player to avoid damage, not be as easily punished, have more control over their actions, and be able to punish their opponent's attacks. Dash-dance pivots (consisting of fox-trotting away from the opponent, then quickly dash-dancing backward) are particularly effective for this, as they can cause almost immediate turnarounds and allow for easy grabs. In general, Sonic arguably has the easiest time winning the neutral game due to his unmatched speed and maneuverability on-stage, and attacks that not only come out fast but can also be used to approach with.
Despite the plethora of strengths, Sonic has some weaknesses, the most noticeable being his KO potential. It is held back by his best KO moves (his smash attacks and clean back aerial) requiring good positioning and having noticeable startup and ending lag. His forward and up smashes are also burdened with low base knockback, which forces them to be used for KO attempts later instead of earlier, and his down smash, although it has decent startup, has high ending lag, making it easy to punish if missed. While Sonic's damage-racking ability is formidable, his ability to reliably close out stocks is among the worst in the game, which oftentimes results in his opponents surviving beyond 150% and even 200% if he is unable to score an early kill, forcing him to rely on hard reads in order to reliably take stocks at high percents. Despite his outstanding mobility, Sonic may struggle to land due to his very low air acceleration, leaving him susceptible to juggling.
Sonic can also have difficulty dealing with camping, since any ground-level projectile can severely limit his movement options. While Homing Attack and Spin Dash are his best options in getting through said projectiles, they can be reacted to and even predicted. Some of his attacks are also very punishable should they miss, and thus allow openings for opponents to punish him. Homing Attack can miss if his opponent is moving too fast or is in the middle of an attack when Sonic releases the move. His recovery is also predictable with Spring Jump as his only vertical recovery option, as its linearity makes him susceptible to gimps even at relatively low percentages. Finally, Sonic can be susceptible to early KOs due to being a lightweight.
In all, Sonic has a great offensive play, a strong neutral game, a good off-stage presence, and can very rapidly damage his opponents. However, like other characters of his archetype, he has some trouble KOing and can be difficult to keep track of, even for the player using him, which sometimes leads to accidentally putting him at a disadvantage or even inadvertently self-destructing. Although Sonic's attributes make him a hit-and-run character most of the time, his prowess for using mindgames and switching up tactics encourage multiple playstyles to succeed, which give him a higher learning curve but allows him to match up well against nearly every character in the cast.
==Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4==
Like most other top tier characters, Sonic was often regarded as one of the most potent characters in SSB4 (tying with Fox for 7th out of 55 characters); this was due to a combination of an outstanding ground movement and Spin Dash granting him a powerful neutral game, and encouraged a borderline oppressive hit-and-run playstyle that benefitted from time out strategies after gaining a stock/percentage lead. Likely as a result of this, Sonic was given a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition to Ultimate, though while initially considered to be nerfed overall, universal gameplay changes, metagame shifts and game updates have allowed Sonic to keep up with the rest of the cast. All in all, Sonic has been slightly buffed overall.
Several of Sonic's key strengths and moves from SSB4 have been toned down considerably. Arguably his biggest nerf was towards his Spin Dash, as it can no longer be shield canceled and can no longer go through shields unless it is fully charged; this noticeably hinders Sonic's infamous camping ability and mindgames from SSB4, forcing Sonic to rely more on his pure speed to play defensively. Up aerial, known for its status as a strong KO option off of moves like Spring Jump and Spin Dash, has received angle and knockback adjustments to the first hit that worsen its ability to connect into the second hit as reliably, no longer managing to follow Sonic's momentum when he jumps and hindering its effectiveness and consistency for combos. Up throw, previously able to combo into Spring Jump-assisted setups, now has increased ending lag, effectively removing most of Sonic's Spring Jump-assisted combos off of it. Lastly, Spring Jump's spring now sends opponents at a more horizontal angle, toning down its edge-guarding potency, and has much less intangibility frames, making it easier to intercept Sonic during his recovery. His much lighter weight also worsens his endurance, and combined with his faster falling speed, he is more vulnerable to combos and KOs if the opponent is able to catch up to him.
However, Sonic has been granted notable buffs as well, particularly towards his less impressive attacks. In particular, Homing Attack has been buffed significantly, with faster startup, less ending lag upon hitting an opponent, better accuracy, and the ability to be charged for longer; this has lead to the move becoming a much more viable combo tool as well as a potential option in the neutral game. His down tilt launches opponents at a higher angle now, granting it combo potential. All of his smash attacks were improved, with forward smash gaining more range, and up and down smash having better KO potential. Despite their nerfs, some of Sonic's better moves have been compensated for in various ways. Spin Dash now has the ability to be jump canceled, alleviating some of Sonic's potential mix-up options. Spring Jump now grants Sonic slightly more distance, buffing his already impressive recovery. Several of Sonic multi-hitting attacks (sans up aerial) now link into each other more reliably, including Spin Charge, up smash, forward aerial, and forward tilt.
Sonic also enormously benefits from Ultimate's universal mechanic changes, moreso than any other returning veteran. His already unmatched mobility has been improved even further, with an even faster initial dash and run speed as well as more serviceable aerial and falling speeds; this notably heightens his camping abilities via simply running away, which nearly fully compensates for the nerfs to Spin Dash. The introduction of dash-canceling also allows Sonic to take advantage of his phenomenal ground movement to mix-up his approach. Known for having high landing lag on his attacks in SSB4, Sonic now possesses much less landing lag on all of his aerials (although still above average relative to the cast); notably, this grants neutral aerial increased combo potential. Finally, the changes to air dodge mechanics improve Sonic's edge-guarding game while not compromising him much thanks to his great recovery, while the reintroduction of directional air dodges allows Sonic to gain a little extra distance after using Spring Jump.
Overall, Sonic still retains many of his powerful attributes and combo game, though several of his most powerful tools from SSB4 have either been worsened or removed altogether and his worse endurance has given him a newly defined weakness. This has lead to a less oppressive and polarized character, his playstyle shifting into a more offensive and creative one than before where Sonic now makes greater use of his standard moveset and newly buffed Homing Attack instead of relying on Spin Dash and Spin Charge to compensate for his underwhelming attacks, and must now take advantage of Ultimate's reworked mechanics, which have proven to be extremely benefitial to him. In the end, Sonic has retained his viability in competitive play, and given the nerfs to the previous game's top tiers and in spite of the introduction of powerful DLC characters in game updates, he performs better relative to the cast than he did in SSB4.
==Update history==
Aside from glitch fixes, Sonic was buffed via game updates. Update 2.0.0 improved his forward tilt's consistency and decreased his back aerial's landing lag, while update 3.0.0 ensured that Sonic retains his double jump upon using Spin Dash or Spin Charge on a platform. Update 7.0.0 enlarged Sonic's shield as part of a near-universal buff, and significantly improved his up smash's reliability against an opponent standing on a platform, the latter of which was shared with and 's up smashes. 
However, update 9.0.0 brought about Sonic's most significant buffs. His up tilt and dash attack had their ending lag decreased, while the latter's poor damage output was also increased. As a result, both moves are safer on shield. Up smash gained more intangibility, its overall lag was decreased, and its first hit's angle and knockback were adjusted; altogether, these changes improved its consistency and safety. Lastly, up aerial's second hit received another hitbox below Sonic, which improved the move's somewhat infamous inconsistency.
Overall, Sonic fares better than he did at the launch of Ultimate, and he continues to achieve excellent results in both offline and online tournaments.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Moveset==
*Sonic can wall jump.
*Sonic continuously receives damage while swimming. This trait is shared with , , and . This is a reference to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games where Sonic is unable to swim, and needs to constantly collect air bubbles or else he drowns and die instantly.
For a gallery of Sonic's hitboxes, see here.
===Stats===
===Announcer call===
Sonic English Announcer SSB4-SSBU.wav|English/Japanese/Chinese
Sonic French Announcer SSBU.wav|French
===On-screen appearance===
*Spin Jumps onto the stage from the foreground and strikes a pose.
SonicOnScreenAppearanceSSBU.gif|Sonic's on-screen appearance.
===Taunts===
*Up taunt: Somersaults and then crosses his arms with his index finger pointing out, one of his signature poses (most notably from Sonic Adventure), while making a "tsk" sound three times.
*Side taunt: Performs the Super Peel Out, a technique that debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, while grinning and saying "Sonic Speed!" ("", You're too slow!)
*Down taunt: Performs the , a breakdancing move, while saying "Come on!"
SSBUSonicTaunt1.gif|Sonic's up taunt.
SSBUSonicTaunt2.gif|Sonic's side taunt.
SSBUSonicTaunt3.gif|Sonic's down taunt.
Sonic also uses his English lines if the language is set to Dutch or Russian, and uses his Japanese lines if the language is set to Chinese or Korean. His taunt voice lines in other languages are as follows:
 	Side 	Down
French 	"Vitesse Sonic !"(Sonic Speed!) 	"Allez !"(Come on!, lit. Go!)
Italian	"Velocità supersonica!"(Super Sonic Speed!)	"Andiamo!"
German 	"Lichtgeschwindigkeit!" 	"Los geht's!"
Spanish	"¡Velocidad sónica!"(Sonic Speed!) 	"¡Vamos!"(Let's go!)
===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.
*Looks at the camera and wiggles his finger in a patronizing manner while smirking. It resembles the animation he performs after clearing an Act or defeating a boss in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic Mania or his introduction in many 2D Sonic the Hedgehog games and in the three American DIC Entertainment cartoons as well as the animation he does before jumping offscreen in Sonic CD if the game is left idle for three minutes.
SSBUSonicIdle1.gif|Sonic's first idle pose.
SSBUSonicIdle2.gif|Sonic's second idle pose.
===Crowd cheer===
 	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch) 	Cheer (French)
Cheer 	 	 	 	 	
Description	So - nic! 	Go! Go! So - nic! 	Sooooooo - nic!	Gooooo - Sonic!	Allez So - nic!
 	Cheer (German) 	Cheer (Spanish) 	Cheer (Russian) 	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer 	 	 	 	
Description	Sooooooo - nic!	Sooooooo - nic! Sooooooo - nic! Este Sonic! Este Sonic! E! E!	So - nic! *claps 3 times*	So - nic!
===Victory poses===
*Left: Sprints off-screen and then sprints back on-screen before giving a thumbs up while saying "That was almost too easy!" ("", Lag behind and get left behind!). It is possibly a reference to the Sega logo at the opening of the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
*Up: Runs up to the camera and grabs the blue Chaos Emerald, then poses with it while saying "Piece of cake!" ("", A piece of cake! An easy win!). His Japanese line comes from Sonic Heroes and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) after battles.
*Right: Performs a break dance move that resembles his Sonic Flare from Sonic Battle, then strikes a pose and says "Let's do that again sometime!" ("", Hey guys! I'll play again next time!). His Japanese line comes from Sonic Adventure after defeating a boss. 
SonicVictoryPose1SSBU.gif
SonicVictoryPose2SSBU.gif
SonicVictoryPose3SSBU.gif
Sonic also uses his English lines if the language is set to Dutch or Russian, and his Japanese lines if the language is set to Chinese or Korean. His victory quotes in other languages are as follows:
 	Left 	Up 	Right
French 	"C'était presque trop facile !"(That was almost too easy!)	"Du gâteau !"(Piece of cake!, lit. Some cake!)	"Faudra se refaire ça un jour !"([We] need to do that again sometime!)
Spanish	"¡Pero que fácil!" 	"¡Chupado!" 	"¡A ver si lo repetimos!"
Italian	"Persino troppo semplice!" 	"Un gioco da ragazzi!" 	"Rifacciamolo presto!"
==In competitive play==
===Most historically significant players===
See also: :Category:Sonic players (SSBU)
* - A top 30 player for most of competitive Ultimate, and the second-best Sonic player of all-time, being the definitive best from the early metagame to Sonix's rise at the start of 2022. He was one of the first Sonic players to succeed in competitive play in spite of Sonic's nerfs from the previous game, including winning by double-eliminating and winning , becoming the first Sonic player to win a major. Even after Sonix's rise, KEN remained one of the best Sonic players in the world, most notably winning with primarily Sonic.
* - The best Sonic player in Europe, picking up the character in the post-pandemic metagame. He is best known for winning and becoming the first European player to eliminate Glutonny from a ranked European event. This performance, alongside several other noteworthy performances such as winning and placing 5th at , eventually led him to rank 69th on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse. Although he was never able to replicate his performance at VCA 2021, he has nevertheless placed highly at several other large European events, including 5th at and 7th at .
* - The best Sonic player in North America in the game's early months. He is best known for placing 5th at , where he also defeated . Alongside placing 9th at , where he defeated , and placing 7th at the back-to-back superregionals and , he became the first Sonic player to appear on a global ranking, ranking in the Area 51 position on the Spring 2019 PGRU. He remains active in competitive play; however, aside from some occasional noteworthy performances such as 9th at , he has yet to replicate his performances from the spring season.
* - The greatest Sonic player of all-time, and one of the best players in the world since 2023. He has been competing since the early metagame, but first became known for his performances during the online metagame, where he is regarded as one of the best online players of all-time. Since the post-pandemic metagame, he has won four majors -- , , , and -- and is the only Sonic player across all Smash games to win a supermajor.
* - The second-best Sonic player in Japan, making his debut in the post-pandemic metagame, and has since been ranked in the top 100, peaking at 77th on the LumiRank 2023. He is best known for finishing 5th at and 7th , defeating in the former event, and has come close to placing top 8 at many other majors, including placing 9th at and . In addition, he has defeated KEN at several events, including , and has also notably defeated at .
* - The second-best Sonic player in North America, and was in contention for being one of the best Sonic players in the early metagame in spite of his low attendance, having placed 5th at and 7th at . He became more active in the online metagame, where he was one of the best online players, and the post-pandemic metagame, where he notably won and placed 4th at and 5th at , ultimately ranking 34th on the LumiRank 2024.1.
===Tier placement and history===
Upon the release of Ultimate, Sonic was initially seen as a far less viable fighter than he was in Smash 4 due to a number of changes to his moveset, particularly to Spin Dash and Spin Charge, which nerfed his biggest strengths from the previous game. On the other hand, Sonic retained his superb mobility and long-distanced recovery, while his combo game remained mostly useful. As a result, despite being weaker compared to his previous iteration, Sonic's "hit-and-run" playstyle still remained viable, allowing multiple top players to resort to time out strategies. Although early opinions placed him as a mid-tier, as a result of retaining his notorious playstyle as well as results from players such as , , and especially , opinions on the character have shifted towards being a high-tier by the time of the online metagame.
The community's perception on Sonic began shifting even further during the online metagame due to the meteoric rise of , who became one of the metagame's best players. Sonic also received buffs to his moveset, most notably an additional hitbox to his up air that made the move more consistent, improving his KO power. These positive changes to Sonic's representation were brought into the offline metagame, as Sonix and KEN saw strong performances at many majors and supermajors. These players often utilized Sonic's hit-and-run playstyle to its fullest, with their sets often going to or close to a time-out. On the other hand, Sonix has also showcased Sonic's more oppressive nature, such as overwhelming his opponent or utilizing Sonic's speed and strong recovery to relentlessly edgeguard opponents. Due to all of this, the general consensus has since reassessed Sonic as a top tier character, with several players believing he could be the best character in the game. This was reflected in his placement on the first tier list, where he is ranked 4th, with eleven panelists ranking him as 1st.
Opinions on Sonic only further improved following the first tier list, as Sonix established himself as one of Ultimates Four Horsemen. In addition, players began realizing that Sonic was one of the best counters to , the highest-ranking character in the game, as Sonic's overwhelming speed can exploit Steve's poor mobility. This became more evident with Sonix's track record against Steve players, which includes dominantly defeating at , and . Finally, the metagame began heavily favoring a more methodical and patient playstyle that greatly benefitted Sonic players. As a result, many players now consider Sonic to be the second-best character in the game, which led to his rise to 2nd on the following two tier lists, ranking alongside Steve in the S+ tier.
==: At the Speed of Sound==
Sonic's opponents reference characters from a variety of games. Each round also proceeds in the chronological order of each console generation to feature Sonic, starting from the 4th generation (Sega Genesis) to the 8th generation (Wii U), complete with Rounds 1 through 6 playing music from the Sonic the Hedgehog series (regardless of what universe the stage originates from). The title of Sonic's Classic Mode route also references a portion of the lyrics of "Escape from the City" from Sonic Adventure 2.
Round 	Opponent 	Stage 	Music 	Notes
1 	 	Green Hill Zone 	 	Fox references Miles "Tails" Prower, a fox who is Sonic's best friend and sidekick.
2 	 	Figure-8 Circuit 	 	Captain Falcon, the stage, and the music all reference Sonic R, a racing game.
3 	Giant Metal	Fourside (Ω form)	 	The stage and the music likely reference the boss battles against Chaos in Sonic Adventure, particularly the one against Chaos 0. Giant metal Sonic and the stage could also reference the Metal Sonic boss fight at the end of Stardust Speedway Zone in Sonic CD, or Metal Overlord final boss fight at the end of Sonic Heroes. Giant metal Sonic will also use Sonic's default appearance, albeit while clad in metal, even if the player is also using Sonic's default appearance.
4 	(×3) 	Halberd 	 	The Kirbys represent the character types in Sonic Heroes: Speed (Blue), Flight (Yellow), and Power (Red). The stage likely references Final Fortress, the final level of said game.
5 	 	Mushroomy Kingdom	 	Sheik, the stage, and the music all reference Sonic and the Secret Rings, which has an Arabian setting.
6 	Giant 	Windy Hill Zone 	 	Giant Incineroar references Zavok, the leader of The Deadly Six, who debuted in Sonic Lost World.
Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage
Final 	 	 	(Less than 7.0 intensity) (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	On intensity 7.0 and higher, fights alongside Master Hand.
Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Sonic has accompany the credits.
==Role in World of Light==
Sonic was among the fighters summoned to the cliffside to assist in defeating an army of Master Hands.
During the opening cutscene, Sonic was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. While attempting to run away, Sonic noticed doing the same and reached his hand out to Pikachu in an attempt to save it. However, before Sonic could grab a hold of Pikachu, both were vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the rest of the fighters, excluding .
Sonic was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. He appears in the Sacred Land sub-area as one of the fighters that block the Master Sword, making him one of the obligatory unlocks.
Sonic is later seen standing next to as the other heroes prepare their last stand against Galeem and Dharkon.
===Fighter Battle===
No.	Image	Name 	Type	Power	Stage 	Music
38 	 	Sonic	 	9,800	Green Hill Zone (Ω form)	
==Spirits==
Sonic's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing as Sonic. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Sonic has been unlocked. Unlocking Sonic in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in Ultimate.
Additionally, Sonic makes an appearance in a few primary spirits in other forms.
SSBU spirit Sonic the Hedgehog.png|775. Sonic the Hedgehog
SSBU spirit Super Sonic.png|778. Super Sonic
SSBU spirit Sonic the Werehog.png|796. Sonic the Werehog
==In Spirit Battles==
===As the main opponent===
Spirit	Spirit	Spirit 	Spirit 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Inspiration
No. 	Image 	Name 	Series 	Enemy Fighter(s) 	Type 	Power 	Stage 	Rules 	Conditions 	Music 	Character
778 	 	Sonic The Hedgehog Series 	•Gold 	 	13,700 	Windy Hill Zone 	•Sudden Final Smash 	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash 	 	 	
780 	 	Sonic The Hedgehog Series 	•Metal (100 HP)	 	4,600 	Windy Hill Zone 	N/A 	•Timed stamina battle (2:00)•The enemy is metal•The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt 	 	 	
782 	 	Sonic The Hedgehog Series 	• • • 	 	1,600 	Windy Hill Zone 	•Invisibility 	•The enemy is invisible 	 	Espio the Chameleon	
788 	 	Sonic The Hedgehog Series 	• 	 	9,100 	New Pork City (Battlefield form) 	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Shadow)•Item: Timer	•The enemy's dash attacks have increased power•Hostile assist trophies will appear•The enemy is easily distracted by items	 	Sonic the Hedgehog 	
795 	 	Sonic The Hedgehog Series 	• 	 	3,600 	Green Hill Zone 	•Item: Throwing Types 	•The enemy starts the battle with a Black Hole•The enemy is easily distracted by items 	 	 	
797 	 	Sonic The Hedgehog Series 	•Metal (140 HP)	 	4,400 	Big Blue 	•Hazard: Screen Flip 	•The screen will suddenly flip after a little while•Stamina battle•The enemy is metal 	 	 	
848 	 	Animal Crossing Series 	• 	 	9,100 	Town and City 	N/A 	•The enemy starts the battle with a Drill 	 	, , and 	
1,262 	 	Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers	• 	 	9,800 	Midgar (hazards off) 	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Dillon) 	•The enemy's special moves have increased power•Hostile assist trophies will appear•The enemy favors special moves 	 	 	
1,285 	 	Rayman Series 	• (160 HP) 	 	9,100 	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Sukapon) 	•The enemy's physical attacks have increased power•Stamina battle•Hostile assist trophies will appear 	 	 	
===As a minion===
Spirit	Spirit 	Spirit 	Spirit 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Inspiration
No. 	Image 	Name 	Series 	Enemy Fighter(s) 	Type 	Power 	Stage 	Rules 	Conditions 	Music 	Character
776 	 	Sonic The Hedgehog Series 	•Roy •Metal	 	13,200 	Green Hill Zone 	•Bob-omb Festival•Item: Shooting Types	•Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while•The enemy's shooting items have increased power•Items will be pulled toward the enemy	 	Metal Sonic 	
1,087 	Nico Flame	StreetPass Mii Plaza Series	• • • 	 	1,500 	Big Blue 	•Uncontrollable Speed 	•All fighters move faster and can't stop quickly 	 	StreetPass Cats 	
==Alternate costumes==
							
							
==Gallery==
Sonic artwork.jpg|Sonic artwork, as posted on the official Japanese Sega Twitter account.
SSBU Sonic Number.png|Sonic's fighter card.
Sonic unlock notice SSBU.jpg|Sonic's unlock notice.
SSBUWebsiteSonic1.jpg|Sonic idling on Wrecking Crew.
SSBUWebsiteSonic2.jpg|Running on Mushroomy Kingdom.
SSBUWebsiteSonic3.jpg|Attacking with his up tilt on Skyworld.
SSBUWebsiteSonic4.jpg|Coming to a halt before a Shy Guy on Figure-8 Circuit.
SSBUWebsiteSonic5.jpg|Attacking with Spin Charge on Mario Galaxy.
SSBUWebsiteSonic6.jpg|With one of 's butterflies on Skyworld.
SSBUWebsiteFalco3.jpg|Running with on Prism Tower.
SSBUWebsiteOlimar2.jpg|With , , and on Gaur Plain.
SSBUWebsiteRobin3.jpg|Sonic and getting hit by 's down smash on Wily Castle.
SSBUWebsiteDeath'sScythe1.jpg|Sonic holding Death's Scythe on the Bridge of Eldin.
SSBUWebsiteKnuckles3.jpg|Sonic and Knuckles posing on Palutena's Temple.
KnucklesSmashUltimate.png|Sonic and Knuckles posing on Garden of Hope.
SSBUWebsite14.jpg|Idling on Distant Planet.
===Fighter Showcase Video===
==Trivia==
*One of the in-game tips for Sonic states that using his down aerial after a jump and Spring Jump in succession can allow for "no landing delay". However, this is incorrect, as Spring Jump actually incurs 10 frames of landing lag, which persists even if Sonic auto-cancels his down aerial by using it from high enough as stated by the tip.
**This tip is recycled from Super Smash Bros. 4, where it is correct, as Spring Jump in said game does not incur additional landing lag.
***It could, however, mean that no landing lag persists from the aerial move itself, and only occurs from Spring Jump, which was possibly added due to the universal landing lag reductions in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
*Sonic's stock icon in Ultimate bears a striking resemblance to several logos and icons in the series, namely:
**The logo on the box art of .
**The logo for .
**Sonic's in some Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off games.
**The life icon and 1-ups in (when Sonic is not in his Werehog form), as well as the 1-ups from .
***It is also one of six to show the character's eyes, the others being , , , Zombie, and Enderman.
****This is not counting and Larry, as the eyes depicted for the former are not his actual eyes, and the latter lacks his irises.
*Sonic is one of three third-party fighters in Ultimate with more than one home stage representing their series, the others being and .
**Sonic is the only sole third-party fighter with this distinction, and the only one in the base game.
*Sonic and are the only third-party fighters whose respective series features more than one assist trophy.
*Sonic's shoes and cuffs in his Player 7 and Player 8 alternate costumes were swapped in the transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate, but his fur color was not.
*Unlike other installments in the Super Smash Bros. series, Sonic slowly receives damage if he falls in any body of water, which is a nod to his inability to swim in his own series.
**This makes Sonic the only third-party fighter to have this trait.
*Ultimate is the first game where Sonic was the first third-party character announced. was announced before him in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and was announced before him in Smash 4.
*Sonic is one of only four fighters to face a metal opponent in Classic Mode, facing a giant metal version of himself. The others are (who faces Metal Mario upon normal Mario's defeat in the Final Round), (who faces a metal version of himself upon defeating his normal self in the Final Round), and (who faces a metal version of himself in the Round 6).
*Interestingly, is absent from Sonic's Classic Mode route despite possessing the 3rd fastest dashing speed in the game.
*Sonic is the only fighter who travels to Green Hill Zone and Figure-8 Circuit in Classic Mode.
*Prior to update 2.0.0, there was a glitch that allowed to instantly KO Sonic. On 2D stages, if Ridley grabbed Sonic with his Space Pirate Rush while Sonic was recovering from a Homing Attack near the edge, Sonic would be instantly sent into the horizontal blast line.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyylKx0Jgg8
*As is the case with Smash 4, one of Sonic's attack grunts, as well his snoring and surfacing voice clips are taken directly from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which he was voiced by Jason Griffith, despite otherwise being voiced by Roger Craig Smith.
**Also, like in Smash 4, Jason Griffith is uncredited in the credits.
**These voice clips are also used in the French, Italian, German, and Spanish versions of the game, as Sonic was not voiced in these languages in Brawl.
*Sonic is the only third-party veteran to have their victory theme changed in some way, being slightly sped up and abridged at the end.
*The Chaos Emerald that appears in Sonic's victory pose is oddly more solid and less crystalline than the models used for his Final Smash and the one used by Shadow the Hedgehog as an Assist Trophy.
*Sonic's pose in his official Ultimate artwork has been referenced in at least three later sources of media:
**In the 2020 film, , Sonic avoids one of Dr. Robotnik's attacks while striking a very similar pose to his official Ultimate render. According to Sonic's voice actor in the film, , this was an intentional reference.https://comicbook.com/gaming/2020/02/16/sonic-the-hedgehog-super-smash-bros-ultimate-easter-eggs/
***This pose is additionally referenced in the 2022 sequel film, , in a dance scene.
**In a promotional image of the collaboration between the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the 2020 action game , Berecca (who wears a Sonic costume) strikes a pose identical to Sonic's official Ultimate render.https://www.sonicstadium.org/2020/09/sonic-x-ninjala-collaboration-details-revealed-costumes-eggman-utsusemi-and-more/
*In World of Light, Sonic is the only fighter unlocked in The Dark Realm with a power level lower than 10,000.
*When Sonic gets KO'd in Stamina Mode, his downed pose is similar to the pose he strikes in his 3D games when he is hit by an enemy while lacking Rings.
*When fighting off the fifty puppet fighter army as Master Hand in World of Light, Sonic is one of the eight fighters fought there, being affiliated with Dharkon.
*If Sonic's size changes due to a Super Mushroom, Poison Mushroom, or something else while charging Homing Attack, Sonic will no longer gain height.
*In 's reveal trailer, Sonic's forward smash launches through blocks into a Minecraft cave (transitioning to a cinematic), which led to many jokes and memes about Sonic being able to "punch people into Minecraft". The official Sonic Twitter page referenced this meme when an official Minecraft collaboration with the Sonic the Hedgehog series occurred.
==Notes==
:1.translates to "Circle/Comma Throw"
==References==
 
Category:Third-party characters
Category:Sega
Category:Spirits
es:Sonic (SSBU)