Sonic the Hedgehog

**Sonic the Hedgehog** (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ *Sonikku za Hejjihoggu***?**, born 23 June) is the titular main protagonist of the *Sonic the Hedgehog* series and Sega's mascot. He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog born with the ability to run faster than the speed of sound, hence his name, and possesses lightning-fast reflexes to match his speed. As his species implies, Sonic can also roll up into a concussive ball, primarily to attack enemies.

**Sonic the Hedgehog** is the titular main protagonist of the *Sonic the Hedgehog* series and Sega's mascot. He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog born with the ability to run faster than the speed of sound, hence his name, and possesses lightning-fast reflexes to match his speed. As his species implies, Sonic can also roll up into a concussive ball, primarily to attack enemies.

Ever since stepping into the battle against iniquity, Sonic has been the champion of peace and is renowned all over the world for saving it countless times. During his many adventures, Sonic has traveled from the ends of the world to the far reaches of space and time, facing countless trials that have tested him to the fullest, earning him many titles, allies, and the scorns of several foes. Well-known for his legendary cocky attitude, easy-going demeanor, and somewhat short temper, yet strong sense of justice, compassion, and love for freedom and adventure, Sonic uses his abilities to protect the innocent from his world and those beyond from the forces of evil, especially his arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman, and his empire.

## Appearance

Sonic is a slim anthropomorphic hedgehog with blue fur that covers most of his body, and peach skin that covers his arms, muzzle, insides of his ears and front torso. He has small, triangular ears on top of his head, six long quills on the back of his head, two spines protruding from his back behind his shoulders, and a short tail.

For attire, Sonic wears light-weight, hyper friction-resistant red sneakers with white cuffs around the ankles, gray soles, and white straps across the top; the latter of which are held down by a golden buckle on each foot. He also wears a pair of white gloves with sock-like cuffs on his hands.

Back when he was younger, up until the Chaos incident, Sonic was shorter and stubbier, had a round head and an equally round torso, and black eyes. However, he has since grown taller and thinner, and developed green eyes. Prior to the Neo Metal Sonic incident, he was also often shown to have peach-skinned eyelids.

## Personality

Sonic is said to be "like the wind"; a drifter that is always on the move and is noted for being free-spirited and adventurous. He values freedom above all else and strives to live his life according to his own rules and whims rather than the standards of those around him or for the sake of heroism and duty, never thinking twice about what other people say or think. Born to run, Sonic enjoys nothing more than traveling the world. Endowed with a strong passion for enjoying life, he is never in one place for long and always moves forward to look for his next challenge, viewing his life as a never-ending series of adventures. Because of his need for freedom, Sonic loathes the idea of being constrained; being cooped up or being forced to stay in one place tends to make him very uneasy and restless. By the time of the Phantom Ruby incident, however, Sonic appears to have somewhat overcome his stir-craziness, remaining calm and snarky even after being imprisoned aboard the Death Egg for six months.

Sonic's demeanor is normally easygoing, cool, and carefree, no matter the crisis. However, he is often impatient, hates boredom, and can possess a short temper. Because of his impulsive nature, Sonic can be reckless and quick to act before thinking, throwing himself into trouble without a second thought and regards for others' warnings. Nevertheless, he is honest, fearless, and always keeps his promises.

Sonic's personality is a juxtaposition of kindness and ferocity. He is extremely benevolent, driven by his own strong sense of justice and fair play, and firmly stands for truth and freedom. However, he is never the one to rest in the face of injustice or oppression. He hates lies, unfairness, and evil in all its forms, exploding with anger when witnessing anything unjust and doing all he can to snuff it out, throwing his life on the line without hesitation. However, he usually sees his heroics as an opportunity to have fun, making him a thrill-seeker. To Sonic, saving the world is no big feat and just another thrilling episode in his life. When he finds himself in a pinch, he acts as though nothing can stop him. In times of crisis, though, he is aggressive and focuses intensely on the task at hand as if his personality has undergone an astonishing change. At the same time, Sonic has a big and kind heart and is fully committed to helping out anyone in need at any time when they are in trouble, even if it means getting himself into trouble or being despised by others.

Sonic has a lot of self-confidence, making him sassy, quick-witted, cocky, and at times overconfident. Sonic’s signature positive attitude is where his massive internal ego comes from; he thinks he and his friends will always find a way out of any situation, but this attitude sometimes leads to him underestimating his enemies and the task at hand. However, this ego is not to be confused with pride, as Sonic does not see himself as more important than others. No matter the threat or how dangerous, he always remains cool under pressure.

In the original Japanese version, Sonic omits honorifics and speaks informally (if not rudely), using "*ore*" instead of "*I*" when addressing himself or others ("*ore*" is a boastful way to say "*I*" in Japanese). However, he will still occasionally use honorifics when addressing close friends or acquaintances. Possessing a narcissistic tongue and big attitude, he often jokes around to light the mood and will also take any opportunity to taunt his opponents. Being so smug, he has developed a habit of talking to mindless robots, even when he knows they cannot hear him. Despite this, he can be more of a gentleman when he wants to and be modest with fancy titles. Additionally, while Sonic generally assumes he can deal with things on his own, he also realizes he has friends to back him up in troubling situations and believes strongly in teamwork. In keeping with his smugness and confidence, he often engages in playful banter with his enemies; examples include asking Infinite "optional" questions to glean into what the secret behind the latter's powers were, what his favorite color was and whether he liked long, romantic walks on the beach, as well as "asking" a Zavok replica if he would let Sonic join a party occurring on the Death Egg (referring to the commotion resulting from the Resistance's infiltration of the area). Sonic is likewise very competitive; while he takes no interest in challenges he knows he can win easily, Sonic always welcomes a good competition that has him squaring off against others on even ground. Sonic likewise never holds back when pitted against others in a test of skills and abilities, and is not above trash-talking his opponents.

In keeping with his footloose lifestyle, Sonic never dwells on the past or allows his painful experiences to weigh him down. Instead, he lives in the present and always looks forward to his next adventure, holding no regrets for what has transpired. It is only in the moments of greatest loss that his macho and carefree appearance falls away, like the apparent death of Elise. Similarly, Sonic always does what he thinks is right and never second-guesses what he does, remaining steadfast to the end. Together, these qualities give Sonic an incredibly strong character and will; no matter the situation, he never doubts himself or gives up, never once submitting to the darkness in his heart.

Sonic is extremely loyal to his friends and will risk his life for them without any due consideration. While he can leave them hanging, act rude towards them, or endanger them due to his fast-paced nature, Sonic never intends to make his friends unhappy and values them above all else, treating each of them as the most important person in his life. He will likewise always accept help from his friends and show great trust in them. Sonic places everyone one on the same level as him and does not show interest in treating anyone differently because of a supposed superiority. Because of this, he can come across as rude to figures of authority by speaking to them informally, which often lands him in trouble.

Regardless of the many foes he has faced, Sonic rarely considers them true enemies and instead tends to admire them for how powerful some of them are and how much fun they can provide him. Likewise, he is shown to have a remarkable capacity to forgive; the most notable example of this is when he forgave Silver and worked with him after the latter had tried to kill him twice.

Despite his outward demeanor, Sonic has shown to be much more insightful than he usually lets on, capable of seeing things others would have overlooked and giving valuable and comforting advice that drastically changes the outlook of others, such as in the case of Elise, Merlina, and Blaze. This insight, combined with a charismatic personality, allows Sonic to get along with virtually anyone he meets, even if they were his enemies at one point. However, while Sonic is able to change those around him for the better, he himself has not really changed over the course of his adventures; he sticks firmly to his beliefs and does not let anything but himself define him.

Sonic has a fondness of the beauty of nature and he stands as a protector of it. As seen during the Wisp incident, he appreciates scenic views, and was incensed to find out that Eggman was polluting Planet Wisp's beautiful and lush environment. During the Solaris incident, Sonic is also shown to have a fondness for locations that are filled with flowers, trees, and other kinds of plants. Ironically, despite his inability to swim, Sonic also loves going to the ocean.

Sonic has been shown to enjoy music, but seems to have a special interest in rock music. Furthermore, it was displayed during the Sol Emerald incident that Sonic also enjoys break dancing, which is reflected in his Trick Actions. His battle moves seen during the Emerl incident are also based on break dancing as mentioned in the attack descriptions. He also break dances in numerous games, usually when he is victorious.

Sonic tends to get irritated when his enemies often misidentify his species, namely by calling him a rat, making him correct them and state his actual species is a hedgehog. This was best demonstrated with his encounters with Erazor Djinn, and to a lesser extent with his encounter with Infinite at Mystic Jungle.

## Abilities

MDespite not having undergone any known training, Sonic's years of battles have made him a skilled and powerful fighter. He has defeated giant robots, demons, and god-like beings on his own, gone up against and bested those with far more combat experience, and even beaten individuals who equally match his abilities. It has also been noted that Sonic is steadily growing stronger; during the Time Eater incident, Sonic could beat the Egg Emperor and Perfect Chaos on his own where he previously required additional power to defeat them. Sonic even told Infinite upon holding his own against the latter compared to the previous time they fought that he becomes more powerful every second. It is safe to assume that Sonic is far more powerful than he lets on, but his overconfidence and reluctance to go all out usually keeps him from fighting at full strength. His victories over Emerl at the Gizoid's maximum potential and Perfect Chaos in his base form are prime examples of Sonic's true power. Regardless of his blocks, Sonic ranks amongst the most powerful characters in the series.

Sonic's greatest strength is his super speed. He has proven himself to be in a class of his own with his speed, having been credited as "the fastest thing alive" and even the fastest being in the universe. He has the ability to instantly accelerate to the speed of sound and being recorded to go at supersonic speeds, which is at the blistering speed of about 768 mph, and can run backward just as well as he can forwards. Due to such speed, he can scale vertical surfaces and ceilings, run over water, outspeed lasers, and even cause the ground to explode in his wake. Even then, Sonic can take his speed even further. By revving up in one place, he can take off at turbo speeds in an instant. He can also envelope himself in a blue energy field that lets him accelerate beyond the sound barrier on both the ground and in midair for a short time, allowing him to not only smash straight through enemies and obstacles like a living projectile, but also fly immense distances through midair. Using certain techniques, he can even achieve light-speed momentarily.

It is unknown what Sonic's unaided top speed is. During the Emerl incident, it is stated he can move several times the speed of sound and when facing Ultimate Emerl, he went at least ten rounds with him in less than thirty seconds. It has also often been stated that Sonic can move at supersonic speed (which ranges from 915-3,840 mph), and he has once been called the "the world's fastest, *hypersonic* hedgehog" (which ranges from 3,840-7,680 mph). There are as well records stating that Sonic can move faster than the speed of light, although their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. However, E-123 Omega himself calculated that Sonic's speed could potentially exceed light speed and Sonic has boasted that light speed is "small time" to him. Though, this could be Sonic being overconfident, knowing his actions.

Sonic has demonstrated complete mastery of his speed in any environment and can use it for both high-speed offense and defense. Not only can he run at maximum tilt in straight lines, but also in full tight circles and through sharp turns with full control over his momentum. As far as stamina goes, Sonic's is seemingly limitless as he is never winded from running. His speed also allows him to perform several impressive feats; he can heal at rapid speeds, launch shockwaves by spinning rapidly, leap in midair, launch stunning waves with fast kicks, increase the force of his blows by striking with increased momentum, and create barriers of super speed. He can also spin in circles or rotate his extremities at super speed to create winds strong enough to attack or blow away opponents, similar to aerokinesis.

Sonic possesses astounding kineticism and precision, and has the reaction time to match his speed. He has profound acrobatic skills and agility, along with incredible reflexes that lets him avoid any incoming obstacles with precise and delicate movements. As seen in his first meeting with Silver, Sonic can even detect attacks beyond his field of vision due to his sharp reflexes. When launched into the air, he can also pull off several tricks before landing. He also has incredible jumping skills, capable of jumping up to several hundred meters, even with extra weight.

Sonic possesses notable strength as well. He can push and lift things bigger and heavier than himself, run without extra weight slowing him down and his attacks can smash through metal and rock, and damage foes countless times his size. However, it is debatable whether the latter's power comes from his speed, strength, or a combination of both. Sonic's strength particularly lies in his legs; with a single kick, he can topple the Egg Golem and send Badniks flying. This does not mean that Sonic's arms are not strong either; he has enough strength to tear robots apart by hands and punch through a collapsed wall.

Sonic has frequently demonstrated extreme resilience to damage. He can survive getting caught in the crossfire from all angles by Eggman's robots (which only knocked him out cold briefly), withstand the force of a massive explosion and a Hyper-go-on-based black hole unscathed, being pummeled with swords, and smash through several robots with his fist without discomfort, and take a ruthless pummeling from the Time Eater. Additionally, Sonic has more than once survived impacts from falls at extreme heights, bordering at the edge of space, only to shake it off when landing, and has even withstood atmospheric entry.

### Transformations

#### Super Sonic

By harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic can enter a Super State, transforming him into **Super Sonic**. Easily his most used transformation, Super Sonic is one of Sonic's strongest forms. In this state, all of Sonic's abilities far surpass his normal ones. He is also able to fly and is nearly invulnerable. However, this transformation consumes a lot of energy, meaning it cannot be maintained for long.

## Weaknesses

Noted to not be the strongest swimmer, Sonic is incapable of swimming properly and sinks like a stone in water. This may be due to aquaphobia (Sonic thinks that if he falls into water, he will be trapped with no one to get him out), though he does not demonstrate that fear very often. In some situations, he can bypass his weakness to water by running or sliding across its surface, leap out of the water with successive jumps, and survive extended periods of time underwater with Air Bubbles.

It has been stated that if Sonic does not sleep for eight hours during the night, it will spoil his running. In addition, he has trouble keeping his balance when coming to a sudden halt when running at high speed.

Because of Sonic's giant internal ego, he often banter and play around with his enemies. This often makes him underestimate his opponents and leave his guard down, as seen during his encounter with Infinite in Mystic Jungle during the War to Take Back the Planet and when he got trapped by Eggman onboard the Chaos Energy Cannon at the start of the Dark Gaia incident. Also, his impulsiveness and recklessness can often cause trouble, such as during the Lost Hex incident where he got rid of Eggman's Cacophonic Conch, which Eggman used to keep the Deadly Six in line, before listening to Tails' warnings about the conch.

1. ↑ http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/sonic.html
https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic\_the\_Hedgehog\_(IDW) https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic\_the\_Hedgehog