Games - Sonic the Hedgehog

Home > Listing Index > Games > Sonic the Hedgehog (character)

	Games - Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog (Japanese: ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Sonikku Za Hejjihoggu) is a video game character who appears in a series of games released by Sega, as well as numerous spin-off comics, cartoons and books. Sonic is a teenage hedgehog with the ability to run at the speed of sound, a talent which forms a major part of the gameplay of the series. The first game in the franchise was released in 1991 in order to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's flagship character Mario.

Character

Design

In April 1990, Sega requested a game capable of selling over one million copies and a character to replace Alex Kidd as the company's mascot. Several character designs were submitted by its AM8 research & development department, including an armadillo, a dog, a rabbit, and an oversized Theodore Roosevelt in pajamas (which would later be the basis of Doctor Eggman's design). Eventually, Naoto Ohshima's spiky hedgehog was chosen as the new mascot. A group of fifteen started working on Sonic the Hedgehog, and renamed themselves Sonic Team. The game's soundtrack was composed by Masato Nakamura of the band Dreams Come True; Sega sponsored the group's "Wonder 3" tour, painting Sonic on the tour bus and distributing pamphlets advertising the game.

Sonic's precise age, weight, height and other physical characteristics vary depending on the continuity in which he appears and the style he in which he is drawn. In early artwork, Sonic had no visible irises, but with the revamp he received for Sonic Adventure, they were shown to be green, though his eyes are visibly red when he is in his "Super Sonic" form and in motion in some earlier games.

His cobalt blue pigmentation has never been explained in the games; however, explanations were offered as the character was transferred to other media. One origin story was provided in a promotional comic for the original game featured in Disney Adventures, which was later elaborated upon in Mike Pattenden's Stay Sonic, a book about the character published in the UK. This explanation, in which the shockwaves Sonic experienced when he first ran at supersonic speed turned him blue and streamlined his spikes, later became the basic origin for all subsequent UK publications.

Personality

Sonic is noted for being heroic, adventurous, and free-spirited. He enjoys relaxation, but is never one to rest in the face of injustice. He is extremely benevolent, and would willingly put himself at risk for others, taking on any challenge that confronts him without hesitation. Sonic is not generally modest when it comes to his abilities. In fact, he is often portrayed as being narcissistic and self-absorbed; nevertheless, he is always shown to be caring and selfless when it comes to his actions.

The British Sonic the Comic presented him as being bossy, and characters regularly referred to his strange sense of humor. Sonic frequently made cruel jokes at the expense of his friend Tails, behavior contrary to that seen in most of the continuities. This personality seemed to be heightened as a result of a storyline in which Sonic and his friends were displaced in time, returning to their own time to discover that, in their absence, Doctor Robotnik had succeeded in his goal of conquering Mobius.

American TV shows and comics often state Sonic's favorite food as chili dogs. This is also canonical in the game universe, as it is mentioned in the official Japanese Sonic Advance 3 manual.

Sonic is shown to have an interest in rock music and was a vocalist in his own rock band in the cartoon Sonic Underground
.

Home

Sonic's home varies greatly depending on continuity. In the games, Sonic's home planet is Earth. He lives on an island known as South Island, located in the Pacific Ocean, and (according to early written material from Sonic Team) was originally born on Christmas Island. Strictly speaking, this makes Sonic an Aussie. However, many of the comics, books, cartoons, and game manuals outside of Japan refer to Sonic's home planet as Mobius (revealed in some incarnations to be Earth in the far future). His home in the Sonic X anime series is an unnamed planet in an alternate reality that shares the same space as Earth.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Sonic the Hedgehog (character) ]

Games - Sonic the Hedgehog

Character

Design

Personality

Home

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay