The ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the video game ''

'' for the

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named

Doctor Eggman Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Naoto Ohshima. He is the main antagonist of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman is a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Cha ...

(or Doctor Ivo Robotnik). The sequel, '' Sonic 2'', gave Sonic a fox friend named Tails. '' Sonic CD'' introduced Amy Rose, a female hedgehog with a persistent crush on Sonic. '' Sonic 3'' introduced Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's rival and later friend. All five of these have remained major characters and appeared in dozens of games. The series has introduced dozens of additional recurring characters over the years. These have ranged from anthropomorphic animal characters such as

Shadow the Hedgehog is a character created by the Japanese game developers Takashi Iizuka (game designer), Takashi Iizuka, Shiro Maekawa, and Kazuyuki Hoshino. He is a major character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. An Anthropomorphism, anthropomorph ...

and Cream the Rabbit to robots created by Eggman such as Metal Sonic and E-123 Omega, as well as human characters such as Eggman's grandfather Gerald Robotnik. The series features three fictional species, in order of appearance: Chao, which have usually functioned as

digital pet A virtual pet (also known as a digital pet, artificial pet, or pet-raising simulation) is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment, or as an alternative to a real pet. Digital pets have no conc ...

s and minor gameplay and plot elements; Wisps, which have been used as

power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a Game mechanics, game mechanic. This is in contrast to an Item (game), item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that ca ...

s; and Koco, which when collected grant new abilities for Sonic, among other things. The ''Sonic'' games keep a separate continuity from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comics published by Archie Comics and other ''Sonic'' media and, as a result, feature a distinct yet overlapping array of many characters.

Characters

Sonic the Hedgehog

is a blue anthropomorphic

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

and the main

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

of the series. Developed as a replacement for their existing Alex Kidd mascot, as well as Sega's response to

Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...

, his first appearance was in the arcade game '' Rad Mobile'' as a cameo, before making his official debut in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (1991). Sonic's greatest ability is his running speed, and he is known as the world's fastest hedgehog.Amy's profile from the Sonic Adventure manual Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, he becomes Super Sonic and can achieve even greater speeds.

Doctor Eggman

Sega (1991). ''

'' instruction manual ( English version), pp. 4 better known by his alias Sega (1999). '' Sonic Adventure'' instruction manual, pp. 31 is a human mad scientist and the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Chaos Emeralds and turn all of the animals inhabiting the land into robots. He is a self-proclaimed or certifiable genius with an IQ of 300.

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

(2001). '' Sonic Adventure 2'' instruction manual, pp. 9

(2004). '' Sonic Heroes'' instruction manual, pp. 14 His fondness for mechas has made him a renowned authority on robotics. Ultimately, Eggman's goal is to conquer the world and create his ultimate utopia, Eggmanland, alternatively known as the Eggman Empire and Robotnikland.

(2005). ''

'' instruction manual, pp. 8 When Sega had petitioned its

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

department to create a character who would replace Alex Kidd as its company mascot, a

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

of U.S. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

was among the proposed designs. It lost to Sonic the Hedgehog, but the design was kept for the basis for Doctor Eggman instead.

Miles "Tails" Prower

better known by his

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

, is a two-tailed fox who is Sonic's best friend and sidekick. His name is a

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

on "

miles per hour Miles per hour (mph, m.p.h., MPH, or mi/h) is a British imperial and United States customary unit of speed expressing the number of miles travelled in one hour. It is used in the United Kingdom, the United States, and a number of smaller count ...

". He can use his tails to propel himself into the air like a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

for a limited time. Yasushi Yamaguchi, originally the main artist and zone designer for

's Sonic Team, designed Tails for an internal competition for a sidekick to Sonic. His first appearance was in '' Sonic 2'' for the Game Gear, where he was kidnapped by Doctor Robotnik for a "hefty" ransom. He was first made playable in the Genesis version of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''. Tails has appeared in almost every Sonic game since his first appearance. Tails starred in two solo spin-off games for the Sega Game Gear in 1995 – '' Tails' Skypatrol'', and '' Tails Adventure''. Frequently portrayed as a sweet-natured

(1999). '' Sonic Adventure'' instruction manual, pp. 20 and humble fox,

(2004). '' Sonic Heroes'' instruction manual, pp. 7 Tails used to be picked on because of his twin tails, before he met Sonic. Tails is very clever and has excellent mechanical skills.

Amy Rose

Voiced by: :English: Jennifer Douillard (1999–2004), Lisa Ortiz (2003–2010), Cindy Robinson (2010–present), Shannon Chan-Kent ('' Sonic Prime'')
Japanese: Taeko Kawata is a pink hedgehog and Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, who is an energetic tomboy. Amy was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino for ''Sonic the Hedgehog CD'' (1993), although she appeared in Kenji Terada's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' manga a year before. Hoshino created her in-game graphics, with many staff members contributing ideas to her design. Her headband and trainer shoes reflected ''Sonic CD'' director Naoto Ohshima's tastes, and her mannerisms reflected the traits Hoshino looked for in women at the time. Her fur color was red at first, and her skirt orange. The character had two other names in game previews: Rosy the Rascal and Princess Sally (a character in the ''

'' TV series and comics). Amy received her present design, with a red dress and knee-high leather boots, in '' Sonic Adventure'' (1998), courtesy of designer Yuji Uekawa. In the games, Amy is depicted as driven and competitive. She spends much of her time following Sonic to get his attention or make sure he is safe while demonstrating her affection. Series co-creator

Yuji Naka , credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game designer and programmer. He is the co-creator of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and was the president of Sonic Team at Sega until his departure in 2006. Naka joined Sega in 1984 and w ...

said that Amy was designed "to always chase Sonic", and has made it her life goal to one day marry him.Alt URL
Not possessing the speed or strength of the other characters, Amy uses a hammer to defend herself instead. In ''Sonic CD'', Metal Sonic kidnaps Amy and Sonic must rescue her. When he does, Amy kisses him. Amy's first appearance in a ''Sonic'' platformer as a playable character was in ''Sonic Adventure''; But the first non-flagship Sonic platformer to have her playable is Sonic Drift. she is playable in '' Sonic Heroes'' (2003) and ''

'' (2006), and appears as a

non-player character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

in games such as '' Sonic Unleashed'' (2008). While some journalists have called Amy cute and powerful, others find her annoying. Justin Towell of ''

GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...

'' and writers from '' Mean Machines'' expressed general displeasure at her introduction in ''Sonic CD''. Additionally, some have criticized developers' treatment of Amy as a female character and analyzed her implications on gender representation in video games. The ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...

'' staff found her pink coloring and tendency to run from danger to be stereotypical and common in Japanese-created female characters, while feminist blogger

Anita Sarkeesian Anita Sarkeesian ( ; born 1983) is a Canadian-American feminist media critic. She is the founder of ''#Feminist Frequency, Feminist Frequency'', a website that hosts videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of women in popular culture. Her v ...

cites Amy as an example of the "Ms. Male Character" trope, in which female characters in games with male protagonists often resemble those protagonists, but with stereotypically feminine features added. Despite this, Amy is one of the series' most popular characters, coming in fifth place in a Japanese popularity poll in 2006. Her likeness has been used in ''Sonic'' merchandise, and she appears in the television adaptations '' Sonic X'' (2003–2005), '' Sonic Boom'' (2014–2017) and '' Sonic Prime'' (2022–2024). Amy is introduced in the live-action film series in ''

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. Like previous ''Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting Rings (Sonic the Hedgehog), ri ...

'' (2024), appearing in a mid-credits scene saving Sonic from an army of Metal Sonics.

Metal Sonic

Voiced by: :English: Gary Dehan (OVA), Ryan Drummond (2003), Ray Chase (2024)
Japanese: Masami Kikuchi (OVA), Jun'ichi Kanemaru (2003) is an evil robotic version of Sonic created by Dr. Robotnik. He possesses great strength, including a laser cannon, a

jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...

and a force field device he can use to protect himself from projectiles and certain attacks. He usually only communicates with a series of electronic noises. The character first appears in '' Sonic the Hedgehog CD''. He is given orders to go back in time and change the past so that Dr. Eggman can rule the future. Sonic must race him in Stardust Speedway to free Amy Rose. He is severely wounded when he crashes and falls, but is rejuvenated by Robotnik in '' Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II'', only to be defeated again in a similar style. He returns in '' Knuckles' Chaotix'', where he attempts to obtain the Chaos Rings, but he is stopped by the Chaotix team. Metal Sonic notably acted as the main antagonist in ''Sonic Heroes'', appearing in a new form as Neo Metal Sonic before transforming into the game's final boss, the Metal Overlord. Upon being defeated by Super Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, he reverts to his traditional appearance. Metal Sonic appears as a bonus playable character in '' Sonic Rivals'', reprogrammed to aid Eggman Nega in his attempt to take over the world. He returns as a playable character in '' Sonic Rivals 2'', under orders from Eggman to aid Shadow in stopping Eggman Nega's plans. In '' Sonic Free Riders'', Metal Sonic is a playable character and the final opponent in the game's story mode. In '' Sonic Generations'', he appears in his classic form as a rival boss, battling Classic Sonic in Stardust Speedway before ultimately being destroyed. In the 2024 remaster '' Sonic X Shadow Generations'', his Metal Overlord form returns as a boss that Shadow battles. Metal Sonic returns as a boss character in '' Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric'' and '' Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal'', and the Sonic story mode of '' Lego Dimensions''. Metal Sonic appeared as a playable character in the multiplayer mode of '' Sonic Adventure 2: Battle'', as well as '' Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing'', '' Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed'', and all the '' Mario & Sonic'' titles beginning with '' Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games''. Collecting all the emblems in '' Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut'' unlocks Metal Sonic as a bonus playable character in Sonic's stages, and purchasing both episodes of '' Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I'' unlocks bonus levels in which Metal Sonic is playable. Outside of the games, Metal Sonic appears as the main antagonist in the ''

'' OVA, where Eggman records Sonic's abilities and uploads them to Metal Sonic, who proceeds in attempting to destroy the world before being tossed into lava by Sonic. He appears in the '' Sonic Boom'' episodes, "It Wasn't Me, It Was the One-Armed Hedgehog" and "Eggman the Video Game Part 2: The End of the World". Multiple Metal Sonics also appear in the mid-credits scene of ''

'' (2024). GameDaily placed Metal Sonic 13th on their "Top 25 Video Game Robots" list, describing him as Dr. Robotnik's "greatest creation" and praising the strength of his abilities.

Knuckles the Echidna

is a red echidna and one of Sonic's friendly rivals. First introduced in the Genesis game ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'', Knuckles lives on Angel Island, which hovers in the sky due to the power of the Master Emerald. As the last surviving member of the Echidna people who once inhabited the island, his duty is to guard the Master Emerald. During conception of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'', the development team wanted to create a new rival for Sonic. The final design of Knuckles was the result of dozens of possible designs inspired by numerous different animals. A character with many different abilities and skills, he is physically one of the strongest characters of the ''Sonic'' series. His strength and mastery of martial arts, specializing in punches, enables him to perform feats such as shattering boulders with his fists, while he can trap air underneath his dreadlocks in order to glide for short distances.

Fang the Sniper

initially known as Nack the Weasel in English localizations, is a purple jerboa that first appeared in the

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth-generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990 in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and in 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily ...

video game '' Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble'' in 1994. His character is a treasure hunter in search of the Chaos Emeralds; however, he does not know of their true power and merely wants to sell them for profit. He is a slick, sneaky, and mischievous character who will steal the Emeralds for an easier job. Fang tries hard to outwit others, but is held back by his clumsiness and often fails. Outside of ''Triple Trouble'', Fang has had playable roles in '' Sonic Drift 2'' and '' Sonic the Fighters'' in 1995 and 1996, and had been planned to be in the cancelled '' Sonic Xtreme''. He did not have any significant roles for over two decades however, though he did make a cameo appearance on an in-game poster in 2011's ''Sonic Generations'', and as an illusion during the boss fight with Heavy Magician in '' Sonic Mania'' in 2017. In 2023, he was announced to be returning in a main role as a central villain in '' Sonic Superstars'', now under the name "Fang the Hunter"; a tie-in comic released by Sega prior to the game's launch offered the in-fiction explanation that Fang frequently operates under different aliases in order to conduct his criminal activities.

Chaotix

The Chaotix are a group of initially four characters who debuted in the game ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' as the main characters, later forming their own detective agency in ''Sonic Heroes'' where only three of them (Vector, Espio and Charmy respectively) returned, after the three were redesigned and rebooted into essentially new characters.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

described the characters as "charming" and noted that they were introduced before fans became weary of all the new characters in the series.

Vector the Crocodile

Voiced by: :English: Marc Biagi (2004), Carter Cathcart (2004–2006), Dan Green (2007–2009), Keith Silverstein (2010–present)
Japanese: Kenta Miyake is a large

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

who is the "head honcho" and brains of the Chaotix Detective Agency. Divided between being both "bossy" and "easy-going", his rough speech and outward appearance mask his clear reasoning and high competence in solving cases. For the right price he will take on most jobs, unless they involve doing something immoral. Vector has a strong sense of justice and kindness, despite his argumentative nature. He often does unpaid work due to his charitable nature, such as finding a lost child or taking up meager chases for children, leaving the agency constantly short on money. Vector hates having to work for the landlord, but he enjoys singing, and his trademark accessory is a set of

headphones Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an ...

. He is physically formidable to the point of being comparable to Knuckles, with his powerful jaws being his most reliable weapon. Vector was, originally, supposed to be in the sound test of the first ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game as part of a rock band that Sonic was part of, but the band and the feature itself were removed prior to its release. Vector and the band made a brief appearance in the promotional manga ''Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic''. Vector then made his official game debut in the 1995 video game ''Knuckles' Chaotix''. And in 2003, he was part of Team Chaotix in ''Sonic Heroes'' and is featured in ''Shadow the Hedgehog (video game), Shadow the Hedgehog'', ''Sonic Generations'', ''Sonic Forces'' and several other games (alongside both Espio and Charmy in said games). In all instalments of ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games'', he is a playable athlete. He has also been playable in other spinoff titles such as '' Sonic Free Riders'' and ''Team Sonic Racing'', and mobile games like ''Sonic Forces: Speed Battle'' and ''Sonic Dash''. Vector was also the one of only mainline game characters to appear in the ''Sonic Boom'' franchise, making his debut into the sub-franchise in the season two episode "List of Sonic Boom episodes, Vector Detector". He later made a few cameo appearances such as in the finale. Like the other characters he was redesigned for the series, sporting an arm tattoo and a leather jacket in place of his traditional headphones. In 2021, he was later added as a playable character in the tie-in mobile game ''Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom''. Vector also made a cameo in the film franchise in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Publishing)#One-shots, Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-quill'' comic.

Espio the Chameleon

Voiced by: :English: Bill Corkery (2004), David Wills (voice actor), David Wills (2005–2009), Troy Baker (2010–2011), Matthew Mercer (2016–present)
Japanese: Yuuki Masuda is a chameleon who is a ninja warrior. He is described as the "opinionated number one" of the Chaotix, also being the calmest. He has a "militaristic discipline" while being quiet and laid back. Confident in his skills, opinionated and self-obsessed, he revels in training and self-discipline. He is not concerned by danger, and often yearns to face it in order to use his ninja skills. With his extensive training in ninja, ninjutsu and an ability to turn himself invisible, he is able to move around unnoticed. However, a blunder like a sneeze could cause him to inadvertently become visible. Espio's debut was in the video game ''Knuckles' Chaotix''. In the game, his color subtly changes while he moves to demonstrate the technical capabilities of the Sega 32X console. Espio was incorporated into ''Sonic Heroes'' as part of a move to reintroduce neglected characters, and because the development team considered him to have a unique, interesting personality. He was the designated "speed" character in ''Sonic Heroes'' while teammates Vector the Crocodile and Charmy Bee respectively represented "power" and "flight". Espio was added to ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' and '' Sonic Rivals 2'' to help "round out our cast of characters", and because designer Takashi Iizuka (game designer), Takashi Iizuka appreciated the character's "stealthy agility". Espio appeared as a playable character in the arcade fighting game ''Sonic the Fighters'', and has also appeared in all installments of ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games'' as the referee in various events and later a playable athlete. Espio also made a cameo in the film franchise in the film ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-quill'' comic.

Charmy Bee

Voiced by: :English: Emily Corkery (2004), Amy Birnbaum (2003–2009), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (2010–present)
Japanese: Yoko Teppouzuka is a bee who is the "scatter-brained funny-kid" of the Chaotix. He is cheerful, curious, playful, careless, and greatly energetic, often talking about things no one else cares about. Charmy's childish tomfoolery makes the rest of the detective agency staff look professional, and he is seen by others as a "cute mascot". Despite an innocent, good-natured and light-hearted personality, he uses his stinger on rare occasions where he gets angry. In addition to being a playable character in '' Sonic Heroes'' and ''Shadow the Hedgehog (video game), Shadow the Hedgehog'', he made cameos in all the ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games'' installments as a referee.

Mighty the Armadillo

is a black and red armadillo who debuted in the arcade game ''SegaSonic the Hedgehog'' and later appeared in the Sega 32X, 32X game ''Knuckles' Chaotix''. The character is described as a traveler who loves nature and desires to see every place. Mighty hates to see weaknesses in others and detests violence. He prefers to be gentle but is capable of fighting back when needed. Mighty's only appearance as part of the Chaotix was in ''Knuckles Chaotix'', and was absent when the rest of the group was reintroduced into the series with ''Sonic Heroes'' in 2003. His long period of absence was alluded to in ''Sonic Generations'', in which he is shown on a missing persons poster alongside fellow ''SegaSonic'' character Ray the Flying Squirrel. Both Mighty and Ray appeared as playable characters in the ''Sonic Mania'' expansion ''Sonic Mania Plus'', as well as appearing in the accompanying web series ''Sonic Mania Adventures''.

Ray the Flying Squirrel

is a yellow flying squirrel who debuted in the arcade game ''SegaSonic the Hedgehog''. While he can run as fast as Sonic, Ray can also climb trees and glide. His long period of absence was alluded to in ''Sonic Generations'', in which he is shown on a missing persons poster during the City Escape level alongside fellow ''SegaSonic'' character Mighty the Armadillo. Both Ray and Mighty appeared as playable characters in the ''Sonic Mania'' expansion ''Sonic Mania Plus'', as well as appearing in the accompanying web series ''Sonic Mania Adventures''.

Big the Cat

Voiced by: :English: Jon St. John (1998–2004), Oliver Wyman (2003–2010, 2016), Kyle Hebert (2010–present), Ian Hanlin ('' Sonic Prime'')
Japanese: Shun Yashiro (1998–2000), Takashi Nagasako (2003–present) first appeared in the 1998 Dreamcast game ''Sonic Adventure'', where he was placed to justify the presence of a fishing rod in the game, although he was conceived beforehand. Big is a large, purple anthropomorphic cat, who is depicted as—while unintelligent—sweet, easygoing, and physically strong.''Sonic Heroes'' (GameCube) instruction manual, p. 11. In ''Sonic Adventure'', Big's story involves fishing his frog friend out of various bodies of water after Froggy swallows a Chaos Emerald and part of the tail of Chaos, the game's antagonist. In ''Sonic Heroes'', Big teams up with Amy Rose and Cream the Rabbit to search for Froggy and a lost Chao called Chocola. He is a minor playable character in other ''Sonic'' games, like ''Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'' and ''Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing,'' and a

in games such as the Nintendo DS version of ''Sonic Colors''. Reflecting the story of ''Adventure'', Big appears in the '' Sonic X'' anime and the ''Sonic the Hedgehog (comics), Sonic the Hedgehog'' comics. Big has been derided by the video game critics and fans for his obesity, low intelligence, one-dimensional development and uselessness within his games; he has appeared on several lists of the worst video game characters of all time and within the ''Sonic'' cast. Due to his poor reception and apparent uselessness, Sonic Team claimed they would be retiring the character from appearing in future games in 2012, although head Takashi Iizuka (game designer), Takashi Iizuka has since stated that a game starring Big is a possibility. Despite this statement, Big has continued to appear in other titles in a minor capacity, including ''Sonic Runners'', '' Lego Dimensions'', ''Team Sonic Racing'', and ''Sonic Frontiers''.

Chao

are small creatures with pudding-like bodies that behave much like human infants. Depending on how they are raised, their form and appearance can change considerably. The Chao are descended from the Ancients, an alien race that brought the Chaos Emeralds to Earth when they crash landed long ago. Takashi Iizuka (game designer), Takashi Iizuka stated in an interview with video game publication 1UP.com that Chao were incorporated into ''Sonic Adventure'' "so that new players would be forced to go out, explore the action sections, and find Flicky#Legacy, Flickies and things." Professor Chao, a minor character in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', states that Chao are cute, and enjoy toys and being held or petted. However, they dislike being held while the player jumps, spins around, or throws them. A Chao's diet consists of Fruit tree, tree fruit and coconuts. They hatch from Egg (biology), eggs found in Chao Gardens. When the player spends enough time with a Chao in the Chao Garden, it eventually develops into a Pupa#Cocoon, cocoon and hatches from this as an adult. Eventually it develops into another cocoon. If the Chao has been treated well, the cocoon is pink and the Chao is then Reincarnation, reincarnated as an egg; the cycle then restarts and the Chao remembers the player. If, however, it has been treated poorly, the cocoon is gray and the Chao dies, removing every trace of itself from the game. Chao can Mating, breed to produce fertile eggs. Chao were designed as a "relative neutral entity" in this game. However, to remain consistent with the good–evil dichotomy of ''Sonic Adventure 2'', they were designed so that the player could raise them as "Hero Chao" or "Dark Chao". Chao were given the ability to socialize and interact in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' in order to make the game unique, and to more resemble "a real artificial life form." Chao appeared in ''

'', as mascots of the ''Chao Garden'' restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. Chao and the Chao-raising system have received generally positive reviews. In a review of ''Sonic Adventure'', ''GameSpot'''s Peter Bartholow stated that "with the Chao-breeding simulation and the minigames, ''Sonic'' offers much more beyond the completion of its story." ''

'' stated that "''SA'' more than has the extras department covered." This enthusiasm was extended to ''IGN'''s reviews of ''Sonic Adventure 2'', ''Sonic Advance'', and ''Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut''. ''GameSpot'''s Shane Satterfield was critical of the Chao raising feature in ''Sonic Adventure 2: Battle'', stating that "there's little in the way of interactivity" and that "the Chao training aspect using the Game Boy Advance is little more than a novelty." However, ''GameSpy'''s Shane Bettenhausen praised the feature in the game, comparing Chao to Tamagotchi digital pets. GameSpot's Frank Provo noted the appeal to "those people who might only enjoy pinball in passing" that Chao brought to ''Sonic Pinball Party''. ''1UP.com'''s Chris Baker called the Chao feature in ''Sega Superstars'' "ultimately worthless... but some might find it amusing." In a review of ''Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'', GameSpot's Shiva Stella praised the level of strategy that the game's Chao system added. James Stephanie Sterling of ''Destructoid'' voiced a similar opinion, though she said that Chao had been "rubbish" in previous games.

Chaos

is a Chao that was mutated by the Chaos Emeralds, becoming a highly intelligent water-like being that can easily manipulate its body. It acts as a guardian for its species, protects the Master Emerald, and provides clear water around its altar. Without any of the Chaos Emeralds, it is known as "Chaos Zero", but with each one it absorbs, it transforms into a more powerful form, eventually becoming "Perfect Chaos" with all seven Chaos Emeralds. It first appears in ''Sonic Adventure'', where Dr. Eggman attempts to use it to conquer the world. Chaos tracks down the emeralds, becomes "Perfect Chaos", and floods all of Station Square, but is ultimately defeated by Super Sonic. Iizuka stated that he wanted to create an antagonist who would have been impossible to create on older hardware. He settled on one relating to liquid and transparent and created Chaos. Iizuka presented the concept to Naka, who was impressed. Chaos was originally intended to have realistic blue scales in his final form, but this was abandoned because of the technological constraints of the Dreamcast. Chaos would reappear in other games, including as a playable character in the multiplayer modes of ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and ''Sonic Battle'', and as a boss in '' Sonic Generations'' with an updated appearance based on its original scaled design concept.

Omochao

Voiced by: :English: Lani Minella (2001–2004), Rebecca Honig (2007), Laura Bailey (2011–2016), Erica Lindbeck (2019–present)
Japanese: Etsuko Kozakura () is a robotic, robot Chao with a propeller on its head. Omochao was introduced in ''Sonic Adventure'' as part of the Chao Races, and it later appeared in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', where it serves as an in-game Instruction manual (gaming), manual to teach players how to play the game. It has filled a similar tutorial role in other games such as ''Sonic Heroes'', ''Sonic Advance 3'', ''Sonic Generations'', and ''Lego Dimensions''. The character has made other sporadic appearances throughout the series; its only playable appearance is as one of a group of playable chao in ''Team Sonic Racing''. "Omochao" is a pun on and "chao".

E-100 Series

The E-100 Series is a group of robots created by

, who uses them in his quest to conquer the world; however, some of their members have since gone rogue.'' Sonic Adventure'' (Dreamcast) instruction manual, pp. 26–27.

E-100 Alpha

better known as Zero, is the first of the E-100 series and considered the prototype of the line. He was created by Dr. Eggman and ordered to capture the Chaos Emerald from Amy Rose's Flicky friend, Birdie. He first appeared in ''Sonic Adventure'' as the main antagonist in Amy's story, where he repeatedly tries to capture Birdie. At the end of Amy's story, she destroys him. In ''Sonic Advance 2'', he appears in special stages, trying to prevent players from getting the seven Chaos Emeralds.

E-102 Gamma

Voiced by: :English: Steve Broadie (1999–2000), Andrew Rannells (''Sonic X'')
Japanese: Joji Nakata (1998–2000), Naoki Imamura (''Sonic X'') also primarily appears in ''Sonic Adventure''. He is a red, bulky robot with a powerful gun built into his arm. Gamma turns against his master after a heartfelt conversation with Amy Rose, who becomes his friend, and destroys the other E-100 Series robots to free the trapped animals inside them before ultimately doing the same to himself. He offers shoot-'em-up gameplay to a largely platform game, platforming-focused game. Gamma later made a spiritual return in the form of Chaos Gamma, who appeared as a playable character in ''Sonic Battle''. He has garnered mixed comments from critics. While ''Xbox World'' generally commended his story, others criticized the slow and repetitive nature of his gameplay.

E-123 Omega

Voiced by: :English: Jon St. John (2003), Jeff Kramer (2005, 2009), Maddie Blaustein (2006–2009), Vic Mignogna (2010–2017), Aaron LaPlante (2019), Roger Craig Smith (2023–present)
Japanese: Taiten Kusunoki first appears in ''Sonic Heroes'', Eggman seals Omega within an abandoned base, along with Shadow, until Rouge the Bat releases Shadow from his stasis pod, accidentally reactivating Omega. Omega expresses a deep hatred for Eggman due to the latter locking him up in stasis for an extended period of time. Omega decides to team up with the other two in order to obtain revenge on Eggman and prove that he is the most powerful robot of all. He returns with the same goal in ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', and teams up with Shadow in certain levels to destroy Eggman's robots. During ''Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 video game), Sonic the Hedgehog 2006'', he is playable after Rouge orders him to support Shadow many years in the future. He is also one of the secret unlockable characters in ''Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood''. He also appeared in the DS version of Sonic Colors where he challenges Sonic to perform a mission, and reveals to Sonic the location of Eggman's base in the Asteroid Coaster world. In ''Sonic Forces'', Omega is severely damaged by Infinite, but is repaired by Tails and becomes a member of the Resistance. Omega has appeared in ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games'' as a rival in speed skating and intense short track and in ''Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games'' as a rival in the 100m Sprint. Omega appears as a playable racer in ''Team Sonic Racing''. Omega has an array of destructive weapons concealed in his arms, including machine guns, flamethrowers, Rocket launcher, missile launchers, beam cannons and rocket-propelled drills. He can retract his hands in order to attach a spinning Shadow and Rouge in their place, either using the two as melee weapons or firing them. Omega has seen mixed reception. Eurogamer staff writer Tom Bramwell called Omega a "lesser" character among the ''Heroes'' cast. An ''

'' preview of ''Heroes'' referred to him as an imitation of the T-1000s from the film ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. However, Jeremy Dunham from

called Omega a "supreme machine".

Shadow the Hedgehog

is an artificially created life form in the design of a black and red male hedgehog, similar to Sonic. His trademark hover skates propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic. His first appearance is in ''Sonic Adventure 2''. According to official profiles, Shadow was created 50 years ago by Professor Gerald Robotnik as the "Ultimate Life Form", which is ageless and immortal. Sharp witted and seemingly always on the edge, once he has set himself to a goal, he will do whatever it takes to accomplish it, regardless of any danger. After the trauma of the death of his only friend, Maria Robotnik, Shadow strives to fulfill his purpose and keep the promise he made to her. Although his relationship with Sonic seems to have developed from antagonistic to friendly rivalry, animosity from not understanding each other's mindsets still occurs. However, Shadow shares a lot of similarities with Sonic. He can perform spin attacks common to Sonic, which are a variation on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Additionally, with the power of a Chaos Emerald, Shadow can warp time and space with Chaos Control. Shadow is also able to use a variety of other Chaos powers, such as "Chaos Spear" and "Chaos Blast". Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow uses his super transformation to transform into Super Shadow and gains new abilities of flight and near invulnerability, with normal abilities of speed and enhanced Chaos powers.

Rouge the Bat

Voiced by: :English: Lani Minella (2001–2004), Kathleen Delaney (2005–2009), Karen Strassman (2010–present), Kazumi Evans ('' Sonic Prime'')
Japanese: Rumi Ochiai is a white, anthropomorphic bat who made her first appearance in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' in 2001, and who has been featured in most games since. She has appeared in every mainline game and most spin-off games alongside Shadow (excluding the Storybook spin-off games). She is depicted as a professional treasure hunter devoted to the pursuit of jewels,

(2004). '' Sonic Heroes'' instruction manual, pp. 9 calling herself the "World's Greatest Treasure Hunter". She has a tendency to ignore abstract morality or manners for potential profit; her "feminine charm" makes her appear careless, but she is actually scheming and Psychological manipulation, manipulative. Additionally, she serves as a part-time spy for the government, and is a competent fighter. She battles using kicks, especially her signature "Screw Kick", and she can fly using her wings. Rouge was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino as a "slightly sexy" character, which he noted had not been done in the series before and required substantial trial and error due to her ''deforume'' appearance. Rouge's final design was inspired by the perceived "sexiness" of Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latin women, particularly Jennifer Lopez, who had recently become popular in Japan. Her elegant kicking style was developed to differentiate her from Knuckles, whom her abilities mirror. Despite receiving a polarized reception with critics initially, Rouge is one of the series' most popular characters, coming in tenth place in a Japanese popularity poll in 2006. Marking her as the second most popular female character in the franchise, next to Amy Rose. She has been a major character in two television adaptations: ''Sonic X'' (2003–2006) and ''Sonic Prime'' (2022–2024).

Professor Gerald Robotnik

Voiced by: :English: Marc Biagi (2001), Mike Pollock (voice actor), Mike Pollock (2003–present) :Japanese: Chikao Otsuka (2001–2005), Kotaro Nakamura (2024–present), Kōichi Yamadera (live-action films) is the paternal grandfather of Maria Robotnik and Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, originally introduced in ''Sonic Adventure 2''. Fifty years before the main series, he constructed the Space Colony ARK and researched immortality for the United Federation in an attempt to create the "Ultimate Life Form", hoping that it could help cure Maria's illness, leading to the creation of Shadow the Hedgehog. However, the failure of an earlier prototype led the United Federation to shut down the project and cover up its existence, with the military organization GUN leading a violent raid on the ARK during which Maria was killed. Fueled by anger over his granddaughter's death and becoming resentful of humanity's increasingly callous nature, Gerald converted the ARK into a doomsday weapon and brainwashed Shadow before being executed, hoping the hedgehog would destroy the world in retribution. The stories of ''Sonic Battle'', ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' and ''Shadow Generations'' have further expanded on the character's backstory and motivations, including his discovery of the Gizoid and his collaboration with the Black Arms aliens to create Shadow. Gerald appears in the film ''

'', portrayed by Jim Carrey, who also portrays his grandson. In contrast to the video games, the film version of Gerald is not executed following the shutdown of Project Shadow. He helps Shadow escape from GUN's custody and later recruits his grandson to help them activate the Eclipse Cannon to supposedly destroy GUN's headquarters. After he reveals his true intentions to destroy the Earth for Maria's death, Ivo works together with Tails and Knuckles to stop him, with Ivo ultimately killing Gerald with Super Sonic's quill, knocking him into an energy field.

Maria Robotnik

Voiced by: :English: Moriah Angeline (2001), Rebecca Honig (2005), Stephanie Sheh (2024)
Japanese: Yuri Shiratori, Aoi Yuuki (live-action films) is a character that appears mostly in Flashback (narrative), flashbacks in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and ''Shadow the Hedgehog''. She is the granddaughter of Professor Gerald Robotnik, and is the cousin of Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Maria suffers from the terminal illness known as "NIDS" (Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome), which was incurable at the time. Gerald takes on Shadow the Hedgehog, Project Shadow in order to save her life. Soon after Shadow is created, the two form a familial bond, though it is short-lived as the government organization "GUN" soon raids the ARK, fatally shooting Maria. Before she dies, she encases Shadow in an escape pod and asks him to believe in humanity. This experience with Maria scars Shadow for life and initially leads him to attempt to destroy the world, but ultimately his determination to keep his promise to her leads him to team up with Sonic and save the earth multiple times. The relationship between Maria and Shadow is further explored in ''Shadow Generations'' and its associated prequel shorts. In the game's story, Shadow is reunited with Maria after she and Gerald are pulled from the past by the Time Eater, and she helps him overcome Black Doom's influence. Though he is tempted to warn them of their fates before they go back, Maria encourages him to move on and continue to protect humanity. Maria's only playable appearance is in ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', where she can be controlled as a partner character by a second player during specific in-game missions. She appears in the film ''

'', portrayed by Alyla Browne. While her relationship with Shadow in the film is similar to the games, there are a few minor differences with the film version such as her not having a terminal illness and her death being caused by a GUN agent triggering an explosion.

Cream the Rabbit and Cheese

Voiced by: :English: Sarah Wulfeck (2004), Rebecca Honig (2003–2009), Michelle Ruff (2010–present)
Japanese: Sayaka Aoki (voice actress), Sayaka Aoki (Cream), Ryo Hirohashi (Cheese) is a peach (color), peach-colored rabbit with a constant companion named a blue #Chao, Chao with a red bow-tie. Their names are based on "cream cheese". Cream is portrayed as being naive because of being brought up like a princess by her mother, Vanilla. She always politely minds her manners but sometimes acts childishly. Cream can achieve flight for short periods of time by flapping her two large ears, while Cheese often attacks on Cream's behalf by ramming into her adversaries. Cream first appeared as a playable character in ''Sonic Advance 2'', seeking to rescue her mother from Dr. Eggman. She returned in ''Sonic Heroes'' as part of "Team Rose", working together with Amy Rose and Big the Cat to find Cheese's brother Chocola, and then again for ''Sonic Advance 3''. Since her first trio of games, she has been relegated to being an extra playable character in ''Sonic'' spinoffs and multiplayer games. She is a playable character in the ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' multiplayer mode, a playable fighter within ''Sonic Battle'', a secret unlockable party member in ''Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'' and a playable racer in ''Sonic Riders'', ''Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity'', and ''Sonic Free Riders''. She also appears as a major character in the ''Sonic X'' anime series. Cream has received mostly negative opinions from the video game press. Thomas East of ''Official Nintendo Magazine'' ranked her as the fifth worst ''Sonic'' character, criticizing various aspects of her like her high-pitched voice, repetitious speech in ''Sonic Heroes'', "ridiculous smile", and single eyelash on each eye. Christian Nutt of GameSpy singled her out as one of the negative features of ''Sonic Advance 2'', calling her "corny" and "dopey-looking". GamesRadar writer James Stephanie Sterling ranked her as their second worst, stating that she "represents perhaps everything that's wrong with Sonic the Hedgehog characters", particularly finding her name to be random. Similarly, Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer exclaimed "oh God" at her and Cheese's names. David Houghton of GamesRadar ranked her name as one of the 25 worst among all video game characters, seeing a double entendre in the word "wikt:cream#Verb, cream". In contrast, ''Xbox World''s review of ''Heroes'' stated that "we love Cream" and called her "the best new Sonic character since Tails". The character is also highly regarded in Japan, where she entered the top ten in a 2006 popularity poll.

Blaze the Cat

Voiced by: :English: Erica Schroeder (2005–2009), Laura Bailey (2010–2016), Erica Lindbeck (2019–present)
Japanese: Nao Takamori is a purple cat princess from an alternate dimension. She has been appointed as guardian of the Sol Emeralds, her dimension's version of the Chaos Emeralds, making her role similar to that of Knuckles the Echidna. She is portrayed as calm and levelheaded, hiding her true feelings. She is sometimes "bogged down" by her own strict discipline and devotion to her position, making her appear withdrawn. Blaze can control fire, but wears a cape to conceal it as she was teased about her Pyrokinesis, pyrokinetic abilities when she was young. Using the Sol Emeralds, she transforms into Burning Blaze. Blaze wears a purple dress and white tights with pink High-heeled footwear, high heels and a yellow necklace. Blaze debuted in ''Sonic Rush'' as a playable character along with Sonic. She arrives in Sonic's dimension from another dimension along with the Sol Emeralds. While searching for the Emeralds, she befriends Sonic and Cream and helps them stop Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega before returning to her dimension. She reappears in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' as Silver the Hedgehog's friend during the future of Sonic's dimension. The two attempt to fix their ruined future world by traveling back in time. Blaze ends up sacrificing her life to seal Iblis, the fiery monster that has destroyed their world, inside herself, but is brought back to life at the end of the game when Sonic destroyed Iblis in his own time period. She appeared again as the main character in ''Sonic Rush Adventure'', where Sonic and Tails are transported to her dimension and help her retrieve the "Jeweled Scepter". Since her first trio of games, she has been relegated to being an extra playable character in ''Sonic'' spinoffs and multiplayer games. She is an unlockable multiplayer character in the ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' and ''Sonic and the Black Knight'', a playable racer in ''Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity'', ''Sonic Free Riders'' and ''Team Sonic Racing'', and a playable athlete in all five ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympics'' games. She appears together with Silver in ''Sonic Colors'' DS in several cutscenes and missions. She is also mentioned in ''Sonic Frontiers''. Blaze has been mostly well received by critics. IGN remarked upon seeing her at TGS 2005 that she "easily earned her place in the team" amidst unremarkable secondary characters. Her gameplay has been praised as "fast-moving and fun" as opposed to slower characters introduced earlier in the series, but criticized for its resemblance to that of Sonic. Blaze has been called "a nice addition to Sonic's cast" and "one of the more complex, multifaceted characters in the Sonic canon".

Eggman Nega

Voiced by: :English: Mike Pollock (voice actor), Mike Pollock
Japanese: Chikao Otsuka (2005–2020) is Eggman's descendant from 200 years in the future, first introduced in ''Sonic Rush'' as the arch-nemesis of Blaze the Cat and later Silver the Hedgehog. He is known to cause trouble not only through time travel, but through inter-dimensional travel as well. Although his outward appearance resembles that of Doctor Eggman, his personality is different. He is heartless and calculating, but maintains polite speech and manners. His exact role in the overall series varies; in the ''Sonic Rush'' series, he works alongside the original Eggman as a team to take over both Sonic and Blaze's dimensions. In the ''Sonic Rivals'' series, Eggman Nega holds a deadly grudge against Eggman due to the latter's failures ruining the former's reputation. His appearances in the ''Mario & Sonic'' series act as a mixture of the two portrayals, as Eggman Nega, while still disliking Eggman due to being disappointed at his failures, nevertheless still collaborates with him and assists him with his plans.

Black Doom

Voiced by: :English: Sean Schemmel (2005), Benjamin Diskin (2024)
Japanese: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo is the leader of the Black Arms, an invading alien force that seeks to conquer the Earth and harvest the human species as a source of energy. His first appearance is in ''Shadow the Hedgehog (video game), Shadow the Hedgehog'' as the main antagonist, where it is revealed that Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow was created from his blood by Gerald Robotnik. He attempts to control Shadow using their blood connection, but Shadow resists this and ultimately defeats him. Black Doom reappears in ''Shadow Generations'' as the main antagonist. Having generated a new body since his defeat, he seeks to harness the power of the time anomaly to rebuild his forces and resume their conquest. Though he attempts to turn Shadow into a new host body for himself, he is once again defeated by Shadow.

Babylon Rogues

The Babylon Rogues are a group of bird, avian thieves. They have only appeared collectively in the ''Sonic Riders'' sub-series. Producer Takashi Yuda considered them best-suited for ''Sonic'' series racing games and noted in a 2006 interview that ''Sonic'' characters are usually designed with one specific storyline in mind. The Babylon Rogues have been the rivals of Team Sonic. The Rogues have received predominantly negative comments from gaming journalists. Alex Navarro and Joe Dodson of GameSpot separately criticized their clichéd backstory, as did Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell. IGN's Jack DeVries specifically called Jet a "jerk" and stated that his voice is annoying, especially in ''Free Riders''.

Jet the Hawk

Voiced by: :English: Jason Griffith (2006–2009), Michael Yurchak (2010–present)
Japanese: Daisuke Kishio is a green hawk and the leader of the Babylon Rogues, and nicknamed the "Legendary Wind Master" due to his mastery of Extreme Gear. This mastery comes from his forefathers. His skills make him a possible match to Sonic the Hedgehog, whom he considers a rival to him. Jet is aware of his duties as leader but must sometimes be helped by his team. Filled with extreme pride, the thing he likes most other than treasure is himself. He despises losing and those who are faster or more confident than him and fights using Bashyo Fans.

Wave the Swallow

Voiced by: :English: Erica Schroeder (2006–2008), Kate Higgins (2010–2016)
Japanese: Chie Nakamura is a purple swallow who is the team's mechanic, as her father was for the previous generation of the Babylon Rogues. Gifted in this craft, she has a superb mechanical knowledge of Extreme Gear, which surpasses both Miles "Tails" Prower and Dr. Eggman. Because of this knowledge, she is full of confidence. She hates thick-headed or stupid people and notices everything, but her advice tends to be understandable only to her. Although she looks on Jet the Hawk as an "unreliable younger brother" and can be stubborn, she follows his leadership.

Storm the Albatross

Voiced by: :English: Dan Green (2006–2008), Travis Willingham (2010)
Japanese: Kenji Nomura is a hulking albatross who is described as the muscle of the Babylon Rogues and Jet the Hawk's "right hand man". The strength of his loyalty to Jet is greater than any other and he hates rivals to the team. When he is angry, he becomes destructive, and the raw power of his physical strength makes up for his lower intelligence and lack of speed. With his quick temper, he may stutter when flustered, and he hates having to wait.

Silver the Hedgehog

Voiced by: :English: Pete Capella (2006–2009), Quinton Flynn (2010–2017), Bryce Papenbrook (2019–present)
Japanese: Daisuke Ono is a silver-furred

from 200 years in the future of the main timeline. He first appeared in the 2006 ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. His individual episode revolves around him traveling back in time with Blaze the Cat to find and slay Sonic the Hedgehog, who they were tricked into believing is the cause of their world being destroyed in the future. Silver's primary ability is telekinesis; he is able to levitate objects and use them as projectiles to either defeat enemies or interact with his environment. Like Sonic and Shadow, he transforms into his "super form" by using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds. Silver's creation was inspired by the game's early development stages, where the development team was making huge levels with multiple paths through them and decided they wanted to include a new character with unique abilities for an alternate way to play through the levels. The design team developed over fifty different concepts for the character. At one point he was to actually be an orange mink named Venice (named after the Venice, city of the same name), but the developers ultimately decided against this, fearing a mink would not blend in with the rest of the characters. They ended up deciding to make another hedgehog instead. Orange was originally decided for his fur, but they soon moved away from that in color, in favor of a white-gray one. While developing the character models and textures, they focused on using the hardware to develop the textures rather than just use white-gray, which lead to Silver's color and name. Additionally, Silver's backstory was inspired by Trunks (Dragon Ball), Trunks from the 1984–1995 manga ''Dragon Ball'', who made a similar journey to the past to kill two androids that would eradicate most of humanity in his own time; the script for ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006) flat-out states "Essentially, think Trunks from ''Dragon Ball Z''." Since his first appearance in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006), he has mainly appeared in the Sonic series' spinoffs, multiplayer games, and small cameo roles. He is one of the playable characters in '' Sonic Rivals'' and ''Sonic Rivals 2'', a playable character strictly in the multiplayer modes in ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' and ''Sonic and the Black Knight'', a playable racer in ''Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity'', ''Sonic Free Riders'' and ''Team Sonic Racing'', and a playable athlete in the ''Mario & Sonic'' series beginning with ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games''. He appears in ''Sonic Generations'' as a sub-boss in the stages Crisis City (console version) and Tropical Resort (3DS version). Additionally, Silver was one of a few Sega characters to make a cameo in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', in the background of Sonic's Green Hill Zone stage, and as a trophy and sticker.

Orbot and Cubot

Voiced by: :English: Chris Collet (SA-55, '' Sonic Unleashed''), Kirk Thornton (Orbot), Wally Wingert (Cubot), Deven Mack (both, '' Sonic Prime)''
Japanese: Mitsuo Iwata (Orbot), Wataru Takagi (Cubot) () is a red robotic assistant of Dr. Eggman. He generally assists in monitoring Eggman's data and facilitating his schemes, though he can be lazy and often makes sarcastic remarks pointing out general flaws in Eggman's plans. While an earlier version of the character appears in '' Sonic Unleashed'' under the name "SA-55" (a play on the word "sass"), he appears with his finalized name and design beginning in ''Sonic Colors'', alongside a similar yellow robot named (). Conversely to the intelligent Orbot, Cubot is rather slow, not witty, and frequently makes mistakes. He suffers from a defect in ''Sonic Colors'' that causes him to randomly speak with different accents. The two have continued to appear as assistants to Dr. Eggman in subsequent titles, such as ''Sonic Generations,'' ''Sonic Lost World'' and ''Sonic Forces''. The duo made a cameo in ''Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games'' as one of the helping characters in the London Party, copying stickers for the participants. The duo appeared in ''Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games'' as the hosts of the Action and Answer Tour and in the ''Sonic Boom'' animated series. Digital Spy praised their inclusion in the plot of ''Sonic Colors,'' especially Cubot for his humorous observations and self-awareness about the game's tropes.

Wisps

:Voiced by: Utako Yoshino are a race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial creatures who live on the grassy, lush planet called Planet Wisp. The mother of all Wisps is a much larger, pink one named Mother Wisp. She created Planet Wisp and raised all of her children. Wisps speak a common language that Sonic and Tails cannot understand, though Tails builds a translation device in the game ''Sonic Colors''. Their Japanese and English name comes from Tails' translation of a word in their language; other characters in the game refer to them as "aliens". Wisps are composed of an energy force called "Hyper-go-ons", which they can use to phase into the body of playable protagonist Sonic and give him temporary elemental powers. They come in numerous breeds, each carrying one of many elemental powers known as "Color Powers". When Sonic collects a Wisp, he can use its power once at will; however, he can only carry one at a time. There are numerous types of Wisps, each with its own special ability. ''Colors'' introduced ten types between the Wii and Nintendo DS versions of the game; some only appear in one version. For example, Purple Wisps, whose "Frenzy" ability turns Sonic into a difficult-to-control demon that can chomp through obstacles, is exclusive to the Wii version, but Violet Wisps, which scale up Sonic's density to black hole-like levels and causes him to absorb enemies, obstacles, and rings, appear only in the DS version. However, others appear in both versions, such as Yellow Wisps, which allow Sonic to drill underground and find otherwise inaccessible areas. ''Sonic Lost World'' introduced more types of Wisps while keeping some old types. Among these are Magenta Wisps, which bounce Sonic across paths of musical notes by having the player tap them on the Wii U's touch screen, and Black Wisps, which turn Sonic into a bomb that can roll over enemies and explode. The ''Colors'' manual describes each type of Wisp as having a different general personality; for example, Cyan Wisps, which allow Sonic to bounce off surfaces, are scatterbrained and energetic, while Orange Wisps, which blast him rapidly into the air, have fluctuating and explosive emotions.''Sonic Colors'' (Wii
instruction manual
, pp. 11–13. In ''Sonic Colors'', Eggman builds an amusement park spanning the Wisps' planets under the pretense of making up for past transgressions. Suspicious, Sonic and Tails investigate and rescue two Wisps from Orbot and Cubot. One of them, a talkative male White Wisp named Yacker, tags along with Sonic and Tails during the game. It turns out that Eggman is converting Wisps to a corrupted, purple (Wii version) or violet (DS version) state to fuel a Brainwashing, mind control ray and control the universe. Sonic frees Wisps from their confines in each level, then uses several of them to defeat Eggman at the end of the game. However, Eggman's mind control cannon malfunctions and creates a black hole, which sucks Sonic in until the Wisps combine their power to pull him out and neutralize the black hole. Yacker frees the remaining Wisps, reverts them from their corrupted form, thanks Sonic and Tails, and leaves. The DS version features Mother Wisp as a post-game boss, as she was corrupted by the corrupted Wisps' Hyper-go-ons. Wisps have also appeared in the level "Planet Wisp" in ''Sonic Generations'' and the comics. Iizuka stated in an interview that the Wisps were added to ''Colors'' to "expand and strengthen the platform game, platform action game, action gameplay" without forcing the player to switch to other playable characters. Another goal was to encourage players to revisit already-played levels; Sonic Team accomplished this by adding segments requiring certain types of Wisps to levels preceding their first appearances. Iizuka has said that he now considers them a staple in the ''Sonic'' series. Critics have given mixed opinions toward Wisps and their integration into ''Sonic'' gameplay. IGN's Arthur Gies called them "the big addition" to ''Sonic Colors'', outshining its polished physics and controls. Dave McComb of film magazine ''Empire (magazine), Empire'' called them "cutesy" and "strange", while John Meyer of ''Wired (magazine), Wired'' found them "cuddly" and Dale North of Destructoid called them "a cute little alien race". Randy Nelson from Joystiq called them "plush" and speculated that they could easily lend their image to profitable merchandise. Positive attention has been directed at the variety of Wisps available in ''Sonic Colors'' and ''Lost World'' and at the variety of gameplay styles they brought to the titles: for example, Gies stated that "almost all of them add interesting quirks to Sonic's basic abilities." Reviewing the Nintendo DS version of ''Colors'', Tim Turi from ''Game Informer'' stated that "each adds an interesting new gameplay mechanic" to the game. Gies and Turi also praised the ability to revisit old levels with Wisps unlocked afterwards. ''Nintendo Power''s Steve Thomason identified them as "a truly interesting addition to the Sonic formula" amidst a series of missteps, and praised their "cleverly designed" variety. ''Computer and Video Games'' writer Chris Scullion described Wisps in ''Lost World'' as "familiar power-ups that emulate mechanics in

's Wii adventures" as part of a larger, ambivalent point about the game being derivative of ''Super Mario Galaxy''. However, control and pacing aspects of the Wisps in general, as well as of individual types, have been criticized: for example, Turi opined that "for almost every useful ability there is a complete dud" and bemoaned the Wii controls. Justin Speer from GameTrailers thought similarly and added that the Wisps "don't really feel like they belong". ''Hardcore Gamer Magazine''s review of ''Lost World'' stated that none of the Wisps make satisfying use of the Wii U's gamepad. Chris Shilling of Eurogamer found them to "lead to clumsy touchscreen or gyro interludes that kill a level's pacing."

Deadly Six

Voiced by: :English: Travis Willingham (Zavok, 2013–2017), Patrick Seitz (Zomom; Zavok, 2019–present), Liam O'Brien (Zazz), Kirk Thornton (Master Zik), Stephanie Sheh (Zeena), Sam Riegel (Zor) :Japanese: Joji Nakata (Zavok), Yutaka Aoyama (Zazz), Chafurin (Zomom), Mugihito (Master Zik), Yumi Toma (Zeena), Yuki Tai (Zor) The are a group of six Zeti, a species that has the ability to manipulate magnetic fields. Their exact origins are unknown, but prior to the events of ''Sonic Lost World'', Dr. Eggman takes control of the group in order to capture animals to create Badniks. He controls them and their powers with an item known as the Cacophonic Conch, which causes them great pain when he blows into it. However, when Sonic subconsciously kicks the Conch away from Eggman, they use their powers to control Eggman's Badniks, which prompted Sonic and Tails to reluctantly team up with Eggman to get past the Zeti and stop them. After turning on Eggman, they use his machine which was designed to extract the life out of the Earth and give it to themselves, making them stronger. While ''Sonic Lost World'' is the only game to feature all six members, individual members of the group have reappeared in subsequent games such as ''Sonic Forces: Speed Battle'', the ''Mario & Sonic'' series, and ''Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds''. The members of the Deadly Six are a muscular, red-colored Zeti who acts as the group's leader; a lanky, pink-colored Zeti who is always ready for a fight; a gluttonous and dimwitted yellow-colored Zeti who is always seen eating; an elderly, blue-colored Zeti, the founder of the Deadly Six, and Zavok's mentor who is skillful in martial arts; a vain, green-colored female Zeti; and a nihilistic, purple-colored Zeti who is always seen holding a blue rose.

Sage

Voiced by: :English: Ryan Bartley
Japanese: Megumi Hayashibara is an artificial intelligence created by Doctor Eggman that resembles a young white haired girl. She was introduced in ''Sonic Frontiers'', in which Eggman attempts to use her to investigate the ruins of the Ancients, an alien race that brought the Chaos Emeralds to Earth. Upon learning the portal could release the End, a malevolent entity sealed by the Ancients, Sage traps Eggman in Cyber Space for his protection. As the End manipulates Sonic into aiding in its release, Sage opposes him with the Ancients' robotic weapons. Though she treats Sonic coldly at first due to her programming by Eggman, she gradually develops a respect for him. Similarly, as he spends more time with Sage, Eggman begins to see her as more than an artificial being, coming to regard her as his daughter. In the game's default ending, Sage sacrifices herself to help Sonic defeat the End, but is revived by Eggman using the Ancients' technology; in the "Final Horizon" update, she survives altogether. Following the release of ''Frontiers'', Sage made a cameo appearance in ''The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog'' and is set to appear as a playable character in ''Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds''.

Characters in other media

Sally Acorn

Sally Acorn (voiced by Kath Soucie) is a red-haired brown chipmunk who appears as a major character in the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series), ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated series and later in the Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics), Archie Comics series. She has also made minor cameos in the ''Sonic Spinball'' game and in the ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated series. In the animated series for which the character was created and also in the Archie Comics series, she was depicted as a princess and leader of a group of Resistance movement#Freedom fighter, freedom fighters, whose goal is to restore peace to the Kingdom of Acorn taken over by Robotnik. Sally is known for being Sonic's childhood friend and love interest, with Sally fighting alongside Sonic in many cases.

Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts

Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts (voiced by Phil Hayes, Garry Chalk, and Ian James Corlett respectively) are recurring dimwitted Badniks created by Doctor Robotnik in the ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The arrogant, chicken-like Scratch and the idiotic, Mole (animal), mole-type Grounder are part of an organization formed by Robotnik named the "Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad", which aims to capture and exterminate Sonic; their infighting over who will be the one to take him down often leads them to ruin at the hands of the hedgehog, who takes advantage of their pride to defeat them. Sometimes accompanying them is Coconuts, a cycnical, monkey-like Badnik who has been demoted to Robotnik's janitor and aims to prove himself as his greatest creation; Coconuts' efforts to one-up Scratch and Grounder are ultimately fruitless. Both Grounder and Coconuts are directly based on Badniks from ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'', while Scratch is loosely based on the Clucker enemy from the same game. Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts have received mixed reception; while the ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' series proved polarizing to critics, the Badniks themselves have gone on to earn a cult following. The trio also make appearances in ''Sonic Spinball'', the ''Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics), Sonic the Hedgehog'' comic series by Archie, and the ''Adventures''-based game ''Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine'' for the Sega Genesis, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and

, where they serve as bosses for the player to fight against.

Honey the Cat

is an orange cat wearing a red dress with wings. She is a fashion designer who promotes her clothing by entering fighting tournaments. She is based on the character of the same name from Sega's 1995 arcade fighting game ''Fighting Vipers'', and was created for inclusion in 1996's '' Sonic the Fighters''. While she did not appear in the finished game, remnants of the character were later found in the game's code by hackers. Staff at Sega later rediscovered the character and, upon discovering her popularity with Western fans, implemented her as a secret character in the game's 2012 console port. This reintroduction led to the character making subsequent appearances in Archie Comics' and IDW Publishing's ''Sonic'' comics.

Chris Thorndyke

Christopher Thorndyke (voiced by Sanae Kobayashi in Japanese and Suzanne Goldish in English), usually called Chris, is the main human protagonist of the '' Sonic X'' animated series. He encounters and befriends Sonic shortly after his arrival in Chris' world and invites him and his friends to stay in his home, joining them on their adventures to find the Chaos Emeralds and stop Eggman's robots. The character has been divisive among fans. Writing for THEM Anime Reviews, Tim Jones called Chris an "uninspired" and "bland" protagonist.

Sticks the Badger

(voiced by Nika Futterman in English and Aoi Yuki in Japanese) is an orange and brown badger, first introduced in the animated '' Sonic Boom'' television series. She is recognizable by her wild behavior and paranoia, having lived in the wilderness alone for most of her life. Nonetheless, she is portrayed as wanting to strengthen her newfound friendship with Sonic, Amy, Tails and Knuckles. She fights with wooden weaponry, mostly boomerangs, and has developed impressive athletic abilities due to living in the wild. Sticks appears in all of the ''Sonic Boom'' video games, appearing in a non-playable role in ''Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, Rise of Lyric'' and as a playable character in ''Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, Shattered Crystal'', ''Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, Fire & Ice'', and ''Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom, Sonic Dash 2''. She is described as "infantile" by Scott Thompson of ''

'' and an "unlikeable idiot" by Becky Cunningham of ''GamesRadar'', albeit a "nice addition" by Chris Carter of ''Destructoid''. Sticks has appeared in other ''Sonic'' titles not associated with the ''Boom'' sub-series, such as ''Sonic Runners'' and ''Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games''. She is first mentioned in the main series in ''Sonic Frontiers'', where she is depicted as a close friend of Amy Rose.

Tom and Maddie Wachowski

Thomas Michael "Tom" Wachowski () (James Marsden) and his wife Madeleine "Maddie" (Tika Sumpter) are the two main human protagonists in the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog (film series), ''Sonic'' film series by Paramount Pictures and its spin-offs. Tom is the sheriff of Green Hills, Montana, while Maddie is the local veterinarian. The two were first introduced in ''Sonic the Hedgehog (film), Sonic the Hedgehog'', where they become adoptive parents to Sonic and aid him in his quest to stop Robotnik. They subsequently appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (film), second and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (film), third film, taking on similar parental roles for Tails and Knuckles. Both also made appearances in the spin-off IDW Publishing ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill'' comic, while Maddie appears in the first episode of the live-action spin-off show, ''Knuckles (TV series), Knuckles''. Tom was also a playable skin in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog Minecraft'' DLC, with Maddie making a cameo appearance. Both also made appearances in the promotional Sega Genesis game cartridge for ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'' in the 'Characters' section.

Agent Stone

Agent Stone (portrayed by Lee Majdoub) is a secondary human antagonist featured in the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog (film series), ''Sonic'' film series by Paramount Pictures. Stone is depicted as an assistant and sidekick to Dr. Ivo Robotnik. In the Sonic the Hedgehog (film), first film's script, Stone was initially written as a minor character for Robotnik to talk to in order to further Exposition (narrative), exposition within the story, but actor Jim Carrey's Improvisational theatre#In film and television, improvisation on set prompted Majdoub to portray the character as a sycophantic subordinate to Robotnik. Stone reappears in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (film), second film, where he is shown running the Mean Bean Coffee Café in Green Hills prior to Robotnik's return to Earth and later helps the Doctor control the Giant Eggman Robot during the final battle, and also returns in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (film), third film with a larger role, shown to have been looking after Robotnik during the time between the two films. Stone also appears in the spin-off ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill'' comic, and in the promotional SEGA Genesis game cartridge for ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'' in the 'Characters' section. Agent Stone has been well-received by the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom, ''Sonic'' fandom, who have frequently depicted him in fan art and fan fiction, often while Shipping (fandom), shipping him with Robotnik. Majdoub has positively acknowledged the fandom response to the character, as have franchise writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who expanded Stone's role in subsequent films as a result of the character's positive audience reception.

Notes

References

External links

Page for Fast Friends Forever marketing campaign
on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' website, which contains character profiles
Character profiles
on Sonic Channel
Character profiles
on Sonic Central (archived) {{Portal bar, Video games, border=yes Sonic the Hedgehog characters, Anthropomorphic video game characters Lists of Sega characters, Sonic the Hedgehog