Board 8 > ITT I rank Sonic the Hedgehog characters

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yo so I'm feeling particularly nostalgic for Sonic lately as he's my favorite video game character, loved him since childhood, etc. I just love the guy. So I'm gonna rank a bunch of Sonic characters. Just a few rules.

• Nominate 1 per day so I don't get overloaded
• Only characters from the games. I'm not getting into movie characters or Archie characters, and those won't factor into the rankings at all
• You can nominate a random top 5 topic related to anything Sonic and I'll get around to those whenever. Only nominate one until I do it and then you can nominate another one.
• Put any and all dumb Sonic memes in here if you'd like let's just have fun with Sonic and his entire insane history.

So lay them on me.

Knuckles the Echidna

Top 5 Sonic 2 Zones

big the cat

Sonic the Hedgehog

Amy Rose

Top 5 Phantasy Star series songs

Cream the Rabbit

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/7/9/AAcM16AADXi_.jpg

rouge the bat

Shadow the hedgehog

Tails

Top 5 non-boss enemies plz

Professor Pickle

Sonic Forces CAC aka "the Rookie"

E-102 Gamma (Sonic Adventure)

Orbot

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/3/AATFBfAADXjr.jpg

Knuckles the Echidna
First Appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

So from the jump, Knuckles the Echidna is just cool as hell. He's pitched as the rival to Sonic with a contrastic red color scheme, he's got the big spiked gloves, and he's got the dreads. And then you factor in his gliding and climbing and he's just freaking cool.

And he has a hell of a first impression too. The first time you see him, he literally punches the Chaos Emeralds out of Super Sonic. It doesn't really get more cool than that. After that, he just smugly trolls you and impedes you at every turn, and you really get the sense of wanting to beat the crap out of him later in the game.

But I think Sonic 3 & Knuckles does an awesome job with him. The game gets overlooked a lot for it's story, but I think it tells a great story with the limitations. You have Knuckles working with Robotnik, duped by him into thinking Sonic is the bad guy trying to take the Master Emerald. And so he just makes Sonic's life hard constantly to stop you from getting to Robotnik. Eventually, you do get the opportunity to beat up Knuckles and it goes well! Only Sonic and Knuckles tire each other out and Robotnik seizes the opportunity to take the Master Emerald. Knuckles immediately jumps to action, trying to save the Master Emerald, because he's determined. But he also cares about what's right. Because with the last of his strength, he helps Sonic go forward to stop Robotnik. It's honestly really simple but it does such a great job telling us Knuckles' story.

From there, Knuckles was so popular he even got his own game with Knuckles' Chaotix! But we don't need to talk too much about that aside from him seeming cool in there as well.

They continue the story of Knuckles with an important role in Sonic Adventure 1 as he's still watching over that Master Emerald and that plays a big role, and Knuckles is important here. Even in Sonic Adventure 2, he's less important but they still give him a purpose by messing around with the Master Emerald. He also has a solid story with Rouge the Bat.

Knuckles absolutely peaks in Sonic 3 & Knuckles though, and from Sonic Heroes onward, he's varying degress of "Why are you here?" They just have no reason for Knuckles to be in these games, but his presence is usually nice. He's still cool, he can have fun banter with the various characters. I'll never say no to having Knuckles in a game, but I think they need to do more with him. Abandon the Master Emerald stuff or do something different with it, because it's only holding him back at this point (especially since they can't ever stick to one idea for the Master Emerald and Angel Island).

As far as Sonic characters go, Knuckles is definitely towards the top. They've dabbled with him in other stuff such as the live action movie, Sonic Boom, and Ken Penders' perverted mythology in the Archie comics, and I think those for the most part are really good portrayals, even if they branch out a little bit from what the character was originally. But there's good ideas there branching off from the general character that I think they can toss in the games.

But hey, we got Sonic Frontiers coming up. I think it's a good time to hit the reset button on a lot of things, including Knuckles, since you know he'll be in that game in some way.

Give me more Knuckles though. I love him, he's cool, and when done really well, he adds a lot to the games.

Rank: A

https://youtu.be/r8sB8N44eBE

he said "for the most part!"

which could just include the movie and Sonic Boom

I did mean that. lol Ken Penders' stuff is fucking bizarre but his appearances in the rest of the comics removing what he wrote are all solid as well.

whatever you say, baby microwaver!

Espio the Chameleon

Fang the Sniper/Nack the Weasel

Top 5 non-game characters

Tom Bombadil posted...

whatever you say, baby microwaver!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/4/5/AAAxOoAADXkB.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/4/9/AATFBfAADXkF.jpg

Big the Cat
First Appearance: Sonic Adventure 1

Look at this deplorable pile of trash. Whose fucking idea was it to include this dopey moron in this series? There's so much wrong with Big the Cat.

First, his appearance. It sucks. Everyone in the series has some life to them, and this guy just has the most vacant, flat appearance of anyone. Yeah, he looks distinct, but it's not exactly good. And it's never improved upon. In fact, that Sonic Prime teaser is the first time Big the Cat has looked like an actual character.

And his personality blows. He's just a dummy who rambles on about Froggy this Froggy that. The only motivation they give him is freaking Froggy. And it sucks. Who thought it was a good idea to include him and his frog in Sonic Adventure 1? In easily the most insufferable part of that game where you have to go fishing with him. Why are we fishing? Why did they choose to include that? Keep Big out of the game entirely, remove his entire plot, and it's a much better game overall! You don't actually need him at all!

From there, his appearances are very few and far between. He's got bit roles in a few other games, but who cares? Big the Cat is the initial reason people started hating on Sonic and all of his animal friends. Because he's absolutely pointless, and he was first one of them you could say "Alright, I don't need to see him." In fact, nobody ever needs to see Big the Cat. He has actively made the franchise worse by existing. He is the first big misstep made with the cast of Sonic characters.

Fun Fact: Jon St. John, the voice actor for Big, says he hated doing the role too. Even his damn voice actor hates the character.

Sonic Prime seems like they may actually do something alright with him, maybe. And sure. You got a cartoon, you want to give him some love there where you can flesh him out a bit, why not? Just keep him out of the games unless you're going to do anything with him that isn't just that stupid voice, his stupid frog, his stupid fishing, and his stupid personality.

Rank: F

https://youtu.be/Tr6UUhHTHoM

I think he's kinda fun but to be fair I only really know him from Heroes and IDW

Big slander will not be tolerated.

Shahra

Coldsteel the Hedgeheg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/8/4/AATFBfAADXko.jpg

Sonic the Hedgehog
First Appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

What can I say about Sonic at this point? He's a great character, through and through, and there's a reason why no matter the state of his games or anything else that he still persists as an icon.

His design just works. He just looked cool in a time where the video game characters we had as franchise stars were like Mario or Zelda. They're cool, but man does Sonic ever just look like he's the coolest of any franchise character. He's got a cocky grin, wagging his finger, his aesthetic with the blue and spikes and rolling into a ball. Everything works about the character, and how he was billed as a speedy badass fighting giant robots and big mechs? He just works. Some designs are a little better than others, but for the most part Sonic always looks great, and there's a reason he's always drawn people in from any age in any generation.

It's when we develop his personality, first through all kinds of media, and then eventually in Sonic Adventure 1 onward, we finally see him continue to be this cool smart-aleck with a heart of gold. Where he may not take things seriously, he likes to clown on people, but he cares deeply about keeping people safe and takes being a hero completely seriously when he needs to, and also builds up those around him. That's really all you need for a character like this. It works so well as a protagonist.

The fact that he's transcended so many gameplay styles too is pretty wild in and of itself. You might prefer different playstyles, but all of them have their quirks that really take advantage of him. He's a spiky blue guy who bounces and moves fast. What else do you need? Even Sonic Frontiers seems like it's going to take it in a new direction with another aspect of the character's gameplay.

I don't think there's really been any bad portrayals of Sonic, honestly. Even in the worst of times, Sonic still has something endearing about him. I think he'll hold up forever, even if he does find himself in another dark age. Because as a character, everything works for him, and there are pieces that will fit in anywhere to make a new fan, no matter what.

Rank: S

https://youtu.be/fMa9Iot1Ves

Gerald Robotnik

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/1/8/AATFBfAADXlK.jpg

Amy Rose
First Appearance: Sonic CD

I think Amy is a character with a lot of potential that they just kind of squander. At first she's just girl hedgehog, pseudo-love interest in Sonic CD and that's all fine and well. From there she evolves, but I'm not sure it's better?

But her appearance, first. As Girl-Sonic, she's fine. I don't actually love her Sonic CD appearance too much, but I think they found a much better look in Sonic Adventure. I think it can definitely use some kind of an upgrade, honestly. She hasn't been nominated, so I won't talk too much about her, but the Sonic Boom Amy's look is a lot better I think. The hammer is great and makes her stand out a lot though, and I'm glad she has that.

Now there's not much to say about Amy in Sonic CD. She's fine. It's Sonic Adventure where they give her a personality. I'll say, first, the thing I think is the dirt worst about Amy is her obsession with Sonic and her being entirely too in love with him. It's never funny, it's never interesting, and if she's just crushing on him or bubbly around him, that's one thing. But her just being in love with him and chasing him all the time just makes her so much less cool of a character. And the joke of her thinking every other character is Sonic is also not great either. I just don't think any of it lands.

Where Amy is better is her being a moral compass for a lot of characters. She's a great foil for that, and I think I'd take it more seriously if she didn't have the Sonic obsession. But in Sonic Adventure 1 with E-102 Gamma, she's great. In Sonic Adventure 2 with Shadow, she's great. And even Sonic 2006, she's great with Silver. It's just everything else... well, she's not as great. If she's used more in that encouraging gentle-hearted role I think she works out great.

I do like her kind of bratty personality as well. I think you see it most in Sonic Heroes and other games, but I kinda like her short fuse and no matter how cute and innocent she may be, you don't want to mess with her.

I just think that aside from these moments with Gamma, Shadow, and Silver... she's not tremendous? I think she has potential to be a lot more fun and a better character. And there's a lot I do like about her, but hopefully Sonic Frontiers gives us something better from her. She can stand to hit the reset button on her too. Hell, I'll even say it. Take more inspiration from Sonic Boom's Amy for the character. I think they'd be better off.

Rank: C

https://youtu.be/5hGNAsTz0uU

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/3/4/AATFBfAADXla.jpg

Cream the Rabbit
First Appearance: Sonic Advance 2

I just don't get this character. I know she's meant to draw in girls, I'm sure, and in that respect she's... fine? I'd rather they just make Amy better though. Cream just really feels like a nothing character most times.

Cream is a cute rabbit girl with a Chao buddy. She just wears a dress and has big floppy ears. I don't know what else to tell you, but she looks fine in all of her appearances for what she is.

She can fly and use her Chao as a weapon which is pretty cool though. So she has that going for her.

I just in general don't have much to say about Cream. She's fine, but feels like mostly a waste aside from trying to bait girls to play these games, but now that they've kind of abandoned the nonstop cycle of friends, I don't think she serves a purpose anymore. She's not particularly interesting, and she's absolutely not a character made for me.

I think with the bloated Sonic supporting character roster we have already, Cream can absolutely go and nothing will be missed. Amy can fill whatever niche they've tried to carve out for her entirely. She was only really created in the first place so Team Rose had 3 people in Sonic Heroes.

That's Cream for you. Nothing particularly of note to say. She's fine in wherever she's in, but not necessary imo.

Rank: E

https://youtu.be/Nhp4fT8iyS8

Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik

Vector the Crocodile

Tikal

Big The Cat is the best sonic character of all time

I think they've started to move away from having Amy be the one-note Sonic fangirl, so I'm quite pleased with that.

Cream I like, yeah there's not much to her and she doesn't have much role to fill but she's just...nice.

Metropolis is the worst

Nack the Weasel

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/1/3/AATFBfAADXmp.jpg

Rouge the Bat
First Appearance: Sonic Adventure 2

See, you know how we just talked about innocent young Cream before? The reason I find her so damn confusing is because we have a sexed up bat hanging out on the other side of the party. That's kind of why I like her so much though.

Appearance-wise Rouge is unique in that she has multiple looks and all of them are pretty good. I think the classic with the heart top is the best one though. But she looks so much more different than the rest of the cast and she stands out. She's just got a really excellent look.

Rouge has a gamestyle similar to Knuckles... but then goes to flight in Sonic Heroes. And then back to the Knuckles/Tails counterpart in Sonic 06. All in all, she's not that much more special in any of those roles, but I don't actively ever hate playing as her.

I like Rouge a lot though. She's probably up there in some of my favorite characters, and a lot of it has to do with her interactions with Shadow. Their relationship is legitimately great, and up there with the best relationships in the series. Every time they interact, it feels more real and legitimate than basically most surface-level interactions that the series usually has.

In Sonic Adventure 2, where she debuts, there's not as much there between Shadow and Rouge. But she tends to be the brighter parts of Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Sonic 2006. There's also some good stuff with them in the side games too. They have this really close bond where Rouge always gasses Shadow up and seems to legitimately care about him, and it's great. Because despite her seeming selfish in most cases, she actually cares about her Hedgehog friend and feels bad for him a lot of times. Their bond feels real, and I think outside of Sonic and anyone else, this is probably the most legitimate relationship in the series.

There's also what she has going on with Knuckles where they constantly tease a relationship and don't deliver. Which, you know, fine. Whatever. I get that they don't want to commit to any sort of romantic relationship in any of the Sonic games, but I think if you're going to do one then Knuckles and Rouge is the way to go. It gives Knuckles more to do than the whole lot of nothing he normally has going on. And this is always touched on more in the side games. They have fun interactions though.

Concerning everything else with Rouge... she's half-jewel thief, half-secret spy. So she always has a purpose to be involved somewhere. She's flirty, fun, and adds a dynamic to the Sonic series that really isn't matched with anyone else. I really like Rouge, and I think she's one of the better characters in the series. I hope they do a lot more with her, because she plays off every character so well.

Society won't survive if they put her in the third Sonic movie though.

Rank: A

https://youtu.be/UMsT9om7seE

Ouch the Team Rose hate is real. Glad to see Big get called the turd he is. He only didn't suck in Heroes because he was the power type character, so he had to be used.

Dr. Eggman

Oh already done, then how about... Metal Sonic

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/3/0/AATFBfAADXm6.jpg

Shadow the Hedgehog
First Appearance: Sonic Adventure 2

Hey, I love memeing about Shadow the Hedgehog as much as anyone else, but let's be real. He's actually one of the best Sonic characters.

From a visual standpoint, Shadow looks awesome. He's got the dark hedgehog thing going on where he's not just completely similar to Sonic, but he's actually got many differences to make sure he's just not "Sonic but dark". His quills go up, he's got shades of red everywhere, the tuft on the fur on his chest. Even his run is different. And he always looks so angry to contrast Sonic always happy and grinning. I love it.

Where Shadow excels though is that they normally build a pretty decent overall character arc for him in every game he's in.

In Sonic Adventure 2, it's all about Shadow. He has his past with the little girl Maria, and he's doing what he thought his mission was, but it turned out to be manipulation from Gerald Robotnik to have him destroy all of humanity. He did everything he had to do before simply accepting it. Mission accomplished. Time to watch the world blow up. But he has a change of heart when he remembers that Maria wanted him to protect the world and be a hero, and then he turns around and actually does just that at the cost of his own life.

Fast forward to Sonic Heroes, and he's alive again! (Due to popularity because obviously) And Shadow builds a deep bond with both Rouge and E-123 Omega. They actually bounce off of one another very well and I really enjoy seeing Shadow have actual bonds with people. But in this game he may be an android, he may not be. It doesn't really get resolved.

...Until Shadow the Hedgehog. This game is a disaster narratively, but if you get to the final battle you kind of get the gist of what they want you to take from it. It's the real Shadow, everyone believes in him, and it confusingly turns into Gerald Robotnik actually supporting Shadow and believing he would be the only thing to defeat Black Doom, which Shadow has blood from...? Guys, please don't make me try to explain this game's story. Just know that Shadow finishes off his arc and that he's a legit hero who everyone finally believes in by the end.

And we get to Sonic 2006 where Shadow is frankly the only truly great part of this game story-wise. He has his storyline with Mephiles the boogeyman trying to manipulate everything. He basically tries to tell Shadow that in the future, everyone is going to turn on him and blame him for the awful shit that happens and lock him up forever, and then he should go evil. And Shadow basically says he doesn't give a shit and he's going to do the right thing regardless.

Legitimately, everything concerning Shadow is usually the most interesting part in most games he's in. His personality isn't quite as edgy as any meme would make it out to be if you discount Shadow the Hedgehog game (and I love the memes). But he normally has a very defined character that is really a legitimate anti-hero in every sense. And I think a lot of people miss that he actually is a hero.

If they keep tossing Shadow in games and give him a purpose, I think he's a boon to any game he's in. Awesome character that they keep finding ways to do compelling stories with, and he always has people to bounce off of that makes any minor interactions fun. He's just a legitimately awesome character in the Sonic universe, and it's actually surprising how well they've made him work (aside from a certain self-titled game). Because it would be very easy to make him a generic Sonic but DaRk, but they exceed that an incredible amount.

All Hail Shadow! I'm extremely excited to see how they make him happen in the third Sonic movie, because I think they'll do an awesome job with him.

Rank: S

(As a side note, I have somehow indoctrinated my girlfriend into becoming an ironic Shadow fan by showing her dumb memes and videos of him after we saw the second Sonic movie, despite here knowing next to nothing about him. She now routinely shows me Shadow memes.)

https://youtu.be/KqphtVEiwg4

Ray the Flying Squirrel

Wave

Tails Doll

Mighty the Armadillo

Top 5 final bosses

This is the most vanilla list I've ever seen.

And I've seen a lot

Zigzagoon posted...

This is the most vanilla list I've ever seen.

And I've seen a lot

vanilla is sadly ineligible since she's not from the games, even though she's the size of an average human mother