History Awesome / SonicTheHedgehog

Through all of its [[GrowingTheBeard ups]] and [[DorkAge downs]], the games in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series have been (and still are) so chock-full of awesome moments, each game has its own page (feel free to start pages for other games):

* Similar to the above commercial-related and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' examples, there's another meta example: his cameo role in ''WreckItRalph''. Why? Aside from the sheer awesomeness of [[http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/Wreck-It-Ralph-Sonic.jpg Sonic getting top billing in one of the posters for the movie,]] we should remember it's ''a Disney movie'' (and one that doesn't [[VideoGameMoviesSuck suck]], at that, given this is a movie about the VideoGame medium in general - à la ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' - rather than being based on a franchise). Not only he's coming back as a pop culture icon, as stated above; he's getting an ''expanded'' cameo role in a Disney movie. ''Sonic is now part of the freaking Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon''.

Through all of its [[GrowingTheBeard ups]] and [[DorkAge downs]], the games in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series have been (and still are) so chock-full of awesome moments, each game has its own page (feel free to start pages for other games):

[[caption-width-right:350: Never underestimate Sonic Speed]]

* Destroying the ''VideoGame/SonicSpinball'' stage 3 boss, the Veg-O-Machine, [[spoiler:not only frees further animals from UnwillingRoboticisation, but also ''sends the entire island crashing down'' and forcing Robotnik to take off in his space shuttle to get away.]]

* Even if Sonic has hit some low points in his series, he's still been with us for 20 years. Somehow he and other characters in the series have endeared themselves to the general public and kept going after all this time. He has been a character that has appeared a wanderer and goof-off, but will still work as hard as he can to reach his goals (mostly saving the world), often with the help of some pretty cool friends, and great music in the background. So maybe some of the games aren't that great, but seeing any moments listed here (or ones that haven't been listed yet) will always make that kid in us happy to see a hero just one more time.

* Sonic's surprise appearance in the [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrothers Subspace Emissary]] is a crowning moment in itself, as he manages to charge up what appears to be the Ancient Light Attack to smash Tabuu so hard, his wings shatter and his [[OneHitKill Off Waves]] are interrupted.

* Similar to the above commercial-related and ''SuperSmashBros'' examples, there's another meta example: his cameo role in ''WreckItRalph''. Why? Aside from the sheer awesomeness of [[http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/Wreck-It-Ralph-Sonic.jpg Sonic getting top billing in one of the posters for the movie,]] we should remember it's ''a Disney movie'' (and one that doesn't [[VideoGameMoviesSuck suck]], at that, given this is a movie about the VideoGame medium in general - à la ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' - rather than being based on a franchise). Not only he's coming back as a pop culture icon, as stated above; he's getting an ''expanded'' cameo role in a Disney movie. ''Sonic is now part of the freaking Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon''.

* Similar to the above commercial-related and ''SuperSmashBros'' examples, there's another meta example: his cameo role in ''WreckItRalph''. Why? Aside from the sheer awesomeness of [[http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/Wreck-It-Ralph-Sonic.jpg Sonic getting top billing in one of the posters for the movie,]] we should remember it's ''a Disney movie'' (and one that doesn't [[VideoGameMoviesSuck suck]], at that, given this is a movie about the VideoGame medium in general - à la ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' - rather than being based on a franchise). Not only he's coming back as a pop culture icon, as stated above; he's getting an ''expanded'' cameo role in a Disney movie. ''Sonic is now part of the freaking DisneyAnimatedCanon''.

** In the games where you have to collect the emeralds yourself via special stages, the moment when you get the last one definitely counts. And if it's one of the games where you can go Super Sonic in normal gameplay (so basically every Sonic game after ''Sonic3AndKnuckles'' and before ''SonicColors''), seeing the "NOW SONIC CAN BE SUPER SONIC" message can make you feel particularly triumphant.
* Sonic's surprise appearance in the [[{{SuperSmashBrothers}} Subspace Emissary]] is a crowning moment in itself, as he manages to charge up what appears to be the Ancient Light Attack to smash Tabuu so hard, his wings shatter and his [[OneHitKill Off Waves]] are interrupted.

!!Greatest Moments
* While it may be wrong to put down an awesome moment in an index page, it needs to be said: Sonic the Hedgehog PROVING how fast he really is by, for about twenty-three seconds, [[spoiler: OUTRUNNING A BLACK HOLE.]]

----

<<|CrowningMoment/VideoGames|>>

* Similar to the above commercial-related and ''SuperSmashBros'' examples, there's another meta example: his cameo role in ''WreckItRalph''. Why? Aside from the sheer awesomeness of [[http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/Wreck-It-Ralph-Sonic.jpg Sonic getting top billing in one of the posters for the movie,]] we should remember it's ''a Disney movie'' (and one that doesn't [[VideoGameMoviesSuck suck]], at that, given this is a movie about the VideoGame medium in general - à la ''ToyStory'' - rather than being based on a franchise). Not only he's coming back as a pop culture icon, as stated above; he's getting an ''expanded'' cameo role in a Disney movie. ''Sonic is now part of the freaking DisneyAnimatedCanon''.

* Similar to the above commercial-related and ''SuperSmashBros'' examples, there's another meta example: his cameo role in ''WreckItRalph''. Why? Aside from the sheer awesomeness of [[http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/Wreck-It-Ralph-Sonic.jpg Sonic getting top billing in one of the poster for the movie,]] we should remember it's ''a Disney movie''. Not only he's coming back as a pop culture icon, as stated above; he's getting an ''expanded'' cameo role in a Disney movie. ''Sonic is now part of the freaking DisneyAnimatedCanon''.

* Essentially, every time Sonic goes super in the series is such a moment. This troper, though, would like to nominate the transformation sequences from ''Sonic Heroes'' and, believe it or not, ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2006'' as the best ones. Regardless of the rest of the games, Sonic unleashing a huge BattleAura around himself and turning the iconic golden color as the [[ThemeMusicPowerUp game's theme song plays]] is pretty damn incredible.

* Looking through these page and seeing so many examples that say, "Say what you want about that game, but..." this just occurred to me -- Even if Sonic has hit some low points in his series, he's still been with us for 20 years. Somehow he and other characters in the series have endeared themselves to the general public and kept going after all this time. He has been a character that has appeared a wanderer and goof-off, but will still work as hard as he can to reach his goals (mostly saving the world), often with the help of some pretty cool friends, and great music in the background. So maybe some of the games aren't that great, but seeing any moments listed here (or ones that haven't been listed yet) will always make that kid in us happy to see a hero just one more time. May I just say that nostalgia is awesome as well?

* Essentially, every time Sonic goes super in the series is such a moment. This troper, though, would like to nominate the transformation sequences from ''Sonic Heroes'' and, believe it or not, ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2006'' as the best ones. I know, YourMileageMayVary on the [[JumpingTheShark quality]] of the games, but regardless of the rest of the games, Sonic unleashing a huge BattleAura around himself and turning the iconic golden color as the [[ThemeMusicPowerUp game's theme song plays]] is pretty damn incredible.

Through all of its [[GrowingTheBeard ups]] and [[DorkAge downs]], the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series has been (and still is) so chock-full of awesome moments, each game has its own page (feel free to start pages for other games):

(A troper is currently in the process of sorting)

* ''Awesome/SonicAdventure2''

** Eggman manages to score another CMOA off of his occasional [[CrazyPrepared bouts of sheer genius]] at the start of Unleashed. After tearing through an army of robots and dodging Eggman's display of [[MoreDakka sheer]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre firepower]], Sonic wastes no time utilizing the Chaos Emeralds and forcing Eggman to bail all the way back to his orbital platform, where he is next seen groveling before Super Sonic. [[KillHimAlready Sonic wastes time trying to redeem Eggman]] [[XanatosGambit when all of this was just a ploy]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero to harness the Chaos Emeralds to split the planet open and release Dark Gaia, super-powered hedgehog be damned]]. Made even more awesome when you realize this is the first time Super Sonic was directly CANCELLED by outside forces. I repeat:''' ''SUPER SONIC'' has been negated by ''EGGMAN''!'''
*** Not quite the first time Super Sonic was cancelled by outside forces -- in the beginning of Sonic 3, Knuckles takes Super Sonic by surprise and punches the Chaos Emeralds out of him, literally. Invincibility be damned, that echidna knows what he's after. That said, the Unleashed intro ''is'' Eggman's ultimate CMOA (at least, up to this point. I mean, if he was that badass in the intro, it's a great sign of potential for the ending).
**** Super Sonic was cancelled a second time in the Sonic 3 expansion, Sonic and Knuckles. Knuckles takes a moment during the volcano level to show Sonic the oft-underestimated power of a large rock.
*** To cite another example from ''Sonic 3'', the final boss of that game could catch Super Sonic, slam him into the ground, and force him to revert to normal effortlessly. Oddly enough, the same attack has no effect on Knuckles.
*** Still all in all, Knuckles and Eggman are the only foes to ''ever'' defeat Super Sonic, which is pretty impressive considering the numerous KnightOfCerebus villains and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that have featured throughout the series. So much for being the {{Butt Monkey}}s of the franchise.

* Uh, hello? Eggman's role in the Unleashed intro was awesome, yes, but are we completely forgetting how awesome Sonic was as well? (Video [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8IxgooL480 here]]). Highlights include sliding underneath a robot, spinning around said robot, then '''plowing through more robots with his fist.'''
* Sonic says this line twice in the course of Black Knight, but the second time he pulls it out is made of awesome and win.
-->'''Sonic:''' I told you! I don't mind playing the bad guy.
** It really frames Sonic's personality correctly. In that it doesn't matter who is wrong or who is right. He's fighting for what he believes in, the view of the world be damned.
* This Troper felt that Shadow's CMOA was when finishing the pure good or pure bad ending, he stands over a battered Sonic and proclaims himself to be the best. {{Badass}}!
* In Sonic The Hedgehog 2, after Sonic defeats Silver Sonic in the Death Egg, he runs after Eggman... But can't catch him. It seems Eggman is faster than Sonic. EGGMAN IS FASTER THAN SONIC!!!
** He outruns Sonic in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic and Knuckles]]'' as well, right before the final boss (in Death Egg Zone).
*** ZOMG! Time Paradox!
*** It gets better. Try running around [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 Chao World]] with Sonic. Now do it with Eggman (who goes without his Walker). Notice something? '''THEY RUN AT THE EXACT! SAME! SPEED!''' Just the fact that they remembered that even for something as small as Chao World says something! It may be a small detail, but This Troper was in awe when he ran around Chao World with Eggman for the first time and saw how fast he was running.
* The first time you power up as Super Sonic in ''Sonic 2''. Made all those annoying special stages worthwhile...
* Amy of all people gets one in the 2006 game during one of her MamaBear moments. She jumps in Silver's way ready to kick his ass. She gives him a DeathGlare that makes him back off. Think about this. A normal girl (BadAssNormal at best) driving off a powerful psychic with but a mere scary "I'm gonna kill you" look.
** Before that, there was her story in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''. After spending most of the story [[DamselInDistress getting kidnapped]] and running away from a KillerRobot, she finally snaps into MamaBear mode as soon as said robot hurts the bird she was trying to protect and utterly demolishes it. This is especially awesome since she started off merely fawning over Sonic being her hero, but with this moment, she finally became a hero in her own right.
** Add to that her mere ''reasoning'' with another KillerRobot into becoming her friend. Then, in a similar fashion to her 2006 moment, defending it from Sonic. She'll value Sonic over the world, but she cares enough about others to stand up to him.
** Let's not forget her actions in VideoGame/SonicAdventure2, where it was her that triggered the events that saved the world (via reasoning with Shadow). Who says [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway the power of heart is useless]]?
* Sonic, in the ending of ''SonicBattle''. Yes, it was [[TearJerker very sad]]. It also involves beating the hell out of a robotic PhysicalGod who currently has all the Chaos Emeralds -- ''with his bare hands and no Emerald assistance whatsoever''. It also involves [[spoiler:no fatal seconds wasted on [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight looking for Emerl in there somewhere]]. He [[ShootTheDog Shoots the Dog]] as soon as he realizes he has to. He doesn't even {{Wangst}} about it, before or after (ManlyTears are 100% in play though).]] We all knew Sonic was [[MadeOfIron made of all kinds of iron]], but... ''damn''.
** Also, he only had a minute or so to defeat Emerl as well. Yes, they fought at speeds that fast.
* Why are we forgetting the ending of Sonic and the Black Knight? [[YourMileageMayVary Say what you like about the game,]] but the pre-final-boss cutscene was just truly amazing. Sonic is getting beat to a bloodly pulp by [[spoiler:Merlina]] and doesn't even fall to his knees. And then his [[{{Determinator}} determination to not just let evil win]] turns Caliburn into Excalibur. GODDAMN EXCALIBUR. And if you play it right, the final boss can easily be a CurbStompBattle, making the CMOA truly complete.
* The FinishingMove at the end of the final boss of VideoGame/SonicColors. UNLIMITED COLORS! LASER! DRILL! SPIKES! ROCKET! CUBE! HOVER! FRENZY! FINAL COLOR BLASTER! Topped off with some [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNCWFJC3-kQ Crowning Music Of Awesome]]. Also the fact that [[spoiler:Eggman is the final boss for the first time in Sonic's 3D career]].
** ''Colors'' itself is a Moment for the Sonic series as a whole. After quite a line of not-so-stellar releases, with the hedgehog banging into the PolygonCeiling enough times to give himself a bloody head, this game comes in and proves that Sonic can still tread water ([[WalkDontSwim so to speak]]).
** After said final boss fight, he has the balls to outrun a BLACK HOLE, and ''almost'' escapes its grasp, but ultimately SURVIVES it.
*** Let's put that another way. A black hole is among the most powerful forces to exist. Light itself cannot even come close to escaping it's grasp. Sonic. Can.
* How about one of the earliest AwesomeMoments in the series? In the original ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' in the GreenHillZone, you come across this pipe-like cave that Sonic automatically spindashes into. You emerge into a checkpoint, spindash into another pipe, and you're ''launched 100 feet into the air into a huge pile of rings!'' Those kinds of [[WreakingHavok game physics demonstrations]] in the 16-bit era were hard to come by.
* When Sonic had to fight Perfect Chaos for the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure first time]], ha had to transform into Super Sonic just to beat the guy. Cue in [[VideoGame/SonicGenerations a few years later]] and he doesn't even have to try to beat Chaos in his normal form. Granted, Perfect Chaos was really just the first of so many [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] Sonic had to face, but still awesome nonetheless. It just shows how far Sonic had gone since then.
** It's even more awesome if you see it as Sonic just softening Perfect Chaos up for his past self to neutralize in Super Form, since he knows that he has to finish the job in Super Form in order to help Chaos let go of his rage against sapient life. Let me repeat this: Sonic is basically ''sparring'' with an Eldritch Abomination. Not fighting to completely defeat the beast, but just going a few rounds basically just because he can. Wow.
* A mini moment of Awesome, but in E-102 Gamma's story in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', the bot gets to fight and ''win'' against Sonic, a mere second from blowing his brains out point blank. Yeah it's an AntiClimaxBoss, but it's the first and only point so far one of Eggman's badniks has managed to defeat Sonic one on one, and gives you an idea how dangerous Gamma may have been [[MinionWithAnFInEvil had it not been for his heart]].
* Say what you will of Big the Cat, the guy TookALevelInBadass in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''. That fishing rod [[ScrappyMechanic so many came to despise]] acts a ''flaming mace'' and, similar to Amy, he has gained a lot in agility. Add to that his developed BigBrotherInstinct. It is a bad idea to pick on Cream. To reiterate, they made a scene where [[BewareTheNiceOnes Big gets pissed off.]]
-->'''Big:''' [[PreAssKickingOneLiner It's not nice to tease my friends!]]
* Looking through this page and seeing so many examples that say, "Say what you want about that game, but..." this just occurred to me -- Even if Sonic has hit some low points in his series, he's still been with us for 20 years. Somehow he and other characters in the series have endeared themselves to the general public and kept going after all this time. He has been a character that has appeared a wanderer and goof-off, but will still work as hard as he can to reach his goals (mostly saving the world), often with the help of some pretty cool friends, and great music in the background. So maybe some of the games aren't that great, but seeing any moments listed here (or ones that haven't been listed yet) will always make that kid in us happy to see a hero just one more time. May I just say that nostalgia is awesome as well?

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTdrLC3nqhw This cutscene from Sonic Adventure 2]]. It perfectly displays the character relationship between Sonic and Shadow and sets a mood that if Shadow isn't stopped here, Eggman will take over the world (Well when played from the Hero's side anyways...) The music just makes it all the more epic.
* How about when you fight Knuckles at Hidden Palace Zone in ''[[SonicTheHedgehog Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]'' ? I mean, sure, the boss fight is really easy and nothing special, but what makes it so awesome is that you finally get to have your revenge on Knuckles for every last cheap shot, trick, and trap that he's been pulling on you since your first encounter with him at the beginning of the game.
* Act 2 of the Marble Garden Zone in ''[[SonicTheHedgehog Sonic 3 and Knuckles]]'' has Eggman destroying the stage itself around Sonic, dooming him to certain death. Tails, however, swoops in to carry his idol and chase Eggman down for a battle in the skies. Tails has very little stamina in the air in normal gameplay, and less so while carrying Sonic, but he hangs on through the whole boss fight and even manages to catch Sonic if he ever should fall, and then for good measure keeps going long enough for the sun to set in the background... and lands in the ScrappyLevel. Maybe that cancels out the awesome?
** Really, the fact that Eggman '''''destroyed the entire Goddamn level just to kill Sonic''''' is, in itself, a CMOA for Eggman.
*** And for Sonic too.
** You know, let's just put down the entirety of Sonic3&Knuckles as a crowning moment for Eggman, simply due to the sheer amount of effort he puts into it from start to finish. In the ''first'' level, he starts a forest fire with Sonic in the middle, and then immediately the hero escapes, cue an airship bombardment. And as awesome as Doomsday Zone was, let's not forget that the boss fight prior featured Eggman in a robot version of himself so titanic that close to its head filled the entire screen -- and so did its laser beam, incidentally.
*** He also managed to create a machine strong enough to knock the rings out of ''Super Sonic'' if it got a hold of him. [[spoiler:Too bad he did not account for something stronger than Super Sonic. Hyper Sonic, for example.]]
* About halfway through ''Sonic Adventure 2'', after organising Shadow and Rouge to raid and detonate an entire ''island'', and with six of the seven Chaos Emeralds in his possession, Dr. Eggman declares himself ruler of the Eggman Empire, announces to the entire world that they will surrender or die, and, just to prove he isn't fucking around, powers up the [[KillSat Eclipse Cannon]] and ''blows up half of the moon''.
** Personally, I vote for when, attempting to trick him with a fake Emerald, Robotnik completely pwned Sonic and the gang at their own game and ''shot our hero into space to certain death''. The most shocking part? If it wasn't for a last minute [[DeusExMachina Deus Ex Chaos Control]], ''Sonic. Would. Have. Been. Dead.'' That is the true genius of a man with a 300 IQ.
** You can add to this the moment when Eggman tricks Tails into revealing the emerald was a fake to begin with. After seeing a guy who we're constantly told has an IQ of ''freaking 300'' do so many stupid things, it's nice to see him actually express his intelligence for once.
---> '''Tails:''' So... how did you know it wasn't the real one?
---> '''Eggman:''' Heh, because ''[[YouJustToldMe you just told me]]'', Fox-boy.
*** Even better, playing both parts of the game reveals that Eggman had already deduced Tails had a fake emerald long before that encounter, so not only did he pwn them at their own game and rub their faces into it, but he screwed with their minds by lying about how he knew, making them out to be even bigger idiots than before. Awesome.
*** Not quite, since he couldn't know which one of the two was the real one, so he trapped Sonic without knowing and then Tails told him.
*** No, he obviously knew. People aren't just handed 300 I.Q.'s you know.
*** In one of the cutscenes in the Dark Story, Eggman detects two Chaos Emeralds, knowing that Sonic and the others would try to trick him by giving him the fake one. In other words, he knew that it was a fake as soon as Sonic and his group arrived on the Ark.
** Also, Sonic -- who had never before used Chaos Control and only ever seen it being performed once -- manages to pull off Chaos Control using a FAKE Emerald. Even Shadow was impressed.
* The opening level of ''Sonic Adventure 2'' is pretty awesome. It's not everyday you see someone freefall out of a helicopter and then board down the side of San Francisco with a part of the wing.
** While performing sick air tricks and shit.
** Heck, what about Eggman's first level? The Dark story opens with him charging Prison Islands, guns blazing and his theme triumphantly flaring.
* ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' were basically the crowning games of awesome for the whole series! Up until Sonic Adventure, although the levels were fun, the only game before SA with any storyline was Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and even that didn't have much storyline. When we got to SA, we started to get a slightly deeper, yet far more epic, storyline, ending with the boss battle with Perfect Chaos, and [=SA2=]? That game had a deep and epic storyline as well, AND Rouge and Shadow were added to the cast, although they really were both one-hit wonders since their appearances after [=SA2=] were pretty lame. Then we get all this awesome music! Open Your Heart, It Doesn't Matter, Live and Learn, and not to mention Escape From The City, an awesome rock song with lyrics and everything, for the FIRST LEVEL! As for gameplay, while the levels were easier than the 2D games, they were still a lot of fun to play! Snowboarding through a city, escaping from a whale, driving the Tornado (as a mech and a plane), tracking down the Chaos Emeralds in a building about to explode, and of course, Perfect Chaos and the Finalhazard!
** What about the encounter in the jungle? "I found you, FAKER!". Heck, Shadow tells him the Sonic is the faker, and then telling him that he's not even good enough to be his fake, while Sonic answers back with an epic "I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS!" and, if you're playing as Shadow:
---> '''Sonic:''' You can't get away this time! There's only one. Real. SONIC!
* ''Sonic Adventure 1'', when Tails launches the Tornado I by making the palm trees bend over in what can only be a direct homage to ''{{Thunderbirds}}''. Sonic's expression says it all.
** Speaking of Tails in ''Sonic Adventure,'' who can forget him [[http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PoULSnH_UnI psyching himself up to fight Eggman alone]]... then doing it, saving Station Square all by himself? This seems to be the rare piece of CharacterDevelopment in the franchise to stick too, as he does so a couple of times in the next game as well.
*** Nah, the most awesome part is that the city's effectively wrecked in two minutes anyway.
* In Sonic CD, after the game, Sonic escapes an exploding planet (to be fair, it really isn't that big), rescuing Amy and stopping Robotnik/Eggman's plans for controlling time. Right after it's over, Sonic spots Robotnik fleeing in his hovercraft, so he grabs a rock, goes into a spin dash, and throws the rock right at him. A few seconds later, the hovercraft (which has already flown into the horizon) ''explodes'', and it's all over... Damn!
** Also note that this is the ''bad'' ending!
** And let's not forget the intro movie, either. The look that's usually on Shadow's face, wasn't first used in the games by the black blur. It's on Sonic's face in this clip as he glares at the atrocity of the enslaved planet (CMOA for Eggman there too. Chaining down and covering the surface of in metal a PLANET). Oh, and the Little Planet didn't explode. The metal base Eggman was building over it did, though. The Little Planet comes and goes.
** In addition, the scenes after that part that depict Sonic's journey could be described as one huge Crowning Montage of Awesome. Especially the part that takes place in Wacky Workbench, where Sonic lands on one of the badniks, ''rips its saw blade off while it's still spinning'', and forces the other two to ram into each other, all before they crash into a wall.
* The very end of ''Sonic Heroes'', [[spoiler:when fighting Metal Sonic transformed. After playing through a game where the majority of enemies are pathetically cutesy, the pre-final-boss cutscene is of Metal Sonic dismantling a ginormous ship to transform into a beast of a robot, and all in a dark, seizure-inducing way too! And that's just the cutscene: as he fully transforms, you have to fight him using Super Team Sonic, where his main attacks are firing giant lazers at you, launching 50-or-so bigger-than-you rockets at you, and throwing a large ''air ship'' at you too]].
** And let's not forget a 20 second long Chaos Control. By which point, you're pretty much dead unless you've been doing pretty good so far in the battle.
** [[{{Narm}} We'll show that creep the REAL SUPER POWER OF TEAMWORK!]]
*** Not only that, it took an astounding ''twelve'' characters to take him down. That's more than it took to bring down Perfect Chaos, a godlike guardian, and Solaris, an '''interdimensional CosmicHorror.''' Seems that [[{{Determinator}} determination]] he gets from Sonic is amplified just as much as his speed.
*** And keep in mind that it took 9 of those characters just to weaken him enough for the last three to finish it.
* Clearly, Doomsday Zone in Sonic 3 And Knuckles, where you fly through space as Super Sonic chasing down the ship, avoiding asteroids...
* Temporarily defying GoodIsDumb, Knuckles gets his personal CrowningMomentOfAwesome as he completes his HeelFaceTurn at the end of Hidden Palace Zone, coolly smashing the wall and leading Sonic and Tails towards Eggman. Depending on who you're playing as, he either collapses from pain and exhaustion or battles Super Metal Sonic for the Master Emerald.
** Actually, this troper feels that the true [=CMoA=] is realizing you're playing Knuckles's backstory before Sonic 3.
** Judging from the ending when you beat the game as Super Sonic in ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', Knuckles' story takes place after Sonic's, but I'm just nitpicking.
** We're forgetting one of Knuckles's best moments. When he PUNCHED THE CHAOS EMERALDS RIGHT OUT OF SUPER SONIC. I mean, come on. The invincible Super Sonic BroughtDownToNormal with just one punch.

* The ending of ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' was basically one big crowning moment for Sonic. Erazor makes a short speech on how he is immortal and thus cannot be vanquished, then Sonic pulls out Erazor's lamp. Remember that Erazor is the same genie of the lamp from Aladdin. Sonic wastes no time wishing for Shahra to be restored to life, to return the stories to the way they were before Erazor started messing with 'em, and finally, [[AndIMustScream to seal Erazor back into his lamp for eternity.]] And he does this in an [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome epic fashion]]. Really, three laser beams from the lamp right in the chest. OWNED. And there's the last thing he says to Erazor...
--> '''Erazor:''' The world is mine! I cannot be denied by that filthy rat! WHHHHHHYYYYYY?!?
--> '''Sonic:''' I told you, I'm not a rat! ''*closes the lid, and brings the flame up to his mouth*'' I'm a hedgehog! ''*blows it out*''
* I'm surprised! No one's mentioned DARKSPINE SONIC?!?! HELLO? Lets see, Erazor has just killed Sonic's closest friend throughout Secret Rings, and then Sonic absorbs all of the Rings that channel negative emotion. What happens? You get a badass, firewielding, pissed off, dark purple, white stripes Darkspine Sonic! And just the way you BEAT Erazor with Darkspine is awesome. You kick his giant energy ball back at him like it's a soccer ball, then you charge forward and start pounding. Then, Sonic just unloads machinegun-fast punches, ending in one giant explosion. Now ''THAT'' is a Crowning Moment of Awesome.
** Excalibur Sonic gets one with his finisher on the Big Bad of Sonic and the Black Knight. Sonic flies back, charges up the sword, takes aim, and does a Kingdom Hearts' Cloud styled attack. And then of course Caliburn says:
---> "There's nothing Excalibur can't cut through!"
* The ending of SonicChronicles is one long CMOA for Eggman.
** Compared to how they made him second banana to some other big evil bad guy in most of the other games, what really was the crowning moment of awesome is [[spoiler:how he uses Sonic and the gang to defeat Ix, leaving them unable to fight him while they're in the other dimension. He expected them to never return, but he was fine when they came back to see that he had rebuilt in their absence. While Sonic still has the Chaos Emeralds, Eggman appears to have taken over, possibly to the extent that he truly has an Eggman Empire now. In the game continuity, this is about the closest he has ever come to realizing his dreams. This 'plot' starts about halfway through the game.]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Eggman:''' Welcome back, team. You've been gone a long time... might've been better if you hadn't returned. But I was hoping you would.]]
* Shadow gets one of these moments in Shadow the Hedgehog. His past gets revealed (Black Doom is essentially indirectly responsible for all the pain he's suffered in his past.) The way he decides to put his past behind him (and take revenge against Black Doom) is just awesome. Blasts a bloody swathe of destruction against countless aliens that got in his way, turns super, kills Black Doom in his CosmicHorror arch demon form (complete with blowing his wings off), teleports the Black Comet onto the path of the eclipse canon and basically ensures that not a single Black Arms creature survived his wrath. Awesome.
** Shadow had a very overlooked moment of awesome before. He fell to Earth, from SPACE, and SURVIVED. Come on, ultimate lifeform or not, that's gotta count for something.
** One of my favourite Shadow moments, and moments in general, is in VideoGame/SonicAdventure2, during the Last story. While everyone (including Eggman) is racing around trying to stop the Space Colony ARK from falling to Earth, Shadow just stares down at Earth, claiming that he doesn't need to help because it's useless anyway. After Amy gives him a speech about how, even though HumansAreBastards, they can be good too, Shadow finally remembers Maria's true final words: "Give them a chance to be happy!" and quickly runs off to the cannon's core. Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles are preparing to do battle with The Biolizard, when suddenly they hear; "Leave this one to me." Shadow walks towards his prototype, calm determination etched into his face, while Sonic and Knuckles stare at him bewildered. Shadow whirls around, declares "I'll take care of this, while you run to get the Chaos Emeralds!", trashes The Biolizard in an epic one-on-one battle, and finishes with "GET OUT, YOU UGLY PROTOTYPE!"
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCPgEHeXYxQ "Discovering the secret of my past will be nearly impossible...I'll take those odds."]]

* Sonic's introduction in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006. Yes, [[YourMileageMayVary there are people who didn't like it]], but you can't say the way Sonic was introduced and the way he destroyed those Egg Gunner bots (Especially the last one) wasn't epic in its own way.
** From the same game, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYcCG-r0OHY Shadow giving Silver a boot to the head.]]
*** Can that double as a CrowningMomentOfFunny?
** How is it even ''possible'' for [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnhDjZ5OfOE this]] to not be here?
*** While this Troper agrees that that is undeniable one of the most awesome moments in video game history, he has to give props to the cutscene before the first [[DanGreen Mephiles]] boss fight, where [[TheDevil he]] tells Shadow that humanity fears him, and that they will eventually turn on him, and then offer's Shadow his... [[CrucifiedHeroShot symbolically]] posed body as proof, and Shadow has a large [[ScrewDestiny Screw Destiny]] moment, and then Mephiles then transforms from [[EvilTwin a black and white, green eyed, mouth-less version of Shadow]] to an [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abomination]] .
** The fight against [[spoiler:Solaris]] was a bit of a boring battle, but one line during the fight made it all worthwhile for This Troper.
--->[[spoiler:'''Super Sonic:''' The present day. The here and now that you've stolen? Time to take it back!]]