History WesternAnimation / SonicSatAM

* SuperSpeed: Sonic.

[[caption-width-right:330:[-In case you didn't get the memo, he's the fastest thing alive.-] ]]

''Sonic -- He can really move!''\\
''Sonic -- He's got an attitude!''\\
''Sonic -- He's the fastest thing alive!''\\

* TalentedPrincessRegularGuy: Played with. While Sonic's SuperSpeed make a big difference on his side, he is somewhat average in terms of bravado and talent without his powers to back him up (though he can get down with the electric guitar). Sally on the other hand is a BadassNormal with incredible hacking and computing skills, almost as good a mechanic as Rotor and a trusted tactitian. As a final insult she actually outdoes the "Regular Guy" in snarkiness too.

* TalentedPrincessRegularGuy: Played with. While Sonic's SuperSpeed make a big difference on his side, he is somewhat average in terms of bravado and talent without his powers to back him up. Sally on the other hand is a BadassNormal with incredible hacking and computing skills, almost as good a mechanic as Rotor and a trusted tactitian. As a final insult she actually outdoes the "Regular Guy" in snarkiness too.

* ChekovsGun: Most Stealth Orbs (floating security cameras) in Season 1.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Dr Robotnik was already a villain in the games, but even in installments at the time was portrayed as somewhat clownish and whimsical ([[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore despite the West's best attempts to harden him up]]). In the show however, he is a sadistic overlord of Mobius and, for the most part, taken dead seriously.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: How some respond to this. [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Cute animal]] [[ChildSoldier soldiers]] fighting a war to [[LaResistance de-throne]] a [[MagnificentBastard depraved]] [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy genius]] who is resposible for [[OmnicidalManiac genocide]] of [[AfterTheEnd Apocalyptic porportions.]] And all of the [[DoubleStandard girls]] [[{{ParentService}} have boobs]]. Kids indeed!

* CaptainErsatz: Quite a few. This is really not too much of a surprise as DiC seemed to have a habit of doing this with their own cartoons.
** Princess Sally is quite similar to Princess Lana from Captain N, and seems to have hair similar to that of Janine Melnitz from Real Ghostbusters
** Bunnie Rabbie is somewhat similar to Mega Man from Captain N
** Antoine has Simon Belmont's cowardly side without the occasional heroics
** Rotor is arguably Dr. Right, being the inventor
** Tails, being the small one who can fly with some insecurities, is Kid Icarus
** Sonic himself would be Captain N, being the "ultra cool" title character.
*** we can probably guess that some basis of the show was a Sega version of Captain N: The Game Master
** Dr. Robotnik seems based heavily on [[http://copshq.generalsjoes.com/media/cartoon/characters/bigboss.htm Big Boss]] from C.O.P.S., from being overweight, the metal hand and the evil pet.
** Snively, likewise being the meek assistant, looks a lot like a cartoonish chibi version of Big Boss's servant [[http://copshq.generalsjoes.com/media/cartoon/characters/squeaky.htm Squeaky Clean.]]
** Swatbots look a bit like the Horde Troopers from She-Ra: Princess Of Power plus a bit of the vintage Cylon look. Perhaps the only example here where DiC did not base the design or character on one of their own cartoons.

The series is still highly regarded by its fans and is critically acclaimed, though to a degree that in recent years has caused a great deal of friction within the notoriously [[BrokenBase broken]] wider Sonic fanbase over how much of its style (if any) should be adopted by modern Sonic works.[[hottip:*: SEGA already tried their hand on the DarkerAndEdgier aspect of the series, but it only made things [[DorkAge worse]] for it.]]

The [[DarkerAndEdgier more serious]] SonicTheHedgehog cartoon adaptation made in the 90s, which inspired the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog Archie Comics series]] that's still ongoing. (the comic book came to the consumers first) It is very a sharp contrast to its contemporary and [[AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog much more comedic weekday counterpart]] where Sonic was a drifter [[WalkingTheEarth traveling the planet with Tails]]. Also known as ''[[Series/SonicTheHedgehog SatAM]]'' (as in [[SaturdayMorningCartoon Saturday Morning]], when it aired on the American {{ABC}} network), to distinguish it from ''[[TheAdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog AoSTH]]'' (which was in syndication on weekdays) and the games alike.

The series featured Sonic as a resistance commando, fighting against Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik, a [[{{EmperorScientist}} dictator]] who has already enslaved most of the planet Mobius and [[{{Mordor}} turned it into a cold, urban, metal nightmare]]. Unlike other versions of the character, Robotnik's armies are comprised of factory-assembled [[MechaMooks robot shock troops]] rather than from animals trapped in robot shells; said trapped animals underwent UnwillingRoboticisation and served as forced labourers instead. Also, Sonic is [[TheLancer not the actual leader of the resistance group, but serves as their most reliable soldier]]. The leader, Sally Acorn, lost her father, while Sonic lost his uncle as one of the mindless robots. The show dealt with much more mature subject matters than other parts of the Sonic franchise, (As well as most mainstream Western Cartoons in general) such as coping with loss and the trials of war.

* {{Mordor}}: Type 2, plus killer robots. Robotropolis is right up there with [[FinalFantasyVII Midgar]] when it comes to dark, polluted hell-holes.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Writing duties for the first season were handed to several people, meaning occasional slight inconsistancies in character portrayals and what not. For the second season, most episodes were written by Ben Hurst, meaning a more consistant depiction (if still one occasionally rather different to previous writers).

* DependingOnTheWriter: Writing duties for the first season were handed to several people, meaning occasional slight inconsistancies in character portrayals and what not. For the second season, most episodes were written to Ben Hurst, meaning a more consistant depiction (if still one occasionally rather different to previous writers).

* IKnowKungFu: Bunnie's treatment in "Sonic and Sally", as before this she seemed to not be a fighter.

* TeensAreShort: Most of the main teenage group of Freedom Fighters are shown to be almost half the height of other older groups. Granted species may apply to this, but even then King Acorn is almost twice as the size of his sixteen year old daughter.

* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Sally supplies mainly in computer knowledge and hacking, but is also shown to have archeological knowledge and is implied to be as profound a mechanic as Rotor, not to mention the most dominant OnlySaneMan of the team. Given a lot of this was expanded as [[BreakoutCharacter her role became larger]], it may also count as TheMainCharacterCanDoAnything.

* Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Sally supplies mainly in computer knowledge and hacking, but is also shown to have archeological knowledge and is implied to be as profound a mechanic as Rotor, not to mention the most dominant OnlySaneMan of the team. Given a lot of this was expanded as [[BreakoutCharacter her role became larger]], it may also count as TheMainCharactersCanDoAnything.

* PositiveDiscrimination: A criticism occasionally issued towards Sally, who was of the strong independent woman type frequent in the early 90s. While toned down in the First Season, where her role was smaller and she was still prone to flaws in judgment or occasionally being as arrogant and stubborn as Sonic, the Second Season seemed to emphasize her more and more as the OnlySaneMan and the main entity keeping the team alive. Sally did play the DistressedDamsel role on more than a few occasions, however.

* EvillyAffable: The show's rendition of Robotnik is for the large part far more menacing and horrific than his more whimsical games counterpart. He retains [[DeadpanSnarker a sarcastic wit]] however and [[NotSoAboveItAll goofy traits]] do seep through every now and then.

* DespotismJustifysTheMeans: Robotnik has turned most of Mobius into an industrial waste and a huge amount of it's population into unsentient drones so as to maintain his power over the planet.