Line #19 Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog


1	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/u7g5oo.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: GOTTA. GO. FAST.]]
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5	Through all of its [[GrowingTheBeard ups]] and [[AudienceAlienatingEra downs]] ([[AwesomeMusic/SonicTheHedgehog and all arounds]]), the games in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series have been (and still are) so chock-full of [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome awesome moments]]. Each game has its own page (feel free to start pages for other games):
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9	[[index]]
10	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog1''
11	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog2''
12	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehogCD''
13	* ''Awesome/Sonic3AndKnuckles''
14	* ''Awesome/SonicAdventure''
15	* ''Awesome/SonicShuffle''
16	* ''Awesome/SonicAdventure2''
17	* ''Awesome/SonicBattle''
18	* ''Awesome/SonicHeroes''
19	* ''Awesome/ShadowTheHedgehog''
20	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog2006''
21	* ''Awesome/SonicAndTheSecretRings''
22	* ''Awesome/SonicAndTheBlackKnight''
23	* ''Awesome/SonicChronicles''
24	* ''Awesome/SonicUnleashed''
25	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog4''
26	* ''Awesome/SonicColors''
27	* ''Awesome/SonicGenerations''
28	* ''Awesome/SonicLostWorld''
29	* ''Awesome/SonicMania''
30	* ''Awesome/SonicForces''
31	* ''Awesome/SonicFrontiers''
32	* ''Awesome/SonicSuperstars''
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34	Other media:
35	* ''Awesome/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''
36	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM''
37	* ''Awesome/SonicTheComic''
38	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics''
39	** ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide''
40	** ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite''
41	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie''
42	* ''Awesome/SonicUnderground''
43	* ''Awesome/SonicX''
44	* ''Awesome/SonicBoom'' (both the cartoon and the games)
45	* ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehogIDW''
46	* ''Sonic the Hedgehog (film series)''
47	** ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog2020''
48	** ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog22022''
49	** ''Awesome/SonicTheHedgehog2TheOfficialMoviePreQuill''
50	** ''Awesome/{{Knuckles}}''
51	* ''Awesome/SonicPrime''
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53	[[/index]]
54	!!Series in general/Other:
55	* Essentially, every time Sonic goes super in the series is such a moment. The transformation sequences from ''Sonic Heroes'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2006'' are among the best. 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.
56	** 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 (''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', and every game starting with ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4''), seeing the "NOW SONIC CAN BE SUPER SONIC" message can make you feel particularly triumphant.
57	* Sonic has been a regular in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series since ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]''. Firstly, despite being Nintendo's direct competitor once upon a time, Sega's own mascot is invited to duke it out with or alongside his long-time console rival. This, combined with ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames'', shows how far the companies have come since those days. Second, Sonic is the ''only'' character in the series to appear in every game since the introduction of third-party characters, since fellow ''Brawl'' newcomer [[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake]] was cut from the fourth game and [[Franchise/MegaMan every]] [[VideoGame/PacMan other]] [[Franchise/StreetFighter third]]-[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII party]] [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} character]] [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} in]] [[VideoGame/Persona5 the]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuest games]] [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie released]] [[VideoGame/FatalFury ever]] [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} since]] [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Brawl's]] [[Franchise/KingdomHearts release]] was introduced in a later installment. Sonic is that synonymous with Nintendo's history that he's allowed to show up every single time.
58	** Heck, his introductory video, posted on the site when he was first revealed to have made it into the game, was a minute-long moment of awesome for him. Imagine the fans' thought process as they watch this video for the first time: ''"Mario's there, he's beating up some Goombas... that tapping sound. Who's that running... [[CueTheFlyingPigs oh my god, it's those shoes]]. '''[[ShockingMoments OH MY GOD, IT'S HIM!]]'''"''. The 'hog himself blasts Mario out of the way, boasts "Sonic's the name, speed's my game!" as he strikes a pose, then [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Live And Learn" kicks in]]. The rest of the video consists of him beating the crap out of several other Smashers -- and pulling a victory pose with ''[[TheRival Mario]]'', finally putting an end to their lifelong rivalry -- before going [[SuperMode Super Sonic]]. Indeed, many a fan [[TooMuchInformation had a fangasm]] as they watched this video, knowing that their wet fanboy dreams would finally come to fruition.
59	** Even Snake's introduction video showed him in a two-sided battle, but Sonic never got a scratch in his.
60	** Sonic's surprise appearance in the 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. Let's rephrase that: '''''Nintendo's former console rival just saved their world.'''''
61	** And then there's the "World of Light" intro for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. When [[LightIsNotGood Galeem]] fires his [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] at the entire ''Smash Bros.'' roster, effectively killing everyone but Franchise/{{Kirby}}, Sonic can be seen trying to save [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pikachu]]. Sonic, who by all means can potentially outrun the beams, [[HeroicSacrifice puts himself in harm's way to save a friend.]] Sure he doesn't succeed, but the fact that he tried ''at all'' is a good reminder of [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold who Sonic is at heart.]]
62	* Sonic's impact on popular culture is so immense, the series even left its mark in the field of genetics. When a series of mammalian homologues of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_signaling_pathway hedgehog gene]] were discovered in 1995, two of them were named after real-world hedgehog species, "desert hedgehog" and "Indian hedgehog", while the third was named "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_hedgehog Sonic hedgehog]]". Of the three homologues, Sonic hedgehog is the most extensively researched, playing a key role in the development of the human brain. There is even a protein inhibitor that binds to Sonic hedgehog, named "Robotnikinin".
63	* Even if Sonic has hit some low points in his series, he's still been with us for over 30 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.
64	* The Progressive and Nike commercials. Sonic is finally regaining his place at the top of the gaming industry. It's nice to see Sonic becoming popular outside of the gaming industry, just like the old days.
65	* Destroying the ''VideoGame/SonicSpinball'' stage 3 boss, the Veg-O-Machine, not only frees further animals from UnwillingRoboticisation, but also ''[[LoadBearingBoss sends the entire island crashing into the ocean]]'' and forces Robotnik to take off in his space shuttle. Oh, and did we mention that it's a [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM Roboticizer]] in an ''[[CanonWelding officially licensed Sonic game?]]''
66	** The first boss, Scorpius, isn't ''as'' awesome to take down...but it ''is'' immensely satisfying when you get Sonic to ricochet inside of its tail, causing it to ''repeatedly scream in agony'' as you do so until the tail comes off. It doubles as [[NightmareFuel/SonicTheHedgehog nightmare fuel]], yes, but it's feels ''so'' damn good to pull off.
67	* The [[http://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog official Twitter account]] as it stands. Whoever Sega hired to manage it has an excellent sense of humor and loves the series enough to know all the ins and outs of it, both good times [[SelfDeprecation and bad]].
68	* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGTlBHNvjsU Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony]] has some bits worth mentioning here:
69	** While strictly focused on the games, nearly all the bases are covered when it comes to them. The [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]] era? While ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' only gets three songs due to the legal issues surrounding the soundtrack and no stage themes from ''VideoGame/SonicCD'' are present, all of the mainline platformers are present in some form. The UsefulNotes/GameGear games? They're here too, and with their own dedicated medley at that! ''VideoGame/SonicR''? It's not only present, but part of a medley ''entirely dedicated to Sonic's short lifespan on the [[UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn Saturn]]'', with both ''VideoGame/SonicJam'' and the obscure ''Sonic: Into Dreams'' mode from ''[[VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams Christmas NiGHTS]]'' getting nods. The ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Adventure]]'' [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 duology?]] Not only does Crush 40 bring in ''Open Your Heart'', ''Live and Learn'', and ''Escape From the City'', but there's beautiful orchestral renditions of ''It Doesn't Matter'' and ''Believe In Myself''. The so-called Dark Age? Both ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic '06]]'' get orchestral medleys ''and'' there's performances of ''[[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog I Am... All of Me]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight Knight of the Wind]]''. The Boost/Modern Era? All the games (save for ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]]'', for obvious reasons) get medleys and both of the vocal themes for ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' get ''amazing'' new covers courtesy of Tomoya Ohtani.
70	** One for Johnny Gioelli, who even after more than two decades, is ''still'' able to perform damn near all of the main vocal themes he's sung for near-perfectly and have an ''absolute blast'' doing it.
71	** Another for Falk Au Yeong, who'd previously done the mixing and mastering for ''VideoGame/SonicMania'''s soundtrack. Among the work he'd done prior to that, though, is an original soundtrack for the second version of the fangame ''VideoGame/SonicBeforeTheSequel''. Agreeing that the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCYBC99iT3M orchestra-style remix of Sky Sanctuary]] used for act 3 of Cloudy Crowd Zone in the original version of the game was irreplaceable, him and the team decided that the entire zone's music needed to match. So, in keeping with both that and the culmination of Tails' story arc, Falk went on to make the track ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db83gD6xd9Y Flying High]]'', an orchestra-style remix of [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure both]] [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 versions]] of ''Believe In Myself'' that plays in the zone's first act. Now, cut to the Sonic Symphony, nearly a decade later- one of the segments is an orchestral version of ''It Doesn't Matter''... preceded by an orchestral version of ''Believe In Myself'', sounding nearly identical to the version heard in ''Before the Sequel''. And who's one of the two people credited for the arrangements used in that segment? [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4l18cuX0Aszh2S?format=jpg&name=small Falk.]] While he'd technically already paid the fanbase back with his work on ''Mania'', this time he got to do so on a ''much'' larger stage, and also by utilizing the work he'd done on one of the most well-regarded Sonic fangames of all time. Bravo, Falk.
72	** Above all else, though, is what this performance managed to somehow achieve: ''uniting the infamously-fractured Sonic fandom''. For the two hours the Symphony aired, there were practically no dividing lines- just a single, united fanbase jamming out to 30 years of amazing music.
73	* The [[https://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/emjoy/image/calendar_2312.pdf final artwork]] for the Sonic Channel Isekai Onigiri event in 2023 features something no one had expected. A fight between Super Sonic and ''Super Eggman'' While this isn't necessarily the first time Eggman has [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog become]] [[ComicBook/SonicTheComic super]]-[[Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022 powered]], the fact that we finally have a game canon adjacent Super Eggman after years of speculation of what a form could look like is simply glorious to see.
74	* Let's face it, Sonic the Hedgehog lives and breathes 'Awesome Moments' no matter what game you're playing. That's just who he is, and what this franchise always aims for.

Context Awesome / SonicTheHedgehog