Characters / Sonic the Hedgehog - One-Shot Characters

Sonic the Hedgehog characters index
Main Characters (Sonic the Hedgehog) | Recurring Characters (Team Dark) | Eggman Empire (Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik) | One-Shot Characters | Classic Era Antagonists | Modern Era Antagonists 1 | Modern Era Antagonists 2 | Other Groups and Species

A list of supporting characters who debuted in only one game in the series.

General

• One-Shot Character: Zig-Zagged. These characters debut in a game, and after their purpose is fulfilled, they retire from the series. That being said, they can still appear in other games in unimportant manners (such as Tikal being playable in the multiplayer mode of Adventure 2, or Marine having a Mii suit in the Olympic games) or have a bigger focus in adaptations.

Classic Era

Robotnik's Mechanix

Debut: Knuckles' Chaotix

A mechanical duo who appear in Knuckles' Chaotix. Heavy the Robot and Bomb have supposedly defected from their creator to work alongside the Chaotix Crew. They primarily serve as "dud prizes" in the Combi Catcher intended to slow the player down.

---

• Action Bomb: Bomb explodes every time he gets hit.
• Collision Damage: In a rare example of collision benefiting the player, anything that touches Heavy anywhere on his body takes damage! This is completely different from every other Sonic character.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: They only showed up in Knuckles' Chaotix and disappeared almost immediately afterward.
• Fake Defector: They have supposedly escaped from Dr. Eggman's control to help the Chaotix Crew... but it's also said they could have simply faked a Heel–Face Turn, and are still working for Robotnik.
• Flat Character: They have no known personality to speak of whatsoever.
• Fragile Speedster: Played with regarding Bomb, he's not more fragile than the others, he explodes when he takes damage, doing the same to everybody around him.
• Hair-Trigger Explosive: Bomb resembles the Bomb Badnik from Sonic the Hedgehog and, like them, is programmed to explode if he gets hurt by anything.
• Joke Character: Heavy is extremely slow and heavy, and Bomb would blow up on the player if he took a hit. That said, they can be used rather creatively with the right main character.
• Lethal Joke Character: Heavy is completely indestructible. In fact, he can open monitors and destroy enemies just by walking into them. You could pretty much pick him up and run around with reckless abandon while holding him in front of you, barely suffering any damage. Taken into better effect if you break a monitor that's showing him, or — more permanently — select him as your player character through the debug menu.
• The Load: Their primary purpose is to slow down the player. The English manual implies this is intentional, hinting the two may be moles for Robotnik trying to slow Knuckles and the Chaotix down.
• Meaningful Name: Heavy is very slow and weights a lot and Bomb is an Action Bomb.
• Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Heavy is very slow and has a very low jump height, but he is invulnerable and anything that touches him takes damage unlike every other playable character. Due to this, Heavy has to rely on the band to get through levels.
• Mighty Glacier: Heavy is slow and (as his name implies) heavy, slowing the other character down, but he is completely indestructible and can be picked up or be dragged around by Charmy to wreak havoc.
• Mutually Exclusive Party Members: Unless you use debug mode, you can’t pair them together.

Bean the Dynamite

Debut: Sonic the Fighters

A bomb-happy bird created by Sega's AM2 division that made his debut in 1996. He later appeared as an unlockable character in AM2's crossover fighting game Fighters Megamix and as secret character in AM2's soccer game Virtua Striker 2. He also cameo'd as a capsule toy alongside other Sonic characters in Shenmue and its sequel, both developed, again, by AM2. He has since made cameos in Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania.

---

• Beak Attack: Bean's secondary method of attacking. One attack in particular is the Terrific Peck, in which he pecks an opponent all over like a woodpecker.
• The Berserker: A large part of his fighting style portrays him as this.
• The Bus Came Back: Seemingly returns in Sonic Mania. Subverted in that he's actually an illusion by Heavy Magician.
• Cartoon Bomb: Has an infinite arsenal of em' all neatly packed into Hammerspace.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Not counting rereleases, his only appearance since Virtua Striker 2 was on a "Wanted!" Poster in Sonic Generations. He appears to have come back in Sonic Mania during Mirage Saloon, though it's revealed to be an illusion by Heavy Magician.
• Company Cross References: Appears as one of many obtainable capsule toys in Shenmue and II.
• Continuity Cameo: He appeared on a "Wanted!" Poster alongside Bark in Sonic Generations, apparently for possession of explosives and theft.
• Death of a Thousand Cuts: He has a lot of easily spammable attacks but only a small handful of them pack any punch, so his fighting style revolves around finding the right opportunity to get a hit in and then milking the opportunity for as many hits as you can. One common tactic (that the CPU WILL abuse to the fullest extent you let it) is to enter Hyper Mode and continually chuck bombs at his opponent for the duration of it. Each hit will only do a small tick, but when you're bombarding the opponent with ten, eleven of them in a row with one combo, it doesn't really matter.
• Expy:
  • Bean is a Shout-Out to Bin and Pin, the bomb-tossing duck protagonists of another Sega AM2 game called Dynamite Dux. Indeed, Bin is officially his father and appears as a Palette Swap for Bean in the game.
  • As a wacky woodpecker, he's equally a duplicate of the eponymous Woody Woodpecker.
• Feed It a Bomb: Anyone can do this to Bean with one of his own bombs.
• Furry Reminder: Bean's secondary method of attacking. One attack in particular is the Terrific Peck, in which he pecks an opponent all over like a woodpecker.
• Grenade Spam: Bean plus Hyper Mode equals a LOT of bombs.
• Informed Species: He's often declared a duck, thanks to being an Expy to Bin of Dynamite Dux. In long-untranslated manuals for the game, he is actually a woodpecker—hence his rapid-fire pecking attack.
• Leitmotif: "Try Again", the theme for his stage in Sonic the Fighters.
• Mad Bomber: He's implied to be part of a trio with Fang, even in the main games, and he tosses bombs around everywhere.
• Mythology Gag: He and Bark are on "Wanted" posters along with Fang in Generations and later Mania, referencing their role as a trio of comedic mercenaries first established in the Archie comic series.
• Odd Friendship: For some reason, Bean and Sonic were originally considered friends.
• Random Species Offspring: According to canon, he's both a woodpecker and the son of a duck.
• Ret-Canon: The Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia says Bean is part of the Hooligans, his team with Bark and Fang first established the Archie Comics continuity that was carried into the IDW comic series. Similarly, TailsTube makes reference to Bean and Bark being part of Fang's gang. Prior to this, both Bean and Bark were friends of Sonic.
• Strong Family Resemblance: According to the Japanese Fighters Megamix guidebook, his father is Bin from Dynamite Dux. They look almost identical, with the only difference being their plumage and beaks.
• Teleportation: The "Bean Warp" technique can teleport Bean across the field.
• Wake-Up Call Boss: If Bark didn't fit this for you in the Arcade Mode of Sonic the Fighters, Bean definitely will. He's usually seen as a major difficulty spike compared to the other fighters before him, despite being fought so late.

Bark the Polar Bear

Debut: Sonic the Fighters

Another character created by Sega AM2. Bark also made an appearance as an unlockable characters in Fighters Megamix. Akin to Bean, Bark has made only a few cameos since Fighters Megamix.

---

• Beary Friendly: His bio describes as a warm hearted Gentle Giant.
• The Bus Came Back: Seemingly returns in Sonic Mania. Averted in that he's actually an illusion by Heavy Magician.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Not counting rereleases, his only appearance since Fighters Megamix was on a "Wanted!" Poster in Sonic Generations. He seemingly appears in Sonic Mania, but this turns out to be merely Heavy Magician, as revealed by her theme music playing and the Fake Bark riding one of Eggman's badniks.
• Company Cross References: Can be obtained as a capsule toy in Shenmue and Shenmue II.
• Continuity Cameo: He appears on a "Wanted!" Poster alongside Bean in Sonic Generations, apparently for possession of explosives and theft.
• Furry Ear Dissonance: Bark's ears are round, like those of a teddy bear, instead of the more square shaped ears of a real bear.
• Gentle Giant: His official bio describes him as "blunt and quiet, but gentle, shy and with a kind heart".
• I Know Madden Kombat: His "Bark Strike" is a bowling toss, complete with pins that spawn out of nowhere and the appropriate sound efffect. The move is suspiciously similar to one from the character Sanman of Fighting Vipers.
• Leitmotif: "Black Bed", the theme for his stage in Sonic the Fighters. Oddly enough, it alone was picked out alongside the game's main theme to be remixed in Sonic Gems Collection.
• Inconsistent Spelling: In Sonic the Fighters, his name is written as Bark the Polerbear in-game. Everywhere else, it's properly written as "Polar Bear".
• Mighty Glacier: Big, slow and cannot squat, but one of the stronger characters in Sonic the Fighters. Bonus points for having a home stage actually based in a Slippy-Slidey Ice World.
• Mythology Gag: He and Bean are on "Wanted" posters along with Fang in Generations and later Mania, likely referencing their role as a trio of comedic mercenaries in the Archie comics.
• Perpetual Frowner: Bark never cracks a smile. Ever.
• Primal Stance: Bark's fighting stance in Sonic the Fighters doesn't have the best of posture.
• Ret-Canon: The Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia calls him part of the Hooligans, referring to his association with Fang and Bean in the IDW comic series. TailsTube also indicates he and Bean are part of Fang's crew.
• Scarf of Asskicking: One of the earliest examples in the Sonic series.
• Stout Strength: He is a polar bear after all, preceding Big the Cat as the de facto example of this in the Sonic series.
• Wake-Up Call Boss: In the arcade mode of Sonic the Fighters. Though not the most difficult fight by any means, Bark is much more aggressive than the two characters preceding him, making him this for some players. The fact that all of his attacks do tons of damage doesn't help.

Honey the Cat

Debut: Sonic the Fighters (2012 Updated Re-release Only)

A Guest Fighter, originally Dummied Out out of the original arcade and Sonic Gems Collection versions of Sonic the Fighters, Honey the Cat was reintegrated into the game as a secret character for the Updated Re-release on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

She is directly based on the popular character of the same name (though known as Candy outside of Japan) from Fighting Vipers, another Sega AM2 fighter.

---

• Ass Kicks You: Copies a few moves from Amy that do this, likely because the original Honey also made use of this herself.
• Canon Immigrant: Originally created as an unused joke fighter by the Fighting Vipers character designer, she's been adopted into the official canon as of the 2012 re-release of Sonic the Fighters.
• Captain Ersatz: She's basically Honey from Fighting Vipers as a cat.
• Combat Stilettos: Though not quite as high as the original Honey.
• Ditto Fighter: The majority of Honey's moves are copied from Knuckles, but her running attacks and jumping punch attack come from Amy.
• Flat Character: Not much is said about her personality or motives. At most, the Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia states that, just like the original Honey, she entered the tournament to promote her fashion brand.
• Guest Fighter: An odd half example, being essentially a transplanted Fighting Vipers character, but not quite the actual character herself.
• Leitmotif: Not officially, but the theme for Sunset Town is generally regarded as her theme, considering that it is a scrapped song from a scrapped stage that may have possibly been hers.
• Moveset Clone: Honey is mostly a Knuckles clone without spin attacks and with a few moves taken from Amy. She's primarily differentiated by attributes, such as her smaller model affecting her hurtbox and hitboxes, and her inexplicably much greater weight reducing how far she gets launched by attacks.
• Mythology Gag: The idea for Sonic the Fighters was formed after a character designer added Sonic and Tails to Fighting Vipers as a joke. The two games even use the same engine. Being blatantly derived from a Fighting Vipers character, Honey brings things full circle.
• Non-Standard Character Design: She's the only Sonic character who has a full head of hair, to better match her inspiration.
• Not Quite Flight: She can use the wings on the back of her dress to glide.
• Promoted to Playable: Honey was supposed to be playable in Sonic the Fighters originally, but was Dummied Out. The HD rerelease restored her and made her an unlockable fighter.invoked
• Secret Character: Though a quick look at the achievements or trophies lists reveals her presence, and a simple button press is all that's needed to unlock her.
• Self-Plagiarism: Honey the Cat is for all intents and purposes Honey from Fighting Vipers as a cat.
• Signature Headgear: Wears a red hairband with lacy hair barrettes. This helps give her a Silk Hiding Steel look.
• Silk Hiding Steel: Implied. She wears a fancy headband, dress, and high heels, but can kick butt just as much as the other characters.

Modern Era

Main series

Tikal

"The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The controller serves to unify the Chaos."

Debut: Sonic Adventure

Voiced by: Kaori Asoh (Japanese), Elara Distler (English, 1999-2001)

A mysterious girl from the distant past with a connection to Chaos.

---

• Actual Pacifist:
  • In the backstory of Sonic Adventure, Tikal pleads and begs with her father, even going so far as to try and bar the way of a raiding party, to prevent her father's plan, but does not take actual physical action against them.
  • Downplayed in the present, where she's become an Exposition Fairy who instructs the playable cast in how to do things like defeat certain enemies and fight Boss Battles. Averted completely in Sonic Adventure 2, which Revised her to be a Martial Pacifist and Reluctant Warrior so she could be Promoted to Playable.
• All-Loving Hero: She acts as an assistant to all the playable cast in Sonic Adventure, even Gamma pre-Heel–Face Turn. Despite him helping Eggman power Chaos, the imagery she grants Gamma implies she is sympathetic towards his position.
• Ambiguous Situation: It's unknown whether Tikal and Chaos were conscious inside the emerald and of the world outside the emerald, and if they were to what extent. As an Exposition Fairy, Tikal guides the player through situations that she couldn't have been exposed to while sealed in the Master Emerald, even if she were aware of the Emerald's surroundings.
• And I Must Scream: Her original method of dealing with Chaos was sealing it and herself inside the Master Emerald until Eggman shattered it several thousand years later. She was planning to try again before Sonic decided otherwise.
  • It's unknown if Tikal and Chaos were conscious inside the emerald, as stated above.
• Apologetic Attacker: Although it's done through the use of recycled quotes, Tikal seems to hate harming her opponents in Sonic Adventure 2, begging them to stand down and even flat-out apologizing for attacking them with her Gaia's Vengeance special.
• Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Though she "sacrificed" herself to seal Chaos, her "Deadness" level is rather vague and she still seems pretty solid when not in orb form.
• The Beastmaster: In Sonic Runners, she belongs to the secondary Wild-type category, which gives her a partial Animal bonus. In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, two of her Special Attacks involve Chao.
• Big Good: of Sonic Adventure, having previously saved the world from Chaos, and being the protagonists' constant Spirit Advisor.
• Bowdlerize: In Tikal's original appearance, she was wearing a tube top with a great deal of exposed midriff, which was changed to a tank top in Adventure 2; in her post-Dreamcast Era appearances, her top has been substantially lengthened, reducing the amount of exposure.
• The Bus Came Back: After spending several years only appearing in non-canon multiplayer modes in spin-offs, Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence shows that both her and Chaos have returned to Angel Island and passively watch over Knuckles and the Master Emerald shrine.
• The Chief's Daughter: She's not too happy about it when her father threatens the Chao, though.
• Continuity Cameo: Outside of Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Runners, and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, if Tikal appears at all, it will be in some minor, indirect way.
• Depending on the Artist:
  • How long is Tikal's top? Models, official art, and adaptations differ on its length. Early depictions show it only covering her chest, but it was later lengthened into a tank top. Even then, how much midriff she shows differs.
  • Tikal's skirt has the same pattern regardless of who's drawing her, but depictions differ on whether the X element of the pattern goes in front or the diamond element, a rotation of about ninety degrees.
• Divergent Character Evolution:
  • In Sonic Adventure 2, Tikal was merely a Palette Swap of Knuckles; in SA2 Battle, however, while she was still a Moveset Clone, she had become a Weak, but Skilled Fragile Speedster—in addition, the names of her Limit Breaks all reflected her mystical motif while Knuckles's all reflected his warrior motif.
  • In Sonic Runners, Chaos was sorted into the Power-type archetype with Knuckles, while Tikal joined Rouge in the Fly-type archetype.
  • Knuckles and Tikal both used a Shock and Awe Limit Break in Sonic Adventure 2, but Knuckles began Dishing Out Dirt and Playing with Fire in later games, while Tikal became The Beastmaster in later games, getting a partial score bonus for Animals in Sonic Runners and using Chao-based Special Attacks in Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
• Exposition Fairy: Her flashbacks explain the backstory of Sonic Adventure, and if you approach her in any of the stages she'll give you advice on what to do next.
• Expy:
  • As an orange-furred princess of an ancient Echidna city, Tikal is strikingly similar to another Sonic character of that exact description, Princess Alucion of Sonic Adventures. However, while Alucion is the snotty, impatient ruler of her people who nearly has Sonic and Tails executed, Tikal is gentle and peace-loving and tries to stop people dying from war.
  • As a floating ball of light who gives you advice and instruction, Tikal is a dead ringer for a certain Fairy Companion of The Legend of Zelda origin, Navi by name. However, Tikal is acting under her own auspices rather than carrying out a mission given to her by a higher power.
  • Tikal occupies a similar narrative position to Sheeta from Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky^note Which was an inspiration for the setting of Knuckles's home Angel Island.—like Sheeta she's an All-Loving Heroine of royal descent who was taught lore about how to control an ancient civilization's Green Rocks from her late grandmother, but where Sheeta was born long after the civilization collapsed, Tikal belonged to the ancient civilization at its height.
  • Given her position as the daugher of a tribal chief who wants to ensure peace, its hard not to think of her like Disney's version of Pocahontas.
• Fragile Speedster: In Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, she's the fastest of the Treasure Hunt characters in multiplayer, but has the smallest attack- and sensory-range.
• Friend to All Living Things: She loves little creatures, sentient robots, and the Chao.
• Heroic Sacrifice: She sealed herself and Chaos away with the Master Emerald's power to prevent further destruction from happening.
• Invisible Anatomy: Despite wearing sandals and having five fingers, she has no toes, oddly enough.
• Irony: Thanks to Gameplay and Story Segregation. Despite being an Actual Pacifist in the backstory of Sonic Adventure, many of her Exposition Fairy hints are about fighting and defeating enemies and bosses.
• Last of Her Kind: After Chaos wipes out the Echidna clan.
• Leitmotif: Tikal's Theme. On top of playing when she appears physically, it also plays as she's about to send a character to the past. Also counts as Long Song, Short Scene, even in the game's truncated form you never hear it in full.
• Lightning Bruiser: In Adventure 2, she can dish out blows like Knuckles and Rouge (albeit with less range) and is moderately faster than either of them.
• Magic Is Feminine: Tikal is the only female Echidna we see in Sonic Adventure and is the only one who lives in harmony with the mystical Chao. The other tribe members, who seem to be all male, try to destroy the Chao and their shrine, only to accidentally anger and summon Chaos, the mythical protector of the Chao, who destroys them all. Tikal mentions that her grandmother was the one who taught her about the Chao and the "Chaos is Power" prayer.
• Martial Pacifist: At least in her non-canon playable appearances in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Runners, in which she can run, jump, glide, and fight just like the rest of her Knuckles tribe brethren. Though she never seems to be very happy about resorting to using such force.
• Monster and the Maiden: When associated with Chaos, like in Sonic Runners, Chaos is the monster and she's the maiden.
• Morality Chain: She is the only person that can quell Chaos' rage after the Knuckles Clan betrayed it. Chaos is not normally destructive but after spending centuries dwelling on how it would pay everyone back for their transgressions, it has a lot of pent up fury that only Tikal can really soothe.
• New Work, Recycled Graphics: A voice clip variant. Her win quote, "The fighting's over," from Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, is sampled from her speech during the ending of Sonic Adventure.
• Nice Girl: Gentle, kind-hearted, docile, loving, peaceful, and a pacifist.
• No Name Given: Never once introduces herself to Sonic, but despite this he still learned her name somehow. Knuckles also knew her name in a beta version of the game, but all his lines were rerecorded before the English release, so this quirk never made it past that stage.
• Nubile Savage: Ancient echidna-girl Tikal was a Ms. Fanservice in the original Sonic Adventure, with her bandeau top and miniskirt. She's less overtly sexy in later installments, where her clothes and jewelry cover more of her.
• Promoted to Playable: She's playable in the 2-player mode of Sonic Adventure 2, and became playable as part of the Sonic Adventure event in Sonic Runners and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
• Posthumous Character: Of the less conventional kind. While her physical form is implied to be dead, her soul can still interact with the cast.
• Power Fist: In contrast to Knuckles' spiked gloves, her playable appearance in Sonic Adventure 2 suggests that she dons brass knuckles when she must get her hands dirty.
• Put on a Bus: Once her story role is fulfilled, she is replaced by Omochao for the rest of the series as the hint advisor. She makes occasional cameo (and playable) appearances but those were always in non-canon modes and spin-off games. It wasn't till Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence that she canonically reappeared in the present day, albeit as a small cameo.
• Really 700 Years Old: She's technically thousands of years old, but is physically 14.
• Requisite Royal Regalia: Tikal is subtly decked out in gold and jewels to reflect that she's The Chief's Daughter—her jeweled necklace and headband are presumably solid gold, and likewise the bangle on her arm. The way the cuffs of her gloves shine in certain appearances implies that they are at least made of highly polished stone, if not actual jewelry in their own right.
• Retcon: Despite being an Actual Pacifist Non-Action Guy in Sonic Adventure, she was reintroduced in the Sonic Adventure 2 multiplayer, which inadvertently made her an Action Girl. The Sonic Team website, in its section on the multiplayer-only Hero characters of SA2B, declared that Tikal is a proud warrior of her tribe to justify her newfound combat prowess.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: As the daughter of the Knuckles Clan's chieftain, she seals Chaos away so he doesn't cause harm.
• Sealed Good in a Can: After sealing Chaos and herself in the Master Emerald.
• Secret Character: In the original Dreamcast release of Sonic Adventure 2, Tikal appeared as an unlockable Palette Swap for Knuckles, accessible in the multiplayer. She was Promoted to Playable from the start in the Updated Re Release Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.
• Shock and Awe: Her Heaven's Justice Limit Break in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle summons a Bolt of Divine Retribution to strike the foe, exactly like Knuckles's Thunder Arrow.
• Shout-Out Theme Naming: Tikal takes her name from the ruin of an ancient Maya city, while her father Pachacamac is named for an archaeological site near Lima, Peru.
• Silk Hiding Steel: Goes from absentmindedly reminiscing about her grandmother's poems and cuddling chao to facing down her father and his entire army to the death to protect the Chao and the world at large.
• The Smurfette Principle: Tikal is the only known female echidna in the Sonic canon (Shade of Sonic Chronicles doesn't count due to that game being subject to Canon Discontinuity).
• Soul Jar: Her soul, along with Chaos, were sealed within the Master Emerald.
• Spirit Advisor: Her hint orbs guide the player throughout the many stages.
• Strong as They Need to Be: She's playable on occasion, which naturally has to work around the fact she's an immortal spirit. Oh, and flying around in that non-solid orb form just wouldn't be fair either...
• Sword and Sorcerer: She's the Sorcerer to Knuckles' Sword in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, where Tikal is Weak, but Skilled compared to the latter, and her Limit Breaks have a more pronounced mystic motif while his equivalents have a greater warrior motif.
• Team Mom: She tries to be this to her clan, but she's unfortunately unsuccessful.
• The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Her father Pachacamac is comparatively heavyset even next to the younger, fitter, clansmen walking around the city, while Tikal is a Nubile Savage.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Besides initially telling him not to get too close to the Chao (and then promptly apologizing when she realizes he's not there to do them harm), Tikal is remarkably nonplussed by the presence of E-102 Gamma. In other words, a metal man over twice her size with a cannon for an arm. Granted, this takes place in a vision created by her, and she had already been established as an All-Loving Hero.
• Waif-Fu: If her playable appearances in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Runners are taken into account, she has similar abilities to Knuckles. Her range is shorter, but she can hit just as hard.
• Weak, but Skilled: In Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Tikal has the shortest attacking and Emerald-sensing ranges, but her Captive Light Limit Break is double the length of Knuckles's equivalent and she's the fastest of the Treasure Hunt characters.
• White Sheep: Of the original Echidna clan.
• Will-o'-the-Wisp: Tikal spends most of her time in Sonic Adventure as a floating ball of light, but her later appearances have her appear full-bodied. Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence implies this is the form she continues to take now that her spirit can rest and Chaos is pacified.
• Women Are Wiser: She's the token female echidna, who was smart enough to realize that her father's tampering with the Master Emerald's power was a bad idea. Too bad he didn't listen. Reversed between her and Sonic; it is the latter who decides to deal with Chaos the more direct and effective way, allowing for a more permanent solution than what her original method would have been.
  Tikal: Look, he's absorbed all the Emeralds' power! He must be sealed in the Master Emerald, now!
  Sonic: How can that help? It won't change how he feels inside. His heart will still remain in turmoil, and his anger just won't vanish... he'll just be trapped forever!
• Yamato Nadeshiko: All in all, Tikal is a very graceful, gentle, and caring princess who handles herself with an air of elegance. That won't stop her from doing everything she can to protect the Chao, however.
• You Can't Fight Fate: Discussed. Tikal believes that Chaos must be sealed within the Master Emerald once again to prevent certain doom. Sonic points out that sealing him only delays the problem and ensures that History Repeats.

G.U.N. Commander

"I will avenge those whose blood has spilled!"

Debut: Shadow the Hedgehog

Voiced by: Banjo Ginga (Japanese), Marc Thompson (English)

G.U.N.'s highest-ranking commander and also one of the most respected. Formerly had a 50-year grudge against Shadow, blaming him for the deaths of his family and Maria, whom he befriended as a child. After learning the truth, he had a change of heart about Shadow and even offered him a position within the organization, which the black hedgehog accepted.

---

• The Atoner: He outright apologizes to Shadow over the com radio in the game's secret Expert Mode for his actions, and even invites him over for dinner to meet his family. And given how Shadow is revealed to be a GUN agent starting with the next game, it's not hard to imagine the Commander helped make it possible.
• Awful Truth: He naturally finds it hard to come to grips with the news that G.U.N., the very organization he dedicated his life to, were the ones responsible for the massacre on the ARK.
• Freudian Excuse: The Commander was one of the many inhabitants of the ARK, and considered Maria an older sister. After witnessing Gerald working with Black Doom in order to create Shadow, he panicked. Afterwards, the goverment closes Project Shadow, not without Maria and others dying as collateral damage. This incident led to the Commander to despise Professor Gerald and Shadow, thinking of them as the reason Maria and his family had to die.
• General Ripper: Initially, as far as his irrational hatred towards Shadow goes.
• Heel Realization: He realizes how much of a Knight Templar and Jerkass he was and that Shadow wasn't nearly as responsible for the ARK disaster as he thought.
• Hero Antagonist: To Shadow at first.
• Irony: Maria was his childhood friend, and he blames Shadow for the death of her and all of the people aboard the ARK. He grew up to be the Commander of GUN, the organization that killed them. In his defense, they might've lied about who/what it was that caused this disaster, or he just jumped to conclusions since he was little back then.
• Misplaced Retribution: He blames Shadow for Maria's death because his creation caused the G.U.N. raid that resulted in her death, rather than blaming Gerald for creating Shadow, or G.U.N. for actually shooting Maria. Justified in that Gerald is long dead and there's no reason to hold a grudge against someone who's been gone for 50 years, and G.U.N. could've lied to him about who really caused the massacre on the ARK, saying Gerald and Shadow were responsible.
• My God, What Have I Done?: This was his reaction to what he nearly did when Shadow, after hearing about his apparent involvement in the destruction of the ARK and Maria from the Commander, gives him permission to do away with him, making it very clear that he really cannot remember.
  Shadow: If what you say is true, then I will respecfully accept my fate.
  GUN Commander: You mean to tell me that... you really don't remember a thing?
  Shadow: But I just need some time... to uncover the real truth. (walks away as the GUN Commander collapses in remorse)
  • When he learns that G.U.N. were the ones who led the massacre on the ARK, as well as them saying that it was an accident caused by Gerald at the time, he finally realizes he'd been blaming the wrong people and lets go of his hatred.
• No Name Given: He's known only as the "G.U.N. Commander". The Archie comics refer to him as Abraham Tower, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) reveals his last name to be "Walters".
• Sergeant Rock: He is described of having a "heart of stone" and is quite the Determinator.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: It's implied that he was so traumatized by witnessing Black Doom assisting Shadow's creation that he leaked this information to G.U.N. himself, which led to the raid. If this is the case, it makes sense why G.U.N. might've lied to him about who was responsible; no child should be saddled with that kind of guilt.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He had an almost irrational hatred of Shadow, siccing his troops on him in almost every level of Shadow the Hedgehog. But considering Shadow's role in the raid on the ARK, and the fact that it's Shadow, he wasn't completely unjustified. However, you'd think he'd have the slightest bit of concern for what Rouge (one of his top agents) would think about this, given her and Shadow's history.
• You Killed My Father: He blames Shadow for the deaths of those who died on the ARK, despite the fact that Shadow doesn't remember this, and didn't hurt anyone.

Princess Elise III

^{Click here for her Sonic Channel redesign}

"We give thanks for the blessed flames. May we always continue to have peace. Sun of Soleanna, guide and watch over us with your eternal light..."

Debut: Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese), Lacey Chabert (English), Veronica Taylor (early voice clips)

The Princess of Soleanna who appeared as Sonic's human love interest in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Elise carries the flames of Iblis inside her, and as a result, was trained to never cry lest her tears unleash the flames of disaster and destroy the world.

---

• A Child Shall Lead Them: Elise rules the country of Soleanna at age 17. Justified, as her father died 10 years ago and her mother had already passed before then. That would mean Elise became ruler when she was 7. It's likely that she had some assistance from the adults in the castle, however.
• Animal Motifs: Birds. Her dress, hair, and gloves are adorned with tons of feathers. It could also be said that Soleanna as a whole has this motif, since the God they worship has an avian-like shape and they even use a giant eagle for transportation occasionally, as seen in some of the levels.
• Apocalypse Maiden: She has the immortal flame demon, Iblis, sealed inside her and it will be released if she ever cries.
• Art Evolution: Her appearance changed drastically for the Sonic Channel calendar artwork, appearing much more cartoony and far less realistic than in her home game. The end result looks like a synergy between the human designs from the anime-esque Adventure Era (which proceeded Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)) and the very cartoony humans from Sonic Unleashed. Striking a nice balance of the two styles as a result. She is also noticeably shorter, being around the same height as the Funny Animals like Maria is, as opposed to being taller than them like in 06.
• Barrier Maiden: When Sonic is carrying her, she can project barriers to protect him from hazards.
• The Bus Came Back: Sonic Channel's April 2023 Isekai Ogiri artwork marks her first official non-cameo appearance in the franchise since Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
• Continuity Cameo: Appears as a card in Sonic Rivals and in the credits of Sonic Generations.
• Damsel in Distress: She's been kidnapped 5 times in Sonic's story, usually almost immediately after she's rescued.
• Driven to Suicide: After getting kidnapped for the third time, Elise decides she'd rather die than be Eggman's prisoner again and leaps off his ship.
• Emotionless Girl: Though much less colder to everyone than the standard, she had to completely suppress her emotions so that she wouldn't cry and unleash Iblis on the world. Sonic finally gets her to open up, which ultimately turns out to be a bad thing when Mephiles takes advantage of their friendship and murders Sonic.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: The country of Soleanna is largely based on Italy (the city of Venice to be specific).
• Feather Motif: Has a very prominent one in her design. It's given focus when Sonic is chasing down Eggman's airship and catches a feather from her hairclip. This motif shows up again during the ending cutscene of the final story, where her feather accessory is seen floating in the air towards the moon.
• Fiery Redhead: Averted. Despite having red hair and a literal apocalyptic flame demon sealed inside her soul, Elise herself is a demure and quiet girl.
• Gold and White Are Divine: Elise wears a white dress with gold stripes. She also has feather accesories in her hair and at the bottom of her dress to further push the divine look.
• Gratuitous Princess: Despite her father being a duke and her mother a duchess, Elise herself is a princess.
• Hostage MacGuffin: She's the vessel for the Flames of Disaster, Iblis.
• Hufflepuff House: Elise became this after the events of 2006 were retconned. She remains an important figure in the Sonic universe by virtue of her position of royalty, but has no bearing on the stories seen in the games.
  Takashi Iizuka: She's probably just hanging out in the human world, enjoying her life as a princess. Maybe she's a queen now. We're not really sure.
  • Notably, she returned after many years for the April 2023 Sonic Channel Calender artwork, complete with more cartoony redesign. And if it is to be taken at face value, she not only does become a queen (the translation of the official tweet outright calls her one), but she still gets along with Silver.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: All she wants is a life away from Iblis and Mephiles. When Sonic takes her to the open plain and she sees beautiful flowers, she's very overjoyed.
• Image Song: "My Destiny".
• Innocent Blue Eyes: Her light blue eyes highlight her innocence and kindness.
• Interspecies Romance: She develops a crush on Sonic, and the two share awkward romantic moments. While Sonic's own attitude is unstated in the game itself and ultimately left up to the player to decide, the writers stated he does have a thing for her as well.
• It's All My Fault: She briefly blames herself for Sonic getting hurt before he cheers her up.
• Lady-In-Waiting: They are her maids, and are very protective of her. Two particular ones in the game are Anna, dressed in red, and Sophia, who is dressed in blue.
• Light Is Good: She wears a white dress with gold strap and cares deeply for her people.
  Sonic: "It sounds like being a princess isn't that easy."
  Elise: "It isn't sometimes, but I love this country. Everyone in the castle, the children, all my citizens really..."
• Living MacGuffin: Her powers and the flames inside of her are what Eggman wants, so she's constantly getting kidnapped as a result.
• The Needs of the Many: After Eggman threatens to destroy Soleanna, Elise surrenders herself to protect her people from harm.
  Anna: "Miss Elise!"
  Elise: "I cannot allow harm to come to my people."
  Sophia: "Miss Elise!"
  Elise: "It is my duty as Princess of Soleanna to go... There is no other choice."
• Neutral Female: Whenever Silver or Sonic are battling in a cutscene she just stands around and clutches at her heart, she gets kidnapped frequently, and when she does do something proactive it tends to be negated.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Amy finds her in the middle of an escape from Eggman's base, but how she got out (or how they escape afterward) is never seen.
• Princess Classic: Elise is kind, wise, and devoted to her people and country, even at her own expense.
• Royal Blood: The Duke says that the Flames of Disaster (aka Iblis) can only be sealed inside a royal soul, hence why Elise was used as the vessel.
• Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: She was used as the host to seal away Iblis, and it is heavily implied that several of her powers stemmed from Iblis being sealed within her. Other than that, however, Iblis doesn't seem to take any control over her.
• Shoo Out the New Guy: Much like Silver, Elise's introduction in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) was met with widespread criticism. Unlike Silver, however, Elise has not made an appearance in a mainline game since her debut in 06. She has gotten a non-phyiscal cameo in Sonic Rivals 2 (a spinoff game released in 2007) in the form of a card◊. Her latest appearance was in an official art piece◊ created in March 2023 for Sonic Channel after she won a poll. The chances of Elise reappearing in a mainline Sonic game are still unlikely though because she remains a highly controversial character, even if the hatred for her has died down a bit in recent years.
• Shrinking Violet: She's a very meek and sheltered princess. Her friendship with Sonic encourages her to come out of her shell and show more emotion, for better or worse.
• Sins of Our Fathers: Because of Elise's father using her as a vessel to seal Iblis shortly before he died, she was left to clean up after his mess: having to rule an entire kingdom despite being a teenager, dealing with Eggman kidnapping her multiple times throughout the story to harness her power, and Mephiles killing her only friend, Sonic, right before her eyes in order to release Iblis from her by making her cry. It's surprising that she never expresses a hint of anger or resentment towards her father for inadvertently causing her so much pain.
• Stepford Smiler: Her father told her to not cry about anything. Turns out there's a very good reason why she shouldn't cry.
• Tragic Keepsake: Her blue Chaos Emerald was given to her by a time-traveling Silver to ease the pain of her father's death.
• True Love's Kiss: Used in conjunction with the Chaos Emeralds to revive Sonic.

Duke of Soleanna

"That's a good girl, Elise. Remember: be brave. Don't cry, no matter what happens."

Debut: Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (Japanese); David Wills (English)

The late king of Soleanna and the father of Princess Elise.

---

• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: The Duke follows the narrative role of being a character of the past responsible for causing the events of the game to happen, like Pachacamac. Also like Pachacamac, he is a king and father. While Pachacamac was motivated by greed, justifying himself with protecting his people from other nations, the Duke was motivated out of love for his wife with a very selfish desire to see her again. Pachacamac was also willing to hurt his daughter Tikal to obtain his goals, unlike the Duke whose actions that caused Elise's pain were an accident.
• Dare to Be Badass: Between sealing Iblis within Elise and dropping dead, he tells the girl to be brave and never cry. There's a reason for this!
• Exposition Fairy: The hint ring in 2006 has the duke giving the player advise during the levels. Unlike Tikal, there is no in-story reason for this.
• Heroic Sacrifice: When Elise walked into the laboratory just as Solaris was about to explode, he instinctively shielded her with his own body.
• Light Is Good: Like his daughter, he dresses in white with gold clothes and cares deeply for his kingdom and his family.
• Posthumous Character: Is long dead by the time 06 takes place, though Shadow and Silver get to meet him in person by travelling back in time.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Despite not having much screen-time and being dead for 10 years during the time the game takes place, the Duke has a large impact on the plot since he's the one who brought Iblis and Mephiles into existence by experimenting on Solaris.
• Tragic Mistake: He tried to harness Solaris's powers to resurrect his fallen wife. A meltdown caused an explosion that killed him and the surrounding scientists and split Solaris into Iblis and Mephiles, which led to the events of the game.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He was so grief-stricken after the death of his wife that he experimented on Solaris, the God of light and time, in an attempt to see her again. Unfortunately, his actions split Solaris into two beings: Iblis (the raw power of Solaris) and Mephiles (the mind of Solaris). Iblis ended up being sealed inside Elise, the Duke's daughter, under the condition that she must never cry or Iblis' wrath will be unleashed. On the other hand, Mephiles was sealed inside the scepter of darkness. Although the Duke didn't have bad intentions, he ultimately caused destruction and pain for everyone, including his daughter.
  Duke of Soleanna: "Look, Elise. This is Solaris, the flame of hope."
  Elise: "It's so beautiful..."
  Duke of Soleanna: "When the flame has grown large enough, our world will change. Solaris will allow us to control time and move through history. People will be able to rectify past mistakes and avoid bitter fate."
  Elise: "Will we be able to see momma?"
  Duke of Soleanna: "Yes, Elise. We'll both be able to see your mother once again."

Chip

"Want some chocolate?"

Debut: Sonic Unleashed

Voiced by: Ryōko Shiraishi (Japanese), Tony Salerno (English)

Sonic's little flying sidekick from Sonic Unleashed. Also known as Light Gaia.

---

• Always with You: His final words to Sonic state as much at the end of the game. It's actually one of the most touching moments in the Sonic series.
  Chip: I'll never forget you. I'll be here by you, always. A part of the earth you tread.
• Ambiguous Gender: According to the Japanese Sonic Channel, Chip's sex is listed as "???" (along with species and age).
• Badass Adorable: This really kicks in during the climax, when he assembles the Temples of Gaia around the world to create a colossus capable of taking on Dark Gaia in a fist fight.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Chip winds up and delivers a friggin' haymaker of justice to Dark Gaia's face with the Temple Guardian. Not to mention slugging the ever-living crap out of Dark Gaia and then holding it down so Sonic could go for the Coup de Grâce.
• Big Eater: Searching for his lost memories has left him a big appitite, so he spends a great deal of Unleashed trying out every food availiable. Loves chocolate and other foods from the vendors.
• The Bus Came Back: Kinda, he makes a return in the non-canon Sonic Runners as an equippable buddy.
• But Now I Must Go: The final step of his Heroic Sacrifice. Chip allows himself to be sealed in the Earth's core along with Dark Gaia so the cycle of destruction and rebirth can be restored.
• Cartoon Creature: He looks like a dog of some sort, but he's reddish-purple and has fairy wings.
• Continuity Cameo: He appears as a Mii Costume in London 2012.
• Does Not Like Spam: If it's not sweet, don't expect him to be overly fond of it. He especially hates spicy food.
• Easy Amnesia: At the beginning of the game, he doesn't remember who he is. Later on, he realizes his true purpose, but not before Dark Gaia wakes up.
• Exposition Fairy: During gameplay. Though it makes you wonder how he knows all that stuff after losing his memory and having been asleep in the center of the planet for millions of years.
• Funny Background Event: During some cutscenes, while Sonic is talking to someone, Chip is doing something in the background, like swimming in the air, and only contributes to conversations when food comes up.
• Hammerspace: Apparently how he holds on to all his bars of chocolate.
• Image Song: "Dear My Friend".
• Keet: Must be because of all that sugar he eats.
• Light Is Good: He's the embodiment of day, light, and rebirth, who rises to rebuild the planet when Dark Gaia attempts to destroy it.
• Lovable Coward: In the Night of the Werehog short.
• Morphic Resonance: The green jewel on his necklace is echoed by the green light emitted from the chest of the Gaia Colossus.
• Nature Spirit: His purpose is to rebuild the planet after Dark Gaia shatters it.
• Pals with Jesus: Chip is an extremely powerful being known as Light Gaia, who is supposed to restore the world to normal whenever Dark Gaia destroys it. Befriending Sonic and journeying around the world was an experience that was only possible thanks to Eggman shattering the Earth and causing him to lose his memories.
• Really 700 Years Old: He explains he's older than Earth!
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: He's an adorable little creature resembling a cross between a puppy and fairy, who flies around Sonic.
• Sweet Tooth: Feeding him anything sweet will improve his friendship with Sonic.
• Symbol Swearing: His reaction to eating the Canned Horror.
• Third-Person Person: In the Japanese version.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Chocolate, and Sundae Supreme. Sonic noting this is what causes him to be nicknamed Chip, after the chocolate chips he gobbles up, until they can get his memories back.
• Tragic Keepsake: His necklace, which Sonic places on his bracelet in memory of Chip. He doesn't die, though. He simply goes back into an eons-long sleep until next cycle when their adventure is over, so they can't meet physically anymore.
• Vocal Dissonance: English vocals only; his voice is much deeper than what you'd expect from a floating chihuahua fairy thing.

Professor Pickle

"How dare they call this culinary concoction food? Look here, do you see this sorry excuse for a sandwich? The bread should be no less than 3/4 of an inch thick. Upon it, one tablespoon of mayonnaise and a pinch of black pepper. The contents FRESH cucumber sliced THINLY if you please! Am I quite right, Tails?"

Debut: Sonic Unleashed

Voiced by: Shigeru Nagashima (Japanese); Dan Green (English)

A well-known professor from Spagonia. His knowledge helps Sonic over the course of the story.

---

• Absent-Minded Professor: Never without his own eccentricities as his mind tends to beat at his unique pace.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: So big they cover his eyes.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He’s obsessed with cucumber sandwiches to the point he’s sometimes more concerned about them than any pressing danger, but he’s also the world’s foremost expert on Dark Gaia, Light Gaia, and the Gaia Temples, and philosophizes on the nature of the balance between darkness and light.
• Collection Sidequest: He loves souvenirs from all around the world. Collecting them all nets you an achievement/trophy.
• Distressed Dude: Is kidnapped and held captive by Eggman over the Gaia Manuscripts and has to be rescued by Sonic, Tails, and Chip.
• Meaningful Name: "Pickle" refers to his love of cucumbers.
• Mr. Exposition: He researches the Gaia Manuscripts and knows where all the Gaia Temples are.
• Picky Eater: He's very particular about how he likes his food, as his quote above demonstrates.
• Skewed Priorities: He's more upset about Eggman's badly done Cucumber Sandwiches than his own safety when Sonic, Tails, and Chip rescue him.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Cucumber sandwiches, if made right. In fact, he was more worried about how cucumber sandwiches should be made rather than his own safety when he was captured by Dr. Eggman.

Custom Hero/Avatar

Original character, do not steal.

Debut: Sonic Forces

Voiced by (Japanese): Yu Seki (male), Aoi Yūki (female)

A member of the resistance who joins forces with Sonic to overthrow the Eggman Empire.

---

• Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal:
  • As with many (male) Sonic characters, your male Avatar only wears gloves and shoes as his default outfit, but it is also possible to have him go half-dressed or even fully-dressed.
  • Surprisingly enough, it is also possible to go the other way around with female Avatars. Thanks to certain bodysuits, which are actually nothing but fur patterns that replace the default bodysuit, the female Avatar can run around in a very minimalistic apparel that would make Sally Acorn proud.
• Acrophobic Bird: Played with—while the bird Avatar can't actually fly in-game, the double jump ability they have is meant to invoke the idea of a bird flying.
• Arch-Enemy: Infinite is one to them. The Avatar's fellow soldiers were killed by Infinite, and since then, they have developed a fear of him, something Infinite uses to torment them. However, some encouragement from Sonic helps the Avatar conquer their fear of him and help Sonic take him down for good.
• Badass Adorable: Thanks to some of the customization options and the fact that your character's abilities aren't appearance-dependent, it is entirely possible to make your avatar look absolutely adorable without losing any ass-kicking potential.
• Badass Armfold: One of your character's selectable victory poses is this.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Your character can be made to wear several stylish suits, including an outfit based on Joker's from Persona 5. However, this version of it comes without the original's signature Badass Longcoat.
• Badass Normal: They lack Sonic's Super-Speed boost without assistance from Sonic himself and don't have any real powers of their own (minus minor buffs each species comes with), and have to rely on their grappling hook and various weapons to fight on par with Sonic or the other Resistance members. They still manage to pull their weight and save the day.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • In Park Avenue, their objective is to help the civilians evacuate the city while Sonic and Silver are still recovering from their recent bout with Infinite.
  • When the Phantom Ruby's power has reached its peak and Eggman's final solution is unveiled, Infinite has called down the sun from the sky to incinerate the Resistance once and for all. Nothing anybody can do can hope to stop this... save for the Avatar, Phantom Ruby Prototype in hand.
  • During Sonic's final battle with Infinite, the Phantom Ruby's energy is recharged, but the Avatar steps in to help Sonic take Infinite down for good.
• Body Paint: Some of their outfits look like the trope. And yes, you can make a female avatar wear it (and she doesn't even seem to wear anything underneath).
• But Now I Must Go: Once Eggman and Infinite are defeated, the Avatar decides to take off to help others elsewhere.
• Character Customization: You can choose several factors about your character, such as gender and species.
• Character Development: Over the course of the game, the Avatar goes from a Nervous Wreck with a crippling fear of Infinite to a capable soldier in their own right.
• Chekhov's Gun: During his fight with Silver, Infinite drops one of the Phantom Ruby prototypes he was supposed to destroy. The Avatar would later find that same prototype, allowing them to survive Infinite's illusion during their fight with him, and allowing them to ultimately foil Eggman's plan to destroy the Resistance with a virtual sun.
• Combat Pragmatist: Unlike Sonic and co. (except Shadow that one time, and Sonic that other time), the Custom Hero is willing to use any weapons and gadgets they can get their hands on to fight.
• Competitive Balance: Each species for the Avatar has an ability unique to that species: hedgehogs have more time to recollect lost rings, cats can keep a ring after taking damage, birds can jump twice as high as the others, bears have a homing ability to blow away enemies, etc.
• Cutting Off the Branches: While the player can customize the Avatar in a variety of ways and some of the promotional material feature different designs for them, their eventual cameo in the IDW comics suggests that they were canonically a red wolf. The Moment of Truth prequel comic, on the other hand, depicts them as a brown cat.
• Deuteragonist: Of Sonic Forces, being one of the Player Characters, being essential to turning the tide against Eggman, and having the most Character Development among the entire cast. Likewise, Classic Sonic is demoted to Tritagonist.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: At the beginning of the game, some of the cast openly doubt their skills due to their obvious anxiety issues, but as the game progresses and they perform more acts of heroism, they end up earning the respect of everyone which is cemented at the climax of the game when they foil Eggman's plan to destroy the Resistance with a virtual sun.
• Grappling-Hook Pistol: No matter the customization options, the Custom Character always has a grappling hook attached to a bracelet on their left wrist. It can be used to grapple on to certain points for alternative paths, in lieu of a homing attack or to trip up massive bosses The Empire Strikes Back style.
• The Hero's Journey: They go from being a bystander who happened to survive Infinite's attack on their hometown, to being picked up by Knuckles and joining the Resistance — eventually standing head-and-shoulders besides Sonic himself to save the world.
• Heroic Mime: Appears in cutscenes, but only "speaks" in grunts.
• Holding Hands: The teamup mechanics in the Duo Tag Team Stages in Sonic Forces involves Sonic and the Avatar holding on to each other.
• My Greatest Failure: It's implied that they join the Resistance partially to make up for running from Infinite when Eggman's first attack happened.
• Nervous Wreck: They are shown to suffer from anxiety and Infinite uses that to torment them until they are able to control it and stand up to Infinite.
• Noble Wolf: The Avatar designed to promote the game is a red wolf.
• No Name Given: Their stages are simply called "Avatar Stage". The other characters only refer to them in vague terms, such as Knuckles calling them "the rookie".
• Not Afraid of You Anymore: When they face Infinite again after the Capital City stage, they're visibly terrified of him, thanks to Infinite personally slaughtering their squad and letting them live just to torture them afterwards. However, after recalling words of encouragement from Sonic, the Avatar manages to overcome their fear and stand up to him.
• O.C. Stand-in: A deliberate example, being a customizable character for the player to project themselves onto.
• Right Man in the Wrong Place: According to Word of God, they were just an ordinary person before all this happened and more or less got dragged into this mess. They end up being an integral part of saving the world.invoked
• Sole Survivor: Infinite killed their friends, but let them live to make them suffer.
• Specs of Awesome: Customization options include a variety of eyewear, such as the Nerd Glasses the template Avatar wears.
• Supporting Protagonist: Word of God states that they play a pivotal role in the game, though Sonic is still The Hero.invoked
• Took a Level in Badass: The Custom Hero starts the story off as a hapless soldier in the wrong place who only survived their run-in with Infinite by running away and Infinite letting them run due to his ongoing power trip. However, as the story progresses, they become more and more confident in their abilities to the point where they eventually manage to defeat Infinite and successfully help Sonic save the world.
• Virtual Paper Doll: Custom Hero. While their species and gender cannot be changed once set, new outfit components are earned by playing stages and completing challenges.
• We Need a Distraction: Their objective in their Green Hill stage Guardian Rock is to cause as much havoc as possible to distract Eggman.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: Male Avatars can wear female clothing and vice versa.

Titan Pilots (Unmarked Sonic Frontiers Spoilers)

Debut: Sonic Frontiers

The pilots of the Titans of Starfall Island. While long gone today, their story is expanded upon through the strange visions Sonic sees when he defeats a Titan. In the "Another Story" portion from the Final Horizon update, they oversee the Master Trials Sonic goes through in order to turn his cyber-corruption into a new power.

As a whole

---

• Mirror Character: As revealed in The Final Horizon, the four Titan pilots (named for their Trials in said update) are a very similar set of characters in their overall theming as the members of Team Sonic. Not coincidentally, the first three happen to be based on the character found on the island their Titan is fought on:
  • GIGANTO's pilot, Dragon, is the Token Female of the group, and heavily places emphasis on love for those around her, just like Amy.
  • WYVERN's pilot, Snake, has the fewest similarities, but him being a proud warrior and keen to test himself evokes a somewhat similar character to Knuckles.
  • KNIGHT's pilot, Tiger, was protégé to the Ancients' greatest hero, and was the one who designed and built the Titans. His profession and relationship with the Ancient's greatest hero definitely draws parallels to Tails.
  • SUPREME's original pilot, Crane, was the Ancient's greatest hero, known to be a Hope Bringer and inspiration to those around them, and ultimately sacrificed their life to save their loved ones by sealing THE END inside their Titan. Naturally, all these factors (willingness to sacrifice themselves for those they care about, being the world's greatest hero and a Hope Bringer) point to Crane being a counterpart to Sonic.
• Posthumous Character: All long dead before the events of Frontiers, though in The Final Horizon, Sonic interacts with them and completes their trials.
• Unfinished Business: Their spirits linger as the Koco of the Master Trials, waiting for a hero to finish the fight THE END started.

Crane

The pilot of SUPREME, and the Ancients' greatest hero.

---

• The Ace: Is implied to be this, as he is the one the other Ancients go to during the most hopeless times.
• Greater-Scope Paragon: He is the ultimate hero of the entire franchise, being a highly acclaimed hero amongst the Ancients and a significant source of hope and inspiration for others. He is also the one who ultimately seals THE END in Cyber Space, making the entirety of the Sonic Universe see another day. Additonally, when his memory of him meets with Sonic, he comes to deem him as his successor as the world's new hero.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Realizing that not even the combined forces of the Titans could stop THE END, Crane decides to risk himself in order to seal THE END into his own Titan. While he does succeed in this endeavor, THE END kills him in the process.
• The Poorly Chosen One: Surprisingly, his memory views himself as this. He was the greatest hero of his people and the one many thought would defeat THE END for good, yet in the end the best he could do was a Heroic Sacrifice that only trapped the entity. He hopes that Sonic will be the one to succeed where he failed.

Tiger

The pilot of KNIGHT, the protégé of Crane.

---

• Sidekick: Tiger states himself to be the protégé of Crane, the greatest hero amongst the Ancients.
• Sidekick Graduations Stick: When Crane sacrifices himself to seal THE END, it's Tiger amongst the pilots' grieving to take charge and make Crane's sacrifice mean something.
• The Smart Guy: He helped create the Titans. Part of the reason he wants to test Sonic is because he can't believe Sonic was able to defeat the Titans.

Snake

The pilot of WYVERN, one of the Ancients' greatest warriors.

---

• Blood Knight: He was eager to fight THE END in order to prove himself. His memory is just as eager to test Sonic, who bested WYVERN, and see if that victory wasn't just a fluke.

Dragon

The pilot of GIGANTO, a hero with great love for her people.

---

• Smurfette Principle: Dragon is the only female amongst the four pilots.
• What the Hell, Hero?: She calls Sonic out for destroying the Titans and unleashing THE END. However, when he completes her trial, she comes to understand that he did it to save the people he loves and forgives him.

Master King (Unmarked Sonic Frontiers Spoilers)

Debut: Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon

Master King was the leader of the Ancients, the one who oversaw the colonization of Sonic's world, the installation of Cyber Space, and the construction of the Titans.

---

• Awesome Mc Cool Name: He attributes this to himself, stating that "Master King" is the closest term in Earth language to his real name. Sonic thinks he has a big ego because of this.
• Jerkass: Very condescending to Sonic, despite him trying to help avenge their people. It's implied that it's due to his frustration with how his people were rendered extinct, and it's not like Sonic is the most pleasant person either.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his easily-irritated demeanor, he comes to respect Sonic after he completes his trial. He says the hedgehog reminds him of Crane, and speaks of him with as much respect as he does irritation.
• Mirror Character: Implied to be one of Dr. Eggman of all people, being a surly Jerkass who nonetheless was a brilliant mustached scientist who both disdains and respects Sonic (and Crane, who like Sonic was also a brash, young ace).
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: While he's a little too surly to be The Good King, he was responsible for saving his people, getting them a new home, and creating significant contributions to the Ancients' war efforts.

Spin-offs

Lumina Flowlight

"The next Precioustone is over here!"

Debut: Sonic Shuffle

Voiced by: Ikue Otani (Japanese), Elara Distler (English)

One of the main characters of Sonic Shuffle. She represents positive feelings which give people the ability to dream. She serves as the protector of the Precioustone, and summons Sonic and his friends to Maginaryworld to restore it when it is shattered by Void.

---

• Contemplate Our Navels: Does this with Void, carrying on about their purpose and loneliness. Justified as they are part of the same being; they fuse to bring Illumina back. In fact, it was Illumina's own contemplating that planted the seed of doubt that started this whole mess.
• Determinator: The manual for her game states that she does not give up no matter how bad a situation is.
• Exposition Fairy: Her primary role. She guides Sonic and friends throughout the different dream worlds within Maginaryworld and explains the rules of the game and minigames.
• Expy: Of fellow Sega character NiGHTS; both are fairy-like characters who protect a realm of dreams, and Lumina's design draws heavily from that of NiGHTS.
• Heroic BSoD: Does this with Void to bring back Illumina.
• Holiday Mode: Playing Sonic Shuffle on Christmas Eve will replace her with NiGHTS.
• Leitmotif: "Twinkle Fairy", which plays when she explains the board at the start of a game.
• Meaningful Name: Lumina Flowlight is a light fairy.
• "Not So Different" Remark: After a while, Lumina doubts her purpose in life and asks if she's all alone, even lampshading that she's acting like Void.
• Our Fairies Are Different: One that exists within a dream world and is one half of a dream goddess.
• Pink Means Feminine: The primary color of her attire.
• Split-Personality Merge: Lumina and Void are both parts of Illumina; fusing brings her back.
• Thinking Up Portals: She can create portals that lead to each of the different worlds within Maginaryworld.

Illumina

"Please... Help me... You must hurry... The darkness will engulf the dreams..."

Debut: Sonic Shuffle

Voiced by: Yuko Minaguchi (Japanese); Elara Distler (English)

The Goddess of Dreams, the guardian angel of Maginaryworld and the protector of the Precioustone. Illumina was apparently imprisoned in a faraway world when Void shattered the Precioustone into pieces, leaving Lumina to request Sonic's aid to help her.

---

• Contemplate Our Navels: Illumina's own contemplating planted the seed of doubt that started the whole mess.
• Damsel in Distress: She was imprisoned by Void when he shattered the Precioustone. Her actual existence is more complicated than that, as due to self-doubt Illumina split into two beings, Lumina and Void.
• Divided Deity: It's revealed, late in the game, that Lumina Flowlight and Void are the actually good and evil halves of Illumina, the Goddess of Dreams, who had split in two because of her own self-doubt.
• God's Hands Are Tied: Because of her imprisonment she's unable to help the dream world.
• Physical God: She has unspecified powers, but works to protect the dream world.
• Pink Means Feminine: Her hair and attire are light pink and purple.
• Split-Personality Merge: Lumina and Void are both parts of Illumina; fusing brings her back.
• Walking Spoiler: The nature of her existence is the game's biggest plot twist.

Shahra

"O Master, what is thy wish?"

Debut: Sonic and the Secret Rings

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese), Bella Hudson (English)

The "Genie of the Ring," who enlists Sonic for aid in stopping the Erazor Djinn.

---

• Anime Hair: Has one part of her hair tied in an upward ponytail and the other part in a low bun with a hoop at the end.
• Back from the Dead: She's killed by the Erazor Djinn prior to the Final Boss, but resurrected afterwards by Sonic's first wish on Erazor's lamp.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: This was likely the reason why Shahra sacrificed herself for Sonic's sake and did not jump to Erazor's defense whilst he was dooming him to his eternal prison. Sonic was probably the first master who treated her with genuine kindness and concern, who didn't disrespect her or treat her like magical property who can fulfill his wildest dreams.
• Benevolent Genie: As opposed to Erazor Djinn.
• The Bus Came Back: Kinda, she makes a return in the non-canon Sonic Runners as an equippable buddy.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: She dies in Sonic's arms, tearfully begging for his forgiveness. She gets better.
• Exposition Fairy: Her main role during gameplay.
• Fog Feet: Shahra appears like this for most of the opening cutscene.
• Heroic Sacrifice: She takes the bullet for Sonic when Erazor is prepared to sacrifice him.
• Identical Stranger: To Merlina from Sonic and the Black Knight, suggesting they are parallel universe versions of one another in a similar vein to many other characters in the Storybook Series.
• It's All My Fault: She blames herself for Sonic's condition throughout the game, because Sonic took the flaming arrow that Erazor meant for her.
• Literal Genie: When Sonic asks for "a few" handkerchiefs, she ends up summoning enough to literally bury him.
• Our Genies Are Different: She's bound to a ring rather than a magic lamp, and is limited to simple wishes by her own admission, albeit an unlimited amount.
• Pointy Ears: She has really pointy ears similar to that of an elf, even though she's a genie.
• Rose-Haired Sweetie: She has dark pink hair and a kind heart.
• Sympathy for the Devil: After Sonic traps Erazor in his lamp for all eternity, Shahra cries for him.
• Taking the Bullet: She jumps in the way of Erazor's sword strike to save Sonic.

Marine the Raccoon

"I don't have what it takes. I don't think I can do all this adventuring on my own. But I'm not going to give up. I need to keep trying harder and harder until I can do it!"

Debut: Sonic Rush Adventure

An excitable and hyperactive young raccoon from Blaze's dimension who dreams of having epic adventures.

---

• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: At several points in the game, Marine runs off after seeing something that catches her interest, causing Sonic and Tails to have to go looking for her.
• The Bogan: Marine is The Idiot from Osaka in the Japanese version, but slap an Australian dialect on her and now she's one of these.
• Bold Explorer: Marine would love nothing more than to go on adventures and loves exploring once she starts hanging out with Sonic and Tails.
• Bratty Half-Pint: Much to everyone's chagrin. Blaze calls her out on it near the end of Sonic Rush Adventure:
  Blaze: Since you don't seem to understand what we're getting at, I'll just say it: You're a nuisance!
• Bungling Inventor: She improves with this on her second attempt to build a ship, managing to build a waterbike at the end of the game.
• Cheerful Child: Very much so. The only time when she is not hopelessly optimistic is when Blaze makes her realize how much of a hassle she is to the team's current mission.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Despite being Blaze's homeworld answer to Cream the Rabbit, Marine has yet to make any repeat appearances following her debut.
• Contrasting Replacement Character: The original Sonic Rush, in which Blaze visited Sonic's home world, originally positioned Cream the Rabbit as Blaze's Sidekick. The sequel game introduces Marine to fill the void, but where Cream was polite and gentle, Marine is an outspoken little rascal.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: She managed to get the Jeweled Sceptre back whilst being held hostage. Later on, it's revealed she has some mysterious power that is strong enough to interrupt the Egg Wizard's doomsday blast.
• Did Not Do the Bloody Research: The English-language version of the game gives her an Australian dialect. At one point she uses the term "bugger", meaning that the UK version of the game had to be awarded a 12+ age rating, despite otherwise being a totally innocuous platformer suitable for all ages. Oops.
• Distaff Counterpart:
  • To Tails. Tails was even a raccoon at one point in design.
  • And to a degree, she's one to Sonic. Both are free-spirited adventure lovers, both have a bit of an ego to them, and both have a tendency to be Leeroy Jenkinses.
• Fire/Water Juxtaposition: Blaze and Marine are named for fire and water, respectively; Marine also has Making a Splash powers that complement Blaze's fire.
• Furry Reminder: You would think a raccoon would have some affinity for trash, but Marine's Sonic Channel profile instead indicates that she's actually a Neat Freak.
• Genki Girl: Deconstructed in that her energetic enthusiasm ends up annoying the other characters so much they decide to leave Marine behind before tackling their final mission. She does not take it well.
• Girlish Pigtails: Highlighting her childish personality, they're shaped like boomerangs.
• Hidden Depths: The game offers a some very vague possible hints that Marine is more than what she seems.
  • Marine somehow follows the heroes to Pirate Island by herself with no apparent means of transport—Tails' machines were all still at dock and the S.S. Marine had been broken earlier—and the characters don't notice her lack of transport when she comes back with them.
  • The Coconut Crew are convinced that Marine will manage, even in dangerous situations, despite her obvious lack of qualifications.
• The Idiot from Osaka: In the Japanese version, she speaks in the Kansai dialect.
• Impossibly-Low Neckline: Marine's top is strapless.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: It's implied a few times in Sonic Rush Adventure that the Leeroy Jenkins act is mask to hide her insecurites and show everyone she can take care of herself, like when she refuses to show weakness when the SS Marine malfunctions or when she insists she can't show her fear of ghosts in order to maintain her "captain's dignity". By the end of the game, she finally acknowledges her flaws and vows to grow up.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Develops one with Blaze at the very end of the game.
• Interspecies Adoption: She was raised by koalas and picked up her Australian accent from them.
• It's All About Me: Marine spends much of Sonic Rush Adventure going on about her adventures, decides to name an island after herself to commemorate landing there, refuses to listen repeatedly to advice to be careful, and at one point talks about how worried she was when she loses sight of Sonic and Tails despite the fact that she's the one who ran off.
• Ki Manipulation: No one's really sure which due to the DS's limited graphics, but she has some kind of power that she uses to save Blaze and Sonic near the end of Sonic Rush Adventure, which is stated to be a blast of water in supplementary material.
• Kid Hero: She's seven years old, one year younger than Tails.
• Just a Kid: Marine herself is aware of this, noting that nobody would believe that she retrieved the Jewelled Sceptre because she's a kid.
• Leader Wannabe: She considers herself the leader in Sonic Rush Adventure, but no one else does.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Though she means well, she constantly rushes off to adventure and has to be rescued multiple times. Though at some points in the game, this actually helps the gang as they manage to find Whisker's hideout when she destroyed the statue and she manages to get the Jeweled Sceptre from him when he captured her.
• Making a Splash: It's not brought up often, but she has some kind of "mysterious water power" that allows her to fire blasts of water from her hands. These water blasts are so strong, the Egg Wizard gets knocked back by one, allowing Sonic and Blaze to finish it off.
• Neat Freak: According to her Sonic Channel profile.
• New Powers as the Plot Demands: During the finale, when Eggman Nega decides to destroy the planet, Marine musters and launches a blast of water, holding him off just long enough for Sonic and Blaze to save the day. This power has no real foreshadowing, just some nebulous clues that she has Hidden Depths.
• Nice Girl: Her annoying traits can overshadow this part, but she really is this when you get to know her.
• Out of Focus: Since her sole appearance in Sonic Rush Adventure, she has only been referenced by other characters.
• Parental Abandonment: Her parents are nowhere in sight. The Coconut Crew appear to be the closest she has to a Parental Substitute.
• Prone to Tears: She's a Cheerful Child by default, but she can easily be driven to tears.
• Rascally Raccoon: Marine is playful and impulsive, which often causes problems and annoyance for the other cast members. She even gets an act of theft in, when she steals the Jeweled Sceptre from Captain Whiskers.
• Recurring Element: Marine is the franchise's third Kid Sidekick attached to an older hero, following Tails (for Sonic) and Cream (for Amy).
• Small Name, Big Ego: Thinks she's the "captain", and doesn't listen to anyone else. She vows to develop in the end.
• Small Town Boredom: Bored of life on Windmill Island, she really wants to go adventuring and snatches the chance when Sonic and Tails wind up on Seagull Beach.
• Tanuki/Kitsune Contrast: Marine is a Distaff Counterpart to Tails, and just as the latter is partially based on the Kitsune, the former's brown fur gives her the appearance of a Tanuki. While she and Tails don't interact in any significant manner, Marine's role as Mission Control for Blaze fittingly parallels that of Tails.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Terrified of ghosts; the prospect of hunting down a ghost ship shuts Marine up long enough for the others to notice that she's abandoned her adventurous ways.. She tries to hide it when the heroes visit the Haunted Ship.

Shade the Echidna

See Sonic Chronicles

Caliburn

"Hmph! The impertinent one is you, knave! Brace yourself, for I shall train you until you are worthy!"

Debut: Sonic and the Black Knight

Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese), Casey Robertson (English)

A sentient talking weapon and legendary sacred sword that becomes Sonic's partner to stop King Arthur. Though their relationship came off to a rocky start, Caliburn provided Sonic with the guidance and knowledge needed to be a true knight.

---

• Absurdly Sharp Blade: Can cut through even rock and dragon scale, though with some effort. His cutting power improves once he turns into Excalibur, where he can slice through Dark Queen Merlina's magical armor created with the power of her immortality-granting scabbard.
  Caliburn: There's nothing Excalibur can't cut through.
• BFS: He's as big as Sonic is tall. Moreso when he becomes the Excalibur.
• The Bus Came Back: Kinda, he makes a return in the non-canon Sonic Runners as an equippable buddy.
• Crossover Cameo: He appears in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate as a weapon for the Sonic costume that can be worn by the player's Palico.
• Deadpan Snarker: Towards Sonic due to their clashing personalities.
• Excalibur in the Stone: Subverted: It seems that the two are separate swords at first, but then it's revealed that Caliburn (which Sonic has been carrying around the entire game) is actually the true Excalibur, or rather Excalibur's base form without the other sacred swords.
• Exposition Fairy: Takes over this role from Merlina, as he possesses a rather intensive knowledge of Camelot that he gives to Sonic.
• Expy: Taking his rocky start with Sonic into consideration, Caliburn sort of inherits both Sally Acorn and Sonia Hedgehog's respective personalities in terms of both scolding Sonic for his recklessness and trying to improve his mannerisms.
• Fire-Forged Friends: He and Sonic do not get along at first, calling him "Knave the Hedgehog" along the way. But as their adventure together progressed, Caliburn grows to trust and respect Sonic greatly, being the one to name him the "Knight of the Wind" and proudly calls him King Arthur.
• Flying Weapon: He's capable of levitation, which he often does to keep up with Sonic when he's not being used.
• Meaningful Name: His name, "Caliburn," is what Excalibur was called in real-life before its name got altered by European authors. Basically, his own name is a clue that he is the true Excalibur.
• Stern Teacher: Shown to slightly have this sort of personality, usually calling Sonic a fool when he does something that Caliburn disapproves of or disagrees with.
• Super Mode: Excalibur, after absorbing the power of the other Sacred Swords of the Knights of the Round Table. Notably, when Sonic becomes Excalibur-Sonic, he doesn't actually transform himself but simply gains golden armor heavily implied to be created from Excalibur's power.
• Talking Weapon: And does it. Caliburn is amazingly egotistical.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Him and Sonic snark at each other despite being on the same side.
• Wrecked Weapon: During the final battle, Merlina shatters his blade when Sonic uses him to defend against her attacks. His face noticeably goes blank when Sonic looks at him, heavily implying that either the blow knocked him out cold or it might have outright killed him. He recovers from the potentially fatal injury when he goes Excalibur.

Dodon Pa

Debut: Team Sonic Racing

Voiced by: Katsuhisa Hoki (Japanese), Kyle Hebert (English)^{additional VAs}Antonio Paiola (Italian)

The wealthy king of Planet Donpa, and president of Donpa Motors. Devoted to the betterment of racing technology, he hosts a Grand Prix in order to secretly accumulate the Team Energy necessary to create the ultimate engine.

---

• Conspicuous Consumption: Dodon Pa wears a lot of bling and even cheetah fur.
• Intelligent Gerbil: Dodon Pa is actually an alien resembling an anthropomorphic Tanuki.
• Red Herring: He has a strong resemblance to Dr. Eggman, what with his round shape, big moustache, and penchant for inventing powerful machines, but despite multiple heroes being suspicious of the similarities, none of their suspicions pan out.
• Saved for the Sequel: "Miles the Tanuki"—a pudgy tanuki who liked to tinker with machines—was a very early draft of Tails from before he was even a fox. Sonic Team appears to have pulled this old draft out of the mothballs and reworked it to create Dodon Pa.
• Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: Most of the characters are suspicious of him, thinking he's working with Eggman. But he really is a kind ruler who just wants to revolutionize motor engines.
• Tanuki/Kitsune Contrast: Tails (a two-tailed fox) doesn't like Dodon Pa much at all.

Mirage Express Employee

Debut: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

An employee of the Mirage Express, their first day on the job coincides with Amy Rose's murder mystery birthday party, and they end up helping Tails to investigate.

---

• Almighty Janitor: Heavily downplayed. Their only job as an employee is to take food orders and prepare them with a microwave but they are competent enough to gather evidence, interrogate suspects, and help Tails solve the murder mystery, but that doesn't make them skilled enough to deal with the train and Eggman, at least not at the same level as seasoned heroes like Sonic and the rest.
• Ambiguous Gender: They have a gender-ambiguous portrait and other characters refer to them with they/them pronouns, leaving the employee's gender to the whims of the player.
• Audience Surrogate: Much like the Avatar in Forces, the Mirage Express employee is meant to be a stand-in for the player, as both the viewpoint character and as a regular citizen in the Sonic universe who is unfamiliar with the extended cast and their adventures.
• Badass Normal: They are an average, powerless civilian who nonetheless helps investigate and solve a murder mystery and ends up being captured by, and then facing off against, a hostile Badnik train and its violent mechanical arms, on their first day on the job no less, and they come out of the whole affair no worse for wear.
• Butt-Monkey: Gets knocked out a couple times, trapped in a closet, can end up getting mocked, insulted, and/or intimidated at various points by the murder mystery guests and Eggman, is trapped by the train and set to be imprisoned by Eggman, and they can never find a clue in a trash can despite their insistence on finding a clue being inevitable. Until they do eventually find one...and only one.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To the aforementioned fellow Audience Surrogate the Avatar from Forces. Both are normal civilians in Sonic's World that assist him and friends in saving the day, but under very different circumstances:
  • Whereas the Avatar is fully customisable and has a bevy of promotional "default" appearances, the Employee has one static design and the only customisation is what you choose to name them.
  • The Avatar starts as a nervous wreck but slowly evolves into a proper fighter through Character Development, while the Employee remains fairly neurotic throughout the entire game.
  • From the start, the Avatar is a fairly capable fighter, able to platform just as well as Sonic alongside using a range of gadgets and weapons. The Employee is a complete non-combatant who instead uses their wits to get through the story, and sits out of the final battle with the train entirely outside of the use of their DreamGear minigame to control Sonic.
• Cowardly Lion: A rare non-combat example, They're easily intimidated when talking with Knuckles, Vector, or Shadow on a casual level, but when it comes to interrogating them, they prove quite brave enough to do so and can verbally hold their own when pressing them for information.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Downplayed, but despite snarking at the Sonic cast for their own odd quirks, the employee has their own idiosyncrasies, like obsessively believing that the trash cans will have clues in them despite the cans usually being empty. They do find a clue in the trash in the Lounge Car though.
• First Day from Hell: The game takes place on their first day on the job, in which they get knocked out, trapped in a closet, find Sonic "dead" (actually non-lethally poisoned), deal with an explosive Faberge Chao egg during a heist (that turns out to not really be an explosive), become trapped on-board with Sonic and co. as the train is revealed to be a Badnik and begins taking them to Dr. Eggman, and eventually face off with the train along the rest of the gang.
• First-Person Smartass: Is particularly snarky in their internal dialogue, especially when lampshading Sonic and his friends' eccentricities.
• The Gambling Addict: The player can opt to make them one if they choose to play the slots, where they believe they'll get "big money" when they play, only to fail every time. Even Tails gets concerned about the player's tendency to keep playing, though eventually leaves and patiently waits until the player stops.
• Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Their name is customizable, given by the player at the start of the game, though the trailer and the game's code refer to them as "Barry".
• Heroic Sacrifice: When they come across a potentially explosive Faberge Chao egg, one of the suggestions they come up with is for them to take the device and use their own body to shield the rest from the explosion. They immediately get shut down due to Tails refusing the option, along with Blaze noting they're too scrawny to effectively shield them. Only Rouge is one to take up the player's suggestion. There was no danger either, as the Chao Egg wasn't explosive at all.
• It's All My Fault: After the Mirage Express is revealed to be one of Eggman's badniks, and that it's going to try to deliver Sonic and friends to Eggman for a reward, the player character comes to the realization that the entire mess is their fault. They blame themselves for not speaking up sooner about how Sonic was really hurt, where things might not have played out the way that they did. Their dialogue options also emphasize their guilt in the moment. Luckily for them, Sonic is there to lift their spirits and reassure the player that they haven't lost yet.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Is not aware of some of the aspects that are familiar to the guests aboard, such as Blaze's status as an interdimensional princess, Shadow's title as the Ultimate Life Form, or even what Sonic looks like (despite Sonic being a well-known hero).
• Multiple-Choice Past: Inverted at the end, as the player is allowed to pick what happens to them after the story.
• Naïve Newcomer: A first-day employee left completely bewildered by the hijinks Sonic's friends end up getting into, especially when it turns out somebody had been manipulating the murder mystery itself.
• Nervous Wreck: They're very jittery, chalking it up to this being their first day; it's not very helpful that this first day is overseeing Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends and it's definitely unhelpful that the train itself starts trying to endanger everybody's lives.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: One option for their fate at the end of the story is for them to quit their job after only one day.
• Self-Serving Memory: The employee's flashbacks with the Conductor telling them to take care of the guests has them remembering the Conductor being much more flattering to them (and also more blunt about the consequences of an unhappy party) than he actually was.
• Supporting Protagonist: They're the player character, sure, but it's ultimately Tails and Amy and later Sonic who drive the story forward.
• Team Chef: Played for Laughs; for all the train can do, it apparently needs somebody on board to cook. By "cook", we mean "operate the microwave in the Dining Car's closet." That's, officially, their position on the train.
• Too Dumb to Live: Some of their possible suggestions when trying to figure out how to deal with the potentially explosive Faberge Chao egg, are to suggest that Rouge kiss it, that Blaze ignite it, that they throw it against the wall, or that they eat it.
• Unfazed Everyman: Heavily Averted. They are left constantly bewildered at Sonic and his friends' eccentricities, not to mention finding out the train isn't just sentient, but working for Dr. Eggman, and intending to take everyone aboard to be imprisoned at the doctor's base.

Conductor

Debut: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

The Mirage Express' conductor for 32 years, who will be retiring after one last day on the job: Amy's Birthday Party.

---

• Cool Old Guy: Old enough to retire and is fairly cool-headed, especially in comparison to the employee.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's only known and referred to as "the conductor," with neither the player character, the guests, or even his wife or the train itself ever calling him by name.
• Expy: He strongly resembles a dog version of the conductor from Galaxy Express 999.
• Happily Married: Mentions his wife early on, and is eager to return to her after his final day driving the train. We get to see his wife in the dining car via a framed portrait, and in the ending scene, where she gives him a loving hug after waiting for hours at the station.
• Non-Standard Character Design: He's a lot taller than the main cast bar Vector, and his eyes are depicted as small yellow slants in the shadow of his hat. Once he loses his hat, his eyes are always shut. He also sports a full uniform, at a point where even the most dressed male Sonic characters remained pantsless, the alternate universes in Sonic Prime notwithstanding.
• Red Herring: His somewhat ominous design, seeming regrets about having to retire, mastery of the intricacies of how his train operates, and conspicuous absence from the plot after the titular murder takes place all seem to point the finger at him somehow being involved, or even the mastermind. He's not, but his "partner" is.
• Retirony: He goes missing after the train speeds up on his last day...it turns out the train itself wanted to stop him from leaving.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: He loves his wife so much, that he has her portrait framed in the dining car and owns a Comical Coffee Cup that expresses it. So much so that Shadow of all people is a little annoyed by it. Based on his wife's reaction in the ending, the feeling is very much reciprocated.
  Shadow: Alright alright we get it, he loves his wife.
• Signature Laugh: Will always belt out a "Fahahahahahaha!" whenever he's amused.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Despite the fact that the train (who is a Badnik made by Eggman) tries to keep him from retiring by capturing him, his passengers, and employees on-board, he still expresses some sympathy for it, stating that it will never forget the memories he made while working with the Mirage Express.

Ariem

Debut: Sonic Dream Team

Voiced by: Jeannie Tirado (English)

Ariem is a the Guardian of the Reverie, a mysterious artifact with the ability to turn dreams into reality. The Dreamweaver, Ariem is tasked with granting the wishes of those she deems worthy and stopping the plans of those she does not.

---

• Badass in Distress: Dr. Eggman needs her to grant his wishes, and he refuses to take no for an answer. Once inside the Reverie he seeks to gain her power, and his Guardian Hunter even wounds her after he cuts her off from the Dream Core, leaving her barely able to sustain her form and reliant on others to help her move, with the heroes having to play keep-away with her in ball form for the final level.
• Badass Boast: Gets one when she regains her power and shuts Eggman’s plans down for good.
  Eggman: No! I’ve come too far to fail now! My Eggman Empire will rule supreme!
  Ariem: In your dreams.
• Benevolent Genie: Controls the wish-granting, dream-fulfilling powers of the Reverie and is kind, just, and fair, only opposing those who would use her powers for evil.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She may be kind and friendly, but she still has near-complete control of her domain, and isn’t afraid to use it when she has to, either by interfering with Eggman’s device to trap him and pull in the heroes or by forcibly ejecting Eggman and activating her Dormancy Protocol to shut him out.
• Dream People: She only exists within the dream realm of the Reverie, though she is able to communicate to them outside world in the first cutscene.
• Floating Limbs: Her hands, as well as her bracelets, are disconnected from the rest of her body and hover in the air. It's unclear if her "legs" are similarly disconnected, based on how she looks wearing her robe.
• Good Counterpart: She can be seen as one to THE END. Like the malevolent god, she's initially presented to Sonic as a mysterious female voice telling him how to rescue his friends, who've been left stranded in another dimension. Though unlike them, Ariem's intentions are nothing but benign.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Is willing to pull one via the Dormancy Protocol, which prevents the Reverie from granting wishes and her from interacting with the outside world for a millennium. While she does end up going through with it to stop Eggman, Tails managed to modify the protocol beforehand to only disable the Reverie’s wish-granting abilities, allowing the others to stay in contact with her and enter the Reverie.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: While she is a guardian of a magical wish-granting device, she acts more like an A.I. security program for the Reverie, which in turn acts like a computer server. She even has her own set of "protocols" which she can trigger depending on the situation. It's never clear if the powers to grant wishes is based on anything scientific or magical.
• MacGuffin Guardian: Is tasked with protecting the Reverie, and is willing to do anything to fulfill her duties. This earns her the respect of Knuckles, a fellow Guardian.
• Mysterious Past: She mentions creators who created her and the Reverie and installed its protocols, but she does not elaborate on who the were or how she came to be.
• Punny Name: Her name is pronounced "R-E-M", as in "REM sleep"; the state of sleep where dreaming is at its most intense (known colloquially as "deep" sleep). Her name could also be referring to the zodiac sign Aries, which is commonly associated with a ram, which she is based on.
• Sweet Sheep: She is kind, caring, and friendly, at least to those who aren’t trying to abuse her power.

---