History Characters / SonicTheHedgehogSonicTheHedgehog

* DependingOnTheArtist: Sonic design tend to change with every game, but overall tend to remain rather consistent. However, his eyelids tend to change between the color blue and the same color as his arms. In fact, in both ''Videogame/SonicGenerations'' and ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', [[https://twitter.com/nocontxtsonic/status/1383631373508878337 Classic and Modern have]] ''different eyelid colors''.

* InformedFlaw: WordOfGod has stated that not having a full eight hours of sleep can severely affect Sonic's ability to function and also has a large impact on his running. This is never actually seen in the games, however, not even in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' where Sonic stays up for days and nights on end due to his Werehog transformations.[[note]]It ''is'', however, shown in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'', in which Eggman purposefully tires him out so he'll be helpless to fight back against his latest robot.[[/note]]

->''"I told you, [[IAmNotWeasel I'm not a RAT]]! [[BondOneLiner I'm a HEDGEHOG!]]"''

** When Classic Sonic was made playable again thanks to time travel in ''Generations'', his fur was made a slightly lighter shade of blue than what was depicted in the 90s. This design change has persisted so far in his reappearances in ''Mania'', ''Forces'' and ''Superstars''.

** When Classic Sonic was made playable again thanks to time travel in ''Generations'', his fur was made a lighter shade of blue than what was depicted in the 90s. This design change has persisted so far in his reappearances in ''Mania'', ''Forces'' and ''Superstars''.

* BadassAdorable: Core to the appeal of his character design pre-''Adventure''. As a 1991 character bible stated, "Sonic must appear youthful, tough, and cocky - but also cute." The primary goal of the ''Adventure'' redesign was to remove this, which may be why it's emphasized even more in Classic Sonic's contemporary appearances.

* BadassBookworm: No genius, but he is a fan of literature such as 1,001 Arabian Nights and King Arthur and The Knights of The Round Table; not only did he go into those worlds, he does occasionally mention reading up on a few things. Even when he was younger promotional art from Harmony Vol. #124 showed him enjoying a good book on Christmas.

--->'''Sigma-Alpha 2:''' The hedgehog is gone, he's taken out everyone aboard and...

* MellowFellow: Certain interpretations convey him as thoroughly easygoing and hard to break, rarely holding grudges against even antagonistic characters. Other interpretations are subverted as he can be more HotBlooded.

** Absorbing some of the Seven Worlds Rings may have made Sonic strong enough to combat Alf Layla wa-Layla but actually transforming into the form made him yell at the top of his lungs which may be justified as the emotions emanating from the Rings themselves such as rage, sadness, and anger were pulsating within him as well being overcome with grief after Shara was killed.

* PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep: In the English version of ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', every time he transforms into the Werehog, his voice becomes more guttural and coarse. In the Japanese version, this was changed to a BaritoneOfStrength, which is likely to match the Werehog's look and design as well sounding rather threatening when he's fighting hordes of enemies.

** Sonic's fastest known instance of this is his Phantom Rush technique from ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'', where he combines this with FlashStep to attack so quickly [[SpeedEchoes he leaves afterimages behind as he strikes, and appears to strike from multiple places at once.]] Taken to the extreme during the final boss of the "Final Horizon" update, [[spoiler:where he punches and kicks so fast that they appear as delayed streaks of light, where they carry THE END up into the air]].

** He gets this with Amy. In ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', Sonic gets depressed after Amy didn't recognize him as a werehog, thinking she mistook him for someone else again, and in a one-off dialogue sequence, the player can either accept or decline Amy's offer to a date. Accepting the date seems to be the canonical option if ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'' is anything to go by. [[WordOfGod Naoto Ohshima]] has also indicated that [[https://twitter.com/naotoohshima/status/1073070214382665728?s=21 Sonic would eventually get together with Amy upon reaching maturity as an adult.]] In ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'', he can express regret to himself about not making up his mind sooner, and wishing to share an umbrella with her.

* ShowyInvincibleHero: In most of the games, with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' being very good examples. There is no question Sonic will win, the only matter is how will he win, how cool he looks when he wins, and how much fun the player will have when he wins.

* SmallTownBoredom: One official source states that Sonic only began exploring because he was bored with his birthplace, Christmas Island.

* StockShonenHero: He's got the equivalent of spiky hair, a strong sense of justice, is fueled by ThePowerOfFriendship, and (particularly in spin-offs) loves to compete with other speedsters to see who comes out on top. Even when a giant alligator [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes chases down the team in a jungle level]], his only response is "Interesting, let's see who's faster." Unsurprising since the series has several ''Franchise/DragonBall'' {{Shout Out}}s, including 7 {{Cosmic Keystone}}s and a GoldenSuperMode that makes his hair stand on end. Naturally, he has a StockShonenRival counterpart in Shadow, and to lesser extent Knuckles.

* CelibateHero: While he's aware of Amy's infatuation for him, [[NoGuyWantsToBeChased he prefers to keep away from her when she acts on it]].[[VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight Most]] of the time, at least. He's not interested in Rouge's flirting, either. He shows a surprising tender side when interacting with Blaze, but that's more because [[DefrostingIceQueen he's trying to get her to open up]] and he's one of her few true friends rather than anything romantic.

* CelibateHero: While he's aware of Amy's infatuation for him, [[NoGuyWantsToBeChased he prefers to keep away from her when she acts on it]]. At least [[VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight most]] of the time. He's not interested in Rouge's flirting, either. He shows a surprising tender side when interacting with Blaze, but that's more because [[DefrostingIceQueen he's trying to get her to open up]] and he's one of her few true friends rather than anything romantic.

* DeterminedExpression: His in-game sprites in the classic era depict him this way.

* MysteriousPast: The only things ever revealed about Sonic's past is that his rivalry with Dr. Eggman predated ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' and that he was born on Christmas Island. ''Sonic Origns'' would later retcon that encounter into being their first meeting instead.

[- [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogMainCharacters Main Characters]] ('''Sonic the Hedgehog''', [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogKnucklesTheEchidna Knuckles the Echidna]]) | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] ([[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogShadowTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]) | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogEggmanEmpire Eggman Empire]] ([[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogDrIvoEggmanRobotnik Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik]]) | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogOneShotCharacters One-Shot Characters]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogClassicEraAntagonists Classic Era Antagonists]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogModernEraAntagonists1 Modern Era Antagonists 1]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogModernEraAntagonists2 Modern Era Antagonists 2]] ([[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogInfinite Infinite]]) | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogGroups Other Groups and Species]]-]]]]]

** [[VideoGame/SonicLostWorld Zavok]] starts off as just another VillainOfTheWeek, but after [[spoiler:kidnapping Tails and seemingly ''killing'' Eggman, Knuckles, and Amy]] and proceeding to [[KickTheDog mock him after the fact]], Sonic's desire to defeat him reaches ItsPersonal levels.

* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine.

* EvenTheLovingHeroHasHatedOnes: Sonic is ultimately altruistic but he still hates Eggman with a fiery passion. However, he doesn't let that get in the way of a team up if it's for the greater good. Any villain who crosses the line will ultimately end up being hated by Sonic as well, just look at what he did to [[spoiler:Erazor Djinn]].

->''"What you see is what you get -- just a guy that loves adventure. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"''

''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Sonic's the name, speed's his game!]]''

Mixing [[SuperSpeed blazing hot speeds]] with a [[MascotWithAttitude cool blue edge]], Sonic is an anthropomorphic hedgehog with plenty of personality who lives up to his name by being able to run at superhuman speeds. [[MysteriousPast Not much is known about Sonic's past]] aside from that he was born on Christmas Island[[note]]Which is, in fact, a real place, located southwest of [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Java]], but belonging to UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}[[/note]]. One day on South Island, he noticed all of his animal buddies began disappearing and the culprit was none other than Dr. Eggman. After foiling the doc's plans, Sonic would then make it his business to do in whatever EvilPlan the doc cooked up, establishing their long rivalry. Over time, Sonic has faced bigger and larger threats alike while making a whole slew of allies along the way.

Sonic is described as like the wind; unpredictable, always moving from place to place, and never settling down for long. Laid-back, carefree, and armed with a wit as sharp as his quills and an ego to match.