General Sonic The Hedgehog thread

Amy isn't a Canon Immigrant, however, because while she appeared in the manga first, she wasn't created for it: she was created for the games by the game designers, and simply ended up in the manga before her first official appearance.

It's basically the opposite of an actual Canon Immigrant, Renee Montoya - who was created for Batman: The Animated Series but was brought into the comics before the show aired.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Sep 19th 2019 at 10:06:44 AM

She also...didn't look the same.

She got redesigned to the actual CD look, but that was later.

Edited by randomness4 on Sep 19th 2019 at 10:48:18 AM

Are we talking about the Manga-Ga-Ga Amy?

Edited by WillKeaton on Sep 19th 2019 at 11:53:56 AM

According to Sega neither Shadow, Omega or Rouge currently work for GUN, and Shadow has never worked for GUN. Any time Shadow (or Omega and Rouge) have used GUN's weaponry or equipment is merely "happenstance", and Team Dark being an actual Team is nebulous at best and "If Shadow is working with anyone else, it's only to suit his own interests".

Similarly, an IDW arc was mandated to have Shadow act unusually arrogant and short-sighted because that was how Sega wanted him written.

So Sega's being run by a bunch of Randy Pitchfords from Japan? This can only turn out well for them...

if GUN were to return in a Sonic game, perhaps they can work more as support for Sonic, and not necessarily for plot reasons (i.e. tutorials).

Who's Randy Pitchford?

Gearbox Software CEO. All-around awful person.

I don't really get the joke, to be honest. Nothing about Randy's, uh, escapades, are like what Sega's doing with Sonic, which is closer to just general Executive Meddling.

This means that I screwed up the joke and used the wrong name. To be honest, he was the first name that popped up in my head. Care to remind me of a video game company CEO that micro-manages everything?

At I suppose that I should be real here: if anyone in Japan is like Randy Pitchford, I don't even know their name.

Edited by CybranGeneralSturm on Sep 19th 2019 at 1:27:47 AM

Another fun example of Sega pulling an obvious retcon then claiming that it was there all along, even though it clearly wasn't.

Also them trying to have their cake and eat it with Shadow being a bad guy yet somehow not being a bad guy at the same time.

TBH, I don't think I would mind the retcons and meddling if they actually made sense (Sonic's the kind of series where a hard line from someone On High who actually knew what they were doing would probably help), but 9 times out of 10 they don't - either are just completely pointless, self-defeating or obstructive, or like fifteen years too late.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Sep 19th 2019 at 1:36:25 AM

I still can't get over the fact that there's apparently an executive mandate against letting male characters wear clothes.

The meddling in the Sonic franchise is so bizarre.

Amy is still a Canon Immigrant because she first appeared in the manga, even if she was created by the game designers. On her and Charmy's design, it's a misconception that they looked very different in the manga. Most artists drew them similarly to their game designs.

(x3) That mandate went under the radar compared to the "Two Worlds" and "Classic Split" ones, but I know many Team Dark fans were angry. Shadow is clearly friends with Omega and Rouge in Heroes, 2006, Battle, and various other games.

I agree with some of Sega's mandates, like Sonic being a Celibate Hero and the changed relationship between Amy and Sonic, but many seem arbitrary. Amy can't have even passing crushes on anyone but Sonic? Tails can be the only inventor?

I wonder how Sonic Boom got away with implying Sonic likes Amy. That contradicts the mandates that Sonic can't like Amy back.

Edit:

A video on Sonic 2's launch party.

Edited by Pichu-kun on Sep 19th 2019 at 5:01:31 AM

Incorrect. A Canon Immigrant is a character who is created for a medium that isn’t the source, and is subsequently transferred to the source.

This is why Renee Montoya, for example who first appeared in the Batman comics, is considered a Canon Immigrant to said comics regardless: because she was created as a character for Batman: The Animated Series.

Amy is a source character who made an early appearance in another medium: which would be better categorized as a kind of Early-Bird Cameo. The periphery appearances, regardless of release date, were themselves adapting a character made and intended for the source material. Manga Amy was based on (an in-development) game Amy, not the other way around.

This is why Boba Fett, for example, is not considered a Canon Immigrant despite his first appearances being in a holiday special and a comic: these came before but are secondary in development to his film debut. Or, to give another Star Wars example, General Grievous.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Sep 19th 2019 at 5:25:48 AM

Yeah Amy's definitely a game character first.

If Tangle, Whisper or the Freedom Fighters got an appearance (which would be hype) they'd count though.

Shadow being partially drunk on his own hype as an Ultimate Lifeform makes sense, though. He'd be jealous of Sonic being a natural Ultimate Lifeform.

Really? Is Shadow a character known for having a big ego?

That's my headcanon actually

Shadow always had a big ego, his was just more subtle than Sonic's and Eggman's

I mean, there's reasonable odds he just straight up drops that factoid while he styles on you.

Nobody who calls themselves the ultimate lifeform repeatedly is humble.

I am increasingly convinced for meme reasons that hitting Robotnik with a R63 beam will turn him into a redheaded copy of Maria, greatly confusing Shadow.

I also like to meme the joke that Shadow treats Robotnik like his nephew, since technically he is Gerald's son.

He's only called himself the Ultimate Life Form once, as an introduction.

Then in the same game, he says...Sonic is the true Ultimate Life Form.

Then in the next game he gets amnesia and doesn't care anymore.

That. I'll admit Shadow post-SA2 never clicked with me. However, he only seemed to play the role of the cocky rival before his character development in that game.

Shadow is arrogant, but it's never really gotten to the point where it actively puts him in danger nor did he ever care that much about one-upping Sonic.

But that's not "entertaining" so I can understand flanderizing those traits so he's more fallible as a character.

It's not a change that I dislike, because it gives Shadow something resembling a character flaw rather than him being stoically competent most of the time.

I just don't like how his newer characterization is so...static. Like, Shadow's entire thing is that he's one of the most dynamic characters because of his character arc. So just simplifying his character just so he fits in line with everyone else feels like such a disservice to the character and what he went through.

Dude went from a trauma victim learning to adjust and had his own sense of justice different from Sonic's to someone who just gets into pissing contests with Sonic just because that's what rivals do I guess. It's so...lame.

I've always thought he (and Rouge and Omega) would've been great simply in a Those Three Guys role, where they play the role of beleaguered Men In Black-style "cops" who have to clean up the aftereffects of Sonic's shenanigans.

It's a role that works just as fine in more humorous stories as it does in more dramatic stories, and gives then an easy in for basically anything they choose to do.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Sep 19th 2019 at 9:42:13 AM

Angry Jerk Rival Shadow would be fine in a comedic take on the series like Sonic Boom rather than a robot zombie apocalypse like the comic is doing.

Still kinda hoping Flynn gets to do a Classic Sonic comic.

Now I want this.

Edited by RodimusMinor on Sep 19th 2019 at 12:42:17 PM