Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu?) is a supersonic hedgehog that can move faster than the speed of sound, with lightning reflexes to match (hence the name Sonic) and loves adventure. He acknowledges the fact that the Earth is just as cool and blue as he is. He is 15 years old, stands at 100 centimeters (3 ft 3 in), weighs 35 kilograms (77 lbs) and was born on Christmas Island. Artist Naoto Ōshima, designer Hirokazu Yasuhara and programmer Yuji Naka are generally credited with the creation of the character, a blue-furred, blue and-peach-skinned, green-eyed, anthropomorphic African pygmy hedgehog, who has the ability to move faster than the speed of sound and possesses the ability curl up into a ball, primarily to attack enemies. This is a major part of the gameplay of the series.
Sonic seems to have a holy or avatar-like position (despite, on most occasions, being unaware about his involvement in the future of the world he's saving), as many of his adventures in the series coincide with the fulfillment of ancient prophecies, specifically his involvement in Echidna legends (such as: the mural on Angel Island that depicts Super Sonic fighting Eggman for the Master Emerald).
Concept and creation
[1][2]Sonic's original appearance (1991)In April 1990, Sega requested a game capable of selling over one million copies, a character who could compete against Nintendo's Super Mario, and a character to replace Alex Kidd as the company's mascot. Several character designs were submitted by its AM8 research & development department, including an armadillo (who was later developed into Mighty the Armadillo), a dog, an over-sized Theodore Roosevelt in pajamas (which would later be the basis of Doctor Eggman's design), and a rabbit (intended to use its extendable ears to collect objects; these aspects were later incorporated into Ristar). Eventually, a hedgehog, initially codenamed "Mr. Needlemouse", was chosen as the new mascot. A group of fifteen started working on Sonic the Hedgehog and renamed themselves Sonic Team. The game's soundtrack was composed by Masato Nakamura of the band Dreams Come True. Sega sponsored the group's "Wonder 3" tour, painting Sonic on the tour bus, distributing pamphlets advertising the game, and having footage of the game broadcast above stage prior to its release.
Sonic's precise age, weight, height and other physical characteristics vary depending on the continuity in which he appears and the style in which he is drawn. In the video games, Sonic's original design by Naoto Ōshima was quite short and childlike (perhaps because he was 10 years old at the time of debut), with short spiky hair, a round body, one spike in his back, and no visible irises. Artwork featuring this design and drawn by Akira Watanabe was displayed on the package artwork for Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), and most subsequent Sonic video games featured similar designs. Beginning with Sonic Adventure in 1998, Sonic was redesigned by Yuji Uekawa as a 15-year-old, taller character with longer legs and a less spherical body, longer and more drooping spiky hair, two spikes in his back, and emerald-green-colored eyes. Further subtle changes to the character's design have been made in subsequent games. Spin-off media such as comics and cartoons have featured variations on all these video game designs, with restrictions set by the standardized model sheets.
His cobalt blue pigmentation came from Sega's logo, which is the same color
History
Early life
Nothing is known about Sonic's early life. It is unknown who his family is or if he has one, nor is it known how Sonic gained his trademark speed. All that is known is that Sonic was born in Christmas island.
NiGHTS Into Dreams...
Sonic appears in the mode Sonic the Hedgehog into Dreams... in Christmas Nights into Dreams. He controls the same moves as Claris Sinclair and Elliot Edwards (except he can only run and jump due to being unable to Dualize for some reason) with no fear of a time limit or Alarm Egg. The goal is similar to collecting Chips and destroying the Ideya Capture. There is also a boss fight against Sonic's arch-nemesis Dr. Eggman. The said boss fight is similar to the fight against Puffy. Oddly enough, this mode doesn't appear in the PS2 and Steam remakes of NiGHTS into Dreams.