Sonic's ideal characterization topic

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

^^Since when does Sonic "discard" friends? Either they leave him of their own accord or certain circumstances aspire to separate them, but I've never seen Sonic turn his back on anyone he's befriended, unless you're counting Generations....which is...eh.

Yeah, mostly Generations. I could say "every spin-off ever made" but I'm not sure if that can be admitted as evidence.

[Kuzu]

Yeah, mostly Generations. I could say "every spin-off ever made" but I'm not sure if that can be admitted as evidence.

Well most of the spin offs are non canon, and Generations is one game so its hardly evidence.

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

Well most of the spin offs are non canon, and Generations is one game so its hardly evidence.

*shrug* Alright then, disregard that one if you so wish.

[Kuzu]

So....yeah....Sonic needs some character development amirite?

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

So....yeah....Sonic needs some character development amirite?

he nedes moar eye coalors and moar chaose emerls an moar sniper rifels not sisy fealings!!!!!

Um, so anyone else got ideas?

Edited April 23, 2012 by Soma

[Komodin]

So....yeah....Sonic needs some character development amirite?

Correct, along with more substantial plots.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

So I know this topic is really old and completely forgotten by now, but I kinda want to bring up something that I wasn't really sure where to put it, or if I wanted to start up a new topic that won't really get anywhere:

 

Sonic strangely always strikes me as a person who is exactly what he appears to be (friendly, heroic, freedom and stuff)...but only when everything works to his favor, and he isn't the cause of the problem.

 

Think about it: In almost every adventure he's ever been in, most of the things that go bad tend to be the result of outside forces, and rarely has he ever been in a situation where bad stuff happens BECAUSE of his philosophy on life, or his own personal actions. Granted you could note cases such as Unleashed and Lost World, but I'm a little iffy on both because of the former not really doing anything with the concept due to a lack of development plotwise in that regard, and the latter handling the concept so clumsily that I honestly felt like it didn't really do it very well.

[Chaos Incarnate]

The main key to grabbing me with any character, in any media, is to feel something for them. They could be incredibly entertaining to watch, have an intriguing backstory and/ or role, I could love to hate them, anything. I just want to fucking care.

 

I don't like when Sonic is always on one entire end of a spectrum as far as personality traits goes. 06 really had something going with its CG intro, how did it go to shit so soon?

 

 

He still acts like the Sonic we're supposed to know and love, the blue dude with the 'tude is still setting out to do the right thing, albeit simply having fun with the situation at hand and poking fun at how Eggman's forces fall so easily before him. It's just that after that, he falls victim to getting virtually nothing to do after that, aside from rescuing the same dumbass in distress over and over and over again, making me just as bored as his so called chemistry with Elise.

 

Lost World's Sonic characterization is honestly something I have little to no problems with, and it's the best Sonic has ever been in the games for me. He's got an attitude, his Bromance with Tails feels real, and you can clearly make out he's like the cool-yet-caring older brother figure in that relationship. He's got witty remarks against his enemies that's fun to watch, he makes his share of mistakes, yadda yadda yadda.

 

I like the blue blur in loads of games, sure, Black Knight especially, but Lost World was the point where Sonic felt like a truly relatable character.

[E-122-Psi]

While I agree Lost World was a bit haphazard, I think it was definitely one of the best attempts at a 'flawed Sonic' story, having him screw up and recognize his vulnerability in a way that made him seem both sympathetic and in character.

 

My problem with a lot of other cases Sonic does something wrong, they fail to hit it with precision. Either he ignores it or is too confident to give a damn about making a temporary hindrance (eg. Unleashed and Sonic X are practically pivoted by his doing, he doesn't acknowledge or care once) or he completely loses it, taking his flawed breakdown to such a degree of concentration or repetition his positive aspects are sacrificed (eg. Satam really overdid the Leeroy Jenkins Aesop while Archie Sonic comes off as a vindictive hypocrite). Lost World shown him screw up from arrogance, it shown him get frustrated, but in a manner I felt was Sonic frustrated.

 

Concerning Sonic's temper, I'm fine with it being overlooked. I actually think Sonic works better with an easy going temprament, it gives him a big positive aspect to balance out his ego. Most of the short tempered Sonic incarnations tend to come off as rather repugnant little jock bullies who can dish it out but not take it back the slightest.

[- Eternal Paradox -]

I like Sonic's personality in the storybook games a lot. He's shown to be his normal, cocky, careless self, and is quite selfless and self sacrificing, as well as forgiving towards both Shahra and Merlina (Who both were manipulated into doing bad things). 

 

However, there's also a hint of a darker-side to Sonic. His inability to trust Eggman (poor king Shahryar), and he's shown to be quite vengeful towards certain villains (condemning Eazor to his lamp, destroying King Arthur, slaying dragons without a second thought).

 

While I feel there's room for improvement (he can come off a little bland at times), this is one of my favourite portrayals of Sonic. Ideally for me, there'd be some mix in of some of the attitude and dorkiness from the Warren/Graft take on Sonic, but all-in-all, I think the storybook games got it pretty right. 

[azoo]

The ideal Sonic to me is an adventurer. He doesn't often stay in one position for long, but if he does then he thrives in it. He explores the world around him, from the most mysterious depths to the most populated cities, he'll go there. He's a nomad, he kind of just floats and currents through like the wind from one place to the next, living life to the fullest. Running, exploring, skydiving and other extreme activities, eating, conversating with locals or even conforming to their traditions and customs, and even relaxing under the shade somewhere; he does it all.

 

He's an independent soul who keeps to his own word and follows his own path, not really letting anything change who he is except himself. He's his own guide, but he's willing to get by with a little help from his friends, and although he follows no one's orders (minus smaller exceptions), his mindset is always in support of his closest friends and the people/animals in the world around him. He may suit himself most of the time, but part of his whim is to serve others and be a help. He's not some jerk, after all. He's very obviously a caring person. Otherwise he wouldn't be saving the world so many times and would find some other planet to run on!

 

He's got some vulnerability to him, though. He's a bit on the cocky side and he lets that get to his head every now and then. He doesn't think things through completely before he leaps, due to his nature, and due to his want to do things his way he's occasionally on the irritable side when he's interrupted from his current vibe (OVA and Adventure come to mind). 

 

TL;DR He's a mildly sassy yet kind-hearted goof with a pinch of stoic qualities, a love of life and people, and a ridiculous thirst for adrenaline and adventure. That's the shortest, best way I can say it without it being too convoluted.

[Kuzu]

While I agree Lost World was a bit haphazard, I think it was definitely one of the best attempts at a 'flawed Sonic' story, having him screw up and recognize his vulnerability in a way that made him seem both sympathetic and in character.

 

My problem with a lot of other cases Sonic does something wrong, they fail to hit it with precision. Either he ignores it or is too confident to give a damn about making a temporary hindrance (eg. Unleashed and Sonic X are practically pivoted by his doing, he doesn't acknowledge or care once) or he completely loses it, taking his flawed breakdown to such a degree of concentration or repetition his positive aspects are sacrificed (eg. Satam really overdid the Leeroy Jenkins Aesop while Archie Sonic comes off as a vindictive hypocrite). Lost World shown him screw up from arrogance, it shown him get frustrated, but in a manner I felt was Sonic frustrated.

 

Concerning Sonic's temper, I'm fine with it being overlooked. I actually think Sonic works better with an easy going temprament, it gives him a big positive aspect to balance out his ego. Most of the short tempered Sonic incarnations tend to come off as rather repugnant little jock bullies who can dish it out but not take it back the slightest.

 

See, the thing about Lost World is that it's somewhat inconsistent about bad Sonic truly feels; I believe it was the scene after everything went to shit, but Sonic was still being his usual, cocky self and refused to accept Eggman's help, even showing disdain at the thought of teaming up with him. It's only in the following scene when Sonic begins to show some actual remorse for his actions. And even then, in the end the lesson Sonic learns isn't "Stop and think about your actions because they have consequences" but rather feels more like "Don't try to fix your own mistakes, just let your best friend take care of it"

 

Not saying it's terrible and it's one of the better attempts, but even then, it's still not particularly great either. 

[Diogenes]

See, the thing about Lost World is that it's somewhat inconsistent about bad Sonic truly feels; I believe it was the scene after everything went to shit, but Sonic was still being his usual, cocky self and refused to accept Eggman's help, even showing disdain at the thought of teaming up with him. It's only in the following scene when Sonic begins to show some actual remorse for his actions.

Is it really a problem for him to not immediately ask for help? I mean, he realized he kind of ballsed things up after kicking the conch, but he doesn't realize how bad the situation is until Eggman explains his machine, in the same scene where they properly join forces.

And even then, in the end the lesson Sonic learns isn't "Stop and think about your actions because they have consequences" but rather feels more like "Don't try to fix your own mistakes, just let your best friend take care of it"

The overall lesson is more "remember to trust in your friends", which covers both not listening to Tails before kicking the conch and not trusting in Tails to be able to handle the tech stuff.

[TearForFear]

The overall lesson is more "remember to trust in your friends", which covers both not listening to Tails before kicking the conch and not trusting in Tails to be able to handle the tech stuff.

 

This, and also "lonelyness is painful"

 

In my alternative mind, the scene where Sonic hopelessly taps on the button of the mute Miles Electric it's an allegory that represents someone who's rejected by his friends for messing up badly with them

 

 

Back on the subject, I too think that Sonic and the Black Knight portrays Sonic perfectly.

 

 

-Courage: check

-Free spirit: check

-Heroism: check

-Sarcasm, irony and humor: check

-Friendship: check

-Empathy and forgiveness: check

-Love for chillidogs: check

-"Not being afraid of letting out his emotions": check (I refer to the scene where Caliburn breaks in half and Sonic shouts a dramatic Noooo!)

 

It's like SatBK is the complete "how Sonic should be" guide. Anyone who wants to use his character should play (or at least watch a walkthrough of) this game.

[danidado]

Ok, first, I really want to know what's so "great" about the Post-Colors personalities ? "Hurr durr Sawnik and Taeelz r in a bromance, Sawnik haz attitude, it'z all so light-hearted, funny and simplistic !1!"

 

Really ??? I seriouslly fail to see what's so good in Colors and onwards incarnations, Boom included.

 

Everybody in Post-Colors games, Lost World in particular, are nothing but egocentric assholes. And it is promoting being a selfish asshole as "WAEE PUST CUHL !11".

Really, the more I see it the more I feel sympathy for Eggman and DEEP HATRED for Sonic and Tails.

Sonic is not anymore being snarky in a playful manner. He's being a goddamn bully.

He and Tails doesn't look like two deeply bounded best friends, ready for action and saving the world

They are just a couple of punks, always spouting their filthy tasteless jokes and mocks for teh lulz.

 

One the selfish bragging school jock with the I.Q. and emotive sphere of a sloth (Thanks Hermione Granger !), the other is the hypocritical nerd who is constantly backing up and ass-licking his "hero".

So, "best representation of Sonic+Tails friendship" ? Absolutely no. They're despicable, immature, back-stabbing each other, and self-righteous.

 

Why should I want to see lousy sitcom in a office, instead of a couple of heroes/BFF going on an adventure to save the world ? I don't want to hear the lousiest jokes ever heard, and these two behaving like brain damaged dudebros...It's boring, annoying and detaching.

 

OK....Now that my rant is over, which games really portrayed Sonic as he should be ?

 

The Adventure duo, the Storybooks and Unleashed. Why ?

 

SA and SA2 portrayed his adventurous, cool-tempered, team leader side. 

 

The Storybooks continued what the Adventures began, expanding more Sonic's deepest emotions : faithful to his friends, optimistic and playing by own rules. In short : playful, cocky, smart, jokester, but also caring, faithful and forgiving

 

Unleashed portrayed the soft side even better : his relationship with Tails should be based on his with Chip, with many adjustments from the Adventure duo. Now that would be the perfect representation of Sonic and Tails' friendship :

 

One the big brother, the role model, the optimistic leader, who can also see his wingmate's perks and praise him, or even rely on him when in great danger, the other the little modest genius, in search of approval from him, but capable of defending by himself when necessary, and the their cooperation while taking down enemies. And for once, Boom's TV show preview showed this. If they could improve this trait (by adding more Adventure traits and less jokes) and use it also in the main series, that would be great.

 

 Now...

 

The worst characterizations ? From least to worst (IMO) :

 

Heroes : too happy and too carefree, even for Sonic's standards.

 

'06 : too emotionless, too tranquil, too lacking of attitude (except for the opening, and the lines he says before every boss battle)

 

Generations : too uncaring for his friends and for anything happening around him, too down-to-earth, too invincible and somewhat selfish.

 

Colors : too many jokes, too much bragging for the smallest achievements like he's God, too much bro behaviour, too much Gary-Stu invincibility towards his enemies, too immature, too annoying.

 

Lost World : all the worst from Colors and Gens, multiplied x10. Here we have a too immature, incompetent, selfish, overly bragging, self-righteous, whiny, dudebro-ish odious character. More flaws =/= better characterization.

 

Boom (from what I've seen so far) : more selfishness, more unnecessary jokes (God forbid those 4th walls breaks), more Gary-Stu-ness towards enemies, more immaturity, more bro behaviour, more excessive down-to-earthness.

 

I mean, what's the deal with these writers (Pontac, Graff, Rafei) and those who support Sonic and the other characters being so unlikable ? What's with this reliance on jokes ? Haven't they ever heard about the word "balance" ?

[Kuzu]

Is it really a problem for him to not immediately ask for help? I mean, he realized he kind of ballsed things up after kicking the conch, but he doesn't realize how bad the situation is until Eggman explains his machine, in the same scene where they properly join forces.

 

The overall lesson is more "remember to trust in your friends", which covers both not listening to Tails before kicking the conch and not trusting in Tails to be able to handle the tech stuff.

 

 

I'm not saying Sonic shouldn't have some reservations about teaming up with his sworn enemy(even though he's done it like three times before, but that's neither here nor there), but if he really feels bad about causing the entire mess, don't have him still be an arrogant and smarmy prick about it. Sonic lost any right to be arrogant when he kicked the conch away. A little humbleness goes a lot to show how bad Sonic would feel. 

 

The "Remember to Trust in your friends" trope is definitely in play, but it's not really addressing Sonic not listening to Tails at all but the latter part of your post about him and the tech, and I already went over my feelings how Sonic's "betrayal" of Tails doesn't really make sense, and I'm not doing it again.

[100Rings]

Sonic CD, S3&K, SA1, SA2, Black Knight and Secret Rings are unparalleled.

 

We are done here.

 

Ok, first, I really want to know what's so "great" about the Post-Colors personalities ? "Hurr durr Sawnik and Taeelz r in a bromance, Sawnik haz attitude, it'z all so light-hearted, funny and simplistic !1!"

 

Really ??? I seriouslly fail to see what's so good in Colors and onwards incarnations, Boom included.

 

Everybody in Post-Colors games, Lost World in particular, are nothing but egocentric assholes. And it is promoting being a selfish asshole as "WAEE PUST CUHL !11".

Really, the more I see it the more I feel sympathy for Eggman and DEEP HATRED for Sonic and Tails.

Sonic is not anymore being snarky in a playful manner. He's being a goddamn bully.

He and Tails doesn't look like two deeply bounded best friends, ready for action and saving the world

They are just a couple of punks, always spouting their filthy tasteless jokes and mocks for teh lulz.

 

One the selfish bragging school jock with the I.Q. and emotive sphere of a sloth (Thanks Hermione Granger !), the other is the hypocritical nerd who is constantly backing up and ass-licking his "hero".

So, "best representation of Sonic+Tails friendship" ? Absolutely no. They're despicable, immature, back-stabbing each other, and self-righteous.

 

Why should I want to see lousy sitcom in a office, instead of a couple of heroes/BFF going on an adventure to save the world ? I don't want to hear the lousiest jokes ever heard, and these two behaving like brain damaged dudebros...It's boring, annoying and detaching.

 

OK....Now that my rant is over, which games really portrayed Sonic as he should be ?

 

The Adventure duo, the Storybooks and Unleashed. Why ?

 

SA and SA2 portrayed his adventurous, cool-tempered, team leader side. 

 

The Storybooks continued what the Adventures began, expanding more Sonic's deepest emotions : faithful to his friends, optimistic and playing by own rules. In short : playful, cocky, smart, jokester, but also caring, faithful and forgiving

 

Unleashed portrayed the soft side even better : his relationship with Tails should be based on his with Chip, with many adjustments from the Adventure duo. Now that would be the perfect representation of Sonic and Tails' friendship :

 

One the big brother, the role model, the optimistic leader, who can also see his wingmate's perks and praise him, or even rely on him when in great danger, the other the little modest genius, in search of approval from him, but capable of defending by himself when necessary, and the their cooperation while taking down enemies. And for once, Boom's TV show preview showed this. If they could improve this trait (by adding more Adventure traits and less jokes) and use it also in the main series, that would be great.

 

 Now...

 

The worst characterizations ? From least to worst (IMO) :

 

Heroes : too happy and too carefree, even for Sonic's standards.

 

'06 : too emotionless, too tranquil, too lacking of attitude (except for the opening, and the lines he says before every boss battle)

 

Generations : too uncaring for his friends and for anything happening around him, too down-to-earth, too invincible and somewhat selfish.

 

Colors : too many jokes, too much bragging for the smallest achievements like he's God, too much bro behaviour, too much Gary-Stu invincibility towards his enemies, too immature, too annoying.

 

Lost World : all the worst from Colors and Gens, multiplied x10. Here we have a too immature, incompetent, selfish, overly bragging, self-righteous, whiny, dudebro-ish odious character. More flaws =/= better characterization.

 

Boom (from what I've seen so far) : more selfishness, more unnecessary jokes (God forbid those 4th walls breaks), more Gary-Stu-ness towards enemies, more immaturity, more bro behaviour, more excessive down-to-earthness.

 

I mean, what's the deal with these writers (Pontac, Graff, Rafei) and those who support Sonic and the other characters being so unlikable ? What's with this reliance on jokes ? Haven't they ever heard about the word "balance" ?

 

wow..........100% truth

[Tara]

Sonic CD, S3&K, SA1, SA2, Black Knight and Secret Rings are unparalleled.

 

We are done here.

wow..........100% truth

Hi~ ^^

 

I'm going to ask that you put more effort and explanation into your posts.  We foster a very vocal environment here at SSMB and require that all posts be contributive in their own merits.  That means if you're going to state an opinion, you'll need to give us a few sentences as to why you feel that way.  Thanks! <3

[100Rings]

Hi~ ^^

 

I'm going to ask that you put more effort and explanation into your posts.  We foster a very vocal environment here at SSMB and require that all posts be contributive in their own merits.  That means if you're going to state an opinion, you'll need to give us a few sentences as to why you feel that way.  Thanks! <3

I don't believe that's necessary. danidado summed it all up in his original post.

 

And agreement posts are against the rules is; what you are saying? If I gave more "detail" or what have you I essentially would have been parroting danidado as I agree 100% (as I have stated before.)

 

If something comes up where I see a flaw in someone's reasoning or some misinformation I will gladly contribute to this discussion but what I won't do is echo another users post. Sorry.

[Tara]

I don't believe that's necessary. danidado summed it all up in his original post.

 

And agreement posts are against the rules is; what you are saying? If I gave more "detail" or what have you I essentially would have been parroting danidado as I agree 100% (as I have stated before.)

 

If something comes up where I see a flaw in someone's reasoning or some misinformation I will gladly contribute to this discussion but what I won't do is echo another users post. Sorry.

When you're doing nothing but expressing agreement, yeah, that is against the rules.  if you have nothing more to contribute but "lol this" then just hit the "like" button.  From the rules page-

 

If you can't think of anything to post that's at least a sentence then we'd rather you didn't post at all. Making a post that's just one word is really lame and we'll strike you if you do it.

 

Echoing another person's post really isn't a problem, considering we're all doing it to some degree.  Further, telling a staff member when you feel it's okay to abide by the rules is not exactly the best way to keep your account in good standing.

[Briraka]

What would be my ideal Sonic characterization?

 

... a touch of everything the games have offered thus far.

 

From the Adventure games, I'd give him his playful nature and cocky attitude. His stunning heroics and optimism from the Storybook games. But to keep balance, he'd have some of his shortcomings from the current games as well. He can be hot-headed, over-confident, and at times not take a situation as seriously as he should.

[danidado]

What would be my ideal Sonic characterization?

 

... a touch of everything the games have offered thus far.

 

From the Adventure games, I'd give him his playful nature and cocky attitude. His stunning heroics and optimism from the Storybook games. But to keep balance, he'd have some of his shortcomings from the current games as well. He can be hot-headed, over-confident, and at times not take a situation as seriously as he should.

 

The less we take from the Post Colors games, the better it is. The most horrid jokes ever heard and the worst characterization of Sonic ever seen.

[Kuzu]

I do generally prefer Sonic to be more nonchalant and subdued compared to how he is now.

Not someone who has to brag about how cool he is, but someone who just knows it as a fact and let's his actions do the talking.

Tl;DR: a child friendly Dante, more or less.

I can tolerate him more in Lost World tho, so I wouldn't more of that so as long as the plot stops treating him like shit.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheHeatSeeker0]

Ideal Sonic characterization?

Take 2 parts SatSR + SatBK characterization which includes apathy regarding how others perceive him and modesty with a touch of pride, add a dash of Colours' snappy wit and bromance with Tails, beat in some SA2 and Unleashed badassery and resourcefulness and you have the ultimate Sonic in terms of what makes Sonic...well, Sonic.

At least in my opinion.

Replace that colors bit with this and we in business:

[azoo]

Replace that colors bit with this and we in business:

 

*giant picture*

 

First of all, I just wanted to say that we are against using image-only posts here, but since you're really new here you're alright. Just make sure in your next post that it's not limited to just that; we love discussion here!

 

As for the point behind the picture you posted, I'm not sure what this post is trying to prove regarding Sonic's personality besides making really vague statements that I guess try to make Archie Sonic look like the ideal? It proves little to nothing that we can't see in other media about Sonic, and even outside of this picture there's much more to Sonic's personality than whatever was given in those shots. 

 

Not even to mention Archie's take on Sonic is a sort-of different beast altogether from Sega's take on him, so they're nearly incomparable when talking about an "ideal Sonic" for something like the games.