Are the power rings made of chaos energy?

[Indigo Rush]

Ancient jewelry from the legendary long-lost culture?

I'm pretty sure he didn't spy the ring floating in midair and have it immediately *ting* into him when he touched it.

And the coins you use in Mario that go "bling" when you touch them are still used as currency.

Are you seriously trying to justify different varieties of rings? You'll have just as much fun trying to justify the "more than 7 emeralds theory."

[Blazey Firekitty]

I figure the only reason rings dematerialize when they hit Sonic and the other heroes is that they are consciously absorbing them for combat or defensive purposes. Your average citizen isn't going to need to absorb extra energy to go about their daily lives.

[Vertekins]

I wouldn't say that gold rings are as widespread as widely thought. If I recall correctly, a little boy in Soleanna talks about saving up enough rings to buy himself a ball to play with. Presumably, the reason he's saving up implies that he just can't go out into the wilderness whenever he wants and pick up magically levitating gold rings en-masse.

[Nitwit_Speed]

Well, everyone seems to agree that rings are energy, and Chaos Emeralds generate tons of energy from thoughts. Rings very may well be physical Chaos energy considering they can't just pop up from nowhere to be used as a currency as stated before, and yet for Sonic and his friends who all have close ties to the Chaos Emeralds, they pop up everywhere. It makes sense to assume that rings usually just form from excess use of the Chaos Emeralds and it's kinda like oil here in that no one touched it for hundreds upon thousands of years (we've been thinking for longer than we've been building fires) and we're taking it all now. And yet because Sonic and Tails are always using the emeralds and i can assume have developed a strong connection to them (Sonic debatably is some sort of Chosen One given he kicks ancients demons in the ass in his spare time) rings form from them just being there and having pure, heroic thoughts. Knux gets them for being married to the Master Emerald. Soon by this logic it does become a matter of gameplay, though, because there is no reason side characters like the chaotix and Big the Cat should be able to Generate rings. If you're really feeling it you could argue that only Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and perhaps Blaze should be getting rings to pop up.

[Gamenerd]

Ancient jewelry from the legendary long-lost culture?

That, or a Ring. The emeralds are associated with the echidnas, the echidnas are associated with Sonic 3's backstory, the ring clearly seems to be of Echidna origin and rings and emeralds also seem to be linked (even if that is from a gameplay perspective). You can explain it off as being a 'different sort of ring', but they're all branches of the same line of thought.

The simplest answer is often the right one. If the manual says it's a ring, chances are, it's a ring. If there's giant rings in Sonic 3D that look like giant versions of regular rings, chances are they're giant versions of regular rings. It really is that simple. :V

[Flyboy Fox]

I figure the only reason rings dematerialize when they hit Sonic and the other heroes is that they are consciously absorbing them for combat or defensive purposes. Your average citizen isn't going to need to absorb extra energy to go about their daily lives.

I would question whether your average citizen even can absorb them. Certain characters have been shown to be more receptive to chaos energy than others; some can use it to do more than others, some can take on a super form, some merely get stats boosts, others can collect them in the form of rings and/or emeralds but do little else with them. I imagine the average citizen couldn't absorb a ring if he/she tried.

[Blazey Firekitty]

I would question whether your average citizen even can absorb them. Certain characters have been shown to be more receptive to chaos energy than others; some can use it to do more than others, some can take on a super form, some merely get stats boosts, others can collect them in the form of rings and/or emeralds but do little else with them. I imagine the average citizen couldn't absorb a ring if he/she tried.

Sounds reasonable, we probably won't be seeing Super Professor Pickle anytime soon. XD

[Gamenerd]

Whilst we're at it, might as well mention the cutscene in Generations after the Time Eater.

Classic Tails and Modern Tails both acknowledge the existence of Rings, though they have no idea where Sonic puts them all; something of an inconsistency? You'd think Tails would know what happens when you collect a Ring, considering he's done it enough times himself too.

[Diogenes]

Well Dio, let me be the first to say, duh. rings are a gameplay and currency element and nothing more from that standpoint, however this should not prevent them from having any story significance.

The questions, then, are: Do they have story significance? and if so, How much is gameplay and how much is story?

If bonus collectables have significance in the mythos, and the rings interact with them in more ways then one, then they have significance as well.

Not necessarily. The interaction between rings and the emeralds is, to my knowledge, entirely gameplay. You occasionally need rings to enter or complete a special stage. In-level, you need 50 rings to transform into Super Sonic. Being Super drains rings, and the transformation ends when you run out. Storywise...? It never comes up. There's never been a cutscene where Sonic needs to run around and grab rings before entering a special stage or turning Super (and when the latter comes up in cutscenes, he's always magically granted 50 rings out of nowhere). The most you get is having to switch to other Super characters while one "collects rings", but that's just a justification for a gameplay element.

For someone who initially seemed to be advocating simplicity and arguing against reading too much into the rings, you sure seem to be going out of your way to argue a way out of the surely most simple conclusion that the rings picked up (and referenced in other ways throughout the game canon) are the same as the canonical unit of currency used in Sonic's world, Dio.

The problem is that trying to make powerups into story elements tends to go sideways if you take it seriously. Where's the line between story and gameplay? If I were in Sonic's world and I ran up and punched some guy, would his money start shooting out of his pockets? Was Mephiles able to kill Sonic only because Sonic had dumped all his rings beforehand? Do we need to come up with a reason for there being TVs everywhere from the deepest jungles to active volcanoes to ancient egyptianesque pyramids? TVs with shoes in them? Is that the kind of world you want to live in? Is it??

[Blazey Firekitty]

Do we need to come up with a reason for there being TVs everywhere from the deepest jungles to active volcanoes to ancient egyptianesque pyramids? TVs with shoes in them? Is that the kind of world you want to live in? Is it??

I for one, welcome our new televised overlords. :3

But maybe Eggman creates the monitors out of a certain sense of honour and fairness? I mean, he isn't above lying, but maybe he doesn't feel the victory would be worth it if it's too easy.

[Flyboy Fox]

The problem is that trying to make powerups into story elements tends to go sideways if you take it seriously. Where's the line between story and gameplay? If I were in Sonic's world and I ran up and punched some guy, would his money start shooting out of his pockets? Was Mephiles able to kill Sonic only because Sonic had dumped all his rings beforehand? Do we need to come up with a reason for there being TVs everywhere from the deepest jungles to active volcanoes to ancient egyptianesque pyramids? TVs with shoes in them? Is that the kind of world you want to live in? Is it??

Yep. I actually really enjoy speculating about this stuff. It's my life's bread and butter. And I'd say the rings are particularly significant as an actual element in the lives of the characters outside of gameplay, given how often they've been mentioned outside of gameplay.

[Scar]

The Sonic Universe using the "Ring" as a currency is the same as the UK using the "Pound" as a currency.

Whilst an actual ring (in Sonic terms) is large and cumbersome and far too impractical (even if they are still valuable) to use as money, it could still be used as a unit for currency.

For instance, back in the day a Great British Pound was denoted to be able to purchase 1 pound of pure solid gold (this later changed to the Pound Stirling so 1 pound could buy 1 pound of stirling silver...this later changed again, so that you you can't actually buy a pound of any precious metal for a pound).

As for actual rings themselves. I don't really see why they can't have an element of Chaos Energy within them, which grants them the power to prevent death when skewered by spikes and the fact that they power Super-forms. Aside from that, I don't really care.

[Diogenes]

Yep. I actually really enjoy speculating about this stuff. It's my life's bread and butter.

It's fun, but if you want to make a serious proposition, you need something solid to back it up. And I've yet to see it.

And I'd say the rings are particularly significant as an actual element in the lives of the characters outside of gameplay, given how often they've been mentioned outside of gameplay.

How many times has it been, really?

[Gamenerd]

The problem is that trying to make powerups into story elements tends to go sideways if you take it seriously. Where's the line between story and gameplay? If I were in Sonic's world and I ran up and punched some guy, would his money start shooting out of his pockets? Was Mephiles able to kill Sonic only because Sonic had dumped all his rings beforehand? Do we need to come up with a reason for there being TVs everywhere from the deepest jungles to active volcanoes to ancient egyptianesque pyramids? TVs with shoes in them? Is that the kind of world you want to live in? Is it??

[Indigo Rush]

It's apparent after watching the opening to Sonic Unleashed that Sonic just calls the Chaos Emeralds from some sort of hammerspace or inter-dimensional realm with his abilities. This is likely where he stores rings as well.

The questions, then, are: Do they have story significance? and if so, How much is gameplay and how much is story?

Edited November 10, 2011 by Indigo Rush

[Dr. Mechano]

I actually love seeing weird gameplay things acknowledged in the plot, so I quite like the recent dialog focus rings have gotten. It's similar to how the Elder Puni from Paper Mario: TTYD wants you to bring her a Life Shroom in case she dies of old age. 1-Ups are a canon thing in the Mario games now, and I think that's just swell.

[Kamicciolo]

I would question whether your average citizen even can absorb them.

[Gamenerd]

I actually love seeing weird gameplay things acknowledged in the plot, so I quite like the recent dialog focus rings have gotten. It's similar to how the Elder Puni from Paper Mario: TTYD wants you to bring her a Life Shroom in case she dies of old age. 1-Ups are a canon thing in the Mario games now, and I think that's just swell.

[Blazey Firekitty]

On the subject of the cutscene from Generations:

Maybe it could be explained as Sonic collecting more rings than Tails on average, by running faster than and in front of him when the two go on adventures together. A minor sort of hero worship, perhaps, as if Tails were saying "Wow, I can't believe he has that many." If absorbing the rings is a rare skill, maybe absorbing hundreds and hundreds of them is a truly amazing feat.

[Indigo Rush]

On the subject of the cutscene from Generations:

Maybe it could be explained as Sonic collecting more rings than Tails on average, by running faster than and in front of him when the two go on adventures together. A minor sort of hero worship, perhaps, as if Tails were saying "Wow, I can't believe he has that many." If absorbing the rings is a rare skill, maybe absorbing hundreds and hundreds of them is a truly amazing feat.

[Diogenes]

I actually love seeing weird gameplay things acknowledged in the plot, so I quite like the recent dialog focus rings have gotten. It's similar to how the Elder Puni from Paper Mario: TTYD wants you to bring her a Life Shroom in case she dies of old age. 1-Ups are a canon thing in the Mario games now, and I think that's just swell.

[Blazey Firekitty]

That's actually my favorite thing about that last cutscene. Two Tails are together, and what do they spend their time talking about? Technology? Mechanics? How the MilesElectric works? Nope! The're talking about their number one hero! I can't remember when Tails('s?) have talked abotu Sonic in such a way.

Yeah, that's pretty awesome and nostalgic.

"You're my mom, my dad, and my picket fence!"

[Flyboy Fox]

On the subject of the cutscene from Generations:

Maybe it could be explained as Sonic collecting more rings than Tails on average, by running faster than and in front of him when the two go on adventures together. A minor sort of hero worship, perhaps, as if Tails were saying "Wow, I can't believe he has that many." If absorbing the rings is a rare skill, maybe absorbing hundreds and hundreds of them is a truly amazing feat.

I can imagine that it gets harder to absorb higher numbers of them, as it is quite literally absorbing and storing energy within your own self. It might seem like an impressive feat to be able to hold so many of them at once. Especially if one can consciously, to an extent, use that power... To keep it controlled and not accidentally spend it all at once would be a skill.

[Blazey Firekitty]

I can imagine that it gets harder to absorb higher numbers of them, as it is quite literally absorbing and storing energy within your own self. It might seem like an impressive feat to be able to hold so many of them at once. Especially if one can consciously, to an extent, use that power... To keep it controlled and not accidentally spend it all at once would be a skill.

Yeah, I'd imagine it would take a certain kind of focus and patience to contain all that energy, especially for long periods of time.

[Kamicciolo]

Because unless it's all planned out from the start, it tends to raise more questions than it answers. Again, what possible justification can there be to find a TV containing a pair of shoes in a centuries-old pyramid?

The exact same justification to explain why gold rings, springs, dash panels/boosters and Omochao can be found lying around this same Pyramid, or whatever other ancient area being explored. It's all a simple quirk of the world the characters live in, nothing more.

It's not like there's a need to explain how these things appeared, like how there's no need to explain where the Question Mark Blocks appear from in Mario.