"Badniks"

[Blazey Firekitty]

Has this term ever been used in Japanese canon? It's one I'm attached to, admittedly, but I don't think it's ever appeared outside of Sega of America and Sega of Europe's works. I'd assume that Eggman's robots are always simply called...Eggman robots in the Japanese storyline. It's still used quite regularly in the Archie comics, though, given its American origin.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

Was used all the way through Fleetway, too, although they kinda got supplanted by the Stormtrooper-esque Troopers over time.

I'm sure someone told me the word "badnik" actually gets used IN-GAME during one of Sonic Rivals 1 or 2, but not being a PSP owner (yet!) I can neither confirm nor deny.

[Phos]

They really should use it to describe the enemies again. It's fun to say.

[Flyboy Fox]

I absolutely LOVE the word 'Badnik'. It just fits so perfectly, and yeah, it's fun to say. I don't know jack about its origins though, but given that it has the same ending as Robotnik, I'd say it's probably not Japanese in origin or used there?

[Dr. Mechano]

The only time it was used in-game was Sonic Rivals 2, where Eggman says that Nega has taken over his Badniks, who are destroying his base.

And the Rivals games apparently weren't released in Japan... Though even if it ever was, they'd probably change it in the Japanese localization.

I like the term well enough- Though there's some argument over what constitutes a Badnik. Is any Eggman robot a Badnik? Or does it only apply to the animal-esque robots (Meaning the E-Series, Egg Pawns, Gunners, Fighters, etc. don't count)?

[Blazey Firekitty]

I absolutely LOVE the word 'Badnik'. It just fits so perfectly, and yeah, it's fun to say.

Definitely has a nice flare to it.

The only time it was used in-game was Sonic Rivals 2, where Eggman says that Nega has taken over his Badniks, who are destroying his base.

And the Rivals games apparently weren't released in Japan... Though even if it ever was, they'd probably change it in the Japanese localization.

All your base are belong to us.

...Sorry, couldn't resist.

I like the term well enough- Though there's some argument over what constitutes a Badnik. Is any Eggman robot a Badnik? Or does it only apply to the animal-esque robots (Meaning the E-Series, Egg Pawns, Gunners, Fighters, etc. don't count)?

For me it works best as a catch-all term for Eggman's robots, though the animal like ones usually jump to mind first because they were the originals.

[Sean]

I like the term well enough- Though there's some argument over what constitutes a Badnik. Is any Eggman robot a Badnik? Or does it only apply to the animal-esque robots (Meaning the E-Series, Egg Pawns, Gunners, Fighters, etc. don't count)?

I just use it to refer to any Eggman-built robot that doesn't require manual operation (i.e. not vehicles piloted by Eggman). And I have a hard time referring to the G.U.N. robots as such.

It's a solid word though, and I don't recall the Japanese canon having any particular equivalent anyway.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Jake

[Gamenerd]

I'd assume it's a non-Japan term used for Eggman's robots. Firstly, because the name is thematically consistent with the name "Robotnik" which was fabricated by SOA. Secondly, the game that unified the canons, Sonic Adventure, has old-style Eggman robots (monkeys, rhinos, etc.) and yet not once is the name Badnik used in SA, or in any following games.

As far as the Japan canon is concerned, the term Badnik doesn't exist, unless it has made a brief appearance somewhere, like with the "Robotnik" name appearing in SA2 even in Japan. Otherwise, it's purely a US/PAL thing.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

I like the term well enough- Though there's some argument over what constitutes a Badnik. Is any Eggman robot a Badnik? Or does it only apply to the animal-esque robots (Meaning the E-Series, Egg Pawns, Gunners, Fighters, etc. don't count)?

I don't think one can make a hard-and-fast distinction. Fleetway tried, if I recall correctly, holding that "badnik" only applied to ones that had animals INSIDE them. But that would make Gamma and co. "badniks", and they're clearly more appropriately "E-series". And it would make the robots in Chaotix not be "badniks", as they were powered by some sort of depleted rings or something; despite the fact that they are evidently of the same ilk as the critter-containing ones.

So I'd say a badnik is a kind of hazy term referring to an an ill-defined class of Eggman robots - the colourful, animal-shaped (and often animal-containing) ones he predominantly early on in the pre-Adventure days. Although these have mostly been supplanted by Egg Pawns and whatnot, he still made animal-shaped and animal-containing robots in Sonic Advance 3, so these should probably be classed as badniks too.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Frozen Nitrogen

[Dr. Mechano]

he still made animal-shaped and animal-containing robots in Sonic Advance 3, so these should probably be classed as badniks too.

Actually, in Advance 3, they had rings.

But yeah, I see what you're saying.

[Blazey Firekitty]

Actually, in Advance 3, they had rings.

But yeah, I see what you're saying.

That makes me wonder why Eggman didn't just use rings in the first place. You'd think they'd be more abundant than random fauna.

[Phos]

I like the term well enough- Though there's some argument over what constitutes a Badnik. Is any Eggman robot a Badnik? Or does it only apply to the animal-esque robots (Meaning the E-Series, Egg Pawns, Gunners, Fighters, etc. don't count)?

The distinction that I would make: A Badnik is a robot that requires something non artificial inside of it in order to function. I don't know if this is what they were going for or not, it's fanon.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

Actually, in Advance 3, they had rings.

But yeah, I see what you're saying.

Maybe it was Advance 2. I know there were little animals inside on ONE of the GBA games; if only because it made me go "Lolwut, badniks are back?!"

[Sean]

They were in the first two Advance games.

They were pretty weird, though - some of them didn't hop away like normal. Mainly heavyweights like lions and elephants.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Jake

[Frozen Nitrogen]

They were in the first two Advance games.

They were pretty weird, though - some of them didn't hop away like normal. Mainly heavyweights like lions and elephants.

Really, really small heavyweights.

[Blazey Firekitty]

Really, really small heavyweights.

You could probably make a lot of money selling elephants the size of cats.

[Badnik Zero]

YES! This is a thread about me I suppose. Oh it's not?

I love the term Badnik, and the robot critters that can be called that. They were so diverse in their design, it was like each one had a character, proof of Eggman's crazy genius. He killed you with robots that looked like robot animals, powered by real smaller animals. What a plan. I would even compare them to Pokemon, there were so many original Badniks.

For what makes a Badnik a Badnik, I would lay down a few rules. First and most importantly IMO, they usually look like an animal, and in the cases where they don't, they look like some kind of fantasy animal, like Orbinaut. They usually have expressive eyes. Second, Badniks should always be designed by Robotnik, which is where they get part of their name, or in an Egg-Robo's case actually based on Eggman, which is an exception to the rule above. Third, they've got unique patterns of attack. And fourth, they're usually powered by small animals. I would even accept an alternate power source, if they're obviously Badnik in spirit. I don't think the robots in Chaotix were Eggman's design according to the story, but they'd also be Badniks in spirit.

Anything with that classic look to it, including the E-series robots, are Badniks. I guess you could even argue that Omega is a Badnik, though he's a few generations removed from the Egg-Robo design. Also, those persistent orange Egg Pawn bastards are out. Those are not Badniks. They lack personality and seem more like drones. Maybe because of their numbers, but something about them says "not Badnik" to me. The purple garbage can robots in Unleashed lean toward being Badniks, but not quite. Someone at Sega needs to bring these designs back, and scatter them all over my zones. It sounds dirty, but we need Badniks.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Badnikz

[Dr. Mechano]

Also, those persistent orange Egg Pawn bastards are out. Those are not Badniks. They lack personality and seem more like drones.

It's funny you say that, because they seem to have a lot of personality.

They fall asleep, get "scared" of Metal Sonic, shrug and look confused during the Shadow cutscene, etc. They may have a more "uniform" design, but they've definitely got personality. Unleashed's Egg Fighters take this a step further by having actual dialog in the Eggmanland hub, showing them to all be sentient characters in their own right.

Granted, classic-style Badniks could be capable of speech and personality too, and we merely haven't had the opportunity to see it yet.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

I don't think the robots in Chaotix were Eggman's design according to the story, but they'd also be Badniks in spirit.

Then whose?

I'd be tempted not even to class Eggrobos as badniks. Sure, they had critters inside, but they weren't animal in design and they were by and large a whole lot smarter than the standard robot, if you take Knux's S&K playthrough as some kind of canon.

[G of the Gore]

I do still like the name badnik. To me, it fits well with the whole look and feel of those classic enemies but I don't think it works well with all of Eggmans robots. Enemies like the Egg Pawns and the mechs from Sonic 06 spring to mind as they are all alike just with differing weapon configurations. For me, for an enemy to be called a badnik, it needs to have a unique appearance and method of attack. I don't think it has to be themed on an animal though (but it should have one inside).

Also as a side note, I prefer Robotnik to Eggman as its a much more natural fit when using the name badnik. And Robotnik just sounds cooler.

[Badnik Zero]

It's funny you say that, because they seem to have a lot of personality.

They fall asleep, get "scared" of Metal Sonic, shrug and look confused during the Shadow cutscene, etc. They may have a more "uniform" design, but they've definitely got personality.

Yeah, I guess they might have personality individually, but their design is pretty lacking IMO. That would be the first thing to disqualify them from being Badniks in my book. Their numbers make them unappealing as well, as if Eggman (or Sega) suddenly decided variety was no longer a good thing. Unfortunately because of Tails, I just see them as "all those Eggman's robots".

Then whose?

I think it was mentioned in the Japanese manual that the island rose from the sea, and Eggman wanted to control the Chaos Rings. But the inhabitants of the island were already there, which is why they use those old blue dissolving power rings.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

I think it was mentioned in the Japanese manual that the island rose from the sea, and Eggman wanted to control the Chaos Rings. But the inhabitants of the island were already there, which is why they use those old blue dissolving power rings.

Never-seen inhabitants of an island that's been under the sea for God-knows how long? And with inexplicably Eggman-esque robotic skillz?

Eh, I just assumed it was Eggy trying out a new power source, either just out of SCIENCE or because there weren't enough / any critters on the island to make organic-battery badniks a viable force. Similar logic one could apply to his Miracle Planet line.

[Sheff]

Man, Badnikz pretty much said my view on when a badnik is a badnik. They definetely do need to look like an animal. Also, I usually consider any enemies pre Sonic Adventure badniks. (And they pretty much all were.)

And yes, Egg Pawns have shown more personality then any other Eggman robot. Now if they could just make them a little more comedic, then that'll make my day.

[Solid SOAP]

I like the designs of the new Egg-Pawns from Unleashed, but they're all pretty useless imo and don't do anything but get in your way while you boost. I'd like them to be deadlier in the next game, and make them a bit less generic. I like the alternate variations of them like those flying gold ones and the ones that shoot, those actually do a somewhat decent job at stopping you, but the basic blue ones that just stand there are pretty useless.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

I like the designs of the new Egg-Pawns from Unleashed, but they're all pretty useless imo and don't do anything but get in your way while you boost.

They do have chainsaws for arms, though, which is pretty awesome.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Frozen Nitrogen