Blaze: A response to Shadow?

[Blazey Firekitty]

I thought about the notion of Shadow appearance ushering the "dark" era of the Sonic game storyline and Unleashed being an attempt to bring the series back to its lighthearted roots.

I then got to thinking about the way Blaze is portrayed in the Rush games. She's a cynical, emotionally damaged character, and tends to take the most direct and/or violent approach to her problems. This tends to work just fine for her for the most part. However, both Rush games made the point that she needed to try and relax and stop worrying so much/being so hard on herself or she'd put herself and others in danger.

I doubt this was intentional, but at times Blaze feels to me like an attempt to right where Shadow went wrong...creating a character who develops from being an anti-hero to someone who comes closer to holding Sonic's ideals, a character that basically sends the message "We don't need to make things so bloody depressing anymore."

[Frozen Nitrogen]

I doubt this was intentional, but at times Blaze feels to me like an attempt to right where Shadow went wrong...creating a character who develops from being an anti-hero to someone who comes closer to holding Sonic's ideals, a character that basically sends the message "We don't need to make things so bloody depressing anymore."

Yeah, and look where that got her.

DEAD.

'Cos Silver's ending to '06 wasn't depressing at all, was it?

Kind of a warped Aesop, now that one thinks about it.

Edited May 19, 2009 by Frozen Nitrogen

[Ryan Brown]

Yeah, and look where that got her.

DEAD.

Kind of a warped Aesop, don't'cha think?

Depends on how you see the canon.

[Rusty Spy]

I doubt this was intentional, but at times Blaze feels to me like an attempt to right where Shadow went wrong...creating a character who develops from being an anti-hero to someone who comes closer to holding Sonic's ideals, a character that basically sends the message "We don't need to make things so bloody depressing anymore."

Only Blaze was too worried about doing her duty, and took her job as Sol Emerald protector very seriously, while Shadow was emotionally scarred by his very nasty past.

Blaze's cynical-ness comes from her over determination of being the guardian of the Sol Emeralds.

[Blazey Firekitty]

Yeah, and look where that got her.

DEAD.

'Cos Silver's ending to '06 wasn't depressing at all, was it?

Kind of a warped Aesop, now that one thinks about it.

Well, I only meant to examine the character as she appears in the handhelds.;; I guess I was more vague than I realized.;;

Only Blaze was too worried about doing her duty, and took her job as Sol Emerald protector very seriously, while Shadow was emotionally scarred by his very nasty past.

Blaze's cynical-ness comes from her over determination of being the guardian of the Sol Emeralds.

The characters's emotional problems certainly came about through very different reasons, but they both have a "takes things too seriously" element in their personality.

[Dr. Mechano]

Yeah, and look where that got her.

DEAD.

'Cos Silver's ending to '06 wasn't depressing at all, was it?

Kind of a warped Aesop, now that one thinks about it.

She didn't die- She was sent... to another dimension!

It's like censorship in an old anime dub but in reverse, since that's actually what happened this time.

[ovarloard]

The way I see it, Blaze does take things too seriously because she doesn't want to mess up, but Shadow is just angry in general and doesn't stop to consider that there may be a lighter side of everything.

[Blazey Firekitty]

She didn't die- She was sent... to another dimension!

It's like censorship in an old anime dub but in reverse, since that's actually what happened this time.

And if you squint, you can see Vegeta in the distance, firing a teleportation ray at her!

In all seriousness, that works pretty well as a possible way to tie 06 into Rush.

[SuperStingray]

She didn't die- She was sent... to another dimension!

I hate it when scifi stories use universes and dimensions interchangeably. Just saying.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

She didn't die- She was sent... to another dimension!

It's like censorship in an old anime dub but in reverse, since that's actually what happened this time.

I agree, but the mangled heap of Blaze's timeline / alternate dimension / future mess is a story for another thread. Allow me to modify my point in that Silver clearly thinks she's dead - which is the bleak, depressing part.

...At least, Silver would think she's dead if '06 hadn't written itself out of history for everyone except Blaze (and maybe even Blaze herself). In which case the only one that ends up feeling depressed is the player... about a fictional event that never happeded even within that world of fiction...?!

Ow. My brain.

[SuperStingray]

I agree, but the mangled heap of Blaze's timeline / alternate dimension / future mess is a story for another thread. Allow me to modify my point in that Silver clearly thinks she's dead - which is the bleak, depressing part.

Why would he think she's dead? He was the one who sent her to the other "dimension."

[Blazey Firekitty]

Why would he think she's dead? He was the one who sent her to the other "dimension."

Yeah, nothing seems to clearly state he thinks that. I suppose he could have assumed that Ilbis would just eat her from the inside out once it was sealed inside her.

I guess she did kind of look like she was exploding when she disappeared.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

Why would he think she's dead? He was the one who sent her to the other "dimension."

No, he didn't.

The gravitas of the final scene made it blatantly obvious to me that accepting Iblis was pretty much a certain death sentence for whoever takes him. The amount of pained screaming Silver does as he's trying to absorb the flames makes it clear that it's not good for your health. Blaze's comments of "Come on; make it quick!", and "Didn't we go through this? We agreed to save the world at any price" makes it even more evident that they both expect she's gonna die. The "sealing in another dimension" is just a way of ensuring that Iblis can't go on a rampage of omnicidal destruction when he blasts his vessel to charred chunks and gets out again.

Oh, yeah. And then Blaze explodes. Which kinda seals the deal.

No?

[Rusty Spy]

Oh, yeah. And then Blaze explodes. Which kinda seals the deal.

No?

I always assumed that's where Blaze transports away to another dimension.... It's never clearly stated, it could go both ways. That whole scene in general was incredibly vague about what happens.

[Blazey Firekitty]

I always assumed that's where Blaze transports away to another dimension.... It's never clearly stated, it could go both ways. That whole scene in general was incredibly vague about what happens.

I guess we can at least agree that there's some dematerialization involves.

[chippu]

Shadow was never depressing or sad, he was a concept to create a certain depth to the franchise by using the vengeful rival foil turn to Sonic games. Shadow is the sonic that has no limits to his character. Shadow is the stand out character that does what he wants when he wants without hesitation, a shadow of a hedgehog(sonic) that has everything he has and then some with more or less dark edge. Blaze couldn't hope to compete with such a abrasive and badass concept because she's a bit of a tool.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

I always assumed that's where Blaze transports away to another dimension.... It's never clearly stated, it could go both ways. That whole scene in general was incredibly vague about what happens.

That's... sort of... my point. From OUR perspective (since there's no body, and you KNOW in fiction that they're not dead unless you see the body), it's wide open for her to return; but the implication seems to be that Silver and Blaze THINK with a good degree of confidence that accepting Iblis is suicide.

Hence the downer ending.

[Reading]

I hate it when scifi stories use universes and dimensions interchangeably. Just saying.

Really? That's the way I've thought about it. How do you think of it?

Edited May 20, 2009 by Reading

[SuperStingray]

No, he didn't.

Yes he did. She SAID so.

The gravitas of the final scene made it blatantly obvious to me that accepting Iblis was pretty much a certain death sentence for whoever takes him. The amount of pained screaming Silver does as he's trying to absorb the flames makes it clear that it's not good for your health. Blaze's comments of "Come on; make it quick!", and "Didn't we go through this? We agreed to save the world at any price" makes it even more evident that they both expect she's gonna die. The "sealing in another dimension" is just a way of ensuring that Iblis can't go on a rampage of omnicidal destruction when he blasts his vessel to charred chunks and gets out again.

If Blaze was compatible with Iblis unlike Silver, there's no way it would cause her to explode, otherwise it wouldn't be able to be contained in her in the first place. If anything, it would have destroyed Silver.

Oh, yeah. And then Blaze explodes. Which kinda seals the deal.

Remember how Mario split into pieces in Super Mario Sunshine when he teleported? I don't think that automatically meant he died.

the implication seems to be that Silver and Blaze THINK with a good degree of confidence that accepting Iblis is suicide.

Not really. Again. Blaze said her body would accept Iblis. The only reason this ending was considered a downer is because this was the last time they knew they'd see each other.

Plus, she's still alive and well in the other "dimension" if Rush and Rush Adventure have anything to say on the matter.

Edited May 20, 2009 by A Ham Sandwich

[Blazey Firekitty]

I think it's possible to make a pretty good argument for Blaze being sealed in the Rush dimension after 06, at least on the physical side of things.

The problems arise when trying to explain why she seemingly has amnesia.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

Yes he did. She SAID so.

WHAT? Blaze tells him to seal her and Iblis away, and Silver refuses to do it. Blaze has to do some weird pink-fire-sphere thing herself because Silver's too angst-ed up.

If Blaze was compatible with Iblis unlike Silver, there's no way it would cause her to explode, otherwise it wouldn't be able to be contained in her in the first place. If anything, it would have destroyed Silver.

An understandable premise which I admittedly can't dispute entirely, but again, her comments to the effect of "Make it quick! Seal us in another dimension!" seem to imply that she's struggling to contain the beast and they only have a limited window of opportunity before Iblis breaks out again.

If it was the case that Blaze could contain Iblis indefinitely, with the same ease (to the extent of not even noticing that Iblis is cohabiting her soul!) that Elise does, then Silver wouldn't have to seal anyone in anywhere. But he and Blaze evidently know that such sealing is a dire necessity.

Essentially, if they thought Blaze had a chance of surviving Iblis, then Silver seems to be getting unreasonably worked up about what is essentially sending Blaze on an interdimensional holiday.

Plus, she's still alive and well in the other "dimension" if Rush and Rush Adventure have anything to say on the matter.

Bringing the mangled mess of Blaze continuity in anyway... I contend that '06 takes place AFTER Rush & SRA.

But it's all continuity-horrible and dosn't make sense however you look at it.

[Ryan Brown]

Bringing the mangled mess of Blaze continuity in anyway... I contend that '06 takes place AFTER Rush & SRA.

If that were so, Blaze would have objected to Sonic's "Iblis Trigger" status.

But, it doesn't matter when Sonic Next takes place, since it's been wiped from the timeline.

[BakingBluePotatoe]

Bringing the mangled mess of Blaze continuity in anyway... I contend that '06 takes place AFTER Rush & SRA.

But it's all continuity-horrible and dosn't make sense however you look at it.

And would you mind explaing HOW you came to that conclusion?

[Syleus]

I think it's possible to make a pretty good argument for Blaze being sealed in the Rush dimension after 06, at least on the physical side of things.

The problems arise when trying to explain why she seemingly has amnesia.

My question is, if that's the case, why is she the Princess of the dimension, and the guardian of the Sol Emeralds.

[Blazey Firekitty]

My question is, if that's the case, why is she the Princess of the dimension, and the guardian of the Sol Emeralds.

I can't believe I forgot about that.

But yeah, you make a good point.