How would YOU rewrite the characters?

[Harley Quinn]

Shadow: I like the idea of him being a no-nonsense guy, but is often unintentionally humorous.

Amy: I'd like to see the tarot card thing used more often. I like having her not being so obsessed with Sonic; she'd have a crush on him, sure, but would simply be happy being his friend. Her trying to better Sonic in a variety of ways (in an attempt to impress him) could be cause for humor or adorkable moments. Perhaps give her some Cuckoocloudlander qualites?

Tails: Geeky but still a child. I really find the idea of him being just a bit insecure fitting well. He could seem shy around others, which can lead to more interaction between Tails and various others (Knuckles, Amy, Cream, etc.). This could stem into Tails' gaining confidence and having a few adventures of his own. So, somewhat like SA.

Knuckles: Uptight and a bit of a loner due to his former isolation. Rather intelligent when concerning their planets' past, especially about the Emeralds and his island.

So basically what a lot of other people want.

[MamboCat]

Hmm... difficult to say, really. I know it's easy to point out the errors in characterisation, but writing it the right way is another.

As many others have said, there are some characters that have been unfairly treated and need fixing:

Knuckles - needs to be less of an idiot. It was perhaps funny to see him get frazzled by Robotnik/Eggman in Sonic and Knuckles but that's about it. He should be a tough guy and a bit of a loner from all of his years guarding the Master Emerald, but not a complete imbecile. He also needs better excuses to be away from the Master Emerald.

Amy - needs to be toned down. Others have mentioned her "mystic" side of things such as using tarot cards but I don't think I've ever seen this anywhere... unless you mean stuff like going invisible and using the Ring of Acorns? I think I'd like to see her as a mix between her STC and Sonic X versions - she's still a girly girl but she is also headstrong, and doesn't take any shit. Instead of getting kidnapped frequently (Metal Sonic, Zero... ), she is allowed to kick some ass. Her fascination with Sonic should be minimised!

Shadow - make him less of an angry moper. His characterisation just stinks of Vegeta! XD Maybe let the relentless optimists like Sonic and Amy bring him out of his shell a bit. As he tends to hang out with Rouge, a spy and thief (who conveniently forgets to tell him about his past in Heroes) and Omega (How's he meant to adjust to other people if he hangs out with a gun-toting robot?! ) I'd say it's no wonder his outlook on life is a little bleak!

Having said that, Drunk Shadow is fucking hilarious. :B

Cream - let her grow up a bit. I mean, the "Mister Sonic" thing is rather cute and it separates her from the teen cast but I think at the moment she is a little useless! For example I like that in Generations, she leads a bunch of Chao to give Sonic rings. I think stuff like this, perhaps "airlifting" in help now and then with her Chao army could be useful!

Uuh, that's all I can think of - I reckon from what I have seen of Colo(u)rs, Sonic, Tails and Eggman have been characterised well.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

How I'd fix the characters:

Silver: Scrap him, I don't want him to ever come back, he should die in a hole.

That's not called fixing a character.

[Rynnec]

Sonic- A mix between his Black Knight and Colours characterization would be ideal. I don't mind him not showing any fear or hesitation, so long as he's shown having fun, showy, and snarky towards his enemies ala Dante. Not too say he wouldn't take anything seriously whatsoever, he still would, he'd just hide his seriousness underneath his cocky grin. I'd also make him a Big Brother Mentor-type character to younger characters like Silver and Tails.

Tails- A mix between his Colours and SA portrayal basically. He'd still be a kid genius, but he'd also be more snarkier with Sonic.

Knuckles- Less of an idiot, more serious and stern like he was in SA and early Sonic X. Constantly analyzing his enemies and surroundings, yet still getting easilly irritated, espeically by Sonic and Shadow's cockiness.

Shadow- More arrogant like he was in SA2 and the final battle of 06. He'd still be anti-social and aloof, but would smirk a lot more, and constantly belittle his enemies.His hubris would sometimes even get him thrashed by major villains due to him underestimating them.

Blaze- Pre-Rush Blaze would be incredibly aloof, anti-social, and borderline nihilistic (obviously toned done due to demographic, but there could still be hints), constantly belittling...pretty much everyone regardless of who's side there on, save for a select few people. Post-Rush Blaze would be much kinder, but still pretty aloof. Behind her elegance would lie a fierce love for battle and blood-lust, because of this she feels more comfortable being a guardian of the Sol Emeralds than having any political power as a Princess, knowing that if someone like her who lusts for combat were put into such a big position, she'd have a much bigger chance of putting her Kingdom in danger due to said love for combat.

SIlver- Start out as a naive, idealistic knight-templar. With very black & white views on Justice. His character development would be about him trying to figure out for himself what Jusice actually is . This quest would lead him to butt heads with Sonic, Blaze, and Shadow. His rivalry with the former two would be more friendlier, but his rivalry with Shadow would be somewhat more intense due to the latter's cynicism.

Metal Sonic- Make him the Bass of the series. Someone who follows Eggman to an extent, but wouldn't think twice about going against his orders if it meant beating Sonic. He'd be Sonic's primary rival.

[Kuzu]

Yay for continuing:

Eggman, I have no real problem with, but I'd tone down the hamminess a few notches, before Eggman only got hammy when had accomplished something major or was doing something pretty fucking awesome, unveiling the Egg Carrier, outwitting Sonic, blowing up the moon and planet, etc. Nowadays, he seems to over exaggerate every action he makes, and it kind of loses it's effect after a while. Just like how people want Sonic to show more emotions beyond cocky and in control, Eggman should be able to show more emotions beyond hammy and over the top. I mean the pre-boss cutscene before the Egg Walker still stands out as Eggman's greatest moments ever, because I was genuinely afraid of him at that point.

Metal Sonic....well for starters, they can start by giving him a personality. In other words, considering his persistence in accomplishing his goal, make him Eggman's top enforcer, not necessarily his best creation, but when Eggman needs field work done and is busy with something else, Metal Sonic can go out and get the job done. Give him the brutality he displayed in the OVA, in addition to the "I'm the only one allowed to defeat you" mentality to give some dissent to Eggman, and then he'd be good.

Shadow...needs some emotion, not a lot of it, just some of it. If he's meant to be a foil to Sonic, fucking emphasize that shit. Give Shadow similar traits to Sonic such as their impulsiveness, arrogance, and sarcasm, but differentiate them as well; Sonic is more laid-back and easy going, Shadow is no-nonsense and to the point. Like Knuckles, have Shadow's life parallel Sonic's; both fight to protect the planet and their friends, but for completely different reasons. Shadow can have a similar distaste for Sonic, and turn down his help but still ultimately respect him.

Rouge needs to be more shady, and manipulative. I mean she can still have her positive traits, but she should only be looking out for herself and the very few people she cares about, have her give info to the cast for a price of her choosing, have her betray either side to suit her own needs. Have her do some morally questionable things. also, bring back the subtext with Knuckles, I miss that. And lastly, it needs to be more apparent that SHE is the leader of Team Dark, and NOT Shadow.

[Vertekins]

I don't think I quite 'get' this notion that Sonic is eternally unperturbed.

When Eggman hit Tails with the mind control cannon in Colours, Sonic was frantic. From his frustration in being unable to attack Eggman because Tails kept getting in his way to him being conflicted over the possibility of being forced to fight him to the way he asks Tails if he's ok when trying to rouse him after the mind control ray ran out of juice.

Then there's Secret Rings in which Sonic is obviously affected by Shahra's sacrifice. A testament to how perturbed he was and how precarious his control over his emotions were is the fact that the World Rings of Anger, Hatred and Sadness reacted to him.

And it's a fleeting moment but in Adventure, Sonic expressed worry over whether or not Tails was ok after he extricated his head from the sand after falling out of the sky.

I know that Sonic is consistently characterized as an optimist though and that some more realistic responses to certain pressing situations would make him more dimensional. Even when he was turned into a Werehog, both Pickle and Chip strongly hint towards Sonic not being in any rush to get his body back to normal and that he actually enjoys what he looks like and what he can do in that new form. I would've liked to see him get more frustrated with his inability to run in that form though I interpret that frustration as being something that he vents by beating the crap out of the night enemies.

[Platinumb]

Definitely would have Sonic go back to his natural attitude mood he had in the Genesis games which was scrapped for a more hipper personality we have now.

[Diogenes]

Definitely would have Sonic go back to his natural attitude mood he had in the Genesis games which was scrapped for a more hipper personality we have now.

But what exactly is that? The Genesis games didn't offer much more than a few animated sprites to showcase Sonic's attitude.

[Skull Leader]

Sonic: Make him more like how he was portrayed in the OVA: cocky and playful, but also with a short temper and patience. Show a bit more of his personal values like in S&tBK, like when he stopped Gawain from taking his own life for failing to keep someone else's will. Also I'd like to see his more compassionate side again, the one that despite his desire to be free and not be held down by anyone, still allowed him to accept others into his life (like Tails, Amy and Knuckles) as well as make him see that the friendship that the other have extended to him should not be taken for granted and be a bit more understanding towards them. (for example with Amy, realizing that she genuinelly cares for his well being and happiness, instead of ignoring her or leaving her out)

Amy: She would still be infatuated with Sonic, but the way she expresses it would be handled differently by making her advances be more subtle instead of blunt or almost desperate). Ideally her character needs to grown up a bit more and understand that Sonic is not ready for that bold step she seeks, and that instead she should try first to understand him. (this does not mean she should stop trying or not having the sporadic day dreaming moments where she says silly/embarassing things, since it's part of what makes the character funny)

The other thing is that her reason to follow him should be a genuine desire to watch out for him and try to protect him as best as she can while still trying to win his heart. For example in Unleashed, Amy was offended by how the rest of the world took Sonic's efforts to restore the planet for granted or how in 06 she standed before Silver, saving Sonic so that he could save Elise (this is the reason of why she said "If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic").

Regarding her aggressive side, instead of taking this aspect away, why not use it with a better purpose like putting in their place anyone that tries to bully Cream and Tails and balance it out by showing again her more sweet and caring side to either those who need to be protected or who can be redeemed.

Tails: With him the thing is that ST needs to realize that Tails does not need to be an audience surrogate and that he works better when he is an actual character, with his own unique quirks and acting his age. The other is that he needs to be more balanced between being the guy who provides Sonic with practical solutions like gadgets and the guy who provides assistance in the actual field, taking part of the action. For example in SA2, Tails basically was the one who came up with a plan to stop Eggman but at the same time he also contributed with his actions. The other thing is that he needs to step a bit more from his comfort zone with Sonic and try to interact more with other characters to bring out more aspects of his personality.

Knuckles: My only problems with Knuckles is how he is used: when it's not him being used to make other look good, it's him being shoehorned for no reason other than fanservice. I mean yeah, Knuckles is supposed to be the grumpy and funny rival, like Touji from Evangelion or Kittan from TTGL, but the thing is that he has enough quirks and traits to provide comedy without having to be disrespected or step on by the others. Another problem is how ST assumed that because he was tricked once, it must be funny to see him being made a fool all the time for the sake of making a fool out of him (compared to this, at least Amy's mistaking others for Sonic had actual context behind it) while forgetting that he can be clever, like in Sonic 3 where he knew where and when to use his knowledge of Angel Island to slow down Sonic. Personally I'd like for him to have more moments of briliance, like how he played safe in the Sonic 3 adaptation of fleetway's comic, where he waited to see who was telling the truth.

Eggman: He doesn't need to change. <3

Rouge: She's a good female character that needs to be shown as capable of standing on her own, Personally I would focus more on her jewel stealing shennanigans and use her femenine charm to "disarm" and play with anyone that stands between her goals, regardless of gender.

[Harley Quinn]

Like Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Commando"? YES, Please!

Oh, yes. This is exactly what I was going for. There would be no end to my love for Shadow if this were to occur.

[batson]

Eggman, I have no real problem with, but I'd tone down the hamminess a few notches, before Eggman only got hammy when had accomplished something major or was doing something pretty fucking awesome, unveiling the Egg Carrier, outwitting Sonic, blowing up the moon and planet, etc. Nowadays, he seems to over exaggerate every action he makes, and it kind of loses it's effect after a while. Just like how people want Sonic to show more emotions beyond cocky and in control, Eggman should be able to show more emotions beyond hammy and over the top. I mean the pre-boss cutscene before the Egg Walker still stands out as Eggman's greatest moments ever, because I was genuinely afraid of him at that point.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Appart from Eggman, the character i feel is in the most need of change is Knuckles. In short, they need to tone down the constant goofyness of both these guys.

[Milo]

As hilarious as the "Drunk Shadow" idea is, I doubt it's an appropriate kind of writing for a franchise who's marketing team is fixed on aiming it at kids.

Well damn, that's dissapointing.

Thumbs up to you if got the joke and the reference.

[Vertekins]

Well damn, that's dissapointing.

Thumbs up to you if got the joke and the reference.

Well, the announced aim for gearing Sonic games more towards kids was said after Shadow released. But then SEGA still complied with the ratings board and censored the game to an extent to get the E10+ rating rather than the T-Rating. The game still got a 12+ over here in the UK though.

[Nerfuffle]

^Then again, an E rating sure didn’t stop Globox from having “allergic reactions” to plum juice throughout the entirety of Rayman 3.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Yeah, getting crap past the radar tends to be an artform in games and cartoons alike that gets praise when done right. Bonus points if it's so blatant and it STILL manages to get through.

[azoo]

Shadow being that one guy that gets away with being a drunk right over the radar would be soooo wonderful. He'd go from being the character I'm most indifferent about to being my #1 favorite. :v

[Platinumb]

But what exactly is that? The Genesis games didn't offer much more than a few animated sprites to showcase Sonic's attitude.

A more natural attitude. One that isn't forced upon us where Sonic is being excessively cocky and arrogant. He has these traits, but not to a point where it bothers the viewer. And if you don't believe that, Colors shows alot of this.

I don't know what exactly how he was portrayed in the games, but one can say he was impatient. I just said attitude because I couldn't find the right behaviors.

Maybe it should be how Skull Leader said; make him more like the OVA.

[Dizcrybe]

A more natural attitude. One that isn't forced upon us where Sonic is being excessively cocky and arrogant. He has these traits, but not to a point where it bothers the viewer. And if you don't believe that, Colors shows alot of this.

*snip*

Maybe it should be how Skull Leader said; make him more like the OVA.

The part I bolded is subjective; I wasn't bothered by Sonic's cockiness at all. Actually, I thought it fit him just fine.

Also, is it me or was Sonic a dick in the OVA? "Look, I can't be bothered saving this old coot that's about to die horrible in a plane crash, Tails. You do it. I need to work on my suntan." Okay, so he saved him eventually, but still.

[CoreyAMurray]

I have nothing to say on the matter, but can you please point me to some fanfiction which get characterisation right?

[Spin Attaxx]

I've heard Komodin's are pretty good at that. I've yet to read one, though.

[K.T.E.]

Give Knuckles a motorcycle, give Rouge a backstory that involves diabetes, make Robotnik gay, make Shadow straight, rewrite all of Tails' lines in angry-sounding German, turn Sonic into an obese, 40-year old man, replace Silver with an exceptionally talented rock, tether Charmy Bee to that rock, give Espio alot of unfitting lines that make him sound like a surfer dude, and make Metal Sonic the star of the series.

 

 

That's METAL Sonic Adventure 2: Battle to you

[Spin Attaxx]

... isn't Shadow already straight? The fangirls just painted him as gay...

[Your Vest Friend]

Not all fangirls, either. 

 

Also yes I'm aware it was a joke post but whatever. 

Edited December 20, 2012 by VEDJ-F

[Multikaris]

Here's how ol' Jokey Freezy would do it:Sonic, Tails and Dr. Eggman - Colors personalities are fine.Knuckles - Make him less of a complete fucking joke, have him still be gullible but increase his intelligence, have him do cool stuff again.Amy - Tone down the stalker get-up, make her seem more real and like someone Sonic would actually be friends with.Shadow - I don't even know where to fucking begin here.Rouge - Make her go solo a lot more as a jewel thief and spy, have her interact with Knuckles, Sonic and Tails more often.Cream - Make her Marine.Team Chaotix - I think they're fine the way they are, they just aren't used enough...

Pretty cool. Can I post my interpretations here?

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Pretty cool. Can I post my interpretations here?

Blaze is Sonic's girlfriend, Sonic can go super saiyan, Silver is a douche, Jet is the evil mastermind behind Robotnik, and Rouge is loved by everyone.

 

There. Did it for you.