Who is your favorite Sonic character?

[SonicandShadowrules]

I like both Shadow and Sonic. I like it because it creates a good guy and a bad guy. They are both cool, but you wanna be the good guy so most are gonna pick Sonic i bet. But i think both of them rule!

[Skull Leader]

Amy and Eggman.

They're the two characters that I like the best from their respective sides of the moral spectrum. They also amuse me and feel they're the most credible and complex.

[Marco9966]

Blaze is a bit shy and cold, doesn't open up to many people, it's people like Cream and Sonic who come to her and make her their friend (most relatable character to me!)

Vector is funny, strong but adorable! I love how he wanted to hook up Tails with Cosmo is Sonic X. This show was the best iteration of the Chaotix!

Eggman, also due to great voice performance from Mike Pollock, funny and threatening at the same time.

 

[SBR2]

Rouge The Bat. Not for the reasons you think.

I love her as a grey area character. She's willing to do what it takes to get the job done even if it's not the most moral option. In a franchise that's totally Black and White I love Rouge because she skirts that line.

Sonic The Hedgehog.

I love Sonic. I think he's legitimately a great character. People are always upset he "Doesn't take things seriously" but he does he just doesn't see things as too dire because he knows he's going to win. I love his easy going attitude towards life and death situations because it feels like he just doesn't worry. But I also like that when things get really bad he can honestly get totally serious. He doesn't crack jokes when things are at their worst and his friends are in danger.

[Ashwalking Bat]

Shadow the Hedgehog. If anything, he does personify a lot of myself in some regards. Outwardly collected and quiet. But inwardly compassionate and caring. Not many games can exactly get Shadow's character right, but I enjoyed how he started out in SA2 and how he evolved as a character since. While many see him as a pure good guy or a bad guy, I see him as good guy that plays by his own rules. A Chaotic Good type of character, if you will.

Knuckles the Echidna. This one may come as a bit of surprise, but I do have respect for Knuckles. The dude guards the Master Emerald and in some regards even will do what it takes to prevent from getting in the wrong hands. Ala SA2 when Eggman tries to take it. Dedication and loyalty to the task at hand and to his friends who he helps when it comes to saving the world from Eggman. Though I imagine there is some serious tension between Knuckles and Eggman since they do have a bit of a odd relationship.

Rouge the Bat. Yes, the lovely lady that inspired Nitro for me. Much similarly to SBR2, I love that she is more of a gray area character. Playing to the side that she sees the most benefit from and doing anything necessary to get the job done. Though it really is that confidence that has me most with her. She literally will not let anything get in the way of her goals and that's where she can be crafty and dangerous when something tries to.

[Shadowlax]

Shadow, Blaze I used to like tails more. But , the media has just... I can't. Like at least with things like boom shadow its so far out of the norm and non canon I can just brush it off, like other non canon outings. Tails is just... I gotta take em off the list

As far as Shadow and Blaze

I can appreciate two characters who can be about their buisness, quite powerful, actually learn and grow, look cool, and everytime they interact with someone they bring something interesting to the table

[Cuz]

Vector the Detector. I like his serpentine design and his unique brand of leadership in the modern incarnation of the Chaotix. He loves to play the fool, but there's just enough going on beyond that. Deducing their client's identity at the end of Heroes, running messages between Sonic and Robotnik in that one episode of Sonic X. Generation's "I have a feeling someone's controlling that monster." (Look I'll never praise Generation on a "narrative" level but none the less this is a point in my favor). My point is, for a Sonic character, he has a subtle wit. Even Sonic Boom portrayed him favorably.

Yes Sonic, himself, is a personal favorite of mine. I think it helps that there's no end to different takes on the character throughout the years. Without getting into the spinoff media even. In the Adventure era he came off as a punky rebel, when Jason Griffith took over you start to notice a consistent philosophical side to the character. It just happened that Jason ended up with most of the preachy, moral advice, moments like in his interactions with Elise, Shahra, Merlina, or Chip. At his best in the games he's a freaking force of nature and chaotic good, and it's suffice to say I love the alternate takes from the cartoons and comics, where he can be a little more human, fallible, or even withdrawn, just as much.

For much the same reason... I love Robotnik as a character. He's a great antagonist and industrial foil to Sonic with no end to portrayals to choose from, many of which aren't total 180's from what the character is at his core, but more like bringing different facets of the character to the surface then anything. It doesn't matter if you prefer the comical man-child, or the serious villain, the genuinely intelligent 300-IQ scientist, or the total despot you're covered somewhere.

All told I probably should write up a piece on Knuckles, or Uncle Chuck, but I'd rather give the fourth spot to Rouge, and not for the same reasons I've seen already given. To me I honestly don't see Rouge, as what I would consider, a morally grey character. She's a government agent more often than not. No, I like how well she plays off both Knuckles and Shadow, and that she's a physically powerful character. It's kind of been forgotten after Heroes hit on the team archetype and the flying category she fell into is dominated by characters that literally blow away in the wind. Also, She's a great foil to Amy, at least at her conception when Amy wasn't a de fecto combatant with the Piko hammer.

[Iko]

I don't have 1 specific favorite, it's more a group of characters that I like.

Said characters are:

• Blaze: while I don't talk much about her, she's one of the characters I like the most. She's similar to Shadow with a bit of Knuckles in the mix, but differently from Shadow, she's not all edgy and dark, she has more variety as a character, and occasionally ends into funny situations too. Gameplay wise though, she's a bit disappointing, or at least, Sega never found a way to make her gameplay interesting and unique so far. Her character design, despite being complex and full of dresses and accessories, is still awesome, and looks cool both in 2D and 3D (even seen from the back when you play in third person prespective, something that's not always a given for a character, even Sonic looks awkward when seen from behind); she's one of the best looking character in the whole series IMO.
• Cream: Probably due to the fact that I love Sonic Advance 2, and a series of other factors, I grown fond of this character, despite she seems to be one of the least favorites by the fandom. First of all, I like her design (not as much as Blaze's but still one of my favorites); then I like the attempt of making a Chao playable in the main gameplay, and I would like this character to provide more of that in the future: she basically has the potential to translate the Chao Garden gameplay into Sonic gameplay like Fox in Smash Bros translates the Arwing gameplay into a fighter-platformer hybrid gameplay. Story wise, there are very few instances of this character I liked, I'm sad that she's often used in a generic and cliche way, and she's almost always pointless, but I blame the developers for this, not the character. For example, I like her Advance 2 version, but I dislike her Heroes and Generations version... in Sonic Battle she was a bit meh... she had a decent role but I didn't like how she was obsessed with pacifism, it seemed a bit forced; she's fine in Sonic Rush, but for some reason her personality felt a bit odd and unusual. Though, I give more importance to gameplay potential and character design so I don't care too much about her role and personality.
• Knuckles: Always liked him since Sonic 3 & Knuckles. A character who can be both funny and serious depending on the situation, and I like the wacky characters. I don't have much to say aside the fact that I like him, and that while I like him, I'm a bit disappointed that his gameplay has not evolved enough yet since the Genesis games; he definitely has the potential to do more gameplay wise. I don't like when he's represented as an idiot, such as in the Boom series.
• Big: I dunno, he's so useless and stupid, but I genuinely like him regardless. I'm also convinced that he has some gameplay potential thanks to his fishing rod, and I mean traditional 2D gameplay, not 3D fishing gameplay or something. While he doesn't contribute much with the plot of a game, I think he should appear more, maybe as a side character, as a background/cameo character, for some funny moments, or even have a more active role in the game such as being a shopkeeper in an hub world, or other stuff. He's the typical character who's so random that you may use him for anything without screwing nor affecting the plot, and I see potential in this.
• Fang: He's my favorite classic character. I like that he's a bad guy, he's wacky, and he's basically a replacement for the bad guy Knuckles that is no more a thing since he became a friend of Sonic. I'd like for this character to come back (maybe with his gang too) and interfere with the main events of a game (without being directly involved), or maybe as a playable character too (granted that he's not using real weapons but a cartoony gun instead, maybe a cork gun? who cares, even in the modern universe, if Amy can fight with a toy hammer, why not a toy gun).

[MadmanRB]

Bunnie Rabbot... Yes a "non canon" character.

However I always love Bunnie, she was kind, strong and fearless.

She was also a bit sad about being part robot but that gave her dimension.

Granted we didnt get too much of her in SatAM but they expanded on her in Archie.

I will miss her, rest in peace Bunnie.

1993-2017

[Lord-Dreamerz]

My top fave is Blaze The Cat! and she has been maybe for over 5 years now! Feels kinda odd considering Sonic was my fave for over 20 something years... But now Sonic has dropped down to my 5th fave... Hohoo how the mighty have fallen.

Metal Sonic is my 2nd fave. He is very cool & scary... and a bit cute too. I adore his design.

Sticks is my 3rd fave! Love her funky wild and cute design! Plus I kinda relate to her character... including her personality in some ways... Don't ask. =p

[Austroid]

If you asked me a long time ago, I'd say Eggman without a doubt. But in recent years its been more of a tie between him and Knuckles.

With Eggman I've had a long history of loving the bad guys; whether it be Darth Vader or The Joker villains were always cool to a younger me. I adore his design (leaning a bit more toward classic nowadays) and how deceiving it can look. I like his self-obsession which is pretty iconic at this point, and also just how versatile of a villain he can be against Sonic and his fuzzy friends.

Knuckles is a bit more relatable to me. (though I've been told I have a self-obsession lol) I like his lone wolf attitude, and his self-discipline when it comes to protecting the Master Emerald and Angel Island. I also love his big heart beneath his rough outer shell; despite be repeatedly tricked by Eggman over the years, he still wants to believe there's a shred of good in the mad doctor. I honestly find that quite sweet and admirable. He's also just got a neat and memorable design too. (gotta love those spiked mittens!)

Eggman and Knuckles also have an interesting dynamic with each other, which tends to be more interesting than the general "good vs evil" with Sonic and Eggman. In addition to Knuckles wanting to believe Eggman could change his evil ways, you never really know if Eggman truly dislikes Knuckles as much as the others, or if he sees a bit of an ally in the echidna.

I'd totally be down for an Eggman/Knuckles team up!

[Red Hot Jack]

Sonic and Shadow, really both sides of the medal, I love them both for what they represent, and Sonic is a spitfire and a free spirit, I really love that, while Shadow is introverted like me, so I can't help but like him too.

As for the rest, I really love most of the cast, Sticks stands out because she's such an adorable character, funny and a bit like me, crazy and paranoid, cynical too but I like to fight that side of me, because it's not healthy. And yeah I do have some problems like Sticks, we can talk about it in the personal discussion thread. Besides her, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Eggman, plus Metal Sonic, are my favorites.

Nice that there is a positive thread for a change

[BlossomHaze]

Silver the Hedgehog has been my all-time favorite Sonic character ever since he debuted in Sonic '06. I relate to him more out of any of the other characters on the fact that we're both naive and optimistic about many different things. I also really like his character design and how they utilized it to work with his psychokinesis. Plus, I just love the "kind dumb, but well-meaning" type of characters, and that's how I describe him to my friends, lol.

I'm probably alone in this, but Infinite holds second place for me among my favorite characters list. When he was first announced, I was skeptical but as I learned more about him, I thought he had a neat concept (though poorly executed). I liked the idea of a character who felt like no matter what he did, he couldn't ever hold up to the rest of the cast. I related to that quite a bit if I'm being honest, and it's something I struggle with everyday. I do hope that we can see more of him in the future, but I doubt we'll be seeing him again anytime soon... which is a shame, because he has a cool design.

Knuckles the Echidna was originally my favorite Sonic character, but over the years I felt like he was becoming dull. I absolutely loved his character in Adventure 2 and a few parts throughout Sonic X, and I wish they would have used that more in later games that he was in. It was nice to see him have a role in Sonic Forces, but it felt downplayed sometimes and I think Knuckles deserves more than what he's been getting. Still love the guy, though!

Vector the Crocodile is so cool. I was so happy to see him come back in Sonic Heroes, re-designed with a fun personality. He's kind of like the jerk with a heart of gold in some situations, and I really like that about him. He doesn't take crap from anyone and he knows he can get the job done. I actually thought that episode of Sonic Boom he was in was hilarious and it's probably my favorite one in the series. Seriously, I hope they never get rid of the Chaotix - Vector is just too much fun, haha.

I used to despise Shadow the Hedgehog, but over the years he's really warmed up to me, and I definitely place him in my top five list. His entire arc in Adventure 2 is my favorite iteration of his character, and I think I would have placed him higher if he actually had stayed dead like they had planned. He is (was?) just a misunderstood guy with a tragic backstory that haunts him, and I'm a sap for that kind of thing. I'm not sure why he's working with GUN, though... pretty sure they were the cause of his trauma...?? Oh well, he has cool shoes, so whatever, lol.

[DabigRG]

Okay, let's try this again, in a more safe method:

Games

Dr. Eggman-Probably my most consistently and openly favored out of game cast,  Robotnik is an affable and bombastic, yet persistent and capable force for Sonic's World to be reckoned with. I'm not entirely sure why, but I used to have quite a thing for villains and antivillains throughout my school years and Eggman was & still is towards the top of that benchmark. Nearly all incarnations of the Doctor have ranked pretty high with me for what they bring with them. Plus, dat Eggmobile is one of the coolest rides.

Vector the Crocodile-Team Chaotix in general were something of breakout characters for we throughout later parts of elementary and early parts of middle school, but Vector stood out amongst all three of them. Maybe it's because he's the leader, maybe it's because he's my favorite color, maybe it's because of his off the wall abilities compared to even his teammates, and/or maybe it was Bill Corkery's and to an extent Keith Silverstein's great Bronx-accented vocals for the guy. Either way, this croc rocks.

Cream the Rabbit-So this one is kind of interesting in that while I didn't really think to put that much shine on her, Cream was almost always a character that had my attention whenever she actually had the limelight given to her. It could have something to do with the fact that I don't actually remembering ranking Sonic characters much, never mind the ones from the games. Nonetheless, she is especially appreciated nowadays for being probably the only Modern recurring character that really brings a sense of let's say "just for fun" vibes around her presence and for also being a relatively nice execution of a few rather mundane and/or niche-y ideas. And much like the character below, she also has this nice touch of having a place and background she can return to when not involved in things and sometimes even then.

Knuckles the Echidna-Back when my first real interest in this franchise came in Mcdonald's Happy meals, Knuckles was probably my favorite character after Shadow at the time. He is in an interesting middleground where he technically pioneered many of the character and story elements that would come after him, his character is ironically free enough to have any amount of inclusion, focus, and sometimes even tone given to him. And while my focus on him has wavered a number of times as other games, characters, and even series got my attention, Knuckles' use in various spinoffs and the Adventure games are something I generally enjoyed. My interest of the endangered species was particularly rekindled thanks to the additions of Dr. Finitevus & Thrash, plus the various storylines he got in the New252. 

Dr. Nega-Yeah yeah, I'm more aware of the interloper's derision and slight edginess nowadays, but he really did fascinate me a fair bit despite and even because of that in comparison to Blaze and Marine. It especially intrigues me nowadays, with Iuzuka's confirmation, that these two separate uses and existences of the villain can actually work as this twisted subplot involving a shameful descendant's increasingly nihilistic attempts at omnicide. Also, the Archie Preboot made a great use of his paradoxical habits and the red tape around his representation.

Archie

Antoine D'coolette-Out of the four Freedom Fighters that hid within Knothole Village, Antoine was definitely my favorite. A skittish soldier with a somewhat corny appreciation for the romantic and an ego that takes as twice many licks as it attempts to dish out, there was just something simultaneous entertaining and yet relateable about the french coyote's efforts to prove himself. One of my favorite episodes of his technical origin series notably had him open up a bit about his shortcomings and come up with a fairly clever if risky solo plan that nearly succeeded; kinda makes the increased focus and buffoonish tendencies his character received in the next season a mite disorientating in comparison. When I actually got into the Archie comics, you better believe I liked the levels of development he received over the decade. And even as Sally and Rotor somewhat took/shared some of that energy leading up to and during the reboot, Antoine still had some beacons of his own to remember and will always maintain a good spot with me.

Scourge the Hedgehog-As I mentioned in Knuckles' entry, Shadow was intentionally my favorite of the popular four characters getting into the series. However, with proper exposure, resolution, age, and most important greater varieties of intrigue and context out there, I moved on from the Fake Hedgehog, much as he chose to move on from his past. And you know, speaking of dark rivals, something I didn't really think too much about for good while was the fact that Sonic kinda lacks a proper Evil Counterpart ala his preceding rival Mario. Enter a real Scourge, an emerald green hedgehog in a biker jacket and paling red shades that truly resembled and felt like an evil answer to the Hero of Mobius--because he IS the Sonic of Moebius. I friggin love this Multiversal Mutant, with his braggadocious ego, swaggering razor grin, Chaos energy inflicted scar on his chest, and even the nonsensical pendant-crown-thing he adorned after beating up a few warlord s and saying that made him king. Much like Eggman, he really did give Sonic an entertainingly in-your-face foe that got some beams and a couple of laughs, not to mention the bonus of making him consider what he's capable of.

Thrash the Devil- A Cockney Marsupial with a strong if somewhat twisted sense of justice, this purple antihero with simultaneously simple and peculiar design practically became another breakout when his true purpose was revealed. I appreciate him for giving Knuckles a personal rival of his own to throw down with as a part of his own Gallery of Rouges(though most of them are have noble/principle motivations, intentions, and goals), for acting as a[nother] form of reckoning the Echidna race had long since earned/created for itself, for his unique collaboration with his pack of devolved Devil Dog relatives, and for the neat trivia of having a graphical quirk of Classic origin as an inspiration for his design. It's a damn shame that the intended arc for him got repeatedly delayed, rushed to a overstretched if epic shakeup, and then the intentions to implement him into the reboot with a reworked his backstory fell through.

Axel the Water Buffalo- The first seen Egg Boss of the New252 Egg Army, this motor-loving denizen of Efrika.  he is also notable for his appreciation for [loud] vehicles, sense of camaraderie with his Soldiers, and for actually sorta teaching Eggman something [to quote as his own] after getting to pair up with him. Sure, he started out as legal expy of the legionized Biker Bear Diesel and he might not be as expressive and fun as Thunderbolt & the BattleLord or quite as intriguingly [im]moral as Nephtys or Maw, but this is a load of bull I can definitely handle.

Wendy Naugus-Naugus was one of those characters that generally had a bizarre sense of scenery stealing and/or chewing presence about him and for good reason. His introduction as a betrayed associate of Julian's, his origins as an unwitting accidental fusion of three surviving members of a Sorcerous Order, and his reworking into a Troll Warlock with an amazingly dumb hat and an appreciation for history were all ways of making him creepy yet corny magical answer to Eggman's silly use of robotics in his ambitions. However, I'm gonna go ahead and give this spot to his [older?] twin sister in the New252. Riding around in a minecart-like carrier, this kooky and somewhat childish Troll Witch forgoes her brother's manipulative ambitions and wrathful sense of entitlement for the more "casual" and enjoyable things in her long(?) endangered life, whether that be mindcontrolling her three Witchcarters, trading magical relics in order to indulge her fascination, collecting porcelain figurines, having a good laugh at her brother, or being enamored with his sworn enemy Dr. Eggman. Sometimes multiple at once.

Boom

Sticks the Jungle Badger-An unexpected lead in the newest subseries, Sticks is a quirky, if paranoid and still fairly feral muselid was found, befriended, and slightly ingrained with civilization by her friend Amy Rose the Hedgehog. What I particularly found interesting about her, partly borne from being a rather wild girl in a world of anthromorphic animals, is the fact that her personality and beliefs were very adverse and contrasting to many of the other characters around her, meaning she could be partnered up with any one of them in order to get any form of neat interactions. I really enjoy and happily await for the instances where she can be further immigrated into the proper game cast so she can continue have  more interactions and adventures outside of her originating zone's sitcomy format.

Fastidious Beaver-Initially debuting as a Poor man's substitute for Tails, this meek and proper librarian was oddly somewhat endearing since his introduction. His somewhat knockoff-ish design is both kinda humorous and neat to behold, his soft Droopy like voice is a small joy to listen to, the irony that the only thing he's really persnickety about is grammar, and his occassional tendency to either roll into a protective ball or get pushed around help. While it probably doesn't make to much sense, I wouldn't mind if his attempt to run for mayor during Lyric's return came back in some capacity.

Comedy Chimp-In a subseries of a series where action, adventure, and [teenage] attitude are the norm, a portly, somewhat washed up simian with history in standup and showbiz is probably the last thing you'd expect to see. Originally existing as a character who frequently appeared on TV, this ambiguously jewish has-bean eventually found his footing as a somewhat cynical talkshow host. And ya know what, he really started to feel like a special part of the show, enough that his decreasing appearances and possible bus ride as the show goes on didn't go unnoticed for too long.

Wily Walrus-Probably one of the more random picks from early on, this bizzarely tusked convict had a good history of pulling criminal acts and getting caught before he became a member of the Lightning Bolt Society. Gonna level with ya here--it's primarily the voice: there's something charmingly corny(or would that be cony?) about it. Regardless, I thought the palooka was mighty swell in his humorously silhoutted debut and always thought it was a bit of a waste that he never really got to carry more capers on his own, perhaps acting as a more muscular burglar like the stoutly strong thug he appears to be.

Charlie the Desert Rat-One of the most interesting of the Boom cast not named Sticks(who names their kid that anyway?), this initially mild-mannered archeologist eventually started putting his craft and surprising amount of pent up anger to use by becoming a villain. Often associated with a powerful mech suit left behind by the Ancients, supportive if somewhat pernicious wife Belinda, and his personal sworn archnemesis Knuckles, Charlie is oddly enough one of the few characters to be have anything resembling development in his recurring appearances and arguably comes the closest to being portrayed rather seriously(relatively speaking, of course). And with his outing to make an anniversary present for Belinda, it's safe to say that the Married Couple was set to become a duo that would show Hedgehog Village a thing or two about Unholy Matrimony.

 

[tailsBOOM!]

On 5/26/2018 at 12:11 PM, Lord-Dreamerz said:

My top fave is Blaze The Cat! and she has been maybe for over 5 years now! Feels kinda odd considering Sonic was my fave for over 20 something years... But now Sonic has dropped down to my 5th fave... Hohoo how the mighty have fallen.

Metal Sonic is my 2nd fave. He is very cool & scary... and a bit cute too. I adore his design.

Sticks is my 3rd fave! Love her funky wild and cute design! Plus I kinda relate to her character... including her personality in some ways... Don't ask. =p

I am now! Please explain?

Also, here´s my top five heroes and villains (It must not have went through a few days ago):

Heroes:

1. Modern Miles ¨Tails¨ Prower

2. Classic Miles ¨Tails¨ Prower (I count the three separate)

3.  Sonic the Hedgehog (Modern/Classic- both work)

5.  Boom Miles ¨Tails¨ Prower  (I love him as a character, but he was nerfed way too much in the games)

 

Villains:

1. Metal Sonic (No specific version)

2. Infinite the Jackal (Damn cool design, and lots of potentials)

3. Scourge the Hedgehog (Archie-  He´d be great in the games)

4. Dr. Ivo von ¨Eggman¨ Robotnik (The classical villain)

5. ¨Chaos¨ (He´s in parentheses because I don´t consider him a true villain)

[A person, that exists]

Dr. Eggman - To be honest, Eggman kind of stands out from the rest of the Sonic cast, especially when it comes to the series' villains. He doesn't try to be edgy or menacing, and even when the games try that (Sonic 2006, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Adventure), he still acts like a toddler, who thinks that everyone should obey his orders, and who wants to control powers way beyond his reach. He throws those giant, over-the-top mechas and giant battleships, he splits the earth into pieces, he makes giant robotic versions of himself, and overall does some crazy stuff, that no serious villain would really do. He really stands out, and it makes him memorable. 

Not to mention that his design is amazing in a way. When you look at Eggman, you don't think "Maniacal technology fanatic who wants to turn everything into a large polluted factory land". Eggman's villainous side has more subtilty to it, it's deceiving, and it's awesome.

The best Eggman by far has to be the Unleashed one. I mean, he has the comedy of the later Eggman incarnations, while still being threatening, like his Adventure predecessors 

However, I don't really dig the Boom incarnation. It just feels like the doc gave up in that universe. No crazy battleship armadas, no weapons of mass destruction, nothing. Really, Boom Eggman is by far the most boring Robotnik we've had, and that's against some stiff (Cough-cough, Sonic Underground Robotnik) competition.

Knuckles the Echidna - Knuckles is more or less a character that really made Sonic stick out from the bunch of other mascot platformers for me. I mean, sure, Sonic's a hedgehog, but everyone else from the main cast, excluding maybe Amy and Shadow, are pretty generic. Cats, crocodiles, rabbits, foxes, I've seen it before a billion times. And then, boom, Knuckles the Echidna. Now that's something that you don't see very often. 

But, real-life stuff aside, I really dig how different Knuckles felt for a while. He was really the only character with a clear goal and mission in life. Eggman wants... World domination, because he's evil, Sonic wants to run around and kick Eggman's butt because he's... Good(?), Amy chases Sonic because... Tarot cards, according to the Japanese manual for CD, and Tails just wants to hang around with Sonic because he... Wouldn't get bullied for his tails? Basically, Knuckles was the only character who had a clear goal, with that goal being guarding the Master Emerald no matter what. He felt like a more serious, down-to-earth character. Heck, in a way, Knuckles was the OG Shadow.

That said, Knuckles really began turning into this "Aggressive fighter sidekick" archetype after SA2 introduced Shadow as a more cool, down-to-earth rival, and Shadow's game retconned the Master Emerald out of existence. Knuckles became a loud, obnoxious jerk in a franchise full of them. But, alas, the classic/SA1 Knuckles lives on as my favorite incarnation, and I would really love to see him return.

That said, when Sega tried to bring down-to-earth Knuckles back in Forces, it was weird and strange, so...

Anyhow, best Knux: Definitely the SA1 one. Has enough depth, while still being wild and gullible.

Worst Knux: By far the Sonic 2006 one. He does NOTHING throughout the story, and is overall shown as a useless jerk.

Vector the Crocodile/Vector the Detector - Now, Vector is the "Aggressive fighter jerk" archetype done RIGHT. He's a selfish, money-loving guy with a heart of gold, and he doesn't take crap from anyone. And, just like with Eggman's subtle evilness and Knuckles' subtle depth, Vector has a level of subtilty when it comes to his wit. Sure, he's an off-the-wall powerhouse goofball, but he has some wit, and judging from his Heroes' actions, and his Generations' "I think that something's controlling that monster". So, just like Eggman, Vector likes to play the clown, when in reality he might just be the smartest member of the Chaotix.

That said, I think that Vector really doesn't have any real stinkers when it comes to his portrayal in Sonic media. Shadow and Heroes get his character alright, and Rivals, Generations and Colors DS barely show the croc. The only hit-or-miss Vector we've had is probably the Free Riders one, where they tried to turn him into an overall shady fellow with a ton of debts.

Also, Vector's design and powers are cool. Really, it's a badass-looking (Well, as badass as the Sonic series can get) crocodile with headphones, that can crush metal with his jaws.

Sonic the Hedgehog - Really, this one is obvious. To me personally Sonic is the tone-setter for each game in a weird way. The youthful and cheery Classic games (And partially Heroes) had the youthful and cheery Sonic, the more punky and rebellious Adventure games had the rad, risk-loving Sonic, the more or less serious Sonic Next Gen, Unleashed and Black Knight had the philosophical and calm hedgehog, and the more self-referential comedy games like Boom or Colors had jerk Sonic. Makes sense, seeing how he's the main character, you know, the face of the game, the guy on the cover, etc.

My favorite incarnation has to be either the rebellious Adventure Sonic, or the calm Sonic Unleashed one. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Classic (Even though Sega turned him into a cutsey Mario/Kirby wannabe in Generations) and I can see what people see in Boom Sonic, but, eh, those Sonics aren't my cup of tea. To me, Sonic will always continue to be the definition of "Attitude" that he was in the 90-s/most of the 00-s. 

Best Sonic: Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic. Has that punky feel which I'd expect from the character, while also being serious when he needs to be.

Worst Sonic: Sonic Lost World Sonic. Really, he's so stupid and thoughtless, that he almost goes into the Modern Knuckles category of reckless. 

Shadow the Hedgehog - As much as people like to hate on the guy, I think that Shadow started out strong, at least when it comes to being Sonic's rival. With Knuckles being severely dumbed down in SA2, Sonic needed a new rival that wasn't a certain robotic hedgehog, and Shadow fit that role perfectly. He had an understandable motivation, and was overall just a misunderstood guy, who realized what he was doing a little too late. His character arc in SA2 was near perfect, and I think that they should've left Shadow on that. Of course, Sega didn't do that, and instead turned Shadow into a Mary Sue, who replaced Knuckles and Metal as Sonic's rival. Still, I think Shadow's original incarnation was great. Plus, he has cool shoes.

Best Shadow: Sonic Adventure 2, for the reasons above.

Worst Shadow: Sonic Free Riders. Here he was like a mix of Vector's greed, Jet's jerkiness and his Shadow the Hedgehog self's ego. Really felt like a weird change.

[Shaun Shikeishuu]

Knuckles because he's rougher than the rest of them, the best of them, tougher than leather. Seriously when this guy first showed up he punched Sonic so hard he knocked him out of his Super form, stole his emeralds and laughed at him. I always thought Knuckles was awesome and he's still my favorite even though they decided to turn him into a joke over the years.

[DabigRG]

Ya know, even with my Skeletor length'd post, it occurs to me hindsight that all but two members have posted multiple characters despite the title.

[Dr. Detective]

My top three change positions so often that I never feel comfortable conforming to an order for my Top 3. Sometimes I'll say my number 2 is my number 1 whenever I feel like being super honest with myself but then I default to number 1 whenever I feel "but no, he really is the best one and I love bad guys so much because of him". So whatever. I'll just talk about the three of them.

Dr. Eggman - I never hated Eggman when I was first being introduced to Sonic through Adventure 2 and Heroes. I thought he was cool and all that but I didn't realize he was one of my top 3 favorite characters until I saw... this is going to sound random as fuck but here it is... it was a commercial for Sonic X, advertizing a random episode in Season 3 and at the very, very end of it, there was just this scene of Eggman flying around in his Egg-Mobile with Bokkun, flailing his arms out as if they were wings, and screaming "GO EGGMAN! GO EGGMAN! GO EGGMAN! GO! GO!" That shit stuck with me. It was like I saw that and my immediate reaction was "Holy shit, this guy is the coolest motherfucker ever. I love him so much." 

I think the thing that's so endearing about Eggman is the fact that it really tipped me off to how much fun and awesome villain characters are. Especially when they're used as a wild-card. At the time of me getting into Sonic, Eggman was being used as a wild-card A LOT too. Not just in the third season of Sonic X but in stuff like Shadow the Hedgehog where he's not the main villain but because of his ego and the size of his army, the way he has the ability to spin a situation on its head by throwing himself into the fray always fascinated me. It's like how Vegeta was on Planet Namek at the beginning of the arc. He's clearly not a good guy but he's directly opposed to the main villains of the arc. Something about that was so badass to me. I like the idea of him playing the role of the main villain too, obviously, though it didn't take until I read the comics to see the real benefits of it because the games aren't very good at utilizing his position as the big bad anymore. 

Still, I love Eggman. He's the best villain ever. In any series. Even One Piece, which has infinitely better writing and handling of it's characters than Sonic ever has, had, or will. 

Charmy Bee - I'm going to be the only person here who gives this answer but that's fine. You learn to live with and accept things the more time goes on. All I ever desire nowadays is just to get one shot to play as him without being tethered to Vector and Espio and I'm good. Really, I'll have worked up my miracle quota for a lifetime and I'll be golden. Charmy just kind of represents... everything I love about kid characters and being a kid in general. I'm definitely not the target demographic for his kind of character but I can't help it. I really like cute stuff. My younger sister got me a plush of Stitch for Christmas and I keep that thing on my bed with me at all times even though I'm 25, black, and a dude. Stereotypes be damned.

Still, I think the most endearing thing about him is kind of how I was introduced to him as well as the other Chaotix. It was my first time getting a chance to play Sonic Heroes over at my Grandma's house in New York City. One of my uncles (I have 4 of them) let me play Heroes on his PS2 and I was jazzed and excited. Also a bit overwhelmed. I was just off of Adventure 2: Battle at around that time so finding out that there was another Sonic game that had come out after it that my uncle already had was a lot to deal with. He turned it on for me, pointed at Team Chaotix and said "Those guys are really awesome".

They looked weird to me but in a really good way. Like, right off the bat their designs stood out. They were so strange looking but that just made me more excited. I love everything about their dynamic and the way they function as a unit. Most of all, of course, I just really love having a representation for what I personally would have wanted to be when I was a kid. I was a somber, sad fucking kid. I'd talk to my daycare teachers about being afraid of death. I had so few friends. I rarely talked. I was well acquainted with the Guidance Counselors... Charmy just seemed like he was what I should have been. Or at least he's what I wish I could have been. 

A six-year-old detective. Obviously.

Vector the Crocodile - Surprisingly though, I'm not the only one who picked Vector. That's good. I was a bit worried because the dude is too creative to not be acknowledged by a lot of people. It'd be a crying shame if he suffered the same fate as his younger companion there. There's almost too much to talk about with him. His design is probably the most distinct and unique in the series still. His position as a detective with the actually relatable and realistic goal of "Make a living and Pay the Rent" is completely understandable and almost instantly sympathetic. However, the big draw is definitely his personality, or at least what I believe his personality should be. 

The thing about Vector the Detector is that he's kind of an amalgamation of his two companions in a sense. He's easy going and fun but he's always shown as the person whose in control and asserts himself as the leader of his group or a competent detective in pretty much every game he's appeared in aside from Free Riders. He's the only one who knew who their client's identity was the whole time in Heroes, he's the one who came up with their plan of action in Shadow's game, he's the only character in Generations who gets to say something plot relevant when you save him (as such they made him say it no matter which Sonic you play as) because he somehow figured out that the Time Eater was actually being controlled just by presumably watching it fly all over the place at random. Of course, one of the best examples of this is his appearance in Sonic Boom.

He's got the money eyes and the spiffy manner of speech, and that's funny and all, but he takes his job seriously, has a good enough heart not to be saddled with a possibly unresolved case for money, and ultimately humbly teams up with Sonic to solve it. Then there's the comics which also do a good job of playing up how smart he is without doing away with the more cartoonish side of his character. He's kind of like a more tolerable version of those goofy detectives you see on live-action TV. 

Ironically, despite how much I like Sonic X, it has easily the worst portrayal of him to date (that I've seen in official media)... and yet I still like him there. They tended to play up his goofy and aloaf side far more than the side of him that was smart and as such, the perception of his character got a little askew. People started to assume things about him that weren't the way they were in the games just because he had more screentime in X than he did in Heroes and Shadow combined by that point. It seems to have dwindled a bit nowadays, which is good, because the way he was in Heroes was perfect. Although, I loved the role the Chaotix served in Sonic X to death. I absolutely love the way they played them up as guys on their own mission who don't stick around the whole time but show up to be a nice surprise. Characters that do that are the absolute best. It's what I loved about Knuckles and Rouge back in the day too. I just find that more interesting than having your heroes all closely knit.

Also, the line "Who's the broad" is fucking gold and it deserves meme status way more than "Find the Computer Room". Fuck that one.

Shout out to E-123 Omega for being my 4th favorite character. I appreciate the way you stole the show by saying funny lines with bitter sarcasm and murderous intent. You're story needs some definite expansion but I appreciate how you're a character that's based on revenge. It's a pretty risky kind of thing for a recurring character in this kind of series to have admittedly selfish and vindictive revenge driving the motivation behind their character and not really falter too much from it. 

 

[BaronGrackle]

When I was young in the mid '90s, it was Knuckles. When I reentered the fanbase a few years ago, it was Tails. Now it's starting to be Knuckles again - because the evolution of Knuckles' character has just been a roller coaster ride!

Is he dramatically emotional (Classic and Modern eras) or stoically resigned to duty (Dreamcast era)? Rather, does he in fact chuckle?

Does he sound like a Jamaican (S&K guidebook), an excitable rival (Saturn manuals), a quiet warrior (Dreamcast era), or a blustering wannabe hero (Modern era, Boom)?

Are he and his island bound to the Chaos Emeralds (S3, Triple Trouble), bound to the Chaos and Master Emeralds (S&K, arguably SA1), bound to only the Master Emerald (arguably SA1, SA2), or is he bound to nothing except adventure or treasure (the OVA, Saturn era, arguably Modern era)? Does he wear a hat because he likes to (the OVA) ,or just while working his day job to pay for electricity (Boom)?

But in all his different incarnations, you see trends. SOLID trends.

He's always overconfident and naive. He always burrows and packs power. He always sees himself as the natural leader and is doggedly devoted to whatever he guards over - whether it be the denizens of Angel Island or the safety of the world. I've seen him fabricate stories in SA1, in Boom, and in Mania... three totally different incarnations... to the extent that some have speculated whether the Knuckles mode in S2 and S3&K might best be retconned as another grand fabrication!

I mean, Operation Big Wave?

"I thought up this strategy in about a minute and a half. We're going in hard and fast and we're not going to stop till Eggman's army's destroyed."

[Fire-N-Space]

Amy Rose the cute and fierce warrior I love it when Amy started kissing Sonic in that one Sonic X episode!

[Dash Speed]

Wow alot of people love Knuckles

Shadow for me, he's the yang to sonic's yin, and can easily be the yin as far as personality wise goes, he's a great complex character and the most humane of the sonic characters, he's pure alphaness after his own game, really came out on his own as 06 shown and argueably has the coolest and most badass powers and themesongs in the series.

I also like Silver, and Tails to an extent,

Yeah I like Sonic, but I hate how people try to make him as edgy and cool as sonic as a punk rocker cliche, Sonic should be a like Goku, a perpetual kid at heart and immature do gooder who's not good with reading emotions or being deep but a straight to the point alpha male who does what he wants with a grin the size of the sun.

[Biggs]

Metal Sonic because he is factually the coolest character from anything ever.

Knuckles is also a top lad. Brilliant design, heart in the right place, makes mistakes, but pretty collected, and his chuckle from Sonic 3 is the best.

[Your Vest Friend]

On 6/1/2018 at 7:03 AM, DabigRG said:

maybe it was Bill Corkery's and to an extent Keith Silverstein's great Bronx-accented vocals for the guy.

Bill Corkery must have failed hard if he made the ninja sound like he had a Bronx accent. 

...It was Marc Biagi who voiced Vector, Corkery was Espio. 

11 hours ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

Also, the line "Who's the broad" is fucking gold and it deserves meme status way more than "Find the Computer Room". Fuck that one.

Thankfully, the former seems to have gotten more traction in recent years as people realise exactly the implications of the line. Also the fact that the line is actually said in the course of the story and not missable by game design. 

[DabigRG]

1 hour ago, VEDJ-F said:

Bill Corkery must have failed hard if he made the ninja sound like he had a Bronx accent. 

...It was Marc Biagi who voiced Vector, Corkery was Espio. 

D'oh! 

That's right, I do remember reading something to that effect a while back--my mistake!