Help Me Understand The Love For Mighty

[JingleBoy]

cause from my point of view, he sucks lol

Sonic Mania+ has brought Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel back into the limelight and even if it turns out to only be their last 5-seconds of fame in the long run, it's a welcome return and farewell in my books. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he sucks to play as in Mania or anything like that, this is mainly about the masses of people that worship and stan this character like he's jesus or something.

Even before Mania+, I've always seen so many people rally behind this character and I really just don't understand what's so good about him. In Knuckles Chaotix he's just a Sonic stand-in, with no defining characteristics right?

   

People give Shadow so much flack, but at least he has a personality and back-story to define him as a character.

On that note, what even is Mighty's personality?? Even watching Mania Adventures (great series) I get the impression they were sort of struggling to find anything interesting to do with him purely because he has little to no interesting character traits. They did a great job with portraying Ray as a funny goofball kid, but I get none of that from Mighty. Is Mighty supposed to be cocky and arrogant? Then he's basically just Sonic, right? Is he supposed to be strong but short-tempered? Then he's basically just Knuckles, right?

I groaned when Mighty and Ray were announced as playable characters for Mania+ cause I (and a lot of others) really wanted to see a fully playable classic Amy and I think it sucks that her only appearance in the game was relegated to a joke that kind of mocks her as a character (I chuckled though ngl). My 9 year old cousin was disappointed at the lack of Amy I'll tell you that much lol, but how can I explain to her that "oh uuh she couldn't be in the game cause modern sonic and classic sonic are for some reason now in alternate dimensions and as a result this puts a limit on what they can and can't do with the franchise and since she really only became playable in modern-onwards it's unlikely that she'll be in the game but hey uuhh i could be proven wrong i'll get back to you on that one kiddo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯".

I've since learned to love Ray and tolerate Mighty. Ray has personality and charm as a character that I think really sets him apart from everyone else; like I said, he's a lovable goofball kid. 

I don't get an ounce of personality from Mighty and I think that's part of the reason why Sonic Team chose not to bring him back. He's the classic equivalent of Silver the Hedgehog, prove me wrong.

 

[Plasme]

Mighty's really just a curio character, nothing more.

[Your Vest Friend]

People grew up with him in their comic books, so they wanted him in their games as well (at least, that's like 95% of the pre-Mania interest).

Of course, now he's in their game(s), he can't be in their comics any more. 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

12 minutes ago, VEDJ-F said:

People grew up with him in their comic books, so they wanted him in their games as well (at least, that's like 95% of the pre-Mania interest).

Of course, now he's in their game(s), he can't be in their comics any more. 

Still absolutely idiotic this happened.

[Celestia]

He's a pacifist (that will fight if he has to, natch) but has super strength. Sadly underexplored+utilized, but the concept is definitely there. I also like his design and don't really consider it a bad thing his sprites in particular are blatantly based on Sonic's.

[Wraith]

He has a strong design. Derivative but it'd be kind of silly to pick on Mighty specifically for that and leave Ray and half a dozen other Sonic characters alone. I like the colors better than Ray and the little touches like his ears are unique to him. 

He not expressive in the same way Ray is, but has a strong sense of responsibility and resolve that's communicated through his animations. He's also a pacifist. Despite filling the strong guy archetype like Knuckles they couldn't be more different, otherwise. There's potential there, and really all it takes is a character to look and sound interesting enough on paper to get people's imagination going. Sonic fans should understand this more than anyone. Sometimes we like these characters for shallow reasons, and there's really nothing wrong with that. 

Signed someone who doesn't like Mighty that much.

[Gumbit]

I would swap Mighty & Ray in the fav of Amy .

[DabigRG]

To give some degree of unbiased explanation on this matter, Mighty is both considered a underutilized fan-favorite by many and yet sometimes accused of having little personality by certain people because he was used(I'll get to this in a second) during the Classic--a time where the characters didn't need much characterization beyond a general moniker or two(?) to get by in what little story there was to the games. Though it probably doesn't help that what personality traits he does have varies between adaptations and even translations.

He was only in two games where what personality and unique abilities he may have had couldn't really be showcased much--in fact, he was essentially a clone/stand-in for Sonic himself gameplay-wise. The first real appearance was SegaSonic: an arcade game where he control the same as Sonic and Ray with a select few unique animations due to it apparently being designed as a game about THREE Sonics/Hedgehogs originally. The second and until Mania final appearance is Knuckles Chaotix only happened because it started development as a separate  game demo called Sonic Crackers(which featured Sonic and Tails using the same Combi Ring mechanic) and to remove the wall-kicking Sonic himself as a playable character to keep/give the spotlight to Knuckles. 

His design is also fairly distinct silhouette-wise for how simple it is, though his sprites and later color scheme are extremely similar to that of Classic Sonic and Shadow, respective. The fact that he was one of the designs considered for the main character of the very first Sonic game partially explains the palette swap trend in addition to giving him an extra twinge of novelty .

All of these things plus his recurring presence in the American and UK comicbooks  made him a character many people liked and wished would['ve] come back for more games. Fellow Chaotix members Vector, Charmy, and Espio be reworked into a Nonstandard Detective Agency for Sonic Heroes practically opened the door in the eyes of some fans, which we now know was absolutely considered around the same time their redesigns within the game were implemented.

 

Oh, and on him and Ray being in Mania Plus, my only real concern as someone who hasn't played either game is to wonder why they didn't just include Rosy as a third playable character to make things even.

[Darth InVaders]

His character is actually radically different in personality to Sonic or Knuckles, and before Mania I never saw any reference to super strength (except his name) in any game he was in, SegaSonic or Chaotix.

This is his profile from the Japanese Chaotix manual (posted on http://info.sonicretro.org/Chaotix_manuals )...

Mighty the Armadillo

Gender: Male
Age: 16 years old
Hobbies: Peaceful walks through the woods
Likes: Tranquility, nature
Dislikes: Violence

A traveler who feels that his purpose in life is journeying out to various places. He exhibits an amazing ability to completely turn predicaments around if he's put in one, but he's a gentle guy who doesn't like acting rough. He happened to arrive on this island and get caught up in a fuss...

[Marco9966]

For me as a kid, I always knew Mighty as the forgotten character that SEGA scrapped too soon.

That's what I read in his character bio from a fansite back in 2004 (french): http://www.planete-sonic.com/dossiers/personnages/article/mighty-the-armadillo#Caracteristiques-du-bestiau

Here's the sad thing: if you look at the fanarts, at the time, people were hoping for a modern redesign to be able to play him, not just appearances in classic games that happen in the past dimension.

"To help us wait for this moment, I'll leave you dreaming with these magnificient fanarts, hoping for an eventual Sonic Advance Heroes..." (quote translated from the article)

 

4 hours ago, VEDJ-F said:

People grew up with him in their comic books, so they wanted him in their games as well (at least, that's like 95% of the pre-Mania interest).

Of course, now he's in their game(s), he can't be in their comics any more. 

Yeah, that's what we get when we ask things from SEGA (also collateral damage: the hooligans).

[MetalSkulkBane]

First of all his design is unique. Say what you want about his similarities to Sonic, that shell is a fun idea for Sonic.

Secondly, he's old, so despite his obscurity many people just remember him as part of 'good times'.

Next, he's obscure, so that peeks interest. "Ooo, who's this mysterious character?"

Lastly, he has this alluring quality of being vaguely define. There are some suggestions, but everyone can fill details on their own. "Gordon Freeman" rule.

And I guess some people just like to go for hypstery-less-known alternative.

[StaticMania]

It is impossible for anyone to help you understand why Mighty is "loved"...

 

The variety of reasons people can give would apply to any given character...and that's enough for anyone to say "what makes Mighty so special then"  or  "I don't think his design is that interesting" and it's like what's the point then.

 

[MadmanRB]

Well for me its simple, Mighty was a lost character who was forgotten about while Shadow had his name up in lights and fireworks all over.

So of course i like Mighty more, its nice to see a non hedgehog as a playable character again.

[Detective Kaito]

I personally don't care much for Mighty, but the main reason why people were excited to see him come back is cause he's a playable character who's not a hedgehog.

[MadmanRB]

Well that and he has some neat abilites like being mostly immune to spikes and I love when he jumps things fly in the air a little bit.

[Sonic Fan J]

I agree with @StaticMania, it's kind of impossible to help you understand why Mighty (or any character really) is so loved. Each person who likes them finds different reasons to do and become attached in different ways. As a result I can't speak for others and explain their positions, but I can speak from my own.

To begin with, I didn't ever care for Mighty or Ray back in the day as they really meant nothing to me. They were a pair of characters who preceded Knuckles but only had appeared in an obscure arcade game that I had (and still haven't) played. What changed for me though involving why I like Mighty and see so much potential in his character was actually coming across this piece of art from rontufox (https://www.deviantart.com/rontufox)
over on Deviantart. The imagery just captured that sense of whimsy I can only find in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and the way that rontufox described Mighty fit so perfectly  with how I view Sonic as a globetrotting adventurer that I was instantly intrigued. Doing my own research of the character and soaking up rontufox's interpretation of the character I found that I very much liked the idea of Mighty and the type of character that he could be more so than most other characters in the franchise. Like Sonic, he was a globetrotting adventure and who went wherever his feet would take him, and since he was described as one of Sonic's friends I ended up headcannoning that the two of them whenever they encountered each other would swap adventure stories and give each other ideas of where to go next for there own adventures.

Cutting myself off before I go onto too long of a tangent, the short of it is, to me, Mighty is a character like Sonic who makes the latter more believable as well as adding more depth to Sonic's world. He represents a world that is full of adventurers like Sonic and helps sell to me a more grounded side of Sonic even as his abilities and accomplishments raise him to a larger than life position. Just having one other character who is an adventurer, instead of an aspiring one, makes other characters like Tails and Amy also more believable in their casually attempts to be adventurers themselves, because there is more precedent in the world than just Sonic. All that said though, my appreciation of Mighty only works with the pacifist globetrotter perception of the character and as a result I've never been fond of the short tempered strongman trope that most interpretations of him use. I find it disingenuous as he is treated as mostly just a friendly version of Knuckles without the guardian job tying him down, and considering Knuckles already has the short tempered strongman trope tied down why have Mighty repeat it when you can instead pursue his nature loving pacifist aspects?

Any, I hope that at least helps you see a bit as to why I like Mighty, even if it is more so for the potential I see than how he is currently used.

[MadmanRB]

Yeah Mighty being a gentile giant is very appealing to me, compared to Shadow "I am so dark and brooding and cliche and boring!"

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

46 minutes ago, MadmanRB said:

Yeah Mighty being a gentile giant is very appealing to me, compared to Shadow "I am so dark and brooding and cliche and boring!"

Dude, we got it the first time. You don’t like Shadow. No need to turn this into a bashfest, that gets old fast.

Would help if we could see the character more outside the 2D games and into a modern one like the Chaotix. 

[Plasme]

Mighty's only 'popular' because he's a strange curiosity character. He's a sprite edit of Sonic and that is in itself quite odd. He's also famous as most people associate him with the bizarre Knuckles' Chaotix,. The fact he has never appeared in such a long time also helps his rarity appeal. 

He has some characterisation in various comics, but the average person knows absolutely nothing about those comics. He's overwhelmingly 'well-known' for the above.

[MadmanRB]

1 hour ago, Plasme said:

Mighty's only 'popular' because he's a strange curiosity character. He's a sprite edit of Sonic and that is in itself quite odd. He's also famous as most people associate him with the bizarre Knuckles' Chaotix,. The fact he has never appeared in such a long time also helps his rarity appeal. 

He has some characterisation in various comics, but the average person knows absolutely nothing about those comics. He's overwhelmingly 'well-known' for the above.

Bet you would like him more if he had a gun and a bike as that makes any character better right?

But in all seriousness Mighty is pretty awesome for me, a pacifist who acts only when he needs to otherwise he just minds his own business.

Its a stark contrast to all the other over the top characters in the franchise and makes him stand out more than just a sprite edit, granted his character is basic but sometimes a little simplicity is welcome.

 I mean he is not a speedster, he cant fly, he doesnt guard a flying island nor does he steal jewels or is armed to the teeth or from the future or has a over convoluted backstory.

Its refreshing to have a basic character who isnt annoying like Cream (though i blame my dislike for Cream on the Sonic X cartoon) or Big.

[Plasme]

14 minutes ago, MadmanRB said:

Bet you would like him more if he had a gun and a bike as that makes any character better right?

But in all seriousness Mighty is pretty awesome for me, a pacifist who acts only when he needs to otherwise he just minds his own business.

Its a stark contrast to all the other over the top characters in the franchise and makes him stand out more than just a sprite edit, granted his character is basic but sometimes a little simplicity is welcome.

 I mean he is not a speedster, he cant fly, he doesnt guard a flying island nor does he steal jewels or is armed to the teeth or from the future or has a over convoluted backstory.

Its refreshing to have a basic character who isnt annoying like Cream (though i blame my dislike for Cream on the Sonic X cartoon) or Big.

I'm not a fan of Shadow except his Adventure 2 and Boom incarnation, which is still corny, but no idea why you made that assumption  

I think Mighty as a pacifist is interesting, but it's the first time I've heard of it. Mania Adventures certainly didn't adhere to it.

[MadmanRB]

I believe that was his backstory all along and only got involved with Knuckles chatotix and segasonic arcade game by happenstance.

[StaticMania]

22 minutes ago, MadmanRB said:

Its refreshing to have a basic character who isn't annoying like Cream (though i blame my dislike for Cream on the Sonic X cartoon) or Big.

It's not exactly a comparison to make between characters who do and don't talk during their appearances...I'm also pretty sure Big doesn't exist.

[MadmanRB]

6 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

I'm also pretty sure Big doesn't exist.

Dont tell that one to a segasonic purist

[Meta77]

I do  not care for him really. Gsme wise no idea why people compare him to shadow who was meant to be the polar opposite of sonic. Regardless the only time I enjoyed him was the last arc in the comics cause his sister was cute. But granted I doubt those who never read the comics knew who he was.