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Sonic Misconceptions


Dr. Mechano

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Have you ever talked to someone who wasn't familiar with Sonic, and discovered that they had some really strange misconceptions about the characters and plot? I'm not talking about confusing the cartoons for the games or getting muddled in Japanese vs. western game continuities. I'm talking about really bizarre, off-the-wall yet surprisingly common misinformation about the Sonic series. Let's discuss these. What some of these mistakes are, where they came from, and why they became so commonplace.

Misconception 1 - Knuckles is Sonic's Cousin (Or Knuckles is related to Sonic somehow)

Where in the world did this one come from? As far back as middle school, I heard this spread around by casual observers of the series, which makes me suspect some widespread piece of media alluded to this somewhere. Regardless, it's one of the more common mistakes I've seen among those unfamiliar with the series, and felt it was worth mentioning. (Incidentally, the Mario series has a similar misconception: That Mario and Wario are cousins, despite no canon reinforcement to its credit)

Misconception 2 - Professor Gerald is Classic Eggman

A lot of people think this, and I mean a LOT.

For some reason, many fans think the Dr. Eggman of the Genesis games is a wholly different entity from the Eggman of Adventure and onward, and that the former's true name is Professor Gerald Robotnik, making the current Eggman the grandson of the Genesis games' villain. This is obviously wrong, but where did it start? Nothing about this fanon bit works, least of all that it would make Sonic close to fifty years old.

It got so widespread that even the Sonic X comic- in its early pre-Ian days- repeated it, by referring to classic-style Eggman as "Professor Gerald."

Any speculation on how this one started? I'm quite curious.

Misconception 3 - Referring to all Sonic robots as "Metal Sonic."

This is Metal Sonic: metalsonic.png

These are not Metal Sonic: Silver.gifMecha%20Sonic.gif

Alternatively, referring to Metal Sonic as "Mecha Sonic" seems fairly commonplace too. I think Archie did that once, so that's probably where the confusion started.

What other odd misconceptions about the series have you observed? Share with us! Or share your thoughts on the ones already discussed here. Hopefully this will be an interesting topic.

Edited by Dr. Mechano
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Well, I don't know about being a misconception at large, but when my dad came in on me watching a bit of Sonic X once, he saw Shadow and referred to him as 'black Sonic'.

...

I can hear your sniggering, Dr Crusher. :rolleyes:

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The only one I can think of-- assuming it's not entirely tongue-in-cheek-- is the whole genie-alien shtick with the Babylon Rogues. I thought the narrative made it pretty clear that the original race of Rogues were a space-faring technologically advanced civilization that crashed to Earth and simply had a whole bunch of folklore made up about them by the local yokels until the Ark of the Cosmos did them in.

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That Tails was a cat.

Unfortunately this troper I believed that myself one time...:lol:

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I've heard the Gerald and Metal/Mecha ones before, but Knuckles being Sonic's cousin?

... Well... I once heard a fellow from high school saying that Chaos and Black Doom were brothers.

No idea how that came about. Maybe it's the eyes that got him?

Well, I don't know about being a misconception at large, but when my dad came in on me watching a bit of Sonic X once, he saw Shadow and referred to him as 'black Sonic'.

...

I can hear your sniggering, Dr Crusher. :rolleyes:

Edited by Dr. Crusher
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That Tails was a cat.

Unfortunately this troper I believed that myself one time...:lol:

Edited by Dr. Mechano
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The misconception that all modern Sonic games suck.

This coming from experience, actually. Before I was actually a Sonic fan I just remember seeing the occasional bad review for a Sonic game and I was like "lol poor sucker"

Years later, I realize 85% of Sonic reviews are bullshit. :P

99% of all statistics are made up on the spot, by the way, but you get my point

EDIT: I realize this post is heavily opinionated but I'm just kinda trying to be funny here... whatever...

Edited by Raxz
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Oh yeah, and when I was younger and even more retarded, I had originally assumed that the Egg Robo fighting Knuckles was just a disguised Robotnik.

Thankfully this died down very quickly, when I had soonafter learned that Knuckles' story happens after Sonic's story, combined with Sky Sanctuary's reveal of Egg Robos being traditional Badniks.

Even then, I should have known from the beginning. There was a picture of Egg Robo in the manual and everything...

Edited by Dr. Crusher
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The misconception that all modern Sonic games suck.

This coming from experience, actually. Before I was actually a Sonic fan I just remember seeing the occasional bad review for a Sonic game and I was like "lol poor sucker"

Years later, I realize 85% of Sonic reviews are bullshit. :P

99% of all statistics are made up on the spot, by the way, but you get my point

Opinions aren't what I'm talking about though. If someone genuinely has played the modern games and dislikes them, then their negative verdict is not a misconception.

Calling Knuckles a dog is one- You can prove to that person Knuckles is an echidna. You can't prove to someone a game is good if they dislike it.

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It's not from non-fans, but that probably makes it worse: Angel Island is not tiny in Sonic Adventure.

The little floating island with the shrine on it is not the Floating Island. It is a floating island on the Floating Island. Everything to that side of the Mystic Ruins train station is Angel Island; the wall that explodes into a tunnel is the side of Angel Island, Ice Cap and Red Mountain are both on Angel Island, everything you can see from the shrine is part of Angel Island, and there's plenty you can't see from the tiny little section you're allowed to visit.

it is clearly not just that tiny little piece with the shrine on it! I think some NPCs also mention it (or at least hint at it), but it's not like anyone talks to them...

Another (less infuriating) one, in S3&K, Knuckles' story takes place after Sonic's, not during. Admittedly they don't make this too obvious, but the proof is there. Most obviously, you never run into Sonic while playing as Knuckles until the ending. You never set off any of the traps, you don't fight him in Hidden Palace, you don't team up with him after getting zapped by Eggman (you also don't get zapped by Eggman). Second point is that the backgrounds in some levels have been changed. I had this "debate" recently elsewhere, so I've got picture proof...in AIZ, you can see that the island's floating in Knuckles' story, while it's at sea level in Sonic's, and the Death Egg's removed from Launch Base, Lava Reef, and Hidden Palace when playing as Knuckles. Another point is that Angel Island is floating in the background during Knuckles' final boss; this couldn't possibly happen during Sonic's story, as the island was weighed down by the Death Egg, which was only able to leave because Eggman stole the Master Emerald, leaving the island without its power source. There are other little details that match up with it too, like Mecha Sonic not being destroyed in Sonic's story (but he is in Knuckles'), and the lone Eggrobo rising in one of Sonic's endings (foreshadowing it causing trouble for Knuckles). And yet in spite of all this I ended up arguing with a guy to a standstill over it...

Any speculation on how this one started? I'm quite curious.
Probably just came about due to the name issues in the Adventures. SA comes out in the West with this guy who looks kind of like Robotnik but not really and everyone seems to call him Eggman, so he's a new character, right? Then SA2 comes out and introduces Gerald Robotnik and everyone latches onto that.
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Misconception 1 - Knuckles is Sonic's Cousin (Or Knuckles is related to Sonic somehow)

Misconception 2 - Professor Gerald is Classic Eggman

Misconception 3 - Referring to all Sonic robots as "Metal Sonic."

The only one of those three I've personally had to deal with is referring to all Sonic robots as Metal Sonic which, to be entirely honest, is understandable given the circumstances. Most people just figure that Metal Sonic was beefed up with modifications and such.

Tails being female is a common misconception also. Some of the people here are even guilty of thinking so at one time or another. I think I may have heard Knuckles is a dog once before, but I'm not entirely sure.

I've heard a few people think that Silver is somehow a distant relative of Sonic or something similar given that he's a hedgehog that hails from the future and such.

Edited by Chooch
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I've heard a few people think that Silver is somehow a distant relative of Sonic or something similar given that he's a hedgehog that hails from the future and such.
Well who knows, that one might end up being true...
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There was a really funny misconception my father had of Sonic grinding in SA2.

He honestly seemed to believe that Sonic grinded by sitting on the rail rather than using his shoes and even said "His unmentionables must be bloody sore"

I LOL'd.

Anyways, I keep hearing people saying "Sonic is the true ULF created by Gerald!"

Wrong people. Wrong! There's so much evidence that renders this implausible.

1. Sonic is 15 and was born on Christmas Island. BORN. Not "made", like Shadow. That makes Sonic's birth occur apprxoimately 35 years after the ARK incident.

2. Sonic can die. See Sonic '06.

3. Sonic is capable of catching cold. See SatSR.

4. Sonic does not have Black Doom's blood/DNA. If he did, wouldn't he have Shadow's colouration? Shadow's colouration was strongly implied to be inherited from Black Doom like a dominant genetic trait. Sonic is blue and peach.

I rest my case.

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"Sonic is the true ULF created by Gerald!"

I assumed that was less of a misconception and more of a stock Sonic fanfiction cliche, right up there with Amy going goth/emo and Tails being murdered by Metal Sonic.

Also, your father is a good man.

Edited by Dr. Crusher
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Well, I don't know about being a misconception at large, but when my dad came in on me watching a bit of Sonic X once, he saw Shadow and referred to him as 'black Sonic'.

I've heard stuff like that before. Only I hear "Dark Sonic" or "Evil Sonic" more often.

I've also seen a couple of people mistake Amy for Sonia(probably because they watched Sonic Underground quite a bit and they look similar). And a long time ago I know someone who kept calling her Princess Sally(thanks to the US Sonic CD manual)http://info.sonicretro.org/File:Scd_cd_us_manual_02_03.png

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I remember believing Knuckles was a dog and Tails was a girl. The second didn't last too long after I saw the cartoons and the OVA, mind you, but I believed Tails was a girl for a good year or two.

Also, popular misconceptions by many is that Sonic's arms are blue, and the rings are "coins". Said misconceptions also are extreme pet peeves of mine. :P

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I used to think the word 'chao' was pronounced "kay-o", thank goodness

Another misconception I've run across is Knuckles being a girl. I suppose that one does make sense, he has the long "hair" and seems to giggle and flirt with Sonic a bit in his first appearance...

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That Sonic collects coins. Wut?

Also, I remember one of my old friends (like back in Primary school) was adamant that Dr.Eggman and Dr.Robotnik were two different people, he was an arrogant git and didn't listen to me. He also had this bizarre belief that Sonic had a brother...called Tonic.

Yeah I don't know either.

Edited by ENVY16
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Another misconception I've run across is Knuckles being a girl. I suppose that one does make sense, he has the long "hair" and seems to chuckle and flirt with Sonic a bit in his first appearance...

Fixed.

But he said he didn't chuckle in SA1. The lying bastard even said he'd rather flex his muscles.

Also... flirting? Really?

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That Sonic collects coins.

Wut?

The 'coins' thing always got to me, too! Additionally, I have a friend who not so long ago told me Sonic collected "chaos gems". :lol:

EDIT:

Fixed.

But he said he didn't chuckle in SA1. The lying bastard even said he'd rather flex his muscles.

Also... flirting? Really?

Haha, thanks for the fix! And yeah, I was shocked when I heard some people interpreting Knuckles' giggling chuckling at and repetitive screwing over of Sonic's plans as 'flirting', too. XD

Edited by BlazingTales
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The 'coins' thing always got to me, too! Additionally, I have a friend who not so long ago told me Sonic collected "chaos gems". :lol:

Maybe he had Crash Bandicoot on the brain?

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