List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters
The Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise began in 1991 with the video game Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman. The sequel, Sonic 2, gave Sonic a fox friend named Tails. Sonic CD introduced Amy Rose, a female hedgehog with a persistent crush on Sonic. Sonic 3 introduced Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's rival and later friend. All five of these have remained major characters and appeared in dozens of games.
The series has introduced dozens of additional recurring characters over the years. These have ranged from anthropomorphic animal characters such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Cream the Rabbit to robots created by Eggman such as Metal Sonic and E-123 Omega, as well as human characters such as Eggman's grandfather Gerald Robotnik. The series features three fictional species, in order of appearance: Chao, which have usually functioned as digital pets and minor gameplay and plot elements; Wisps, which have been used as power-ups; and Koco, which when collected grant new abilities for Sonic, among other things.
The Sonic games keep a separate continuity from the Sonic the Hedgehog comics published by Archie Comics and other Sonic media and, as a result, feature a distinct yet overlapping array of many characters.
Characters
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog and the main protagonist of the series. Developed as a replacement for their existing Alex Kidd mascot, as well as Sega's response to Mario, his first appearance was in the arcade game Rad Mobile as a cameo, before making his official debut in Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic's greatest ability is his running speed, and he is known as the world's fastest hedgehog. Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, he becomes Super Sonic and can achieve even greater speeds.Doctor Eggman
better known by his alias is a human mad scientist and the main antagonist of the series. Debuting in the first game of the series, Sonic the Hedgehog, he was shown attempting to collect the Chaos Emeralds and turn all of the animals inhabiting the land into robots. He is a self-proclaimed or certifiable genius with an IQ of 300. His fondness for mechas has made him a renowned authority on robotics. Ultimately, Eggman's goal is to conquer the world and create his ultimate utopia, Eggmanland, alternatively known as the Eggman Empire and Robotnikland.When Sega had petitioned its research and development department to create a character who would replace Alex Kidd as its company mascot, a caricature of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was among the proposed designs. It lost to Sonic the Hedgehog, but the design was kept for the basis for Doctor Eggman instead.
Miles "Tails" Prower
better known by his nickname, is a two-tailed fox who is Sonic's best friend and sidekick. His name is a pun on "miles per hour". He can use his tails to propel himself into the air like a helicopter for a limited time. Yasushi Yamaguchi, originally the main artist and zone designer for Sega's Sonic Team, designed Tails for an internal competition for a sidekick to Sonic. His first appearance was in Sonic 2 for the Game Gear, where he was kidnapped by Doctor Robotnik for a "hefty" ransom. He was first made playable in the Genesis version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Tails has appeared in almost every Sonic game since his first appearance. Tails starred in two solo spin-off games for the Game Gear in 1995 – Tails' Skypatrol, and Tails Adventure. Frequently portrayed as a sweet-natured and humble fox, Tails used to be picked on because of his twin tails, before he met Sonic. Tails is very clever and has excellent mechanical skills.Amy Rose
Voiced by:is a pink hedgehog and Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, who is an energetic tomboy. Amy was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino for Sonic the Hedgehog CD, although she appeared in Kenji Terada's Sonic the Hedgehog manga a year before. Hoshino created her in-game graphics, with many staff members contributing ideas to her design. Her headband and trainer shoes reflected Sonic CD director Naoto Ohshima's tastes, and her mannerisms reflected the traits Hoshino looked for in women at the time. Her fur color was red at first, and her skirt orange. The character had another name in early game previews: Rosy the Rascal. Additionally, due to a localization effort by Sega of America in the North American manual for Sonic CD, Amy Rose was erroneously referred to as Princess Sally. Sega of America made this choice to capitalize on the popularity of SatAM and its tie-in Archie comics, where Princess Sally Acorn was the prominent female lead—despite Amy Rose being a distinct Japanese-original character.
Amy received her present design, with a red dress and knee-high leather boots, in Sonic Adventure, courtesy of designer Yuji Uekawa.
In the games, Amy is depicted as driven and competitive. She spends much of her time following Sonic to get his attention or make sure he is safe while demonstrating her affection. Series co-creator Yuji Naka said that Amy was designed "to always chase Sonic", but stated that Sonic "will not ever get married". An early character design document stated that Amy was also a high school cheerleader. Not possessing the speed or strength of the other characters, Amy uses a hammer to defend herself instead. In Sonic CD, Metal Sonic kidnaps Amy and Sonic must rescue her. When he does, Amy kisses him. Her voice samples in the game were made using the Yamaha YM2608's FM Sound Source module. Amy's first appearance in a Sonic platformer as a playable character was in Sonic Adventure; although the first game to have her playable is Sonic Drift. She is playable in Sonic Heroes and Sonic the Hedgehog, and appears as a non-player character in games such as Sonic Unleashed.
While some journalists have called Amy cute and powerful, others find her annoying. Justin Towell of GamesRadar+ and writers from Mean Machines expressed general displeasure at her introduction in Sonic CD. Additionally, some have criticized developers' treatment of Amy as a female character and analyzed her implications on gender representation in video games. The Electronic Gaming Monthly staff found her pink coloring and tendency to run from danger to be stereotypical and common in Japanese-created female characters, while feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian cites Amy as an example of the "Ms. Male Character" trope, in which female characters in games with male protagonists often resemble those protagonists, but with stereotypically feminine features added. Despite this, Amy is one of the series' most popular characters, coming in fifth place in a Japanese popularity poll in 2006 and sixth place in a 2025 poll conducted by Dengeki Online. Her likeness has been used in Sonic merchandise, and she appears in the television adaptations Sonic X, Sonic Boom and Sonic Prime. Amy is introduced in the live-action film series in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, appearing in a mid-credits scene saving Sonic from an army of Metal Sonics.
Metal Sonic
Voiced by:is an evil robotic version of Sonic created by Dr. Robotnik. He possesses great strength, including a laser cannon, a jet engine and a force field device he can use to protect himself from projectiles and certain attacks. He usually only communicates with a series of electronic noises.
The character first appears in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. He is given orders to go back in time and change the past so that Dr. Eggman can rule the future. Sonic must race him in Stardust Speedway to free Amy Rose. He is severely wounded when he crashes and falls, but is rejuvenated by Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, only to be defeated again in a similar style. He returns in Knuckles' Chaotix, where he attempts to obtain the Chaos Rings, but he is stopped by the Chaotix team. Metal Sonic notably acted as the main antagonist in Sonic Heroes, appearing in a new form as Neo Metal Sonic before transforming into the game's final boss, the Metal Overlord. Upon being defeated by Super Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, he reverts to his traditional appearance.
Metal Sonic appears as a bonus playable character in Sonic Rivals, reprogrammed to aid Eggman Nega in his attempt to take over the world. He returns as a playable character in Sonic Rivals 2, under orders from Eggman to aid Shadow in stopping Eggman Nega's plans. In Sonic Free Riders, Metal Sonic is a playable character and the final opponent in the game's story mode. In Sonic Generations, he appears in his classic form as a rival boss, battling Classic Sonic in Stardust Speedway before ultimately being destroyed. In the 2024 remaster Sonic X Shadow Generations, his Metal Overlord form returns as a boss that Shadow battles. Metal Sonic returns as a boss character in Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, and the Sonic story mode of Lego Dimensions.
Metal Sonic appeared as a playable character in the multiplayer mode of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, as well as Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and all the Mario & Sonic titles beginning with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. Collecting all the emblems in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut unlocks Metal Sonic as a bonus playable character in Sonic's stages, and purchasing both episodes of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I unlocks bonus levels in which Metal Sonic is playable.
Outside of the games, Metal Sonic appears as the main antagonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog OVA, where Eggman records Sonic's abilities and uploads them to Metal Sonic, who proceeds in attempting to destroy the world before being tossed into lava by Sonic. He appears in the Sonic Boom episodes, "It Wasn't Me, It Was the One-Armed Hedgehog" and "Eggman the Video Game Part 2: The End of the World". Multiple Metal Sonics also appear in the mid-credits scene of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
GameDaily placed Metal Sonic 13th on their "Top 25 Video Game Robots" list, describing him as Dr. Robotnik's "greatest creation" and praising the strength of his abilities.