The Legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog: How He Became Undefeatable
- jamescozzie1
- Sep 11, 2024
- 19 min read
Updated: Apr 10
Like many people, I love many things—family, friends, food, parties, sports, games. There are many people I care for in this world, people that are important and mean a lot to me, that I think about each day, that I look up to, but none have impacted me in the unique way this blue anthropomorphic hedgehog has. A lot of people in my life ask me what I find so special about Sonic the Hedgehog, claiming that he’s just a video game character for children, and while that is entirely true, he is also one of the most important characters I have come across in my life so far, and this will tell you why.
But first, I thought it be better to provide some clarity with my statement. This piece will explain why I love Sonic the Hedgehog and everything about the series, from the music, games, characters, movies, TV shows, collaborations, food, you name it. I am obsessed and have been from a very young age. This franchise has given me so much in times I had so little, and I will forever be grateful for finding Sonic how I did, and how he has been there for me when I needed someone. This video will explain why I have all these feelings, and what some people say are delusional feelings for something that is not real, but I hope to highlight the magic of this character today.
My history with this franchise started back in the summer of 2006. I was only a 4-year-old boy, fresh out of nappies and able to walk fully, talk fully, and I started finding interests and hobbies. As a family, we went on our first holiday since my sister and I were born, a caravan trip down to Devon, England. I do not remember much about the trip, aside from dropping a whole ice cream on my shirt, as well as a trip to McDonald's. This was no ordinary trip, however. Back in the day, McDonald's used to have areas in the restaurant for play areas for the younger children, and these would sometimes include game booths, these beefy computers that had game consoles connected to them where you could play demos of certain games. There were two GameCube kiosks available, one with Mario Kart Double Dash and the other with a game called Sonic Heroes. Interestingly, I felt more invested in Double Dash than Heroes, but this was my first ever time playing a video game, in McDonalds, makes sense cos I was a fat little shit back in the day. I forced my dad to go the day after, not even for food but to play again. This time I gave Sonic Heroes a try, and I took to Seaside Hill like a duck to water. It was seamless, I was playing a Sonic game properly. Yes, I was unable to get past the stage, but I was using all three character’s moves to progress through the stage. I remember loving it so much that I asked my parents for a GameCube that Christmas, which fit with both Double Dash and Heroes, along with other games like Mario Party 4, Shrek 2, and Mario Sunshine. Back then I am not sure why I was drawn so much to Heroes, but all I knew was that it was cool. The game was cool, and I felt cool playing it, and that is the way I look at Sonic today.
GameCube kiosk found in McDonalds.
I then went back and played all the other GameCube titles, both Adventure games, and Mega Collection, but missed Shadow because my parents hate fun and could not tolerate a 5-year-old playing a game about a black hedgehog shooting guns. My childhood was Nintendo-focused, so I had a DS, Wii and 3DS with the key Sonic games on there, before skipping the Wii U generation and thus, falling off track with Sonic from 2014 onwards. It was not till the Sonic Movie in 2020 that got me back into the franchise, funnily enough, the time that Sonic started gaining momentum back as a mainstay pop culture icon. Since then, we've not been much apart. I still grossly wait in anticipation for Sonic 3, Shadow Generations and more that Sonic and SEGA have up his sleeve waiting to be announced, and I am so happy with the trajectory the series has taken over the past few years. But let us settle the question, why is Sonic so likeable? Well, the answer is simple, despite being an alien, so unlike a normal human being, to me, he feels more human than some real humans in the franchise like Eggman, heck he feels more human than humans inhabiting our world today.
Sonic was created by SEGA as a rival to the happy, lucky-go nature of Nintendo and Super Mario. Mario is a very light-hearted character, always happy, cheerful, and easy to express through limited storage space, especially in 8- and 16-bit form. Sonic Team wanted something to differentiate themselves, so they took the meaning of ‘cool’ to mean his attitude, with Naoto Oshima describing his no-nonsense, no-order following attitude, whilst always fighting for what he believed in. This has been the core of Sonic’s character for the past 33 years. He has always done what he believes is right, which does present difficulties as sometimes he can be in the wrong, but it is that confidence he has in himself and his decisions that I find cool and inspiring. Yes, in concept, it is very selfish for Sonic to only do what he believes in, take the ending of Sonic and the Black Knight for example. Merlina wants the world to continue forever, but Sonic does not believe any good will come for a world that lasts forever, instead believing that enjoying the here and now is worth more than lasting forever, with him going as far as calling that ‘lame.’ This all culminates in what is my favourite piece of dialogue ever said by the blue blur, once he defeats Merlina in her super godlike form.
These are genuine words to live by, and it is something I think about a lot. Sonic did not mean unwell against Merlina, she only turned ‘evil’ at the very end of the game after assisting Sonic during his adventure. Sonic does not think ill of her even after she plotted against him, he respects and admires Merlina’s wish for a world that lasts forever, but he believes that a world like that would be no fun. A world that we can enjoy today is a world worth living in, and he is right. Yes, the world our society lives in today is not perfect, hell, there is a lot wrong with it, especially if you are like me and live in Britain. But nothing lasts forever, and one day we might look back at these days in our lives and regret not living it to the fullest, and that is what I believe Sonic means when saying this to Merlina, and indirectly to us, the audience too. The fact he says "At least, that's what I figure", exemplifies what his character is. He does not know the right or wrong answers himself, he just does what he believes is right and what makes sense to him. This is what drives him to make the decisions he does. It is inspiring words from a cute little blue ball, a cute little blue ball with a sword in his hand this time, but it is true, he is an inspiring character not just through his words but through his actions too.
His philosophy of doing what he believes is right plays a big part in his motives for an adventure. Take the latest game in the franchise, Sonic Frontiers for example. In the game, Sonic is faced with trying to rescue his friends from cyberspace, with an unknown voice entity guiding him on what to do through his adventure to save them. He does not know who this voice belongs to, nor where they come from or what they are, but because they are helping him find his friends, it does not matter to him. His friends are his most important asset, and he believes saving them is the right thing to do, whatever the reason. However, saving his friends in turn corrupts Sonic with cyber energy that progresses over the game to the point where Sonic is in visible pain. Take the first cutscene where Amy is rescued on Kronos Island to when Sonic arrives on Rhea Island for the first time and look how physically and mentally drained, he looks.
The difference in phrasing, the way he laughs, it is like he is making fun of his ideals, how doing what he believes is right is draining himself away. It all ends when he gets fully taken over by the corruption. Not before another one of my favourite cutscenes in Sonic history and another reason I love the character so much.
Now mind, the transition back to gameplay where you can launch Sonic off the tower with no problem and him doing 62 different tricks in the air does make this seem off, the cutscene itself shows Sonic in so much pain, that it hurt me seeing him in a state like that. You can tell from the tone of Sage’s voice that she is also hurt by his state, she has been warning him throughout the game that Sonic cannot beat the cyber corruption, that he is fighting a losing battle, and that saving his friends wouldn’t work, but his passion and love for his friends is what keeps him going, what keeps him smiling. The smile wasn’t like a ‘hey Sage, look at me I’m still standing' sort of smile, it was like an acknowledgement smile, he understood what Sage meant, and to smile through the pain was to show that he would keep going for as long as this lets up. It broke my heart to see Sonic in so much pain, but he would do anything to save his friends, and that is what I find so touching and inspiring. Not that he is inspiring people to nearly kill themselves to save their friends, but to show the importance of friendship and how important friends mean to every one of us. Sonic is no one without his friends, you could argue, and it shows the lengths he will go to save them. Another reason I love this cutscene so much is his facial expressions. He looks up to see Sage, listens to what she says, takes a deep breath, smiles, and gets going again. With every setback, we can always get up, take a deep breath, smile, and get going again.
Sonic makes me smile a lot, from the music to the characters, levels, and story, to other means like fanart, merchandise and more. Something about him and the franchise makes me feel happy, like a warm and fuzzy kinda feeling. It is this importance of smiling that is integral to his character. Yes, he has an attitude, but he always has a smile on his face. Both last two cutscenes showed two vastly different versions of Sonic in two completely different states, the only constant was the smile.
I have a lot of problems with Sonic 06 especially Sonic’s relationship with Princess Elise. But the cutscene at the end of the game reminds me of the importance of his character and how he makes me feel.
Elise does not want to blow the flame out because it would mean Sonic and herself would never meet, their adventure together would not exist anymore. But Sonic says "Elise, just smile." It emphasises the point made in the cutscene after Dusty Desert, where Sonic says to Elise that "your smile is all I need", that a smile can go so far to someone. Elise meant a lot to Sonic, maybe not romantically but was someone he genuinely cared about, and as sad as he was to practically null and void the connection between the two, all he needed in their final moments was for her to smile, and he would be happy.
I would say I am quite a positive person. I like to smile and be happy, but don’t we all? Well, the world does not work like that does it? We live in a community of negative, evil people who do not make us want to smile and make us question why we smile in the first place. But smiling is not hard, it takes no effort to smile at someone, something, in the mirror, whatever. Sometimes, a smile at someone is all they need, like what Sonic needed from Elise. It sounds corny that I smile a lot because of Sonic, but he has given so much to me and made me smile a lot that, I want to repay those smiles too.
The topic of Sonic smiling leads me to my next point why I love this character so much, and it is the effect he has on other people. Anyone with knowledge about the series, the stories and the characters know that Sonic is a very stable character, with no real character arc across a game. Only really through the Sonic movies have we seen Sonic change from the start to the finish. It is usually Sonic’s effect on others that bears more meaning and causes more change to his friends or enemies because of it. The most recent example is Sage from Frontiers, heck, everyone from Frontiers had a character arc. From Knuckles ready to take the stress off himself as the guardian of the Master Emerald, to Tails wanting to step out of Sonics shadow and prove to himself that he is a useful ally, Sage is by far the most impacted out of the lot. Sonic and Sage spend a lot of time together throughout the game. At first, Sage is programmed to stop Sonic from releasing the entity we know as the End, but she with the help of the Titans cannot stop Supersonic. She realises there is more to him than meets the eye, not only is he strong, but he is quirky, friendly and a joy for other people to be around, so much so that she envies him and his friends for having these moments, and how she feels the same way with her Dad, Eggman. Sonic gains a lot of her respect and encourages Eggman to team up with Sonic because of how strong he is, to the point where we discuss earlier where she is upset over the corrupted state, he is in on Rhea Island. Thankfully once things resolve themselves, she is quick to support Sonic whilst still being loyal to Eggman, culminating in the original ending where she sacrifices herself to save Sonic. The second ending…eh it is a shame she survives as it makes the original less impactful, but it doesn’t take away from the fact she had a complete character arc based on her interactions with Sonic, turning her from an AI robot killing machine to an AI robot that had feelings.
Sage develops feelings of wanting friendship and family like Sonic has.
I always think back to Sonic and Shadow’s relationship in Sonic Adventure 2 as another important moment to demonstrate Sonic’s effect on those around him. This is the game Shadow debuts in and is the inspiration for the upcoming Sonic Movie 3. From the moment Shadow is released from captivity on Prison Island by none other than Dr. Eggman, he is fully bent on getting revenge on the people of Earth for what happened to his best friend Maria. The ultimate lifeform is cocky, and arrogant and will not let anything or anyone stop him from his mission, tricking Eggman into a false reality as the Dr. thought they could work together to rule the world. Shadow’s motives do not change until the very end when Amy comes in and tries to voice with Shadow that the people of Earth are good, but I feel the cracks in Shadow's motives start to shift when with Sonic. Their relationship starts with Shadow making a mockery of Sonic, leading to the blue blur being prisoned again. Shadow does not see Sonic as a foe until their fight in the jungle of Prison Island.
Shadow does not see Sonic as a worthy competitor, but after the fight, it feels like the respect between the two increases, despite no dialogue between the two. It is not until the final fight aboard the arc that Shadow feels Sonic is a worthy adversary to him, complimenting the fact Sonic saved himself from the capsule through Chaos Control. Shadow thought he was the best, and that no one could match him, but Sonic does, and Shadow admires that. It is one of the reasons he agrees to team up with Sonic in the end to save the arc from crashing into Earth. Yes, their relationship has been a bit more complicated since, but I pray that Sonic 3 portrays this growth in Shadow as he gains more respect for Sonic well.
Speaking of Sonic vs Shadow, the final fight between the two starts with Shadow asking what Sonic even is, to which Sonic replies...
I feel this could be his slogan, his motto, his reason for doing what he does. Nothing explains Sonic as a character better than his own words. Yes, he has got superhuman powers and can run at the speed of sound, but at the end of the day, he is just a normal guy who loves the thrill of adventure. He finds enjoyment and fun from running through countless loop-de-loops, he loves adventuring with his friends, and he loves stopping Eggman from whatever scheme he cooks up. Sonic does not do it because he must, it is not a job for him, even if he says it is. No one is telling him he needs to do it. He saves the day through the goodwill of his heart and how he just enjoys all the adventures he goes on. Sonic does not get tired of saving animals, eating chilli dogs, or spoiling Eggman Day, he finds it fun. There are things we do that also invoke this sense of enjoyment and fun. It may be something like going to a theme park, going to the beach, playing a video game, or watching your favourite sport. These are all adventures, no matter how big or small they seem. We should enjoy these adventures like Sonic enjoys his and continue to do the things we enjoy. When do we see Sonic doing things he does not enjoy? Very rarely. I mean we know he dislikes swimming, but we all must face our fears.
This brings me over nicely to something not a lot of people talk about when they say they love Sonic’s character, and that is the music. There is a difference between liking the music for being music and liking the music, the lyrics, and the meaning behind it all. I believe some of the best Sonic music oozes the essence of the character with every sound bite, lyric and instrument. I quite frankly could make cases for at least ten songs, but I will point out three that I believe describe the character the best, which being It Doesn't Matter, Sonic's theme from Adventure, His World from 06 and Undefeatable from Sonic Frontiers. These are not only some of the best bangers in the series, but they feel like the most ‘Sonic’ songs, at least to me. It Doesn't Matter feels like Sonics thoughts and feelings portrayed as a song.
"It Doesn't Matter now what happens I will never give up the fight.”
Sonic is not bothered by what other people think about him and his actions, he lives for himself and his friends, and he does what he believes in, purely for himself. It also tells a story about not giving up, and how he will never stop until he has accomplished his goal, however big or small that is.
“As long as the voice inside me says go,”
It is the core belief in himself to carry himself forward that advances him towards his goal, without his confidence in himself he would not be able to believe in himself. I always like to compare It Doesn't Matter, Sonics theme, to Believe in Myself, Tails theme, and how different their two attitudes are. Tails looks up to Sonic, not because of his supernatural abilities, but for his confidence and his attitude, having the courage to stand up for what is right. Believe in Myself is a lot about envying Sonic, and wanting to be like Sonic, but Tails realises that you can’t be someone else, you can only be yourself, and having that belief in enables him to stand up for himself and eventually, saving the whole of Station Square. The instrumentals as well are so upbeat, inspiring, yet hard-core with the electric guitar being the highlight.
His World is a hugely different song from It Does not Matter. Rather than being a song from Sonic, this is talking about him, and how cool he is. Describing him as kicking ass, putting on a show. If Sonic had a walkout song, this would be it. He sounds like a threat, someone not to be messed with, it is HIS World. The rap heavy, drums, guitar, and vocals all symphonies together to publicise the character up through his Adventure. This song gets me publicised every time I hear it, it is like a cool bombastic arrangement of everything that makes Sonic so formidable.
Last is Undefeatable, which is abstract from normal Sonic vocal tracks. Having Kellin Quinn on vocals for a metal-heavy song for the first boss in the game was a heavy switch for most of us when we first experienced it, but what an experience it was. People are calling Undefeatable this generation ‘Live and Learn,’ and for good reason. The lyrics symbolise the struggles Sonic and Sega have gone through in recent years, but how giving up is never an option.
“Running from the past is a losing game, it never brings you glory.”
It describes a perspective change, about facing your fears and taking a risk. Frontiers as a game was a massive risk for Sonic Team. Many open world games have failed to make a lasting impact the way games like Elden Ring or Breath of the Wild did, and while very flawed, Frontiers stuck the landing. Sonic himself takes a lot of risks in this game, but how his spirit and belief are what makes him ‘Undefeatable.’ Sonic himself is not Undefeatable, you can thank Master Kocos trial for that. It is his strength to get back up again that makes him never lose. The second verse perfectly describes this risk, change, and why it is worth a chance.
“I’ll give it what it takes, I’ll find another way, I used to never know, but now it’s crystal clear, this feeling is just a ghost.”
Life is about finding out, stepping outside your comfort zone, and taking risks. But the fundamental message behind this track remains, to not give up. Drawing back to Adventure. It does not matter how cool or powerful Sonic is, he always bounces back, with a smile on his face, and is ready to go again. The ending is my favourite part of this song, a more sombre version of the chorus as Sonic smashes through the core or Giganto to finish him off.
Not only do I find Sonic cool as a person, and a character, but it helps that his design is symbolic of a hero, of someone cool and with attitude. Whatever design of Sonic you like most, the core of his character remains intact. I have always loved his blue shine, his abnormally large gloves every cartoon animal seems to have, his little nose, his quills that Sonic fans still argue about to this day, and his shoes. You look at him and instantly think, yes, he knows what is up. He does not exert the feeling of light-hearted, innocence that Mario gives, Sonic, especially with his smirks, gives off personality, there is a character behind that design. Some of my favourite renders are unsurprisingly from Uewaka, the GOAT of Sonic art, with his Adventure art, with a special mention to Smash Brawls’ artwork of Sonic. I am not an overall fan of Brawl's art style, but it works for Sonic, giving him a 06 looking shade whilst looking like his normal self.
There have been multiple iterations of Sonics, across multiple media platforms, and whilst I’ll probably cover my opinions on these versions of Sonic at a later date, I want to mention Movie Sonic, and why he brings a much needed side and representation to Sonic that would seem out of place for in-game Sonic. For those unaware, Movie Sonic is an alien on our planet, and spends the first 10 years on our planet alone, he just wants friends. He’s a lot more naïve, innocent and impractical than game Sonic, but he develops a sense of maturity over the two movies, and you compare the growth he has had from the start of Movie 1 to even the Knuckles show, where he still is naïve, cute and very much ‘a kid’, but at the same time he feels closer to the Sonic we know and love, with that kick-ass attitude, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for his character in Sonic 3.
Movie Sonic is very different from Game Sonic, but the core character is still in tact.
Sonic is at some of his best in Frontiers, and for a serious story, he sure knows when and how to stay serious, even if it may be hard for someone who for the decade prior could not go two sentences without a humours chip of dialogue. We see this perfectly in the cutscene with Knuckles atop the ancient pillar. Sonic is ready to say something funny, or something to increase the sexual tension between the two, before noticing Knuckles’ sad expression. Sonic stays serious with his usual quips, turning the conversation from something deep to something light-hearted.
He does not like to be serious, but he has evolved to highlight sympathy and console those who need it, take Amy's reaction to the Koco passing on Kronos, whilst he seems unaffected by a flashback, he sees Amy's bereavement and comforts her. This serious nature of his character usually would not with, but for a story about death, pain, and torture it works. I will always love the revision of the final boss with the End, not just because Sonic is the most anime, shonen and badass I have ever seen, but because he is so serious and focused, he only speaks once during the entire fight. It emphasises the threat of the End, and how much power and effort Sonic is going through to defeat this entity, saving the world in the process.
It is also important to understand the opposing side of his character, the fun, quirky, light-hearted nature of Sonic. Never have I seen someone so excited and happy when a chilli dog is put in front of him. He is a happy guy who loves doing what he does. He loves spending time with friends, having fun and enjoying the world. Too many protagonists of video games provoke these feelings of negativity and doubt and are usually troubled by something or someone. Sonic has problems too, but he always seems positive and hopeful for his future, no matter what happens. It is this cheerful outlook that keeps him going, and it is admirable. He is a very admirable hedgehog, both through his ability to save the day, but also in the way he does it.
There's not many things Sonic loves more than his chilli dogs.
Finally, I want to talk about my favourite cutscene from Sonic Unleashed. It is when Chip regains his memory and realises his purpose as Light Gaia, as he sets off to depart Sonic and save the world from Dark Gaia himself.
Not only do I love Chips' dialogue here, addressing Sonics' persistence to continue fighting and never letting negative thoughts control him, but Sonics a one in a one-in-a-million type of person, he is special. It is the same reason he could escape Cyberspace in Frontiers whilst his friends could not. Sonic may be powerful, fast and funny, but to me, he’s a friend. A loyal friend is someone who will go to lengths beyond for someone, to support them, to cheer them, to encourage them. We all need friends, some of us may have loads whilst some may only have a few. But our loyal friends have a bit of Sonic in them, who are there for someone whenever needed to help, guide, or have a laugh. I feel like I could talk to Sonic about anything, relationship issues, feelings of doubt, or just for a gossip session, Sonic would be the type of person I could gab for hours, and neither would get bored. But the important thing is, he is there for the ones he cares about when needed. But we must not forget the times Sonics friends have been there for Sonic when he has been in a bad state. Frontiers saw the gang sacrifice themselves back to Cyberspace for him. Tom Maddie, Tails, and Knuckles helped shape Sonics character in the movies, the boat scene was especially important for his character development and seeing Tom as more a father figure than a friend. Sonic still needs his friends.
Sonic the Hedgehog as a character is not perfect. Sometimes his morals and beliefs have led him down traps that he requires his friends to save himself from, sometimes he is not always right, sometimes he loses, but that is what makes Sonic, Sonic. The way he pushes through adversity, pain, and loss, always trying to lift people's spirits and see the good in everything, is why he is so inspiring. I have only listed a few reasons why Sonic means so much to me as a character because he feels like a real person. He acts, talks, and interacts like any other human. He cares for his friends, and cares for the good of the world, all without giving up on what he believes is right. Sonic has been a big part of my 22 years on Earth, we’ve both had lots of difficulties between the two of us, but like friends do, we stick together, no matter what. Thanks for helping me Reach for the Stars Sonic, until the next adventure.
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