Sonic the Hedgehog has truly left its mark on the video game industry. The series changed the platformer genre in some substantial ways, but the signature character also turned into Sega’s most popular commodity and blossomed a franchise that essentially sold their platforms. The Sonic the Hedgehog games have had their ups and downs over the years, but they’re still incredibly popular and have never stopped honing in on the best ways to engage with the fans.
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Sonic himself has become one of the biggest mascots in the video game industry, but Sonic games have introduced a wealth of characters. Some of them connect with fans in a major way, while others have virtually disappeared and turned into odd footnotes in the franchise’s legacy.
10 Cream The Rabbit And Cheese
Cream the Rabbit (and her trusty Chao pal, Cheese), has turned into a valuable ally of Amy Rose and a popular character in the Sonic X anime, but she was initially a much more niche supporting character. Cream’s origins chart back to the Game Boy Advance titles, Sonic Advance 2 and 3.
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Cream’s kind nature made her popular enough to get a bigger spotlight in Sonic Heroes on Team Rose. This has helped Cream and her cute partner also become a recurring presence in multiplayer titles like the Sonic Riders games.
9 Sticks The Badger
Sticks the Badger is a rare exception since she’s an original character that’s come out of the Sonic Boom animated series and was able to transition into video games. Sticks is an energetic mix of enthusiasm and paranoia that makes her a fun wild card.
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Sticks was initially just in the Sonic Boom video games, but she’s slowly worked her way into other ancillary titles, like the Sonic racing games Sonic Dash 2 and Sonic Runners. Sticks also shows up in the 2016 Mario & Sonic Olympic Games title, so maybe she’s destined for a larger role in the future.
8 Bean The Dynamite
The fighting genre has become so popular that it’s not unusual for popular series to attempt a transition into a fighter and see how it works. Sonic the Fighters is one of the strangest examples of this, especially since it was also an arcade title. Sonic the Fighters debuted a number of unusual characters, with Bean the Dynamite being a prime example. This bird wields hazardous explosives and resembles a Flicky more than anything else. Despite some fun cameos in Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania, Bean hasn’t had many opportunities to shine.
7 Mighty The Armadillo
Another one of Sega’s more interesting Sonic experiments involves the arcade title SegaSonic the Hedgehog. The curious take on a platformer attempted to introduce two new sidekicks for Sonic that bear a strong resemblance to him. Mighty the Armadillo is a cute addition to the team, but he’s a character that’s never been given much of a chance. Mighty does get some love in the underrated Sega 32X title, Knuckles Chaotix, and the more recent Sonic Mania, so hopefully the character is about to get another chance.
6 Bark The Polar Bear
There are plenty of supporting characters that show up in Sonic games that feel derivative of one another and non-essential. However, Bark the Polar Bear is someone who is actually unique, and a bear alongside Sonic could lead to some fun ideas. Unfortunately, Bark just gets to be the quintessential heavy fighter in Sonic the Fighters and then turns into an Easter Egg for the die-hard Sonic fans. The fact that Bark appears briefly in Sonic Mania, but merely as an illusion, is pretty indicative of the treatment that the obscure character has received over the years.
5 Charmy Bee
Charmy Bee is pure positivity, and even though he works alongside more aggressive characters like Vector the Crocodile and Espio the Chameleon, he helps balance the group out. Charmy’s initial appearance is alongside Knuckles in Knuckles Chaotix, but he actually shows up in the Sonic manga before then. Charmy remains a niche character, but he’s gained enough of a following that he’s made minor appearances in Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, and some of the Olympic Games titles. He’s even been able to cameo in the Super Smash Bros. series, which is a rare honor for supporting Sonic ilk.
4 Jet The Hawk
Sonic the Hedgehog has experienced some radical shifts over the years and it’s surprising just how many different racing games have been developed. The Sonic Riders series put the famous hedgehog on futuristic hoverboards and tries to match the frenetic speed from the platformers. Sonic Riders introduces a new trio of villains known as the Babylon Rogues. Jet the Hawk leads the pack, but Wave the Swallow and Storm the Albatross are featured just as much. The Sonic Riders games were popular enough to get a handful of sequels and the Babylon Rogues even show up in the Sonic comics.
3 Fang The Sniper (Nack The Weasel)
Sega had high hopes for their handheld Game Gear console, but its failure to beat the Game Boy led to the company deserting the handheld market. Sega still developed a number of interesting Sonic the Hedgehog titles that were exclusive to the Game Gear. Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble is one of the standouts from the handheld and it introduces a new villain to the series, Fang the Sniper (originally Nack the Weasel). Fang never became Sonic’s main nemesis, but he still showed up in other niche titles like Sonic the Fighters and Sonic Drift 2.
2 Ray The Flying Squirrel
Ray the Flying Squirrel is another Sonic character who made his debut in SegaSonic the Hedgehog, which means he’s largely been ignored. SegaSonic the Hedgehog was supposed to be ported to the Sega 32X and included in the Sonic Gems Collection, but neither came to pass, which means most audiences never got to experience this plucky character. Ray seems less essential than Mighty because he’s basically a Tails knockoff that looks more like Sonic. Beyond the fact that Sonic Mania throws a bone to Ray, along with Mighty, he’s basically been ignored by Sega.
1 Honey The Cat
Many of the Sonic the Hedgehog characters that are looked at here are very forgettable, but Honey the Cat is by far the most obscure addition. Sonic the Fighters is already a niche arcade fighter that involves the Sonic franchise, but Honey the Cat is a character that was cut from the game at the last minute and was only known about by dataminers and the modding scene. When Sonic the Fighters was re-released in 2012, they included Honey the Cat and she was finally officially playable, but beyond this one appearance, she’s absent from the Sonic video game series.
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