Sonic The Hedgehogis one of the most successful video game franchises in history, known all over the world for the speedy protagonist andhis large number of friendsthat have helped him in his many adventures, both in video games and beyond in other media.
However, it is only more recently that the franchise has started to place a real emphasis on the female characters. Some of the most major femaleSoniccharacters have been around for a long time, but have been given a lot more characterization in recent years. While others have been introduced only recently but have managed to make a big impact on the fan base immediately.
A more recent addition to theSonicfranchise, Wave is a great character introduced alongside the other members of the Babylon Rogues, a legendary group of thieves, inSonic Riders. Producing a fun story mode with some fascinating villains as the opponents was a unique idea for a racing game like this, but characters like Wave were worth introducing and theSonic Ridersgames may deserve another look.
After appearing throughout the several games released so far in theSonic Ridersspin-off series of games, Wave has become something of a fan favorite. Considered a speedy racer in addition to being the technological genius of her team, Wave has proven popular enough to be added in special places across various spin-off games, includingMario & Sonic At The Olympic GamesandSonic Forces: Speed Battle.
One of the characters who has become much more popular from an initial one-off appearance, Tikal is an echidna from an ancient civilization who struggled against her father’s warmongering ways. One of the few characters in theSonicfranchise who believes in peace and consistently acts upon this desire with peaceful solutions, Tikal quickly became a favorite among fans.
Originally a spirit helping Sonic and his friends to stop the chaos emeralds being used for evil in Sonic Adventure, Tikal went on to also appear in the sequel, and many spin-off games and later entries in the main series. Tikal is rarely playable, but inSonic Adventure 2she can be unlocked for the multiplayer mode by completing all Knuckles missions with an A-Rank.
First Appearance: Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
In the fight between heroes and villains, will you choose to save the world or conquer it?The hunt for the Chaos Emeralds is on and battle lines have been drawn between Hero and Dark. Experience two unique adventures featuring both long-time heroes and new and returning villains as they battle for the fate of the world!Save the day as heroes Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles or cause chaos as Shadow, Dr. Eggman, and Rouge, utilizing each of their unique skills and abilities!Take a break from the main story and challenge a friend in two-player across kart racing and other competitive modes!Raise your own pet Chao, improve their statistics, and compete with them in unique mini-games!Challenge yourself to complete over 150 unique missions across 30 action filled stages!
Another character introduced in theSonic Adventuregames, Maria Robotnik, is one of the very few human female characters that appear significantly in the franchise.Maria is the cousinof the villainous Dr Robotnik, and she has an incurable, fictional disease that keeps her confined, which is how she met Shadow the Hedgehog.
Robotnik and Maria’s grandfather created Shadow to try and find a cure for Maria, hoping to solve immortality through the creation of an immortal being. The two became friends before Maria died during the invasion of the space colony. Maria dies while pushing Shadow into an escape pod and asking him to protect Earth, proving to be a critical point in his backstory.
5Princess Sally Acorn
First Appearance: Sonic SatAm Show
A character who, strangely, hasnever really appeared in anySonicgames, Princess Sally Acorn, was created for theSonic Saturday Morningcartoon show in the mid-90s. Throughout this series, and in the Archie Comics series about Sonic, she was his primary love interest.
However, despite many fans loving the character, she never translated into the games. Instead, Amy was created and took precedence. Sally and Sonic will always have theMobius: 25 Years Laterstory arc from the comics, where they were shown ruling the Acorn Kingdom together as a hedgehog and wife, with children and everything.
One of the characters presented as being younger, and also having a surprising amount of her own backstory, is Cream the Rabbit. First appearing inSonic Advance 2, in which she was already playable, Cream is a young rabbit who is often seen with her mother, Vanilla, and her Chao companion, who is named Cheese.
Cream is often seen throughout theSonicgames, accompanying either Amy Rose or Blaze the Cat on their adventures as a companion, similar to the role which Tails performs for Sonic. Cream can fly by rotating her ears and has combat skills, which are usually only seen when she is put in very real danger, pushing her to showcase her real capability.
The most commonly appearing female character in theSonicfranchise, Amy Rose, is a pink hedgehog. She may not be the number one favorite among fans, but she is a recognizable character in her own right. She first appeared inSonic CDin 1993, and since thenhas become a staple of the franchiseand one of Sonic’s best friends.
Amy has been playable in many games. Known for her headstrong nature, the large mallet she uses in combat and her continued romantic interest in Sonic, Amy isn’t often seen as an independent character, away from the team, but she has had her playable story sections in games likeSonic Adventure.
A fascinating and beloved character, Blaze the Cat has been a great bit of feminist representation in Sonic since she was introduced in 2005.A princess from an alternate dimension, Blaze was the guardian of the Sol emeralds, similar to how Knuckles is the guardian of the chaos emeralds in the primary Sonic dimension.
With much more interesting abilities of her own, Blaze can create and control fire, than many of the female characters in theSonicfranchise, Blaze has carved out a place in the fandom for herself. She is calm and mature, but also can be seen doubting herself and her strength, something she comes through successfully in different games, proving her worth and acting as a great role model. She is also the only female character to have proven the equal of Sonic in a fight.
A particular favorite for many fans since her inception, Rouge the Bat is considered by many to be the best female character in theSonicfranchise. A treasure hunter and oftentimes government agent, Rouge has taken on many roles throughout her various appearances in the series and is noted by some as the “Catwoman of Sonic” due to her flirtatious nature and competent thievery skills.
Rouge is beloved for the personality she retains, her mysterious nature and her flirting with Knuckles, which fans have always enjoyed. Her independence from Sonic and his friends, while being able to work both with them and against them, makes her one of the most interesting and skilled female characters the series has ever seen, butshe still isn’t being used to her full potential.
