Fourth wall

The Fourth Wall is a term used to describe the imaginary boundary between the audience and the characters. By breaking the fourth wall, characters either turn to the audience and talk to them directly or acknowledging the fact that their on a game console, movie, or book.

Common Elements

 * Characters tell the player about button commands like "Press the A Button to Jump".
 * After finishing a stage, the character(s) will strike a pose toward the player and comment on the rank they receive.

Sonic 1/Sonic the Hedgehog 2/Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Sonic & Knuckles/Sonic the Hedgehog 4

 * When the character is idle for a while, the character will turn to the player a perform various actions.
 * If Sonic is idle, he'll turn to the player, giving an annoyed look and start tapping his foot. In Sonic 2 and Sonic 3, if the player waits long enough, Sonic will sit down get into the pose he's in when choosing to continue.
 * If Knuckles is idle, he'll turn to the camera and start punching.
 * If Tails is idle, he'll look at the player and yawn.
 * When the player hits Dr. Robotnik, he'll look to the camera with a shocked expression. If he hits the player, he'll laugh directly at the player.
 * After finishing the game in Sonic 1 or Sonic 4, Sonic will turn to the camera and strike one final pose.
 * After finishing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Tails can be seen waving at the player.

Sonic CD

 * If Sonic is idle for three minutes, he'll turn to the player and say "I'm outta here!" and jumps off the screen with an annoyed look on his face while still looing at the player. This results in an instant Game Over.
 * Before the player is able to control Sonic in the Special Stage, Sonic will turn around, as though saying "Hey! Pay attention!"
 * Before Sonic races against Metal Sonic, Metal will do Sonic's finger wave toward the player. If the player loses against Metal, he'll do the same thing.
 * In the good ending, Sonic will glance, then turn to the player and pose before the credits play.

Sonic Adventure

 * If the player moves the camera around a lot while playing as Knuckles, he state that he doesn't want to fall.
 * After finishing their respected stories, the character (with the exception of Gamma) will turn to the play and strike one final pose. As though thanking the player for their help.

Sonic Advance/Sonic Advance 2/Sonic Advance 3

 * Much like the other 2D games, if the character is idle, they'll perform various actions toward the camera.
 * If Sonic is idle, he'll motion to the player, as though saying "Let's get moving!".
 * When Tails is idle, he'll look through his binoculars, then turn to the camera and point, telling the plyer that they need to get moving.
 * When Knuckles is idle, he'll look at the player with an annoyed face, clear his throat, and yell at the player, telling them to "Hurry up!".
 * While Amy is idle for a while, she'll wave at the player, before shouting something like "Hey!", and then repeatedly shout something and she'll continue to do this until the player moves her.
 * While Cream is grinding, she'll wave at the player.
 * During the Tornado Special Stage, the character will turn to the player and do something like give a thumbs up or wave.
 * After the character gains the Chaos Emerald, they'll show the Emerald to the player.
 * When Sonic does some streches, he'll look toward the camera while shaking his hands.
 * While Tails is about to start, he'll look around, notice the player and nod.
 * When Amy is about to start, she'll yawn but will noticed the player and pretend to do something else.

Sega Superstars

 * At the start on the Sonic game, Sonic (or Shadow) will look at the player and give a thumbs up.

Sonic Rush

 * If the player taps Sonic with the stylus, he'll swing his arms, as though saying "Come on! Let's go!"
 * If Blaze is tapped with the stylus, she'll jump like a scared cat, stamp her foot, and turn her back to the player while tapping her foot.
 * When moving around on the map, Tails or Cream will refer to you by the character you're playing as.

Sonic Riders/Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

 * After starting a race, the character will turn around and look at the player.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

 * During Sonic's Side Taunt, he'll turn to the player (possibly the opponent) while saying "You're too slow!"
 * During Subspace Emisarry, Sonic appears before the final fight against Tabuu. This could be a nod to Sega's late acceptance to let Sonic join Brawl.
 * If the player fights Sonic while playing as Solid Snake and contacts Otacon, Snake will say that he doesn't like Sonic for some reason. Otacon will then state that many fans are happy that he's in Brawl. Snake's unexplained dislike toward Sonic could also be a nod to the Sonic games selling better than the Metal Gear games.

Sonic Unleashed

 * After Sonic realizes that Chip lost his memory, he asks the player if he fell on him.
 * After Sonic sulks away because Amy didn't recognize him as a Werehog, Chip will offer him chocolate, but Sonic will refuse. Chip will then shrug at the player before flying after him.
 * While Sonic is being graded in the 360/PS3 versions, he and Chip will look directly at the results.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

 * During races, Sonic or some of the other characters will look at the player.
 * When Big gains first place, he'll put his hand on the camera to stop himself, jump off his bike, and pose.

Sonic Free Riders

 * Omochao seems to be talking as though the player is watching TV.

Sonic Colors

 * When Tails corrects Sonic by telling him that it's pronouced "Wisps", Sonic will turn to the camera and tell the audience that he'll just call them aliens.
 * In the CGI opening, a White Wisp looks at the camera in wonder, as though trying to look at something.

Archie Comics

 * When Antoine let Pseudo Sonic into Knothole, he blamed the writers for making the panel so dark.
 * One comic panel had Sonic and Tails returning from their look at the other comics.
 * When the Freedom Fighters were looking at video footage of Universalamander, Sally believed that Jurassic Park has been released for the Mega-Drive.
 * When Sonic went into the Special Stage, a prompt appeared at the bottom of the page, telling the vewier to use their Mega-Drive to help Sonic through the Special Stage.
 * When Sonic rushed off to save Sally from the trees, he uses a full panel to tell the viewer about the story and his hope using all the bad tree puns that haven't been used up to that point.
 * One of the early Off-Panels features some "deleted scenes" from the comics.
 * In one issue, the reader may choose what Sonic says.
 * In a bonus feature, Sonic directly addresses the reader and tells them to help him.
 * On the SSS Issue #11 cover, Sonic can be seen saying "Hey! Who's comic is this anyway?!"

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

 * During the intro, Sonic and Tails give the viewer a thumbs up.
 * After changing "Sonic Sez" to "Sonic Says", he'll give the viewer a thumbs up.
 * The entire Sonic Sez segement has Sonic breaking to fourth wall. Telling kids to do things like not to smoke, stay in school, or not to play with guns.
 * At the end of Sonic Christmas Blast, Sonic tells the viewer to be on the lookout for more episodes of AOSTH, even though none were released afterwards.

Sonic X

 * While Sonic is standing on Sam Speed's racer, he yells at Sonic, telling him that there are kids watching. Which also brings Sonic to break the fourth wall.
 * In the English Dub, Sonic tells the kids not to use speciallly formulated racecars to catch speeding hedgehogs.
 * In the original Japanese Dub, Sonic tells the viewers that they should not stand on top of speeding race cars.
 * When Eggman was viewed as a hero by many of the brianwashed civilians, Decoe and Bocoe pitched an idea of a TV show called "Eggman X". A clear nod to the show's title being "Sonic X".
 * When Sonic fails to reach the Egg Carrier, he'll turn to the camera and say "No way".
 * During the ending sequnces in the first season, Sonic will watch footage from the episode.
 * When Sonic fell into a small pond/puddle while fighting Knuckles in Cracking Knuckles, he'll turn to the camera and sheepishly say "Good thing I landed in the kiddie pool.", before returning to his fight with Knuckles.
 * In the Japanese version of Episode 26, when a card showing a blacked-out E-99 Eggsterminator, Eggman appears and tells the viewer "I'm sorry!" before bringing out the Eggsterminator.
 * When Sonic gets an idea to get off the ship in Cruise Blues, he looks at the viewer with a sly expression on his face.
 * In one episode, Charmy shows Vector a DVD of Sonic X.