Espio the Chameleon (Archie)


 * For the version of this character before the Super Genesis Wave, see Espio the Chameleon (Pre-Super Genesis Wave).

Espio the Chameleon is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-off comic series published by Archie Comics. He is an anthropomorphic chameleon, ninja, and member of the Chaotix Detective Agency.

Appearance
Espio is a bright purple chameleon with a yellow horn on his head, golden eyes and a ridge of three black scales down his spine and coiled tai. He wears dark purple and black shoes with elaborate cuffs, white gloves with a purple back, and studded bands around his wrists and ankles.

Making Friends
Espio and his teammates Vector and Charmy first made the acquaintance of Knuckles the Echidna when they teamed up with him, Mighty the Armadillo, and the robots Heavy and Bomb to oppose Dr. Eggman. At some point, they also interacted with Mighty's friend Ray, though he and Mighty adventured apart from the detective trio. They were also one of four teams who joined forces to defend Sonic's World from the threat of Metal Overlord, alongside Team Sonic, Team Rose, and Team Dark. Unlike the other three groups, the Chaotix took on the monstrous robot having been hired to do so; their employer was eventually revealed to be a deposed Dr. Eggman.

Shattered World Crisis

 * Note: From the readers point of view, this picks up from where Espio's original timeline ended.

Espio and his teammates were hired by Princess Sally shortly into the Shattered World Crisis to help hunt down the seven Chaos Emeralds, which were key to repairing the fractured planet. In the midst of their quest, they found Knuckles under attack by Dark Gaia's Minions in Pumpkin Hill Zone, and came to his aid. After learning that Knuckles was in the middle of his own quest, the Chaotix revealed their own, and the Guardian agreed to help them locate a Chaos Emerald in the region. They survived a harrowing trip through the air using their Sling Rings, only to run into a rival expedition: Nack the Weasel's Hooligans. The two teams fought briefly, but parted ways after learning that neither of them currently had the Emerald they were both seeking. Espio and the others made their way into Aquatic Mine Zone, where they located the Chaos Emerald and Knuckles' quarry: the spirit Light Gaia.

At Vector's urging, Espio joined his fellow detectives in attempting to capture the spirit, but Knuckles stopped them in their tracks. After befriending the creature, whom Charmy named Chip, they were attacked by both the Hooligans and a Dark Gaia Titan. The Hooligans took advantage of the confusion to grab both spirit and Emerald, and left the Chaotix and Knuckles trapped with the Titan. Fortunately, they were able to take advantage of the mine's water redirection system to escape their near demise, and caught up with the Hooligans. While Bean was tricked into tangling with the Titan, Espio's teammates recovered and hid Chip and the Emerald, while Espio sabotaged the Hooligans' Emerald radar. Tricked into believing that Chip had escaped with the jewel, the criminals left, and Knuckles finished off the Titan. The Chaotix entrusted Knuckles with the recovered jewel, and left to search for others. Espio was later sent by Vector to Casino Park to investigate the Chaos Emerald Championship, and-despite losing some of his travel money-managed to enter Knuckles as a contestant after registering himself.

Espio faced Bean in the first round, and flustered by the ninja with his nonsensical babbling and apparent idiocy. However, this proved to be a clever scheme on Bean's part to trick Espio into losing his temper, and the sole Chaotix member to compete in the tournament ended up falling out of the ring without Bean laying a finger on him. Later during round 3 where Nack defeats Bean Espio is asked by Sonic if he is happy to see his loss against Bean avenged. Thinking back to how Vector chewed him out over the phone, Espio decides he is not all that thrilled. Sonic asks why he did not manage to sneak Vector or Charmy into the tourney. Espio explains that he only planted Knuckles because he was in the area and it shouldn't have worked in the first place, suggesting that Breezie is aware of the sabotage and has tampered with the brackets herself. He reminds Sonic that Dr. Eggman is sure to be involved and not to let his guard down. As they finish their conversation, Amy and Knuckles begin their fight. Amy gets pumped to take down Knuckles and face Sonic in the finals, but starts over-analyzing the situation and worrying about disappointing or hurting him.

Personality
Espio is typically a no-nonsense personality, and usually the most professional of the Chaotix. While he apparently recognizes Vector as the leader of their group, he is not afraid to argue with him. Espio also seems to have greater faith in mystical powers, such as Sling Rings, than his leader.

Powers and abilities
Due to being a Chameleon, Espio is capable of blending into his environment and clinging to walls. He is also a trained ninja, and carries an array of ninja weapons such as throwing stars and kunai.

Allies

 * Chaotix
 * Charmy
 * Vector
 * Knuckles
 * Mighty
 * Ray
 * Heavy
 * Bomb
 * New Freedom Fighters
 * Sonic
 * Tails
 * Sally
 * Team Rose
 * Amy
 * Cream
 * Cheese
 * Big
 * Team Dark
 * Shadow
 * Rouge
 * Omega

Enemies

 * Eggman Empire
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Metal Sonic
 * Titan Metal Sonic
 * Badnik Horde
 * Hooligans
 * Dark Gaia
 * Dark Gaia Creatures