Anton Veruca


 * This page is about a character in the Sonic the Hedgehog manga. For the badnik in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, see Anton.

Anton Beluca (アントン・べルーカ) is an anthropomorphic lizard and bully who appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog manga created by Kenji Terada.

Description
Anton describes himself as the Number One Hooligan in Hedgehog Town. He bullies Nikki (the alter ego of Sonic the Hedgehog) and frequently tries to date with Nikki's girlfriend Amy. However, when he becomes particularly obnoxious, causing Nikki to wish he was stronger, Nikki somehow transforms into Sonic the Hedgehog, who then beats up Anton and saves Amy.

Dr. Eggman, who wishes to find out more about the mysterious connection between Sonic and Nikki (which nobody, even Nikki, fully understands), frequently uses Anton as a pawn in his schemes.

Personality
Anton is an obnoxious bully and a good prankster. Whenever he appears, he always makes a grand entrance (whether it's starring in a band concert or driving through someone's house in a monster truck), and he's never afraid to pick on anybody. But be careful! He carries a whole assortment of weapons in his pockets: a chain-whip, a spiked club, or even a flamethrower!

Name
Anton's surname, べルーカ (Berūka), has been difficult to translate into English. It is most commonly translated among fans as "Brooke", although the appropriate Japanese equivalent of the name Brooke or Brook is ブルック (Burukku).

Other fan-translations use "Verruca" or "Verruga", both of which refer to a plantar wart. Some illustrations of Anton, particularly those by mangaka Kōichi Tanaka in Coro Coro Comics Special series, depict Anton with round bumps on his face that could be either (non-plantar) warts or scales. However, this translation also has drawbacks, as the April 1992 issue of Shogaku Ninensei (by mangaka Sango Morimoto) depicts Anton wearing a letterman jacket with the initials 'AB'.

Trivia
In some of translations, Anton seems to swear despite the manga being for young readers.