Giant Ring

Giant rings, also called Warp Rings, are large gold rings that appeared in many early games of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Unlike regular rings, which are usually collected by the players, giant rings instead serve as transportation, taking the player to other locations such as the Special Stage.

Game appearances
In the original Sonic the Hedgehog, giant rings appear if Sonic collects more than 50 rings in any of the first two Acts of each Zone. The giant ring will appear behind the Goal signpost. If Sonic jumps through the giant ring, he will be transported to a Special Stage, where he will have the opportunity to collect one of the Chaos Emeralds. Giant rings were used in the same way in Sonic the Hedgehog CD (but allowing Sonic to collect Time Stones) and Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Giant rings did not appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, in which passage to the Special Stages were via Star Posts instead, but they returned in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. In these games, giant rings do not appear at the end of an Act but are hidden throughout the levels, and they do not require any number of rings to enter. They transport the player to the Blue Sphere special stage, again to try and collect a Chaos Emerald. In the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, when playing the Sonic & Knuckles, the giant rings will flash multicoloured instead of remain gold, and they will transport the player to the Emerald Shrine (in the Hidden Palace Zone), where players can enter new Blue Sphere levels in an attempt to "upgrade" their Chaos Emeralds to Super Emeralds. If all seven Super Emeralds are collected, then the giant rings will no longer transport the player anywhere, but can instead be collected for 50 rings.

The Sonic 3-style giant rings also appear in Sonic Blast, although in this game there is only one giant ring per level.

In Sonic 3D, the gameplay mechanic requires Sonic to collect Flickies from throughout the levels and then deliver them through a giant ring. Once all Flickies are collected, Sonic himself can then pass through the giant ring and move on to the next section of the game.

Sonic the Comic
In Sonic the Comic, several items appear that are based on the giant rings from the games.

Sonic uses a Sonic 1-style giant ring as a short cut to instantly travel from the Green Hill Zone to the Marble Zone, but accidentally collects too many rings and finds himself sent to the Special Zone. The use of giant rings (and rings in general) was quickly phased out of the series. The giant rings' role of providing instantaneous travel between Zones was taken over by Star Posts.

Following an attack on the Floating Island by the Death Egg, Knuckles uncovers a large ring covered in ancient Echidna writing. He accidentally activates the ring and is sucked inside, transporting himself to the Special Zone.

Another type of giant ring, called the Mobius Ring, was created by the Drakon Empire, and allowed travel between Mobius and the Drakon homeworld.

Much later, Amy and Tekno uncovered a sentient giant ring called the Ring of Eternity, which transported them across time and space to help other worlds in danger.

Archie Comics
The Archie Comics continuity also feature giant rings, which are known as Warp Rings. The Warp Rings were created by Doctor Finitevus and when charged up with Chaos Energy allow instantaneous transport for anyone who uses it. They can seemingly penetrate any security measures and allow travel to any location, regardless of distance.