Vector the Crocodile (Archie)


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

Vector the Crocodile is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog and its spin-off comic series published by Archie Comics. He is an anthropomorphic crocodile and the leader of the Chaotix trio of detectives. He usually leads his teammates on adventures intended to earn money that often contribute to the welfare of the planet.

Known life
Vector and his teammates Espio the Chameleon and Charmy first became involved in fighting for their world's welfare when they teamed up with Knuckles the Echidna and Mighty the Armadillo to fight Dr. Eggman's machinations near Isolated Island. Later, the trio would cross paths with Knuckles again-this time as a member of Team Sonic-and they joined Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and the members of Team Dark and Team Dark in battling the threat of Metal Overlord and the forces he had usurped from Eggman. They also fought alongside these allies when the Black Arms invaded Sonic's World, while Vector alone joined Amy Rose and Cream the Rabbit on an Extreme Gear racing team. Reunited, the trio of detectives investigated Eggman's machinations involving the Wisps, and were among the friends of Sonic captured by the Time Eater, though they were all eventually rescued.

Worlds Collide

 * Note: Due to the Genesis Wave, Vector's history from this point were changed to be nearly identical to that of his game counterpart's.

When another Genesis Wave was launched, Vector, Charmy, and Espio's lives remained largely unchanged in this altered version of their world. They were approached by Sonic to help him in his search for the missing Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose. However, their investigation led to an encounter with the villainous Copy Robot, who knocked Vector and his teammates out in order to deliver them to Eggman and Dr. Wily. Shortly thereafter, Vector-now transformed into Vector Man-joined his fellow Roboticized Masters in attacking Sonic, Mega Man, and their allies. He and the other Chaotix members-now Charmy Man and Espio Man-continued to battle the blue heroes, Tails, and Rush after their teammates left to pursue Proto Man. Vector Man was the first to be restored to normal by Mega Man's Mega Buster, which had been modified to emulate Sonic's Spin Dash attack. With his teammate likewise restored to normal, Vector expressed his gratitude to Mega Man and offered him one free job from the Chaotix. The robot hero accepted, and promptly asked Vector and his teammates to find Proto Man.

Vector and his partners soon caught up with Proto Man, although Vector developed the misconception that their new ally was named "Pogo Man." The group eventually caught up with the doctors' flying fortress, the Wily Egg, as it hovered above a teleporter pad in their Skull Egg Zone. Vector and his teammates proved unable to crack the security code, the panel having been designed with colored buttons rather than numbered ones. However, they were soon joined by the various restored Roboticized Masters and other heroes, and forced to do battle with a massive army of Robot Masters created by the doctors. As Sonic led the charge, aiming for the teleporter, Vector reminded him that they hadn't cracked the code while trying to hold onto Centaur Man. He proved a formidable combatant afterwards, working together with his Chaotix teammates and alone against such foes as Snake Man.

Sadly, the tide of battle soon turned against the heroes, and Vector began suffering injuries. One such nearly left him at the mercy of Pharaoh Man, but fortunately Silver the Hedgehog intervened to protect him. Eventually, the heroes found themselves surrounded by the enemy, but reinforcements then arrived: the Light Robot Masters. The battle continued for a time, but heroes and villains alike were then hit by the Super Genesis Wave, which rewrote both their native worlds. Fortunately, Super Sonic and Super Mega Man reversed its effects, though their world suffered some damage thanks to Eggman's interference.

Shattered World Crisis

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

In the midst of the Shattered World Crisis, Vector and his team were hired by Sally Acorn to help find the Chaos Emeralds, which were key to returning the planet to its previous condition. Their search eventually led them to Pumpkin Hill Zone, where they arrived just in time to help Knuckles fight off a band of Dark Gaia Creatures. The old allies decided to work together to locate the Chaos Emerald, though Vector tested Knuckles' patience with his teasing after he was told about Relic the Pika. After searching through the area-aided in part by their Sling Rings, much to Vector's trepidation-they ran into a rival search party: the Hooligans under Nack. After a brief skirmish, the two groups realized that neither was currently in possession of the Emerald and parted ways. Knuckles and the Chaotix then entered Aquatic Mine Zone, where Vector's impatience quickly wore on Knuckles, who became determined to leave-until he sensed the Emerald nearby. The four allies then discovered the gem in question, in the possession of a small, strange creature.

Unfortunately, the presence of the newcomers frightened the being, whom Knuckles recognized as the spirit he had been sent to find. Vector and the Chaotix pursued the spirit, and cornered him until Knuckles got in their way. They soon befriended the spirit, whom Charmy dubbed "Chip." Unfortunately, the Hooligans soon arrived seeking to claim the Emerald, and were shortly followed by a Dark Gaia Titan. In the midst of the battle, the Hooligans captured Chip and the Emerald and escaped after destroying all the entrances, leaving Vector and his friends trapped in a rapidly flooding chamber. Seemingly doomed to perish in close quarters with their monstrous foe, the heroes were saved when Vector recalled some of Knuckles' reminisces about his previous travels in the area. Escaping through a flooded tunnel, they caught up with the Hooligans, and tricked Bean the Dynamite into attacking the Titan for them. Vector then retrieved Chip and the Emerald, hiding them both in his mouth until the Hooligans departed. Knuckles then dispatched the Titan, and Vector was convinced to entrust the Guardian with the Emerald to keep it safe.

Vector later sent Espio to Casino Park to investigate the Chaos Emerald Championship, and was informed by his friend that he had managed to get Knuckles registered for the tournament.

Personality
Vector is egotistic, loud-mouthed, and opinionated to a fault, but this has never stopped him from helping out his friends. He thinks women find him irresistible, and to his dismay is often proven wrong. With a temper just as short as Knuckles and Julie-Su's, he clashed with both Echidnas early in their friendships but eventually made peace with them. A lover of the loudest rock music, Vector always wears a set of high power headphones. Despite most of his poor qualities he has been shown to have an inquisitive nature, and from time to time has proven himself to be more than competent. However because of this he finds it hard to trust former enemies such as Julie-Su and Rouge. For unknown reasons he is reluctant to discuss his childhood in Downunda or his reasons for leaving, and goes to great lengths to conceal the fact from his teammates. Though he has adopted a "street lingo" accent to hide his origins, it appears that he retains some mannerisms of his Downunda accent, such as yelling "Croikey!" when Espio revealed his knowledge of Vector's past.

Abilities
As a crocodile, Vector possesses a crocodile's natural strength and agility, and has grown stronger as a result of training with Mighty. His walkman can also be used as a sonic weapon, firing powerful blasts of music at enemies and friendly rivals alike. Though not as skilled in martial arts as Espio or Knuckles, he knows how to handle himself in a fight. Something of a detective, he has been training Ray the Flying Squirrel to use information gathering skills. (StH: #122, #212, SU: #10, KtE: #2)

Trivia

 * Ironically, given his reputation for slick moves in the comics, Vector's game counterpart was, and still is, the slowest of the Chaotix regulars (not counting Heavy), and is one of the slowest game characters overall. The closest the comic came to take note of that was during the Dark Legion chase in KtE: #2, where Vector trailed behind his teammates, and was the first to wear out due to exhaustion.
 * Vector's favorite song is "Sonic Boom", which is the main theme of the American version of Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
 * Throughout Sonic Universe #47, Vector makes numerous references to the infamous "Find the Computer Room!" meme that appeared in Shadow the Hedgehog video game.

Appearance
Vector is a large, green-skinned crocodile. His initial comic appearance was based on that of the earlier video games in which he had a yellow front, red scales down his back (sometimes drawn as two ridges rather than one), large, rounded shoulders, and an overall slimmer physique. He wore white gloves, blue shoes with yellow cuffs (sometimes with zippers) and blue headphones with yellow speakers and a yellow belt on which he carried a blue Walkman. As with many characters in the comic's earlier days, he was given light blue eyes.

When the character's design was updated for Sonic Heroes (as a "power-type" character), the comic followed suit, with Vector gaining a much bulkier appearance. The explanation given by writer Ian Flynn is that after the Xorda's attack on the planet, Vector realized he had little going for him other than agility, and so had Mighty be his personal trainer to give him more muscle. This was confirmed in StH: #212, where Mighty claimed that Vector could fill in for him in the Chaotix given that the Crocodile had become nearly as strong as him after his training course.

Vector now sports a thicker body; his stomach, as well as arms, became light green and his eyes, as well as the scales down his back, are now red-orange. The large, round shoulders are much smaller and black in color. He wears white gloves with black-and-white cuffs and shoes embellished with gold buckles and a large gold chain around his neck. His now-wireless headphones became black and somewhat chunkier in design.

For the wedding of Bunnie and Antoine, Vector wore a high-collar shirt and black jacket. There is often some confusion of colors between both his old and new designs; his arms are still sometimes colored the same green as his body. In the past, the scales on his back were often miscolored purple; now, the error is often pink rather than orange.