Tikal


 * For other uses of the term, see Tikal (disambiguation).

Tikal (ティカル) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. She is a 4,000 year old anthropomorphic echidna spirit and a former member of the Knuckles Clan who resided in the Mystic Ruins. She is also the daughter of Chief Pachacamac.

In her youth, Tikal lived in a period of war where she opposed her father's warmongering ways. During this time, she befriended the local Chao and their guardian Chaos. When Chaos went on a destructive rampage after her father attempted to steal the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald, Tikal stopped Chaos by sealing it inside the Master Emerald with her own spirit. 4,000 years later, Tikal was released when Dr. Eggman planned to use Chaos to take over the world, where she aided Sonic the Hedgehog and his allies. After Chaos was calmed, Tikal left with it to live in peace.

Concept and creation
Tikal is named after a ruined Mayan city in Guatemala whose name means "Place of Voices". Her father, Pachacamac, shares the name of both an Inca solar deity and a city of the Inca Empire, located near Lima, Peru. In addition to this, the pyramid in the Mystic Ruins, an adventure field in Sonic Adventure, resembles the one in the city of Tikal, and the Lost World level retains aspects of Maya ruins, such as the rotating snake and the jade. Tikal's attire is also derived from the Mayan civilization.

Appearance
Tikal was once an orange-furred Echidna girl with cobalt eyes, physically about 14-years old at the time of her demise. During those years, she wore a tanktop-like garment which revealed her midriff and the traditional tribal dress with beige, green, and red triangular patterns. As a sign of her lineage, she wore a golden necklace and tiara-like band atop her forehead, both of which were decorated with a blue jewel in the center. Her white gloves were adorned with thick, cobalt-blue bracelets around her wrists, and she wore white-strapped sandals. Her dreadlocks were also wrapped with similar white bandages.

In her spiritual form, she appeared either as a bright pink orb of light which hovered in the air, or as a full-bodied apparition resembling her once-physical self.

Early life
Tikal was born over 4,000 years prior to the events of Sonic Adventure to Pachacamac, a member of the family leading the Knuckles Clan. She was raised by her peace-loving grandmother who was also her clan's chief, who was knowledgeable in their clan's legends surrounding the Chao, the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds. Under her tutorage, Tikal's grandmother passed all her teachings, including an old mantra, and pacifistic beliefs onto Tikal. In turn, Tikal loved her grandmother dearly and cherished everything she was taught, making her a peace-loving pacifist, and she would often contemplated her teachings. When her grandmother passed away, Tikal's father took over and directed their clan into a series of violent conquests of the neighboring countries. Standing by her grandmother's ideology, Tikal opposed her father's ways. However, Tikal held onto the hope that they would one day understand each other.

One day during the period of war, Tikal was at the Altar of the Emeralds where she discovered the Chao. While her presence frightened the Chao at first, Tikal quickly gained their trust with her gentle nature. This garnered the attention of the Chao's guardian, Chaos, who revealed himself to Tikal. Chaos initially startled and frightened Tikal, but she soon realized its gentle nature and its duty to watch over the Emeralds and the Chao at the altar. Over time, Tikal befriended Chaos and the Chao, as she would spend most of her time near the altar. Eventually, Tikal was allowed entrance to the inner altar by Chaos, having earned the guardian's trust. There, she saw the Chaos Emeralds and discovered the Master Emerald, where she had the revelation about how the Master Emerald controlled the Chaos Emeralds after understanding her grandmother's mantra.

Tikal soon after learned that her father planned to raid the altar and steal its Emeralds to gain the power to destroy the enemies threatening their survival, namely the Nocturnus Clan. Appalled by the idea and the death it would case, Tikal begged her father not to do this, insisting that plundering and killing was the wrong way to peace, but to no avail. Tikal returned to the altar to warn Chaos and beseeched it to take the Chao to safety, but neither it nor the Chao could leave the altar. Tikal thus promised to talk to her father again and assured the Chao she would not fail them.

Despite Tikal's attempts, Pachacamac lead his warriors in a brutal attack on the altar. Amidst the attack, Tikal and the Chao blocked Pachacamac's path to the Emeralds, where Tikal refused to move and begged them to stop. Knowing her people would never get enough, she tried to reason to them that greed were the enemy. However, Tikal's words were ignored and she was knocked unconscious as Pachacamac and his men her trampled over to storm the altar.

When Tikal came to, she saw the horrible destruction that had befallen the area; when Pachacamac and his men attacked, they angered Chaos, who used the negative chaos energy of the Chaos Emeralds to become Perfect Chaos and start a rampage where it had killed Pachacamac, his men and nearly the entire Knuckles Clan. Realizing that Chaos was now blind with rage and would not stop its rampage until it had destroyed the world, Tikal turned to the Master Emerald's aid and recited her grandmother's mantra, pleading the gem to stop Chaos. Using her spirit as a catalyst, Tikal sacrificed her body to strip Chaos of its power and seal it away within Master Emerald with her own spirit.

Sonic Adventure
Over the next four millennia, Tikal's spirit coexisted inside the Master Emerald with Chaos, until they were awakened and released by Dr. Eggman, who sought to use Chaos to conquer the world, when he shattered the Master Emerald, with Tikal assuming her spirit form upon her release. Realizing Chaos would resume destroying the world once it got all the Chaos Emeralds, Tikal sought out others who could stand up to Eggman and hear her warning and cry for help.

She eventually found six heroes―Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big and E-102 Gamma―whom she appeared before in spirit form to assist them and bestow visions of the past, hoping they realize the cataclysm threatening them. To Knuckles, she showed the result of her failures to persuade Pachacamac and Chaos; to Tails, she shared her ancient prayer; to Gamma she confined her worries about the Chao; to Amy, she showed her meeting with the Chao and Chaos; to Big, she showed the importance of the Emeralds; and to Sonic, she showed the fall of her clan.

Despite Tikal's best attempts, Chaos became Perfect Chaos again and began destroying Station Square. There, Tikal appeared before Sonic and told him about Chaos' sadness and anger. As Perfect Chaos then released the Chaos Emeralds, having drained them of their negative energy, Tikal pleaded Sonic to seal Chaos away again, but Sonic refused as Chaos' anger would never vanish like that. Sonic's friends then arrived with the rest of the Chaos Emeralds and Sonic used their positive energies to transform into Super Sonic and defeat Perfect Chaos, neutralizing its anger. Tikal then showed Chaos that the Chao it had protected were still alive and were cared for. Thanking Sonic and his friends for their help, Tikal disappeared with Chaos to live their lives in peace.

Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Tikal is an unlockable character in the Dreamcast game, Sonic Adventure 2 and its remake Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. To acquire her, the player has to complete all of Knuckles the Echidna's missions with an "A" rank. She is then available to play in 2-player in the treasure hunting game as well as in the kart game. In the GameCube re-release Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, she is initially playable in Treasure Hunting. Sonic Adventure 2 reuses several quotes from Sonic Adventure rather than using new lines from Tikal. Some people believe that her appearance in 2-player clears up the plot hole of her disappearance, while others think SEGA put her there for fans.

Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2
Tikal additionally appears in a Chao mini game in Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2 that is playable by combining one of the games with Sonic Adventure DX. This game involves Tikal giving Sonic tips on where to find a specific Chao for Cheese.

Sonic Pinball Party
Tikal makes a cameo appearance in Sonic Pinball Party as an animated stone carving on the Angel Island board.

Sonic Rivals series
Tikal makes an appearance in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2 on several collectible cards.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Tikal also makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Though Tikal does not appear in person, she is mentioned, along with Chaos and Pachacamac, several times by the characters in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, as the events of the game centers around the history of the Echidnas. Additionally, information about Tikal can be read in the game's codex.

Sonic and the Black Knight
In Sonic and the Black Knight, even though Tikal is not mentioned in the game, when a file is chosen, Tikal is one of the default names.

Sonic Colors
In the console version of Sonic Colors, even though Tikal is not mentioned, when a file is chosen, Tikal is one of the default names, just like in Sonic and the Black Knight.

Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Tikal also appears in Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games as one of the many unlockable costumes that can be worn by a player's Mii. The costume gives the Mii the stats of Tikal.

Sonic Generations
In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, Tikal makes another cameo on a billboard in Speed Highway advertising a movie in the Chao in Space series, titled "Chao in Space III: The Search for Tikal".

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Tikal additionally appears in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed as a sticker.

Sonic Runners
In Sonic Runners, Tikal is a playable Fly Type character in the game. In gameplay, she can float in midair and boost the Distance bonus and Animal bonus by 100%.

Personality
Being raised under her grandmother's teachings, Tikal is a gentle, fair-minded and kindhearted pacifist with a peaceful temperament. She severely opposes greed, violence and fighting, and wishes for everything to be in peace, harmony and tranquility. She is very devout to her teaching, never once resorting to violence, and will try to resolve conflicts by trying to sway people away from their destructive paths peacefully. While she abhors fighting, Tikal is a strong defender of peace and is not above helping others fight to protect the world and its people. She is as well a proud warrior of her tribe, implying she will fight herself when necessary, but only for the right reasons.

Tikal is very caring and compassionate about the people around her and is beloved by all. She is similarly very non-discriminatory, never treating anyone with prejudice. Though she was frighten by Chaos at first, she found a way to befriend it, and even when her entire warlike clan disapproved her ideals, Tikal loved her people deeply and tried to talk them out of the violent ways. When she failed to stop her clan's destruction, Tikal became determined to never let anyone relive such a tragedy. Also, despite Chaos' corruption of anger and sadness, she still considered it her friend.

While Tikal only wants everyone to live in peace, she tends to have moments of oversight while trying to achieve it. She often chooses the quickest path that will restore immediate peace, rather than what might restore harmony and be for the greater good of everyone involved. Still, Tikal is well-meaning in her intentions and she is quick to forgive and forget.

Powers and abilities
Tikal is a trained warrior of the Knuckles Clan, meaning she possesses unspecified combat skills befitting her tribe. She is also noted to be very quick on her feet, surpassing the running speed of Knuckles and Rouge.

Tikal is one of the few known people who is able to access and utilize the powers of the Master Emerald on her own by using the mantra of her grandmother, allowing her to harness its various abilities. She is also the only known person so far who is able to understand Chaos' language.

Following her transcension into a spirit, Tikal gained a variety of mysterious spiritual powers. These powers include assuming the discorporate form of a floating and glowing orb and even spiritually assume her physical form if need be. She can also levitate and teleport herself and others, and harness her spiritual power for special attacks, such as creating earthquakes, lightning bolts, and flashes of light to blind opponents.

A prominent spiritual power of Tikal's is the ability to temporarily transport people back in time in their mind. During these "visions", people can physically interact with their surroundings in the past and even bring things from there back to the present, such as when Tails brought back the Rhythm Badge. While people's minds are visiting the past, their bodies enter a trance-like state and can even move on their own accord until their minds return.

Weakness
Tikal's weakness is that she is not as physically strong as some of the characters, as shown in most media. In Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, she throws short punches and can't sense Emeralds as well as the treasure hunters.

Sonic the Comic
In the Sonic the Comic comic book series, Tikal was the daughter of Pochacamac and a member of the Acient Echidnas that fought a war against the Drakon Empire for control of the Chaos Emeralds 8,000 years ago. Fearing the danger, Tikal transported Sonic to her time to help battle the Drakon. However, when Sonic was about to be killed by Chaos, Pochacamac was forced to send him home.

Archie Comics
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Tikal was the member of the Knuckles Clan, a warrior caste of a group of Echidna colonist from Albion. They settled in Soumerca, where she and the Knuckles Clan remained behind and entered a territorial war against the Felidae and the Nocturnus Clan. There, Tikal befriended Chaos and the local Chao. When Chaos went on a rampage following her father's attempt to steal the Chaos Emeralds, Tikal sealed herself with Chaos inside the Ancient Onyx to stop Chaos. Several hundred years later, Tikal was freed when Dr. Eggman where she aided the heroes in stopping Chaos for good. After that, Tikal returned with Chaos to their own Zone to rest in peace.

Due to the reality warping effects of the Super Genesis Wave at the climax of Worlds Collide, Tikal is now virtually indistinguishable from her game counterpart.

Sonic X
Tikal mirrored her role in Sonic Adventure during her appearance in the anime series, Sonic X.

In Sonic X, Tikal tried to stop her father Pachacamac from taking the seven Chaos Emeralds to defeat their enemies. In this process, she and several Chao were injured, which angered the water beast Chaos. Chaos killed Pachacamac and the remaining members of the tribe, forcing Tikal to stop and calm Chaos by trapping it and her inside the Master Emerald. When Chaos was resurrected by Dr. Eggman, Tikal arrived where Chaos had taken all of the Chaos Emeralds and transformed into Perfect Chaos, in the presence of Sonic the Hedgehog and co. They gathered all seven Chaos Emeralds and restored their power, allowing Sonic to transform into Super Sonic, allowing Sonic to beat Chaos. Tikal then took Chaos with her home.

In the comics, she traveled to the present along with Chaos and several other Chao to help Sonic and his friends to stop the rampage of Eggman's "genetically-modified" Chao.

Family

 * Pachacamac (Father)
 * Unnamed grandmother

Friends/allies

 * Chaos
 * Chao

Enemies

 * Dr. Eggman
 * Pachacamac

Quotes

 * "The servers are the seven Chaos, chaos is power, power enriched by the heart, the controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." - A poem taught to her by her grandmother.
 * "How can I make you understand?"
 * "The fight is over, harmony is restored, and life goes on."
 * "I beg of you..."
 * "Gather 50 rings, and press the Action button while you're jumping. You'll transform into Super Sonic! But watch out for your ring consumption." - An unused line from Sonic Adventure.
 * "I'm sorry, you're not one of them."
 * "I'm sorry." - When using a special attack in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "I must do something..." - Tikal at the beginning of the Treasure Hunt Race in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "I'm Tikal!" - Tikal introducing herself to Tails and when being chosen for a Treasure Hunt Race in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "Go to Station Square/the Mystic Ruins/the Egg Carrier Crash Site, you might find something."
 * "Father, please don't!"

Trivia

 * It is unknown where Tikal actually went with Chaos. When asked about it to Sonic at Sonic Central, he responded that he did not "know exactly where they [Tikal and other characters] are". A popular theory was that she went back to the Master Emerald, but nothing has confirmed this theory. The image after the Super Sonic story credits shows Tikal at the Master Emerald Altar at Angel Island, but it is unclear on what the picture really depicts; the past, the future, a form of Heaven, or something else.
 * She is one of the few Sonic characters with visible feet. Most of the other characters wear shoes all the time.
 * Her in-game model in Sonic Adventure shows her shirt as covering only her chest, though official artwork makes it into a tank top-like garment revealing her midriff. (This could however just be how her model appears in the game)
 * Her skirt pattern differs from an X-shape to diamond-shapes in various artworks.
 * In her Sonic Adventure official artwork, Tikal has an extra wristband on her right hand and a long train on her skirt.
 * When playing as Tikal in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, her lines are simply voice clips from Sonic Adventure.
 * It should be noted that in Sonic Adventure 2, Tikal is given hooked metal plates on her knuckles, possibly to help her burrow.
 * When Tikal does a victory pose in Sonic Adventure 2, her brass knuckle disappears.