Chaos Control

Chaos Control (カオスコントロール) is a Chaos Power that allows the user to warp time and space, usually with the mystical Chaos Emeralds or with a link to the Archie exclusive Chaos Force. It was first utilized by Shadow the Hedgehog during the events of Sonic Adventure 2. While first introduced as a way to teleport over large distances, Chaos Control has since been evolved into a overall term for any supernatural reality manipulation conducted through the power of the Chaos Emeralds, allowing incredible feats such as traveling through time and between dimensions.

Chaos Control is also known to be the power source for many Chaos Energy-based Chaos Powers, such as Chaos Spear and Chaos Blast.

Description
As mentioned above, Chaos Control is a phenomenon that allows the user to manipulate the fabric of space and time to a certain extent with a Chaos Emerald's Chaos Energy (although in Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics, Shadow the Hedgehog can use Chaos Control with his natural link to the Chaos Force like the Archie versions of the Emeralds). Usually, Chaos Control is synonymous with teleportation, although it can affect reality in a multitude of manners. In Shadow the Hedgehog, Chaos Control is described as being enhanced with each Chaos Emerald added to its usage, until reaching full power with all seven Chaos Emeralds, meaning that the more Chaos Emeralds that are used in the process, the greater is the extent that the user can manipulate space and time. Furthermore, because the power of the Chaos Emeralds can be harnessed without a physical connection to a Chaos Emerald, users only need to be within an unknown proximity to one to use Chaos Control.

Space Manipulation
Chaos Control is foremost associated with its ability to manipulate space, which is usually used by characters to teleport themselves instantaneously from one place in space to another. The user of Chaos Control can also pick up beings and objects along with them when teleporting, or teleport objects to other locations without the user going with them, though varying amounts of effort is required depending on the extend of the teleportation. Together with the time-manipulating properties of Chaos Control, the user can create rifts in space and time, which can make those who passes into them be banished to the void. In battle, Chaos Control can also be used to distort space and thereby damage the opponent.

The distance and the size of the objects or number of people that can be teleported depends on the number of Chaos Emeralds that are used; with just one Chaos Emerald, the user can take a few people a relatively far, though limited, distance away and even breach dimensional barriers, while with all seven Chaos Emeralds, characters such as Super Sonic, Super Shadow and Black Doom can teleport objects as large as Space Colony ARK and the Black Comet from their orbit down to the Earth's surface or into another orbit.

In Sonic Rivals 2, Shadow also demonstrated that Chaos Control could also be used as a mean of interdimensional travel, as he used it to teleport back to his own world from the Chaotic Inferno Zone. Black Doom was also able to teleport others into cyberspace with Chaos Control.

In Sonic Advance 3, it was shown by Dr. Eggman that Chaos Control's space-manipulating properties can also be used as a mean of reshaping the physical side of reality, as he demonstrated by splitting the Earth into seven different regions and then reshaping them to completely different, yet working regions.

Time Manipulation
The second most common use of Chaos Control is its ability to manipulate time, though it is not necessary demonstrated to the same extent as the space-manipulating side of Chaos Control. It is most frequently used by the characters in the series to either slow down time or stop it entirely, which in turns keeps their opponents suspended in such a state for a couple of seconds, while the user itself is unaffected. According to Shadow, anyone who is slowed down by Chaos Control cannot willingly break free (at least until it wears off).

With enough Chaos Emeralds, Chaos Control also allows the users to manipulate time to such an extent that the user can travel through the time stream, though some manipulation of space is involved as well. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), it is demonstrated that if two people, each with a Chaos Emerald, attempt to activate Chaos Control independently of one another, but also in close proximity to one another, the two attempts cancel each other out and create a rip in the fabric of space-time. This Time-Space Rift gives anyone who enters it a brief degree of choice in quickly traveling backwards or forwards in time and to another location as well.

Chaos Powers
Besides the standard use of it, Chaos Control can as well be used to create offensive and defensive techniques.

The Source of Chaos Control
The different Sonic universes have different rules for what powers Chaos Control.

Game Series
The use of Chaos Control in the games has been inconsistent. Although cutscenes, bios in manuals and websites in the Sonic the Hedgehog series often claim activating Chaos Control requires a Chaos Emerald, Shadow the Hedgehog has appeared to use it a few times both in gameplay and during a cutscene without a visible Chaos Emerald.

A report for the Biolizard also implied that a specific organ was used by lifeforms, or at the very least the Biolizard, to start the Chaos Control.

Other media
In other media such as Sonic X and the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics take more consistent approaches to Chaos Control.

Sonic X
In Sonic X, Chaos Control is never initiated by Shadow or anyone else without an Emerald, or at least a fake Chaos Emerald, nearby (it was originally believed that all seven were needed for Chaos Control but Shadow proved only one was needed).

Archie Comics
In the Archie Comic's continuity, Shadow is an exception to the use of Chaos Control and does not need an Chaos Emerald at all to perform Chaos Control. According to Knuckles, this is because he has the ability to tap into the Chaos Force to use the power of the Chaos Emeralds without a Chaos Emerald, which is something only Angel Island's Guardians could do before him.

Early History
Although Shadow the Hedgehog is the first to be seen using Chaos Control in Sonic Adventure 2, the earliest known user of Chaos Control is Black Doom, the Black Arms leader, as he could very well be over 2000 years old (as he states before the "Sky Troops" stage in Shadow the Hedgehog that he visited Earth around that time years ago).

Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
The first use of Chaos Control in the Sonic the Hedgehog series was introduced along with Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. It was first shown by Shadow, when he and Sonic met face to face, where he used Chaos Control to avoid Sonic the Hedgehog's charge and then to flee from the scene before G.U.N arrived.

When Prison Island was about to blow up, Shadow arrived in the nick of time to save Rouge from inside the vault and used Chaos Control to teleport them both to safety. Later, when Sonic was shot into space in a capsule set to explode, Sonic used Chaos Control almost subconsciously with a fake Chaos Emerald to teleport himself back to the Space Colony ARK. When Sonic and Shadow later had their battle at Final Rush, the two of them would both used Chaos Control to gain up on one another whenever one of them fell behind.

As the Space Colony Ark began its collision course towards Earth, Sonic and Knuckles managed to stop the Chaos Emeralds from powering the ARK, but the Biolizard, an early prototype of Shadow, used its own Chaos Control to teleport outside the ARK and merged with it, thus becoming Finalhazard, intending to keep it on its collision course. After defeating the Finalhazard, Super Sonic and Super Shadow used a combined Chaos Control massive enough to send the ARK back into orbit.

Chaos Control could also be used in game's two-player mode, where two players go up against each other in race to the Goal Ring, when having Shadow as the playable character. Whenever Shadow has collected 60 rings, he can freely perform Chaos Control. When using it, Shadow will shout "Chaos Control" and then freeze his opponent in time for 10-20 seconds, wherever they might. Other characters in the game have moves such as Time Stop (Sonic), Captive Light (Tikal), Charm Ray (Rouge), Power Flash (Knuckles), Chaos Bind (Chaos 0) and Amy Flash (Amy), which works in the exact same way as Chaos Control does, though each move variates with how long they last. The duration of Chaos Control and all the other moves can however be reduced by rapidly pressing buttons

Sonic Heroes
In Sonic Heroes, Chaos Control is part of Team Dark's Team Blast, Chaos Inferno. When activated, the move stops time for everything around them for a few seconds and the "Chaos Inferno" is unleashed, destroying everything in the direct vicinity. In the final battle against Metal Overlord, Metal Overlord may use Chaos Control (due to having copied Sonic and Shadow's data) which lets him freeze time to prevent Team Super Sonic from moving or attacking, and also stops the clock, but their rings still drain away while Chaos Control is in effect. Like in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the duration of Chaos Control can be reduced by rapidly pressing buttons.

Sonic Battle
In Sonic Battle, almost all of Shadow's attacks involve Chaos Control in some form or another.

Sonic Advance 3
Chaos Control is a plot device in Sonic Advance 3. In the game, Dr. Eggman used the Chaos Emeralds to induce a Chaos Control so powerful that it separated and reshaped the world into several different regions.

Shadow the Hedgehog
In Shadow the Hedgehog, the use of Chaos Control plays a very prominent role in the story. The game introduced Black Doom, an alien warlord who could also perform Chaos Control without the Chaos Emeralds, just like Shadow. Over the course of the game. Black Doom would use Chaos Control to teleport Shadow to areas where he needed him, either to assist his army or to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds.

Shadow himself would also make use of Chaos Control over the course of his adventure, as seen during the intro sequence where he used Chaos Control to attack the Black Arms or when he used Chaos Control to enter various places, such as Dr. Eggman's bases or the ruins of Prison Island.

In the Last Story, Black Doom revealed that he was seeking out the seven Chaos Emeralds to amplify his own Chaos Control abilities to such a high level that he could teleport the Black Comet down to the surface of the Earth from space, as the comet could not survive atmospheric reentry. After transporting the Black Comet down to Earth, Black Doom retreated back to the Black Comet, but Shadow followed him. Later, as Shadow moved in to attack Black Doom, Black Doom used Chaos Control to escape Shadow and to transform into Devil Doom, intending to kill Shadow for good. Shadow, however, transformed into Super Shadow and fought Devil Doom in a battle where they both would use Chaos Control to gain the upper hand on one another.

Eventually, Super Shadow defeated Devil Doom and used Chaos Control to teleport the Black Comet back into space where it was destroyed by the Eclipse Cannon.

In gameplay, Shadow can perform Chaos Control whenever his Hero meter was filled up, allowing him to become Hero Shadow. In this state, Shadow can initiate Chaos Control to manipulate time and space to his own advantage, though the use of Chaos Control is shown from different perspectives depending on the circumstances. When playing through a normal stage, performing Chaos Control will make Shadow fly quickly and automatically free from the players control (which may have just been a method of illustrating Shadow's teleportation through space) forward through the stage, often releasing bursts of energy, until his Hero meter runs out. In boss battles, however, performing Chaos Control allows Shadow to slow down time and his opponent, while he is completely controlled by the player.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Chaos Control appeared again in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), where it was used by Sonic, Shadow and Silver to create time rifts to travel through time. This game also introduced Mephiles the Dark, an evil being who could move through time with an ability similar to that of Chaos Control.

The first use of Chaos Control seen in the game was when Shadow used it to infiltrated White Acropolis to save Rouge the Bat. When the pair was later sent to Silver's future by Mephiles, Shadow figured out they could return home by using Chaos Control to create a time-space rift, but doing so required more power than he could provide himself. Fortunately, with the unexpected help from Team Sonic, the group collected two Chaos Emeralds, and Sonic and Shadow used a "Cross-Chaos Control" to create a time-space rift for them to return home with.

During his battle with Silver, Shadow used Chaos Control with a Chaos Emerald to slow Silver down while he attacked him. Silver, however, in a brash attempt to use Chaos Control against Shadow, used Chaos Control with a Chaos Emerald simultaneously with Shadow and accidentally created time-space rift, which they then used to explore the past of the Solaris Project. While in the past, Shadow used Chaos Control again, this time to freeze the new-born Mephiles in time while he sealed him in the Scepter of Darkness. After they had each completed their task in the past, Shadow and Silver used "Cross-Chaos Control" to return to the present. Sonic and Silver would then later create another time-space with Chaos Control for Sonic to save Elise before she got killed and for Silver and Blaze to return to the future.

Presumably, Blaze later used Chaos Control to seal herself and Iblis away in another dimension.

Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
In Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Chaos Control is one of the abilities that Shadow the Hedgehog can perform to attack his opponents during the races.

In Sonic Riders, when Shadow reaches level 3 from collecting at least 60 rings, he can perform Chaos Control as an orb of condensed energy on a nearby opponents to freeze them in time, making them immobile and easier to pass by. In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Shadow can again use Chaos Control in orb form, now at all times, but when attacking his opponents with it, it causes them to lose control of their gear.

Sonic and the Black Knight
In Sonic and the Black Knight, Sir Lancelot (the Arthurian realm's version of Shadow the Hedgehog) and Shadow is shown using Chaos Control as a part of their Chaos Punishment technique.

Sonic Generations
Chaos Control made a small cameo on both console version and handheld version of Sonic Generations. During Sonic's rival battle with Shadow, Shadow would use Chaos Control, and shout "Chaos Control" when he would try to attack Sonic with Chaos Spears on the console version, and shout "Chaos Control" when performing his Chaos Boost on the handheld version.

Super Smash Bros Brawl
In Super Smash Bros Brawl, Shadow is an assist trophy. He uses Chaos Control to slow down time for everyone (apart from the user of the trophy) for a short amount of time.

Sonic X
In Sonic X, Chaos Control is the catalyst for much of the series' events. During one of Sonic's battles with Dr. Eggman, an accident with one of the evil doctor's machines caused a vast Chaos Control explosion, which teleported Sonic and his friends from their world to an alternate dimension, Earth. Later in the series, events similar to the first Chaos Control explosion also transport Angel Island and other lifeforms from Sonic's world to Earth. Chaos Control would also typically appear in the series' later run, usually when characters such as Shadow, Super Sonic and Super Shadow appeared.

In the English dub of Sonic X, Chaos Control is used incorrectly as the name of Eggman's base. In the first episode, when Chaos Control transports the entire cast to the human world, Amy asks Knuckles "What is that?" and Knuckles replies "It used to be Chaos Control."

Archie Comics
In the Sonic comic series published by Archie Comics, Chaos Control is an ability enfused with the power of the Chaos Force usually used for teleportation and temporal-freezing and is usually used by whose who have a strong connection to the Chaos Force. Just like in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Chaos Control can be molded into different powers and abilities, like energy spears, energy explosions, energy blasts, levitation and can even be used to freeze people in time, and its power can be increased depending on the number of Chaos Emeralds. With one Chaos Emerald, at least three people can teleport between zones with Chaos Control.

Just like in the games, Shadow the Hedgehog can perform Chaos Control without the needed of a Chaos Emerald as he has a natural connection to the Chaos Force. Many of the characters from the games has also been shown using Chaos Control in comics, but also comic-exclusive characters has been shown being able to perform Chaos Control as well, such as Scourge the Hedgehog, Mammoth Mogul and Lara-Su.

Shadow the Hedgehog
The first character ever seen to perform Chaos Control and the one to make the most use of it. He first used it to warp in Sonic Adventure 2 and to stop time in the game's 2-Player Mode. In Sonic Heroes, he used Chaos Control to stop time in his team's Team Blast named Chaos Inferno. In his own game Shadow the Hedgehog Shadow used Chaos Control to quickly warp through stages or slow down time during boss battles. Chaos Control is Shadow's signature move, despite the fact that there are others capable of using it. Although cutscenes and bios in manuals and websites often claim Shadow requires a Chaos Emerald to activate Chaos Control, Shadow has used it several times during gameplay without a visible Chaos Emerald. In Sonic X he has also demonstrated the ability to use a fake Chaos Emerald to transport himself, however after he does, the fake emerald was shown to disintegrate in his hand. This is possible because it held properties identical to a regular emerald, only weaker.

Sonic the Hedgehog
In Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic used Chaos Control to save himself from certain death, most notably with a fake Chaos Emerald, which had the same properties as an actual Emerald, although it was weaker. Also, when playing the final boss of the Dark Story, battling Sonic for the second time, he will use Chaos Control to catch up with Shadow if falling behind or forced off the platform. Later, Super Sonic also uses Chaos Control along with Super Shadow in order to teleport the Space Colony ARK back to its original orbit. Sonic's again used Chaos Control Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) game, where he uses Chaos Control together with Shadow, and later with Silver the Hedgehog, in order to create warps in time. While a powerful technique, Sonic, however, seem reluctant to use it too often, as the only times he's ever used it were in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

Biolizard
Used Chaos Control to merge with the Eclipse Cannon of the Space Colony ARK in Sonic Adventure 2. A report that Rouge showed to Shadow, regarding the Biolizard, implied that its use of Chaos Control was the result of an organ that was installed into the creature.

Metal Sonic
In Sonic Heroes, after copying Sonic and Shadow's life data and using parts from Dr. Eggman's base to build himself a more powerful and fearsome body, Metal Sonic was able to use Chaos Control to stop time as a defense mechanism against Team Super Sonic. He uses the ability again to slow opponents to a crawl in Sonic Rivals, however he only uses it against Shadow.

Emerl
When Emerl has Shadow's data captured he can copy Shadow's Chaos Control to use Chaos Control and other attacks.

Dr. Eggman
While he can't use it on his own, he has attained Chaos Control using a machine at the beginning of Sonic Advance 3 to break the world into seven pieces, forcing Sonic and Tails to head for the Master Emerald in order to undo the mess.

Black Doom
The alien leader Black Doom used Chaos Control a number of times to transport Shadow (willingly or not) to various locations on Earth, and can even teleport him into cyberspace. He later stole and used all seven Chaos Emeralds to teleport the Black Comet, the Black Arms' home, to Earth, as the Black Comet's velocity can never become high enough to pass through a planet's atmosphere on its own. During the last fight in Shadow the Hedgehog, Devil Doom (a transformed Black Doom) used Chaos Control several times to evade the close-range assaults of Super Shadow.

Silver the Hedgehog
Silver also has the ability of Chaos Control, which he learned while watching Shadow perform it, that he uses with Shadow, and later Sonic, to travel through time. However, because the events cast in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) were erased, it is unknown if Silver can still utilize this move.

Blaze the Cat
Blaze performed Chaos Control at the end of Silver's story from watching Silver and Sonic perform it right before her and Silver head back to the future.

Gemerl
Gemerl used Chaos Control when a character was fighting him. He used it to teleport into the air and summon a bunch of missiles. It's assumed that Gemerl kept some data from Emerl, who had data of Shadow performing it.

Scourge the Hedgehog
Scourge is an exclusive character to the Sonic comics published by Archie Comics. He is able to use Chaos Control by using the Master Emerald. Scourge has only used this ability once, and he tells Rouge that he needs a Chaos Emerald to perform it.

Lara-Su
Lara-Su, the future daughter of Knuckles the Echidna and Julie-Su, is also from the Archie Sonic comics. She comes from an alternative timeline, and is able to use not only her father's powers but also Chaos Control. In the Mobius: 25 Years Later storyline, she fought the evil King Shadow and imprisoned him with Chaos energy by using Chaos Control, suffering minor injuries from a Chaos Spear fired by King Shadow during the battle. She could be the first female to use Chaos Control in the whole Sonic series (Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) was released 1 month later).

Brotherhood of Guardians
Though never specifically calling it Chaos Control, Knuckles' relatives have a variety of powers derived from Chaos energy, among them teleportation.

Dr. Finitevus
When he appeared to help Locke save the Master Emerald from being stolen by A.D.A.M., Dr. Finitevus used a form of teleportation somewhat similar to Chaos Control. The fact that Finitevus' energy is black rather than the normal green is simply of a result of the fact that he wields corrupted Chaos energy.

Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles can use Chaos Control and other Chaos Powers by using his ability Chaos Force.

Chaos
In Archie's Sonic X comic series, Chaos is able to use Chaos Control without the use of any Chaos Emeralds since he was pure Chaos Energy in liquid form. This meant he could perform it at any time he desired to.

Trivia

 * 'Chaos Control' is also the name of a game on the Phillips CD-i.
 * The term 'Chaos Control' is an oxymoron, as chaos is something uncontrollable.
 * The Sonic canons have only used 'Chaos Control' as a noun, not a verb. The verb associated with usage of Chaos Control is "warp" (as in, "Those black creatures just warped the Comet down to the surface using Chaos Control!")
 * In the boss battles of Shadow the Hedgehog and for a brief time in Sonic Heroes, during the team blast of Team Dark, Chaos Control appears to invert colors.
 * Shadow the Hedgehog's theme of Chaos Control can be heard in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing during Shadow's All-Star Move, "Super Shadow".