Uni Uni

"The Orbinauts return as one of Sonic's most challenging Badnicks! Pay close attention, you only have a split second to defeat them."

- Profile, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I website

The Uni Uni (ウニウニ), also known as Orbinaut, is a recurring enemy in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a Badnik variant and an Orbinaut model created by Dr. Eggman which first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Besides a different coloration from the Unidasu, they are programmed with different attack patterns.

Appearance
Uni Uni belongs to the Sea Urchin-like Orbinaut series. As such, they look similar to their other variations. They have a green spherical body with wide eyes and four yellow spike balls orbiting their body. They usually have black eyes, but had cyan eyes in Sonic Lost World.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, the Uni Unis' design is more detailed. They have two lines encircling it vertically and one horizontally. They also have two black bases on both sides of their body.

Powers and abilities
As an Orbinaut, Uni Unis have spiked balls that orbit their body at slow speed, unlike the Unidasus which releases all their spiked balls at victims; it can thus be considered more of a defensive model rather than offensive one. This makes Uni Unis hard to defeat and dodge. They simply keep hovering forward, never stopping in place. Their spiked balls usually orbit them laterally, but in Sonic Lost World, they are occasionally seen orbiting them horizontally.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
First appearing in the original Sonic the Hedgehog, the Uni Unis are found around the highways of Star Light Zone. Due to their constantly orbiting spike balls, they are hard to avoid at high speed. However, the player slip under them with a Spin Attack. They are best defeated while the player is invincible, although the player can also destroy them with a well-aimed hit or with a direct attack immediately after gaining invulnerability from taking damage.

In the 8-bit version of the game with same name, the Uni Uni appear only in Sky Base Zone Act 1. Their appearance is also different, having a pinkish body surrounded by yellow spike balls. Otherwise, they behave identically to their 16-bit counterparts. Like all the other Badniks, they do not have Animals as power sources.

Sonic Rivals
In Sonic Rivals, the Uni Uni made an appearance as one of the game's collectible cards. It is again referred to as "Orbinaut."

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Uni Unis appear in Lost Labyrinth Zone with a slightly upgraded design. Despite that, they apparently have the same attack patterns. However, they will expand their spike balls' area once they detect Sonic.

Sonic Colors
In the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors, the Uni Unis appear in Planet Wisp, Aquarium Park and Asteroid Coaster. They look similar to how they did in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, and appear both above ground and in underwater sections. Some Uni Unis block openings for the player to pass through while others move up and down. The best way to destroy them is by using Color Powers.

Sonic Lost World
Both Uni Uni and Unidasu appear in Sonic Lost World, where Uni Uni types are featured as recurring enemies. During the game, it turns out that Badniks (Orbinauts included) got hijacked by the Deadly Six. Uni Uni types of Orbinauts are found at Windy Hill Zones 1 and 2, Frozen Factory Zones 1 and 4, Silent Forest Zone 4 and Sky Road Zone 4 in Wii U version of the game. In Nintendo 3DS version, they are found at Tropical Coast Zones 2 and 3, Frozen Factory Zones 1 and 3 and Sky Road Zone 1.

In 2.5D side scrolling sections in Wii U version, Orbinauts are seen either hovering back and forth or at one place while spinning their spike balls laterally, as many of these Badniks can create huge enemy wall. In the Wii U version exclusively, they are seen dropping its spiked balls when the player has locked his Focused Homing Attack on them. As defenseless, they can be also defeated by performing just Spin Jump.

During main 3D sections in Wii U version and through the whole Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Uni Uni is seen rotating its spiked balls around the core body horizontally, while moving towards the player when Sonic is close to them. In Nintendo 3DS version, Uni Uni is usually seen placed individually or in groups with different Badniks, but they don't drop spike balls like in Wii U version and the player should try hit the Badnik above without touching its spike balls.

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic
A single Orbinaut appears briefly in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 2 's story ''Clash!! South Island''. In Star Land Zone, it quickly appears in front of Sonic, who used the seesaw to get Egg Capsule. As the Orbinaut tries to stop him, Sonic uses Spin Attack which knocks Orbinaut from his way.

Sonic the Comic
Uni Uni variants of Orbinauts appear in many issues of Fleetway's Sonic the Comic as part of Robotnik's badnik army. In few stories, Orbinauts are colored as completely gray. Orbinaut is also featured in pin-up of issue 106.

Archie Comics
A single Orbinaut appears in earlier issues of Archies Sonic the Hedgehog comics as part of Robotnik's badniks. In the comics its coloring has varied in many stories, as in earlier issues it is colored as dark blue orb with spike balls, but since issue 40, it has a green and yellow color scheme.

Robotnik first announced the Orbinaut in Casino Night Zone and after that he tested it for Sonic, who gets knocked out by one of its spiked balls. However Sonic used Spin Attack to deflect two more spiked balls, which got sent back to the Orbinaut itself. It later tries to attack Tails with Buzz Bomber but got knocked down by his own spike balls which Tails sends back. Instead of being at Robo Hobo Jungle fighting Sonic, he's later seen informing Robotnik that Sonic was spotted in the badlands during the Mecha Madness being backfired. He's also later seen fighting with several other badniks against Sonic and Bunnie Rabbot at robot bar called Rusty's.

Orbinaut doesn't appear for long time until Sonic decided to visit in the Island of Misfit Badniks, where Orbinaut and numerous other badniks nabbed him. Usually Sonic quickly beat all badniks, but as Pseudo-Sonic arrives, the duel between them makes the island sink down. Badniks with Orbinaut return with revenge plan with enlarging Pseudo-Sonic, but got interrupted by the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters. While Orbinaut saw them interfering him, he lost to P.B. Jellyfish. Later all of them got crushed by Big Fluke into a cube.

Sonic X (comics)
In the Sonic X comic series published by Archie Comics, a group of Uni Uni Badniks appear in a virtual reality version of Star Light Zone. As they keep moving slowly forward, Sonic, Knuckles, Amy and Rouge are seen ducking under of them.

Trivia

 * Uni Uni is the most appeared variation of Orbinaut through the Sonic the Hedgehog series, as making most of its appearances in games and comics.
 * In Sonic X #11, the Uni Unis are dark blue with orange spike balls at Star Light Zone, which is a color scheme the Unidasus generally use in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).
 * Orbinaut is one of the Badniks that has not been given a character bios in Sonic Archives.