Slicer

"Slicer - how could we ever forget you? The one Badnik everyone loves to hate. Slicer can fire off its arms at our blue hero, making it a formidable foe that will require a lot of practice to defeat unscathed. Timing is key, so don’t hesitate for a second if one of these robots spots you!"

- Profile, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I website

The Slicer (カマキラー) is an enemy that first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. They are a mantis-based Badniks created by Doctor Eggman which can throw their claws as dangerous and even irritating boomerangs.

Appearance
Slicer as a Badnik is based on a mantis. Slicer's head is flat and has yellow eyes with small pupils and like other Badniks, it also has two metallic teeth. Each of its hand has razor-sharp claws, which are its primary weapons. Slicers have thin legs, and each foot's heel has small wheels, as it moves slowly with them.

Slicers in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 have more mechanized appearance with few cosmetic changes, including the lack of small wheels later don't exist in the updated look. In Sonic Lost World, Slicer's look is again altered with more wider yellow eyes with tiny cyan pupils and smaller teeth.

Powers and abilities
When Slicer notices the player, it throws its claws in a boomerang-like fashion. This attack is surprisingly hard to avoid, although the Slicer is very vulnerable without its claws. In Sonic the Hedgehog 4, after throwing their claws, they self-destruct if left alone for a while. Slicers are also quite infamous for their somewhat unavoidable placements.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Slicers make their debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as they exist in the Metropolis Zone, which has three acts unlike others that had two. Slicers can usually be found at the edges of gorges where the player often bounce out or they can block a narrow point of the route.

Slicers can also be found hanging on ceilings. As it has been mentioned before, Slicers are really vulnerable after it throws its claws to the player. Without them, it can be defeated with any attack possible and even if Slicers have its claws, it is possible to attack them behind. Slicers are often found near the other two Badniks of the Metropolis Zone: Asterons and Shellcrackers.

Sonic Pocket Adventure
Slicers also make appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure at the last full Zone, Gigantic Angel Zone. As the Zone resembles of Metropolis Zone, having same Badniks (including Slicer), which behave the same way like in Metropolis Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Slicers makes their return in the Mad Gear Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Despite having an updated look, they pretty much act same like in past games and because of Homing Attack, they are now easier to defeat. Also, if the player lets Slicer live after throwing its claws away, it starts flashing and self-destructs itself.

Sonic Lost World
Slicers make another appearance in Sonic Lost World, where they are seen placed individually through the game and they have the same attack pattern from previous games. However, their razor-sharp claws will respawn after throwing once. During the game, it turns out that Badniks, including Slicers, got hijacked by the Deadly Six. In Wii U version of the game, Slicers are first seen at Silent Forest Zone 2 and a single, craftily placed one is seen lurking at the mid-point of Lava Mountain Zone 3.

In Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Slicers are seen attacking individually or even on groups. Their attack pattern is identical from Wii U version. They are featured on Silent Forest Zone 2, and Sky Road Zone 1 and 3.

Variants

 * Kama-Kama
 * Kamaki

Sonic the Comic
In Sonic the Comic #55's story "The Great Escape!", only a single Slicer makes its appearance during the comic's run, as it with two Coconuts, Crawl and Burrobot are bringing generator to the prison division. Slicer later turns out to be Johnny Lightfoot in disguise.

Archie Comics
Slicer make its first appearance in Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 18. This single Slicer was part of a Badnik team, which consisted of him, Coconuts, Crabmeat, Buzz Bomber, Newtron and Roller to break up the apparent wedding of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sally Acorn. Despite their group assault, Slicer got easily defeated like the other Badniks in the team.

Slicers return years later at the Genesis arc in # 229, as they guard the inside route of Metropolis Zone, when Sonic is heading to Doctor Eggman. In this story arc they got an updated look, taken from Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Slicers reappear in one panel of Issue 255. In this issue, these Badniks are part of the forces dispatched to prevent Sonic, Tails, and Bunnie's escape from Metropolis Zone.

Trivia

 * Like Shellcracker, Slicers for odd reason disappear from places where they should be in Metropolis Zone. This is especially noticeable at the last High-speed elevator section in Metropolis Zone Act 3, where Slicer is supposed to appear in front of the High-speed elevator, but sometimes this Slicer disappears from that location when the player visits on another time.  Presumably, it enters the elevator and is teleported somewhere else if the player waits long enough to discover it.