Super transformation

Super transformation is a frequently recurring gameplay feature and story element within the fictional universe of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was first referred to by name in Sonic Heroes.

Storywise, a super transformation is achieved when a person absorbs the power of all seven Chaos Emeralds. When using a super transformation, it allows the person in question to enter a Super State or Super form, an enhanced state where the person is transformed into an new form with greatly empowered innate abilities and new powers such as flight and virtual invulnerability. In gameplay, the super transformation lets the players play with a powered up version of the character.

The ability is traditionally obtained in gameplay by collecting all of the Chaos Emeralds in addition to 50 Rings, as was the case in the Genesis games starting with Sonic the Hedgehog 2. From Sonic Adventure and onward, however, the super transformation became more of a story element rather than a regular gameplay mechanic. In these cases, it only appears towards the end of the game, during the final boss battles, where the Chaos Emeralds are collected during the game story rather than during gameplay. In the recent games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, however, while the super transformation for the most part still plays a large role in the story, it has returned to be unlocked in the same way as on the Genesis and usable in regular gameplay. Other transformations similar to super transformations have also been introduced. Such said transformations can be achieved with other objects such as the Super Emeralds, World Rings and the Sacred Swords.

Features
Super transformation generally gives the character enhanced speed, similar to using a "High Speed" power up. The transformation also originally gave the character the same effect as the "Invincible" power up. As of Sonic & Knuckles (and all games since), taking damage while using super transformation will result in the character being thrown back a small distance. Even with the transformation enabled, during gameplay the character can still die by falling in a bottomless pit, being crushed, drowning or if the timer expires. Also, in various games, the final boss is capable of damaging characters even when they are under a super transformation.

Another general super transformation ability is flight. This was originally unique to Super Sonic as he would fly above the ground at maximum speed, and take to full flight at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The ability is now shared by all transformations and is a defining trait. A character can also hover in midair as, beginning with Sonic Adventure 2, the transformation is usually used in areas high above the ground. The air can also act as the ground as shown in Sonic Heroes, enabling the player to use the same controls as if in a regular level.

The super transformation is also known to enhance and increase the abilities and skills unique to the person itself, such as Shadow's chaos techniques and Silver's ESP abilities, and occasionally give additional abilities as well, based on the type of the transformation (Chaos Emeralds gives access to Chaos Energy-based attacks, the World Rings gives a trait of fire-based attacks ect.). Though not displayed in gameplay, the super transformation can also increases the physical strength of the user, allowing unimaginable feats of strength.

The compromise in super transformation is that the power is sustained by Rings during gameplay. It originally took 50 Rings to enable the transformation, which are then gradually drained over time. Starting with Sonic R, players are no longer allowed to manually transform, but are simply given the ability through the story. The rings are only used as a gameplay mechanic to limit how long the form can last. The exception to this was Sonic Riders, where only one Ring is needed. Running out of Rings in a final boss battle results in an instant loss of a life, usually due to the character being in unsurvivable conditions such as over a flooded city street or in the cold of outer space.

Although it is a power up in itself, the super transformation can be powered up further. To do this, the player must collect all seven of the Chaos Emeralds and reactivate them in their powered up state as the "Super Emeralds." Once transformed, the character will then leave afterimages in its wake and be given an ability to instantly kill all enemies on screen (excluding boss battles). As seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles.

In the original games, this feature was used by collecting the seven Chaos Emeralds in "Special Stages". However, in almost all games since Sonic Adventure, it has been saved mainly for the final boss battle.

It was said by Sonic in the fight against the Final Hazard in Sonic Adventure 2 that continuous usage of super transformation will cause you to disappear, although this doesn't happen in the game.

Users
Much like the "Power Up" enhancements of the Sonic Adventure games, super transformations are character specific. The visual appearance of the transformation and the attacks enabled are character dependent. The characters that can use the ability are listed below, along with their various transformations.

Sonic the Hedgehog
The most frequently seen transformation in the series since its introduction in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog becomes Super Sonic with the aid of the seven Chaos Emeralds. Sonic's blue color becomes a golden yellow color and his green eyes become red. Originally, Sonic had black eyes which would turn green while transformed. A varying number of Sonic's quills now stand on end, usually pointing upwards. His back quills are given an angled slant and become more pointed. Other special effects include sparkles as well as cracks of electricity and afterimages.

When Sonic transforms into his "Super State", he is able to move extremely fast, jumps higher than normal, and break barriers that usually require the Spin Dash. Additionally, Sonic gains an attack called "Sonic Rumble" where he is able to damage an enemy by quickly flying directly into them from a distance and then retreating. Sonic gains an added level of resilience to enemy attacks to the extent depending on the game. However, in the early Sonic games, he is still vulnerable to death by crushing, drowning, falling off the screen or running out of time. In Sonic the Hedgehog, when he is transformed by the Chaos Emeralds when Elise uses them to resurrect him, he also demonstrates the power to transfer the powers of the Chaos Emeralds to others, as he does with Shadow and Silver.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic &amp; Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 &amp; Knuckles, Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and Sonic Generations Super Sonic is invulnerable to most enemy attacks. In other games, Super Sonic loses fewer Rings if he's hit. Super Sonic also plays a part in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as Sonic's Final Smash where he damages his opponent by ramming into them. He also cannot be killed in any manner. His appearance in Brawl is the first time since Sonic 3 &amp; Knuckles that Sonic has been able to become Super Sonic on any level instead of just in a final battle (not including fanmade hacks and spin-off games where Super Sonic is a separately selectable character).

Super Sonic is widely viewed as a homage to Dragon Ball Z and the Super Saiyan transformations within it. When asked if comments about this were received from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, former Sega executive producer Yuji Naka smiled and said no. Super Sonic was also originally to appear in the Hidden Palace Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. However, the idea and the zone were scrapped due to time constraints.

Miles "Tails" Prower
When Tails uses the super transformation, he becomes Super Tails. This started in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, where the player needs the seven Super Emeralds to transform. Tails does not change color, but instead glows and is surrounded by four Super Flickies. The Flickies surrounding him instantly attack any nearby mechanical enemies, including bosses.

Flickies
As mentioned above, Tails' transformation also affects four Flickes, turning them gold. The flickies' transformation is directly connected to Tails'; the Flickies remain in their super forms as long as Tails does, when Tails loses his form, the Flickies lose theirs own and fly away.

As Flickies share the same pallete as the main characters (causing the Flickies to appear red when playing as Knuckles), it's possible to see Super, and even Hyper, Flickies when using these forms. However, unlike the Flickies used in Tails' super from, these Flickies behave exactly the same as they do normally.

Knuckles the Echidna
First appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and in Sonic & Knuckles as a playable character, Knuckles can transform into Super Knuckles with the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles does not change color, but merely glows while surrounded by a pink aura.

Mecha Sonic
In Sonic & Knuckles, Mecha Sonic achieves a Super State through the super transformation by simply absorbing energy directly from the Master Emerald into a red power core in his chest. This temporarily turns it golden-orange and allows it to fly and fire energy weapons, although it will soon run out of power and need to recharge. It is in this form that Mecha Sonic appears as final boss of Knuckles' storyline.

Shadow the Hedgehog
When Shadow the Hedgehog uses the super transformation, he can become Super Shadow. When in a "Super State", his black color changes into a shiny lemon chiffon color, while his red highlights stay solid and non-shiny. He also radiates an aura of either black and red or golden light. In addition to standard transformation gameplay enhancements, Shadow keeps his normal abilities, including his Chaos powers, and they increase in potency. Using his hand, he is able to use Chaos Spear as either rapid small blasts (Chaos Arrow), or a single charged-up blast of lightning. He may also use the "Spear of Light", in which he fires a swarm of more powerful bolts. This actually serves to resemble the gunplay mechanic of Shadow the Hedgehog. Super Shadow first appears in the final battle of Sonic Adventure 2. Interestingly, in Sonic Adventure 2, Super Shadow's body has the exact opposite color scheme as his normal coloration (from black to light yellow). The same applies to Sonic only his coloration stays inverted throughout the whole series.

Silver the Hedgehog
Silver the Hedgehog is the latest character to use a super transformation. When Silver uses the power of all seven Chaos Emeralds, he transforms into Super Silver, Silver's fur becomes a white gold color, and his quills float in the same fashion as Knuckles's second transformation. In addition to the standard super transformation power ups, Silver gains a new ability called the "Shield of Light" (an enhancement to his Psychokinesis). This allows him to put a circular force field around himself and grab and throw any object (or objects) in that field. He is also able to use charged dashes.

Chaos
Perfect Chaos is the super transformation of Chaos 0 which he achieved by harnessing the negative energy of the Chaos emeralds. Unlike most other super transformations in the series, Perfect Chaos' body does not turn into a golden-yellow color. Instead, he gains a more monsterous appearance, with reptilian eyes and a mouth that goes beyond his eyes. He also gains tentacles and is able to control water. This is the form he took when he destroyed Station Square in Sonic Adventure before he was defeated by Super Sonic.

Gemerl
With the seven Chaos Emeralds, Gemerl can assume a super transformation into a much stronger, orb-like robot named Ultimate Gemerl. In this state, Ultimate Gemerl has four extendable arms with claw-like hands that can fire energy beams which can freeze the opponent and launch missiles. His only weak spot is his blue gem, which is protected and impossible to harm unless Super Sonic charges Eggman's Egg Mobile with energy and throws him at Gemerl.

Pir'Oth Ix
Super Ix is the super transformation of Pir'Oth Ix, though the means of how he achieve this state is unclear. He is the final boss in the game Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. His spines grow further than in his original form, so that they look like Knuckles' dreadlocks. His color is the same as his normal form-- white-- and his eyes are blanked out, and possibly glowing.

Sharing
It is possible to share the ability of Super Transformation. The earliest occurance of this happening is in Sonic 3 & Knuckles; when Tails uses his super form it also affects four Flikies who then fly around Tails and attack nearby enemies. This was later seen again in Sonic Heroes, when Sonic used the Emeralds to empower Tails and Knuckles by putting shields around them, as well as in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 (2006), when Super Sonic held out his arms to Shadow and Silver as they slowly transformed into their Super States.

Other Transformations
While not classified as Super transformations, similar transformations methods exists in the Sonic series. These transformations are usually provided by other objects of power different from or similar to the Chaos Emeralds, such as the Super Emeralds, the Sol Emeralds, the World Rings, the Sacred Swords, the Scabbard of Excalibur, the Arks of the Cosmos or the Dark Rings. The natures of these transformations tend to match their power source and/or the theme of their respective games.

Hyper Sonic
With the power of the Super Emeralds, Sonic becomes Hyper Sonic. Sonic glows with the colors of the Chaos Emeralds/Super Emeralds, becomes surrounded by flashing sparks, and leaves afterimages. He is also able to breathe underwater, and has the added ability of a devastating lightning attack. This can be used to "double jump" in any direction and, when performed, destroys all enemies on-screen (except bosses) with a bright flash. It is also noted that when Sonic is in Hyper mode, certain objects glow multiple colors like him, such as Flickies, and Level boxes. Also, while Super Sonic is near invulnerable, Hyper Sonic is completely invulnerable to physical harm.

Darkspine Sonic
In Sonic and the Secret Rings, if the player collects all seven World Rings and clears the game, an extra battle can be unlocked in which the player will take control of Darkspine Sonic.

Instead of the Chaos Emeralds, he is powered by three of the aforementioned World Rings (the rings of sadness, rage, and hatred, due to his emotions at the time of Shahra's death). In this state, Sonic's body becomes a deep indigo color, and his muzzle, stomach, and ears become white. His shoes turn indigo and white. His pupils, irises, mouth, and gloves disappear, and he gains four big glowing rings around his wrists and ankles. He also has two thick, white parallel stripes going up his forehead and down his middle quills, a white stripe around his feet and wrists, and has an orange fiery aura. In a sort of inverse situation from his other transformations, his quills do not point upwards, but instead downwards. His voice is somewhat deeper and more menacing, sounding noticeably like Jet, but his personality remains mostly unchanged, albeit much more aggressive due to the transformation using negative energies. Unlike Super Sonic, Darkspine Sonic is not invincible, and loses 20 of his Rings if he's hit. In exchange, he can remain in this state for probably an indefinite amount of time. He disengages this form at his own will.

While he is able to fly, his ability to sustain the transformation does not depend on Rings. He does not power down if he runs out of Rings. If the player shakes the Wii Remote, the soul gauge fills, and Darkspine Sonic can use Speed Break and Time Break. Other abilities enable Sonic to deflect Alf Layla wa-Layla's attacks by using a barrage of kicks. He also has higher attack power and speed.

Excalibur Sonic
In Sonic and the Black Knight, the magical power from all the Sacred Swords transforms Sonic into a form known as Excalibur Sonic. He gains the powerful legendary blade Excalibur and he dons glimmering gold armor that covers his entire body.

In this state, Sonic can lose his form and die if he runs out of rings. However, he does not lose rings slowly like Super Sonic. He loses 20 rings each time he takes a hit. He does however receives increased strength as seen in the power behind his attacks while using Excalibur, and the ability to fly. He is also capable of energy projection in conjunction with Excalibur, which allows him to turn himself into a golden meteor.

Hyper Knuckles
With the power of the Super Emeralds, Knuckles can turn into Hyper Knuckles. His Hyper State looks the same, but leaves afterimages. Hyper Knuckles gains the ability to destroy all on screen enemies by gliding into a wall.

Metal Sonic Kai
In Knuckles' Chaotix, the power provided by the Dark Rings can transform Metal Sonic into Metal Sonic Kai. Following his transformation, Metal Sonic becomes a several stories tall, red version of himself, with more pronounced features, such as sharp teeth and larger metal quills. He serves as the final boss of Knuckles' Chaotix.

While he is not shown to be granted a large diversity of powers in this form, they are all highly powerful; besides maintaining his ability to fly, he receives massive physical strength and can fire powerful blasts of energy.

Hyper Mode
In Sonic the Fighters every playable character can enter a lesser state of the super transformation known as Hyper Mode, by using the eight Chaos Emeralds in the game, that boosts their attack, speed and strength while unlocking special moves exclusive to the Hyper Mode.

Burning Blaze
In Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, by using the Sol Emeralds, Blaze the Cat can transform into Burning Blaze. Blaze's lavender fur becomes pink, and the details on the tip of her ponytail are erased. Her jacket and the tip of her tail become red, and the bottom rim of her jacket turns yellow. The cuffs on her gloves and shoes are engulfed in pink flames, and she is surrounded by an aura of fire, it also enhances her pyrokinetic abilities.

Burning Blaze's gameplay is similar to that of Super Shadow's. Players can either rapidly press the attack buttons to launch a series of small fireballs, or hold down the attack button to launch a larger more powerful fireball. Players may also use charged dashes by pressing the jump buttons. However, these dashes are only for speed as she will still take damage if she dashes into an object.

Alf-Layla-wa-Layla
In Sonic and the Secret Rings, by absorbing all seven World Rings, Erazor Djinn planned to take complete control over the world of the Arabian Nights. However, as the conditions needed to use the World Rings were not met, Erazor instead transformed into a twisted and grotesque genie demon named Alf-Layla-wa-Layla. In this form Erazor becomes a large monster with a single eye, no nose, an enormous mouth with shark-like teeth, six arms, and an enormous, bulging torso. From the knees down, his legs are long, thin, and segmented, like insect legs and he gains a long sharp tail. Since this is a incomplete transformation, Erazor loses his sanity in the process. He is the final boss of Sonic and the Secret Rings.

While in this state, Erazor can create lines of fire without the need of a weapon, unlike his normal form, shoot barrages of energy balls, create dark whirlpools and form massive purple balls from the words of Arabian Nights.

Master Core: ABIS
In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, by harnessing the gravity-powered energy from the five Arks of the Cosmos and the artificial black hole in Astral Babylon, SCR-HD can transform into Master Core: ABIS. Once transformed, SCR-HD becomes a towering entity; the upper part of its original robot body increases in size and becomes slightly deranged, and its lower body is composed of a miniature black hole, which it is connected to with several cables. Due to the raw power from the arks, SCR-HD gains some slight savage behavior. It serves as the final boss of Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.

As seen when in this form, SCR-HD can hurt hurl electric bolts, form and control large meteors that creates explosions upon impact, and perform Gravity Drive on a much larger scale, which allows it to distort gravity in a large area.

Dark Queen
In Sonic and the Black Knight, through using the Scabbard of Excalibur, Merlina the Wizard can transform into the Dark Queen. The Dark Queen is Merlina in a witch-like form. In this state, she has violet-blue hair, amber yellow eyes along with a mark under her left eye, white skin and her clothes becomes much darker. The Dark Queen is featured as the final boss in Sonic and the Black Knight.

While in this state, Merlina's magical abilities is enhanced to the point where she can beat Sonic to the brink of defeat with ease, and she can create a shadow version of King Arthur to attack for her. Also, as seen during her battle with Excalibur-Sonic, she can transform into a ghostly version of king Arthur with several arms, which possesses super strength and can project energy.

Excalibur
In Sonic and the Black Knight, through the strength of Sonic's willpower and the power of the three other Sacred Swords, Caliburn can transform into the legendary and most powerful of all the Sacred Swords, Excalibur. In this form, Caliburn has rubies in its pulled back hilt, and a glowing outer blade around his physical blade edge. In this form, Caliburn can counter the black magic from the Dark Queen at her most powerful with powerful sword swipes that can cut through anything, and together with Excalibur Sonic, they can envelop themselves in a piercing, golden meteor.

Trivia

 * In debug mode in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and the combined games Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles the player can also break open an Item box with an "S" on it in order to use a super transformation.
 * When fighting the FinalHazard, Sonic might say to Shadow that constant use of your super form can cause you to disappear.
 * Because some of the final bosses (like Dark Gaia) can still hurt Super Sonic, it is possible that Super Transformation only increases the resistance of the one who uses it instead of making him/her invincible.
 * However, it's possible that bosses like Dark Gaia are stronger than the combined powers of the Emeralds.
 * Super Sonic is the most used super transformation, having appeared numerous times, followed by Super Shadow many times, then Perfect Chaos 3 times, and then Burning Blaze twice.
 * The sound effect for activating super transformation in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles is the same as Kaiser Greedy's Black Hole attack in Ristar.
 * With the exception of Hyper Sonic, all of the super transformations of Sonic that isn't Super Sonic all appeared after the 15th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog.
 * With that said, Super Sonic is the only super transformation of Sonic that appears in at least two or more games, as his other forms appeared in only one game.
 * Blaze and Merlina are the only female characters who have a transformation.
 * Other series have had nods to the Super Transformation like Gold Spakster from the Rocket Knight series or the form Pac-Man takes at the end of Pac-Man World 2.