Ray the Flying Squirrel


 * "Ray" redirects here. You may be looking for Ray the Manta.

Ray the Flying Squirrel (レイ・ザ・フライングスクイレル) only appeared as a playable character in SegaSonic the Hedgehog, although he has an expanded role in certain other Sonic continuities. This is particularly notable in the Archie Comics series, in which he is a member of the Chaotix team.

Appearance
Ray has golden yellow fur, and dark tan skin on his muzzle, inner ears and torso. He has black eyes, a small tapered hair tuft at the top back of his head(making it appear somewhat teardrop-shaped), a furry skin membrane connecting his waist to his lower arms, small, perky triangular ears, a shiny, bulbous black nose and long, durable club-shaped tail. He wears white gloves with large, sock-like cuffs, red sneakers with a white buckle-strap, and white socks. He later wears white gloves with large, sock-like cuffs, white socks, blue tennis shoes with light blue accents, metal soles and light blue collars and blue jackets with light blue cuffs.

SegaSonic the Hedgehog
During SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Ray was captured by Doctor Robotnik along with Mighty the Armadillo and Sonic himself. During their escape, the three jointly foiled one of Robotnik's plots. In the game, one of the earliest to feature a voice cast, Ray's voice was provided by Hiroko Yoshino (credited as Hiroko Kanamaru).

Ray's abilities include the basic Spin Dash (in his sole game appearance, he had the same game controls as both Sonic and Mighty), and he is also rather agile. Being a flying squirrel, he can likely glide through the air.

Since SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Ray's only video game appearance was a cameo as a key chain in the Sega game Gale Racer, (the Sega Saturn version of Rad Mobile.)

Archie Comics


In the Archie comics continuity, Ray the Flying Squirrel is a member of the Chaotix and best friends with Mighty the Armadillo, having met him while both were held prisoner by Dr. Ivo Robotnik. The two teamed up with Sonic the Hedgehog during an escape attempt, but Ray ended up being trapped when he grabbed the prison's Power Stone energy source and was caught in a time warp. Years later, Mighty found and freed him, bringing him back to Angel Island. Joining the Chaotix, Ray became a loyal, if timid member, helping them face various foes on the island and then later on the surface as they fought Doctor Eggman alongside the Freedom Fighters. Later, Ray also became a part-time resident of New Mobotropolis.

Abilities
As a flying squirrel, Ray only has the ability to fly. Unlike most of his species, Ray can not only glide across air, he can also fly upwards. This is a common law of physics SEGA breaks. Ray, unlike most characters also has the ability to throw crates, but this may be because Mighty and Sonic can also throw crates. Aside from flying, he has no other major abilities.

Trivia

 * Ray is the first Sonic character depicted with five toes on each foot, which are first seen when his shoes fall off upon walking off a cliff.
 * In his game appearance, Ray's shoes look exactly like Sonic's. However, in his comic appearance (as shown above), his shoes look somewhat like Amy Rose's and Silver's boots.
 * Ray was going to be in Sonic the Fighters as an announcer but was scrapped.
 * According to an interview in Sonic Central, Sonic doesn't know the whereabouts of Ray, Mighty the Armadillo, Bark the Polarbear, Bean the Dynamite, or Nack the Weasel. This explains why these characters haven't made a game appearance for a long time.
 * In the Archie Comics, Ray is seen with blue and white shoes, a blue jacket, and blue eyes. He also seems to be a bit cowardly, since he studders a lot.
 * Ray, along with Mighty, make a cameo appearance in Sonic Generations on a poster in City Escape that says "Missing since 1993".