Batbrain


 * You may be looking for Bombat or Batbot.

The Bat Brain (バサラン) is an enemy in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are bat-based Badnik models created by Dr. Eggman, as they first appear in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Bat Brains hang in dark caves, waiting for its victim to get below it and then attack from above.

Appearance
Bat Brain, as its name implies, is a robotic bat with wings stretched over their bodies, showing only the tip of their blue head. Firm claws ensure the Badnik stays on the ceiling and it has an engine on its back for propulsion. Its wings, feet and engine are metallic gray in color, while its body is dark blue. In Sonic Lost World, Bat Brains also have small mouths with tiny fangs.

Powers and abilities
Bat Brain hangs on a ceiling, waiting for a target. When Sonic is spotted, it drops from its roost, unfolds its wings, and flaps towards him. It will cling onto another ceiling if it fails to do any damage. Bat Brain does not pose a huge threat and is easily dispatched.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
The Bat Brain made its first appearance in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog. It can be found cavern sections of Marble Zone. It hangs above the player, but it can easily recognized on the cavern's roof sections. It drops quietly down and starts flying directly at Sonic when it spots him to cause damage upon touch.

These Badniks can easily get in the player's way, especially in challenging platforming sections. Bat Brains can easily be destroyed before or after their landing with Spin Jump.

Sonic Jump (2012)
In the 2012 remake of Sonic Jump, Bat Brains can be found in Blue Sky Zone. In this game, they appear before the player like they did in the original Sonic the Hedgehog, hanging platforms and clouds below, until they drop down and start flying at the player when the playable character gets close to them. These badniks can only be defeated by jumping into their underside.

Sonic Lost World
Bat Brains made a reappearance in Sonic Lost World. During the game, it turns out that the Badniks, including the Bat Brains, got hijacked by the Deadly Six. They appear in Windy Hill Zone 3 in the Wii U version and Windy Hill Zone 2 in the Nintendo 3DS version. Unlike in previous games though, Bat Brains here attack in groups. They are location in the tubular sections where they hang from a surface until they drop down to attack the player. They can be defeated with either a Spin Jump, charged Spin Dash or Focused Homing Attack.

Sonic the Comic
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Bat Brains were a part of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army before, during and after his rule of Mobius. Because of the different artists, Bat Brains had sometimes a slightly, but also drastically different look. The Bat Brains were frequently called into battle against the Freedom Fighters and their allies until Robotnik was toppled as Mobius' ruler. While he was stationed on Flickies' Island, Robotnik started to build a more powerful and dread-looking Bat Brains.

Archie Comics
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Bat Brains were among the first generation of badniks produced by Dr. Robotnik. While Dr. Eggman would go on and make more advanced Bat Brains, the classic ones were eventually rendered obsolete and got decommissioned.

Sonic X (comics)
In the Sonic X comic series published by Archie Comics, Bat Brains made a small appearance. As Sonic continued his endless journey through the Marble Zone inside a simulation, he came across Bat Brains in the cavern sections, which he easily defeated and released the Rockies inside them.

Merchandise
The toy company TOMY has released a Bat Brain action figurine during the release of Sonic & Knuckles as it also includes a series of 21 Sonic figurines and these figurines came in packs of four under the Sonic & Knuckles label and were also released individually under a Sonic the Hedgehog label.

Trivia

 * Bat Brain was supposed to appear in the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, but was removed from the final game. However in Game Gear version, unused sprites of Bat Brain are found from game's code. Along with Roller, Bat Brain is one of badniks that doesn't appear in the 8-bit version.
 * Like the Orbinaut, the Bat Brain does not appear in neither the European or North American game manuals. Its English name thus comes from comics and other merchandise. Similar to the aforementioned Badnik, it is known by its Japanese name "Basaran" in Sonic Jam and just "Batbrain" in the British Stay Sonic guide book.
 * There is an enemy from the Super Mario franchise called "Swooper", which has a similar attack pattern to Bat Brains.