Heavy King

The Heavy King (ヘビーキング) is the secondary antagonist of Sonic Mania. The leader of the Hard Boiled Heavies, the Heavy King is an enhanced version of the Egg-Robo created by Dr. Eggman. Struck with the power of the Phantom Ruby, the Heavy King led his troop into battle against the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Appearance
Originally an Egg-Robo, the Heavy King only received a makeover when he stumbled upon the Phantom Ruby. Decorated as a mixture between a king and a knight, the Heavy King has a red cape, signifying his rank among the other Hard Boiled Heavies as the leader. Dressed similarly to the "classic"-attired Dr. Eggman, the Heavy King has spiked knee joints and triangular shoulder pads along with red boots with golden forefeet. He also has bronze-colored armor-plating on his chest with a white crown symbol. He also has gray appendages and red eyes.

History
The Heavy King was originally an elite Egg-Robo who handled the most extreme tasks for his creator, Dr. Eggman. After detecting a mysterious energy source on Angel Island, Eggman sent the Heavy King and his Hard Boiled Heavies to investigate. Upon reaching Angel Island, he and his troop excavated the energy source, the Phantom Ruby, just as Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower arrived. The Phantom Ruby promptly warped space-time around them, transforming the Heavy King into his royal-esque attire along with his troop. As a side effect of the ruby, the Heavy King and his team gained free wills and personalities of their own, though they were driven mad in the process.

The Phantom Ruby transported the Hard Boiled Heavies, along with Sonic, Tails, and a nearby Knuckles the Echidna, to the Green Hill Zone, where the troop fled with the gemstone. The Heavy King and his troop soon reunited with Eggman in the Zone, who tried to command the group. When they would not listen though, Eggman snatched the Phantom Ruby from their clutches. The Heavy King and his troop then fled the scene. Some time after, while the Heavy Rider was preoccupying Sonic and Tails in Lava Reef Zone, the Heavy King took this chance to steal the Master Emerald, but not before Knuckles could arrive. Even when using the power of the Master Emerald, the Heavy King was still defeated by Knuckles, who smashed his scepter, and retreated.

When Sonic and Eggman were sent to Egg Reverie Zone with the Phantom Ruby, a powered-up incarnation of the Heavy King known as the Phantom King arrived and swiped the Phantom Ruby and used it to power himself. However, the Phantom King met resistance when Eggman (with the Klepto Mobile) and Super Sonic fought him separately for ownership of the Phantom Ruby. At the end of the conflict, the Heavy King was seemingly destroyed by Super Sonic, failing at his goal at harnessing the Phantom Ruby.

Personality
Compared to the other Hard Boiled Heavies, the Heavy King gives of the impression of a brooding, stone-cold authority figure, a complete opposite to the more flamboyant members of his troop. Strict and serious, he rules his troop with an iron fist. With just one look, he is able to command his troop, as seen when the Heavy Gunner immediately followed orders with just one glare from him. He keeps a watchful eye on his colleagues, implying he is extremely alert of a situation. Like the other Hard Boiled Heavies, he wishes to do harm to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles whether it be by orders from Eggman or by his own, chaotic nature.

Powers and abilities
The Heavy King displays a sheer level of authority, commanding his troops with just a simple glare. He can also fly at will and is more durable than the average Egg-Robo. Also, after coming into contact with the Phantom Ruby, the Heavy King gained the ability to absorb and manipulate energy, as shown during his battle with Knuckles where he would absorb energy from the Master Emerald and then channel it through his scepter.

Weapons
The Heavy King possessed a powerful scepter that could fire purple lasers and conjure up spheres of powerful energy which the Heavy King could control telekinetically. With power provided from the Master Emerald, its laser could cause explosions and its energy spheres would be arranged into a shield. However, this scepter was broken during the Heavy King's fight with Knuckles.

Phantom King
In the Egg Reverie Zone, the Heavy King appeared in a new form called the Phantom King. In this form, he gains a massive power boost when harnessing the power of the Phantom Ruby, enough to bypass a Super State user's invulnerability with his most powerful attacks. The powers he command in this form includes flight, increased strength, and scepter-free energy manipulation.

Battle
In the Lava Reef Zone, the Heavy King is one of the two opponents who serve as the overall twentieth boss of Sonic Mania. He is fought with Knuckles the Echidna at the end of Knuckles' version of Lava Reef Zone Act 2. This boss battle takes place in the Master Emerald's altar.

Boss guide
When the battle begins, the Heavy King will attempt to utilize the power of the Master Emerald, similar to Mecha Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. The Heavy King possesses a scepter that allows him to shoot a purple beam across the floor, which will cause a chain reaction that ignites whatever the beam hits with fire. He can also create a shield of spheres that are used to block Knuckles' attacks. Hit Heavy King eight times and he will admit defeat and flee.

Trivia

 * The Heavy King makes a cameo within Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2 in the form of a painting. The Heavy King's eyes on this painting will stare at the player's current position until they leave the area.
 * Despite having red eyes, the Heavy King's silhouette in the opening animation for Sonic Mania depicts him with yellow-glowing eyes instead of red.
 * The Heavy King fight does not use "Hi-Spec Robo Go!" as his boss theme like the other Hard Boiled Heavies, instead sharing Eggman's second boss theme with the Weather Globe in Studiopolis Zone and Gashapandora in Metallic Madness Zone.
 * Through Debug Mode, it is possible to fight the Heavy King in Lava Reef Zone as Sonic and/or Tails.
 * Interestingly, the player's character will still exhibit the same unique animations Knuckles was given in the cutscene before the battle.