Metal Sonic/History and appearances

Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Metal Sonic's debut was in Sonic the Hedgehog CD for the Sega CD console. In this game, he is under the control of Dr. Robotnik and is sent back in time to change the past so that Robotnik can rule the future. Later, he kidnaps Amy Rose, who had been following Sonic. In Stardust Speedway, he challenges Sonic to a race rather than a traditional boss battle, with Robotnik on their trail and chasing Sonic with a death laser. Periodically, he uses one of two moves - if Sonic is ahead of him, he will explosively accelerate with the V. Maximum Overdrive Attack, which will make him go four times as fast temporarily and attempt to blast through Sonic. If Sonic is behind him, he'll instead use the Ring Spark Field, which is an electric attack that has a wider range but requires him to decelerate.

If Sonic does not reach the goal in time, the door will close as the scientist shoots Sonic with the death laser, resulting in the loss of one life, while the robotic duplicate looks on and mockingly mimics Sonic's finger wave. If Sonic succeeds, the door will close in front of Metal Sonic - which causes him to crash and fall off the platform. Robotnik retreats, allowing Sonic to finally rescue Amy and proceed to the last zone. In the Japanese manual, it was claimed that he had all the abilities of the original Sonic and more, but in the game, he does not demonstrate this.

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
Metal Sonic appears as a surprise boss Sonic or Tails must face in Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble. Unlike Sonic the Hedgehog CD, it is not a race; it is an actual battle, though Metal Sonic uses his flight and evasion to attack. After being defeated, he wanders off and is not seen for the rest of the game.

Knuckles' Chaotix
Metal Sonic's next major appearance was in Knuckles' Chaotix, where Dr. Robotnik attempts to absorb the Chaos Rings' powers to wreak havoc in the Newtrogic High Zone. According to the Japanese manual, Metal Sonic was highly damaged when he fought Sonic, so Dr. Eggman moved his main and sub CPUs into a replacement body known as Metal Sonic Kai (メタルソニック改), which was constructed with Dark Ring power. During this time, Eggman inserted a component in Metal Sonic, allowing him to utilize the Plasma Pulse Attack.

Metal Sonic can also make an appearance if the player stays in one place for one minute in a level. Metal Sonic can either load the V. Maximum Overdrive Attack or Plasma Pulse Attack into the player, who will temporarily lose the Combi partner. Once again, he has an unorthodox boss battle in which the goal is to stop his machine so it lands on a "damage" mark. After being defeated by Knuckles and his crew, he leaves with Robotnik, leaving a massive, red version of himself (possibly his first transformation, although this is not made clear). In the bad ending, this monstrosity destroys the island.

Sonic the Fighters
Metal Sonic appears as the last stage boss character in Sonic the Fighters, with Eggman as the bonus stage enemy. In this appearance, he demonstrates not only a powerful laser-type move that emits from the hole in his body but also borrows certain moves from other playable characters (possibly the first signs of his ability to copy his foes). After he and Eggman are defeated, they escape the Death Egg II before it explodes and heads back to the planet below. Another version, called Mecha Sonic Model No.29, appears in the intro.

Sonic R
Metal Sonic is an unlockable playable character in Sonic R. To unlock him, the player must find the Sonic Tokens in the Resort Island course, finish the race in at least 3rd place, and then beat him in a one-on-one race against him. Here, the chrome copy plays like an alternate version of Sonic, being faster and slightly harder to steer, but is not quite as fast as Super Sonic. Unlike Sonic, he can't double jump, but thanks to his boosters, can run across water for a short time, which the normal Sonic is incapable of doing.

Sonic Adventure
Metal Sonic makes a cameo in Sonic Adventure, resting inside a stasis tube in one of Dr. Eggman's hideouts in Mystic Ruins along with a second model of Mecha Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Metal Sonic also appears in a flashback during the opening cut scene of Amy's story where she is remembering him chasing after her and Sonic in locations resembling the early versions of both Windy Valley and Sky Chase.

In Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, Metal Sonic becomes playable after collecting all the emblems. He controls exactly like Sonic but has different visual effects and sound effects.

Sonic Pinball Party
In Sonic Pinball Party, Metal Sonic took part in the Egg Cup Tournament and sought to stop Sonic, who had enrolled himself in the tournament in order to stop Dr. Eggman's latest scheme. Eventually, the two rivals made to the finals, where Metal Sonic got defeated by Sonic yet again.

Sonic Heroes
Metal Sonic appeared as the main antagonist of Sonic Heroes. After betraying Dr. Eggman and assuming his identity as a disguise, he copies the physical data (and/or abilities) of all the heroes, Froggy and Chocola to assume his ultimate form, Metal Madness and later Metal Overlord. This not only dramatically increased Metal Sonic's power but gave him shape-shifting abilities and a new appearance (a cape, sharp tipped shoes and longer spines on his head), dubbed Neo Metal Sonic. He manages to achieve this through the use of Chocola, due to the Chao having a connection to Chaos, the destructive water god from Sonic Adventure, and Froggy, who periodically had Chaos' tail in Sonic Adventure. In his Metal Overlord form, he transforms into a mechanical dragon-like entity that has one eye over the other.

After he is defeated by Team Super Sonic in his Metal Overlord form, he reverts to his original form. Sonic then challenges Metal Sonic to a future rematch and races away. Metal Sonic then passes out cold; he is last seen being lifted off the ground by Omega, who exchanges a glance with Shadow. What they both have in mind for the metallic hedgehog is never told. At some point afterward, Eggman re-obtains him and reprograms him to be obedient.

Sonic Rivals
In Sonic Rivals, Metal Sonic appears seemingly reprogrammed by Dr. Eggman Nega (disguised as Dr. Eggman) to serve him and stop Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Silver at Sky Park Zone. After losing to them, Metal was then upgraded by the doctor from the data collected in the encounter and was ordered to stop Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Silver at Death Yard Zone but lost to them yet again. When the heroes arrived at Eggman Nega's Meteor Base Zone, Metal tried to defend them from destroying Nega's escape ship but failed to do so.

Metal Sonic is also playable and can be unlocked by completing Story Mode with every character. Metal Sonic's signature move is called "Copycat" where he uses his opponent's signature move.

Sonic Rivals 2
Metal Sonic returns in Sonic Rivals 2, this time playable from the start. Reprogrammed by Dr. Eggman, Metal Sonic appears as a mindless servant, unable to talk (save for various mechanical noises); however, Eggman can talk through Metal via a communicator. Despite not being able to talk, Metal can still hear and follow orders. Metal is sent out by Eggman and teams up with Shadow to stop Eggman Nega from releasing the Ifrit, a destructive monster from an alternate dimension. The cutscenes involving him occasionally glimpse into his thought process, showing he is capable of prioritizing goals. During the game, it is revealed that Eggman placed a Chaos Emerald in Metal Sonic (to hide it from Nega and possibly add extra power to the robot). Eggman Nega also makes his own version of Metal Sonic; Metal Sonic 3.0.

After the teams defeated the Ifrit, everyone escaped through the portal except Shadow, Metal Sonic, Eggman Nega, and presumably Metal Sonic 3.0. However, Metal Sonic scratches open his chassis, revealing a Chaos Emerald inside. Shadow then used the Chaos Emerald to warp both himself and Metal Sonic out of the Ifrit's dimension with Chaos Control, leaving Eggman Nega trapped inside.

This is the only game where he plays a heroic role. However, this is because he is working for Eggman, who at the time considers Eggman Nega and the Ifrit a bigger threat to him than Sonic, and likely returns to his evil ways when Eggman does.

Sonic Free Riders
Metal Sonic is a playable character as well as the hidden true main antagonist and final boss of Story Mode in Sonic Free Riders. He disguised himself as a robot named E-10000B and joined Shadow and Rouge as a Team Dark member tricking them into believing he wanted to help them win the Grand Prix while he actually wanted to copy their and the other teams' abilities. Eventually, he reveals himself (much to Eggman's surprise, as he was unaware that Metal Sonic had betrayed him once more) and challenges Sonic to a race to prove his superiority. Sonic manages to beat Metal Sonic, who in turn runs away, probably planning his next scheme since he is now free of Eggman's control.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Metal Sonic appears in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II as one of the main villains, the other being Dr. Eggman. He is first fought in White Park Zone, then in Sky Fortress Zone, and finally twice during the first act of Death Egg mk.II Zone. He is also the only playable character in the additional episode to Sonic the Hedgehog 4, named Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal, which tells the story of Metal Sonic's return after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog CD.

It is revealed that after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Metal Sonic was left on Little Planet severely damaged for at least one year. Eggman restored his functionality and sent him to Mad Gear Zone to repair him. Once fully repaired, Metal Sonic intended to get his revenge on Sonic for his humiliating defeat. He traveled to Lost Labyrinth Zone and found a gemstone, which Dr. Eggman was looking for, and its mystic energies made Metal Sonic more powerful than ever. With this new power absorbed, Metal Sonic barraged out of the ruin and journeyed through Casino Street Zone in pursuit of Sonic. He would later arrive at Splash Hill Zone, only to find Tails' rocket on the ground and Sonic flying off on the Tornado at the end of the Zone. Metal Sonic electrifies himself to scare off the animals that were liberated from a nearby Capsule that Sonic opened previously, and steals the rocket to give chase, marking his return in Episode II.

Metal Sonic confronts Sonic and Tails for the first time since his return in the White Park Zone, riding in on Tails' rocket before abandoning it. Despite being equipped with the newfound deadly energy, he is defeated. Metal Sonic would battle the duo once again in his own aircraft, the Metal Carrier, in Sky Fortress Zone. He attacks the heroes from the background as they ride the Tornado in Act 1, before confronting them head-on in the boss stage. After being defeated a second time, he flees toward the Death Egg mk.II Zone, where Dr. Eggman assists him as he fights Sonic and Tails for a final time. Losing the battle, Metal Sonic would challenge his organic counterpart to another race later on in the stage, but Sonic would inevitably beat him to the finish line, causing him to crash into the electrified door that closes behind the winner and fall to his defeat, similar to their first battle in Stardust Speedway. It is unknown what becomes of him, although it is presumed that Eggman salvaged him and restored him, as Sonic Heroes takes place chronologically after Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Sonic Runners
In Sonic Runners, Metal Sonic acted as Dr. Eggman's bodyguard and enforcer while the doctor conducted his various schemes for world domination. Metal Sonic first made his presence known when he posed as Sonic and began terrifying the Animals and Omochao. However, Metal Sonic eventually fell for a trap set by Team Sonic. Metal Sonic subsequently made his escape, prompting Team Sonic to pursue him. After the team came across Eggman and defeated him, Sonic attempted to destroy the device Eggman used to control Metal Sonic, but before he was able to do so, Metal Sonic intervened and attacked the three, allowing him and Eggman to escape.

In their later meetings, unlike the more incompetent Orbot and Cubot, Metal Sonic proved capable in keeping Team Sonic at bay whenever they tried to interfere with Eggman's schemes, although he always lost to the team in the end.

When Eggman enacted his final plan―a Brainwashing Laser powered by the Chaos Emeralds to enslave the world with―Metal Sonic received a rushed upgrade from Eggman that made him more powerful, but also more prone to overheating. Metal Sonic used his upgrade to set Team Sonic back in their attempts to stop Eggman, until the team used the weaknesses of his upgrade against him. Later, before Team Sonic's showdown with Eggman, Metal Sonic challenged Sonic to a series of races. In the end, Metal Sonic overheated from the races, leaving him out of commission. Because they ended up with a tie however, Sonic promised Metal Sonic they would settle the score later.

Sonic Forces
In Sonic Forces, Metal Sonic, alongside Chaos, Shadow and Zavok, was replicated by Infinite, Eggman's newest servant, using the virtual reality powers of his Phantom Ruby. This replica was instated in the Eggman Army as one of the group's foremost soldiers. The Metal Sonic replica soon after made its debut alongside the other three replicas to assist Infinite in defeating Sonic. Afterward, the Metal Sonic replica helped Eggman conquer over 99% of the world.

The replica later fought against Sonic and the Avatar at an abandoned bridge, although he was ultimately destroyed via their Double Boost. Hundreds of replicas of Metal Sonic were later present in the outskirts of the Eggman Empire Fortress where they took part in the final battle between the Eggman Army and the Resistance until all the sources of Eggman's replicas were destroyed for good, ending the replicas' existence.

Sonic Drift 2
In Sonic Drift 2, Metal Sonic is one of the seven playable characters in the game. In this title, he drives a blue racecar named the Blue Devil. He is also the only newcomer that was around but not included in the original Sonic Drift.

In gameplay, Metal Sonic's strength is high speed and his weakness is handeling; being faster than Sonic, Metal Sonic possesses very high acceleration and maximum speed, but also the worst handeling among the playable characters. On the race track, Metal Sonic's special ability is the "Super Dash", the ability to grant himself a brief dash down the track with a momentary burst of speed; it is similar to Sonic's "Dash" but has greatly increased power and acceleration. However, using this ability costs three Rings instead of the usual two required by all other competitors.

Sonic Adventure 2
Metal Sonic's appeared as an unlockable multiplayer character in Sonic Adventure 2, and subsequently a standard multiplayer character in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. In the Dreamcast version, he is a carbon copy of Shadow. Hence, he could perform Chaos Spear and Chaos Control using ring energy and has the same aura shield when performing Spin Attacks. He would learn a stronger version of this technique in Sonic Heroes. In subsequent ports, each 2P character is made more unique, thus he has his own attributes. For one, he can accelerate to a higher top speed than Sonic, Shadow, and Amy. He can also project a Black Shield, which is similar to the Ring Spark Field he had in Sonic the Hedgehog CD and can jump at a laughably high altitude. The drawback is that he no longer has any other special attacks of his own, only being given a speed boost at certain ring counts. However, the Black Shield can protect against the special attacks of his opponents, such as Sonic Wind or Chaos Spear, but it can not protect him from Time Stop and Chaos Control. Metal Sonic cannot maneuver while using the Black Shield, but he does maintain his momentum and can exceed max speed when using it before landing on a dash panel.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metal Sonic appears as one of the collectible Stickers:

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Metal Sonic appears as a trophy:

Sega Superstars Tennis
In Sega Superstars Tennis, Metal Sonic can been seen in the stands on the side watching the match in the Scrap Brain Zone court.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Metal Sonic appears as a playable character. He was made available as a part of a special DLC pack which also included the Egg Hangar course, exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions. For the racing in this game, he is driving a blue hoverbike with similarities to himself, called the Metal Booster.

In gameplay, Metal Sonic has very high acceleration and turbo-boost, medium maneuverability, and lower-than-average acceleration. His All-Star Move, "Maximum Overdrive", lets him deploy two pads that fly in front of him, emitting lightning bolts between them.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Metal Sonic appears as a playable character again. He was made available as a part of the "Metal Sonic & OutRun Bay" DLC package, which also included the OutRun Bay course. For the racing in this game, he is driving an alien-like ATV similar to his Metal Overlord transformation, which can transform into a boat, a plane, or a car, depending on the surrounding terrain.

In gameplay, Metal Sonic has high speed, above-average handling and boost, and less-than-average acceleration. His All-Star Move lets him summon a large Black Shield which he can use to knock opponents out of the way.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Metal Sonic is one of 4 new playable characters in the Mario & Sonic Olympic series. He is a speed type and rivals with another new character, Bowser Jr. In the DS Adventure Tour, Metal Sonic is one of the major antagonists, joining Bowser and Eggman's side in trying to stop Mario and Sonic from rescuing the Snow Spirits.

He and Bowser, Jr. have arranged special missions for Mario and Sonic. When the player has completed them, when you visit Blitzland, Metal Sonic and Bowser Jr. will pretend to be remorseful.

Wii version
Metal Sonic reappears as a playable speed type character in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In his minigame, he, along with Orbot and Cubot, want to play a royal game, where the player must win the crown.

In his other minigame, he wants players to run a marathon.

3DS version
Metal Sonic appears in the 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but unlike previous installments, there are five separate "teams," each comprised of four characters. Metal Sonic is part of the Tricksters team, the other three being Dr. Eggman, Wario, and Waluigi. In Story Mode, he is helping Dr. Eggman and Bowser, who are trying to prevent the Olympics from happening because they thought Mario and Sonic were trying to keep them out of the Olympics. Sometime in the story, he breaks Waluigi's "Waluigiscopes," which were actually a regular pair of binoculars. Waluigi challenges Metal Sonic to have him pay for them (plus a meddling tax). However, when Waluigi wins, Metal Sonic runs off without paying, so Waluigi chases after him (with Luigi and Charmy following them, who were watching them face off). Eventually, Waluigi meets up with Wario, who was chasing Dr. Eggman because the doctor's fog would prevent him from setting up a store where he could make money, and asks him to help obtain money (while adding that to the Waluigiscopes and the meddling tax), so Wario decides to join him (for his own reasons). They then meet up with Metal Sonic and Eggman who battle them in an Olympic challenge while Mario and Luigi watch.

After winning they destroy the machine and Mario asks them to keep an eye on Eggman while he and the others head for the stadium. Later, Eggman escapes, but Metal Sonic is not seen with him.

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle
In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Metal Sonic is a playable character who was added to the game's roster in the version 1.0.1 update. He has the following stats that are applied in gameplay: