Chopper

Chopper (バタバタ) is recurring enemy in Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are piranha-type Badnik models created by Dr. Eggman which first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Choppers are not very menacing, but can launch surprise attacks from below bridges and water routes.

Appearance
Based on piranhas, the Choppers have a red mechanical body with a white dorsal fin, pelvic fins, anal fin and fishtail. Their pelvic fins in particular are attached with blue bases. They also have serrated teeth which they flash at all times. The original models had several bolts on their body, though updated unites had a few holes in their dorsal fin as well. The originals also had black eyes with white sclera, but later designs gained cyan eyes with black sclera.

The Choppers' size has varied over the series. They have been smaller than Sonic himself, but in Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations they are much larger. The details of their design has also varied. In Sonic the Hedgehog 4, they closely resemble Mashers from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but in Sonic Colors they were menacing and had a new color scheme. In Sonic Generations though, they regained their old color scheme. Since Sonic Lost World, Choppers returned to their original design, with the addition of cyan eyes.

Powers and abilities
In almost every game the Choppers have appeared in, they reside in pools of water under bridges where they will pop out of to bite the player. In Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Generations, Chopper arches over the bridge, while in Sonic Dash, the player can attack them with Homing Attacks to cross over large gaps.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
In their first appearance in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, Chopper appears in the Green Hill Zone. Here, it will simply keep jumping up from under a bridge to bite the player. It is very easy to destroy.

In 8-bit version of the game with same name, the Chopper has a slightly different appearance. It will occasionally be under a bridge or by a waterfall with a bottomless pit.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)
In the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Chopper-looking, unnamed Badniks appear at Crystal Egg Zone. Unlike their attack patterns in their first appearance, they slowly float around backwards and forwards and chomp on empty air.

They are also barely a threat to the player as they do not cross the player while running. They can be easily defeated with a Spin Jump and do not have an organic battery like the other Badniks in the 8-bit games.

Sonic Adventure 2
Choppers appear in the unlockable Green Hill Zone stage in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. Instead of jumping up and down like in the original game, they jump over bridges in an arching motion. The Choppers are larger in this game.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Choppers appear in two of the three Seaside Hill race courses as obstacles. Like in Sonic Adventure 2, the Chopper look larger than in their first appearance.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Choppers returned as enemies in Splash Hill Zone. While having a more modernized appearance in this game, they usually have the same attack pattern from the first game, where they jump from pools of water at waterfalls.

Sonic Colors
Choppers appear in both the Nintendo DS and Wii version of Sonic Colors, where they ae encountered in the underwater sections of Aquarium Park. Choppers in these games are colored pink, grey and yellow, though the concept arts relates this to Jaws. Throughout the six Acts of this Area, schools of normal-sized Choppers and very large Choppers infest the many waters that Sonic travels through.

In the Wii version, eight Choppers also appear in the underwater tunnel section in Asteroid Coaster Act 6 and in several underwater sections in Game Land which are related to Aquarium Park and Asteroid Coaster.

Sonic Generations
In both console/PC and Nintendo 3DS versions of Sonic Generations, Choppers can be found in Green Hill and Seaside Hill. They have the same color scheme and uses the relatively same attack pattern from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), though they are not powered by Animals.

The Console/PC version of the game also feature Mega Chopper that destroys the Grind Rails in a cave in an attempt to catch and defeat Modern Sonic. This Mega Chopper later reappears in Seaside Hill; if the player attempts to abuse the hydroplaning effects of the Sonic Boost and leave the Stage's boundaries, the Mega Chopper eats Sonic.

Sonic Dash
In Sonic Dash, the Choppers are featured in Seaside Hill. A single Chopper can be seen jumping out of the ocean at same time the player has to jump between two routes. To proceed with the endless running, player has to jump and use the Homing Attack on the Chopper to get to the another side of the gap. If the player cannot perform the Homing Attack in time, the player may fall to the water while losing life or fail the Stage.

Sonic Lost World
Choppers make another appearance in the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World where they have their original appearance and are powered by Animals. During the game, it turns out that Badniks, Choppers included, got hijacked by the Deadly Six.

Choppers are featured in Windy Hill Zone 1, 2, Frozen Factory Zone 1 and Sky Road Zone 1. In the 3D sections of the game, Choppers usually jump over bridges from rivers or oil lakes instead of directly attacking the player, while in 2.5D sections, they retain their attack patterns from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) where they jump at bridges to bite Sonic. However, their jumps are slower in this game, giving the player an easier time to destroy them with Spin Jumping or the Focused Homing Attack.

Variants

 * Masher
 * Mega Chopper (Kapu Kapu)
 * Mega Chopper (Sonic Generations)
 * Jawz
 * Jaws
 * Mechanical fish
 * Kapupu
 * Taga-Taga

Sonic the Comic
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Choppers are a part of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army which patrol the waters of the Green Hill Zone. Depending on the artist, the Chomper's design would differ between issues. They have also appeared on two covers and two pin-ups during the comic's run.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog animated series, the Choppers are Badniks used by Dr. Robotnik and are entirely yellow. They made a brief in the episode "The Last Resort" where Scratch and Grounder released three Choppers on Sonic while he was water skiing, but ended up being used by Sonic to water ski.

Merchandise
The toy company TOMY has released Chopper 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

 * Chopper's Japanese name, "Bata-Bata", is the Japanese word for a clattering noise, expressing the jaw clutch noises that the Chopper often makes.
 * Choppers in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I closely resemble the Masher, causing many fans to believe they were said Badnik model when they were confirmed for the game.
 * A robot resembling a Chopper appears to chase Orbot and Cubot in the episode "Let's Play Musical Friends" in the television series Sonic Boom.