Chip

"Want some chocolate?"

- Chip, Sonic Unleashed

Chip (チップ) otherwise known as Light Gaia (ライトガイア) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an ancient being from the dawn of time and the incarnation of light, day and rebirth. Since the beginning of time, Chip has fought Dark Gaia in an perpetual cycle of rebirth and destruction to protect the Earth from Dark Gaia where he awakens after millions years of sleep to put the world back together after Dark Gaia destroys it and then returns to sleep again.

In Sonic Unleashed, Chip was awoken prematurely by Dr. Eggman, who planned to use Dark Gaia to establish his Eggman Empire, losing his memories in the process. He then met Sonic the Hedgehog and the two of them worked together to bring the planet back together after Dark Gaia shattered it. After recovering his memories, Chip and Sonic worked together to defeat Dark Gaia, restoring the balance of their eternal cycle, while Chip returned to dormancy.

Concept and Creation
Chip was supposed to be named "Whip", in a reference to "whipped cream", which is the reason that whipped cream became an early design motif (for example, some early concepts had his hair like a dollop of whipped cream). However, because the word whip has different connotations in English (including the act of punishment, whipping, or suffering injury, as in the term whiplash), Sega of America was not pleased with the name, so they changed the name to Chip.

Early Life
Chip was born in the beginning of time as Light Gaia, the incarnation of light, day and rebirth, and existed as the opposite to Dark Gaia. When the Earth came into existence, Chip and Dark Gaia took residence on this world. There, Chip began his job of projecting the planet from Dark Gaia when the beast desired its destruction, and as such began endless cycle of destruction and rebirth of Earth with Dark Gaia. In this cycle, Chip would awaken from the planet's core after Dark Gaia has dwelled within the Earth's core for millions of years and broken the planet apart during the time of awakening. Chip would then defeat Dark Gaia, returning it to dormancy in the planet's core, and rebuild the planet before going back to sleep in the Earth's core again to await the time where Dark Gaia would awaken once more. Despite protecting the planet over eons, Chip never came to learn about the world itself.

Some tens of thousands of years prior to Sonic Unleashed, Chip had just finished another destruction and recreation of the world where he returned Dark Gaia to slumber and put the planet back together, before returning to sleep himself to await Dark Gaia's next awakening.

Sonic Unleashed
In Sonic Unleashed, Chip was prematurely awoken when Dr. Eggman used his Chaos Energy Cannon to awaken Dark Gaia and shatter the Earth. As such, Chip lost his memories, forgetting who he was and his duty. He ended up unconscious in Windmill Isle where he unknowingly used his powers to break Sonic the Werehog's fall from space. As he was found and awoken by Sonic, Chip was initially frightened when he saw Sonic's Werehog form, but quickly realized he meant no harm. When they introduced themselves, Chip realized he had amnesia and began to panic until Sonic promised to help him regain his memories. Drawn then arrived, and Chip was amazed as he saw Sonic the Werehog return to his old self.

When the two of them arrived in Apotos, Chip took an instant liking to the Ice Cream Vendor's Chocolate Chip Sundae Supreme. After buying themselves some of these ice comes, Chip was given the name "Chip" by Sonic after the ice cream, a name which Chip loved. After fruitlessly searching Apotos for anyone who knew Chip, night fell and Chip was taken by surprise as Sonic became Sonic the Werehog again. They then found the Ice Cream Vendor in an unexplainable depression where Chip tried to cheer him up, but to no avail.

Soon after, Chip and Sonic came across Tails. After hearing their story, Tails suggested they went seeing Professor Pickle in Spagonia who could shred some light on Dr. Eggman's plan, and Chip. When they got there however, they learned Professor Pickle had been kidnapped by Eggman. The trio tracked the Professor to Mazuri where they freed him from Eggman's base and reclaimed the Gaia Manuscripts. They then returned to Spagonia where Pickle explained how Dark Gaia was responsible for the planet's shattering and that they could restore the planet and seal Dark Gaia by taking the powerless Chaos Emeralds to the Gaia Temples.

Sonic and Chip shortly after came to Mazuri where Sonic saved the villagers from Eggman before they pursued and drove Eggman off. They shortly after found the local Gaia Temple, which Chip discovered he could activate, allowing Sonic to restoring the Emerald and Mazuri's continent.

Later on, Chip and Sonic returned to Spagonia at night where they met Amy who was unable to recognize Sonic as Werehog. As Amy then left, Chip unintentionally depressed Sonic by noting how different he was. When was Amy caught in a group of people possessed by Dark Gaia, Chip unknowingly exorcised them when he took a picture of them. Though they quickly left before Amy could see Sonic, they soon after came clear.

Resuming their mission, Chip and Sonic continuing their journey across the world, fixing the planet one piece at a time, with Chip activating the Temples for Sonic to use. At the same time, Chip had a great time experiencing the world. When they got to the sixth Gaia Temple, however, Chip somehow felt scared. While Sonic restored the sixth Chaos Emerald and continent inside the Temple, Chip got sucked him into a strange mural where he got his memories back. Returning to Sonic, Chip explained his and Dark Gaia's history, the cause of his memory loss, and the reason why Sonic remained the same person as a Werehog. He then thanked Sonic for everything and tried to fly off to restore the planet and defeat Dark Gaia alone, but Sonic convinces him to letting him help him anyway.

Traveling to Eggmanland and the last Gaia Temple, Chip sensed the Temple below the metropolis and journeyed there with Sonic where they started the process of restoring the final continent. Believing Dark Gaia would be sealed, Chip thanked Sonic, but they were then ambushed by Eggman and his Egg Dragoon. Chip and Sonic were then knocked into a hole leading to the planet's core where Sonic saved Chip and defeated the Egg Dragoon. However, Dark Gaia then emerged from the core, knocking Eggman away, and briefly attacked Sonic and Chip before sucking its remaining power out of Sonic. With Sonic too weak to escape, Chip protected him and called the Gaia Temples to him, turning him into the Gaia Colossus.

In his new form, Chip fought Dark Gaia with Sonic's assistance. However, Dark Gaia soon reached full maturity, becoming Perfect Dark Gaia, and began enveloping the world in darkness. As Sonic harnessed the Chaos Emeralds, Chip and Super Sonic defeated Perfect Dark Gaia and sealed it back in the planet's core. With the final continent coming down, Chip said his goodbyes to an unconscious Sonic and threw him back up to the surface and allowed himself to be resealed within the Earth along with Dark Gaia. Leaving his necklace as a gift for Sonic to find, Chip contacted Sonic telepathically and said he would never forget him and that he would always be with him as a part of the earth he tread.

Sonic Generations
In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations Chip appears during the credits in a clip from Sonic Unleashed, and as an unlockable statue in the hidden Statue Room.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
In the third installment of the Mario & Sonic series, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, a Chip costume can be earned by playing the game for five hours. Charmy Bee gives the costume as a present and the costume can then be placed on any Mii for then to be used in any event in the game. The costume gives the Mii the stats of a Skill type character.

Personality
Chip has a bright personality; he is playful, merry, carefree and very goodhearted, though also somewhat goofy. He is naïve and very curious about the world, often asking simple but ponderous questions, and enjoys the slower things in life. Though he never has any mean intentions, he sometimes comes off as a little annoying and blunt such when he accidentally made Sonic depressed when he noted how scary he was as a Werehog and during the inconvenient times he got up in Sonic's face.

Chip is incredibly gluttonous and absolutely adores food, especially chocolate which he always keeps on him, and can be distracted by food to the point where he becomes oblivious to his surroundings. Regardless of his love for food, Chip will always offer a chocolate bar to those he meet as a sign of friendship and will try to offer people food to help with their issues. Likewise, Chip hates hunger, preferring to be dead rather than going hungry for longer periods of time, and any hunger he feels quickly makes him weak. Additionally, he is also concerned about others' hunger as he was mostly concerned that Professor Pickle could be starving while he was kidnapped by Eggman.

When facing an opponent, Chip will act threatening and scary, striking poses and flaunting his fists while keeping a confident and serious demeanor. Behind this front however, he is relatively scared in such encounters and would, at least prior to recovering his memories, seek cover behind Sonic where he would resume acting threatening. Also, as seen in Sonic: Night of the Werehog, Chip is genuinely terrified of ghosts and scary things, evening faints dead away after Sonic teasingly scares him with a flashlight.

Chip is very dutiful when it comes to his job of protecting the Earth from Dark Gaia, having followed it for countless ages, and is serious when dealing with it. He also believe that it is his responsibility alone to deal with and that no one has to get needlessly involved as he tried to leave on his own to defeat Dark Gaia after regaining his memories, even if he is reluctant. However, he was convinced by Sonic to allow others to help him.

Powers and Abilities
Contrary to his small size, Chip ranks among the strongest characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, possessing a level of power comparable or equal to that of Dark Gaia's. As a counter to Dark Gaia's abilities, Chip is capable of bringing the Earth back together and repair the damage done to it after Dark Gaia has split the planet into several fragments. It is unknown, however, if he uses the Gaia Temples for this process or it is an ability of his own.

By using the two small wings on this on his back, Chip is able to achieve flight in mid-air. While in flight, he can move at speeds high enough to keep up with Sonic's regular running speed.

As an living embodiment of light, Chip has the ability to manipulate light in the form of a green energy, allowing him to create highly durable force fields of light and to amplify his own attacks. Additionally, he is able to draw power from the light and day to increase his own strength.

Chip shares a strong connection with the Gaia Temples, allowing him to control their inner and outer workings at will, and can sense their locations. By using the Chaos Emeralds in conjunction with the Gaia Temples, Chip is able to levitate the entire Gaia Temples and move them through air so fast that it looks like they are teleporting.

As a being of light, and therefore one of the eternal forces alongside darkness, Chip is completely immortal and can presumably never be destroyed as his presence is needed to preserve the balance of the world. He is also shown to have telepathic abilities as he could talk to Sonic telepathically on the surface to say goodbye.

Gaia Colossus
By harnessing the Chaos Emeralds' power and merging with the Gaia Temples. Chip can transform into the Gaia Colossus. In addition to massively increased size, Chip obtains immense physical strength and durability, is capable of high-speed flight, and can channel light into highly powerful punches.

Sonic World Adventure (manga)
Chip is the main character from Sonic World Adventure that is based on Sonic Unleashed. Similar to in Sonic Unleashed, Chip was found laying on the ground by Sonic when he fell from space. When they met, Chip got scared off his werehog form and punched Sonic's eyes, telling him that he tasted bad. Chip then realized Sonic was a "gentle person" and became overjoyed when Sonic agreed to get his memory back, promoting Chip to go on about how it was Sonic's fault he lost his memories and he now had to give him ice cream.

At the day time they stop in Apotos, Chip rushed ahead seeking ice cream. When he found an ice cream vendor and his shop, Chip demanded ice cream rabidly, accidentally destroying the shop in his eagerness. When Sonic got there, Chip desperately asked for ice cream, until Sonic promised the crying ice cream vendor they would fix his shop later. Sonic and Chip left to find materials for the repairs, but while Chip was happy to help, he kept finding food instead of construction material, forcing Sonic to repeatedly scold him and eventually kick him in the head. After Sonic destroyed some Egg Fighters, Chip gave Sonic the idea to use the scrap metal to fix the shop. Once Sonic had rebuilt and improve the shop with robot parts, Chip wanted to be the first customer, but when he reached there, the Egg Fighter (who was the shop) began shooting with ice cream.

Sonic the Hedgehog
Chip's closest and dearest friend is Sonic the Hedgehog. When Chip first saw Sonic, he was initially frightened of him due to seeing him in his Werehog form, but soon realized he was a nice guy. When Sonic told Chip he would help get his memories back, Chip quickly took a liking to Sonic and thanked him whole-hearted. Additionally, Chip subconsciously sensed the innate goodness in Sonic and wanted him to help him.

Following that, Chip spend all his time by Sonic's side where he build up a great friendship with him. Chip also enjoyed engaging in friendly competition with Sonic, such as when they fought over the last meat bun in Chun-nan. However, Chip sometimes proved to be an annoyance to Sonic due to his naïve bluntness and disturbing him at inconvenient times, though he never had any mean intention. Also, when he accidentally made Sonic depressed about his Werehog form, Chip tried his best cheer him up.

After recovering his memories, Chip was deeply grateful to Sonic for all he had done for him. However, he did not want Sonic to get himself needlessly involved with his conflict with Dark Gaia and as such tried to leave on his own. However, he was convinced by Sonic to let help him anyway, which Chip thanked him for. During their battle with Dark Gaia, Chip prioritized Sonic's well-being whenever he was weak, such as when he was weakened by the energy drain Dark Gaia or when he fell unconscious from beating Perfect Dark Gaia. When the last continent came down and they had to depart, Chip only wished for Sonic to live on and gave a heartfelt goodbye before sending him back to the surface. There, Chip contacted Sonic telepathically, telling him that he would never forget him and that he would always be with him.

Friends

 * Sonic the Hedgehog (Best Friend)
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Prof. Pickle
 * Amy Rose
 * Prof. Pickle's Assistant

Enemies

 * Dr. Eggman
 * Dark Gaia
 * Bandanna Ghost and Bow Tie Ghost ("Sonic: Night of the Werehog")

Trivia

 * Chip was first seen in the Japanese manga adaption of Sonic Unleashed.
 * Throughout Sonic Unleashed, Chip uses the same camera that the Photographer Ghosts used in the 3D animated movie Sonic: Night of the Werehog.
 * Chip is one of the two oldest characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the other being Dark Gaia.
 * Sonic's naming of Chip after the ice-cream he was eating is similar in nature to how Sonic gave Emerl its name.
 * In the manga that was based on Sonic Unleashed, Chip speaks in third-person, saying things like "Chip wants ice cream!" rather than "I want ice cream!" like in the video game, he would talk in third-person and often refer to himself as "Chip" instead of "Me," "Mine," or "I." This is also apparent in the Japanese version of the game, though this is after Sonic gives Chip his nickname.
 * In Speed Highway Act 2 in Sonic Generations, Chip's name can be spotted on a sign.
 * The PlayStation 2 Memory Card Icon for Sonic Unleashed is Chip himself.
 * Chip is among the few characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series who go barefoot.