Manic the Hedgehog


 * "Manic" redirects here. For Sonic's son in the Archie Comics series, see Manik Acorn.

Manic the Hedgehog is a green anthropomorphic hedgehog from the Sonic Underground animated series. He is the brother of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonia the Hedgehog, as well the youngest son of Queen Aleena. Manic plays the drums in the triplets' band.

Appearance
Manic is a green-furred, anthropomorphic hedgehog, whose quills are shaggier than Sonic's and Sonia's. He wears a red vest, black spiked wristbands and an orange fanny-pack, which he seems to fit anything and everything in, from his drumsticks to his lock picks and to whatever he steals. He has black eyes, and his left ear is pierced with two small gold loop earrings in a 'punk' style.

TV series
Manic was initially left on the doorstep of a house in the slums, placing him in the lowest role of growing up for the siblings: Sonic lived in an average home, while Sonia lived like a princess. When he was left behind by his mother however, Manic's basket was stolen - although the thief was unaware that it contained only a baby - and brought to the head thief Ferrell, who trained Manic as a pickpocket in the sewers and on the streets of Robotropolis along with many other young street urchins.

Archie Comics
Shortly after Manic, Sonic and Sonia’s births, Dr. Robotnik would seize power of Mobotropolis and convert it into the polluted and metallic city of Robotropolis. A bounty was placed on the children of the queen, and thus Aleena was forced to take them into hiding. Eventually, the Oracle of Delphius appeared before her with a prophesy which foretold that she would have to separate with her children in order save their lives. Sending the siblings to three different caretakers, Manic was left on a doorstep but was stolen from his intended home by the thief Ferrell, who raised Manic as his favorite student. Manic would learn how to play drums and went off to form a band after meeting Sonic and Sonia. The Oracle of Delphius reappeared to tell the children of their origins. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Robotnik captured Farrell, as well as Sonic and Sonia’s guardians and roboticized them. It was then that the three hedgehog children would form an alliance with each other to locate their missing mother.

Manic and his siblings would engage Robotnik in battle many times. Evil Sonic would appear in Manic's reality on a mission from Robo-Robotnik v1.0 to recover the Giant Borg. Believing Sonic also possessed a piece of the Giant Borg, he located and interrogated him and his siblings. The evil hedgehog departed only for two new Sonics to appear: Sonic Prime and Zonic the Zone Cop. Manic, Sonic and Sonia mistook Sonic Prime for Evil Sonic until the two new hedgehogs explained who they are. Zonic would remark how he had a lack of data on Sonic and his dimension and would request an explanation of their reality’s history.

Manic, Sonia and Sonic would then team up with Sonic Prime and Zonic to stop the threat of Giant Borg. After defeating Giant Borg, Manic and Sonia freed Evil Sonic from jail after Robotnik imprisoned him. For helping Robotnik get the components of Giant Borg in the first place, Evil Sonic was then taken into custody by Zonic, who left Manic and his siblings to continue their fight.

Around the time of Sonic Prime's absence following the Xorda Attack on Mobius, Manic and his siblings made a visit to Mobius Prime as part of an Interdimensional concert tour.

Due to being part of the old multiverse, it is likely that Manic was wiped from existence when the multiverse collapsed.

Personality
Manic is thought of as the "laid back" sibling, and often uses slang. He has a sort of "valley boy" accent. He shows some objection to his siblings criticizing his hard upbringing, and like Sonic, seems to show mild resentment that Sonia was brought up among nobility. He often contemplates that unlike Sonic and Sonia, he never really had a home, and the closest thing he had to family was the street urchins he was trained with. While Manic gets defensive when his old background is criticized, he grew up without ever feeling he had a real home until he met his siblings.

While he was not brought up with close ties to the Resistance as Sonic was, he has many contacts among the lowest tiers of society. Manic also has a good sense of humor, and like Sonic, he's also a bit of a thrill seeker. He can get jealous of his sibling's special abilities; putting himself or others in danger by attempting to prove himself or doing things on his own.

Manic is a kleptomaniac, and thinks nothing of stealing from almost anybody regardless of their financial situation, because he had nothing while growing up. Though raised to be a thief, he is good-natured and has a distinct sense of moral standards, living by "Thieves' Honor"; the mentality that you should never steal what cannot be held, and he refuses to steal from any just as or more unfortunate than him. He usually uses the excuse that any money made off what he steals would be good for the Resistance. Both Sonic and Sonia frown heavily on his attitude.

Powers and abilities
Manic possesses neither his brother's speed nor his sister's strength, thus making him the only member of the Sonic Underground with no superpowers on his own. What he lacks in physical strength though, he makes up for in thieving skills and mastery with computers and machines. He is a deft pickpocket, able to steal even in public with ease. He can also pick any lock with nothing more than one of his plucked bangs, and hack computers, making him a vital member of the team. He can also repair auto-machinery.

Like his siblings, Manic is an accomplished musician, as he is a drummer in the Sonic Underground. He can twirl his sticks with his left hand (and in later episodes, with his right hand), twirl both sticks in his right hand (shown twice), and throw them in the air and catch them as some drummers do. His sticks are small and quite flexible.

Weapons
Like his siblings, Manic possesses a medallion resembling a drum kit that doubles as a weapon. However, when used properly, his drum set can control the earth, creating seismic activity under Manic's direction, and fire lasers like those of his siblings. His cymbals can even reflect laser fire. According to the Oracle, his drums are the most powerful weapon of the three. He rides on a hoverboard, which also acts like a surfboard.

Trivia

 * Manic always addresses his mother as "Ma", though he referred to her as "Mother" twice in the episode "A Hedgehog's Home is Her Castle".
 * In the episode "Mobodoon", it is not only revealed where Manic and his siblings were born, but when. Manic points out that "on the second even day of the third month when the moon is full, BAM it shows up just like clockwork", most likely meaning they were born on March 4.
 * It is possible that Manic was named after the Radiohead demo tape Manic Hedgehog.
 * In the episode "Sleepers", Manic's speaking voice is lower than normal.
 * Manic does not have any physical ability, but in the episode "The Big Melt", he is shown doing a huge "Sonia Spin" with Sonic.
 * In Sonic the Hedgehog #134, Manic makes a possible cameo in the crowd (standing right behind Rotor Walrus).
 * In the episode "Wedding Bell Blues", when the trio go to Bartleby's house, they pretend they are carpet cleaners; Manic's outfit looks a little like Mario's overalls, and Sonic's outfit looks somewhat like Luigi's overalls.
 * Manic's story-and that of the Sonic Underground series-was intended to be resolved in a single-issue story that was going to be included in Sonic Universe #50, but this was later abandoned.