Ring

Rings (リング), also known as Gold Rings or Power Rings, are the most distinct items in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Rings serve as a unique health system in gameplay throughout most of the series; as long as the player holds even one Ring, it will protect them from losing a life upon taking damage. Instead, the player loses a portion of their Rings, though the amount varies between games. Aside from this, Rings serve many other purposes in different games and collecting them grants things like extra lives, Continues and points.

Though of unknown origin, Rings can be found everywhere on Earth and other places beyond time and space. They are most commonly found everywhere in the Zones/Stages, but can also be obtained from Item Boxes, Badniks or other sources.

Appearance and background
In almost every game appearance, the Rings's design is based on either the basic and round-edged wedding rings or solid brass round rings. The size of Rings varies in certain games; in-game sprites and models show them being as about half the size of the playable characters, while certain cutscenes or promotional material show them being small enough to be hold in the palm of the hand. Easy all of the games' most common item, Rings can normally be found everywhere in the game's primary playable levels where they spin around in one spot and either lie close to the ground or float in midair. Generally, they are placed in large clusters or in strings on pathways, ramps, above Springs, around shuttle loops, along grind rails, or simply in midair.

It is not known where Rings originally come from, and no backstory has been given for them in any game, except that they are spread all over the world of Sonic the Hedgehog. Aside from the main setting on earth, Rings are known to exist in underground caverns, onboard space stations, in outer space, on natural satellites and alien planets, inside cyberspace and even in alternate dimensions.

Functionality
Unlike any other item in the series, Rings have the recognizable attribute of preventing its holder from being defeated. In most cases, possessing even a single Ring keeps the player from losing a life upon taking damage from things such as impacts from enemies and their attacks or damage-inducing obstacles. When this happens, the player instead drop their Rings which are scattered in a circular pattern and bounce around the environment, while the player gets stunned and pushed backwards. However, there are certain dangers that cannot be prevented when holding a Ring, which include being crushed by obstacles, falling into a bottomless pit, failing a mission with a time limit and drowning in underwater sections.

During the brief period where the player drop their Rings after taking damage, there is a change to collect the scattered Rings, but they will eventually all disappear after bouncing for a while. Also, upon taking damage once and dropping the Rings, the player is given a momentary period of invulnerability (represented by the playable character rapidly flashing between visible and invisible). The amount of Rings the player drop when taking damage varies between games. In most cases, the player will drop all their Rings when taking damage just once and are thus vulnerable to attacks, while in some other games the player only drops a portion of them. The Rings' scattering pattern also varies in many later games, like in Sonic Rush where they bounce far wider when the player takes multiple hits.

In several games, fewer "recoverable" Rings are displayed on-screen when they are dropped than the number actually lost. While this amount varies, the maximum is usually around twenty; fewer are dropped in games on the Master System and Game Gear, about fifty are dropped in Sonic Rush, and about thirty-two in all the episodes of Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Rings are normally earned by picking them up from the levels, but can also be earned in other ways which depend on the game. Various games has Super Rings which grant multiple, Badniks in Sonic Advance 3 release Rings upon defeat, and completing Stages Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) will give Rings for the Town Stages as award. Many Zone gimmicks can as well reward the player with Rings. Once the player collecting 100 Rings, the player is awarded with an extra life and even sometimes with another one after collecting 200 Rings. Likewise, the player earns points or continues by collecting Rings. The player can also complete certain requirements to unlock extra features by obtaining Rings. Collecting and holding fifty Rings in several games will summoning Star Circles or Giant Rings to enter Special Stages, and in many other games collecting enough Rings will unlock the next Stage or Chaos Emerald in the Special Stages.

Aside from negating damage, granting awards and unlocking levels, the Rings serve other purposes. In the various games, they have been used as currency in Shops to buy their products, be used as payment to unlock special moves in the gameplay, or fill the Boost Bauge for the Sonic Boost. Even in some cases, Dr. Eggman has used Rings as power sources for his Badniks. Rings are as well essential to using a Super State (which in many cases can be activated after collecting fifty Rings). Using this state requires that the player possesses Rings, as the player's Ring count falls steadily for every second the Super State is active and once it reaches zero, the playable character reverts to his normal state.

Sonic the Hedegehog (1991)
In their first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), all the player's collected Rings will be scattered when taking damage. In this game, additional Rings can be found inside Video Monitors as separate items which are worth ten Rings each. Collecting 100 or 200 Rings grant an extra life, and at the end of each act, each Ring gives 100 points to the player's score. Holding fifty Rings at the end of the first two Acts of each Zone summons the Giant Ring above the signpost that lead to the Special Stage. Rings are also found in the Special Stages as well, where they give the player points, an Continue by collecting fifty of them, and an extra life by collecting 100 of them.

In 8-bit version of the game, Rings have many of their attributes from the 16-bit game. However after getting an extra life, the game's Ring count will reset from zero. Also, when Sonic takes damage, all the Rings will fall off-screen, making them irretrievable. Usually, Rings are not found in the third act of each Zone. The Goal Plate also rewards the player randomly with ten extra Rings. By holding over fifty Rings at the end of each Act, the player enters the Special Stage, where a huge amount of Rings are scattered around and can be collected for extra lives.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the Rings' mechanics are the same as in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Collecting 100 or 200 Rings gives an extra life and at the end of each Act, the player receives 100 points for each Ring collected. In addition to Monitors with Super Rings that grant ten Rings each, Casino Night Zone has the Slot Machine gimmick which reward the player with different amounts of Rings (or take some away) depending on the slot combinations. If the player manages to collect all the Act's Rings and finish without losing any, the player receives a Perfect Bonus of 50,000 points.

When the player has both Sonic and Tails out, only Sonic can lose Rings. Tails can collect Rings, but both of them share the same Ring count. In the game's multiplayer mode, both playable characters can collect Rings for their score. The total score after the race depends on how many Rings each players.

By collecting fifty Rings, the player can use the Star Circle at a Star Post to enter the Special Stage. Here, the player has to collect a certain amount of Rings scattered around this half-pipe route within different sections to get a Chaos Emerald. Inside the Special Stage however, both Sonic and Tails can lose Rings.

In 8-bit version of the game, Rings function like in the previous 8-bit installment, including the Ring score restarting from zero after reaching 100 Rings. However, unlike in previous game, the player can pick up Rings after dropping them. At the end of the first two Acts of each Zone, the Goal Plate can randomly reward the player with then extra Rings. However, Rings are not featured in the third Act of each Zone.

SegaSonic the Hedgehog
In SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Rings are used to fill the playable characters' health gauge rather than protecting against damage. When the player completes the stage with over 50% of the Ring score, they are rewarded with a Ring Bonus and a pre-amplified health gauge.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD
In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, the Rings' mechanics are the same as in the previous main installments. Numerous Rings can be found inside ceilings or behind walls, which can only be collected by entering another timeline of the Act with Time Warp Plates. In this game, the player is required to have fifty Rings at the end of the first and second Zone of each Round to summon the Giant Ring at the Goal Plate and enter the Special Stages. There, the player is sometimes rewarded with ten extra Rings for destroying UFOs.

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
In both the 16 and 8-bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, Rings' only function is to bestow points and grants 12,500 points each when collected. Collecting all Rings from the Stage summons the star circle that leads to the hidden Bonus Stage.

Sonic Chaos
In Sonic Chaos, Rings function much like in the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. If the player collects 100 Rings as Sonic, he will be transported into a Special Stage. Special Stages have both regular Rings and Giant Rings, the latter which grants 10 regular Rings each. Because, Tails is unable to enter Special Stages, he instead earns extra life, which makes the Ring count restart from zero.

At the end of the first two Acts of each Zone, the Bonus Plate randomly rewards the player with ten extra Rings. However, the third act of each Zone has Rings spread out in certain places to prevent protection in boss battles.

Sonic Drift series
In Sonic Drift and Sonic Drift 2, Rings are separately spread around all the race tracks. After the player collects at least two Rings (three if playing as Metal Sonic), they can perform character's Special Power by pressing up on the D-pad. The player can lose Rings by drifting into obstacles, or being hit by mines or Motora.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and its add-on continuation Sonic & Knuckles, Rings function like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Monitors in these games include Super Rings that are worth ten Rings each, and each Ring held add 100 points to the player's score after completing an Act. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 also introduces the Thunder Shield which can attract nearby Rings. In the Competition mode of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the player can only hold one Ring at a time which is generally used to defend against Self-Propelled Bombs.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, collecting fifty Rings summons the Star Circle at Star Posts which transports the player to the Gumball Machine-type Bonus Stage. In Sonic & Knuckles however, collecting fifty Rings in the same case sends the player to the Glowing Sphere-type Bonus Stage, while twenty Rings leads to the Slot Machine-type Bonus Stage. In the locked-on version, all three Bonus Stage types can be unlocked with the right amount of Rings: the Slot Machine with 20-34 Rings, the Glowing Sphere with 35-49 Rings, and the Gumball Machine with 50-120 Rings. The Glowing Sphere- and Gumball Machine-type Bonus Stages feature yellow gumballs, which each grant ten extra Rings. Meanwhile, Slot Machine-type Bonus Stages normally include gimmicks that, like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, will give Rings when getting the right formations.

In Special Stages, Rings can also be found. Collecting fifty Rings grants a Continue and collecting all Rings in the Special Stage gives a Perfect Bonus. Also, if the player collects blue spheres from the edges of sphere clusters, all the spheres turn into Rings.

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
Rings appear as common items in Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble and each Ring grants 100 points to the player's score after completing an Act. As collecting 100 Rings will grant extra life, it keeps the Ring score increasing further. Sonic Triple Trouble is the first game in the series, where the player does not lose all Rings, but the score only drops 30 Rings after taking hit. Getting from Ring panel from Bonus Panel grants 10 extra Rings.

The player must have 50 Rings and find Item Box with Chaos Emerald icon, that unleashes star circle and the player gets transported the Special Stage. Rings are also spread around platform- and plane-type Special Stages, while plane-type Special Stages require to collect amount of Rings from the sky by piloting Tornado.

Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld
In the Japanese version of Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld, Rings are featured in "Slot Machine" and "Poker Game" minigames, as the player can put bets by using the touch pen for inserting Rings. In "Roulette Game" minigame, getting one of five images showing Ring symbol, grants double the amount of points. None of three minigames aren't featured in the international versions. In "Sonic vs. Robotnik" minigame though, attacks have been altered in international versions as both Sonic and Robotnik are tossing Rings on each other depending what picture the game randomly selects.

Sonic the Comic
In Sonic the Comic, the Golden Rings are an apparently naturally-occurring phenomenon on Mobius. They were used by Doctor Ovi Kintobor in conjunction with his Retro-Orbital Chaos Compressor (ROCC) to transfer most of the evil energy on Mobius into six Chaos Emeralds. They possessed strange properties (possibly inherently or as a result of their use in the ROCC) and emitted special Ring Energy. Robotnik was able to use the rings to power his Neutrino Accelerator. According to Tails, this Ring Energy was also responsible for Sonic's first transformation into Super Sonic, although Sonic had absorbed so much Ring Energy over the years that later transformations were caused purely by stress.

During the explosion of the ROCC, Kintobor's personality was somehow imprinted on a Golden Ring. Porker Lewis was able to use this ring to create the Kintobor Computer.

Larger versions of the Golden Rings, known as Mobius Rings, which lead to other dimensions such as the Special Zone, are located all over Mobius.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
In an episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, called "The Mobius 5000", Rings appeared as a part of the Special Zone where they were needed to access other locations from the Special Zone.

Archie Comics
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs, Power Rings were originally natural byproducts of Chaos Emeralds. They were artificially created by the brilliant Overlander scientist Nate Morgan as a clean alternative to fossil fuels to protect Mobius' environment. After Morgan's banishment from his home city, when his original tests failed, the Mobian Sir Charles Hedgehog aided him in mass producing Power Rings to be used by the Kingdom of Acorn. Following this, the city of Mobotropolis entered a new Golden Age as the Power Rings had brought their kingdom out of the medieval ages. After that, Power Rings was used not only as power supplies for technology, but also as a means to increase the power and capabilities of certain individuals such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna.

Following the Super Genesis Wave, the Power Rings became a power source naturally produced by Lakes of Rings all around Sonic's World.

Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
In the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, the Power Rings were invented by Sir Charles Hedgehog for Sonic to battle villains. They are generated by a machine, powered by the Power Rock, which is located in the Power Ring pool in the Great Forest. One Power Ring rises to the surface every day (two very day later on) and if not caught, it sinks back underwater.

The Power Rings' energies can only be harnessed by Sonic, which he can use to temporarily boost his speed. Additionally, they can be used to temporarily restore the free will of a roboticized victim and block a Roboticizer.

Sonic X
In the anime series Sonic X and its comic series published by Archie Comics, the Rings are used by Sonic and his allies to give Sonic a power boost, much like the Power Rings in the Sonic the Hedgehog television series and the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs. Tails usually has them loaded into his various aircrafts so he can deploy them to Sonic during battle.

Trivia

 * The familiar sound effect used for collecting rings has been adopted for use in cash registers.
 * Rings can also have other purposes. For example, Shadow's Inhibitor Rings keep his powers in check as long as he wears them.
 * The Sonic Storybook Series (starting with Sonic and the Secret Rings) is the first time a Sonic game has had the rings replaced with something else. In Sonic and the Black Knight, they are replaced with fairies. However, rings still appear in the Legacy missions (missions that play like the regular Sonic series) in this game.
 * In Sonic Colors (Wii version only), Sonic Unleashed (PS2/Wii versions) and Sonic Lost World (temporally on the Wii U version only, later fixed via downloadable-content), the player is not awarded an extra life if he/she collects 100 rings, unlike the rest of the Sonic series.
 * A joke was made in Sonic Generations in which both Classic and Modern Tails were discussing about how many rings Sonic collects and where he puts them.
 * Shadow the Hedgehog is the first game in the main series where a playable character does not drop all rings when hit. In this game, Shadow drops only ten rings when hit. Sonic Unleashed continues this with Sonic dropping fifty percent of his rings when hit (provided he has forty or more). In Sonic Generations Sonic loses eighty percent of his rings when hit (provided he has twenty or more).
 * Rings are mentioned in the cartoon Gravity Falls by the character Dipper Pines. In episode 10 (Fight Fighters), he rattles off a string of different video game power-ups, one of which happens to be "rings".
 * In Wreck-It Ralph, rings also appear; first when Sonic gets hit by an escape pod Ralph is piloting and later during the credits when it shows Sonic battling Eggman and also getting hit.
 * The ring collecting sound seems to be reused in every game that has them since the original Sonic the Hedgehog, only at a slightly different pitch, especially Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut which notably has a lower pitch.
 * Rings are not the only form of currency in Sonic's world - for instance, when Sonic Colors is set to Japanese, the cutscene before the Tropical Resort boss has different dialogue in which Dr. Eggman, Sonic and Cubot haggle the price of the ride using yen. Yen is also referenced in some of Eggman's in-game announcements.
 * In Sonic 3 and Knuckles, if Sonic collects more than 999 rings, the counter will use letters in place of numbers in the hundred spot. (i.e A93 rings instead of 1,093 rings)