Shahra



Shahra the Ring Genie is a special, eager young genie/djinn who enlists the help of Sonic in Sonic and the Secret Rings. In the game, she grants Sonic special abilities and bonuses to help Sonic in his quest. She appears as a ball of light in the stages (much as Tikal did in Sonic Adventure), and she appears to have a strong relationship towards Erazor. Her name suggests the 1001 nights character Scheherazade. She has a habit of calling Sonic "Master" (she's likely used to calling whoever possesses the ring her master), even though he prefers her to just call him by name. While she does have high magic power, she seems to be unable to undo the works of any of the Erazor Djinn's magic, such as the cursed flaming arrow that he embeds in Sonic's chest. It is hinted that she and the Erazor Djinn were once in love or were friends, but when Shahra tells Sonic in the Last Chapter, "I just want to go back to him," the former seems most likely.

In the end of the story she is revealed as having a partnership of sorts with Erazor. However, she does not believe this is the "right path" when Sonic wishes for her to "Do what you truly think is right!" When Erazor attempts to sacrifice Sonic, she saves him, sacrificing her own life. She is later brought back to life with Sonic's first wish on the Erazor Djinn's lamp. After Sonic last wish (that Erazor spend eternity in his lamp) is granted, Shahra cries, overcome with grief at both her betrayal of Sonic and the loss of her former lover, and Sonic, in an act of compassion, wishes for a mountain of handkerchiefs so she can cry as long as she needs to. In the English version, she is voiced by Bella Hudson. In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Mai Nakahara.

Trivia

 * In Sonic Rivals 2, Shahra is referred as Shanhra.
 * Shahra's appearance seems to have passed on to Merlina the Sorceress from Sonic and the Black Knight. While they are both Sonic's friends, Sonic had to battle Merlina as the final boss when Sonic never fought Shahra at all.


 * She is the first time (second if events prior to the time reverse in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) count) that a Sonic character has actually died. The first was Sonic in Sonic 06. Both were impaled by the main villain and were resurrected later by a wish.


 * Few fans speculate Shahra to have slight similarities with Farah from the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (and The Two Thrones). For example, they are both game characters from Arabic times, they both die of tragic deaths near the ends of both games but were soon brought back to life, and they both aided the main character in the games as well.