Babylon Rogues

The Babylon Rogues (バビロン盗賊団) are a group in the Sonic the Hedgehog series that first appeared in Sonic Riders. They are a mysterious band of treasure-seeking thieves, who have existed since ancient times, with the mantle of the group being inherited from one generation to the next. Each member is a descendant of the ancient Babylonians, an alien race of genie-like beings that got stranded on earth in ages past. While the group initially included the whole civilization, it has over time been significantly reduced due to the Babylonians' shattering.

In the present day, the Babylon Rogues consist of Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow and Storm the Albatross, who are acclaimed world-wide for their Extreme Gear skills, and share an ongoing feud with Team Sonic.

History
According to history, the Babylon Rogues were an order of technologically advanced thieves known as the Babylonians that existed possibly for centuries. It's been confirmed that they once resided on a floating island known as the 'Babylon Garden' (a reference to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon). All of the original Babylon Rogues were genie-like aliens.

During the events of Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, it's revealed that the ancient Babylonians and their descendants were aliens who attempted to harness the power of a black hole for their engine unit, but were forced to land on Earth and disconnect their engine unit into the five Arks of the Cosmos. It explains their technological prowess, as well as why the Babylon Guardian's arena was a large virtual reality chamber. Amy theorizes that the Babylonians may have developed the tradition of wishing on shooting stars, believing that they would have looked to the night sky for the falling Arks of the Cosmos to return, so they could restore their engine and go home.

It is said that the Babylon Rogues excelled in the usage of "Extreme Gear" (an advanced means of transportation seen only in Sonic Riders games), which they used to travel all around the world in their endless pursuit of treasure. A Babylonian artifact called the "Magic Carpet" was said to be the first Extreme Gear ever created and was found to be sealed away in the Babylon Garden.

As for their eventual demise, legend has it the Babylonians angered the gods and as a punishment, Babylon Garden was buried beneath the desert sands (now known as Sand Ruins).

Sonic and the Secret Rings
In Sonic and the Secret Rings, the Babylon Rogues appear in the game's gallery.

Sonic Rivals series
The three Babylon Rogues also make a cameo appearance in the Sonic Rivals series, each as their own respective collectible cards.

Archie Comics
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Babylon Rogues were originally deserters from the Battle Bird Armada. At one point, Predator Hawk was among their ranks, but he left to join Mammoth Mogul. The Babylon Rogues would eventually make themselves known to the Freedom Fighters where they would attack Sonic and attempt to seize a Sol Emerald. During their search for Babylon Garden, the Rogues were forced to join the Battle Bird Armada again, but they managed to escape when Babylon Garden was destroyed.

After the timeline was rebooted by the Super Genesis Wave, the Babylon Rogues' history became almost identical to their game counterparts.

Theme Song
The Babylon Rogues' theme song is Catch Me If You Can, performed by Runblebee.

Reception
While the characters got positive reviews from fans, they got mixed reviews from game journalists. IGN said Jet's voice is annoying in Sonic Free Riders. GamesRadar praised their appearance, which they called "edgy-cute-looking."

Trivia

 * Wave is the only Rogue whose 4Kids voice actress isn't the same as her rival's.
 * In Sonic Free Riders, however, it is now Jet who has a different voice actor than his rival.
 * Additionally, as of Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Wave no longer shares her voice actress (Kate Higgins) with Tails (due to Colleen Villard voicing Tails).
 * Each English language voice actor for the Babylon Rogues has voiced at least one character before the Babylon Rogues debuted in Sonic Riders (Jason Adam Griffith = Sonic; Bella Hudson = Blaze the Cat; Dan Green = Knuckles).
 * All the Babylon Rogues have blue eyes.
 * The Babylon Rogues all have flame-like tattoos on their forearms.