Silver the Hedgehog

"To kill someone to save the world... Is that really the right thing to do?"

- Silver the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Silver the Hedgehog (シルバー・ザ・ヘッジホッグ) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic silver-colored hedgehog hailing from at least 200 years into the future where his role is to protect his time by changing the catastrophes of the past, thus preventing the ruining of his era. To aid him, Silver makes use of his psychokinesis, an ability from his time that is considered the norm, which allows him to move objects with the power of his mind.

Silver is a kindhearted and well-meaning individual, driven by a strong sense of justice to right the wrongs of the past to uphold peace, though he is somewhat naive and immature. Despite the monumental tasks he may have on hand, he is an optimist and will do whatever it is required to protect the world.

Concept and creation
Silver was created as a psychokinetic in order to utilize the new physics engine added to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

Official concept artwork released by Sonic Cult shows an early design of Silver. The main differences from the current final design include a long orange amount of chest fur around his neck, and bright blue eyes. His boots are also quite different. It is unknown, however, whether Yuji Uekawa, the main character designer of the Sonic series, actually produced the artwork.

More concept art of Silver was released in an interview with IGN, which was generally less similar to his current design. Silver is said to have gone through over 50 designs before reaching his final look. Notable designs include a hedgehog wearing a futuristic headset and another with markings on its hair. It is also revealed that Silver was originally planned to be an orange mink named "Venice" (ヴェネツィア) after Venice, Italy, the place Soleanna is based on, but the developers decided against it; with fears that a mink would poorly or not at all blend in with the rest of the characters, and decided to create another hedgehog instead. Silver's fur color was supposed to be orange, but the developers chose a shade of white-grey, resulting in Silver's final name.

As for Silver's current design, Silver wears gold cuffs that go around his wrists and legs that rest just a bit higher than his gloves and boots. Cyan lines encircle the cuffs. Silver's boots are indigo colored down the side and have teal-colored tips. A white line goes straight down the middle to the teal tip. On the top of the middle of his shoe is a red gem-like adornment. The design on his gloves have a cyan circle that has a line at the bottom that goes down to his cuff.

History
Silver has three conflicting backstories for Sonic the Hedgehog. On the game website, it states he came from a happy future that was never destroyed and ended up in the past where he learned his future would be destroyed and tries to prevent it from changing for the worse. In the game guide, it is implied that Silver is from the present and ends up in the future; where he learns that it was destroyed during the events in Sonic the Hedgehog and goes to seek what would destroy the future when he returns to the past (though it is mentioned in a cutseance that he is from the future; see below). The actual story is in the game, Silver lives in a destroyed future and goes to the past to change the future for the better.

Silver is from at least two hundred or more years in the future of Sonic's world. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), while Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are exploring the city in which he lives, Knuckles says, "How could this be our future?" The second and third times the player discovers that Silver's world is the future of Sonic's world, is in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2 respectively. Right before Eggman Nega turns Sonic’s world into a card, Silver clearly states “What?! But that will mean my future will be destroyed too!” In Sonic Rivals 2, he says to Espio and Knuckles, "I have to save your world or else my world will be destroyed as well!"

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Silver first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog. In a distant, post-apocalyptic future, Silver is seen flying around Crisis City when a pillar of fires erupts out of the lava. Using his psychokinesis, Silver got rid of the pillar. He continues flying when his best friend and partner, Blaze, showed up to tell him that 'he' had appeared again. Silver flied off with Blaze following behind on foot. Once they reached their destination, they found Iblis had risen from the lava. The two defeat Iblis but Silver, frustrated, wonders what it would take to destroy Iblis once and for all, as Iblis is immortal and can resurrect himself. The two turn after hearing a voice and see the figure of Mephiles standing on the remains of a building. He told them of the Iblis Trigger (the one responsible for the resurrection of Iblis), and revealed they must kill him to prevent Iblis's return. Mephiles states the Iblis Trigger is Sonic, and sent himself, Blaze, and Silver back in time to when Sonic was still alive, although the trio were separated from each other in the process. Silver found Sonic after his failed attempt to save Princess Elise from Dr. Eggman during the Festival of the Sun. Before he could act, Silver was distracted by Amy when she mistook him for Sonic. Amy offers to help him find the person he is looking for, but Silver was unwilling to accept her help. Eventually, he decided to help Amy in exchange for her help, though neither of them knew they were both looking for the same person: Sonic.

Soon afterward, Silver encountered Sonic and attacked him. Sonic initially had the upper hand, but Silver used his psychokinesis to take Sonic by surprise and throw him into a wall, incapacitating him. Silver wondered if Mephiles was joking, thinking how someone as weak as Sonic could possibly be the Iblis Trigger. Sonic attempted to run after Silver when Dr. Eggman capturerd Elise again, but Silver stopped him in his tracks and was about to deliver the final blow when Amy intervened, allowing Sonic to escape. Silver told Amy the world would be devastated due to Sonic's actions, but Amy refused to believe Sonic would do such a thing, then she left silver in a huff. Disheartened, Silver went off to ponder whether killing Sonic to save the future was truly the right thing to do.

Blaze found Silver at the docks and, after some conversation, she convinced him that they need to save the future by any means necessary. After failing to track Sonic down at Eggman's base in White Acropolis (though they acquire Elise's blue Chaos Emerald there), they encountered Mephiles, who told them that Sonic was at the terminal station. After tracking him down, Silver attacked Sonic with his psychokinesis once more, allowing Eggman to capture Elise once again in the confusion. Again, Silver was about to deliver the final blow when Shadow (whom Silver at first mistook for Mephiles) intervened, again allowing Sonic to escape. The two fought to a standstill, and Shadow used Chaos Control to evade Silver's intended punch and kicked Silver in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Refusing to be defeated and desperate to save his world, Silver pulled out his Chaos Emerald and copied Shadow in performing a Chaos Control, causing the two of them to accidentally open up a time portal. Shadow was impressed Silver induced Chaos Control, but suspected Mephiles may have darker intentions for the orders he had given Silver. He asked Silver follow him back to the day that the Solaris Project went haywire so they can discover what really happened.

Once they arrived, Shadow and Silver witnessed the project's failure first hand, with a machine exploding and the Duke of Soleanna badly injured while protecting a younger Elise. The hedgehog duo decided to split up; Shadow pursued Mephiles while Silver pursued Iblis. Silver tracked down Iblis and paralyzed it with his psychokinesis and the dying Duke (despite Silver's insistence that he run) seized this opportunity to use a Chaos Emerald to seal Iblis within the unconscious body of Elise, entrusting Silver to escort her to a safe place. Silver carried Elise out of the lab and met up with Shadow who had successfully captured Mephiles. Silver set Elise down by a nearby tree while Shadow left the Scepter of Darkness with her, knowing what becomes of it in the future. Together they opened up a time portal to the present, which Shadow immediately jumping through. Silver was just about to follow when he hears Elise call for her father in her sleep. Feeling sorry for her, Silver gave Elise his blue Chaos Emerald and then followed Shadow through the portal.

Upon their return, Silver revealed to Blaze Mephiles had lied about Sonic being the Iblis Trigger and realized that Eggman may intend to release Iblis. Silver and Blaze assisted Sonic save Elise from Eggman to which Sonic accepted their help. However, they witnessed the Egg Carrier crashing into a mountain and exploding, killing both Elise and Eggman. After a moment of grieving, Sonic and Silver used Chaos Control to allow Sonic to travel back in time before the Egg Carrier left Eggman's base in order to save her, and Sonic gave Silver his Chaos Emerald in order for Silver and Blaze to return to their own time, which they do. Silver and Blaze then defeated Iblis once more and he attempted to use himself as Iblis's vessel. While he was not accepted, Blaze was. She sealed Iblis within herself, and used Chaos Control to teleport herself into another dimension to ensure Iblis does not return, much to Silver's dismay and sadness.

In the past, when Mephiles merged with Iblis, Silver was among the characters who were transported to Solaris's dimension, where they all worked together to gather the Chaos Emeralds in order to resurrect Sonic and defeat Solaris. In the end, Sonic, Shadow and Silver successfully destroyed Solaris and Sonic and Elise travel back in time to when Solaris was just a flame and extinguish him, erasing the game's events from history, and thus, resetting the timeline. What becomes of Silver's world after this is unknown.

Sonic Rivals
Silver is another one of Sonic's rivals, backed by his confirmed playable appearance in Sonic Rivals. He was responding to a distress signal, though he doesn't know its source. He later discovered that Dr. Eggman Nega is linked to this distress signal and was using a strange camera to turn people and/or objects into cards. Silver states that he will bring Eggman Nega back to the future where he belongs. He is also given three alternate costumes. As the events of Sonic the Hedgehog never happened, Silver and Sonic are introduced to each other for the first time, and it seems that Sonic has truly forgotten the events of the previous game (though it is implied at the end that he and Elise retain their memories of the events to some extent), as he does not seem to recognize Silver.

Sonic Rivals 2
Silver reappeared in the sequel, Sonic Rivals 2. He comes from the future once again to save both the past and his own time, by hiding Chao from Eggman Nega so that a powerful beast known as the "Ifrit" cannot reach its full power. Espio, on orders from Vector, followed after Silver and eventually the two work together. Silver runs into Knuckles in which the latter mocks of Silver's craziness believing that the Chao could save the world, provoking both to a fight. On the next zone, Silver becomes extremely exhausted as he had used too much of his ESP power and needs Rings, so Espio went to collect Rings to re-energize him.

After defeating Eggman Nega's Egg Bull, Eggman Nega claimed that he acquired more than enough Chao to feed to the Ifrit and tells the duo that he has hidden the Chao inside a mysterious mansion. Without wasting time, Silver and Espio frantically searched thoroughly through the mansion but the secret room could not be found. When confronting Eggman Nega again, the mad doctor realized that the Chao somehow disappeared from his secret room, much to his disgrace. The portal to the Ifrit's dimension then opened up. However, he claimed that the Ifrit's might is still powerful enough to destroy the world and sent his copy of Metal Sonic to wake the beast up. Silver, more determined than ever to stop the Ifrit from its awakening raced with the robot and was victorious. However, Eggman Nega had already woke the Ifrit up, using the race as a distraction to do so. Despite of the Ifrit's might, Silver and Espio proved victorious and defeated the beast and returned back into the portal, leaving Eggman Nega behind.

Sonic Colors (DS)
Silver appears in Sonic Colors, but only in the DS version. He finds Sonic and Tails in Sweet Mountain when Tails reads a sign in the Sweet Mountain written that the place is the "future," Silver laughs and says that the future is nothing like Sweet Mountain, but is in fact even happier. Silver then asks Sonic to destroy 20 Eggman robots. When Sonic beats all of them, Silver asks if he needs further help, Sonic tells him that he can handle it on his own. Apparently a slave to whimsy, Silver then decides to go in a ride with Blaze, until both are stopped by Orbot and Cubot. They scare the robots away with their fire and psychic powers. Then, they ask Sonic to test out a ride for his mission, which is arbitrarily timed. They thank Sonic for testing it out and then Sonic leaves.

Sonic Generations
Silver appeared in Sonic Generations as a rival boss for Modern Sonic. The chase took place along a dilapidated highway within Crisis City. In the game, Silver possessed a Chaos Emerald with him and decided to challenge Sonic to a battle as a test to see if this was the real Sonic or a fake. After losing, he gives Sonic the emerald. He is later seen encouraging the two Sonics to fight the Time Eater at the Center of Time, alongside Blaze and Cream. After time was restored, Silver appeared and celebrated Sonic's birthday party where he is mostly seen conversing with Blaze and Shadow before waving goodbye to Classic Sonic and Tails as they returned to their original timeline.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, Silver is fought in Tropical Resort. In this version, he has Sonic's speed like he did in Sonic Rivals, and he will teleport in front of Sonic often.

Sonic and the Secret Rings
Silver is a playable character in Sonic and the Secret Rings' party mode, though he has no role in the story. He can be played after collecting 84 Fire Souls.

Mario & Sonic series
Silver was originally intended to be playable in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games but was removed for some reason. Silver, along with Metal Sonic, is one of the new characters who is playable in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He is a Skill-Type character. His signature move for the Wii version is Levitate and Teleport Dash for the DS. Silver reappears in Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games once again as a Skill-type playable character.

Sonic Riders series
Silver is an unlockable character in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, but for a second time he is not involved in the story's plot. Due to his ability to levitate, he is a Fly-Type character. His default gear is "Psychic Wave", in which one of the Gear Parts can turn into an Air Ride to access a series of mid-air Dash Rings as a shortcut just like other Fly-Type characters. To unlock Silver, along with Blaze (Speed-Type), and a MeteorTech robot named SCR-GP (Power-Type), the player must beat the Babylon Story in the game. Silver appears in the sequel Sonic Free Riders as a playable character but he is once again not involved in the game's story.

Sega Superstars Tennis
Silver makes a brief cameo in the Green Hill Zone as a cheering audience member in Sega Superstars Tennis. Whacking him with a tennis ball nets you an achievement.

Super Smash Bros. series
Silver makes a brief cameo as a sticker and a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is also seen occasionally in the Green Hill Zone level as one of three characters (the others being Tails and Knuckles) running/hovering through the shuttle loop. His trophy is unlocked by beating Target Test level 3 with all characters, meaning that the player can't have multiple copies of it. Silver, along Tails and Knuckles, reprises his role as a cameo in Green Hill Zone for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. ''A hedgehog who traveled back in time to defeat the Iblis Trigger and therefore alter the future. Silver has a positive attitude and a strong sense of justice. He has psychokinetic powers that allow him to control physical objects, including abilities to freeze or shock enemies, which he uses to fight for peace and justice.''
 * Sticker Info: Launch Power +49
 * Trophy Info:

Sonic and the Black Knight
Silver appeared as Sir Galahad, one of the Knights of the Round Table, in Sonic and the Black Knight. However, he is not one of the three main Knights of the Round Table in the game, and again only appears when he is unlocked in adventure mode for multiplayer. Curiously, Galahad's armored gloves have the same cyan/aquamarine circle like the ones on Silver's own gloves. To unlock Galahad in Sonic and the Black Knight, the player must have cleared the mission "Defeat the Boss: Lancelot Returns", in Deep Woods during Adventure mode.

Sonic Unleashed
In Sonic Unleashed, though Silver doesn't appear in the game, he is referenced in the day stage of Empire City under the name of "Silver Beach", along with other places named after characters like "Blaze Road".

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Silver was indirectly referenced in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, in the Chaos Emerald part of the journey, where it states that Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and a variety of other people have been known to use the power of the Emeralds to achieve Super States.

Archie Comics
Silver appeared for the first time in Mobius Prime over Never Lake in Mercia, to the surprised Rob O' the Hedge and his wife Mari-An. Silver first believed Rob to be Sonic due to their similar appearance, but when Rob explained he wasn't him, Silver responded, telling him that he needed to find Sonic as "your future depends on it".

Rob O' the Hedge explained to Silver they could find Sonic at Freedom HQ. Using Silver's Super Warp Ring, the two traveled there together. Silver and Rob arrived together to find Sally and Alicia arguing about stranding Sonic and Amy Rose in Moebius. Sally explained to them what had happened, and thus Silver transported himself to Moebius with Rob. Once there, the two hedgehogs met up with Sonic, Scourge, Amy, Rosy the Rascal, and Metal Sonic. Silver stops the fight with his powers and attacks Sonic recognizing Metal Sonic's design. He is stopped by Scourge until Sonic persuades Silver to attack Scourge. Scourge turns Super and proves too powerful for the hedgehogs, the Freedom Fighters and the Suppression Squad. After the fight with Super Scourge who was defeated by Sonic, Silver travels to another place in time to find the traitor of the Freedom Fighters.

He reappears in Sonic Universe, and goes to Mobius 30 years later to help them battle another threat that has threatened his timeline. He and the Future Freedom Fighters succeed and Silver heads back to his time.

He appears once more in his own Sonic Universe arc: The Silver Saga. Following a Prelate robot to another timeline, he encounters Jani-Ca and the resistance against the tyrant that rules over the world with an iron fist: Enerjak.

In Sonic the Hedgehog #235, Silver finds the Journal of Antoine. Reading its remains, he determines Antoine as the traitor he seeks. However, as Silver's timehopping is affecting the memories of his immortal mentor, Mammoth Mogul, he is ordered to stay in the past until he finds and defeats whoever the traitor is. Writing instructions to Silver to follow only after he finishes the traitor, Mogul takes Silver's Time Stone and sends him to Sonic's time. Though his latest lead on the traitor is proven to be false by a greatly annoyed Sonic, he runs into Harvey Who and is given the chance to become part of the Secret Freedom Fighters. Harvey, in turn, promises to help Silver find the traitor of the Freedom Fighters. He does so later in the comics.

Personality
Silver is best described as having "a strong sense of justice" and it is this personality trait that motivates him to head back into the past to correct the future. He believes in standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. This led him to accept Blaze when everybody else was teasing her for her pyrokinetic abilities. When he pursues an enemy, he does so with a relentless determination. He makes alliances and rivalries very easily and takes people's word without question; this makes him easily tricked by others. According to his character profile in Sonic Generations, he is an optimist.

Although seemingly serious on the outside, an interview states that Silver is young and somewhat immature. Blaze comments on this several times and describes him as naïve and insecure when he is alone. Silver is also a regular sweetheart, always ready to protect those in need and lend a helping hand. He generally keeps a positive attitude and never gives up hope, no matter how objectively hopeless the situation.

Silver wears his heart on his sleeve. He feels anger and joy intensely and loudly, but his sadness is silent and hardly, if ever, marked by tears. He lets his rage control him and cheerfully remarks on the things that make him happy, but hardly says a word in his sadness, though it is visible to everyone. However, though he may feel sad, he never gives in to despair, always looking for a solution the right way. His determination and little regard for pain can make him a very frightening opponent.

Silver is very courageous and brave, willing to fearlessly sacrifice himself for another in a heartbeat. Utterly unflinching in the face of danger, he is courageous almost to the point of foolishness and is focus on snuffing out evil with little regard for his own safety.

Despite Silver's naivete and general lack of critical thinking, he is not outright stupid. Even Eggman Nega called him perceptive, and Silver was the first to see through his otherwise-perfect disguise. With little information to draw upon, he lets his intuition guide him, but as a relatively isolated person, he has little understanding of interpersonal relations or the subtler tools of manipulators.

He apparently has a competitive streak and gets a little snotty and a prickly attitude in the heat of the moment, as seen in Sonic Rivals 2; when you play as him and pass your rival, he'll say, "I'm better." or if you win a race or battle, he says, "Who's the best?" In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, when you win a race he says, "I am not to be trifled with!" and in Sonic Free Riders he sneers "'LATER!'" upon cruising past a fellow competitor. In Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, he generally refers to the Iblis monsters and Eggman's robots as "trash," and typically congratulates himself with a smug tone upon dispatching a roomful of them.

When meeting anyone that gets in his way, particularly in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2, Silver can be very short-tempered and bossy towards anyone that's not explicitly helping him in his mission, sometimes even becoming directly hostile and start a fight on a bad choice of words.

When Silver is not focused on his current mission or does not have a task at hand, however, he is very friendly, helpful, and a good companion to have around.

Psychokinesis
Silver's main power is his psychokinesis, the ability to manipulate the environment around him with the power of his mind. Silver is a definite master of this skill, being able to telekinetically lift, grab and move up to several objects many times his own size and weight as both a single- or collective mass, his most impressive feat being his Meteor Smash attack where he forms a compressed ball of objects over twenty times his own size and could potentially weigh a net total of several tons. However, he does have a defined limit for how much he is able to manipulate at once. By turning his psychokinesis onto himself, Silver is able to move himself around, allowing him to fly in midair for a limited time and move at speeds rivaling even that of Sonic's.

Silver's psychokinesis is a powerful force of its own. With it, he can exert enough pressure to bend half a meter thick steel bars in a matter of seconds, crush robots with a single grab, and immobilize others' movements completely. When repelling objects with his psychokinesis, Silver can throw them with enough force and speed to crush metal, fly tremendous distances, and even stun enormous monsters such as Iblis. Additionally, Silver can also use his psychokinesis to grab onto certain non-solid objects, such as fireballs and certain types of energy blasts.

Silver can also use his psychokinesis to project pure psychic energy that he can manipulate for energy attacks, such as sharp energy blades, energy pulses to strike his targets at all ranges, and even burst of energy that can paralyze his targets.

Besides offense, Silver can apply his psychokinesis for other abilities. He can use it for the ability of ESP, giving him extra-sensory perception that allows him limited telepathy, but so far only enough to induce limited vertigo in others. He can also use it to warp space, allowing him to teleport himself over short distances instantaneously.

Physical abilities
In his initial introduction, Silver did not demonstrate the ability to run at super speed like Sonic and Shadow. In Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2, however, Silver demonstrated the ability to run at high speeds, being able to reach speeds comparable to Sonic's and Shadow's on foot.

Silver has incredible physical durability as seen in the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, where he withstood several hits from Sonic's Homing Attack, slid along the ground for long distances without harm, and even managed to survive being buried under what could be worth several tons of debris.

Silver has proven himself to be very acrobatic and agile, being able to jump and move gracefully through midair, both with and without the aid of his psychokinesis, and can grind on rails at high speed while wearing combat boots, a testament to his balance and agility. He also has lightning fast reflexes and senses, being able to track and react accordingly to even Sonic's movements. He can likewise pick up objects while moving through midair at high speed or catch bullets with his psychokinesis.

Silver has demonstrated the ability to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds to empower himself or even perform Chaos Powers. So far, the only Chaos Power he has been able to perform is Chaos Control, which lets him warp time and space, and empower himself.

Combat skills
Silver is a very powerful fighter in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, if not one of the strongest. He has been hinted to hold almost the same power as Shadow the Hedgehog and in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) he was able to fight Shadow to a stalemate and even bring Sonic to the brink of death (although this was partly due to Sonic holding back).

Fighting style
In combat, Silver relies heavily on his psychokinesis and using the environment to his advantage. Unlike most other characters who use close combat, Silver focuses on long-ranged attacks and strikes with his psychokinesis. When fighting, Silver keeps his distance from the enemy, not letting them get too close, as he needs a moment to concentrate for an attack which will leave him vulnerable. If an opponent does get too close, however, Silver can grab them with his psychokinesis and throw them away.

Silver's main method of attacking is picking up objects around him with his psychokinesis and then hurtling them at his opponents. Occasionally, he can also rearrange these objects into colossal conglomerated shapes that he can manipulate to attack, such as giant balls to bowl over opponents and train-sized battering rams. If projectiles are shot at him, Silver can grab them in his psychokinesis and throw them back at the opponent, effectively allowing him to turn his opponents' power against them.

When times call for it, Silver is capable of going on the offensive with hand-to-hand combat, as seen in his battle with Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2 where he would attack enemies with physical strikes. However, his proficiency with this type of combat is unclear, as he has only demonstrated a limited range of punches and Spin Attack maneuvers. He seems unskilled, given his reckless, telegraphed, and easily-blocked charges at Shadow during their fight, and it may be that Silver will only use physical combat as a desperate last resort.

Techniques and moves
Most of Silver's signature techniques and moves revolve around the use of his psychokinesis, which has a broad range of applications. His most of his offensive attacks involving using the objects around him as projectiles and discharging psychokinetic energies.

Silver's most used technique is his Psychokinesis, which lets him pick up objects around him for him to manipulate, and bend and move objects. His Levitate technique, which he uses to make himself airborne, increases his speed and movement abilities to levels matching those of the fastest and most agile characters in the series. Also, his Teleport Dash allows him to dash small distances at light speed.

With his Grab All technique, Silver can grab and manipulate everything around him or objects that come too close to him, and send them flying at his enemies. To throw objects with greater force while they are in his psychokinetic grab, Silver can use his Hold Smash and Psycho Smash to charge up his psychic energies and use them to throw objects at high velocities. Also, in Sonic Generations, Silver can perform a powerful attack called Meteor Smash, where he gathers a large ball of surrounding objects and launches it, after which it rolls along the ground, crushing anything in its path.

By channeling his psychic energies, Silver can perform unique energy-based attacks. His Psycho Shock and Psycho Smash let him charge pulses of energy that can paralyze an opponent upon contact, and with his Psychic Knife, Silver can form and throw a sharp and deadly blade of energy at the enemy. He can also perform his ESP move, which sends out a wave that attacks the minds of others, leaving them disorientated and confused.

In Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2, Silver is also shown that he can utilize the Spin Attack where he curls into a ball and attacks opponents by landing on them, the Spin Dash where he curls up and shoots forward at high speed to break barriers or mow down enemies, and the Homing Attack where he homes in on an enemy to attack.

Super transformation
Just like Sonic and Shadow, Silver can initiate a super transformation with the seven Chaos Emeralds, allowing him to enter a Super State where he becomes Super Silver. In this form, Silver is granted abilities such as automatic flight, virtual invincibility, and increased physical abilities. He also gains an increase in the power of his Psychokinesis and a new ability called the Shield of Light that allows him to create a shield around himself and grab hold of any items around and throw them at his enemies.

Weaknesses

 * Silver can be quite presumptuous and naive (especially around Blaze), which could lead him up the wrong path and into trouble.
 * His attitude can start fights.
 * He sometimes tends to carry the world on his shoulders.
 * If he overuses his psychokinesis, Silver can become extremely fatigued, and will need Rings to regain his energy.
 * He's a bit simple minded.
 * He has a short temper.

Blaze the Cat
Blaze is Silver's best friend who is like an older sister to him. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) exclusively, she has lived with him in his time period for a while. She works with Silver as a partner and, because she is able to sense his flames, it is she who informs him when Iblis reincarnates. They constantly work together to beat the infant Iblis back into the lava from whence it came. Silver is also emotionally dependent upon Blaze; he becomes very insecure when alone, and it is usually Blaze who helps Silver back on his feet. Before she vanishes from their world at the end of Silver's story, Blaze reveals that she always liked Silver's naivete, leaving Silver deeply saddened after he is forced to seals her in another dimension. Ironically, while Silver's main enemy is a creature called the Flames of Disaster, and controls fire, Blaze also controls fire, which is why Iblis could be sealed inside Blaze.

In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Silver respects Blaze and looks to her for guidance, validation, and emotional support. He was also one of the few who did not tease Blaze about her pyrokinesis. Aside from that, they both share the same core desire to help others and bring evil to justice at any cost, and they both pursue their goals with unwavering determination. Because they share ideals and because Blaze's logical mind grounds Silver's more emotional one, she keeps him pointed in the general vicinity of the right direction. Her maturity and focus make up for Silver's immaturity and inexperience.

After the defeat of Solaris, the timeline was altered and it appears that Silver's encounter with Blaze was erased, leaving them with no personal relation or knowledge of each other.

Silver and Blaze reappear together in the DS version of Sonic Colors in the 3rd mission on the Sweet Mountain where Silver points out how their fighting styles are similar. While Silver was not able to recall his memories of his partnership with Blaze in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), he was able to recall the familiar feeling of having worked together with her. In Sonic Generations, Blaze and Silver can be seen talking to each other at Sonic's birthday party, the constant changes in timelines makes hard to point the exact moment of their first encounter, or even if it happened actually.

Even though the erasing of timelines left Silver and Blaze with limited personal knowledge of each other, references about their former partnership has been presented many times in the series after Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), such as in Sonic and the Black Knight where Sir Galahad and Sir Percival (Silver's and Blaze's counterparts) are described as companions and in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS version), where Silver and Blaze reappear together and challenge the player to a Ice Hockey and Dream Ice Hockey (Fever Hockey) game.

Amy Rose
In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Amy mistook Silver for Sonic. Amy, who thought he was simply looking for someone, offered to help him if he would help her. Unable to deny her offer, Silver was dragged along with Amy unwillingly for a while, and found her a distraction, while Amy became his friend and promised to help him find the "Iblis Trigger". Eventually though, Silver's helpful nature kicked in and he set aside his quest momentarily to help her search through Dusty Desert.

Silver's alliance with Amy ended up being only temporary, which ended once Silver found Sonic and tried to kill him. When Amy found out that Silver intended to kill Sonic, she left Silver, which disappointed him, he did seem as if he was going to call her back, but didn't upon realizing that it didn't matter, she would leave anyway. Strangely, when they meet again after Sonic dies and Mephiles and Iblis fuse, she bears no particular malice towards him for his past actions. Because of what happens at the end of the game, Silver and Amy never met.

Sonic the Hedgehog
In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic is claimed by Mephiles to be the "Iblis Trigger" that set Iblis free years before Silver's time, thus dooming the world to ruin. Initially, Silver was bent on stopping Sonic from unleashing Iblis into the world, speaking of the "Iblis Trigger" with loathing. However, he found his resolve and hostility towards Sonic wavering after seeing the way that Amy revered him as a hero. He changed his mind entirely after discovering that Mephiles had lied to him about Sonic. He therefore let go of his hate and helped Sonic through Kingdom Valley, and the two of them eventually befriended. Since Elise blew out the Flames of Disaster at the end of the game, Sonic and Silver never met during this adventure leaving them with no personal relation or knowledge of each other until later games in the series.

In Sonic Rivals, he and Sonic encounter each other for the first time. Sonic raises an eyebrow at Silver's "attitude" when they meet and the two did not exactly see eye-to-eye, so they battle each other throughout the rest of the game. At the end of the game though, Silver willingly teams up with Sonic and came to respectfully acknowledge his bravery. When they meet again in Sonic Rivals 2, Silver is again competitive towards Sonic and his partner, Tails. In these games, at least, Silver seems to find Sonic and his carefree attitude annoying, harboring an opinion of the blue hedgehog similar to Shadow's. It's likely that Sonic's apparent inability to take things seriously rubs Silver the wrong way.

In Sonic Generations, Silver's relationship with Sonic seems to have improved and is lot friendlier. After he is convinced that Sonic is the real Sonic and not an imposter, Silver happily hands over his Chaos Emerald and, later, gladly accepts Sonic's challenges to a rematch, claiming that it should be fun. After time was restored, Silver and Shadow show up and celebrate at Sonic's surprise birthday party. In Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Silver, after being defeated in Cubyrinth, casually asked how Sonic was doing. This could mean that Silver only feels hostile towards Sonic when he worries that Sonic might interfere with his plans to save the future. In relaxed situations, the two seem to be friendly rivals.

Mephiles the Dark
In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Mephiles takes advantage of Silver's gullibility and frustration at the constant resurrection of Iblis to manipulate him into releasing the monster in the past. He informs Blaze and Silver that Sonic was the "Iblis Trigger", the one responsible for releasing the Iblis onto the world, and uses his powers to send them back in time in order to assassinate him. In reality, Sonic's death would serve as the catalyst. Silver initially believed Mephiles' lies with blind faith, but his encounters with Sonic and the others began to make him question his intentions, eventually making lose all faith in him and viewing him as the enemy when discovered the truth about Mephiles.

Shadow the Hedgehog
The two first met in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), when Silver mistook him for Mephiles. The two ventured back in time together using a dimensional rift to learn the truth about Iblis and the Solaris Project.

Shadow seems to be impressed by Silver's powers and his determination; most specifically how quickly he learns to induce Chaos Control. Keeping in mind that normally Shadow does not concern himself with other people and prefers to work alone, he takes Silver under his quills surprisingly easily when going into the past. At the same time, Silver seems slightly in awe of Shadow and by the end of their time together is much more mature.

Since the events of that game were erased, they did not canonically meet until Sonic Rivals. At first, Shadow did not trust Silver's speculations about Dr. Eggman's true identity. After realizing that he was right, the two helped each other in the Meteor Base. At the end of the game, Silver referred to both Shadow and Sonic as brave. In Sonic Rivals 2, however, they're not allies; they fight each other at some points and Silver was very vocal when warning Shadow not to get in his way. They also work together in Mario &amp; Sonic at the 2012 London Olympics to save Omochao and a Chao. In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games they have a special winning animation, with Silver posing much more aggressively than usual in an interesting attempt to mimic Shadow's stance. While they have their differences, they work together well, and Silver admires and respects Shadow.

Espio the Chameleon
Espio appears to be one of Silver's closest friends. The two met only in Sonic Rivals 2. Before they met, Espio was given an assignment by Vector the Crocodile to find out information about the recent Chao disappearances. He began to investigate Silver, a prime suspect, which the hedgehog found annoying. Eventually, the two set aside their differences and teamed up in order to stop Eggman Nega and his plans. Once they completed their mission, the two bid each other farewell, in hopes of meeting each other again.

Knuckles the Echidna
Silver and Knuckles have a small rivalry with each other. Normally, they don't pay much attention to each other, though they have had heated battles with one another occasionally. Unlike most Sonic characters, Silver is one of the few to challenge him to a fight.

Friends/allies

 * Blaze the Cat (Best friend, older sister figure Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Colors only)
 * Espio the Chameleon (Close friend)
 * Shadow the Hedgehog (Close ally)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog (Good friend)
 * Knuckles the Echidna (Ally)
 * Amy Rose
 * Rouge The Bat
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Mephiles the Dark (at first)

Rivals

 * Sonic the Hedgehog (friendly rival)
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Rouge the Bat
 * Metal Sonic (also enemy)

Enemies

 * Eggman Nega (Arch-Enemy)
 * Iblis (Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) only)
 * Doctor Eggman
 * Metal Sonic
 * Orbot
 * Cubot
 * Mephiles the Dark (Sonic the​ Hedgehog (2006) only)
 * Solaris (Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) only)

Trivia

 * At 14, Silver is one of Sonic's youngest rivals, tied for first with Jet.
 * The chorus for Dreams of an Absolution bears a resemblance to the Green Hill Zone background music. Composer Lee Brotherton stated that this was not intended, but is appreciated.
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl references the events of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) on Silver's trophy, despite the game not being released on Wii or any Nintendo console. The trophy also looks similar to Super Sonic.
 * Silver's mission to change the future for the better is impossible because it violates the causal censor; he comes from a ruined future, and he travels to the past to fix his time by preventing the catastrophes that ruined his world from ever occurring. If he succeeds (which is hinted at in the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors), there would be no reason for him to travel back in time in the first place; thus the catastrophes that ruined his era would never be prevented, and so on and so forth in an endless loop.
 * In theory, there is still a reason to travel - to make sure that the good future happens due to his recorded presence, rather than changing a bad future.
 * Another theory is that Silver has become 'dislocated' from time due to repeated time travel and that each time he returns to the future, he takes the place of the Silver who once existed in this new future (the consequence of this would be him living a life he doesn't remember).
 * In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Silver is the only hedgehog who is not a Speed-type.
 * In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), the opening cutscene of Sonic's story shows Silver saying "I've finally found him, the Iblis Trigger." while clenching his right fist. Behind him, sparks are flying around, presumably remnants from Eggman's fiery attack on the Festival of the Sun. However, in Silver's story, he clenches his left fist and there are no sparks to be seen.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Silver is the only hedgehog whose trophy can only be obtained once. (Shadow and Amy's trophies are obtained randomly and Sonic's trophies can be won by clearing Classic Mode multiple times).
 * In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Silver induced Chaos Control after seeing Shadow perform it; but, because those events were erased, whether Silver is or is not aware he can use the Emeralds' power is unknown.
 * Silver is the only hedgehog that isn't a speed type. Instead, Silver can be considered a flight type character since he uses his psychokinesis to fly.
 * In an interview with Shun Nakamura, Silver was intended for a different game about psychokinetic powers with a realistic aesthetic; they ended up scrapping the title and borrowing its concepts for use in Sonic 2006.
 * The interview also reveals that, during the design process, Silver's hair and boots were finalized first and last, respectively.
 * Heh.jpg screenshot of Silver using his ESP was used in the Psychic section of the book Encyclopedia Horrifica.
 * Silver was originally going to be a mink named Venice, but they changed him to a hedgehog since they thought a mink wouldn't fit with the other characters. They also initially considered making him orange, but they decided on a light silver color, from which he got his name. His original name was a likely reference to the city of Venice, which Soleanna was based on.
 * Silver's Japanese voice actor, Daisuke Ono, is also known for voicing Itsuki Koizumi in the anime series "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya." Itsuki is another character with ESP.
 * In the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors, Silver states the future is a lot like it is now, indicating that he has succeeded in his duty.
 * In Sonic Rivals, when you use Silver's signature move ESP, he shouts, "Psychic Control!" even though that's not the name of the move. The move is called Psychic Control in the instruction booklet as well.
 * In Sonic Generations, Silver appears to have learned to channel his psychic powers better: he travels faster than most of his other appearances, able to keep up with Sonic in the rival battle while levitating backwards.
 * He seems to have built up more endurance since Sonic Rivals 2, where he used his psychic powers to travel and became very tired, saying "I need to take a rest" and "My powers are almost exhausted... I need rings to power myself up."
 * In the DS version of Sonic Colors, Silver and Blaze are seen fighting off Orbot and Cubot, and cause them to run away. After they send Sonic on a mission, they say that they both worked together well and say that it seems that they have worked together before. Tails says that Silver and Blaze could've worked together at some point in time. This is a clear reference to the events in Sonic '06, and this could be considered the first time Silver and Blaze meet in the video games' current canon.
 * It is unknown how Silver travels through time in Sonic Rivals, Sonic Rivals 2 and the DS version of Sonic Colors. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), he travels through time with the help of either Mephiles, Shadow, or Sonic. In the Archie Comics, Silver uses Chronos Control by using the Time Stones. In Sonic Generations, it is assumed that Silver is brought from the future by the Time Eater, though this is never seen. It is also never seen how Silver travels back to his future after the game.
 * On one of the Sonic Channel backgrounds, however, Silver is said to travel through time by using Chaos Control.
 * Despite being the slowest character in the game, Silver is the only rival who can't be outrun in the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, as he keeps teleporting himself in the lead every time Sonic gets ahead of him.
 * Silver is also the only rival without any sort of boost in both versions.
 * Silver's gloves seem to be either of an improper size or uncomfortable material, as Silver adjusts them repeatedly when idle.
 * Sonic, Shadow, and Silver have the same height: three feet and three inches (one meter).
 * They also weigh the same: 77 lb (or 35 kg).
 * Silvers' current voice actor, Quinton Flynn, also voices the character Raiden from the Metal Gear series. Coincidentally, both Silver and Raiden have silvery-grey hair, and at one point in the games they debut in they say the line 'It's no use!'
 * Silver is the only rival boss in Sonic Generations that is biologically all hedgehog, as Metal Sonic is a robot and Shadow is biologically part of the Black Arms to some degree.
 * In the Sonic Rivals promotional artwork, Silver's boots are on backwards.
 * There is a popular meme on the Internet of Silver's phrase from Sonic '06: "It's no use!"

Theme Song

 * Sonic the Hedgehog (2006): "Dreams of an Absolution" - Lee Brotherton