Jaws


 * You may also be looking for Jawz, a badnik from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Jaws (プクプク) is a piranha-shaped submersible badnik created by Doctor Robotnik. Jaws make first appearance at Labyrinth Zone in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It resembles a pink fish with a propeller instead of a tail, and a powerful yellow jaw.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Jaws first appeared in the original 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog. These badniks can be found from deep under the water of Labyrinth Zone and third act of Scrap Brain Zone. Since Jaws have no any kind of protection or difficult attack pattern, It can be easily defeated with Spin Jump or using Spin Attack to aim to it from above the water.

Jaws can be also found from 8-bit version of the game with same name, as it can be found from Labyrinth Zone like at 16-bit counterpart. In the game, Jaws act like in 16-bit version, but are more grey looking underwater and little smaller than Sonic himself. As with many Game Gear games' Badniks do, Jaws don't have animals inside of them.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Jaws make a reappearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 with a new upgraded design. In the game, these badniks can only be found at third act of Lost Labyrinth Zone, which is the most water-related act of the zone. Despite having a new design, Jaws acts the same as it did in the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic 4 Website info

 * Specializing in underwater patrols, this lethal fish is on the lookout to put an end to Sonic's aquatic adventure.

Physical Appearance
Jaws as a badnik are based on the real life Piranhas. Jaws have pink fish body, which has grey propeller on its tail, which actually is an air ventilation which allows these badniks to move.

It has small grey pelvic fins and small dorsal fin. It has large, yellow chin which is connected to the pink main body with big gray nuts on each side. Jaws mouth has sharp teeth like a real life's sharks do. It has two big eyes balls which are colored yellow behind and which are connected to the body via cables.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Jaws appearance is more detailed as it can noticed that badnik has now two small nostril holes on its nose.

Abilities
Jaws have low and limited strategy method, swimming around with propeller. As Jaws manage to hit to its target with its sharp teeth, it can happen due the difficult water movement, as usually moving and jumping at underwater can be really heavy.

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic
Jaws appear briefly in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic manga. In Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 3' story Sonic Rampage!!, as Sonic enters to the Labyrinth Zone which was located under the Clockwork Zone, he gets involved in a waterfall deep under the water. He there faces two Jaws who are ready to finish him off. Luckily Sonic manages to escape from badniks to the ground, knowing that he can not perform the Spin Attack underwater.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Jaws badniks appeared in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Submerged Sonic" where they attacked the submarine where Sonic, Tails, and Surff are at. Jaws physical appearance is slightly different, as they have a hand which holds a spear and shoot green missiles out of their mouth.

In the episode "The Last Resort" a single Jaws was used as a submarine controlled by Scratch and Grounder. The submarine is capable to do tidal waves, and has circular saw which shredders the Sonic's and Tails's motorboat in two. After that, Scratch and Grounder sends Choppers from submarine after them but Sonic and Tails escaped to the island. Oddly the submarine does not appear in the rest of episode.

Archie Comics
Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic series featured Jaws as a character, although he was colored more like the Chopper (another piranha-shaped badnik from the original Sonic the Hedgehog). In Archie Comics, Jaws has jaws powerful enough to tear through wood, and has great speeds underwater. Unsurprisingly, it is useless out of the water, requiring the use of a fishbowl to appear on land.

Jaws first appeared during one of Sonic the Hedgehog's fishing trips, where it ate Sonic's pole and the dock, forcing Sonic to investigate. He found a cave with an underwater Roboticizer, and was almost caught himself. Jaws lured Sonic into a trap, and tried to load Sonic into the robotcizer, when Sonic shredded the net, wasting his air. Jaws would have bitten Sonic had Rotor and Tails not arrived in their bathysphere, and torpedoed Jaws, creating air bubbles for Sonic, allowing to trash the roboticizer. Jaws fled, but his tail rotor was damaged, and he spent some time crashing into undersea stalagmites. He was repaired and returned to the cave where he had to guard an emerald, only to be distracted by another fight with Sonic and Tails. This fight ended when Jaws attacked a crude sketch of Sonic and Tails, crashing into the cave wall. As if that weren't embarrassing enough, Jaws knew that the real Sonic and Tails have five fingers, while the sketch gave them four. (OSM: #1, #2)

He was later seen working with Coconuts is an undersea bank heist, with predictable results. He later ruined Robotnik's impersonation of The Wizard of Oz and warned Robotnik about what would happen if the law learned that Robotnik had stolen some fan mail meant for Sonic-Grams. By then, Jaws was reduced to the role of a mere pet in a fishbowl, looking at photos of Sonic-fans like Amy Rose, while his job of guarding undersea roboticizers was replaced by Octobot. (StH: #16, #25, STT)

He was later seen on the Island of Misfit Badniks, unable to participate in the battle with Sonic, as he could not do much inside a fishbowl. He just watched as Sonic and Pseudo Sonic sunk the island. When the Badniks tried to enlarge Pseudo Sonic, and the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters interferes, Jaws joined the last wave of badniks led by Caterkiller in battle. He tried unsuccessfully to eat P. B. Jellyfish, as Pseudo Sonic woke up and knocked everyone away. Big Fluke smashed Pseudo Sonic and all badniks, Jaws included, into a cube, along with the island. (StH: #170, #185)

Trivia

 * Jaws' Japanese name, Puku-puku, is a Japanese onomatopoeia signifying a bubbling noise.
 * Jaws never made appearance in Fleetway's Sonic the Comic, with only exceptions of being featured at pin-up by Ferran Rodriguez in issue 66 and at badnik list of Sonic's World feature in Sonic the Summer Special.
 * Jaws (being miscolored as green and yellow) make small cameo appearance at one of artworks of PC program Sonic the Screensaver as jumping at shower tray along with Sonic and Tails as Knuckles (with irritable-look on his face) and Robotnik (at bushes) are watching them at the side.
 * Jaws become one of the badniks that didn't return to the Episode Metal of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 as the Episode Metal's act 2 is based on the act 1 of Lost Labyrinth Zone which doesn't have any Jaws in it.
 * Jaws's likeness and name may have come from the fictional movie shark, Jaws, who was capable to chomp and eat his victims with any possible brutal way.