Uni Uni

The Orbinauts, later known as Uni Uni (ウニウニ), are Badniks created by Dr. Robotnik which first appeared in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It is a green variety of Orbinaut that keeps the four yellow spiked balls around it for defense.

Like Unidasu, Uni Uni is simply named Orbinaut in the original European and North American instruction booklets of Sonic the Hedgehog. Besides their different color schemes, they are programmed with different attack patterns.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
First appearing in the original Sonic the Hedgehog, these Orbinauts can be found hovering around at highways of Star Light Zone. As it is mentioned earlier, it is hard to avoid them at high speed. The player can avoid it by doing a Spin Attack under of it and ignore it completely. However, it can only be defeated while the player is invincible, at times while the player has to hit it very carefully, or when player has already taken a hit and has a quick moment to retaliate with momentary invulnerability.

In the 8-bit the game with same name, these Orbinauts appear only in the first act of Sky Base. The appearance of these Badniks is also different, as they have a pinkish core surrounded by spiked yellow orbs. It behaves identically to its 16-bit counterpart, but like all Badniks in Master System and [[Sega Game Gear|Game Gear titles, it doesn't have animals as a power source.

Sonic Rivals
Uni Uni variant of Orbinaut appears in Sonic Rivals, only being featured as collectible card. It is again known as Orbinaut.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
Both Uni Uni and Unidasu variants make a reappearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, as both types appear in Lost Labyrinth Zone with slightly upgraded models. Despite that, both types appear to have similar attack patterns. However, Uni Uni will actually expand its spike balls in wider area once it detects Sonic.

Sonic 4 Website Info

 * The Orbinauts return as one of Sonic's most challenging Badnicks! Pay close attention, you only have a split second to defeat them.

Sonic Colors
Uni Uni also makes an appearance in the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors as being featured at Aquarium Park. Having an appearance similar to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, it appears both of ground and underwater sections.

Some of them can be seen blocking path openings and there are also ones that moves only up and down. The only way to destroy them is using drill or laser Whisp powers. Underwater sections of same level have big sea ​​mines, which look like one of Orbinaut's spike balls.

Sonic Lost World
Both Uni Uni and Unidasu types of Orbinauts appear in Sonic Lost World, where Uni Uni types are featured as recurring enemies at Windy Hill and Frozen Factory. During the game, it turns out that Badniks (Orbinauts included) got hijacked by the Deadly Six. Uni Uni types of Orbinauts are seen to have a pattern similar to previous appearances as they keep spinning their spiked balls around the body. It is seen dropping its spiked balls when Sonic has locked his Homing Attack into him.

In 2.5D sections, Orbinauts are seen hovering at one place while spinning their spike balls, as four of these Badniks can create huge badnik wall. However as previously stated, they are defenseless after their spiked balls drop.

Physical Appearance
As being part of the sub-series created by Dr. Robotnik, Uni Uni has a similar appearance compared to other variants. The only difference is its coloring, as the this variant has a green orb core and four yellow spike balls.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, its appearance is little more detailed; it has two lines going all-around, with one going side direction and two black bases on each side.

Abilities
These variants keep their spike balls spinning around in slow speed, unlike Unidasu which releases all of them to its victims; thus it can be considered more of a defensive rather than offensive model. This makes Uni Uni variants hard to defeat or even hard to dodge. It simply keeps hovering forward, never stopping in place.

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic
A single Orbinaut appears briefly in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 2 's story ''Clash!! South Island''. In Star Land Zone, it quickly appears in front of Sonic, who used the seesaw to get Egg Capsule. As the Orbinaut tries to stop him, Sonic uses Spin Attack which knocks Orbinaut from his way.

Sonic the Comic
Uni Uni variants of Orbinauts appear in many issues of Fleetway's Sonic the Comic as part of Robotnik's badnik army. In few stories, Orbinauts are colored as completely gray. Orbinaut is also featured in pin-up of issue 106.

Archie Comics
A single Orbinaut appears in earlier issues of Archies Sonic the Hedgehog comics as part of Robotnik's badniks. In the comics its coloring has varied in many stories, as in earlier issues it is colored as dark blue orb with spike balls, but since issue 40, it has familiar green and yellow color scheme.

Robotnik first announced the Orbinaut in Casino Night Zone and after that he tested it for Sonic, who gets knocked out by one of its spiked balls. However Sonic used Spin Attack to deflect two more spiked balls, which got sent back to the Orbinaut itself. It later tries to attack Tails with Buzz Bomber but got knocked down by his own spike balls which Tails sends back. Instead of being at Robo Hobo Jungle fighting Sonic, he's later seen informing Robotnik that Sonic was spotted in the badlands during the Mecha Madness being backfired. He's also later seen fighting with several other badniks against Sonic and Bunnie Rabbot at robot bar called Rusty's.

Orbinaut doesn't appear for long time until Sonic decided to visit in the Island of Misfit Badniks, where Orbinaut and numerous other badniks nabbed him. Usually Sonic quickly beat all badniks, but as Pseudo Sonic arrives, the duel between them makes the island sink down. Badniks with Orbinaut return with revenge plan with enlarging Pseudo Sonic, but got interrupted by the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters. While Orbinaut saw them interfering him, he lost to P.B. Jellyfish. Later all of them got crushed by Big Fluke into a cube.

Sonic X (Comics)
Orbinauts makes a short appearance in issue 11 of Sonic X comics. In Star Light Zone while Orbinauts keep moving slowly forward, Sonic, Knuckles, Amy and Rouge are seen ducking under of them.

Trivia

 * There's been difficulties, especially in comics, to recognize which type of Orbinaut is appearing during a time. There's also been problems to recognize if the Orbinaut is the Uni Uni or Unidasu one due both having same physical appearance but different color scheme in games. A major example is in the Archie Comics, as Robotnik has created only single Orbinaut that has dark blue appearance, similar to the Unidasu one. However several times, it happens that Orbinaut has same color scheme as the Uni Uni one.
 * This is the same problem that appears in issue 11 of Sonic X comics as Orbinauts have a dark blue appearance with orange spike balls and appear at Star Light Zone. However, it is obvious that these are the Uni Uni ones due to the zone where it appears in the game.
 * Orbinaut is one of the Badniks that hasn't been featured in character bios of Sonic Archives.