5 Ring Bonus

The 5 Ring Bonus^[1] (5リングボーナス^[2], 5 Ringubōnasu^?), also referred to as 5 Rings^[3] (5リング^[4], 5 Ringu^?, lit. "5 Ring"), is a power-up that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. When the player obtains this power-up, five Rings will be granted to the playable character at once. It can be considered a variant of the Super Ring.

Since its debut, the 5 Ring Bonus has generally been a power-up contained in Item Boxes, but it has also occasionally been featured as an independent, non-contained, and collectible item as well. Since its introduction, the 5 Ring Bonus has functioned identically in every game, no matter how it appears.

Description

The 5 Ring Bonus follows the same principles as the Super Ring. When obtaining a 5 Ring Bonus, the player is instantly granted five Rings at once which are automatically added to the player's total Ring count. Rings granted by 5 Ring Bonuses function like regular Rings, as the player is able to lose them after taking damage and then recollect them.

The 5 Ring Bonus appears either as a power-up contained in an Item Box or as a floating golden Ring separate from Item Boxes that is slightly larger than regular Rings and has the number "5" in its center. Item Boxes containing 5 Ring Bonuses either contain or display an icon depicting a Ring with the number "5" written somewhere on the icon or in the display. When the player breaks a 5 Ring Bonus Item Box, the iconic Ring sample is heard in the background and the player receives the five Rings. Like other Item Boxes, 5 Ring Bonus Item Boxes can be hidden behind walls, palm trees or in other places. 5 Ring Bonuses that appear as large floating Rings on the other hand are obtained upon simply touching them, as there is no Item Box in-between them and the player. However, they cannot be targeted by attacks like the Homing Attack, unlike 5 Ring Bonuses in Item Boxes. When collecting an Item Box-less 5 Ring Bonus, a unique sound effect is sometimes played compared to the regular chime.

In some cases, the 5 Ring Bonuses can appear in groups to be picked up.

Game appearances

Sonic R

An early version of the 5 Ring Bonus appeared in Sonic R. In this game, it is referred to as Numbered Item Panel^[5] (ビッグ5リング^[6], Biggu 5 ringu^?, lit. "Big 5 Ring") and can be obtained at random when touching one of the Item Panels that lie scattered across the racing courses.

Sonic Adventure

In Sonic Adventure, and its remake Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, the Ring power-up is named 5 Rings^[3] (5リング^[4], 5 Ringu^?, lit. "5 Ring"). In these games, it is exclusively an Item Box item. The Item Boxes that contain the 5 Rings in this game hold an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in the lower left corner.

Sonic Adventure 2

In Sonic Adventure 2, and its remake Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the Ring power-up is once again referred to as 5 Rings^[7] (5リング^[8], 5 Ringu^?, lit. "5 Ring"). In these games, it is exclusively an Item Box item. The Item Boxes that contain the 5 Rings in this game hold an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in the lower left corner.

Sonic Advance series

Sonic Advance

In Sonic Advance, the Ring power-up is called 5 Rings^[9] (5リング^[10], 5 Ringu^?, lit. "5 Ring") once more. In this game, it is exclusively a box item. The boxes that contain the 5 Rings in this game display an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in its center.

Sonic Advance 2

In Sonic Advance 2, the Ring power-up is named 5 Ring Bonus^[11] (5リングボーナス^[12], 5 Ringubōnasu^?). In this game, it is exclusively a box item. The boxes that contain the 5 Ring Bonus in this game display an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in its center.

Sonic Advance 3

In Sonic Advance 3, the Ring power-up is called 5 Ring Bonus^[13] (5リングボーナス^[14], 5 Ringubōnasu^?) once more. In this game, it is exclusively a Box item. The Boxes that contain the 5 Ring Bonus in this game display an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in its center.

Sonic Rush series

Sonic Rush

In Sonic Rush, the Ring power-up is referred to as 5 Ring Bonus^[1] (5リングボーナス^[2], 5 Ringubōnasu^?) one more time. In this game, it is exclusively an Item Box item. The Item Boxes that contain the 5 Ring Bonus in this game display an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in its center.

Sonic Rush Adventure

In Sonic Rush Adventure, the Ring power-up is once more referred to as 5 Ring Bonus^[15] (5リングボーナス^[16], 5 Ringubōnasu^?). In this game, it is exclusively an Item Box item. The Item Boxes that contain the 5 Ring Bonus in this game display an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in its center.

Sonic Unleashed

In the Wii/PlayStation 2 of Sonic Unleashed, the 5 Ring Bonus makes another appearance. In this game, it is exclusively a floating ring without an Item Box.

In gameplay, the 5 Ring Bonuses appear in both the nighttime and daytime stages. However, they are more common in the nighttime stages than in the daytime stages.

Sonic Colors

In the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors, the Ring power-up is once more named 5 Ring Bonus.^[17] In this game, it is exclusively an Item Box item. The Item Boxes that contain the 5 Ring Bonus in this game display an icon that shows a single Ring with the number "5" written in its center.

Sonic Lost World

In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the 5 Ring Bonus makes a return appearance. In this game, it is exclusively a floating ring without an Item Box. In gameplay, it is encountered fairly often, and can even be pulled towards the playable character by the effects of the Yellow Drill and Thunder Shield.

Gallery

Sprites

Gallery
Sonic R Sonic Advance Sonic Advance 2 Sonic Advance 3 Sonic Rush Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Sonic Colors (Nintendo DS) Add a photo to this gallery

Screenshots

Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PlayStation 2)

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References