The Death Egg saga[1] is an event that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It refers to the earliest major clashes between Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman over the fate of planet earth. The saga is named after the Death Egg, Eggman's orbital super weapon that he used during his attempts to conquer the world. This conflict started during the South Island incident - when the villain discovered the Chaos Emeralds and tried to use them for his dastardly plans - before extending to various other regions of the planet and to outer space.[1]
The Death Egg saga came to a close when Sonic, and his new ally Tails, ultimately destroyed the space station at the climax of the Angel Island incident. However, this conflict resulted in countless other new threats to the world when Eggman made several other attempts to achieve his ambitions, noticeably by deploying a second Death Egg, discovering the mystical Phantom Ruby, and using the water god Chaos for his plans. Various other Death Eggs have been built after the destruction of the original one.
Background[]
At one point, Sonic the Hedgehog, later renowed as a hero with super speed, met the infamous Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a pompous scientist who aspired to conquer the world. The two became enemies soon after their first encounter, with Sonic managing to defeat the doctor, whom he nicknamed "Eggman", at every turn. The villain would frequently resurface with a new plan however, but his attempts at world conquest would be easily foiled by the hedgehog.[4][5]
History[]
Beginning[]
Sonic the Hedgehog setting off to defeat Dr. Eggman at the start of the Death Egg saga, from Sonic Origins.
The genesis of the Death Egg saga can be dated back to the start of the South Island incident,[1] when Eggman (originally known as "Robotnik") learned of the six Chaos Emeralds resting on South Island and carried out a massive invasion of the island to use them to conquer the earth frustrated by his constant defeats. The doctor kidnapped all of the local Animals to use them as power sources for his robot army of "Badniks", and built his fortress, the Scrap Brain, as a base of operations. However, Sonic heard of the invasion and rushed to South Island to save it. After facing hundreds of Eggman's robots and the doctor himself at various points, the hedgehog made it to the Scrap Brain with the six Chaos Emeralds in his hands and defeated Eggman one final time, bringing peace back to the island. He then released the gems, which filled the areas there with flora before being flying off to West Side Island along with a seventh Emerald.[4][5]
Little Planet incident[]
The mystical Little Planet having been chained to a mountain in Never Lake by Dr. Eggman, from Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
In what became known as the Little Planet incident,[6] Dr. Eggman learned of the appearance of Little Planet - a mystical planetoid that appears over the earth's Never Lake region once every year - and the seven Time Stones that were resting there that were said to be capable of controlling time itself. Coveting these stones to conquer the world, he trapped the planetoid inside of a nasty metallic shield that was chained to one of the mountains in Never Lake. Eggman then sent his Badniks to Little Planet to wreak havoc. These events caused the future of the planet to be a desolate wasteland ruined with pollution and machinery.[7][8][9][10]
Upon learning of his nemesis' actions, Sonic traveled to Little Planet, where he learned that he could undo Eggman's operations by going back to the past and destroying a "robot transporter" there. A while after his arrival, he met Amy Rose - a female hedgehog deeply in love with him - who got kidnapped by Metal Sonic, a deadly robot created by the doctor to counter Sonic's abilities. Making his way through Little Planet's regions, Sonic liberated them from his adversary's control, resulting in "good futures" with harmony and peace. Upon arriving at the Stardust Speedway city, the hedgehog encountered Eggman and Metal Sonic, the latter of whom challenged him into a deadly race. When he won, Sonic rescued Amy and then freed Little Planet from the scientist's control when he destroyed the doctor's Metallic Madness base.
Deployment of the Death Egg[]
Following these victories, Sonic boarded his biplane, the Tornado, and left off in search for adventures, eventually finding West Side Island and going to rest there, not knowing that Eggman was following him. Soon after landing on the island, the doctor kidnapped the local Animals for his Badniks to find the seven Chaos Emeralds that were said to be resting there according to legend. The villain's plan was to use the gems as a power source for his newest orbital weapon/space station: the Death Egg. Meanwhile, Sonic met Miles "Tails" Prower, a young fox with two tails and a great passion for machines, and the two quickly became best friends.[11][12]
Sonic standing before Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot onboard the Death Egg, from the 2013 remaster of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
A few days later, when Eggman began to terrorize West Side Island's regions to find the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic and Tails set out to stop him.[11][12] While making their way through the island's various areas, the duo collected the seven Emeralds and had numerous encounters with the doctor. With the gemstones in his hands, Sonic was also able to attain a Super transformation - Super Sonic - for the first time. Eventually, the heroes boarded the Tornado to chase after the scientist in his Wing Fortress battleship. However, an ensuing assault caused the biplane to be heavily damaged and begin to fall off, thus forcing Sonic to continue on his own. After bringing the warship down, the hedgehog saw Eggman escape in a space rocket to outer space. Fortunately, Tails returned with a repaired Tornado and helped Sonic grab ahold of the doctor's rocket. Soon after, the hedgehog found himself boarding the Death Egg, which had been finished and launched with no Chaos Emeralds. Following a showdown between Sonic and Eggman, who was piloting his Death Egg Robot mech, a chain-reaction caused the Death Egg to begin exploding, forcing the hedgehog to go back to the earth as Super Sonic, where he reunited with Tails as the space station was seemingly destroyed.[1]
Angel Island incident[]
Sonic the Hedgehog 3[]
The Death Egg re-entering the earth's atmosphere following the events of the West Side Island incident, from Sonic Origins.
In the "Angel Island incident",[6] it turned out that the Death Egg had actually not been destroyed; following the previous events, it began falling into the earth's atmosphere and collided with a floating landmass known as Angel Island. This crash of catastrophic proportions caused the island to fall into the surface of the ocean, resulting in massive tsunamis around the world. Having survived this calamity, Eggman detected energy fields of the Master Emerald. Wanting to use this powerful gem to relaunch his space station, the scientist began kidnapping Animals for his Badniks yet again. Eventually, he came across Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of this massive Emerald, and falsely claimed that he was a kind scientist who was researching the Death Egg's crash and that Sonic was coming for the Master Emerald. Falling for Eggman's lies, Knuckles promised to help him drive Sonic off the island upon his arrival.[13]
Sonic and Tails watching the Death Egg about to fall onto Lava Reef, from Sonic Origins.
Days after the Death Egg's crash, Tails caught a strong Chaos Emerald signal on his Emerald Detector, while Sonic found a Ring that gave him an unexplainable desire to go to Angel Island.[13] When the two arrived at the island using the Tornado, however, Knuckles ambushed them with a cheap shot from below, causing them to lose the Chaos Emeralds, which the echidna picked up and ran off with.[1] Soon after, the heroes began making their way through the floating island's various regions, recollecting the Emeralds along the way. Despite facing countless setbacks, they eventually made it to the Launch Base, where the Death Egg was undergoing the last few repairs, and got onboard the station just as it began taking off. There, they faced various of Eggman's most powerful mechs. Despite the odds, the doctor was again defeated, and the Death Egg - due to the battle having taken place during a critical point of its launch - crashed back onto Angel Island's volcano, Lava Reef, while Sonic and Tails landed on Mushroom Hill.
Sonic & Knuckles[]
Knowing that the Death Egg would soon be relaunched yet again, Sonic and Tails continued their adventure across Angel Island while resisting various setbacks from Knuckles and Eggman. Eventually, they discovered a "Super Ring" which led them to the Master Emerald's altar at the Hidden Palace that upgraded their Chaos Emeralds into the very powerful Super Emeralds. When the heroes collected these enhanced Emeralds, Sonic became able to attain a Hyper transformation - called Hyper Sonic, an even more powerful version of Super Sonic. After boarding Eggman's Flying Battery, Sonic and Tails landed at Sandopolis, where they made their way to the Lava Reef. At the heart of this area, the doctor activated the Death Egg's laser eyes, causing the volcano to become active. After managing to escape from this place, the duo entered the Hidden Palace, where they had a confrontation with Knuckles. However, their encounter was interrupted when they saw Eggman steal the Master Emerald despite the echidna's best attempts to prevent this. Without the Emerald where it belonged, Angel Island began falling down. Realizing that he had been tricked, Knuckles guided Sonic and Tails to the celestial Sky Sanctuary, where they had several battles against the scientist's Mecha Sonic Mk. II before barely boarding the Master Emerald-powered Death Egg which was leaving the atmosphere.
Hyper Sonic chasing after Dr. Eggman in outer space during the climax of the Death Egg saga, from Sonic Origins.
Along Sonic and Tails' path was a space station full of traps, Badniks, and dangerous areas. After overcoming these hazards, the duo faced Eggman's Giant Eggman Robo, powered by the Master Emerald itself. When this massive mech was destroyed, the doctor tried to escape one last time with the massive Emerald in his Egg Mobile, as the Death Egg itself finally crumbled and got completely destroyed, but his attempts ended in vain. Afterwards, Sonic transformed into Hyper Sonic and gave chase to the mad scientist, who was using his Final Weapon in a last-ditch effort to escape with the massive gem, in outer space. The hedgehog defeated Eggman, retrieved the Master Emerald and, along with Tails, returned it back to Angel Island, which began ascending into the sky again. After this showdown, the Death Egg saga came to a close.[1]
Aftermath[]
Post-Angel Island incident[]
After Dr. Eggman's defeat, Mecha Sonic Mk. II - who had survived its encounter with Sonic and Tails - organized an attack on Angel Island. To do this, it had an Eggrobo go to the island to take Knuckles down.[14] Though the Eggrobo had little success, the Master Emerald was stolen and brought to the Sky Sanctuary. When the echidna made it to the celestial palace, he faced the Sonic robot doppelganger, who used the massive gem to power itself up. However, Knuckles came out victorious with the Master Emerald, with Sonic coming in with the Tornado to take him back to Angel Island.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I[]
In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Eggman, consumed by rage after his defeat at the end of the saga, began revisiting his deadliest inventions to use against Sonic.[1] However, this plot failed. Months later, Little Planet made its yearly return to earth once again. In response, Eggman re-emerged to carry out his plan to avenge the destruction of the original Death Egg: build a Death Egg mk.II surrounding the planetoid. To do this, he revived Metal Sonic and had him join him in his nefarious plans. However, this plot was ultimately foiled thanks to Sonic and Tails.[15]
Sonic Generations[]
Classic Sonic facing the Death Egg Robot from the West Side Island incident during the Time Eater incident, from the console/PC version of Sonic Generations.
In Sonic Generations, several locations from the Death Egg saga were transported to White Space due to the Time Eater traversing through time, where they were left with no color and life. These areas would be eventually visited by Classic and Modern Sonic; by speeding through time, the hedgehogs were able to restore these locations. Eventually, Classic Sonic would face Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot onboard the Death Egg. Like before in the past, the hedgehog emerged victorious.
Sonic Mania[]
In Sonic Mania, at some point after the conclusion of the Death Egg saga, both Tails and Eggman picked up readings from a mysterious - but powerful - power source from Angel Island. Believing that this energy could serve him some use, the doctor dispatched his elite Eggrobos, the Hard Boiled Heavies (HBH), to retrieve it. When Sonic and Tails later arrived to investigate, however, they saw these robots excavating the power source, the "Phantom Ruby", which transformed the HBH and transported them and the duo, along with Knuckles, to Green Hill.[16][17]
When Eggman took the Phantom Ruby for his use, he took over Little Planet once again and built a new base, the Titanic Monarch, there. However, his plans ultimately went downhill when Sonic and his friends brought this base down. Afterwards, the doctor, the hedgehog and the Phantom King, the upgraded version of the Heavy King - the leader of the HBH - to a mysterious void. There, the three fought over the Phantom Ruby, but Sonic, transformed into Super Sonic, defeated the two power-hungry villains and was transported along with the ruby to the near future, during the War to Take Back the Planet.
Legacy[]
A collage of multiple Badnik models. With the exception of the Spinner (bottom center) and the Egg Pawn (bottom right), all of these models were first deployed during the Death Egg saga.
The Death Egg saga was a major turning point in Sonic and Eggman's relationship. While the doctor had made his presence known before, the operations he carried out during the saga were unprecedented in scale, making his villany go from being seen as "a regular occurence"[4] to one of the most dangerous threats in the entire universe.[18] Starting from this conflict, his plans would begin to be consistently executed in a global scale. It was also during the saga that he employed the first Badniks - robots powered by Animals; the army has remained as the bulk of the Eggman Empire's armed forces in the years following the conclusion of the saga, and many Badniks used during this conflict remain in use due to their effectiveness.[19] Metal Sonic, first deployed during the Little Planet incident, is still one of Eggman's most feared and greatest creations of all time.
The saga was also where Sonic met many of his closest friends, starting with Amy but most noticeably where he first met Miles "Tails" Prower, who became his best friend and a reliable partner in his future adventures. Over time, the hedgehog would also develop a friendship with Knuckles, though the two remain rivals to this day. Additionally, the saga started a small trend of the echidna being tricked by Eggman into thinking that Sonic is evil due to his secluded life. Nevertheless, these occurrences have become increasingly rare, mainly due to Knuckles being more and more wary of the doctor's lies.
The saga centered around the seven Chaos Emeralds, eventually concluding in Eggman's theft of the Master Emerald on Angel Island. These gemstones would be central to the development of many future incidents, including the Chaos incident. Additionally, while the original Death Egg, which the saga is named after, was destroyed, multiple similar space stations would serve as Eggman's bases of operations in future conflicts.
In other media[]
Archie Comics[]
Sonic Quest #3, from Archie Comics.
Sonic Quest is 3-part miniseries that loosely incorporates the Death Egg saga into the Pre-Super Genesis Wave timeline in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics.
Shortly after the Freedom Fighters rescued Maximillian Acorn from the Zone of Silence, Dr. Robotnik enacted his latest plan to finish enslaving Mobius. Improving upon his pervious plan, Robostorm, Dr. Robotnik upgraded the space stationâs design to create his ultimate weapon, the Death Egg, to roboticize the entire planet Mobius.[20] Having installed a protective Power Ring shell in the hull, the doctor only needed a Chaos Emerald to complete his weapon of destruction.
While Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails were searching for Power Rings to help restore King Acorn, they stumbled upon the doctor's plan, who was ready to drown the Floating Island for its Chaos Emerald.[21] Defeating Silver Sonic v1.0 and the Eggs-O-Skeleton after another, the heroes rigged the evil space station to blow up, destroying it. Dr. Robotnik was sent licking his wounds and drifted back to his city of Snivopolis, er, Robotropolis.[22]
Sonic the Comic[]
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References[]
- â 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Sonic The Hedgehog 4. Sega. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved on 27 October 2017. "Story: Our hedgehog's tale begins as Sonic's animal friends start disappearing from South Island. Soon after, Sonic discovers that the evil scientist Dr. Eggman has been kidnapping them and turning them into robots - all as part of a plot to collect a legendary treasure known the Chaos Emeralds [...] As Knuckles finishes his showdown with Mecha Sonic, the real hedgehog chases Eggman through space, ultimately destroying his doomsday plans - with it, the Death Egg saga comes to a close."
- â Sonic the Hedgehog CD (iOS) English instruction menu, "Characters (Cont.)".
- â Sega
. [http://vc.se
ga.jp/vc_sonic/ ă˝ăăăŻăťăśăťăăă¸ăăă°] (Japanese). Wii(R) Virtual Console Mega Drive Official Site. Retrieved on 17 January 2023. - â 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 8-11.
- â 5.0 5.1 Sega (December 10, 2021). ăšăźăăźă˝ăăăŻ ďź Dr.ă¨ăă°ăăł ăăŁăŠăŻăżăźç´šäť (Japanese). ăăšăăżăŤăăźăšăăźăŞăź. Sonic Channel. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021.
- â 6.0 6.1 Sonic Team (9 September 1999). Sonic Adventure International. Dreamcast. Sega. Area/level: Station Square (Sonic). "Boy: ăăŁăă˝ăăăŻă ăźďź ăăŻçĽăŁăŚăăďźăŞăăŤăăŠăăăäşäťśăŽă¨ăăă¨ăłă¸ă§ăŤă˘ă¤ăŠăłăäşäťśăŽă¨ăăâŚ..ä¸çăćăŁăŚăăăăŽăŻă˝ăăăŻăŞăă ăăďź [Oh, it's Sonic! I know you! It was Sonic who saved the world during the Little Planet incident and the Angel Island incident!]"
- â Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sega CD) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
- â Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sega CD) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 33.
- â Sonic the Hedgehog CD (iOS) Instructions menu, "A World That Defies Time"
- â Sonic the Hedgehog CD (iOS) Instructions menu, "Characters (Cont.)".
- â 11.0 11.1 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
- â 12.0 12.1 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2013) instructions menu, "Story"
- â 13.0 13.1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction manual, pgs. 4-6.
- â (in Japanese) ă˝ăăăŻă¸ăŁă ăăŞăăŁăˇăŁăŤăŹă¤ă. SoftBank. October 2, 1997. p. 93. ISBN 978-4797303377.
- â Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. Characters. Sega. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved on 5 January 2022.
- â Sega. "Story So Far". Sonic Mania Introduction Manual. Sega. p. 1. "Some time after saving Angel Island, Sonic the Hedgehog and his best friend, Miles "Tails" Prower, are relaxing when Tails picks up a strange energy reading far away. Though different from the Chaos Emeralds, the reading is remarkably powerful, and Tails convinces Sonic to join him to check it out. Sonic and Tails take off on the Tornado towards the source, but sure enough, the evil Dr. Eggman has detected it too! Now it's a race between Sonic and Eggman to get there first and figure out what mysteries it holds. However, Eggman has been busy: he's just unleashed a new team of elite Egg-Robos to handle his most important tasks. They're called the "Hard-Boiled Heavies," and they're about to reach the source of the signal first! It's up to Sonic, Tails, & their newest ally, Knuckles the Echidna, to defeat the Hard-Boiled Heavies, unlock the secrets of the energy source, and stop Dr. Eggman!"
- â Sonic Mania (PC) English instruction booklet, "Prologue".
- â TailsTube #2 (feat. ???). YouTube. Sonic the Hedgehog (June 9, 2022). Retrieved on June 9, 2022.
- â "Dr. Eggman in... My Greatest Invention". Sonic the Hedgehog: Rival Edition. Tomy. 2017.
- â (comic book) "The Death Egg Saga Book Two - Poached". Archie Comics. January 1997. "Dr. Robotnik: Snively! This is your master Ivo Robotnik, calling you from the Death Egg! At long last my ultimate weapon of destruction is near completion! Once finished, I'll be able to roboticize the entire planet by remote control from above!"
- â (comic book) "The Death Egg Saga Book Two - Poached". Archie Comics. January 1997. "Narrator: Deep within the underground power chamber, the infinite energy of the Chaos Emerald resists the prodigious weight being exerted upon the island -- but just barely! / Dr. Robotnik: My mechanical masterpiece must prevail! *growl* All systems to one hundred fifty precent! Override automatic shutdown codes! This island will be submerge -- and every living creature on it drowned! *crackle* So speaks Ivo Robotnik!"
- â (comic book) "The Death Egg Saga Book Three - Over Easy". Archie Comics. February 1997. "Narrator: Indeed you will know soon enough, Sonic! For at that moment, a familiar flabby figure appears in the pollution-filled sky above Snivopolis. / Dr. Robotnik: Snivopolis?!"
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