Dragonfly

Dragonfly^[1] (トンバー^[2], Tonbar^?) is an enemy in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, dragonfly-based Badnik model created by Dr. Eggman with spikes and flight capabilities.

Appearance

Based off the dragonfly, the Dragonflies are robotic insects with light blue armor. When first introduced, each Dragonfly had two pairs of transparent wings, an ellipsoid thorax with orange stripes, no head, two black eyes, a small mouth, and a long yellow and blue segmented abdomen with spikes.

Over the course of the series, the Dragonflies have undergone slight design changes. In Sonic Generations, the Dragonflies were redesigned with a shorter abdomen and larger, blue eyes. In Sonic Lost World, they were given a darker color scheme, a longer abdomen, their own head, and cyan eyes with no pupils. Finally, in Sonic Mania, they were colored pink and their bodies had six segments instead of seven, though the spiked segment on the end were larger than before.

Game appearances

Sonic & Knuckles

The Dragonflies first appeared in Sonic & Knuckles, where they are encountered in Mushroom Hill Zone. In gameplay, they repeatedly fly up and down until the player interrupts them. They are also very tricky to avoid, as touching a Dragonfly anywhere else than on its head will damage the player. Only a Spin Jump or a Glide to the head will safely destroy a Dragonfly.

Sonic Rivals 2

In Sonic Rivals 2, the Dragonfly appears as an unlockable card after getting the high score in Neon Palace Zone Act 3. The card will also unlock the Chao Detector of the previously mentioned Zone.

Sonic Generations

In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, the Dragonflies are encountered in Mushroom Hill. In this game, their attack patterns and strategy remain the same as in Sonic & Knuckles, and their loud buzzing easily indicates their presence. Beside that, the player can defeat the Dragonflies with the Spin Jump or Homing Attack.

Sonic Lost World

In the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World, the Dragonflies are found in Silent Forest Zone 2. They should not be confused with the Tonbers in Silent Forest Zone 1 however. During the game, the Dragonflies and the other badniks got hijacked by the Deadly Six.

In gameplay, the Dragonflies retain a familiar attack pattern where they fly up and down in one place. To defeat a Dragonfly, the player has to use the Focused Homing Attack on its head.

Sonic Mania

In Sonic Mania, and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Dragonflies make an appearance as enemies. In terms of design, they look much like how they did in Sonic & Knuckles, except for a new coloration and minor tweaks. In these games, they appear in both Acts of Press Garden Zone.

In gameplay, the Dragonflies behave just like in their debut appearance: they fly up and down and can only be damaged on their heads. Upon destroying a Dragonfly, it will release an Animal.

Powers and abilities

Dragonflies are capable of flight and are equipped with spikes on their abdomen which they can skewer their foes with.

In other media

Archie Comics

Main article: Dragonfly (Archie)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Dragonfly is a mass-produced model in the Badnik Horde. They have been deployed at a number of locations, most notably Angel Island.

Trivia

• The Dragonflies' Japanese name "Tonbar" comes from "tonbo", which is Japanese for "dragonfly".

Gallery

Artwork

Sonic & Knuckles

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Screenshots

Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles Sonic Rivals 2 Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS) Sonic Lost World (Wii U) Sonic Mania Add a photo to this gallery

References