Espio the Chameleon/Miscellaneous

For other uses of this term, see Espio the Chameleon (disambiguation).

In other media

Animation

Sonic X

Main article: Espio the Chameleon (Sonic X)

Espio appeared with Team Chaotix in the anime Sonic X. Along with Vector and Charmy, Espio played a minor role in season 2, only appearing in Episode 39 to help find Cream when Chaotix was hired by Vanilla, Cream's mother (though in the end, it is Sonic who unites the two). In this episode Espio along with Vector and Charmy broke the proverbial fourth-wall by introducing themselves to the audience (Charmy mostly since he begged for more time to introduce himself). They play a larger role in Season 3, first appearing to bring Chris supplies from his parents. The second time Espio appears, he reluctantly helps Vector and Charmy help Tails get Cosmo, a girl he likes, to like him back, and after that appears with the others to help fight the Metarex. Espio states in his first appearance that he is the brains behind the Chaotix (to which Charmy claims that he's "Super Full of Himself"), when in the Sonic Heroes instruction manual, Vector is stated to be the brains. In the anime he is sometimes seen as a comic relief character as he has been hit (unintentionally) by Amy's hammer, woken up by Vector when he had pepper poured on him and was discovered in a humiliating way shortly before being clobbered.

Comics

Sonic the Comic

Main article: Espio the Chameleon (Sonic the Comic)

In Sonic the Comic, Espio is a member of the Chaotix Crew and a native of the Special Zone. He is a friendly (or sometimes not so friendly) rival to Mighty and has an extremely short temper. The two of them will end up clashing and arguing who's the best on almost any subject, to the extent of demanding a defeated enemy says which of them had punched him the hardest.^[5] This incarnation of the character differs significantly from the Espio portrayed in the games and Sonic X.

Espio has the ability to turn invisible, although he rarely uses this talent.^[6][7]

Espio's profile in Knuckles Knock-Out Special says that he was once a prisoner in Robotnik's Combi Machine, and that he has a personal grudge against Robotnik for this. However, this is never mentioned in any strip in the series, and may not be canon.

Archie Comics

Main articles: Espio the Chameleon (Archie) and Espio the Chameleon (Pre-Super Genesis Wave)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comics, Espio is a bonafide hothead, which causes his friend Charmy to constantly remind him of his manners. This incarnation of the character differs significantly from the Espio portrayed in the games. After the Worlds Collide event however, he has become virtually identical to his game counterpart.

IDW Publishing

Main article: Espio the Chameleon (IDW)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, Espio, like his game counterpart, is the Chaotix's cool and collected ninja member. He helped Sonic track down Dr. Eggman, but found him to have forgotten his identity and history.

Theme songs

"Team Chaotix" (although this theme is shared with Vector the Crocodile and Charmy Bee, Espio is mentioned in the two lines: "And the ninja stars fly, too!" and "Espio is clearly ready to go".)

Quotes

Trivia

• According to Takashi Iizuka, Espio and the Team Chaotix in Sonic Heroes were recreated as new characters from the same characters in Knuckles' Chaotix when Sonic Heroes was designed, ignoring certain traits that had been established in Knuckles' Chaotix that would have contradicted their intent in the game.^[8]
• Espio's name is thought to either have been derived from the word "espionage", meaning spying; it also may be a reference to the Spanish and Portuguese word "espío" (literally meaning "I spy").
• Espio is the only member of Team Chaotix to appear in a game (Sonic the Fighters) released between Knuckles' Chaotix and Sonic Heroes.
• Espio is the second-most used member of Team Chaotix. He has less game appearances than Vector but more than Charmy.
• In Sonic Heroes, Espio is the only speed formation character whose shoes are not partly red. He is also the only speed formation character who is not a hedgehog.
• Throughout the series, Espio's color gradually lightens from a dark purple to a light pinkish purple.
• In the Shadow the Hedgehog boss Egg Breaker, when Shadow destroys any of Eggman's robots, Espio says, "Stop that! We can't let Eggman know we're here!" which is repeated from the previous level. However, Eggman already knows that Espio and Shadow were in his base as he is fighting them.
• In Shadow the Hedgehog, Espio is one of the five characters to swear (the others being Shadow, Sonic, Knuckles, and the GUN Commander).
• Espio is the only playable character in Sonic Rivals 2 who did not appear in the story mode of Sonic Rivals.
• In Sonic Generations, Espio is the one of the two characters who did not notice Sonic was different after being rescued. The other was Vector.
• Espio is the only animal character in Knuckles' Chaotix to have been created originally for that game, as Vector, Mighty, Charmy, and Knuckles had all appeared (or in Vector's case, was going to appear) in previous media: Knuckles (Sonic the Hedgehog 3), Mighty (SegaSonic the Hedgehog), Vector (Sonic the Hedgehog), Charmy Bee (Sonic the Hedgehog manga).
• In a cutscene from Shadow the Hedgehog, Eggman calls Shadow and Espio "rodents" although Espio is a reptile and Shadow is a hedgehog.
• Espio is the only new character in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games available from the start in the 3DS version to appear as a playable character in the Wii U version.
• Espio was going to appear in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing as a playable racer alongside Rouge, Vector, Blaze and Silver, but was scrapped from the final product.^[9]
• Despite possessing a horn on his face, only one known species of chameleon has horns on its head in real life: Jackson's chameleon.

References