Guard

Guard
Sonic the Werehog using Guard, from the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed.
Appearances
First appearance	Sonic the Fighters
Other appearances	Super Smash Bros. Brawl Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3) Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PlayStation 2) Sonic and the Black Knight Sonic the Fighters (2012) Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Statistics and overview
User(s)	Amy Rose Bark the Polar Bear Bean the Dynamite Blacksmith Blaze the Cat Bowser Bowser Jr. Diddy Kong Dr. Eggman Donkey Kong Espio the Chameleon Fang the Sniper Gaia Colossus Honey the Cat King Arthur Knuckles the Echidna Larry Koopa Ludwig von Koopa Luigi Mario Metal Sonic Miles "Tails" Prower Mii Nightmare Princess Daisy Princess Peach Rosalina Shadow the Hedgehog Sir Galahad Sir Gawain Sir Lamorak Sir Lancelot Sir Percival Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Werehog Wario Wendy O. Koopa Yoshi All playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series
Utilization	Defense
Description	A protective stance against attacks.

Guard (ガード, Gādo^?), also known as Barrier, is a technique that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. When performing this move, the user blocks incoming attacks.

Description

When performing Guard, the user assumes a defensive stance and braces against incoming attacks. The form of the defensive stance depends on the user; some might use their arms for protection while others uses weaponry. Usually, Guard can only be performed while standing on the ground and cannot be done in mid-air.

In gameplay in general, if Guard is performed just before the playable character receives an attack, it can effectively negate the damage the player would otherwise receive. In a few cases though, there are attacks Guard cannot block or situations where the move will only minimize the damage.

Game appearances

Sonic the Fighters

Guard as depicted in instructions, from Sonic the Fighters.

First appearing in Sonic the Fighters under the name Barrier, the combatants are able create shields to defend themselves in combat. These shields only defend their users from the front and can be destroyed with powerful attacks such as "Barrier Destroying Attacks." The fighters also have Shield Gauges which are limited to five barriers by default, but can be adjusted in the game's options.

Sonic Unleashed

In the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed, the move is referred to as Guard (ガード, Gādo^?) and is usable to both Sonic the Werehog and the Gaia Colossus. When performing Guard in this game, the user puts his forearms up in front of himself to brace against incoming attacks. When Sonic the Werehog performs his version of Guard, he forms a blue shield around himself. However, while Guard can effectively negate the damage from physical strikes, energy blasts and shock waves, it cannot block certain elemental attacks, such as the Fire Masters' fireballs or the Egg Fighter: Shields' electrical surges.

To perform Guard for Sonic the Werehog, the player has to hold /. The duration of Guard is determined by the Shield Gauge; whenever Guard blocks an attack, the Shield Gauge is depleted, and if it runs out, Guard will no longer be effective. By holding / and moving the left Control Stick at the same time, the player can use Guard while on the move. Also, pressing / whilst doing this will make Sonic perform an evasive maneuver. Using Guard is also necessary to perform some of Sonic the Werehog's Special Attack Skills.

During the first phase of the boss battle with Dark Gaia, where the player is controlling the Gaia Colossus, the Gaia Colossus can perform Guard as well. However, while this version of Guard does not depend on a Shield Gauge, it only serves to minimize the damage from Dark Gaia's attacks. To perform the Gaia Colossus' Guard, the player has to hold /. Additionally, the Gaia Colossus can also perform Guard while moving by holding / and moving at the same time. In addition, Nightmare enemies are also capable of performing Guard.

In the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed, only Sonic the Werehog can perform Guard. When performing Guard in this game, Sonic puts his forearms up in front of him while they glow light blue. When blocking an attack with Guard, a hexagon-shaped force field appear in front of Sonic. Unlike in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed where Guard depends on the Shield Gauge, Guard can here withstand an endless amount of attacks. To perform Guard in gameplay, the player has to execute the following actions:

PS2	Wii
	Wii Remote	Classic Controller	GameCube controller
Hold			Hold

While performing Guard, the player can make Sonic dodge while guarding to take an evasive action.

Sonic and the Black Knight

In Sonic and the Black Knight, the move is once again referred to as Guard and can be performed by all playable characters in the game, both in Adventure Mode and Battle Mode. When the user performs Guard in this game, they use their weapon to block the attack.

To perform Guard in gameplay, the player has to hold . The duration of Guard does not last forever and if it is used continuously or repeatedly, it will eventually disengage. The active window for Guard's usability can be visually seen while there are clear ripples generated on the user's weapon; once the window is over, the ripples will not appear. However, its duration in Adventure Mode can be increased with the Skills Aegis Guard, Aegis Guard+1 or Aegis Guard+2.

Trivia

• In the Super Smash Bros. series, Guard is called "Shield". Sonic, alongside other fighters, are able to Shield. The player must press any of the shoulder buttons to perform one. However, if the shield is out for too long, it'll shrink and eventually break, causing the fighter to be temporarily dizzy.

Gallery

Screenshots

Gallery

Tails using Barrier, from Sonic the Fighters Sonic the Werehog using Guard, from the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed The Gaia Colossus using Guard, from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed Sonic Guarding against a Soldier-One's attack, from Sonic and the Black Knight Sir Gawain Guarding against Sonic's attack, from Sonic and the Black Knight Sir Percival Guarding against Sonic's attack, from Sonic and the Black Knight

References

Sonic the Fighters

---

Main article | Manuals | Beta elements | Gallery | Re-releases (2012)

Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3)

---

Main article · Script · Credits · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery

V·T·E · {{Unleashed (mobile) info}} · {{Unleashed (Wii/PlayStation 2) info}} · Category

Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PlayStation 2)

---

Main article | Script | Credits | Glitches | Beta elements | Gallery

Sonic and the Black Knight

---

Main article · Script · Staff · Manuals · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery

*Appears in Battle Mode only
V·T·E · {{Secret Rings info}} · Category