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A loose cannon that packs serious firepower. He often flies by in a helicopter to terrorize from above.


— Description, Sonic Mania manual[1]

The Heavy Gunner[1] (ヘビーガンナー[2] Hebī Gannā?) is an antagonist that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. A member of the Hard Boiled Heavies, the Heavy Gunner is the enhanced version of an Eggrobo created by Dr. Eggman. Struck with the power of the Phantom Ruby, the Heavy Gunner serves as his team's strong arm specialist.[3]

Appearance[]

HeavyGunnerSprite

Originally an Eggrobo, the Heavy Gunner received a makeover when he stumbled upon the Phantom Ruby. Decorated as a police officer, the Heavy Gunner's design reflects that of a blue and black uniform and a white motorcycle helmet with a red siren on top. The Heavy Gunner has two yellow straps crossing over on his chest in an "X"-shape, with a star-shaped badge in the middle. He also possesses a microphone communicator on his helmet, red eyes, white gloves, gray-colored appendages, and blue fore feet. He is also equipped with a jetpack on his back.

History[]

Sonic Mania[]

HardBoiledHeaviesTransformed

The Heavy Gunner with the Hard Boiled Heavies in Green Hill Zone shortly after transforming.

The Heavy Gunner was originally an elite Eggrobo who handled the most extreme tasks for his creator, Dr. Eggman.[4] After detecting a mysterious energy source on Angel Island, Eggman sent the Heavy Gunner and the other Hard Boiled Heavies to investigate.[5] Upon reaching Angel Island, he and his troop excavated the energy source, the Phantom Ruby, just as Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower arrived. The Phantom Ruby promptly warped space-time around them,[5] transforming the Heavy Gunner into his police officer attire along with his troop. As a side effect of the ruby, the Heavy Gunner and his team gained free wills and personalities of their own, though they were driven mad in the process.[1]

Hard Boiled Heavies Green Hill Act 2

Eggman attempting to command the Heavy Gunner and the Hard Boiled Heavies.

The Phantom Ruby transported the Hard Boiled Heavies, along with Sonic, Tails, and a nearby Knuckles the Echidna, to the Green Hill Zone, where the troop fled with the gemstone. After that, the Hard Boiled Heavies planned to keep the Phantom Ruby for themselves. The Heavy Gunner and his troop soon met Eggman again though, who tried to command the group. When they would not listen though, Eggman snatched the Phantom Ruby from their clutches. The Heavy Gunner and his troop then fled the scene.

The Heavy Gunner would be the first Hard Boiled Heavy to fight against Sonic and co. Encountering them in Studiopolis Zone, the Heavy Gunner and his three Egg-Robos chased the heroes across the Zone, but were ultimately defeated, leaving the Heavy Gunner to retreat.

The Heavy Gunner, now modified into the Phantom Gunner, would later reappear to fight Sonic and co. again during their battle with the Phantom Egg, but was unable to beat them.

Sonic Mania Plus[]

FamitsuEvidence

The Heavy Magician giving the Phantom Ruby to the remains of the Hard Boiled Heavies.

In Sonic Mania Plus, the Phantom Gunner had been destroyed after the events in the Titanic Monarch Zone, his remains having been left on Angel Island with most of the other Phantom Heavies. However, after Sonic's return with the Phantom Ruby following the War to Take Back the Planet, the Heavy Magician was able to steal the Phantom Ruby and give it to the Phantom King, who used it to revive himself and the rest of the Hard Boiled Heavies, including the Phantom Gunner, just as Sonic and his companion caught up to them. The group's resurrection reverted the Phantom Gunner back to the Heavy Gunner, while also triggering a warp that sent them all to Green Hill Zone. There, the Heavy Gunner and the Hard Boiled Heavies fled with the Phantom Ruby in hand. When they regrouped, the group thought they could keep the Phantom Ruby to themselves. However, Eggman showed up again and took the ruby when they would not obey him, leaving the Heavy Gunner and his troop to flee the scene.

After Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mighty, and Ray arrived in Studiopolis Zone, the Heavy Gunner attacked the group with his Eggrobo assistants in the same manner as before. However, he ended up being defeated, and retreated. When the heroic group later fought the Phantom Egg, the Heavy Gunner, now re-upgraded into the Phantom Gunner once more, fought Sonic and co. when his turn came, but was unable to defeat the heroes.

Personality[]

SMTR38

The Heavy Gunner aiming directly behind Sonic.

The Heavy Gunner is, like most of the Hard Boiled Heavies, an oddball. The Heavy Gunner is considered a "loose cannon"[1] and is too erratic for his own good. Due to this destructive behavior, he causes unintentional damage to property and anyone standing in his way. The Heavy Gunner loves to terrorize civilians of Studiopolis Zone with his helicopter.[1] Despite his spontaneous and destructive behavior however, he still abides to the orders from the Hard Boiled Heavies' leader, the Heavy King, with no hesitation. Like the other Hard Boiled Heavies, he wishes to do harm to Sonic and his friends whether it be by orders from Eggman or by his own chaotic nature.

Powers and abilities[]

The Heavy Gunner, like a standard Eggrobo, is shown to have the ability to fly at any given time. The Heavy Gunner is also shown to have exceptional sharpshooting skills.

Weapons[]

The Heavy Gunner's main weapon is a green and white rectangular prism-shaped bazooka that can shoot multiple missiles simultaneously.

Transformations[]

Phantom Gunner[]

Main article: Phantom Gunner
PhantomGunner-sprite

The Phantom Gunner, from Sonic Mania.

Through unknown means, the Heavy Gunner can assume a more powerful state called the Phantom Gunner. In this form, he receives a large rocket launcher on his back. In terms, of abilities, the Phantom Gunner can fly using the engines at the bottom of his rocket launcher, which can fire several missiles at once. The range of his attacks also increases.

Relationships[]

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Battle[]

The Heavy Gunner is the mini-boss of the Studiopolis Zone and the fifth overall boss in Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Plus. He is fought at the end of Studiopolis Zone Act 1.

In Sonic Mania, the Heavy Gunner is fought with Sonic, Tails or Knuckles. In Sonic Mania Plus, he is fought with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mighty or Ray.

Boss guide[]

The Heavy Gunner, alongside three Eggrobos, will come soaring through the sky towards the end of Studiopolis Zone Act 1, chasing the player. During the entire battle, the player is stuck in an Auto Running section, meaning both the player and the Heavy Gunner are constantly moving to the right. The Heavy Gunner flies at the top of the screen in a helicopter, accompanied by three Eggrobos.

The boss is relatively easy: the Heavy Gunner will periodically shoot three missiles: two of them will be red missiles while the last missile is colored blue. While the red missiles cause damage upon touch, the blue missile is the key to beating the Heavy Gunner, as hitting the blue missile with a Spin Attack or Spin Jump will cause the missile to rebound back to the Heavy Gunner, who will fly off-screen to dodge the attack and leave the missile to hit his company. Doing so three times will eliminate the platoon of Egg-Robos the Heavy Gunner brought with him as back-up. Between each hit, the player will get an opportunity to collect more Rings along the path. Hit the blue missiles once more to aim at the Heavy Gunner, who will be forced to flee from the scene just before the rocket hits the helicopter and destroys it. The player can then proceed to the Goal Plate and finish the Act.

Music[]

Name Artist(s) Length Music track
"Hi-Spec Robo Go! - Hard Boiled Heavies Boss" Tee Lopes, Falk Au Yeong (mixing) 1:49

Video[]

Sonic_Mania_Boss_5_-_Heavy_Gunner

Sonic Mania Boss 5 - Heavy Gunner


Trivia[]

  • The Heavy Gunner is the most prolific of the Hard Boiled Heavies, being the only member shown publicly before Sonic Mania released.
  • According to the YouTube video "How to Make a Badnik, with Dr. Eggman" uploaded by the official Sonic YouTube channel, the Heavy Gunner's weapon comically appears to be inspired by a pencil sharpener.[6]
  • Heavy Gunner being described as a "loose cannon" is a reference to cop movies that often feature protagonists matching that description.
  • The Heavy Gunner is the only member of the Hard Boiled Heavies that serves as an Act 1 boss; all other members appear as Act 2 bosses.
    • The Heavy Gunner is also the only member of the Hard Boiled Heavies that is never hit in the boss fight; the first three times, they hit Egg-Robos, and the last time hits the Heavy Gunner's helicopter.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Sonic Mania English instruction manual, "Characters".
  2. Sonic Mania Japanese instruction manual.
  3. Sonic the Hedgehog on Twitter. Twitter (27 June 2014). Retrieved on 10 March 2017. "Say hello to Eggman’s strong arms specialist, Hard Boiled Heavy member Heavy Gunner!"
  4. 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!"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Sonic Mania English instruction manual.
  6. How to Make a Badnik, with Dr. Eggman. YouTube (23 March 2017). Retrieved on 24 March 2017.

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