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A thrill-seeking robot that pulls off daring stunts. Better watch out for her dangerous jumps and her trusted Motobug, Jimmy.


— Description, Sonic Mania manual[1]

The Heavy Rider[1] (ヘビーライダー[2] Hebī Raidā?) is an antagonist that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. A member of the Hard Boiled Heavies, the Heavy Rider is the enhanced version of an Eggrobo created by Doctor Eggman after being struck with the power of the Phantom Ruby. The Heavy Rider is usually accompanied by her trusty steed, Jimmy.

Appearance[]

HeavyRiderSprite

Originally an Eggrobo, the Heavy Rider received a makeover when she stumbled upon the Phantom Ruby. Decorated as a knight, the Heavy Rider's design reflects that of a purple knight with a gray-colored helmet. She also has a black lower torso, red eyes, and gray appendages. She possesses three spikes on her chest and has purple forefeet.

History[]

Games[]

Sonic Mania[]

HardBoiledHeaviesTransformed

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

The Heavy Rider was originally an elite Eggrobo who handled the most extreme tasks for her creator, Dr. Eggman.[3] After detecting a mysterious energy source on Angel Island, Eggman sent the Heavy Rider and the other Hard Boiled Heavies to investigate.[4] Upon reaching Angel Island, she and her troops 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,[4] transforming the Heavy Rider into her knight attire along with her troops. As a side effect of the ruby, the Heavy Rider and her 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 Rider 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 troops fled with the gemstone. After that, the Hard Boiled Heavies planned to keep the Phantom Ruby for themselves. The Heavy Rider, now having a Motobug named Jimmy as her steed, and her troops 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 Rider and her troops then fled the scene.

The Heavy Rider and Jimmy appeared soon after in the Lava Reef Zone where they fought Sonic and Tails onboard a rocket heading for Little Planet. However, the heroic duo proved too much for the Heavy Rider, who fled from the fight after being defeated.

The Heavy Rider, now modified into the Phantom Rider alongside a modified-Jimmy, would later reappear to fight Sonic and co. again during their fight 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 Rider had been destroyed after the events in the Titanic Monarch Zone, her 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 Rider, just as Sonic and his companion caught up to them. The group's resurrection reverted the Phantom Rider back to the Heavy Rider, while also triggering a warp that sent them all to Green Hill Zone. There, the Heavy Rider and the Hard Boiled Heavies fled with the Phantom Ruby in hand. In the meantime, the Heavy Rider regained Jimmy as her steed. 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 Rider and her troops to flee the scene.

When Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mighty and Ray boarded a rocket heading for Little Planet in the Lava Reef Zone, the Heavy Rider and Jimmy showed up to challenge the heroes. However, she lost and had to retreat. When the heroic group later fought the Phantom Egg, the Heavy Rider, now re-upgraded into the Phantom Rider once more, fought Sonic and co. when her turn came, but was unable to defeat the heroes.

Personality[]

The Heavy Rider is said to have gotten a couple of screws loose after receiving newfound power from the Phantom Ruby. Besides this, she is said to be a courageous thrill-seeker who loves pulling off dangerous stunts.[1] It is also implied that she has a playful attitude, as confetti and a loud "YAY!" is heard as she jumps over her stunts in her battle arena.

Powers and abilities[]

The Heavy Rider possesses incredible strength, enough to swing around a giant metal flail with ease. She is also shown to be a masterful driver when riding her trusty steed, Jimmy.

Weapons[]

The Heavy Rider's main weapon of choice is a large, gray-colored mace that she uses to protect herself and attack her opponents.

Transformations[]

Phantom Rider[]

PhantomRider-sprite

The Phantom Rider, from Sonic Mania.

Through unknown means, the Heavy Rider can assume a more powerful state called the Phantom Rider. In this form, her external appearance does not change. Jimmy, on the other hand, has been transformed into a powerful motorcycle that is capable of driving around at high speed.

Relationships[]

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Battle[]

The Heavy Rider is one of the two final bosses for Lava Reef Zone (the other being the Heavy King) and the twentieth overall boss of Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Plus.

In Sonic Mania, the Heavy Rider is fought with Sonic or Tails at the end of their version of Lava Reef Zone Act 2. In Sonic Mania Plus, she is fought with Sonic, Tails, Mighty or Ray at the end of their version of Lava Reef Zone Act 2 in Mania Mode, and with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mighty or Ray at the end of Lava Reef Zone Act 2 in Encore Mode (if the right path is taken).

The fight takes place on-board a giant rocket set on a course for Little Planet. From Sonic Mania v1.0 to v1.03, the rocket never moves; as of Sonic Mania v1.04 and Sonic Mania Plus, the rocket will lift off just before the fight begins and will slowly rise up as the fight progresses.

Boss guide[]

During the fight, the Heavy Rider will continuously ride back and forth on Jimmy, swinging her mace around. Because of the mace and her high speed, she is a tricky foe to land hits on. If the player is about to collide with Jimmy, the Motobug will jump over them. Eventually, the Heavy Rider will perform one of two stunts:

  • She will drive up onto the ramps and make a daredevil jump over two flamethrowers that will spit fire all over the arena. This will get the crowd cheering and cause confetti to rain down on the arena. During this attack, the player must stay out of the center of the arena unless they have a Flame Shield.
  • She will ride off the left or right sides of the arena, rev up some speed, and zoom across to the other side with the mace held out in front of Jimmy. If she decides to do this right after the above stunt, she will leave a flaming trail that will hurt the player.

Hit the Heavy Rider eight times to have her and Jimmy flee from the scene. The player can then proceed to the Capsule and finish the Zone.

Music[]

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

Video[]

Sonic_Mania_Boss_21_-_Heavy_Rider

Sonic Mania Boss 21 - Heavy Rider


In other media[]

Books and comics[]

IDW Publishing[]

Dr. Eggman's Birthday[]
HeavyRiderIDW

Heavy Rider, from Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special.

In honor of Dr. Eggman's birthday, Heavy Rider, along with several other Badniks, launched an attack against Sonic the Hedgehog, only to be called off by Dr. Eggman himself, who ordered Heavy Rider and the other Badniks to return to his base. There, he lectured them about how they were unprepared to fight Sonic and explained why he did not want to celebrate his birthday. Heavy Rider explained that they just wanted to do something nice for him on his birthday, and despite her feeling ashamed for her involvement in the attempted assault, she still wished Eggman a happy birthday along with the other Badniks when the cake was brought out.[5]

Trivia[]

  • Oddly enough, the Heavy Rider's spiked flail is designed like the iron balls seen in Marble Garden Zone and Lava Reef Zone in-game, while in official art, the flail has a more plain design.
  • Prior to the release of version v1.04/Sonic Mania Plus, Heavy Rider released an Animal when defeated in Lava Reef Zone.
  • The sounds used when the Heavy Rider turns, jumps, or revs up come from Sonic Spinball.
  • Through Debug Mode, it is possible to fight the Heavy Rider in Lava Reef Zone as Knuckles.

Gallery[]

Concept artwork[]

Artwork[]

Gallery

Screenshots[]

Opening animation[]

Lava Reef Zone[]

Gallery

Titanic Monarch Zone[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Sonic Mania English instruction manual, "Characters.
  2. Sonic Mania Japanese instruction manual.
  3. 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 Eggrobos 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!"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Sonic Mania English instruction manual.
  5. Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special, "Dr. Eggman's Birthday"

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