Hedgehog

Hedgehogs (ハリネズミ, Harinezumi^?) are a species that appears in the video games, comic books and television series of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and its spin-offs. Unlike the real-life species, hedgehogs in the Sonic franchise are anthropomorphic animals, and many prominent characters in the franchise are hedgehogs, the most recognized of them being Sonic the Hedgehog. Several robotic copies of hedgehogs also exists, most of whom were created by Dr. Eggman in imitation of Sonic, the most famous of them being Metal Sonic.

Description

Anatomy

Sadxposter4 — Sonic and Amy, an example of a male and female hedgehog.

Hedgehogs appear mainly as anthropomorphic animals of their namesake species with anatomy closely resembling humans' shapes, though their body proportions vary from media to media. Features they do share include large heads, short fur on most of their bodies (excluding certain areas that differ between each individual) which is frequently bright-colored, short muzzles, and spiky quills on their heads of varying styles, similar to human hairstyles.

Like humans, male hedgehogs have masculine figures and female hedgehogs have more feminine curves. Also, while hedgehogs' exact height measurements remain ambiguous between each media, they appear to be about one meter tall at average.

Characteristics and culture

Character and culture-wise, hedgehogs are no different from humans, meaning they are sentient, intelligent, have their own unique personalities and can be either good or evil. They also have no known customs or culture associated with their species.

Powers and abilities

Hedgehogs often (but not uniformly) possess special abilities such as Speed and enhanced strength. It is also implied in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood that all hedgehogs in the games naturally possess the innate ability to move at high speeds.^[1] They also can curl into a ball and use ricochets to bounce around objects, which can prove damaging for anyone who ingests them, as Sonic demonstrated with a giant snake that ate him at one point in Sonic Forces, with his implying that this was the reason that hedgehogs are generally not eaten as meals.

List of Hedgehogs

Games

Comics

Archie Comics

In the Archie Comics, hedgehogs falls under a category of mobians and their bright fur colors are inherited traits. Sonic's blue pigmentation originates from his family (his parents and his uncle are also blue). That said, Amy and Rob O' the Hedge are cousins, yet one is pink and the other is teal, for no discernible reason.

Pre-Super Genesis Wave

Post-Super Genesis Wave

In Another Time, In Another Place

Sonic the Comic

In Sonic the Comic, most hedgehogs are brown. Sonic and Amy both were born brown, and gained their distinctive colors later due to accident and mutation.

Sonic the Hedgehog Manga

In the Sonic the Hedgehog manga by Shogakukan, hedgehogs come in a variety of colors and sizes, and also live in proper communities. In this continuity, Sonic is a disembodied spirit that takes possession of young Nikky, turning him into the hero.

IDW Publishing

Paramount

Sonic the Hedgehog

Cartoons

There are different varieties of hedgehogs in the cartoons. In Sonic X and Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, Sonic's blue color is not explained; in the other cartoons, it is an inherited color. The exception to this is Sonic Underground, where all his family members have their own color.

Sonic the Hedgehog

References

↑ BioWare (26 September 2008). Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Nintendo DS. Sega. "Codex: As a member of Sonic's team, Amy lends both speed and strength to the group, using her innate hedgehog speed and her immensely powerful Piko-Piko Hammer to good effect."

[0] BioWare (26 September 2008). Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Nintendo DS. Sega. "Codex: As a member of Sonic's team, Amy lends both speed and strength to the group, using her innate hedgehog speed and her immensely powerful Piko-Piko Hammer to good effect."

[1]

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