Imperator Ix (ノウェム Nowemu?), also known as Pir'Oth Ix[1] or simply Ix, is the main antagonist of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. He is an echidna and the leader of the Nocturnus Clan. A megalomaniac with a knack for techno-wizardry and Machiavellian politics, Ix orchestrated the theft of all seven Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald in a scheme to break the Nocturnus Clan out of the Twilight Cage and conquer Sonic's world.
History
Past
Ix has ruled the Nocturnus Clan echidnas "for as long as we can remember" (according to Shade in Chapter 6). Four thousand years ago, when the Nocturnus still lived on Sonic's world, it was Ix who incited the tribe to develop its Gizoid robots and wage war against their rivals the Knuckles Clan. Bloody warfare against Chief Pachacamac's warriors only ended when the Perfect Chaos cataclysm (recounted in Sonic Adventure) destroyed the Knuckles Clan, leaving Ix and the Nocturnus with no further obstacles on the road to complete conquest of the ancient world.
However, the Nocturnus Clan eventually fell victim to its own supernatural catastrophe: the Argus Event. Without warning or explanation, the entire civilization was uprooted from the earth and cast into the Twilight Cage: an inhospitable prison-dimension occupied by a host of fearsome alien races. Forced to adapt or die, Ix continued to lead the Nocturnus in the Cage's nightmarish environment, brokering strategic alliances and pitting his enemies against one another, as the Nocturnus society evolved in mere years from an ancient-era tribal civilization to a sinister technological empire based in their citadel of Nocturne. The echidnas were eventually able to subjugate or pacify their caged opponents, and turned their attentions to escape.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
At the start of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Ix dispatches Procurator Shade and a large force of Nocturnus soldiers back to Sonic's world using the warp belt technology developed by the Nocturnus inside the Cage. They are successful in their endeavor, claiming the seven Chaos Emeralds, and the Imperator himself later comes to Angel Island to personally capture the Master Emerald. After fighting Sonic and the descendant of his old Knuckles clan rivals, Knuckles, to a standstill Ix declares his intentions of world domination and immediately punishes Shade for insubordination. Ix then takes the Master Emerald, opens a wormhole, and retreats to the Twilight Cage to prepare his invasion.
During the second half of the game, Sonic pursues Ix into the Cage and marshals the other imprisoned races against the Nocturnus. After the heroes fight their way to the throne room of the Nocturne citadel, defeating all guards present, Ix attempts to convince Knuckles to side with the Nocturnus echidnas—but to no avail. After fighting three consecutive battles, the Imperator remains unbroken. He uses the Chaos energy from the emeralds infusing Nocturne to achieve his Super State. But after being defeated by Super Sonic, Ix still won't go down; and he teleports away as the Nocturne begins to fall apart.
Personality
Ix is arrogant on a cosmic scale, considering those below him as "dust" or "worms," but has no qualms with getting his hands dirty if the situation necessitates it. Prolonged isolation in the Twilight Cage has driven him insane, instilling within him a power-mad desire to conquer Sonic's world instead of merely returning to it. He is a cruel and manipulative leader, ruling the races he has conquered through ruthlessness and cunning to keep them under control, even if they could end up annihilating themselves in the process. As the unquestioned leader of the Nocturnus, Ix demands complete loyalty from all his soldiers, swiftly punishing those who dare to so much as question him, such as Shade.
Being the mastermind behind many of the Nocturnus Clan's major strategies, Ix is quite intelligent and cunning. When Angel Island remained out of reach due to GUN, Ix pulled the island to him using the Chaos Emeralds' relationship with the Master Emerald rather than launching a full-scale assault. Also, to escape the Twilight Cage without interference, Ix gave some of the Chaos Emeralds to races in the cage not fully enslaved, knowing that their thirsts for power would keep them occupied with each other. On occasion Ix acts diplomatically, such as when he attempts to persuade Knuckles to join him in freeing the last of the echidnas, but when this fails he immediately turns to violence.
Powers and abilities
Ix is noted to be a very powerful individual, having been described as "powerful on a possibly cosmic scale," and is easily the strongest member of the Nocturnus Clan. His strength is so great that he defeated the previously undefeated General Raxos single-handedly and that the residents of the Twilight Cage consider facing his wrath an act of utter madness.
Referred to as a "techno-wizard" by Knuckles, Ix is capable of projecting harmful energy as beams, spheres and blasts, the strongest of which have enough power to engulf a large portion of Angel Island. He is also capable of levitation and can teleport, the latter is mostly likely due to a warp belt. He has as well shown some proficiency in stick fighting as he uses a scepter in battle. Additionally, he has the ability to harness chaos energy to empower himself.
The following is a list of POW moves Ix has in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood:
- Doom Orb: Ix shoots a green energy ball that, if not perfectly avoided, instantly KOs one member of the team.
- Power Blast: Ix shoots a green energy beam from his scepter.
- Dark Anomaly (ダークグラビティー Dākugurabiti?, lit. "Dark Gravity"): A move similar to Chaos Rift.
- Overload: Only used move as Imperator Ix, a higher-powered version of Dark Anomaly.
Weapons
Ix carries around a staff that he uses in combat. This staff is golden and topped with a hollow gear, which is missing a segment. In battle, Ix can use it as either a melee weapon or to channel energy, allowing him to argument his strikes or launch energy attacks.
Super transformation
Like Sonic, Ix is able to initiate a super transformation to enter a Super State by harnessing large amounts of chaos energy. In this form, Ix's innate talents are vastly increased, allowing him fight on par with Super Sonic.
Stats
| Number of actions | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 350 | |
| Speed | 23 | |
| Attack | 30 | |
| Defense | 32 | |
| Luck | 18 | |
| Damage | 45 | |
| Armor | 40 | |
| Elemental affinities |
Resistance | Wind (25%) Water (50%) |
| Weakness | Fire (25%) Ice (10%) Lightning (10%) Earth (10%) | |
| Number of actions | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 1600 | |
| Speed | 45 | |
| Attack | 60 | |
| Defense | 53 | |
| Luck | 36 | |
| Damage | 95 | |
| Armor | 50 | |
| Elemental affinities |
Resistance | Wind (25%) Water (50%) |
| Weakness | Fire (25%) Ice (10%) Lightning (10%) Earth (10%) | |
| Number of actions | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 800 | |
| Speed | 45 | |
| Attack | 60 | |
| Defense | 51 | |
| Luck | 30 | |
| Damage | 90 | |
| Armor | 35 | |
| Elemental affinities |
Resistance | Wind (25%) Water (50%) |
| Weakness | Fire (25%) Ice (10%) Lightning (10%) Earth (10%) | |
In other media
Archie Comics
Pir'Oth Ix appears in the Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series and spin-offs. In the comics, Ix is the leader of the Nocturnus Clan, the advanced sciences caste of a group of echidna colonists from Albion. They settled in Soumerca, where Ix and the Nocturnus Clan remained behind and entered a territorial war against the Felidae and the Knuckles Clan, until Ix and his people were mysteriously trapped in the Twilight Cage. Inside this prison, Ix and the Nocturnus Clan managed to conquer the other alien race there and took over the entire dimension. Ix is currently researching the Twilight Cage to find the means of returning to Mobius and conquer it.
Trivia
- Although it is never mentioned in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, "Pir'Oth Ix" is given in the title of his character information box on the game's official website.[1]
- Ix's design is reminiscent of two other white-furred, technophilic echidnas from alternative Sonic continuities: Doctor Finitevus, from the Archie Comics, and Doctor Zachary, from Fleetway's Sonic the Comic. In fact, Ix may have been influenced by these characters, just as Shade may have been influenced by Julie-Su.
- There is a possibility that Ix is in fact, insane. As stated by Shade that he "has gone mad from his years in the Twilight Cage." The fact that he's insane could connect back to Dr. Finitevus from Archie, who is also insane; but he went insane from too much chaos energy.
- Unlike other members of the Nocturnus Clan, Ix does not disappear in a flash of light when he is defeated.
- Coincidentally, Ix's staff is shaped similarly to the Jeweled Scepter.
Gallery
Artwork
| Gallery |
|---|
Screenshots
| Gallery |
|---|
 Imperator Ix making his first appearance before Sonic and Knuckles.  Imperator Ix spotting Knuckles and Shade.  Imperator Ix without his battle armor.  Imperator Ix in battle.  Imperator Ix Power Throne.  Ix's profile on the website for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood |
References
Template:Sonic Game Characters