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I've changed a lot since I've started hanging with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself!


— Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic Adventure

Miles Prower (マイルス・パウアー Mairusu Pauā?), better known as Tails (テイルス Teirusu?), is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic young fox who, due to a genetic abnormality, was born with two distinct twin-tails, hence his nickname. Due to his abnormality, Tails was a victim of bullying during his youth. One day, however, he met Sonic the Hedgehog and was inspired to be like him after seeing him run like the wind. Tails soon after began following Sonic on his adventures and has since become his best friend and sidekick. He is able to use his twin-tails to fly by rotating them like helicopter rotors and is a mechanic genius and aerial pilot.

A bright, energetic, and curious fox,[10] Tails was initially timid and lacked courage. After meeting Sonic, however, he has become more confident, eventually growing into a more outgoing, brave, independent individual and a hero in his own right. Since encountering Sonic, Tails has looked up to him and stood by his side in order to help him whenever he can, having travelled around the world and far beyond alongside him,[11] usually to stop the ambitions of the evil Dr. Eggman.

Concept and creation[]

Sonic-2-Tails-Sketches-I

Various sketches of Tails, taken from the console/PC version of Sonic Generations.

The concept of Tails was known to be founded during the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. After some discussion about making a sequel to the original Sonic the Hedgehog, a fraction of the Sonic Team went to work with Sega of America's Sega Technical Institute. A new element they wanted to introduce was a character that would both serve as a companion to Sonic the Hedgehog and hopefully draw the attention of new players to the franchise.

A contest was held at STI in which Yasushi Yamaguchi, originally the main artist and level designer for Sonic Team, won. The character was going to hold a "deep admiration for Sonic".[12] The name "Miles Prower" is a play on the term "miles per hour," a unit of measurement for speed, and also the word "power".[13] However, "power" was changed to "prower" due to making the character sound too powerful. Yamaguchi's entry won, but marketing director Al Nilsen and product manager Madeline Schroeder convinced the team to change the name from "Miles" to "Tails", in which Yamaguchi was not pleased.[14] Alternately, Yuji Naka claimed that the name "Tails" came up during his meeting with a producer from ABC at the time.[15] The team and Yamaguchi came to a compromise: the name "Miles" would serve as the character's legal name, while "Tails" would be his nickname, resulting in the full name of Miles "Tails" Prower.

Yuji Naka has stated that the character was originally intended to be a tanuki (a raccoon-like canine native to East Asia and extremely popular in Japanese folklore), who had been modeled after a UFO catcher plushie.[16] However, Yasushi Yamaguchi has stated that was misinformation regarding a different project, and Tails was intended to be a fox from the beginning.[17] Naka had told Yamaguchi to make Tails cute, like Kitsune in Urusei Yatsura.[13] Yamaguchi also wanted to make Tails cute to appeal to Japan, as the first Sonic game wasn't as popular there compared to America.[13] Initially Tails was designed with only one tail, but he received his twin-tails for a stronger impact inspired by Myau from Phantasy Star, and to grow more of a personality.[13][16] Tails was also always intended to be a boy despite wild rumors of him being mistaken as a girl at the time.[15] Tails was originally not going to have sclera, only completely black, round eyes. Yamaguchi also created Tails with the image of him being five years old, despite his official age ending up being eight. Despite Tails' three bangs usually being depicted erupting from the middle of his head, his creator intended them to be coming from the right side.[17] The relationship between Tails and Sonic was also inspired by the relationship between the characters Gohan and Piccolo from the Dragon Ball franchise.[18]

During the development of Sonic Adventure, Sonic Team had trouble while converting the established characters into 3D. However, the feeling that Sonic's design was "dated" allowed the developers to give him, Tails, and the rest of the cast a redesign. Kazuyuki Hoshino, art director of the game, recalled that "retro" games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man at the time were becoming popular again due to them appearing in "urban street" fashion and with indie music. This made the team want to make the franchise appeal to this type of subculture, or at least "have some cool T-shirts with Sonic on them".[19] An internal contest was held at Sega to determine who would be in charge of redesigning the characters, which Yuji Uekawa, character designer for Sonic R, won. His redesign saw Tails gaining visible blue irises, and turning slightly slimmer and taller. Additionally, like how it renamed Dr. Robotnik to "Eggman" in the West, Sonic Adventure made the name "Tails" become the mainstream in Japan, where the character was more commonly referred to as "Miles" before then.[19]

Appearance[]

Tails is a young anthropomorphic fox with a unique genetic mutation giving him two tails instead of one. He possesses mostly amber fur with white fur around his muzzle with cheek tufts, front torso with fluffy fur on top of his chest, and the tips of his tails. He also has large triangular ears with white canals on top of his head, a small black nose, and three locks of hair on his forehead.

During his early years, up until before the Chaos incident, Tails had a roughly round torso and short, thin legs. He also had black eyes and yellow fur, though the latter has been portrayed inconsistently, often giving him orangish fur. Since the Chaos incident, Tails has become slightly taller, with a more rectangular torso shaped like a pear, longer legs, a larger head, and bushier twin-tails. His eyes have also turned sky blue, and his ears have become slightly bigger than before. Also, his fur has been turned amber.

For attire, Tails wears cuffed white gloves with a gray band around each wrist, white socks; and shoes that are red from the heel to the middle and white from the middle to the toe with gray soles, each with a gray band (formerly a light blue belt strap held by a white buckle) around the ankle.

On special occasions, Tails has worn different outfits:

  • For the purpose of Extreme Gear racing, Tails replaces the bands on his wrists and ankles with silver metal bracelets. He also wears goggles with sky blue lenses, gray frames and black straps on his head, and a pair of red shoes with white toes and cuffs, two white straps each with yellow fasteners, gray soles, and white tongues with a red square on them.
  • During The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog he is depicted wearing a plaid shirt with a fedora between his ears
  • On holidays, Tails keeps his gloves and shoes, but he also wears a green and red Santa hat, and a green jacket with two yellow buttons on the torso and a black line on its bottom.
  • During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Tails maintained his gloves and shoes, but he also wore a Princeton orange and black, sleeveless shirt.


Personality[]

Sonic Jam

Tails' profile, from Sonic Jam.

Tails can be described as a gentle, sweet, kind and loyal fox with a good and positive attitude.[20][21][22][23][24] While he started out as timid and quiet due to being the victim of bullying, meeting Sonic caused him to open up and become more outgoing over time,[23] having strived to be more like his idol, giving him a progressively brighter, more positive and energetic personality.[25] Tails is not one to grasp the spotlight for himself. Instead, he is always ready and willing to help others without asking for anything in return.

Unlike Sonic, who is constantly hyperactive, Tails is somewhat calmer and more controlled. He has a passion for mechanics, and he finds himself most at home in his workshop working on his next creation.[26] Despite his great skills, he is very humble about his abilities and has not realized how useful his scientific skills are yet.[27][28] Because of this, he sometimes underestimates how much his inventions have helped his friends, and as such, he has yet to discover the true potential of what he can accomplish.[28][29]

Due to having hung out with Sonic for so long, the fox has become somewhat smug like his best friend over time;[30] by the time of the Lost Hex incident, he had become more confident and outspoken about his intelligence, engaging in more friendly banter with Sonic and mentioning his previous accomplishments more frequently. In contrast, he has been known to insult Dr. Eggman and his creations.

Despite his development, Tails can still be timid and withdrawn at times[24][31] and can sometimes sink into self-doubt and insecurity, specially when his creations are insulted or when he feels left aside in favor of others. The status quo of his relationship with Sonic, created from the hedgehog's authority over him, initially placed a mental stranglehold on Tails that made him dependent on Sonic. As such, he often lacked initiative and confidence when alone. However, a turning point for Tails came during the Chaos incident; when Station Square was in danger of being destroyed, and with Sonic nowhere to be found, Tails realized that he could not depend on Sonic forever and had to try on his own. After saving Station Square, Tails realized he could be independent and support himself without Sonic, and all he needed was determination and faith. Since then, Tails has become more independent, self-confident, motivated and brave, rising up to be a real hero when needed.

Despite his insecurity in times of weakness, Tails is always willing to support his friends with a clear mind. He constantly tries his hardest to help in some way, typically by making machines or other devices. Additionally, he hopes to one day be self-sufficient and independent like Sonic to prove he can be relied upon.[29] Also, even though Tails still enjoys being Sonic's sidekick, he believes that he can do almost anything if he puts his mind to it.

Tails profile SG

Tails' profile, from the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Generations.

During their earlier adventures together, Tails strove to become just like Sonic by replicating the mannerisms he found admirable. In this period, Tails was content with being Sonic's sidekick as he was just happy to hang out with Sonic. As Tails grew as a person, he would still remain as close to Sonic as ever and look up to him as he has always done, but his esteem about Sonic's heroics have dwindled, as these days he cares more about inventing than Sonic's heroic deeds.

Despite his intelligence and general fearlessness, Tails can be naive and big mouthed, such as during the Space Colony ARK incident, when he accidentally confirmed Eggman's suspicions that the Chaos Emerald that Sonic had was a fake, thus ruining the heroes' plans. He has a tendency to talk technobabble, much to the irritation of his friends, showing that he does not always use tact in a situational matter. Nevertheless, Tails is supportive of his friends, willing to be by their side no matter how dangerous the situation might be, and will do whatever it takes to help them, even if it means sacrificing himself for them.

Powers and abilities[]

You've got brains like Eggman, speed like me, and can fly with your butt.


Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Frontiers

Though not as much on the forefront in battles as other characters, Tails is still an accomplished fighter. On his own, he has defeated several of Dr. Eggman's robots and combat mechs, and even single-handedly defeated the entire Battle Kukku Empire and Witchcart's gang during their respective incidents. He can also head-to-head with other skilled fighters like Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, and Chaos.[32]

KMPlayer 2016-09-27 12-27-30-826

Tails using his two tails to keep up with Sonic, from Sonic Colors.

Due to a genetic abnormality, Tails is bequeathed with two large, fluffy tails that can twirl together. Over time, he has learned to use them to his advantage in many situations. Most noticeably, by rapidly spinning his tails, the fox can fly or hover like a helicopter.[33] While in flight, Tails can move around with outstanding agility and enough speed to keep up with even Sonic,[34] who can run at light speed. However, he gets fatigued if he uses them to stay in flight for too long.

Vlc 2016-09-26 23-36-44-159

Tails holding a toothpick with his tail, from Sonic Lost World.

By manipulating the curvature of his twin-tails, Tails can glide through midair. He can also use his twin-tails as a rear turbine to sail across the ground at speeds great enough to let him stand a chance against Sonic in a race. By using them in said manner underwater, his twin-tails become rear propellers that let him move around underwater with ease. They are also quite powerful limbs, being both strong and fast enough to slice through metal, and highly prehensile, having once grabbed a toothpick from a sandwich by its tip and then used it to type on a keyboard.

Even without his twin-tails, Tails can move at exceptionally high speeds. He is able to keep up with Sonic's speed on foot[35] and even once cut the hedgehog off repeatedly using extremely swift movements.[36] While Sonic Battle stated Tails' speed to be 'average',[37] and Tails himself has admitted in spite of his feats that he is still slower than Sonic[38], several sources since then have indicated otherwise. Previous mentions of his speed are from events that antedate Sonic Battle, and Sonic himself states Tails is as fast him in Sonic Frontiers. Tails is also quite physically strong, having enough strength to hold up both Sonic and Knuckles at once and move 10 ton weights. He is also tough enough to withstand atmospheric re-entry and then land on the ground unharmed.[39] In addition, Tails has demonstrated great feats of acrobatic skills and agility, he can effortlessly grind on rails and pull off different acrobatic tricks while airborne. He is also good at swimming and cooking.

Tails has also demonstrated the ability to harness Chaos Emerald energy for his own use, although this is an ability he uses sparingly. By harnessing the Chaos Emeralds, he can give himself a boost in power.[40][41]

Tails possesses a genius-level intellect, knowledge of electrical engineering,[33] and is a skilled inventor. Described as a natural born mechanic with genius-leveled prowess in this field[20][42] as well as a master mechanic,[43] Tails is as talented as Dr. Eggman,[27][29] who has an IQ of 300. Tails even once claimed he is smart enough to build a TV out of paperclips and reprogram a supercomputer using a toothpick and dishwashing detergent. As a testament to his skills, when presented with foreign technology, even of the advanced kind, Tails only needs to take a few looks to understand it.[44] He is likewise quick to grasp new forms of technology, and once he develops an understanding of it, he excels at said technology.[45] Tails also has a knack for building things, to the point that his friends believe that there is nothing he cannot build.[29][46] Said to excel at creating roots and flying machines,[43] Tails has created a number of inventions that often have gotten both him and Sonic out of trouble and let them stay just ahead of Eggman's schemes. These creations include his transformable Tornado series of airplanes, his combat equipment, his Emerald Detector, the Sea Fox, the Lunar Fox, a fake Chaos Emerald and his multifunctional Miles Electric to name a few. Among the different fields of his expertise, Tails is also a capable Extreme Gear mechanic who can create, customize and tune Gears. Though he is Wave the Swallow's lesser as an Extreme Gear mechanic,[47] his skills are still good enough to impress Wave,[48] which is a considerable feat.

While mechanics are his specialty, Tails is also well-versed in physics and science, enough to come up with solid theories regarding matters as complex as time and space.[49][50] Combined with his mechanical skills, Tails can construct different vessels that can travel between dimensions. In addition, Tails has shown that he can read and translate binary and hexadecimal language. He is also a history buff who knows a lot about his world and its lore.

In direct combat, Tails utilizes a fighting style that combines a blend of basic punches and/or swipes with his twin-tails. When applied in battle, his twin-tails become like whips that can lash out with significant power across a wide range. Tails can as well spin around with his twin-tails at high speeds to become a dangerous top that can tear through opponents. Tails also has a number of aerial maneuvers to get advantage over ground-bound opponents. These maneuvers let him launch attacks at foes from above or fly at them with increased momentum.[51] During some of his tougher periods of battles, Tails has also been known to complement his fighting style with gadgets.

Tails' Spin Jump

Tails using the Spin Jump, from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Tails is also able to perform the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Tails can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed. Adept in its usage, Tails can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both ground and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, and Homing Attack.

Tails has excellent skills when it comes to piloting aircrafts and driving vehicles,[5] including mechs and racecars. He also has incredible aerial dogfighting skills, being able to win areal battles against massive ships like the Egg Carrier and Egg Cauldron with his personalized biplanes. Tails is also a talented Extreme Gear rider in his own right, and possibly one of the best in the world due to his ability to go head-to-head with the Babylon Rogues, who are considered the best Extreme Gear riders around. On an Extreme Gear, he has enough skills to ride through mid-air with great control.

Equipment and weapons[]

As shown on several occasions, Tails tends to make use of various mechanical devices to improve his prowess in different situations, such as his Magic Hand, Energy Cannon device, and Big Hand.[52] He also occasionally carries around a wide arsenal of bombs, from basic explosives, to remote-controlled mines. He also has equipment for support, like healing devices, bots for fortifying his defenses and the Helmet. Another example is his Cyclone mech, which can transform into a car, a monoplane, or a bipedal mech equipped with hover engines, a Volkan Cannon minigun, a laser target, a grappling hook, different missile launchers, and a large frontal multi-colored laser cannon.

Once, Tails made use of the Boomering, which could pull and latch onto objects like a grappling hook. On a few occasions, he has also used Dummy Rings as projectile weaponry. While on the Starfall Islands, Tails also made great use of wrenches as weapons, as well a laser blaster that he could turn into a pile driver.

Transformations[]

Super Tails[]

Main article: Super Tails
Tailssupershield

Super Tails, from Sonic Heroes.

By using all seven Chaos Emeralds, Tails can enter a Super State, transforming him into Super Tails. In this state, all of Tails' abilities far surpass his normal ones. He is also able to fly without his twin-tails, and is nearly invulnerable. However, this transformation consumes a lot of energy and requires Rings to be maintained.

Hyper Tails[]

Main article: Hyper Tails
Hyper-Tails-Gif-2

Hyper Tails, from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

By using all seven Super Emeralds, Tails can transform into Hyper Tails. In this state all of Tails' innate abilities far surpass his normal ones, and ever those of Super Tails. Additionally, this form appears to grant Tails greater manipulation of Chaos Emerald energy, allowing for him to pass it on to Animals such as Flickies, granting them a Super State of their own.

Hyper Mode[]

Main article: Hyper Mode

A weaker variant of the super transformation. Tails is capable of using this mode for a brief time on his own by drawing power from the Chaos Emeralds. In Hyper Mode, Tails' speed and attack power greatly increase.

Color Powers[]

Main article: Color Power

By harnessing different variants of Hyper-go-on from Wisps, Tails can use specific Color Powers to transform into a certain form, such as a drill, a laser or even a planet, each one possessing its own unique abilities. So far, Tails has been able to transform into the Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill, and Indigo Asteroid. However, these transformations require a steady supply of Hyper-go-on to be maintained.

Weaknesses[]

Tails has a tendency to talk too much as shown during the Space Colony ARK incident, when he revealed to Dr. Eggman that the Chaos Emerald Sonic was trying to give him was a fake. He is also said to be afraid of thunder,[5] ghosts,[53] and, rather ironically, great heights.[54]

Although Tails is capable of flying and gliding on his own with his twin tails, this requires great effort and stamina, and it can exhaust him heavily. He can get fatigued more easily if he is carrying something while flying, although this is dependent on the weight of what he is carrying.

Tails occasionally lacks self-confidence but has been shown to get over this weakness on some occasions, and has most recently dedicated himself to overcoming it entirely.

One of Tails' bigger weaknesses is his meekness towards women. He is easily flustered, something typically attributed to his young age. This allows him to be easily manipulated by Amy's overzealousness or Rouge's flirtatious nature should they want his help.

Relationships[]

Sonic the Hedgehog[]

Sonic Colors - Cutscene 29 - Screenshot 1

Tails and Sonic sharing a fist bump, from the Wii version of Sonic Colors.

Sonic has asked me for the first time to do something for him. I won't let him down, I won't give up!


— Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic the Hedgehog is Tails' best friend, as the two have been inseparable since they first met during the West Side Island incident. On West Side Island, while walking sad and depressed, Tails saw Sonic running at incredibly high speeds. He was impressed by the cool blue hedgehog and gained a strong admiration for him, eventually starting to follow him around,[55] though he was still afraid of him. When he got closer to him however, the two quickly became close friends, with the fox even willing to go save Sonic from the exploding Death Egg at the end of the West Side Island incident and the second part of the Angel Island incident.

SonicTailsBros

Tails and Sonic, from Sonic Advance 3.

Sonic and Tails are always there to help each other, their friendship having grown to the point where they have a brotherly relationship, which started with the fox idolizing his friend and calling him his hero.[56][57] In fact, despite the many adventures he has had with the hedgehog, he still considers him the greatest person in the world.[55] Additionally, Tails' skills as a mechanic and his intellectual prowess has several times been a great aid to Sonic on his many adventures.[55] During the Gemerl incident, they were noted to have an "Unbreakable Bond", and they have even been referred to as the "fastest, coolest duo of all time".[55] Together, they have proven themselves a near-perfect duo; both provides strengths to the other's weaknesses (Tails provides the smarts while Sonic handles the muscle), and they have demonstrated profound teamwork in combat. During the Ifrit incident, it was shown that Sonic trains Tails to learn how to run and fight in their free time. Whenever Sonic has an adventure, he always comes to Tails and asks him to come along and Tails is always ready to help. Tails also used to depend on Sonic a lot, but later realized that he cannot depend on him forever. Despite having gained this mentality though, Tails can sometimes fall back on his reliance on Sonic when he finds himself in a seemingly hopeless situation, like when he called for Sonic to save him when got attacked by a Chaos Phantom Copy during the War to Take Back the Planet. Nonetheless, even though he has come to Sonic's aid on many occasions, from his point of view, the hedgehog is still the coolest person on the planet and he looks up to him more than anyone else.[55]

Despite his admiration of him, Tails can sometimes get impatient and annoyed by Sonic's fast-paced behavior and attitude. He downright hates when his friend ignores him, as seen when they boarded the Egg Carrier during the Chaos incident, and he gets annoyed when the hedgehog leaves him hanging when he runs off or when he is planning to do reckless things without much thinking, such as when Sonic planned to just smash the Extractor during the Lost Hex incident. Despite facing such cases, though, Tails remains loyal to Sonic and stands by his side to aid him no matter what.

Tails cares extremely much for Sonic, having sacrificed himself to save him on different occasions to ensure Sonic's safety when he is too careless or reckless. Even more so, when Tails thought Sonic was gone for good after his battle with Infinite at the beginning of the War to Take Back the Planet, he lost his way in the aftermath for six months until his spirit was lifted by the arrival of the Sonic of the past. Furthermore, he was overjoyed to learn that Sonic was alive shortly thereafter.

Although Tails always has Sonic's back, he does not always necessarily approve of his decisions. When Sonic formed an alliance with Eggman to stop the Deadly Six's abuse of the Extractor during the Lost Hex incident, Tails' friendship with Sonic became strained. Believing that Sonic trusted Eggman, his own nemesis, more than him to shut down the Extractor, Tails became rather frustrated and angry at Sonic's apparent lack of faith in him and they even got into an argument when he told him how much it hurt thinking that Sonic trusted Eggman more. It became further strained when Sonic scolded Tails for putting Cubot's head on a battle mech, which almost got him killed. At the end however, Tails forgave Sonic after he apologized for doubting him, mending their brotherly bond.

Perhaps the biggest strength of Tails and Sonic's friendship is the united bond their hearts share. Whenever the two are around each other, they both feel as if they can overcome any struggle they may be facing. Also, without even having to say anything to each other, they know inside of themselves what is needed of themselves to be a good partner to the other. As such, it can be speculated that there is something that surpasses even trust between the two of them.[55]

Amy Rose[]

SA2 Tailamy

Tails and Amy, from Sonic Adventure 2.

For the most part, Amy Rose and Tails have a friendly relationship with each other. They are usually together when they and Sonic are out saving the world, although Sonic uses Tails to distract Amy in order to escape from her or avoid contact during a mission. Tails usually responds to this with a lack of confidence as he too is not a fan of her anger.

Amy also at times will come to Tails' defense, like when Wave the Swallow insulted Tails, where Amy got angry at her words after she left. Tails has also saved Amy numerous times when Sonic could not. During the Chaos incident, when the Egg Carrier was losing altitude and about to crash, Sonic told Tails to act quickly and take Amy to safety. Tails also saved Amy a few more times from Dr. Eggman at the time of the Space Colony ARK incident, saving her along with Sonic from the exploding Prison Island, and also rescuing her when Eggman had her at gunpoint on the Space Colony ARK.

Knuckles the Echidna[]

Screenshot 20171107-132303

Tails and Knuckles in the Tornado 2, from Sonic Heroes.

I'm not ready to give up, just yet!
That's the spirit, Tails!


— Tails and Knuckles, Sonic Heroes

Tails is close friends with Knuckles the Echidna. Although they do not seem to have much of a relationship early on, when they first met during the Angel Island incident, Tails and Knuckles were enemies, as Dr. Robotnik had tricked the echidna into believing Tails and Sonic were intruders seeking the Master Emerald for evil purposes, though they become friends later on when Knuckles discovers that Robotnik had lied to him. Tails interact more than Knuckles as does with Sonic, and while the two do not see each other as rivals, Tails does occasionally tend to irritate Knuckles with his technobabble, albeit this is not intentional. Likewise, Knuckles seems to enjoy teasing Tails from time to time, such as when he scared Tails with the idea that they fought with Shadow's ghost (believing that he was dead) just before entering Hang Castle during the Neo Metal Sonic incident. Despite this, Knuckles is one of Tails' best friends, and the two have teamed up on numerous occasions through the series.

Knuckles has shown that he cares for Tails, such as when he assured him that Dr. Eggman is nothing to worry about when they joined Sonic at the start of the Neo Metal Sonic incident, or when he furiously defended Tails after Wave mocked him during the first World Grand Prix.

Dr. Eggman[]

Tailz.amy

Tails with Dr. Eggman and Amy, from Sonic Adventure 2.

Eggman! I won't let you get away with this! I promised Sonic I wouldn't give up and I won't. I'll make you pay for this!


— Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic Adventure 2

Dr. Eggman is Tails' greatest enemy. The two first met during the West Side Island incident, where the fox, being in Sonic's side, fought against the doctor. However, they did not interact very often early on. This changed during the Chaos incident, where Tails had managed to stop Eggman from destroying Station Square and later defeating him during a battle in which the doctor piloted the Egg Walker. Throughout the Space Colony ARK incident, Tails had a rivalry with Eggman, fighting him on Prison Island, and later onboard the Space Colony ARK, after Eggman blasted Sonic into space. After this, they put their rivalry aside to prevent the ARK from destroying the earth, and the two were seen talking to each other in a somewhat civil manner following their success.

During the Lost Hex incident, Tails showed much more hostility towards Eggman than Sonic did, commenting about his lackeys' incompetence and resenting Sonic's decision to work with Eggman instead of trusting Tails. However, Tails would regain some respect for the doctor later on, as he began recognizing his mistakes. Despite this, though, when Eggman betrayed the fox and Sonic, they became enemies again.

During the War to Take Back the Planet, Tails retained some of the rivalry with Eggman. While Classic Sonic battled the doctor, the fox made some barbed comments regarding Eggman's qualities as a scientist, or failings within, such as claiming that the doctor's "underestimation" of his expectations meant that he actually failed. Similarly, when Eggman claimed that his recent incarnation of the Egg Dragoon only lost 10% of its current combat prowess thanks to Classic Sonic's actions, Tails claimed that the scientist was bluffing. After the Avatar undid Eggman's ultimate plan via a Phantom Ruby prototype, Tails told him that a good scientist always "checks and double-checks" their work.

For all their mutual hatred for each other, Tails does appear to respect Eggman's skills as an engineer. Being the aspiring mechanic and inventor he is, the fox has expressed admiration towards the doctor's Egg Carrier during the Chaos incident, wishing he could build a ship as cool as Eggman's flying fortress.[58][59]

Shadow the Hedgehog[]

CIRCUS42

Tails and Shadow in Circus Park, from Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow the Hedgehog and Tails first met during the Space Colony ARK incident, where they were enemies at first. However, they later became allies when they had to save the planet from the ARK.

For the most part, Tails and Shadow's relationship seems to depend on their goals. During the Neo Metal Sonic incident they fought very briefly because Shadow and Rouge had provoked Team Sonic into fighting them, although they teamed up later on. During the Emerl incident, they had a fight because the former resisted giving up Emerl to Shadow. When Shadow threatened Tails that he would have to give Emerl up or else they would fight for him, Tails admitted that he admires Shadow's spirit but would not give up in a fight. When Tails won the fight, Shadow warned him that he would be back again to get Emerl, but Rouge showed up and told Shadow to go back to Night Babylon. During the Ifrit incident, Shadow and Metal Sonic confronted Tails and Sonic because they were all going after Eggman.

However, Shadow and Tails also get along very well together. Despite their disagreements, Tails still respects Shadow to a certain point and has believed in his capabilities during their many adventures.[60][61]

Wave the Swallow[]

Tails and Wave (Sonic Free Riders Opening)

Tails and Wave, from Sonic Free Riders.

Wave the Swallow and Tails are rivals as inventors since they both are mechanical geniuses. During the first World Grand Prix, Wave was impressed by Tails' inventions, but could not admit it, saying that he made "a piece of junk". She also teased Tails by calling him "shorty". During the MeteorTech incident, the two did not seem to rival each other in anything. When Wave was hurt by the robots, Tails even helped her get up. However, during the second World Grand Prix, the two kept their rivalry, although they did not interact much with each other.

Rouge the Bat[]

Sonic Battle Kiss

Rouge kissing Tails, from Sonic Battle.

Tails and Rouge the Bat have a friendly though sometimes tense relationship. They will usually get along, but Rouge occasionally loves to tease Tails. Rouge has accumulated a variety of nicknames for Tails, most notably "Cutie" and "Foxboy".

In Sonic Adventure 2, Tails was basically unaware of Rouge's presence, but this was because Rouge was sent by Eggman to spy on Tails when he was trying to find the President. After that their interaction stopped until the Ark was set on its collision course with the earth.

In Sonic Battle, Rouge would use her charm to tease Tails, even kissing Tails should he lose their bet for the access card, as her reward for winning. She was however very helpful in Tails' story as she gave him the access card for the Central Computer Room whether or not he won the fight, broke up Tails and Shadows' fight, and told Tails how to escape the Guard Robots. Later on in Rouge's story, Tails had to stop Rouge from stealing a Chaos Emerald. In Sonic Free Riders, Tails was angered with Rouge's selfish and unsympathetic behavior towards her teammate E-10000B.

In The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, as a favor in return for her assistance in Tails' investigation, Rouge enlists Tails' help in stealing a valuable Fabergé Egg from the Mirage Express. Specifically, she finds Tails' genius to be of great use in disarming the security and robotic train arms along the way, and later Tails' deductive skills in reasoning how the fabergé egg wasn't a bomb as she feared. Although Tails is somewhat uncertain about the morality involved and tries to reign in Rouge's urge to pickpocket along the way, Tails feels very proud that their meticulous plan goes off without a hitch, and later admits that he had a lot of fun working with Rouge.

Cream the Rabbit[]

Tails and Cream the Rabbit are friends with each other. Throughout the games, there is not much contact between the two but it is understood that they get along when they are shown throughout some story cutscenes.

The only game they have really interacted with each other is in Sonic Free Riders, Tails said that Cream's Extreme Gear was really good in the race to which Cream replied, "Well, sure! That means a lot coming from you, Mr. Tails!" They also interacted in Sonic Rush, where Tails tells Cream to escape from Blaze as she was a suspect. When describing Tails to Blaze, all Cream has to say of him is that he is "neat" and that he "also likes to hang around with Sonic" just like all their other friends.

In the Mario & Sonic series handheld versions, they seem to be friendly as well. In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, after the Phantasmal Fog clones try to attack Cream, Tails assures her along with the others that she'll be safe while Mario, Sonic, Tails and Luigi hold them back. In Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, they are partners for Beach Volleyball on day two of Mario's Story. Cream states that they have "the bestest teamwork."

E-123 Omega[]

Tails repairing Omega

Tails repairing Omega, from Sonic Forces.

Hmm, that should've done it... I couldn't figure it out for you, buddy. I'm sorry I wasn't smart enough.


— Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic Forces

Currently, Tails is the only one of Sonic's close friends to have even spoken to E-123 Omega, with the others including Sonic only briefly coming into contact, either not knowing who he is or fighting the robot, like in Sonic Heroes.

Tails also attempted to repair Omega inside the City in Sonic Forces, although the damage Infinite inflicted on the robot was such that not even Tails was able to repair him, causing him to apologize to Omega's lifeless shell.

Marine the Raccoon[]

Sonic Rush Adventure Marine and Tails wallpaper

Tails and Marine, from Sonic Rush Adventure.

Marine the Raccoon is a good friend of Tails from earth in the Sol Dimension, as they quickly befriended each other soon after meeting. Tails was a valuable ally to Marine, as he helped her build ships so she could go on adventures. When Marine declared herself captain, she made Tails her assistant, though Tails never agreed to it. Just like Sonic, Tails was genuinely annoyed by Marine's antics, her bossy behavior, and the way she insisted that he followed her orders. While Marine is amazed at Tails' intellect, she often ignored his warnings and told him he was no fun. Marine's reckless and careless behavior also tended to spark frustrations in Tails. Despite this, Tails was willing to endure Marine's antics, but her behavior always made him worry.

When it was revealed that Tails thought she was a nuisance, Marine felt betrayed and called him stupid. After Marine later matures and stops commanding Tails however, they made up. When Tails later went home with Sonic, Marine earned his respect with her newfound maturity and told him how he and Sonic were the best friends ever.[62] She thus vowed to meet him again no matter what, though she could not help crying over his departure.

Classic Sonic[]

Give it your all, Sonic! You'll always be our shining hope!


— Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic Forces
GoodbyeClassicSonic

Tails parting with Classic Sonic, from Sonic Forces.

Tails first met Sonic's past self during the West Side Island incident as his own past self, however, his modern self first met Sonic's past self during the Time Eater incident, although Tails initially mistook him for the present Sonic during their first encounter. After sorting out who was who, Tails teamed up with Classic Sonic, alongside his other allies, to stop the Time Eater.

Tails met Classic Sonic again during the War to Take Back the Planet. After Classic Sonic had saved him from a Chaos Phantom Copy, they teamed up to save the world and to help Classic Sonic get back to his time in the past. Although Tails reunited with the present Sonic, Tails and Classic Sonic remained as close as ever, with Tails appreciating every effort Classic Sonic made to help the Resistance. When it was time for Classic Sonic to return home to the past, he bid farewell to him with a fist bump, leaving Tails sad to see his friend leave.

Mighty the Armadillo[]

Tails first met Mighty during the second Phantom Ruby incident, where he and Ray assisted Tails and his friends in stopping Dr. Eggman get his hands on the Phantom Ruby. Like with Ray, the two went on a number of adventures together in the past, and grew a fondness for each other. At some point, however, the two lost contact with each other, though Tails still looks back fondly on their adventures together.[63]

Ray the Flying Squirrel[]

I loved hanging out with him. He could use his tail in special ways, just like me. And he was a master at gliding. Oh, he could go on forever.


— Miles "Tails" Prower, "TailsTube #5 (Remember When?)"
TailsRayMetalMayhem

Tails and Ray shaking hands (left), from "Metal Mayhem".

Tails first met Ray during the second Phantom Ruby incident, where he and Mighty assisted Tails and his friends in stopping Dr. Eggman get his hands on the Phantom Ruby. Like with Mighty, the two went on a number of adventures together in the past, and grew a fondness for each other, with Tails thinking of him as a "master" at gliding and applauding his special feats.[63] At some point, however, the two lost contact with each other, though Tails still looks back fondly on their adventures together.[63]

Barry the Quokka[]

Friends/allies[]

Neutral[]

Enemies[]

References[]

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