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For the use of objects with the same name, see Piko Piko Hammer (disambiguation).

The Piko Piko Hammer (ピコピコハンマー PikoPiko Hanmā?), also called the Love Hammer,[1] is an object in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a large yellow and red hammer and Amy Rose's signature weapon, which she uses as a melee weapon and to perform special techniques.

Concept and creation

The Piko Piko Hammer was originally based on a popular Japanese children's toy of the same name. The phrase "piko-piko" is an onomatopoeia for the chirping sound that these hammers make when struck (which can also be heard in several games when Amy attacks).

The Piko Piko Hammer made its first appearance in Sonic the Fighters, in which Amy used it as a part of her combat moves. She was given the hammer as a weapon in order to strengthen her tomboyish nature (note that this is also the reason why she is a playable character in the game). As a result, she does not punch.

Description

Appearance

Amy 4

The original Piko Piko Hammer.

The Piko Piko Hammer commonly resembles a double-faced sledgehammer or mallet. In most cases, it has a red head with yellow faces. In some portrayals though, these colors have been inversed.

The first Piko Piko Hammer Amy wielded had a narrow red head, flexible yellow faces, and a purple handle. Since then however, the Piko Piko Hammer has been portrayed with two consistent designs that have been used interchangeably:

  • The first design depicts the Piko Piko Hammer with a large cylinder-shaped red head with raised rectangular sections around the middle. The face disks are rather thick and have round edges. It also has a brown handle with a metal section where it meets the head. This design first debuted in Sonic Adventure.
  • The second design depicts the Piko Piko Hammer with a cylinder-shaped red head like the first design. However, instead of raised rectangular sections around the head, its head has a smooth surface. Its face disks are also flatter and have flat edges. It also has a brown handle with a metal section where it meets the head. This design first debuted in Sonic Advance.

The size of the Piko Piko Hammer's head often differs. Usually, it is slightly bigger than Amy's head. In other cases however, it is much larger, reaching sizes greater than the Pink Cabriolet.

Features and traits

Despite its colorful and innocent appearance, the Piko Piko Hammer is a powerful melee weapon, capable of dealing incredible damage with seemingly little effort. It can effortlessly smash whole robots with a single swing, yet is graceful enough to be used for high-speed techniques. It can likewise sent foes flying with a single hit or crush them with devastating force. At as a testament to its might, even fearless individuals like Sonic and Knuckles dread getting a beating from the Piko Piko Hammer. When swung, it tends to leave a trail of pink hearts.

Mixed with Amy's abilities, the Piko Piko Hammer can be used for many applications beside combat. When swung around fast enough and with the right amount of force, the Piko Piko Hammer can function as a propeller for flight, launch powerful shockwaves that can steer up miniature tornados or unleash massive releases of energy, and provide boosts for different acrobatic maneuvers.

When not using it, Amy keeps the Piko Piko Hammer in a hiding spot that remains unknown to this day,[2] but she can pull it out of nowhere on a moment's notice.

Variants

Long Hammer

Main article: Long Hammer
SA1LongHammer

The Long Hammer

The Long Hammer is a upgraded blue and green version of Amy's Piko Piko Hammer that appears in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut. More combat orientated than the regular Piko Piko Hammer, the Long Hammer increases the range of Amy's attacks.

Large Piko Piko Hammer

PikoPikoHammerLargerRush

On a few occasions, Amy is shown to possess a Piko Piko Hammer much larger than her regular one. It is similar in shape to her normal Piko Piko Hammer, but with metallic grey face disks, yellow and red stripes on the head, and a yellow handle. This hammer packs a lot more power than a regular Piko Piko Hammer, causing tremors with each hit, but is harder to swing.

Sonic's Piko Piko Hammer

Sonha

On one occasion, Sonic the Hedgehog has wielded his own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with a red head emblazoned with blue flames, yellow face disks, and a red handle.

Tails' Piko Piko Hammer

Taha

On one occasion, Miles "Tails" Prower has wielded his own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with slightly thicker yellow face disks, a blue head emblazoned with yellow stars, and a yellow handle.

Knuckles' Piko Piko Hammer

Knuxha

On one occasion, Knuckles the Echidna has wielded his own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with a green head and handle, and red face disks. It also has a red lightning bolt on the head and is studded with a spike at the top. When used, it creates fire.

Cream's Piko Piko Hammer

Creha

On one occasion, Cream the Rabbit has wielded her own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with orange face disks and handle, and a dark orange head emblazoned with white bubbles/diamonds.

In other media

Archie Comics

Piko Piko Hammer Archie

Amy with the Piko Piko Hammer in the Archie Comics.

The Piko Piko Hammer appears in the Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog and its subsequent spin-offs as Amy Rose's signature weapon. It features the same design it had in Sonic Adventure. In this media, the Piko Piko Hammer was created as a by-product of Amy's usage of the Ring of Acorns. After absorbing the Ring of Acorns's power to make herself older, Amy obtained limited wish-granting abilities that allows her to wish forth the Piko Piko Hammer whenever she wants.

Following the timeline reboot caused by the Super Genesis Wave, the Piko Piko Hammer is now virtually identical to its game counterpart.

Sonic X

File:Amypikopiko.jpg

Amy with her Piko Piko Hammer in Sonic X.

The Piko Piko Hammer appeared as Amy Rose's signature weapon in the anime Sonic X and the comic series of the same name published by Archie Comics. It features the same design it had in Sonic Adventure.

Like in the games, the Piko Piko Hammer is Amy's personal weapon that she is able to inexplicably pull out of thin air. Additionally, it appears Amy has an inexhaustible supply of Piko Piko Hammers, having demonstrated the ability to conjure up another Piko Piko Hammer out of nowhere by just by waving her hand.

Sonic Boom

Main article: Amy's Hammer
Sonic Boom Amy

Amy Rose with her piko hammer in Sonic Boom.

In the Sonic Boom franchise, the Piko Piko Hammer is referred to as Amy's Hammer and is Amy Rose's primary weapon. In this media, it bears a resemblance to its Sonic Adventure design, but with thicker faces, pink disks, a leather strap and a pink color scheme. Amy wields it with noticeably more proficiency than her game counterpart, combining her agility and gracefulness with its heavy-hit strikes for maximum efficiency. She has also used it as a hook and projectile.

IDW Publishing

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, the Piko Piko Hammer is Amy Rose's signature weapon. In this media, it features the same design it had in Sonic Adventure.

Trivia

  • Though the Piko Piko Hammer has proven itself a capable weapon, it is said in Sonic Adventure that it is not so powerful.[3]
  • In Tails Adventure, the "Hammer" weapon is known as the Pikon Hammer (ピッコンハンマー?) when the Game Gear is set to Japanese. This predates the Piko Piko Hammer's first official appearance.
  • In Sonic Advance 2, there is a Badnik called Piko Piko, which wields a toy hammer similar to Amy's.
  • In Sonic Unleashed, after defeating the Dark Guardian, Sonic the Werehog references the Piko Piko Hammer when exclaiming "I know little girls that are better with a hammer than you! Well, one, anyway."
AccPikoAmy

Jazwares Piko Piko Hammer with Amy.

  • An accessory of the Piko Piko Hammer, made by Jazwares, was released in late-2012 along with Amy.
  • In Sonic the Fighters, Amy's hammer is named the "Magical Hammer".
  • It is possible that Amy has different "versions" of Piko Piko Hammers, as seen in Sonic Heroes, where she uses the Air Hammer which utilizes the power of the wind. In Sonic Advance 3, she has a huge brown mallet when teamed up with Knuckles, and her normal red and yellow hammers.
  • The Piko Piko Hammer was mentioned in Sonic and the Black Knight in the final cutscene when Sonic says "Yikes! No Amy, wait! Put down that hammer!". Thus, in the multiplayer mode of the game, Amy is playable and instead of a sword, her weapon is a hammer.
  • The Piko Piko Hammer appeared in Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd in the accessories room. This accessory is unlocked if the player clears "サウンド"(Sound) in easy mode. It is also Rin Kagamine's favorite item as a gift.
  • The Piko Piko Hammer is the most recurring weapon in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
  • In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, during a mission that can be given by Amy about Goombas being on a rampage, Amy says her Piko Piko Hammer has no effect on Goombas.
  • Knuckles' Piko Piko Hammer in Sonic Advance 3 is the only variation of the hammer studded with a spike at the top.
    • It is also the only version that has anything extending past the head.
  • The console/PC version of Sonic Generations is the first game where Amy refers to her hammer by its name (calling it "my Piko Piko Hammer"). This is also the first time it has ever been called by its correct name (in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing the Announcer calls it "The Piko Hammer").
PikoPikoHammerSA2

The Piko Piko Hammer in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.

  • In Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the Piko Piko Hammer only appears when Amy is jumping or rolling. It is also much smaller than most of its other incarnations, and looks entirely different compared to its previous and later designs. It seems to resemble the original toy's design.

References

  1. Sonic Team, Sonic Team USA (27 February 2004). Sonic Battle. Gameboy Advance. Sega. "Girl Swing: Amy's upper attack. She can hit her opponent into the air with her Love Hammer, essentially a Hammer Attack with a golf swing motion."
  2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008). In-game description of the "Amy Rose" trophy.
  3. Sonic Team (October 19, 1999). Sonic Adventure. Dreamcast. Sega. Area/Level: Station Square (Amy Rose). "Mr. Know-It-All: I'm Mr. Know-It-All. Here's a tip. You have a hammer, right? But it's not a very powerful weapon, so it may not be much use against powerful enemies. But you probably already knew that, right?"

Template:Sonic features

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