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Haooon! Awwwn!


— Rocky, Sonic Runners

The Rocky (ロッキー[1] Rokkī?) is a creature that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a race of seal Animals that live in various regions across earth and are close friends of Sonic the Hedgehog and his allies. They are constantly targeted by Dr. Eggman who seeks to use them as energy sources for his Badnik army and often imprisons them in Capsules for later use.

Description[]

Anatomy[]

The typical Rocky is a diminutive form of seal, being less than half a meter tall. They have gray-whitish skin/fur with rotund heads, two large grey eyes (originally black), small triangular flippers, and a fin-like hind flipper each. They each also have a fussy white muzzle reminiscing a mustache like a walrus and a small black nose.

Characteristics and culture[]

Like real-life seals, the Rockies can only speak in a language consisting of groans.[2] Although recognized as animal life, Rockies are remarkably intelligent and sociable, being capable of understanding normal language and establishing their own Animal communities.[3] All Rockies are generally good-hearted, helpful, friendly and playful, but their small stature leaves them rather defenseless on their own. They also have great respect and appreciation for nature, choosing to live in complete harmony with it.[4]

Habitats[]

Rockies inhabit various natural environments across earth, such as South Island, West Side Island, Angel Island, and the unusual satellite of Lost Hex, where they have established their own small villages, more often than not with other Animal species.[3] While they can reside on dry land, they have a penchant for inhabiting Zones with water.

Game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

Deep Underwater Adventure

A Rocky, from the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).

The Rockies made their debut appearance in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). In the game, the Rockies and the other Animals on South Island were the ones Sonic went to save after they were captured by Dr. Robotnik and turned into energy sources for his Badnik army - all as a part of a plot to collect the Chaos Emeralds.[5][6] The Rockies can be found in Marble Zone, Labyrinth Zone, and Scrap Brain Zone Act 3, where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or opened Capsules. They also appear in the ending cinematic where they celebrate Sonic's victory in Green Hill Zone.

In the 8-bit version, the Rockies reprise their role from the 16-bit version.[7] Here, they appear from the opened metal cage at the end of Labyrinth Zone Act 3.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit), all the Rockies on South Island were kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik.[8] In this game, they appear from the opened Capsule at the end of the third Act for Aqua Lake Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2[]

S2 rocky

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the Rockies repeated their roles from the first installment. In this game, the Rockies of West Side Island and their fellow Animals were kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik and used to power a Badnik workforce that Robotnik could use to finish the Death Egg with.[6] The Rockies can be found in Oil Ocean Zone where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule at the end of the second Act. In the 2013 remaster of the game, they can also be found in Hidden Palace Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3[]

STH3 rocky

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the Rockies once again reprised their roles from their debut game. In this game, Angel Island's Rockies and other Animals were captured and turned into Badniks by Dr. Robotnik to create a workforce that could help the doctor relaunch the Death Egg.[9] The Rockies can be found in Hydrocity Zone and IceCap Zone where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or opened Capsule.

Sonic Lost World[]

In the Wii U version, PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the Rockies and other Animals are shown to inhabit the Lost Hex. During the events of the game, Dr. Eggman, with the assistance of the Deadly Six, resumed kidnapping Animals, including the Rockies, to create a new Badnik army. The small group of Animals, including a Rocky, that managed to escape capture, remained with Knuckles and Amy while Sonic and Tails went out to save their friends, during which they had fun at the expense of Knuckles.

The Rockies and the other Animals serve as collectible content used to progress with the game in the Wii U/PC version. Once the players have collected a set amount of Animals, they gain access to the fourth Zone in each World. They player can collect Rockies by defeating Badniks, opening smaller Capsules in the Zones, and opening the larger Capsules at the end of most Zones. Rockies and other Animals can also be collected from Circus tents. The Rockies can be found in the following places (depending on the version of the game):

Zone
Wii U/PC Nintendo 3DS
Windy Hill Zone 2 and 4; Desert Ruins Zone 3; Tropical Coast Zone 3 and 4; Frozen Factory Zone 1, 2 and 4; Silent Forest Zone 3; Lava Mountain Zone 2 Tropical Coast; Frozen Factory; Silent Forest

Sonic Mania[]

Rockymania

In Sonic Mania and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Rockies reprised their roles from the Sonic games on the Sega Mega Drive by being organic power sources for Dr. Eggman's Badniks again. The Rockies can be found in Hydrocity Zone and Oil Ocean Zone, where they pop out of the Zones' destroyed Badniks or opened Capsules.

TrueEndTGA

A Rocky during ending of "& Knuckles" mode, from Sonic Mania.

When the player destroys the Metal Sonic hologram at the end of Stardust Speedway Zone Act 2, several Rockies will occasionally appear until they are chased off by Metal Sonic. Also, during the ending of the "& Knuckles" mode in Sonic Mania, a Rocky can be seen listening to Knuckles' retelling of the game's events.

Sonic Forces[]

In Sonic Forces, Rockies can be found inside Capsules in blue SOS Mission at random. The objective of these missions is to rescue the Rockies and the other prisoners in the Capsule using either Sonic, Classic Sonic, the Avatar or Shadow. After the Rockies and the other prisoners have been freed from their Capsule, the player has to complete their stage to complete the SOS Mission.

Sonic Frontiers[]

Other game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld[]

in Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld, Rocky appeared alongside Sonic, Tails, Amy, and other Animals. A Rocky in particular is seen on a pairs of cards in the Concentration Game mini-game. Rockies are also featured on cards in the casino mini games, which are exclusive to the Japanese version of the game.

Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver[]

Sonic21

A Rocky with Sonic, from Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver.

In Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver, the Rockies make a number of small cameos in several of the game's artwork images as one of Sonic's friends.

Sonic Jam[]

In Sonic Jam, the game's Character House features conceptual sketches of Rocky and the other Animals.

Sonic Dash[]

DashRocky

Rocky, from Sonic Dash.

In Sonic Dash, Rocky makes an appearance in the game's update to version 4.0.0. In the game, players are able to collect them by destroying Badniks once the Beach Zone is unlocked, and can then use them to rebuild both the Beach Zone and Snow Mountain Zone. Knuckles, Rouge, Cream, and Espio also have an affinity bonus towards the Rockies, which will double the amount of Rockies saved while playing.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[]

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, a Rocky appears alongside other Animals as a part of one of the collectable trophies representing the Sonic the Hedgehog series:

Name Picture Category Trophy Box Description Acquisition
NA PAL NA PAL
Fauna of Windy Hill Animals of Windy Hill Zone FaunaOfWindyHillZoneTrophyWiiU Stage 84: Dr. Eggman's Ambitions Windy Hill, a plain on the floating Lost Hex continent, is the first area in Sonic Lost World. It has giant windmills and mysterious caves and is home to a wide variety of animals... that Dr. Eggman has gone and used as a power source for his robot collection. Typical... Just destroy the robots and set those animals free. Random

Excluding the trophy, the Rocky also occasionally makes a cameo appearance in the background of the Windy Hill Zone.

Sonic Runners series[]

Sonic Runners[]

In Sonic Runners, the Rockies played supporting roles to the main cast in the storyline. In this game, most individual Rockies are referred to as "Rocky". Over the course of the game, Team Sonic comes across the Rockies several times, whom they usually save from Dr. Eggman and/or his lackeys. Occasionally, the Rockies will also ask the team for help solving different problems, whether it be either Eggman-related trouble or more personal issues. Sometimes though, the R0ckies will help Team Sonic as well, usually by providing information or handling smaller tasks.

In gameplay, Rockies will pop out of destroyed Badniks and bounce a little further down the path before falling behind the player. If the player grabs them as they pass by, the player will build up their Combo and earn 2,500 bonus points on the result screen for each Rocky.

Sonic Runners Adventure[]

In Sonic Runners Adventure, the Rockies reprised their roles as power sources for Dr. Eggman's Badniks. In gameplay, Rockies will pop out of destroyed Badniks in any stage and then bounce out of the player's sight.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[]

AnimalsM&S6

Rockies during 2D Events, from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

In the Nintendo Switch version and arcade version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Rockies appear as non-playable characters. In these titles, the Rockies mainly serve as referees during various 2D Events.

In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Rockies also appear as participants in the Marathon event. During this event, the Rockies will serve as obstacles along the running route. Colliding with one will briefly slow down the playable character and slightly drain their stamina.

Notably, the Rockies possess their 16-bit sprite appearance from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

In other media[]

Animation[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)[]

Main article: Rotor (SatAM)
RotorWalrus(SatAM)artwork

Rotor, from the Sonic the Hedgehog television series.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog animated series, Rocky's design served as the inspiration for an anthropomorphic male walrus named Rotor. In this media, Rotor lived in Mobotropolis during his childhood, his keen intellect serving his gang of misfit friends quite well. When Dr. Robotnik seized power over the kingdom, Rotor was forced into hiding in the haven of Knothole Village. There, he became a member of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, serving as his team's inventor and mechanic for their operations against Robotnik's empire.

Sonic X[]

Main article: Rocky (Sonic X)
Rocky Sonic X

A Rocky, from "Defective Detectives".

In the Sonic X franchise, the Rockies are an animal species native to Sonic's world. Several of them got sent to Earth by Chaos Control, but they were returned home not long afterwards.

Books and comics[]

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic[]

Rocky, along with other animal friends, appears in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic manga. He appears in few panels in first two stories. In Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 3's story Sonic Rampage!! he, Flicky and Pecky gets kidnapped by doctor Eggman who uses them as baits to get rid of Sonic. During the moment of truth, Eggman threatened to torture them to death if Sonic would not give up. Despite that, Sonic manages to free Rocky and others from device of Egg Mobile with the speed of sound and after that he finished Eggman.

Sonic the Comic[]

STC13-JoeSushi

Joe Sushi, from Sonic the Comic #13. Art by Mike Hadley.

In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, Joe Sushi is an anthropomorphic seal and one of the Emerald Hill Folks, although he was never explicitly named. During the series' early run, he would often be among the unfortunate victims of Dr. Robotnik's schemes for the subjugation of Mobius.

Archie Comics[]

Rotor the Walrus 3D 1

Rotor the Walrus, from the Archie Comics.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the character Rotor from the Sonic the Hedgehog television series which Rocky inspired was adapted as a part of the main cast. In this media, Rotor was born to Sherman and Georgette Walrus. Rotor grew up listing to his father's stories of the Great War and was inspired by tales of the impressive machinery of the war. However, his family would be torn apart by Dr. Ivo Robotnik's takeover. In the ensuing chaos, Rotor was among many other children separated from their parents. He soon fell in with a group aiming to stop Dr. Robotnik-the Freedom Fighters.

Rotor lent his inventor's prowess to the team, eventually earning the nickname "Boomer" for his interest in weapons and failed inventions. He was a tenacious Freedom Fighter and one of Sonic's best friends, eager to join the firefights. His analytical thinking gained him a seat on both the Knothole Council during the First Robotnik War and in the Restoration Committee in its aftermath. He also played a role in protecting his herd from Robotnik many times. During Sonic's year in space, however, Robot's disposition shifted. When his weaponry ended up harming his friends, an ashamed Rotor fell upon the kingdom's convention of shunning firearms. He also took a less active role in field operations. During the destruction of Knothole, Rotor rescued Tails from a collapsing celling, but injured his back in the process. He regained most of his mobility but opted to "retire" to a position in the Council of Acorn. When the Ixis Naugus-led council voted to exile Nicole, Rotor resigned out of protest and became leader of Team Freedom until the second Genesis Wave.

In the reality created by the Super Genesis Wave, Rotor left his abusive father Tundra the Walrus for a life in Mobotropolis, but got caught up in Dr. Eggman's takeover. Fleeing to Knothole Village, Rotor became the battle-mechanic of the Freedom Fighters to help stop the Eggman Empire.

Aside from Rotor, regular Rockies would over time also appear in the comics, first during Operation: Clean Sweep and later as fauna native to Sonic's World after the Super Genesis Wave.

IDW Publishing[]

RockyClassicIDW

A Rocky, from Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special.

One peaceful day on Angel Island, a local Rocky would play with other animals until Metal Knuckles came and bowled over them. During the subsequent battle between Knuckles and Metal Knuckles, the Rocky was put in danger when Metal Knuckles made a giant mushroom cave in above it. Fortunately, the Rocky was saved by Knuckles, although at the cost of allowing Metal Knuckles to escape.[10]

Some time after, a Rocky trapped inside a Badnik in Winter Caverns Zone was freed when Fang came by and destroyed the Badnik with his Popgun.[10]

Quotes[]

"Can you find Tails?"
—Rocky, Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld
"Do you like my mustache?"
—Rocky, Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld

Early canon[]

Early on in the series, along with the other Animals, Rocky was renamed Seal by Sega of America for the western market and media in the first draft of the Sonic Bible.[11] This name would later be changed to Joe Sushi in the second draft of the bible.[12] According to both bibles, Rocky comes from a large family like other Animals (which was intended to explain the appearance of multiple identical Rockies in the games) and helped raise an orphaned Sonic.[11][12][13][14]

Joe Sushi in particular taught Sonic how to dive and swim underwater.[15][16] The Stay Sonic guidebook would stick to the background established for Joe Sushi in the Sonic Bible, while also referring to him as "the unfortunately named walrus".[17] This is however, only stated once in the guidebook.

Merchandise[]

SegaSonic Rocky

SegaSonic Rocky plush toy.

A line of plush toys was made for the SegaSonic the Hedgehog brand in 1994 which was comprised of Sonic, Tails and Rocky. A variant of the plush holding a basket was released in a future SegaSonic brand line. In 2024, a figurine of Rocky part of the 2.5 inch scale series was made by Jakks Pacific.

Trivia[]

Joe

Joe Sushi in early pitch artwork for the Sonic the Hedgehog television series.

  • In DiC's early pitch for the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Rocky, using his western name of "Joe Sushi", was featured in a cast picture as part of the "Freedom Team". As seen in one of the concept images, he was planned to be depicted as very large, buff, angry walrus, and member of the Freedom Team". The character was reworked into Rotor in the final version.
  • The Rockies were presumably created by Naoto Ōshima, the character designer for the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

References[]

  1. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 11.
  2. Sonic Team (25 February 2015). Sonic Runners. iOS. Sega. Area/Level: Episode 18-1. "Rocky: Awwwn... Haooon..."
  3. 3.0 3.1 Sonic Team (25 February 2015). Sonic Runners. iOS. Sega. Area/Level: Episode 11-1. "Tails: Hey, Omochao, could you ask these guys where they were when Eggman's minions captured them? / Animals: (chatter chirp) / Omochao: They say their village is just east of here, and Eggman built a base right next to it!"
  4. Sonic Team (25 February 2015). Sonic Runners. iOS. Sega. Area/Level: Episode 14-1. "Knuckles: Yeah. This factory closes now. The Animals need to be living in harmony with nature again!"
  5. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 10-13.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Sonic The Hedgehog 4. Sega. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved on 26 January 2015.
  7. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 4.
  8. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 4.
  9. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-6.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special, "Seasons of Chaos"
  11. 11.0 11.1 Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft I (page 11). nemesis.hacking-cult.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Sonic's main buddies are Rabbit, Squirrel, Pig, Flicky the Duck, Penguin, Chicken, and Seal. Each comes from a large family, each is playful and friendly."
  12. 12.0 12.1 Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft II (page 15). nemesis.hacking-cult.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Sonic's main buddies are Johnny Lightfoot, Sally Acorn, Porker Lewis, Chirps, Tux, Flicky the Blue Bird, and Joe Sushi. Each comes from a large family, and each is playful and friendly."
  13. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft I (page 6). nemesis.hacking-cult.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Orphaned at an early age, Sonic grows up in the forest of the Green Hill Zone and fall in with a clan of rambunctious animal friends. His friends teach him all the tricks they know:"
  14. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft II (page 9). nemesis.hacking-cult.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Orphaned at an early age, Sonic grows up in the forest of the Green Hill Zone and fall in with a clan of rambunctious animal friends. His friends teach him all the tricks they know."
  15. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft I (page 6). nemesis.hacking-cult.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Seal shows him how to dive and swim"
  16. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft II (page 9). nemesis.hacking-cult.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Joe Sushi (the walrus) shows him how to dive and swim underwater"
  17. Pattenden, Mike (4 January 1993). "Sonic the Hedgehog". Stay Sonic. Fantail. p. 18. ISBN 978-0140903904. "Mobius is covered with a great deal of water. Sonic became equally adept in aquatic conditions after he met Joe Sushi (the unfortunately named walrus) while paddling along the shore one day. Sushi demonstrated how to dive and swim underwater."
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