- For other uses, see Roller (disambiguation).
The Roller[2] (アルマ[3] Aruma?, lit. "Arma") is an enemy that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, armadillo-based Badnik created by Dr. Eggman.
Appearance[]
Rollers are round, armadillo-like Badniks with a blue color scheme and a red V-shaped horn above their eyes. Their body is a sphere which is open along the middle like a hatch, revealing a pair of black eyes and small gray three-fingered hands. They also have two mechanical feet and a sharp tail. All their limbs hide inside their body when they curl into their spherical form.
Game appearances[]
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]
In the 16-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, the Rollers are found throughout Spring Yard Zone, where they are typically encountered near crossing areas with steep slopes. In gameplay, the Rollers attempt to ambush the player by rolling into them at high speeds. However, the Rollers will briefly stop their purist to uncurl themselves to stand still from time to time, making them vulnerable to being destroyed via any attack method. Additionally, they can also be defeated with a Spin Attack whilst moving (albeit with some difficulty). Like with other Badniks in the game, the Rollers will release an Animal and award the player 100 points upon their destruction.
Sonic Heroes[]
In Sonic Heroes, a picture of a Roller (alongside other Badniks) can be seen in the Chaotix Detective Agency office during the opening of Team Chaotix's campaign. The picture of the Roller reuses their artwork from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
Personality[]
While built to serve as work drones, the Rollers possess a degree of sentience and personality traits. These traits include fawning over Dr. Eggman and celebrating his birthday on their own volition.[4]
Powers and abilities[]
The Rollers can curl into a ball, similar to the Spin Attack, and travel at high speeds with the intention of plowing through their foes.
Variants[]
Roller Mark II[]
The Roller Mark II is an upgraded variant of the Roller with a similar attack pattern that debuted in Sonic Mania. The only major differences between the Roller Mark II and their original counterparts is their crimson color scheme and their ability to change directions to chase after their opponent.
In other media[]
Animation[]
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog[]
Roller, from "Untouchable Sonic".
In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Roller has a more humanoid design and wears a business suit. Also, instead of curling into a ball, he turns into a bowling ball. In this media, Roller and his partner Ball Hog were a part of Dr. Robotnik's "Or Else" Protection Service, who bullied mobians into paying them to not destroy their business, but they were eventually destroyed by Sonic. Later, Tails converted their remains into a waiter for Bert's Diner.
Books and comics[]
Archie Comics[]
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Rollers were among the first generation of Badniks produced by Dr. Robotnik. One briefly appeared to fight Sonic, but was easily defeated.
Sonic the Comic[]
A Roller, from Sonic the Comic #75. Art by Richard Elson.
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Rollers are a part of the first generation of Badnik in Dr. Robotnik's army, making them some of the doctor's oldest troopers. Additionally, there was also a kind-hearted Roller (named simply "Badnik") that befriended a young boy named Smokey, who convinced Sonic to spare it.
IDW Publishing[]
The Roller, from Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, a Roller would help the other Badniks throw a birthday party for Dr. Eggman, which he did not enjoy.[4]
Merchandise[]
The toy company Tomy released a Roller figurine during the release of Sonic & Knuckles in a pack with three other figurines.
Trivia[]
- The Roller originally had a pink color scheme instead of their blue color scheme in early magazine screenshots showcasing the original Sonic the Hedgehog, alongside in the game's leaked prototype build.
- Rollers bear some similarities to Sonic himself; both have a blue and red coloration, are able to curl into balls, and can move at high speeds.
- Strangely enough, the Roller has similar-looking legs to the Ball Hog and Bomb in their artwork illustration.
- The Roller is one of the Badniks (along with the Batbrain) that does not make an appearance in the 8-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Unlike the Batbrain however, there are no unused sprites for Roller found in the game's data.
Glitched Roller graphics.
- In the original Genesis release of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the Roller's sprites are corrupted with graphics from the Caterkiller, which happens if the player keeps following it for a while. This is because the data for the Caterkiller still exists for the zone when Caterkiller was originally intended to appear in Spring Yard Zone. However, the data was never removed, causing it to overlap with the Roller's data. This glitch was fixed in the 2013 remake.
- In Sonic Mania, a similar, gray-colored Badnik can be found amongst the scrap during both the battle against the Big Squeeze in Flying Battery Zone Act 1 and throughout Act 2. Since the Rollers and their Mark II variants look identical to each other apart from their color scheme, it is unknown which of these Badniks is referenced here.
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
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Sprites[]
Screenshots[]
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References[]
- ↑ Flynn, Ian; Sega (December 8, 2021). "Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)". Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-1506719276.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis) United States instruction booklet, pg. 11.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 39.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special, "Dr. Eggman's Birthday"