Sir Lancelot (ランスロット Ransurotto?) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog and the alternate reality doppelgänger of Shadow the Hedgehog from the world of Camelot. He is a member of the Knights of the Round Table, a group of knights in the service of King Arthur. Both as quick as Sonic,[3] Lancelot is the mightiest of the Knights of the Round Table,[3] as well as the one closest to King Arthur. He wields the legendary sacred sword Arondight.
Appearance[]
Lancelot is essentially a doppelganger of his mainstream counterpart. As such, he is a black-furred anthropomorphic hedgehog. He has red eyes, a tan muzzle, and tan ear canals. He also has six quills on his head, four of which curve upwards while the other two curve downwards, two spines on his back, and a small tail. He has red stripes on each of his head quills, around the edges of his eyes, and on his arms and legs.
For attire, he wears a dark gray metallic visor with silver edges and sharp upper corners over his eyes. This visor is further connected to dark gray armor plating covering his top middle quill. Both of these armor pieces also have a red line of armor travelling down their middle. He also wears dark gray torso armor with dark gray shoulder armor and silver armor plating on the front that resembles Shadow's chest fur. On his hand he wears silver metal gloves with golden wrist bands, metallic dark gray cuffs, metallic red glove tongues, and short forearm armor, and on his feet he wears shoes similar to the Air Shoes, but stylized as sabatons. These shoes also have golden ankle bands, red and black metal cuffs, and dark gray armor extending up to his knees.
History[]
Past[]
One of the Knights of the Round Table in service to King Arthur, Lancelot would become the closest to his king.[4] He would also develop a rivalry with his brother-in-arms and fellow Knight of the Round Table, Gawain.[5]
As Arthur got bewitched by the scabbard of Excalibur and became the tyrannical Black Knight, Lancelot, being honor bound to serve his king, remained by Arthur's side as his loyal servant.
Sonic and the Black Knight[]
In Sonic and the Black Knight, Lancelot, along with Sir Gawain and Sir Percival, met up with the corrupted King Arthur after Merlina the Wizard and Sonic the Hedgehog escaped him. Ordered by Arthur to go after Sonic and Merlina and slay them on sight, Lancelot accepted the order he was given. When Gawain expressed reservations about their assignment, Lancelot wasted no time by reminding him that their king's orders were absolute.
Lancelot soon after found Sonic and Caliburn in Deep Woods and immediately challenged Sonic to a duel. When Lancelot gave Sonic the choice of abandoning his sword and retreating, however, Caliburn accepted Lancelot's challenge on behalf of Sonic. During the two hedgehog's battle though, Lancelot got careless, which allowed Sonic (with a bit luck) to defeat Lancelot and claim his sword, the Arondight.
A few days later, Lancelot, Gawain and Percival cornered Merlina in Camelot Castle. When Lancelot asked if she had any last words, Merlina revealed that Arthur was but an illusion created by her grandfather. When Sonic then arrived on the scene with the scabbard of Excalibur. Lancelot and the others saw Merlina take the scabbard from Sonic with the intend of using its magic to make the kingdom eternal in spite of the damage it would cause. As Merlina's magic tore the castle apart, Lancelot and the others fled from the area and retreated to the outskirts. Unable to do anything, Lancelot and his fellow Knights of the Round Table could only watch as the forces of the Underworld began consuming the kingdom. Sonic and Nimue, however, convinced Lancelot and the others that being a knight meant more than just serving a king and that there was still time to stop Merlina. With Nimue revealing that they could contain Merlina's influence by creating a barrier around the castle by inserting their sacred swords into barrier stones around the kingdom, Lancelot took Arondight back after Sonic relinquished it and vowed to save the kingdom and its people.
Lancelot himself went to Shrouded Forest where he inserted Arondight into the barrier stone, which gave him a cryptic message regarding the Dark Hollow. Lancelot soon after regrouped with the others to watch Sonic confront Merlina in the Dark Hollow through Nimue's magic. As Sonic continued to persevere despite being outmatched, Lancelot and the others tried to convince Sonic to save himself. However, Sonic's undying determination soon awoke the long-lost light of the sacred sword. Following Nimue's advice, Lancelot and the other knights sent their sacred swords to Sonic, transforming him and Caliburn into Excalibur Sonic and Excalibur. With this power, Sonic defeated Merlina in her Dark Queen state and saved the kingdom. In the aftermath, following Merlina's redemption, Lancelot concluded that with Arthur now gone, the Knights of the Round Table had to disband. However, when Caliburn revealed that he was the one who decided who was worthy to be the king of England, Lancelot and the other knights realized that Sonic was the true King Arthur, and bowed before him.
Some time in the future, a rift between Lancelot and Gawain will doom the Round Table, becoming one of the factors leading to the ruination of the kingdom.[6]
Other game appearances[]
Sonic Dash[]
In Sonic Dash, Lancelot appears as one of the playable characters. In this game, he can be unlocked after obtaining 100 of his Character Cards.
Image | Rarity | Affinity Bonus | Upgrade Profile | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Power-Up | Highest level | |||
Epic | N/A | Dash Boost | 11 | |
x2 Multiplier | 11 | |||
Magnet | 8 | |||
Shield | 11 | |||
Headstart | 9 |
On 6 July 2023, Lancelot was re-released as "Dragon Hunter Lancelot" (ドラゴンハンター・ランスロット[7] Doragon Hantā Ransurotto?), a variant character of Lancelot inspired by Sonic and the Black Knight.
Image | Rarity | Affinity Bonus | Upgrade Profile | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Power-Up | Highest level | |||
Legendary | N/A | Dash Boost | 11 | |
x2 Multiplier | 9 | |||
Magnet | 9 | |||
Shield | 11 | |||
Headstart | 10 |
Sonic Forces: Speed Battle[]
In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Lancelot is one of the playable characters, who was added to the game's roster in the version 3.5.0 update. He has the following gameplay characteristics:
Image | Rarity | Stats | Items | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Projectile | Boost | Trap | |||
Special |
Speed: 10/10 Acceleration: 6/10 Strength: 6/10 |
Chaos Slash | Chaos Charge | Storm Cloud |
On 18 May 2023, Lancelot was re-released as "Dragon Hunter Lancelot", a variant character of Lancelot inspired by Sonic and the Black Knight as a part of the version 4.17.0 update. This character has the following gameplay characteristics:
Image | Rarity | Stats | Items | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Projectile | Boost | Trap | |||
Special |
Speed: 10/10 Acceleration: 7/10 Strength: 7/10 |
Red Dragon | Chaos Charge | Storm Cloud |
Sonic Dash+ / Sonic Prime Dash[]
In Sonic Dash+ and Sonic Prime Dash, Lancelot appears as one of the playable characters. In these games, he can be unlocked by obtaining 500 of his Character Tokens.
Image | Affinity Bonus | Unlock Requirement | Upgrade Profile | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Power-Up | Highest level | |||
Obtain 500 | Dash Boost | 11 | ||
x2 Multiplier | 11 | |||
Magnet | 8 | |||
Shield | 11 | |||
Headstart | 9 |
In Sonic Dash+, in early June 2023, Lancelot was rereleased as "Dragon Hunter Lancelot", a variant character of Lancelot inspired by Sonic and the Black Knight. This variant has yet to make an official appearance in Sonic Prime Dash.
Image | Affinity Bonus | Unlock Requirement | Upgrade Profile | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Power-Up | Highest level | |||
Obtain 500 | Dash Boost | 11 | ||
x2 Multiplier | 9 | |||
Magnet | 9 | |||
Shield | 11 | |||
Headstart | 10 |
Personality[]
Like his counterpart, Lancelot is brooding and usually acts with a cool and businesslike indifference. He is likewise proud and extremely arrogant, often belittling his opponents and insulting their lack of strength and skill. However, his arrogance tends to make him act carelessly, as seen when his light take on Sonic during their duel led to his defeat. When he is serious though, he shows no qualms about going all-out. Like Shadow, he also has a strong sense of purpose and pursues his goals and assignments by any means necessary, even when it means taking the life of someone else.
As one of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot strongly follows the code of chivalry. As such, he is a noble, dutiful and honorable knight in spite of his intensiveness. He is similarly endlessly loyal towards his appointed king, whom he will show the utmost respect for while striking down anyone who poses a threat to him. In fact, even after King Arthur's corruption, Lancelot was the only one among the Knights of the Round Table who showed no doubts about Arthur's dark demeanor and still followed his orders without question or doubt. He similarly believes that without a king to serve, the Knights of the Round Table have to disband. However, Lancelot's focus on his devotion to King Arthur made him forget that being a knight not only meant serving his king, but also helping those in need and standing up for what is right. It was first after Merlina's rise to power and Sonic's words of encouragement that Lancelot regained his full understanding of being a knight and began serving the kingdom of England and its people as a whole.
Powers and abilities[]
Lancelot is regarded as the strongest member of the Knights of the Round Table.[3][4] The fact that he also refers to himself as the "ultimate knight" suggests a high level of skill and power.
Lancelot is noted to be just as quick as Sonic,[3] meaning he is able to move around at supersonic speeds. Additionally, Lancelot is also quite acrobatic, being able to execute both swordplay and tricks while in midair and grind expertly on Grind Rails. Like Shadow, Lancelot can also perform a maneuver where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Lancelot can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed.
Much like his counterpart, Lancelot can perform various chaos powers. Some of them include the Chaos Spear, a energy spear which he can form in midair and propel at his targets or fire from the tip of his sword or the palm of his hand, and the Chaos Blast, an explosion of energy that can decimate anything within its radius. He is also able to perform Chaos Control without the need of a Chaos Emerald, which lets him control time and space, thereby allowing Lancelot to warp across space and stop time.
As a member of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot is a master of swordsmanship. In battle, Lancelot specializes in a balanced style of swordplay that focuses on speed and power in equal measure which lets him use quick sword slashes combined with wide and momentum-fueled swipes for additional force upon impact. Combined with his athleticism, Lancelot can spin horizontally around in the air while swinging his sword, thus creating stronger slashes.
Weapons[]
Lancelot primarily wields swords similar to longswords which are either single-or double-edged. When using them, Lancelot wields them with a backhand grip and can channel his Chaos Spears through them with a swing of his blade. However, his preferred weapon of choice is Arondight, one of the sacred swords, which is said to never lose its edge.
Relationships[]
King Arthur[]
King Arthur was Lancelot's former king. He was said to Arthur's closest and most trusted Knight,[3][4] although the nature of their relationship was never elaborated upon.
Being honor bound to serve Arthur, Lancelot was fully committed to be of service to Arthur, never questioning his authority or his orders. Even after Arthur fell from grace and became a tyrannical ruler, Lancelot never left his side and continued to serve him, regarding his orders to be absolute.
After Arthur's passing and learning that he was merely an illusion, Lancelot deemed it necessary for the Knights of the Round Table to disband, showing how much integral he believed Arthur's existence was to the group.
Sir Gawain[]
Sir Gawain is one Lancelot's fellow knights amongst the Knights of the Round Table in the service of King Arthur. Though brothers-in-arm, the two are rivals.[5]
Sonic the Hedgehog[]
After Sonic the Hedgehog arrived in the world of Camelot, Lancelot received the mission to find and slay him on sight by King Arthur. With Sonic declared an enemy of his king, Lancelot pursued Sonic without question and with full intention of carrying out his assignment. However, rather than striking him down without warning, Lancelot challenged him to a formal duel and even gave him the choice to abandon Caliburn and retreat, showing that even though Sonic was his enemy, he was not determined enough to abandon his code of honor in order to kill him. Due to Calburn's intervention, Lancelot initially mistook Sonic's name as "Knave the Hedgehog".
Following Merlina's rise to power, Sonic became Lancelot's ally after he restored his resolve to stop Merlina and gave him back Arondight. By the time of Sonic's confrontation with Merlina, Lancelot had come to care about Sonic's well-being, urging him to stop resisting as he got pummeled by Merlina. When later learning that Sonic was the one true King Arthur, Lancelot quickly accepted him as his new king and bowed before him.
Friends/allies[]
Enemies[]
In other media[]
Books and comics[]
Archie Comics[]
Sir Lancelot appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics. He is the counterpart of Shadow the Hedgehog and makes his sole appearance in the adaptation of Sonic and the Black Knight's opening cinematic.[8]
In this continuity, he is a being from another Zone connected to the "In Another Time, In Another Place" reality in the multiverse.
Lancelot was given the mission to find and slay Sonic the Hedgehog and Merlina the Wizard by King Arthur. Out of his own loyalty, he set out after them without hesitation.
Real world background[]
Lancelot is one of the greatest knights of the Round Table from the Arthurian legends. Although he is King Arthur's trusted friend and ally, his affair with Arthur's wife Guinevere eventually leads to civil war and the fall of Camelot.
Lancelot was the son of King Ban of Benwick and Elaine. However, Lancelot was raised by Nimue, a fairy woman. For this reason, he was known as Lancelot du Lac, or Lancelot of the Lake (this referenced in Sonic and the Black Knight by his title, Knight of the Lake). Also, Lancelot's first sword, Arondight was forged by Nimue Lady of the Lake from the stars themselves. Lancelot becomes a Knight of the Round Table and begins an affair with Queen Guinevere. A woman named Elaine of Corbenic falls in love with Lancelot and tricks him into believing that she is Guinevere so that she can sleep with him. From this union, Elaine gave birth to Lancelot's son, Sir Galahad.
Eventually, Lancelot and Guinevere's affair is exposed, and Guinevere is sentenced to death. Lancelot saves her, but in the process killed Gawain's brothers, Gareth and Gaheris (and, in some tellings, Agravain). This turned Gawain and Lancelot into enemies, and split the Round Table, with some knights joining Lancelot and some joining Gawain, leading to a civil war (in the game, Merlina mentions "Lancelot and Gawain's Rift" in the cutscene before the final battle, in reference to this tale.).
Quotes[]
- "The king's orders are absolute, Gawain."
- —Lancelot to Sir Gawain when Gawain questions the King's orders.
- "I have found you, apprentice knight, enemy of my King!"
- —Lancelot's first words during Sonic's first encounter with Lancelot.
- "I am Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table. I challenge you to a duel!"
- —Lancelot introducing himself in the first fight against Sonic.
- "What shall it be? Will you abandon your sword and flee?"
- —Lancelot when beginning to fight Sonic.
- "Are you truly a knight? You seem more like a court jester."
- —Lancelot fighting Sonic.
- "I was far too careless. Tsk..."
- —Lancelot after losing to Sonic after their first fight.
- "I thought I was the Ultimate Knight..."
- —Lancelot after losing to Sonic after their second fight.
- "We have orders from the king. Have you any last words?"
- — Lancelot to Merlina the Wizard.
- "For the kingdom and its people!"
- —Lancelot and Gawain when they retrieve their swords.
- "There is nothing that I cannot do."
- —While fighting during a mission in Great Megalith.
- "You are the one and true King Arthur?!"
- —Lancelot's Gawain's and Percival's last words before kneeling before Sonic as the real King Arthur.
Theme songs[]
Lancelot's theme song is a segment of "Throw It All Away", Shadow's theme from Sonic Adventure 2.
Merchandise[]
More than three years after the release of Sonic and the Black Knight, during the fall of 2012, Jazwares made a Sir Lancelot figure. This figure came with fifteen points of articulation, a sword accessory, and a removable visor. Later, during the fall of 2014, Lancelot was re-released together with an action figure of Excalibur Sonic by Jazwares.
Trivia[]
- Lancelot is the only character in Sonic and the Black Knight that wields a sword in a reverse grip.
- Lancelot calls himself the Ultimate Knight, similar to how Shadow calls himself the Ultimate Life Form.
- Lancelot uses Air Shoes like Shadow (shown in the cutscene before Knight's Passage and during gameplay), despite the Grand Kingdom seeming to lack high technology. This implies that Lancelot's shoes are powered by a different source than Shadow's, such as magical energy.
- When Lancelot skates slowly, his flames are gray, but become gold/yellow while moving faster.
- The sword he uses, in his "Dragon Hunter" outfit, is actually the Ddraig Goch.
- Sir Lancelot is the only boss to have a post-game rematch (Lancelot Returns) available after beating the game.
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Could use this move in Sonic Dash.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Could use this move in Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
References[]
- ↑ Sonic Team (13 March 2009). Sonic and the Black Knight. Wii. Sega. Area/level: Gallery, Vault 5. "Lancelot - Also known as the Knight of the Lake. His Chaos Spear and other special moves are a real problem for Sonic!"
- ↑ Height chart of Sir Lancelot.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Sonic and the Black Knight (Flash). Characters - Sir Lancelot. Sega. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. "The strongest of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot greatly resembles Shadow the Hedgehog. Wielding the legendary sword Arondight, Lancelot is just as quick as Sonic. And while the two are both headstrong and occasionally come into conflict, they've also been known to work as comrades to defeat great enemies."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sonic Team (13 March 2009). Sonic and the Black Knight. Wii. Sega. Area/level: Deep Woods. "Sonic: Wow... So he was one of the Knights of the Round Table? / Caliburn: The mightiest of all and the closest to King Arthur."
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sonic Team (13 March 2009). Sonic and the Black Knight. Wii. Sega. Area/level: Gallery, Vault 5. "Knights of the Round Table - Lancelot is known as the strongest and Arthur's nephew Gawain as the greatest knight. Though brothers-in-arm, the two are rivals. And Sir Percival's quest is a legend in its own right."
- ↑ Sonic Team (13 March 2009). Sonic and the Black Knight. Wii. Sega. Area/level: Dark Hollow. "Merlina: Lancelot and Gawain's rift shall doom the Round Table. Arthur is struck down by his son Mordred, and departs for Avalon."
- ↑ Sonic Central -2023/6/24 (Japanese). YouTube. ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ【公式】 (23 June 2023). Retrieved on 13 August 2023.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #197, "Knight Time"