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Sonic Wiki Zone
Not to be confused with Southern Island. For other uses, see South Island (disambiguation).

South Island (サウスアイランド Sausu Airando?) is a location that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is an island that is known to be a treasure trove of gems and ancient ruins, that supposedly shifts along the water due to some connection to the Chaos Emeralds.[2]

Description[]

South Island is a landmass that floats over a rich ocean.[3][4] Described as a peaceful island,[5] South Island is a paradise blessed with abundant nature.[1] Its fauna is mainly composed of non-anthropomorphic Animals. Its flora, however, is much more diverse and abstract; one area in particular holds many kinds of flowers that move, almost as if they were dancing, alongside tall palm trees with spiked coconuts. Topographically, South Island's terrain quickly elevates from south to north, with the southern regions being plateau-like and very low in altitude compared to the northern areas, which hold massive mountains, jungles, and huge waterfalls.[6] The island also has a lake archipelago that flows from the northern mountains to the south east of the island, with many tall islets found on it.[7] Despite its abundance in nature, South Island also holds many artificial territories, which include large metropolises and massive industrial complexes. Additionally, it is a treasure trove of ancient ruins,[1] with several locations holding temples.

Many legends claim that South Island has had connections with the Chaos Emeralds since ancient times, though the accuracy of such affirmations cannot be guaranteed.[2] Such mythos also say that the island creates distortions that cause the Emeralds to exist[2] and that it floats thanks to Chaos Emerald energy; as a result, if at least one Emerald gets stolen, South Island will eventually sink into the sea unless all the Emeralds are reunited.[3]

History[]

Death Egg saga[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

In the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), and its numerous ports and remasters, the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as "Eggman", arrived on South Island with his army to get the Chaos Emeralds spoken of in the legends surrounding the island to power out his empire with.[2][8] Setting up a huge fortress on the corner of South Island, the doctor began his hunt for the Emeralds, even if he had to tear the whole island up to find them.[2]

Sonic Origins Sonic 1 intro 14

Sonic chasing down Dr. Eggman and his Badniks across South Island, from Sonic Origins.

As the local Animals on South Island started to mysteriously disappear,[9] Sonic the Hedgehog rushed to the island upon learning of Eggman's operations. There, he encountered the doctor, who revealed that he was kidnapping the Animals in order to use them to power his Badniks.[2] To stop his nemesis, the hedgehog embarked on a journey across South Island to secure the Chaos Emeralds.[9] As he traveled through the various Zones on the island, he was able to gather the six Emeralds, defeat Eggman in several encounters, and free the Animals from the Badniks. Eventually, Sonic infiltrated Scrap Brain Zone, the doctor's stronghold, where he triumphed over his final weapon. As Eggman attempted to escape however, Sonic made his Egg Mobile crash with the doctor in it.

With South Island saved, Sonic went back to Green Hill, where he reunited with the various Animals as they celebrated his victory over Eggman.[9] Amidst this, the Chaos Emeralds' power filled the Zone with flowers.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit), Dr. Eggman returned and kidnapped all South Island's inhabitants, along with Miles "Tails" Prower, demanding a ransom of six Chaos Emeralds to return them.[10] Upon discovering this, Sonic went out to stop the doctor once again. After the hedgehog successfully defeated the villain on the island, Tails was freed from captivity.

Sonic Chaos[]

In Sonic Chaos, Dr. Eggman stole one of the Chaos Emeralds on South Island. As a result, the rest of the Emeralds became unbalanced, causing South Island to slowly sink into the ocean.[3] However, Sonic and Tails managed to recover all the Emeralds and save the island after defeating Eggman.

Sonic Labyrinth[]

In Sonic Labyrinth, while Sonic was resting somewhere on South Island, his shoes were replaced with Dr. Eggman's Slow Down Boots, eliminating his super speed. After this success, the doctor quickly began construction on a Super Labyrinth-based Eggmanland nearby and found the Chaos Emeralds.[11] Despite his limited movement, however, the hedgehog broke into this new fortress and claimed the Emeralds to get rid of the fake boots while his nemesis escaped.

Sonic the Fighters[]

Sonicgcps2 003-large

The South Island stage, from Sonic the Fighters.

In Sonic the Fighters, a section of South Island was used as a fighting arena for a fighting tournament. The arena was set on a small island plateau, in an area that looked mostly like Green Hill, and served as the home field for Knuckles the Echidna. The victor of the fighting tournament fought their first round here in order to earn the right to use the Lunar Fox for a mission to destroy the Death Egg II.

Sonic Blast[]

In Sonic Blast, Eggman's latest floating base, the Silver Castle, threatened South Island, so Sonic and Knuckles resolved to take it down.[12] After gathering all the missing Emerald Shards, the duo was able to make the Silver Castle crash into the ocean.

Sonic Generations[]

In the console/PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, as a side-effect of the Time Eater's time-traveling, a past version of South Island's Green Hill got transported to White Space where it was drained of color and life.

After ending up in White Space, Modern Sonic paid a visit to Green Hill. By speeding through Green Hill, Sonic was able to fix space, thereby restoring Green Hill from its lifeless state. When the Time Eater later got destroyed, Green Hill was seemingly return to its rightful place in the timeline on South Island.

Sonic Mania[]

HardBoiledHeaviesTransformed

Sonic, Tails and the Hard Boiled Heavies on South Island, from Sonic Mania.

In Sonic Mania, sometime after the Angel Island incident, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and the Hard Boiled Heavies got warped to South Island's Green Hill after the Hard Boiled Heavies unearthed the Phantom Ruby. Having gained free will and updates forms during the warp, the Hard Boiled Heavies fled with the Phantom Ruby, prompting Sonic and his friends to go after them. Along the way, the heroic trio got ambushed by Dr. Eggman and his Death Egg Robot. After being defeated by the heroes though, the doctor managed to forcefully obtain the Phantom Ruby from the Hard Boiled Heavies, which he used to sent his nemeses to the Chemical Plant.

Sonic Forces[]

In Sonic Forces, South Island's Green Hill, as well as the locations within it, got changed for the worse by Dr. Eggman's industrial projects. Because of Eggman, the area would undergo heavy desertification, causing Sandworms to infest the area.

Shortly before the War to Take Back the Planet, Sonic took a trip through Green Hill before being called in to defend the City. When Eggman later seized control over the globe, he conquered South Island as well. However, thanks to the efforts of the Resistance, the Eggman Army eventually withdrew from the area.

Sonic Mania Plus[]

In Sonic Mania Plus, Sonic, Mighty/Ray and the Hard Boiled Heavies got warped to South Island's Green Hill after the broken-down Hard Boiled Heavies received the Phantom Ruby from the Heavy Magician. Having been rejuvenated during the warp, the Hard Boiled Heavies fled with the Phantom Ruby. prompting Sonic and his companion to team up with their other friends and go after the gang of robots. Along the way, the heroes got ambushed by Dr. Eggman and his Death Egg Robot. After being defeated by Sonic and his friends though, the doctor managed to take the Phantom Ruby from the Hard Boiled Heavies, which he used to send his nemeses to the Chemical Plant.

Other game appearances[]

Sonic Adventure 2[]

In Sonic Adventure 2 and its enhanced port Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Green Hill is a secret stage that could be unlocked by obtaining all 180 Emblems. On the Stage Select screen, the icon for Green Hill could be found on a secluded island, presumably South Island.

Sonic Battle[]

Sonic Battle features Green Hill as an unlockable arena unrelated to Story Mode. Emerald Town's landscape greatly resembles Green Hill, but whether or not it takes place on the island is not confirmed.

Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood[]

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, South Island appears as the western landmass on earth. This iteration of the island included Green Hill Zone, Central City and the Mystic Ruins.

After learning of the Marauders' uprising, Sonic returned to South Island where he teamed up with his old friends to uncover the mystery of the Marauders and find the missing Knuckles. After searching much of the island, Team Sonic found Knuckles in Mystic Ruins. Believing Eggman to be a part of this crisis too, the group tracked Eggman to his hideout in Green Hill Zone. When Eggman revealed that he was against the Marauders as well, he teamed up with Sonic and co. for their assault on the Marauders' base in Metropolis.

Sonic Runners Adventure[]

In Sonic Runners Adventure, South Island was the location Sonic traveled to after hearing from Tails that Dr. Eggman was causing trouble there. After finding Tails, Sonic put a stop to Eggman's plans on the island before following Eggman off the island.

Sonic Frontiers[]

In Sonic Frontiers, South Island was mentioned by Dr. Eggman in his Egg Memos, while he was temporarily trapped in Cyber Space, about how he found recreations of the aforementioned island, West Side Island and Angel Island in the dimension.[13]

Points of interest[]

In other media[]

Animation[]

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie[]

South Island movie

The capital of South Island, from Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.

In Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, South Island, rather than being a single island, is a region in the Land of the Sky on Planet Freedom which is governed by the President. It is made up of many islands suspended in the sky. Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails serves as South Island's defenders, protecting it from Dr. Robotnik's schemes.

Books and comics[]

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic[]

South Island (Story Comic)

South Island, from Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 1.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic published by Mega Drive Fan, South Island is the main setting of the story between Sonic and Dr. Eggman. The island holds a number of biomes, such as the Green Hill Zone where Sonic held a concert for his fans.

Archie Comics[]

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, South Island is a location on Mobius, and later Sonic's World. In the Post-Super Genesis Wave timeline, Sonic the Hedgehog has had many battles with Dr. Eggman and his forces on this island.

Sonic the Comic[]

South Island STC

South Island, from Sonic the Comic #25. Art by Richard Elson.

In the Sonic the Comic published by Fleetway Editions, South Island is a location on Planet Mobius which hosts a number of prominent Hill-themed Zones, including not only the Green Hill Zone but the Emerald Hill Zone as well. It is also home to the Emerald Hill Folk and the Freedom Fighters.

Dash & Spin Super Fast Sonic[]

In Dash & Spin Super Fast Sonic, Sonic and his friends visited South Island for treasure hunting.

Trivia[]

  • In Sonic Forces, one can see on the world map that Green Hill covers a significant part of the island, leaving no room for the other zones depicted in other Sonic games. However, this is likely due to presentation reasons and is not intended to be an accurate map of earth, much like how the continents in Sonic Unleashed do not match up with world maps from previous games.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, PGS. 7-10.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sonic & Tails (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
  4. G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 21.
  5. G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
  6. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 19.
  7. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 18.
  8. Flynn, Ian; Sega (8 December 2021). "Sonic The Hedgehog (16-bit)". Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-1506719276. "Dr. Eggman - A mad genius who seeks to conquer the world with his machines! He's the reason all those adorable little animals have been crammed into robots. He seeks out the Chaos Emeralds to power out his ever-growing mechanical empire."
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sonic the Hedgehog 4 :: Episode I. Story. Sega. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved on 27 October 2017.
  10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
  11. Sonic Labyrinth (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 7.
  12. G Sonic (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-7.
  13. Sonic Team (8 November 2022). Sonic Frontiers. PlayStation 5. Sega. Area/level: View Fish-o-pedia Menu. "Egg Memo 3: The "terrain" here keeps shifting. I'm finding recreations of regions from South Island, West Side Island, even Angel Island! Where is this environmental data coming from?"
Navigation templates to South Island


Main article (Blue Sphere) · Staff · Manuals · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery · Pre-releases (prototype) · Re-releases (2001, 2005, mobile, GBA, iPod, 2013, 3D, Sega Ages)


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