Sonic the Hedgehog

Origins

Due to the many differences between universes, Sonic's history and world varies greatly. These are some of the backstories.

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Games version

The player knows very little about Sonic's past; he was supposedly born on Christmas Island and has frequently visited South Island. In addition, he and Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik have a fierce rivalry. Beyond that, though, his past is a mystery. Sonic is something of a nomad; he travels from area to area of the Earth searching for new things to see and do, rarely stopping for anything or anyone unless he's needed, often times getting himself involved in stopping Eggman's schemes to take over the world.

Related Topics:
Christmas Island - Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik - Nomad

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Former US/UK version

The origin of Sonic's blue colouration and super speed was first featured in a promotional comic strip in the US Disney Adventures comic and later described in more detail in Mike Pattenden's Stay Sonic book. It was used in most subsequent UK publications (including Sonic the Comic and the "Martin Adams" series of Sonic novels published by Virgin). Although Stay Sonic and the others were official Sega books, it should not be taken as canon for anything else; neither the video games themselves nor their translated manuals make any mention of it, and since the Sonic Adventure games the Japanese backstories seem to have been officially adopted by all the regional divisions of Sega. This background has therefore not been officially in use since Sonic the Comic ended in 2002.

Related Topics:
US - Sonic the Comic - Virgin - Sonic Adventure - 2002

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Sonic was originally an ordinary brown hedgehog with few remarkable qualities. But one day, he accidentally burrowed his way into the secret underground lab of Doctor Ovi Kintobor, a kindly scientist who wanted to make the world a true paradise by removing all evil from it using a machine he called the Retro-Orbital Chaos Compressor. This device used many thousands of gold rings to transfer evil energy into six magnificent "Chaos Emeralds". Of course, Sonic found that a laudable goal, and helped Kintobor by searching Mobius for the seventh and final emerald that was required to completely stabilise all the negative energy contained in the other Chaos Emeralds. Kintobor also helped Sonic to increase his speed using a treadmill and special red shoes he designed himself. Sonic eventually ran so fast that he broke the sound barrier, the resultant shockwave fusing his quills together and turning his body cobalt blue.

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Sonic failed to find the seventh emerald, but Kintobor apparently deduced a way to complete the transfer of the chaotic energy to the six emeralds without it. Before initiating the process, the pair planned to eat - but upon opening the fridge, they found it to contain only one rotten egg. Holding it in his hand and distracted by its smell, Kintobor walked back over to the ROCC, only to trip on a cable and fall, his hand slamming into the ROCC control panel. The machine overloaded and exploded, bathing Kintobor - and the egg - in chaos energy, and scattering the golden rings that comprised it across the planet. Doctor Ovi Kintobor had been transformed into the evil Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.

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Sonic the Comic version

Sonic the Comic's version is identical to the former US/UK Version, but it also later featured a story involving time travel that revealed that Sonic himself was responsible for Kintobor's accident. His foes, the Brotherhood of Metallix, had travelled back and removed the rotten egg from the fridge, preventing Robotnik from being created and leaving them free to dominate the planet. In order to prevent this future, Sonic had to replace the egg and pull the cable that tripped Kintobor - thereby making himself responsible for the creation of his greatest enemy (again).

Related Topics:
Sonic the Comic - Metallix - Robotnik

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Archie Comics version

The Archie comic series offers a Sonic universe very similar to the SatAM Cartoon version. The Freedom Fighters struggle to overthrow Dr. Robotnik and restore the soveriegn Kingdom of Acorn. Their hidden base of operations is Knothole Village, located deep in the Great Forest.

Related Topics:
SatAM - Freedom Fighters - Knothole Village

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The Archie comic series offers another angle on the origins of the person who would become the dreaded Dr. Robotnik. On the planet Mobius, humans (known as "Overlanders") existed for a time in a state of hostilities with the anthropomorphic animal beings Sonic and his friends represented. Julian Ivo Kintobor and his nephew Snively fled from Overlander civilization after some transgression, and was subsequently taken in by King Acorn (Princess Sally Acorn's father) of Mobotropolis. Julian became an important advisor to the King, but ultimately staged a coup (with the help of his nephew, Collin Kintobor, Jr., known better as Snively) in which he seized power and renamed both himself (to Ivo Robotnik, Robotnik being a reversal of Kintobor) and the once beautiful city (to Robotropolis), capital of his near world-spanning empire.

Related Topics:
Mobius - Snively - King Acorn - Sally Acorn - Mobotropolis - Robotropolis

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Eventually, in issue 50, Sonic and his rebel friends finally succeeded in killing Dr. Robotnik and freeing Mobius from his tyrranical reign. They restored King Acorn to the throne, but in the process were forced to contend with a sorcerer named Ixis Naugus, who was formerly an advisor to the king's father.

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Eventually, in issue 75, it was revealed that Robo-Robotnik, an alter-ego from another reality, had been plaguing Mobius with artificial satellites. After being defeated aboard a space station, he transferred his digital consciousness into another robotic body, reborn as Dr. Eggman. He attacked the newly restored Mobotropolis and forced everyone in the kingdom to take refuge in Knothole Village, the original headquarters of Sonic and his friends while fighting the original Robotnik. Since, he has been the main foe, although others (such as Shadow the Hedgehog) have made an appearance. It is still unknown to us if Shadow is a villain, since he has been involved in many controversial battles with Sonic, and his friends. As the comic progresses we discover more about Sonic's present, and future life. In a special series of comics set 25 years into the future, we see Sonic eventually becoming King of Mobius, but at the same time having a bad relationship with his previously good friend Knuckles the Echidna, whose right eye he blew off after thinking he was going to harm others around him with his chaos powers, which he somehow got back.

Related Topics:
Shadow the Hedgehog - Knuckles the Echidna

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The Sonic comic does not hesitate to put others in the main light of the story. Examples are: Tails learning that he is the chosen one from Knuckles' Great-Grandfather, Athair, Shadow investigating his true origins after having many confusing memories in issue 145 and previous issues, Lara-su (Knuckles' daughter) going back in time to prevent her father's first death and a few others. It has also recently been implied in issue 148 that the original Robotnik might have had a relationship with Ivan Kintobor, who was born on Earth on June 6, 2006 and has been held in stasis ever since. He was heralded as a great scientist, but after using and killing an alien from another planet in an experiment, that planet's civilization asked the Xorda to use a Gene Bomb on Earth, with the intention of killing all of the humans. This destructive bomb killed around 98% of the humans on Earth and also accelerated the evolution of the animal kingdom, which formed its own civilization under the kingdom of Acorn many millennia later, after Robotnik came and the Freedom Fighters had fought against him. Yet Sonic is always there somewhere in the spotlight, to support or save his friends from dangerous forces.

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In addition to Sonic's tale, Archie comics also has an extensive backstory concerning Knuckles. In these comics, Knuckles faces off against foes such as the insurmountable Enerjak and the evil Dark Legion. He also discovers his heritage, and struggles to control his growing Chaos powers. This is also the only series to feature Echidnas besides Knuckles, Tikal and her tribe, or Athair from Sonic Underground.

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