The Sonic The Hedgehog franchise has one of the biggest supporting casts of any video game series. The games are full of heroes and villains, and more seem to be added with each installment. While most of these characters are playable in the various spinoff games, a great many of them are playable in mainline Sonic games.
With the upcoming Sonic Superstars allowing up to four players to play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy at the same time, many fans are reminiscing about their favorite playable Sonic characters. Whether they’re in a 2D or 3D game, each character brings new twists to the Sonic formula. There are many great playable Sonic characters, but some stand apart.
10 Dr. Eggman
While normally the series’ primary antagonist, the evil scientist Dr. Eggman has been playable in the Sonic series before. His most notable outing as a playable character was in the beloved Sonic Adventure 2. Eggman’s levels involved him traversing stages in his Egg Walker and dispatching foes with homing missiles.
While this style of gameplay was first introduced with E-102 Gamma in the first Sonic Adventure, it had been polished to near-perfection for Eggman. Not to mention the good doctor’s fans were thrilled to finally be able to select him. These sections had many fans and a lot of them would love to see them brought back in a future game.
9 Cream The Rabbit
Cream The Rabbit was first playable in Sonic Advance 2, and while she won many fans, she hasn’t had a great many mainline outings since. Like many characters in 2D Sonic games, she behaves very similarly to Sonic, but with a few new abilities. Mainly she can fly through the air like Tails, and she can attack enemies from a distance with her pet Chao Cheese.
These are undoubtedly useful abilities, and they have made her a favorite among many fans. However, some fans are concerned that they make playing as her a little too easy. Despite these concerns, Cream is still a beloved character who needs to return.
8 Shadow The Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog is one of the most popular characters of Sonic’s entire roster. And while his fans love playing as him whenever they can, his playable appearances have garnered a mixed reception. His best playable moments were early on in games like Sonic Adventure 2, where he played identically to Sonic.
While players enjoyed these moments, SEGA went a little too far in trying to differentiate Shadow from Sonic in subsequent entries. The most notable of these was his solo game Shadow The Hedgehog which saw him using guns. While Shadow wasn’t the first sonic character to use guns, some fans thought it was too out-of-character and that it was trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.
7 Miles “Tails” Prower
Miles “Tails” Prower became playable in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and is Sonic’s most iconic sidekick. Tails is characterized most by his two tails which he spins like a helicopter’s rotor to fly. This allows him to soar over obstacles and enemies with ease, circumventing some the games’ most challenging areas.
However, some fans feel that being able to soar over the platform challenges takes the fun out of the game. Tails also noticeably slows down in flight which some feel ruins the speed and momentum that makes Sonic games so much fun. Even with these complaints, Tails is a very popular character who fans can’t wait to play as in Sonic Superstars.
6 Mighty The Armadillo
Mighty The Armadillo is an obscure character who first appeared in the Japan-only arcade game SegaSonic The Hedgehog. His subsequent appearances have been few and far between, appearing only in Knuckles Chaotix and Sonic Mania Plus. This most recent appearance gave him the Hammer Drop attack, which let him curl into a ball and slam downwards to smash enemies and obstacles.
This ability could also deflect enemy attacks and let Mighty bounce off spikes once per jump. These are undoubtedly useful abilities, but some fans find them too situational to justify any regular usage. Even so, these unique abilities couple with his cool design to make Mighty a cool character that fans wish was more prevalent.
5 Amy Rose
First appearing as an NPC in Sonic CD, Amy Rose has risen to prominence as one of Sonic’s “big four.” Amy is just as prominent as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles and has had a major role in many mainline Sonic games, including Sonic Superstars. Armed with the Piko Piko hammer, Amy has many abilities geared around taking out enemies.
Her hammer can also be used to help her jump and dash, making it a versatile tool for traversal as well as attack. These unique abilities make Amy extremely fun to play as in 3D games, but especially in her rarer 2D outings. This makes her one of the most highly anticipated playable characters in Sonic Superstars.
4 Ray The Flying Squirrel
Like his buddy Mighty, Ray The Flying Squirrel first appeared in SegaSonic The Hedgehog and has been scarce ever since. Also like Mighty, Ray had an excellent appearance in Sonic Mania Plus that gave him a new ability. Being a flying squirrel, Ray could glide across stages like Knuckles.
Unlike Knuckles, Ray’s gliding mechanics allowed him to strategically fall and rise in a manner similar to the Batman: Arkham games. This required great skill to pull off correctly, and felt less like avoiding the game’s challenges than adding new, equally fun ones. This makes Ray an excellent character who needs to be in the spotlight more often.
3 Blaze The Cat
Despite being a popular character, Blaze The Cat hasn’t been playable many times outside the racing or party game spinoffs. When she is playable in games like Sonic Rush, she functions very similarly to Sonic. The main difference is that she has a higher jump, and a short glide to make landing easier.
Considering that Blaze has power over fire, many see it as a waste to turn her into what amounts to a clone of Sonic. While these critiques do have merit, many fans still find her gameplay to be fun, with many citing her as their favorite Sonic character. Her differences in aesthetic, personality, and story alone help to provide a unique experience from Sonic.
2 Knuckles The Echidna
First appearing in Sonic The Hedgehog 3, Knuckles the Echidna is perhaps Sonic’s greatest rival for fan adoration. Not just because of his looks and personality, but because of his gameplay as well. Knuckles has the ability to glide through the air, destroying any enemy he hits, and he can scale walls.
This makes playing as Knuckles a bit easier, but it doesn’t completely remove the challenge like playing as Tails or Cream does. He is held back a bit by the 3D entries, which center his gameplay around slow and uninteresting treasure hunts. This aside, Knuckles is loved by 2D Sonic fans who rejoiced loudly when he was announced for Sonic Superstars.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog
The star of the show, Sonic the Hedgehog has been playable in almost every game in the franchise. Whether he’s in 2D or 3D, the fast and furious gameplay he offers is what draws many gamers to the series. Whether it's running on loop-de-loops, or jumping into a badnik at top speed, many purists cite playing as Sonic as the best possible way to enjoy the game.
Even using his homing attack in the 3D games to attack a string of flying enemies feels incredibly satisfying. Though he lacks many of the traversal abilities his friends do, this adds a level of challenge that many gamers prefer. As the eponymous hero of the franchise, Sonic is its greatest playable character.