I've been seeing the "electricity vs. wind" debate about Sonic's abilities for years now... and I don't think it's going away anytime soon, especially after Frontiers and this new animations.
Personally, I understand both sides as a lot of people criticize the movies for giving Sonic the typical "speedster electricity" effect that so many fast characters across different media already have. I actually agree with that criticism to an extent not because I hate the electricity (I don't), but because, visually, it doesn't feel like what drew me to Sonic in the first place.
To me, Sonic's speed has always felt connected to movement itself and his momentum flows with the terrain. He curves around corners, rides the air, leaves gusts in his wake, everything about his motion feels free rather than forced, and wind complements that feeling. Electricity, on the other hand, feels more like an internal superpower his body is generating, changes the aesthetic from "the fastest thing in nature" to "a character emitting energy."
That said, I also don't think it's fair to claim Sonic has never had electrical abilities. Even back in the Sonic Adventure era, there were moves and skills that clearly involved electricity and considering he's a wielder of Chaos Energy (yes, he is), it makes perfect sense that electrical phenomena could appear as part of his power set and it's not something the movies invented from nothing.
So, in my view, Sonic isn't just wind, and he isn't just lightning because he can be as gentle and free as the wind, but just as overwhelming and destructive as a storm. Both aesthetics can coexist, but simply emphasize different aspects of the same character. That being said, I also think people should prepare to see more electricity in future games, and whether we like it or not, brand synergy is a real thing as long as the movies remain Sonic's biggest mainstream exposure and movie Sonic is strongly associated with electrical effects that the games will gradually adopt more of that visual language as well.
It's not necessarily about replacing older interpretations, but keeping a consistent identity across the franchise and just my thoughts, though, because I don't think there's a single "correct" answer here.
