#oh nine...

Guys, I just realized that the Grim scene is a dark parallel to Sonic talking to Nine on the subway.

One of them approaches the other with their idea of a perfect world. Sonic is happy and has his chest uncovered, simply stating their adventures, while Nine has his hand over his chest speaking from the heart. Nine in the first one is curious, but Sonic in the second one is saddened.

Hand on the shoulder. Both of them do that out of excitement and some reassurance. Nine smiles while Sonic frowns.

Both then turn away from the other, lost in their own thoughts and beliefs. Sonic is ecstatic and lost in nostalgia and joy, whereas Nine is firm and grim in his loner beliefs.

Another thing! Look at the color pallet difference in these two scenes.

The surroundings on the subway are jaded and tinged with a cold icy blue, even Nine's orange is jaded, his outfit dark and grim. However, Sonic is bright and colorful, having a warm, calming blue, brighter than everything around him.

In the Grim, everything around is colorful and warm. The light blues and vibrant orange evoke a sense of welcome and a sense of joy. However, Nine is grey and dark, the grim and mourning black, silvers, and greys contrasting his calm and warm surroundings.

Yeah, yeah, I know I already did an analysis of Nine but this just got stuck in my head and I needed to post this. I already did an analysis of what Nine represents, but I found another thing interesting and that's the act that they just named him "Nine".

One thing I learned is that SEGA name's their characters for a reason. Like, Sonic was named due to how fast he was (the term supersonic speed), Shadow was named due to being a complete opposite doppelganger to Sonic, Amy Rose (originally Amelia Rose) which Amelia is deprived of germanic meaning work, reflecting her hardworking personality and Rose, reflecting her everlasting love for Sonic.

While Tail's is a nickname, which basically comments on how he had two tails, his real name is Miles Prower (being a pun on "miles-per-hour", nice job SEGA).

However, Nine's name is just Nine in-universe. Just Nine and nothing else. But what does it reflect and say about him?

Nine is a cold, blunt, bad-tempered, emotionally distant, psychologically exhausted, love/touch-starved kit who had NOTHING until Sonic came. But what does the title Nine say about that?

Well, I did a lot of research and it turns out that naming him Nine has a LOT of possible symbolism.

Let's get the obvious out of the way, it's clear that the term Nine refers to his extra tails and also due to the fact that he was based on the Japanese folklore of kitsune. Kitsune when reaching the final stage of maturity gains nine tails, so it's perfect for a mature and tired variant of Tails.

But looking into the symbolism of the number Nine more I found a LOT more interesting things.

There's another belief in Japan that contains the number Nine. It turns out the Japanese word for Nine sounds almost exactly the same as the Japanese word for "Suffer" or "Torture", and as a result, the number is considered to be an unlucky number. From what we've seen Nine HAS suffered A LOT and most likely will continue to suffer, and he's a very unlucky variant of Tails.

Japan isn't the only one who thinks of Nine as an unlucky number. Some religions consider it to be bad due to it being one short of 10.

However in some religions, like Hebrew, Nine is a symbol of truth, and while it can reflect on how blunt Nine is, it can also become ironic if Nine refuses to accept the truth that Sonic can't ever be by his side in The Grim.

In numerology, the number Nine represents completion - not a final ending, but a fulfillment of one cycle. The number also represents world experiences. Not to mention many phrases such as "cats have nine lives", and "dressed to the nines" also seem to relate to the maximum or fullness of something when every effort has been exhausted. However there are bad traits to Nine, unrealistic standards (for self or others), or being prone to over-giving.

In Christianity, Nine symbolizes A LOT of things so bear with me here. In Christianity, the number Nine is considered neither good nor bad, rather very ambiguous (which relates to the moral ambiguity of Nine). It can be considered the number of destruction or illness, but it can also represent completeness or finality.

An interesting thing about the symbolism of Nine in Christianity is that while it is associated with the crucifixion of Jesus (Christ died at the Ninth hour) it's not considered bad because the death of Christ opened the gates of salvation for humankind.

According to the Christain God's Word, Nine represents judgment, patience, harmony, development, and creation. Nine holds a lot of judgment towards others, Nine while mild-tempered shows some patience with how he sticks with Sonic despite the hedgehog getting them into trouble, Nine doesn't show harmony but he might in future episodes, Nine develops a LOT in the show, and the creation one is his knack for inventing.

In folklore, the number Nine is considered to be Triple Perfection or Harmony x3. I'm not sure what this represents but I thought that was interesting.

There's a thing called the Day of Atonement, which occurs on the Ninth day of the seventh month (July), and is considered a holy day for the Jews in the Bible.

There are more things like Hoshea reigning Isreal for Nine years, or how the destruction of Jerusalem's temples on the 9th Av on the Hebrew calendar.

Ok, so far we've seen multiple Shattered Spaces and multiple variants of the main characters. There have been many speculations that each variant represents a part of the main crew. I agree with this. I can see each part of the main crew's personality split taken to the EXTREME. But there's one that confused me, and we'll get to him later. First, let's go over what each shattered version of the main crew represents.

Amy:

Rusty Rose: Amy's sense of loyalty.

Thorn Rose: Amy's love for nature.

Black Rose: Amy's love for adventure.

Rouge:

Rebel Rouge: Rouge's sense of leadership.

Prim Rouge: Rouge's sense of deceit and trickery.

Pirate Rouge: Rouge's sense of teamwork.

Knuckles:

Renegade Knucks: Knuckles rebellious and defiant against another control.

Gnarly Knuckles: Knuckles naivety and assuming to believe everything.

Dread Knuckles: Knuckles' sense of impulsiveness.

Tails:

Mangey Tails: Tail's sense of primal instincts.

Sails: Tail's dependence on others for guidance.

I know all of you noticed that a certain variant of Tails is missing: Nine. Nine was hard to place. He is Tail's sense of reliance on machines however due to how much we've seen of him that wouldn't be the main trait he represents. Re-watching the show I realized what he represents.

Nine: Tail's love, selfishness, and emotional need for Sonic.

This is mentioned originally by @animatedjunkfood in messaging, but they pointed out that while traveling through the ShatteredVerse for the first time, we hear each main character's statements that reflect their ideals. Amy's is her love for nature, Knuckles is his hot-headedness, but Tails is the only one that has two separate lines. One mentions that he doesn't need an army because he has Sonic and the other mentioning on how his and Sonic's bond can NEVER be broken, that they are INSEPARABLE.

The writers did that for a REASON, and I think that it shows how important Nine is going to be in the future. Tail's lines reflect his LOVE and BOND with Sonic, and Nine so far reflects that perfectly. He didn't show care towards anyone besides Sonic, he only takes Sonic to the Grim, and he shows an emotional need for Sonic despite how cold he tries to be, Sonic being the original Tail's emotional rock doesn't change for Nine; and in Nine's case becoming that EVEN MORE SO.

Yay, another Nine analysis! It's been a while, huh? But I have more thoughts about him I need to write out so here I am. So now let's begin.

Alright, so let's start with the fact that while the other variants are devoid of the things that represent them (empathy for Amy, and Honor for Knuckles), Nine's is actually not only enhanced but WARPED in a more twisted way.

Amy's lack of empathy is shown through Rusty (a robotized Amy) and Thorn (while she wanted to protect the Jungle she didn't try to understand or find common ground) and Knuckle's lack of honor is shown through Dread.

But Nine is rather different. Yes while he didn't stay and help the Rebels, and abandoned them, he choose to save Sonic instead. In fact earlier during the battle between the Rebels and Dr. Deep, I noticed that he only helps Sonic during the battle. He's the first one to notice Sonic's in danger and stops to help him, but only him, he doesn't do it for the others. Watch closely at how Nine contrasts against the others in the fight.

The others help out each other, but Nine only helps Sonic. I thought it was an interesting detail, and it also proves my theory. Not to mention he's surprised when Sonic saves him and pleased when he learns about a high five.

Another thing is how he chooses to abandon the rebels, choosing to save the shard, the shard that took Sonic. He once again chooses Sonic over everyone else.

The battle during the Rebellion, once again, Sonic.

I disagree that Nine isn't loyal, that he's a Tails that lacks loyalty, but a Tails whose sense of loyalty that's starting to become deluded and damaging towards others and possibly himself. A dedication and commitment that does more harm towards others and himself than it helps. A self-destructive and dangerous obsession.

He's only loyal towards Sonic, he's only dedicated to Sonic, he's only attached to Sonic, he only smiles with Sonic, and no one else.

If Nine wasn't loyal or committed to Sonic, then why did he wait weeks for Sonic, and why did he come back for Sonic?

It's understandable why too, to him Sonic is a person from another world who gave another version of him a life he always dreamed of. To him, Sonic is his only friend, the only person who accepts him for his Tails, the only person who gave him a reason to let his walls down. So it's understandable that he'd only care for Sonic.

Unlike the others, Sonic can bring him something he dreamed of, unlike the others Sonic was bright and bubbly and not yet damaged by the horrible world around him, and unlike the others, Sonic is the only one who can make his heart melt with that unrelenting optimism and blinding faith and allow another in.

Unlike the others, Sonic gave him something to live for, to fight with blood and sweat for.

A WORLD and LIFE to hope for.

It's no wonder the poor kid latched onto the first person who showed him kindness and affection. Before Sonic meet him, he probably hasn't made contact with anyone in YEARS after he fought back his bullies.

Just look at his face after he tries to ignore Sonic in the top left. His face softens, and with the slightest bit of hesitance asks what else they did in this wonderful dream world just out of reach of his gloved hands.

Which makes my next thought worse.

Guys, you'll hate this but...

I don't think Nine's going to get his happy ending. It'll most likely be very bittersweet at best.

DON'T GET ME WRONG, HE DESERVES THE WORLD! But the world he wants can't ever be achieved without Sonic. Sonic, just wants to get home no matter what. A home that isn't Nine's. A home Nine can't ever go to.

Nine wants Sonic to stay, being unable to be happy in a world without him. Sonic wants to go home, being unable to be happy without his FRIENDS. Like he said earlier in the pilot, his FRIENDS make Green Hills HOME. Which makes it clear he won't be happy living in the Grim.

Both of them have opposite goals, goals that can't be achieved at the same time. This is originally mentioned by @animatedjunkfood, but I agree that the Grim scene reflects this extremely well with its visuals.

Look at the sky, a strong blue, starting light but darkening as the sky gets further and further away from the sandy bottom, stars twinkling with lost dreams. The ground is deep orange with grey crystals shooting out of it, crystals a faded grey reflecting shimmering hope reaching to grasp the sky to come true, never making it.

On the distant horizon, there's a light gleaming from the distance, somewhat reminding me of a rising sun.

I think there are three things this represents.

It might be reflective of Sonic and Tails' relationship. Sonic, while better on the ground always lives carefree, running like the wind, sometimes resulting in being easily distracted. Tails, who can fly, ironically is the more grounded of the two using his tech and being more focused.

Sonic is the sky and Tails is the earth. That's how it's always been.

But this could also reflect Nine's dream. Notice how the sky is blue like his eyes and Sonic's fur, how the ground is orange like his fur, and how the grey crystals reflect Nine's tails. But what's missing?

Emerald green. The emerald green of Sonic's eyes. This isn't the world he wants, it's what NINE wants. Hence why green isn't anywhere present. It's not HIS ideal world.

Lastly, and my favorite, this could reflect their different goals and how they can never be achieved simultaneously. Nine wants this world to be home, hence why the ground is orange. Sonic however wants to go home, a place beyond Nine's reach, which is reflected wonderfully through the blue sky that twinkle with stars. Stars are often thought of as dreams and hope, which makes sense, as Sonic can bring Nine that.

Another thing I REALLY like is how the grey crystals could reflect Nine's mechanical Tails, reaching to try and grasp Sonic, to grasp that happy dream, the earth reaching out for that sky of sweet hope.

But the ground and the sky can never touch...

Ok, I'm back!!!

I'm feeling a little better and I want my mind off some things so here I am! And my first order of business is to address a certain belief that I've been tired of seeing around here.

There's a belief that New Yolk is Nine's world or centered around Nine, but I strongly disagree. Nine's world ISN'T New Yolk, nor is it about or centered around Nine, not in the way you think.

The Grim is Nine's world.

My reasoning?

First, let's look at the color scheme.

New Yolk has very strong themes of red and shaded hues, the only lights being from electronics. Red is the most prominent theme, which is Eggman's main color, and there is no other color to be found, showing it's only his dream and his idea of a perfect world, and nobody finds this world to be paradise, not to mention they are actively fighting back.

Now let's look at the Grim.

It is a very different color scheme. Instead of harsh, strong hues of shades and red, it has a soft lighting of blue and orange. Orange is Tail's main color, but it's not all there is. In fact, there's only one shade of deep orange sandy desserts that seemingly goes on forever, but the blue above has multiple shades; dark blue, baby blue, turquoise, sky blue, and midnight blue at the top, dotted with multiple white stars. There are small silver crystals, seven present on the screen, which I think it's obvious what that represents.

This is Nine's world because it fits his ideals of a perfect world. One where it's just him and Sonic, and the Grim reflects that extremely well, having no buildings, no plants, no water, just nothing but the two of them, together.

Stating that New Yolk is Nine's world because there are machines and he lives there and is centered around him because he's the most we see from and in New York is completely overlooking his entire character in general.

Nine deviates from the other variants due to his views on the world he resides in and his goals. While Thorn, Dread, and the Egg Council all strive to protect or are relatively happy in their respective worlds, Nine could care less about New Yolk when given the chance, not to mention he was nothing but miserable there.

Thorn, Dread, and the Council all want something within or based around their worlds, Nine goes out to find a new one, traveling the Shatterverse to find a new home.

While the others wanted something unnecessary or unimportant, Thorn wanted to protect a jungle that didn't need to be protected, Dread wanted the shard out of greed, and the Council wants power and control, Nine wants something understandable: A home.

Some people say it's Nine's world because he gets to use his mechanical skills better, but did he want that or use those skills for fun or sport? No. He used it for survival against the harsh dystopian world he lived in.

Now let's go onto the next topic, the belief that New Yolk is centered around Nine.

And I very strongly disagree.

New Yolk is not centered around or mainly focused on Tails. Now hear me out, he may be the most we've seen screentime in New Yolk but that doesn't mean he's the focus of it.

I have multiple explanations for this. My first one is that each main Shattered focus is the main conflict of their world, AND has the results of their own actions affecting others and the world.

The Egg Council built a dystopian world where they are in control, Thorn has a Jungle that she thrives to protect, and Dread is the captain of a loyal crew. But New Yolk is a dystopian world where only the Council are happy, everyone else is jaded, miserable, and depressed, Thorn was fiercely protective of the jungle, but in her extreme ways, lost her friends, brandishing herself as a monster, and Dread a captain who never cared for his crewmates, making his old ones his enemies, and merely using his new ones, all for a shard.

The Grim hasn't affected anyone, yet. I think they're saving that exclusively for SONIC AND NINE.

Another thing is that each main focus in the Shatterspace of their originals' main ideals is the main conflict. New Yolk is Eggman, Boscage Maze is Amy, and No Place is Knuckles. It's clear Nine is going to be the main conflict in the Grim, which we have yet to see alongside Rouge's world.

Not to mention, the other variants loved or seemed fine with their worlds, but Nine hated his. AND what the other variants want is attainable and they can find peace and redemption without the unnecessary things they want, but because of what NINE wants, he CAN'T and what he wants is what he CANT TRULY HAVE. And before you might mention how if Nine is a shard of Tails then he'll still attain it, but no, not really. That's still Tails, Nine is dead, nothing but a trait once more no matter how you look at it.

Most importantly, what Nine wants is to be WITH Sonic, while the other variants didn't care about the hedgehog, either attacking him or using him in the end. Unlike them, Nine cares immensely for Sonic after getting firmly attatched, and even after he got captured he STILL SHOWS CARE FOR HIS WELLBEING.

Now I know some of you are stating that Nine is the main relationship focus of New York, and I can't agree with that, but that doesn't mean Sonic's relationship is centered around Nine in JUST New Yolk. My thought?

Nine and Sonic's relationship is anywhere. Not just in New York, it's in the Grim too, and in the void. It's EVERYWHERE.

People forget that Nine is the ONLY varient who figured out how to use the crystals, and it was presumably to FIND SONIC. Unlike Rusty who went under the Councils orders, Nine CHOOSE to do so. He choose to go into the great unknown to find his friend.

Another thing. Rebel said Sonic was gone for WEEKS, making her and Knucks believe that Sonic ditched them. But Nine did not react the same way, which on means one thing:

NINE NEVER GAVE UP ON SONIC.

He spent WEEKS building a mobile just to find Sonic, he spent WEEKS on his own with faith in the only person who gave him kindness, he showed nothing but undying loyalty and faith that Sonic was alive. Which denies another theory that Nine isn't loyal. Sure, not to the others, but to Sonic, it's rooted permanently.

WE WERE WRONG ABOUT WHAT NINE REPRESENTED.

Nine isn't Tails's need for emotional support. That's just one of the things that come with what he truly represents.

It's because of what he is that he's morally ambiguous.

Nine is TRAUMA, Nine is SELFISHNESS, Nine is PAIN, Nine is UNBREAKABLE LOYALTY, Nine is FAITH AND CARE, Nine is INDEPENDENT but EMOTIONALLY CO-DEPENDENT at the same time, Nine is AGONY but also SWEET EUPHORIA.

Nine is HELL but also PARADISE.

Nine is LOVE.

And What Takes Place Out of Love Lies Between GOOD And EVIL.

Just simple observations of Nine's lab <3

Alright, Nine has to have had someone here before if he was actively writing keep out (in the weird language in Sonic) on a cabinet INSIDE his lab. Another thing, what is that thing? Nine has a second floor, probably where his bed and kitchen area are.

Nine likes to draw, and he's a pretty good artist ngl.

Did Nine kill someone, or is that paint?

Ok, I have NO IDEA what that red stuff is, and I don't think I want to know. He's got the typical gadgets, and he must've made the monitors and stole an entire light rectangle from somewhere and hung it up himself, judging by the wonky way it's positioned.

He doesn't always use his tails as a chair, he has a red stool too. He also appeared to find a way to convert the energy from the city to use it for his own means, clever fox. Must be how the monitors are powered, from the battery underneath his self-portrait,

That was used, but on what? There are probably calculations on the board and some more drawings, but I can't tell. If anyone can somehow manage to remove the blur and make it clear because I can't do that I'm too dumb to understand math or any language other than English (I flunked Spanish).

I have a theory about what that could've been used for, but I'm saving that for its own post.

What looks like another Nine drawing, random boxes, a power generator, barrels of something, and a big ass Eggman sticker that he has laying around for some reason. Nice to know Nine digs stickers.

I can't tell what's on the shelf. But it looks like a collar. This makes the question:

Did Nine have a pet of some kind? Might've been a chao considering he knows what they look like to draw them and that the neck collar looks big enough to fit their neck, however, chao might've died out due to Eggman. But some might've been saved or slipped his grasp.

If he did...What happened to it?

You know when I go back and rewatch the episodes of this show because of how it ended, and because of its interesting story, I realize how horribly bittersweet it is.

Usually, Sonic stories have epic adventure stories or happy positive feelings but Prime is just...bittersweet. It gets even worse when you remember the ending of the first batch, which leaves SOO many interpretations.

Sure, there's some action here and there, but the main focus is the characters and their feelings. It's not about the fights or good vs evil, it's just about getting home, and trying to find light in a pitch-black room.

Hope.

Which makes the ending of the first batch worse. Home doesn't exist anymore, Sonic broke it. The way they handle Sonic's character is actually well done in my opinion. He's bubbly, positive, and cocky, but ultimately well-meaning, and unconditionally kind. There are some things he says that are annoying, but nothing too bad. Nothing too unwatchable.

I absolutely enjoy it when they put flaws instead of making Sonic a perfect hero like they usually do. He's more real, and easier to get attached to. He's immature, but he is still a teen, still growing and learning about the world.

The other characters are really good too. And one thing Prime does is show deep empathy for its characters. Each character has more depth to them, and when they express distressed feelings, you can understand and feel it. At times, you can even relate to their pain.

(The way he poses XD, he knows he's a bad bitch)

And I couldn't use this pic without this one.

(Period. End of discussion)

Shadow is another really well-done character, not an overly edgy asshole, but a cold person with a hidden heart of gold. He's standoffish to Sonic, and most likely his friends, but his and Sonic's fighting probably is nothing but competitive sport. Not to mention their fighting ACTUALLY MADE SENSE. Shadow saw Sonic was going to do some stupid shit again, except this time he would break the WORLD, so naturally, he tried to stop it.

Of course, he was going to fight Sonic, the blue bitch doesn't even listen to his friends. Of course, he's going to literally knock some sense into him the first chance he sees him, he broke THEIR HOME.

I agree Shadow could've tried to talk to Sonic, but again would Sonic have listened? Not to mention, Shadow is...a complicated person when it comes to communication.

The variants of the main characters are really good as well. Each of them has goals, ideals, and sides. Of course, there's one that stands out to me, and if you've seen my posts you know who it is.

I can't NOT talk about Nine! He's just so interesting and well-written. The show emphasizes a LOT of mystery around him. Like we KNOW this is another version of Tails, but what happened after he took the shard? How did he see Sonic? What did he discover about Prism's power and how to harness that power? What is going on in his head?!

We'll have to wait for these questions to be answered in the second batch, but he's still very fun to watch. In my opinion, he's not only the best character in Prime, but he's also the most bittersweet in the Sonic Franchise. when Sega tries to write a bittersweet character, it's either too sad or too happy, too edgy or too go-lucky, but Nine is a perfect in-between.

Nine is edgy done right, I am so sorry Shadow SEGA ruined you, and has moments where he's happy too. He's just a very complex and interesting character.

It's hilarious that "emo Tails" written by Netflix is better than any other edgy character SEGA made up. When he blows up or becomes cold, it's understandable.

Attacking Sonic the first moment he meets him? Sonic called him something he was abused for YEARS for, so naturally, he thought Sonic was another "bully". Taking the shard over helping the rebels? He watched the only person he ever bonded with get sucked into this shard, he never bonded with any of the rebels anyway. Doing it again when there was a battle? It wasn't his problem, it was the rebels' he was only working with them because he was helping Sonic anyway.

However, back to the topic, all of the variants Sonic bonds with reminds him of his friends back home, so yeah, he helped and bonded with them, but he doesn't belong in that world. Except his world is destroyed, his home where his REAL friends are, his friends that he mentioned are what make his home, home.

If he does manage to get all of the Paradox Prism together, those worlds and those variants will likely disappear. The variants would go through the equivalent of dying. They'll become one again, but they'll cease to be nothing more than mere traits, they won't be alive anymore, and they won't be their own person anymore. They'll cease to be, nothing more than the shards they are.

No matter what, how happy they are, or how satisfying the conclusion is, they will still have to "die", all just to become a shard of someone who will never know they existed. No matter how optimistic you look at it, it will have a pang of heartbreak.

And I think the chance of them remembering is highly unlikely because it would take away from the main theme of Prime. This isn't about them learning something, it's SONIC, and probably Shadow. If they remember it would kinda ruin the main tone of this show.

If anything, they'll just think it was a simple dream and think nothing of it. Because that's all it was to them, not a deep journey, not a meaningful bonding, just a weird dream that they don't need to think about ever again.

What will the varients think of that? What will NINE think of his worth? Nine and every other variant are just copies, things that aren't as important as the real thing. They aren't worth much, they're just variants, just "shards". With how Nine suffered, with how much Nine WANTS, I don't think he's just going to overlook it and help.

I also think that with his villain arc will come another solution. Another way the world can be restored is without simply converting him, mashing him up with the other meaningless shards, and becoming the real Tails. Another way where he won't be just some shard.

And to be honest, if there's another way that involves Nine going crazy but getting his way, getting to be HAPPY, while restoring the world and bringing everyone back without having to "die", I'm DOWN.

Some people hope there will be a redemption arc, and so do I, I'm hoping that the thing I mentioned just now will be it. Redemption is not always happy, it can be sad or bittersweet. When he does get that, it'll most likely be the harshest bittersweet ending of all.

I keep reading posts that Nine is a good boi or going to be a villain, but I want to say something that needs to be clarified, Nine isn't a good person, but he's not a bad one either, he's simply a kid, and we CANNOT forget that.

He's just a kid with NOTHING to lose, and when he finally finds something to be worth living for, he's never going to have it (unless he does things his own way).

There are some quotes from other Sonic games that I think fit well with what I'm trying to say that sum up ALL these characters, especially Sonic and Nine. All of these were said by Sonic btw.

"Don't be afraid to accomplish your dreams."

"When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live life without regrets."

“Every world has its end. I know that’s kinda sad, but that’s why we gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have.”

“If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have!” -(Actually stated by Shadow, my b)

Hello! Welcome to the second part of this analysis of my favorite character in the Sonic media! Now in the first part, we discussed Nine's home life, and how that home life pushed him into firm isolation. But now I want to talk about the effects that Sonic had on him that not only furthered his bad ideals but made Nine possibly realize something both beautiful and horrifying.

Let us begin, shall we?

Section Three: "Sonic?"

We left off with Sonic running off, Nine surprisingly chasing after him. As Sonic carelessly walks around New Yolk, Nine tells him firmly to stay quiet and out of sight. Only for Sonic to tell that when Nine remembers, not knowing Nine is just a variant yet, being sneaky and silent is not his forte.

What do ya know, they get captured. And as the baby flies off with them, they have a typical sibling argument of 'yes', 'no', and repeating. Then Nine asks in his usual snarky way if Sonic was sure they were friends. But we don't get Sonic's response, instead, it just goes to Rouge and Knucks.

Then Sonic wakes as if having been knocked out, which is interesting to me because we don't see what happened before, or what happened in between those two points. Sonic wakes up, first attempting to escape, only for Nine to solemnly state that he's wasting his breath. Then Sonic meets Rusty and the Council.

Some banter later, and the Council performs some tests. Interestingly Nine's behavior is to take note here. He's more concerned for the hedgehog, calling out his name in worry at first. Which makes me question what did Nine see after they were captured by the Council? What happened to Sonic to make him fall asleep in between.

During the tests, there was something that struck me as odd. Nine never saw Sonic run, not really, which has me question why he suddenly remarked that he has the same energy that powered the city.

His behavior toward the council here is interesting as well. Like he did in the last episode, Nine stays entirely neutral with them, not having a side to choose yet. But then comes the energy extractor scene. Sonic is forced to say his last words, remarking about all his friends. Saving a very special person for last.

As the energy extractor gets closer and closer, we get three separate shots of Nine and get more and more worried. Then Sonic speaks his actual last words:

"See ya, Buddy."

And Nine's face is visibly shaken.

I think this is where his wake-up was, where his cold splash of reality came. The realization that this hedgehog not only cared for him but was also his only hope of having a happy life was now about to be lost forever. That he can't lose this hedgehog or let him get killed. This was where his attachment came in tenfold.

Rebel manages to save Sonic, and Nine while everyone's distracted, moves to the computer, getting the cuffs off and freeing Sonic. Notice how he goes from not doing anything when Sonic is threatened, to being the most protective of the hedgehog.

When Sonic was being attacked by Rusty, there's an urgency that Nine understands, but he doesn't panic he keeps calm and stops the robot from annihilating the hedgehog. He disregards Rusty as a robot because to him it is. That's all she is and nothing more.

They defeat the robots and Sonic pulls them into a group hug, which they all pull away, disgusted and annoyed. They then plan to get the Shard and all go to receive it.

There's a fight scene, and all of them fight, yet Nine notices Sonic is in trouble first and immediately goes to help him, and only helps him other than himself in the battle. This I think shows Nine's emotional attachment becoming a protective instinct.

Then even more fighting later, Nine and Sonic manage to get to the shard. Nine goes ahead but Sonic hesitates, reflecting their ideals and views on others. Nine doesn't care for anything other than things they need, or in this case what Sonic needs, he doesn't stop for others and goes ahead, leaving them behind as long as they got what was needed.

Sonic, however, waits and stops, always willing to stop for others to help, it didn't matter that the thing he wanted, needed, was right there in front of him, others always come first. Only after an urging from Rouge and a gruff call from Nine does Sonic go ahead.

They get to the Shard and Sonic exclaims that it's too small before realizing what happened. Notice how while Sonic's clearly in distress, Nine doesn't try to comfort him, more concerned with more shards. This rather reflects on Nine's just birthing emotional attachment to Sonic is rather weak at the time and his attachment to Sonic is merely what he can have from it, not how it makes Sonic feel for now.

It's only when the Council attempts to break out that Nine still doesn't comfort him, but tells him to snap out of it, showing a rather mature understanding that they needed their heads straight.

That is until Sonic grabs the shard, and he begins to get pulled in. It's then that Nine shows concern, asking 'what's happening, to which Sonic merely responds by saying his name as he's pulled him.

As the hedgehog is Nine reaches out to try and keep the hedgehog from getting sucked in but it is too late. Nine calls his name, asking where he is in desperation ad concern. Then as his expression changes to one of sadness and melancholy, the screen moves away from him, reflecting how Nine is alone once more.

The screen turned black and only one word is said by Nine, a word said with confusion, worry, and sadness.

"...Sonic?"

I am going to continue from Nine's perspective as best I can but I wanted to mention this detail. While we do see what happens when Sonic is sucked into the shard, it's different with Nine. Instead of peaceful natural surroundings, or Dread cheering with joy, it's just darkness and silence the only word of Sonic's name being uttered, nothing more.

Back to Nine, he snaps out of his trance when he realizes that the Council is about to get in. Without skipping a beat he goes and uses something to grab the shard. He does not touch it unlike everyone else.

I have a theory that touching the shard puts that person's desires to the extreme, Thorn's desire to protect the jungle, Dread's obsessiveness for the Shard, and even Sonic's desire to go home, trying to send him there.

But I also have another idea that touching the shard can also be a test of that person's free will. Dread is a variant of Knuckles, the brave but naive echidna that was tricked by Eggman, Amy is the empathetic one, through Thorn is deeply affected by the shard to enhance the protective sense towards nature, snapping out of it when she sees what she did. Because Nine didn't touch the shard, he wasn't affected. Yet. But even if he does, I think it would either take a long time or he'd be able to manage it because he is a variant of Tail's, the brain and logical thinker of the group.

I'll probably elaborate on this theory later in a separate post.

Anyway, Nine grabs the shard and manages to sneak away unseen. It's when he's out of the vault that he sees the Rebels and Rusty, their eyes light up when they see him thinking he can help. There's no hesitance, Nine immediately glares at them, before leaving them behind, choosing isolation once more. But I think this could be an unconscious moment of self-destruction, leaving them behind and ruining his chances of other friendships.

Unhealthy isolation can lead to being self-destructive and pushing others away in a belief of it being 'self-preservation', of it being a warped form of something good, something safe. Nine is caught in two addictions; the addiction of isolation, believing he needs it to be safe, and to feel comfortable, and the growing addiction to his growing affection and love for Sonic.

We don't see what Nine did after he showed the shard yet. But he comes back when Sonic is caught in a fight with the rebels. This is where our next and (for now) last section begins.

Section Four: "It could be home."

Now we come to the last section until the second batch is released. We see Nine again when Sonic is in a battle between the Eggman's and the Rebels, Sonic was in trouble, and Nine came rather conveniently to his aid. When Sonic hops into his ship, Nine immediately leaves, leaving behind the rebels once more. Sonic originally protests, but Nine refuses, telling Sonic to tell him where he was first.

Sonic goes on to tell him his tale of the Boscage Maze, and Nine responds that confirms his theory that the shard is capable of so much more. He shows Sonic the shard, confirming that he did in fact leave the rebels for dead. Then he brings Sonic to the Grim.

This is a HUGE factor in Nine's character. First of all the scenery is one of a wasteland, with orange cracked grounds, grey crystals, and a wide endless blue sky with dozens of stars.

The Grim is just empty.

No people, no plants, no water, just beautiful emptiness. This is a huge factor in Nine's psyche if he made this world himself, but it could still be a huge insight into his mindset. It shows nothing but loneliness, a never-ending world of nothingness.

It's warped loneliness at its finest.

They land and get off the ship. Nine graciously welcome Sonic to 'their bright new future'. Not his, 'THEIR'. He's letting Sonic into his circle of isolation. But he isn't willing to break down his warped isolation.

Look at Nine here.

He's adorably excited for the first time we've seen him. Nine smiles in this scene more than he does in the first batch of the show. It's the first time he's genuinely smiling for more than two seconds. He is happy in this world, he's excited that he's going to have the world he oh, so wanted.

He describes it as possibly being home, the 'one Sonic lost', the 'one he never had'. This wording is very important, Nine is offering a new home for both of them. This indicates that Nine was at this for a while.

He still can't let go of the idea of isolation, offering a home that was isolated from everything else. He's asking Sonic to abandon his old home for this new one, which we all KNOW Sonic would never do. Sonic responds that it's not going anywhere, once again urging Nine to help out the rebels.

Nine's face changes from a mix of surprise and hurt to hardening frustration. He coldly rebuffs his disinterest in helping the city, but he doesn't force Sonic to stay. He allows Sonic to go back.

Then he comes back when Sonic is once again in danger. He states that he's going home after this and never looking back, that whether he goes with Sonic is entirely up to the hedgehog.

Only for Nine to get captured by the Council. But it's heavily implied he planned this. What his plan is exactly, we don't know yet.