#sth analysis

The dependent fox and his ego.

an analysis of Nine’s NPD traits , by knuckiss

But that's also why I think sonic needs a hug every now and then, a really deep loving one that lasts a few seconds longer then it should, one where he feels rooted to the spot but for good reasons and accepts it. That's why Sonic needs tails and Amy, and why their loss in prime is so significant, because who will ground him when they're not there? Shadow did great, but shadow isn't all that equipped to handle others' emotions, not like amy who knows exactly what to say, not like tails who knows sonic like the back of his hand.

Prime I think was made to show sonics bonds with his friends and their importance, the reason why he needs them, why they're not just side characters, they are the main cast and his best friends for a reason.

when discussing Sonic characters' ages, it's sometimes concluded that their listed ages seem sort of arbitrary or "unrealistic." however, I actually think a lot of thought went into picking ages for the cast - especially vis a vis how the target demographic is intended to relate to them, and how the characters are intended to relate to each other.

the cast's ages are no longer listed on their official character profiles (probably because of a few recent in-universe timeskips muddying the issue), but I still think it's super interesting to dig into the ages they were originally assigned and how these reflect the characters' intended impact. here are my guesses:

Sonic:

Sonic was designed to be the "younger, hipper" alternative to rival company Nintendo's mascot, Mario. while Mario was a wholesome, humble, middle-aged everyman, Sonic was envisioned as a cool rebel teen. throughout most of the modern era, his age was officially listed as 15; older than the target demographic, but young enough to feel like an ally in the struggle against adult authority. this is further accentuated by his arch enemy being a fat, balding man with a moustache - all common design tropes used to stereotype an older male character as powerful and influential, yet laughable and out-of-touch (think cartoon business men, wealthy CEO's, politicians and villainous fathers, especially from 80's-90's children's media). at 15, Sonic seems intended to simultaneously read as a cool older brother figure to the audience, as well as serve as a power fantasy. kids are supposed to wish they were able to fight back against the adults in their lives, and do so with style, just like Sonic.

Tails:

at 8 years old, Tails sits squarely in the middle of the target audience's age range. as an insecure newbie hero who used to be a target of bullying until Sonic came into his life and helped him believe in himself, he seems intended as an audience surrogate for young fans. the way he looks up to Sonic is supposed to encourage young fans to do the same. at the same time, Sonic being best friends with a much younger character gives the impression that even though he's too cool for school, he's not too cool to hang out with kids in the target demographic. Sonic and Tails' friendship seems intended to strengthen the bond between Sonic's character and the audience. it's also worth noting that Tails was created as a "player 2" character, and was likely also designed with the intention of encouraging kids to let their younger siblings play the games with them. this way, the franchise would be able to retain a steady customer base going forward, even as its first generation of fans aged out of the series.

Knuckles:

another character whose age has flip-flopped a little, Knuckles was established as 16 years old in the modern era. at only one year older than Sonic, he's presented as a rival on mostly even footing with the protagonist. however, I think that extra year between them is supposed to accentuate Knuckles being both the more mature of the two, and a little more set in his ways. he's that one small step closer to the adult authority - and thus rigidity - that Sonic rebels against. this also reflects his role in certain early media, where he's sometimes fooled into working with Eggman, before switching sides to save the day alongside Sonic.

Amy:

originally listed as 8 years old, Amy would be aged up to 12 from Adventure and onward. mainly defined by her romantic interest in Sonic, her early appearances were used for comedy - the large age gap between 8-year-old Amy and teenaged Sonic was used as a way to frame Amy's romantic feelings as hopeless and immature. I think the target audience, primarily intended to be young boys at the time, were expected to still be in the "ew, cooties" phase, and relate to Sonic's annoyance with her. I'm guessing the reason for pushing her up to 12 was two-fold; Adventure rewrote her personality to make her more proactive and aspirational to a young female audience, so being a little older helped sell her new image as a power fantasy in her own right. at the same time, it pushed her closer in age to Sonic, likely because it was expected that a young female audience would get invested in a possibly-viable romantic subplot. Amy was still younger, less experienced and less mature than Sonic, and thus posed as "non-threatening" to young male players, but she was no longer exclusively intended to be endearingly misguided and laughable.

Cream:

at 6 years old, Cream, alongside Charmy, is the youngest in the cast. two years younger than Tails, she's in the low end of the target demographic's age range, and seems intended to inspire protective feelings in the audience. she's just old enough to believably move and speak without any "baby" character mannerisms, and can thus take part in the action with some level of believability, but she's still the designated "innocent little girl" character, taking over after Amy's reimagining - not intended to be relatable, but rather to be someone for the audience to find endearing. I think the fact that she's exactly two years younger than Tails is significant as well, as this is a common age gap between siblings: if Tails is an audience surrogate, then Cream is the audience's surrogate baby sister they're supposed to want to protect and take care of.

Big:

Big actually perplexes me. I don't know why he's 18. you could make the argument that the number 18 is associated with "becoming an adult", and Big is one of the few characters who's entirely content with his lot in life, with no desire for change to his current routine. you could either interpret him as a "success story", who has found a way to dodge the responsibilities of adulthood by living on his own terms far from civilization (he's from the same pair of games that featured the song Escape From the City, after all), or as a "failure" whose determination to escape adult responsibilities has rendered him a placid, socially inept recluse, or something in between ... but I honestly think the connection between those interpretations and his designated age are grasping at straws. Big is mysterious as always. I don't. I don't know </3

Rouge:

Rouge was created to be a rival and love interest to Knuckles, and she was originally stated to be 17, one year older than him. she was the first recurring female character added after Amy, and were in many ways designed to be her opposite: while Amy was cute, childish, spirited, pure-hearted and optimistic, Rouge was cynical, self-centered and sexualized. it's a common (and insidious) stereotype that girls mature faster than boys, so a young girl pursuing an older boy is treated as sweet and natural; meanwhile Rouge being a year older than Knuckles feeds into her portrayal as a threat to his ego. she's smarter and more experienced than him, and the audience is supposed to root for Knuckles to beat her at her own game in order to establish a more normative gender dynamic, in part so they can get together (thus the scene where she ends up needing him to save her at the end of their campaign in Adventure 2). though she was of course quickly pushed up to 18 to address concerns of sexualizing a character who was still a minor at the time of her introduction.

Vector:

Vector is 20 years old, the oldest of the central game cast to have a specific age listed, and my guess is that this ties in with his characterization as the boss of what is essentially a struggling startup company. it's a recurring joke in the fandom that "[mundane problem, e.g. paying rent or getting stuck in traffic] only exists for Team Chaotix", and it's not entirely wrong - while most of the hero cast are extraordinary kids and teens going on wild adventures, Team Chaotix are primarily comedy relief who are perpetually struggling with realistic problems. you could argue Vector has essentially aged out of being a child audience's wish fulfillment character, and he instead serves as a way to poke fun at the banalities associated with transitioning into adult life. while the villainous Doctor Eggman is an older, successful adult who is "part of the establishment", Vector is a very young adult antihero fumbling to find his place in the world without giving up on his dreams.

Espio:

Espio is 16, the same age as Knuckles, who is partially characterized by his seriousness, sense of duty and rigidity in contrast to 15-year-old Sonic's carefree personality. Espio can be interpreted as a comedic take on those same ideas - he shares many of Knuckles' personality traits, but instead of serving as the noble guardian of an artifact of immense cosmic power, he's a highly disciplined ninja working at Vector's crummy little startup as a detective. with his skills and bravery, he could easily join the other heroes on their adventures, but he's so eager to grow up and take part in the adult world that he ends up slumming it with Vector trying to get their detective business to take off that he misses out on the freedom the franchise associates with youth. Knuckles' dedication to protecting the Master Emerald is portrayed as an admirable sacrifice. Espio "wasting" his talents at the Chaotix Detective Agency is just kind of absurdly funny (and on occasion heartwarming) (he cares about his friends and their shared passion project!)

Charmy:

Charmy is the same age as Cream, 6 years old, and if Cream is intended to feel like the audience's precious baby sister, Charmy seems to be the audience's annoying baby brother. in contrast to Cream, Charmy is bratty, loudmouthed, a little ditzy, he never sits still, and he gets on his older friends' nerves with his hyperactivity. while much focus is put on Cream's vulnerability and how risky it is to bring her into the action, the same sympathy is rarely ever extended to Charmy (especially not in older material) - and I think it's because the audience simply wasn't meant to fret over him the way they were supposed to with Cream. likely because of double standards surrounding gender, the two characters were intended to land differently. Cream was precious in both senses of the word, Charmy was comedy relief.

Silver:

when Silver was first added to the series, he was heavily promoted as the third major male hedgehog character, forming a trio with Sonic and Shadow, with plans to develop a spinoff game where he would star as protagonist. at 14, he's a year younger than Sonic, which poses him as Sonic's equal, yet very slight inferior maturity-wise. while Silver is just as physically powerful as Sonic, one of his major character traits is his naivete, which is heavily focused on in his first appearance, where he's nearly tricked by Mephiles into causing the end of the world. this also contrasts him against Shadow, who is an ageless immortal created 50 years into the past. Sonic is thus the "standard", Shadow is his older and more cynical counterpart, while Silver is the younger and less experienced one. this also matches up with the interpretation that the trio thematically represents the present, past and future, respectively.

Blaze:

Blaze is a funny one, because you'd think her serious personality, strong sense of duty and grim backstory would result in her getting lumped in with Sonic's older rivals, like Knuckles and Shadow, but this is not the case. like Silver, Blaze is 14. I think she was assigned this age to accentuate her hidden vulnerable side and social inexperience; while she tries to come off tough and independent, the story frames her as a damaged person who needs help coming out of her shell. she has several other points of vulnerability that the other older rivals lack, such as her fear of heights, discomfort with cold and water, close friendship with two much-younger characters, disliking close physical contact, her past problems with bullying and social ostracization, and her insecurities about her flat chest. her character arc ultimately centers her developing friendship with Sonic and how he helps her open up to others. you could say she's really just a big kid trying very hard to seem powerful and grown up.

Marine:

Marine seems to have been designed as a foil to Tails, and at 7 years old, she's a year younger than him. like with Sonic's 14-year-old rivals and counterparts, I think the one year between her and Tails is supposed to make Marine read as a "less experienced version" of Tails, which matches her in-game portrayal as a smart kid who's nonetheless in over her head. unlike Tails, who mellows out Sonic's impulsiveness, Marine herself is impulsive and needs her own older friend, Blaze, to get her out of trouble.

Tikal:

Tikal has a lot of traits in common with Sonic, being a brave, kind-hearted nature lover who longs for peace in a world that hangs in the balance. however, unlike Sonic, Tikal struggles to maintain hope for a better tomorrow, and it ultimately falls to Sonic to finish what she started when she can't resolve the conflict surrounding her character on her own. it's possible that her death at 14 is supposed to symbolize her missing out on developing the confidence and strength of conviction that keeps Sonic going even when all seems lost.

Elise:

Elise was introduced as a more "serious" love interest to Sonic, potentially replacing Amy, and at 17 years old, she has a couple of years of maturity on Sonic, inverse to 12-year-old Amy. while Rouge being older than Knuckles posed her as a threat to his ego, Elise being older than Sonic instead seems to attach to her characterization as the older, wiser, more dignified alternative to Amy's childish, energetic eccentricism. Elise is a princess with a magical destiny, and is depicted as narratively "valuable" - not to mention she's a realistically-rendered human, which, combined with her role as love interest, makes me think she was intended to be attractive to the audience. she's the "uptown girl" who's "out of Sonic's league", but still ends up falling for him simply because he's kind to her, strengthening Sonic's impact as a wish fulfillment character (or was supposed to) (it didn't really pan out) (most people didn't like Elise)

Jet:

like Silver and Blaze, Jet is another of Sonic's 14-year-old rivals. in his case, I think being a year younger than Sonic is supposed to support his portrayal as an immature, impulsive, self-centered young upstart, contrasted against Sonic's worldliness. though he's a racing prodigy and the best of the best at the sport his story revolves around, he's also depicted as privileged; he's one of the only characters who has a still-living blood relative, and it's his highly successful father, who set him up with the family business in the first place. Jet's rivalry with Sonic is also shown to be somewhat unequal, as Jet is clearly deeply invested in said rivalry, while he is in turn only one of Sonic's many rivals - he's essentially a spoiled, loudmouthed, slightly-younger kid determined to make Sonic pay attention to him.

Wave:

Wave is interesting to me, because she inverts the usual older-leader/younger-sidekick dynamic in relation to Jet: at 18, she's four years older than her boss. while Sonic functions as a mentor figure to Tails, Wave is instead treated like one of Jet's assets - one of his privileges is direct access to the genius daughter of his father's team's mechanic. Wave is portrayed as the most skilled extreme gear mechanic in the world, and having her under his employ is one of the reasons Jet is so successful. Wave is also portrayed as a bully, she's a "mean older kid" in relation to Sonic and friends, and her skills together with her nastiness make Jet more of a threat by association. she's directly compared to young-and-insecure Tails, who's only just breaking into the field of extreme gear, and the fact that she's exactly 10 years older than him further drives home the massive difference in experience between them.

Storm:

Storm is just one year older than Wave, 19, and he serves much the same function in relation to Jet, providing the brawn to Wave's brains. while Wave is contrasted against Tails, Storm is contrasted against Knuckles as the physical power houses of their respective teams. he's three years older than Knuckles, old enough to imply a significant difference in experience level, but still in his teens, keeping with the "mean older kid" theme.

I'm gonna put a read-more here, but under the cut, I'll talk about characters with vague ages, as well as the handful of IDW comic characters who also have canon age designations!

He has a god complex. All of his badniks resemble bugs, fish, birds, and even mammals, but they have their own mechanical twist. They're designed how he wants them to be. But these badniks are meant to survive indefinitely and independently, as such they need a host-- a biological battery.

So, that's why he captures animals and turns them into mindless computers inside these robots. He's literally turning life itself into a mechanical facsimile, a mockery of existence itself. (Hence why he always gets into near world ending schemes.)

But there's also something interesting about his relationship with Sonic as the villain and hero duo. Like any roboticist, he analyzes the biomechanics of animals so that he too can replicate them in his machines; it's all about pure efficiency in motion. The ultimate robot that came from this philosophy was Metal Sonic. He's not just supposed to destroy Sonic, he's meant to be the perfect robotic replacement created by Robotnik's hand.

He's still a scientist, he wants to understand how things work! But his ego can't accept what he can't control. And thus, he is stuck in this losing cycle he'll never truly win. Even if Sonic fails to get the better of him, he'll lose in the end because he destroyed everything, and he'll have nothing more to build off. He will die in the anguish of never getting the perfect controlled petri dish of a universe he wants.

in my mind, they arent. but not in a dehumanizing way, in fact, calling them people is dehumanizing them in my mind

they arent people, theyre concepts, and in the way i see them, theyre gods.

sonic is freedom embodied. he doesnt let anything stop him, hes the wind in your hair and the creativity flowing through you, hes the fight that never gives up even when it gets tough snd hes who will be at your side, pulling you up when youve fallen down. hes the determination, hes what tells you to never give up.

shadow is the rest, a strong force, something that looks like they should be fighting, but theyre a healer. theyre the feeling of a distant but close relationship, one that words cant describe, they see when it gets tough and they tell you to take a break, when youve hit your limit theyll push you back down. when the fight is over theyre the one to make sure youre still there. hes the patience, hes what tells you you got out.

and thats how they see each other.

others see them as physical things, you can see sonics trail of blue behind him, the remains of the badniks, they can see the rage of shadow, the carnage he leaves behind him

but thats not who they are, they were never meant to be physical things

and i would even go as far as to say thats canon. we know sonic is the wind, hes been associated with it for how long? and shadow wasnt meant to be a person, he was made as a concept, to be a fighter, to be a healer

like.

im not screaming in the void

yall get me right

they arent physical beings, theyre concepts that are each one side of a coin, and that coin is a fight

sonic is telling you to never give up and shadow it telling you to not push your limit

and the only people that see each other as what they truly are, as the concepts the represent and the the gods theyre envisioned as, are each other

because they understand each other

—The sad puppy eyes at the flashback scene

—When he meets Gerald again he was on the defensive until he recognized him (he caught him by surprise in the middle of his mourn) and when he hears that Sonic, Tail, Knuckles and Eggman were arriving he was about to attack until Gerald tells him “calm down, we are going to receive them properly”. And only because of that he changes the strategy to ambush (Goes from agressive stance to tense, head is peerk up and eyes focused on Gerald, listening to his command)

—After ambushing them he leaves them tied up and while the crazy people do the infodumping and start to monologue he stays still and quiet, only when Gerald gives him the order to look for the key is when he intervenes in a somewhat aggressive way (when watching that scene I can't help but think an attack dogs. Well, first one he’s tensed and with angry expression, trying to look bigger to intimidate them. Then he kinda lounges towards them while demanding for the key, defintly this has a ressemblance to an attack dog barking to either a threat or prey)

—When they were going to steal the second key Shadow wanted to do the job and his body language, again, is reminiscent of a guard dog pulling on the leash and barking to attack. Only when Gerald convinces him to leave the job to the mad scientists in exchange for “getting revenge like never before” does he calm down and stay behind (lounges while talking, again, ressemblance to an attack dog aggressive barking)

—Interferes when he realized the Robotniks plan failed, so he headed straight onto searching the second key and after attacking Tom he just went back to his master, protecting him and giving the object to him (I don’t think I need to elaborate this)

—Also the fact that whenever he is near Gerald he’s just there, watching in silence and his body tensed, attentive and waiting for the next command as if he was a trained dog (body tensed, eyes focused on Gerald, defintly waiting for the next command)

Movie Shadow’s life is just simple miserable because he was probably conditioned by G.U.N into obedience and Gerald exploited this to use him as a tool for his revenge plan. And remember, he might be dubbed by Keanu, but mentally he’s a teen like Sonic. So yeah, here we have fucked up symbolism, showing throught non verbal languaje how due to bad luck, manipulation and grief Shadow got dehumanizated and turned into a tool.

Well I’m currently writing a in depth analysis but to give a brief explanation

Sonic believes that everyone should be free to be whoever they want to be, even bad guys. But also believes that once you interfere with others freedoms or restrict them that you’ve crossed a line and must be stopped. This belief even extends to the earth, thus why he hates people who want to destroy the planet.

That’s why he never kills people or puts them in jail, because he wants to give them a chance to let them choose to be good and killing them would take that choice away.

For me I think it’s a very good ideology to live by and do so myself. It can lead to problems when people make the wrong choices but as long as someone is there to save the day then it’s not a bad way to live and make choices by. Sonic at the end of the day is a preserver, he rights the wrongs of the systems he takes part in and protects the freedoms of the earth and it’s people. He the same as a force of nature, only lead by his strong moral code and not some “destiny” that he must follow.

( + my ramblings and analysis of his character as a whole ) in just six minutes, this short animation was able to show off each and every one of the main characteristics that make knuckles KNUCKLES. six minutes of phenomenal writing did arguably more than (without counting the movie, which did so much to restore honor and respect to our favorite echidna) two whole decades of being pushed to the sidelines, made into a punchline and pulled away from where he should be in the first place! and we start with the obvious: 1) HIS ROLE. KNUCKLES IS BACK ON DUTY, PERFORMING HIS FATED ROLE! he's guarding the master emerald and not only do we get to see him standing at the altar again, but we also get to see him introspecting about his responsibilities in a manner very reminiscent of his story mode cutscenes in sonic adventure (1998), yet building off from their foundation:

knuckles is tied to a responsibility without a clear reason, a fated one. he doesn't know the answers or the reasons behind why things are the way they are, only seeing things as objectively as possible because it's all he can truly be certain of; he's had to grow up accepting that no matter what, he will continue to stand guard by the emerald, because it's what he was chosen to do. he's alone in the present, as he always has been, and he's grown used to that independence. he prefers it over anyone's help or company, in fact. that doesn't mean that he doesn't question it, even while seemingly powerless in the face of his destiny. i think having knuckles reflect upon his duty is an excellent service to his character and a necessary one to really have the chosen one trope and its full potential shine. recent years have shown us countless fanon (and canon, thanks to SEGA!) misconstructions of knuckles as dumb, stupid and laughably clueless when that couldn't be further from the truth. he's ignorant, yes! naive and gullible and ignorant but only because of his years of isolation, clueless only because he lacks the knowledge as someone who's been, for the greater part of his existence, firmly dedicated to fulfilling his sacred task as a guardian to angel island. and there is a WORLD of difference here. his ignorance shouldn't conflict with his intelligence. his introspection shows just how much of a deep thinker he is, how curious he is by nature, being born into a land and a civilization enshrouded in mystery. with so much time to oneself, who WOULDN'T question the status quo? 2) KNUCKLES EXPLORING HIS OWN ISLAND! expert treasure hunter knuckles who, thanks to his curiosity and the endless hours of solitude confined to his island, is always seeking to learn more about his home. he's shown to be highly in touch with his surroundings, going above and beyond to perform as its guardian and gaining some knowledge along the way. he may not have all of the answers, but each day he knows more than the last. he's so familiar with angel island, while having so much in it left to uncover.

3) HIS EMPATHY. knuckles has ALWAYS been meant to be empathetic, driven by a heart of gold to help others fulfill their own goals in a very selfless manner and seeing the best in everyone, EVEN when they choose to act upon their worst. this is part of why he's tricked over and over by eggman! he can't deny someone in need a helping hand, and eggman, knowing this, takes advantage of him. he's one of the most selfless characters in the entire franchise, and his selflessness is once again put on the spotlight:

when he sees someone in distress, the empathy is written all over his expression! he's highly sensible to people's emotions and emotionally aware of them, perhaps more than he is of himself. he cares so much and so deeply about others! in spite of having nobody to care for him while he watches over angel island, he doesn't think twice about being there for everyone else.

his tenderness is more important than i can put into words. he's a sweetheart, through and through. power comes from the heart. and speaking of power... 4) HIS PHYSICAL STRENGTH. not only do we get a glimpse of his mind and his heart, but the power of his fists. the rough, brash, badass knuckles we all know and love is BACK full force, and this short makes sure to highlight once more, right along with his mental fortitude and the force of his kindness, just how STRONG he is on a physical level:

these images speak for themselves. knuckles means BUSINESS. and his fists are NOT to be meddled with! he is NOT here to be underestimated! he breaks off a significantly large portion of a CLIFF with just one punch. this fight scene was AMAZINGLY choreographed, 100% serious knuckles, rougher than the rest of them and hard as nails as he always has been. this side of him shouldn't conflict with his introspective side, his inquisitive spirit or his golden heart—they are ALL essential parts of him that can and should exist in TANDEM. exaggerating one or another would be unfair to representing his truest form. a big part of knuckles' character is about keeping things balanced, outside of himself as well as within, and though his temper can flare when provoked, though he can be impulsive and ruthless, he is just as calm and collected and merciful. and if you ask me? this short achieved just that. it struck a PERFECT balance between these traits and in doing so gave us such a careful and true picture of knuckles being knuckles. i hope that frontiers will be the start of a new era of sonic fans, old and new alike, appreciating knuckles' character like he deserves to be appreciated, starring in all of his glory and developing beyond the broken image of him that many people were left with for far too long.