Sonic is a boring character

[The Kid]

I just want some sort of clear perspective on Sonic.

He's a hedgehog. He is blue. He runs fast. Clear enough?

[YoshiUnity]

It makes me wonder does this series have an identity crisis, there's themes of death, revenge and even grimdark and philosophical messages in this franchise and yet the protagonists acts like he comes from a Looney Tunes cartoon.

He acts like this because he's a thrill seeker, man. Saving the world and enjoying the ride there. Cheating death with style and having freedom for all is the ultimate chilidog for him.

Anyways as for your response, I get that because of Sega he can't really be touched, and people love his here today gone tommorow attitude, but it just feels like nothing phases him. Like he takes nothing seriously, the only times I can remember since Elise was dead and on the Ark he was trapped in a capsule.

And the time when he first met Shadow then locked up on Prison Island, the time when he first saw Biolizard and all the other Monsters of the Week, meeting Tikal, stripped of the Chaos Emeralds power and turned into a Werewolf, flower for Merlina, mountain of handkerchiefs, resurrected and seeing the true Solaris, Tails under mind control... He gets serious a lot of times, man.

But only when he's dealing with unseen circumstances, unfamiliar events or cheering someone up. He'll enjoy the journey no matter what obstacle is in his path, but he's not oblivious to how serious situations can become.

Edited September 7, 2011 by YoshiUnity '06

[crush40rocks]

Sega really doesn't care much about that character and story stuff as they used too when they were pushing consoles, nowadays they're trying to make fun games that appeal to the masses to make money, which they need to stay alive.

All it takes is some decent writing. All Sega has to do is program/animate it. I'm sure the new voice cast's acting isn't so wooden that they can't portray other emotions besides what their narrow templates currently provide. It's not like it would cost them more money to have these guys act out a little drama. I think Adventure 2 is a good example of drama in a Sonic game. While there was still mostly the typical "light-heartedness/seriousness" combo from Sonic, there were some other emotions added to the midst of the seriousness, which I felt made him more compelling as a character. See? They did it before, so they could do it again if they wanted. Last I checked, Adventure 2 also did pretty well sales-wise as well. It just depends on the writer.

Hell, I'm a writer and I'd do it for free. I'd get real creative with his emotions and situations. I'd do him some justice. I really like that someone pointed this out though. While I do accept Sonic for the shallow personality that he is, I would like to see them use more variety in his emotions. Deepen him a bit. I would also like for them to put just a smidge more emphasis on his trademark attitude that he's had since the classic days, only without making him a complete asshole. I think a tad more hubris might make this character a bit more entertaining, but that's just me.

EDIT:

Also, after reading on from the post that I was quoting here, I'd like to add the following disclaimer:

Please notice how I left out any mention of making the fleshing out of his charcter more like "reality." Also note that I didn't make any mentions suggesting that I would make him a complete emo-fag either. Being depressed about something isn't the ultimate one-emotion-fits-all "cool card." In fact, Sonic being obnoxiously depressed would turn me away from him, seeing as how it's like the polar opposite of his character. It wouldn't even be Sonic, really. However, there is still more fleshing out that could be done with his character/emotions. It would be a good idea to take what he currently is and start building around that rather than stapling out-of-charcter emotions to him like depression willy-nilly. Sonic does indeed belong in a surrealistic escapist fantasy, even though the reality gimmick does seem to work sometimes, depending on how it's done, but his attitude shouldn't contrast the world around him either, in fact, it should reflect it if anything.

For example, Sonic Colors was bright and, well... colorful, as was Sonic's personality in that game, even though his sense of humor writing-wise was cringeworthy at times. Sonic Adventure 2 was more down-to-earth and gritty in comparison, and his personality in that game also reflected that atmosphere. I guess what I'm getting at is that while Sega/Sega's writers have been experimenting with different tones, good writing, along with the perfect balance of character-meets-atmosphere can in fact make Sonic interesting, it just all depends on the writer and the overall concept. Also, it's Sonic. You can't go all "Dark Knight" with him, it just wouldn't work. There needs to be some cartoonism and color to him and his surroundings, tone-wise.

Edited September 7, 2011 by crush40rocks

[Chaos Nightmare Moon]

Yes, it did, and thankfully it's been crawling out of that pit since Unleashed.

You're right that he doesn't take things seriously. It's part of his personality. It's why he's not boring.

I'd argue otherwise, I find him boring because he lacks versatility and purpose.

Sonic has as much of a reason as Mario, Maser Chief, Altair, or any random nameless character in Call of Duty.

He fights because kicking Eggman's but is fun. It's obvious from dialog in games that he enjoys beating Eggman, what more does he need for a reason?

Sonic games haven't usually had an emphasis about the story. It's usually been about the gameplay, unless it's a game like Sonic Adventure in which the story is focused on more heavily.

Frankly at this point I don't think Sonic will be endearing to you unless he gives a dramatic speech before each level on why he fights for truth, justice, and the American way.

Sonic finds things fun because he can never lose or sacrafice anything of equal value to change his perspective on life based on the games e rated dynamic and him having main character plot shield protection. That is why I don't see why he would ever reach out to me as a person.

Mario is tied to protecting Peach and the Mushroom kingdom, thats his purpose, John is a Spartan trained marine commander who fights for the sake of the universe safety and is detached by human emotions so he won't forget that duty, thats his purpose.

What is Sonic's purpose exactly, running and beating bad guys for fun with no consequence.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

What is Sonic's purpose exactly, running and beating bad guys for fun with no consequence.

To save the world from Dr. Eggman who wants to conquer it for himself. You'd have to be extremely blind not to notice that.

[crush40rocks]

And the time when he first met Shadow then locked up on Prison Island, the time when he first saw Biolizard and all the other Monsters of the Week, meeting Tikal, stripped of the Chaos Emeralds power and turned into a Werewolf, flower for Merlina, mountain of handkerchiefs, resurrected and seeing the true Solaris, Tails under mind control... He gets serious a lot of times, man.

Me gusta.

Thanks for bringing these up. I'd like to see moments like these used just a little more. I can kind of see OP's point though. Sonic has a spirit that is completely indominable. Very rarely do you see him in real peril to the point where you can visibly see that the charcter is contemplating the thought of possibly losing. One of the greatest moments that really grabbed my attention was when Eggman used his cunning to effectly beat Super Sonic's ass and transform him into that thing that played well for what it was, but doesn't belong in my Sonic game. *shot*

That was a moment that was definitely out of the ordinary and stood out for me. I remember thinking, "Did he just outsmart Super Sonic?! Oh man, things just got interesting!" It's moments like these, these jaw-dropping, out of the blue moments that I hope to see more of in the future. Regarding Sonic's personality in this scene, while you don't see much in the way of the, "am I really... losing?" expression, you did see him get kinda pissed after the transformation, in a vengeful kind of way (and then there was his, "WTF IS GOING ON?!" face while having the emerald's extracted from him), which is still a decent substitution. Even when the energy band enclosed around Super Sonic, the expression on his face read, "Wtf? I don't know what this thing is, but I'm gonna break out of it!" which I suppose I would expect from him. Still, breaking his bravado every now and then by putting him in such a daunting/threatening situation and then having him overcome a massive challenge (and of course get said bravado back after overcoming it) would shake things up a little bit for the character I think. Having him be in every game and maintain the attitude the entire time of, "I'm going to beat you and there's nothing you can do about it" is kind of one-dimensional and I'll admit it does get a little bland at times, but the colorfulness of his persona does keep me going. He is a loveable character, but I would like to see him thrown in harm's way (successfully) now and then, if anything to make it all the more satisfying when he does overcome said challenge. Certainly not all the time, because then it would also be repititious (only in an annoying kind of way), but more often than currently being used.

EDIT:

Oh yeah, also, deeper dialogue. I'm not talking profound, touch-your-soul deep, but just slightly more interesting than what's currently being used *coughcolorscough* I think it should be light-hearted to maintain the colorful atmosphere that it does, but only to a point. I'm one of those guys who likes a good story, and Sonic is one of my favorite characters of all time, so when the two concepts are combined, I go completely gay for the character. I would like for the characters to talk just a bit more about the intricacies of what's going on. You know, elaborate a bit. I would also like Eggman schemes to also be a tad more elaborate. I really liked the aforementioned bit where he traps Super Sonic in a clever way and I would love to see Eggman flaunt his intelligence in this way more often, instead of just, "I have robots and I carry the title of being really smart." What Eggman did to Super Sonic was smart, and it slaps you in the face! I love Eggman as a charcter not only because he's a likeable villain in general, but I also love the fact that he's a genius, so when he shows it besides simply flaunting robot armies or fleets of airships, I love him all the more.

Edited September 7, 2011 by crush40rocks

[Mr. Awesomest]

He's not a boring character, his writing is boring. And that is NOT to say a supposed "boring" character cannot be written in such a way that he becomes a more favorable character than the most iconic person of the story. Like a standard, disposable soldier can be described in such a way that can places him in the eyes of a viewer above a god-like creature in the series in terms of greatness. Like this guy right here. So, every character has a chance to be interesting and great. Other than a certain point during the character's creation that cements their place in being bad, there is only bad writing that makes a character come off as bland and uninteresting.

I think the Sonic Team writers need to think about him more. Sonic is caring for others, and always does what he thinks is right. So, you need to focus on it. Focus on his heart. Make it stick out that he won't stop doing whatever his heart tells him until it stops. Give him some big courageous moments where when everyone else is gone or down, he stands there, alone, battered and bruised, with the sound of his heart beating in the background. He needs moments where he shows everyone he just won't stop at all. Moments where right after he gets back up he screams like he's in his prime and charges back into an enemy that had just only 5 seconds ago almost beat him to death. Moments where he will show the world JUST

Sonic is not boring. It's his pursuit of happiness and his heart of gold that makes him my favorite character of the series.

[Chaosish]

I hate that Sonic 'has a heart of gold.' I feel that he's portrayed like that JUST because he's the protagonist. Sonic should be charming, but kind of an insensitive, selfish fickle bitch who only happens to save the world just because he likes antagonising Robotnik. Sonic is not Superman, or Goku (or at least the American portrayal of Goku).

Edited September 7, 2011 by Chaosish

[Milo]

I know what would make Sonic exciting.

Making him turn into a werewolf with stretchy arms.

[Mr. Awesomest]

I hate that Sonic 'has a heart of gold.' I feel that he's portrayed like that JUST because he's the protagonist. Sonic should be charming, but kind of an insensitive, selfish fickle bitch

I don't think Sonic should be an insensitive, selfish fickle bitch because he's already gone and proved otherwise a dozen times. Also, if you want insensitive selfish fickle bitch protagonists, have you heard of DmC? I think it's edgy enough for you.

who only happens to save the world just because he likes antagonising Robotnik.

I think Robotnik does a fine job of that himself. And besides, Robotnik wants to take over the world. Sonic lives in this world. Robotnik wants to essentially take his house. NOT HAPPENIN'.

Sonic is not Superman, or Goku (or at least the American portrayal of Goku).

[Chaosish]

'He's Sonic the fucking Hedgehog' doesn't mean anything, when we're trying to argue his personality in the first place. If anything, his portrayal in the 90s and game mechanics would suggest something closer to Dante than anything else. I mean, so many people hold SatBK Sonic as the ultimate Sonic portrayal, when in that game he's more generic shonen hero (and thus further than his original roots) than he's ever been.

I guess though, I'm not expecting Sonic to be a total anti-hero, but just someone who's not TOO nice. It's should come as a surprise that I like his Fleetway portrayal the most.

Unlike Mario, Sonic had a personality from the beginning (through his sprite animations). If I had to rewrite Sonic, it would be derived completely from the Genesis games, because that allows for a much more interesting interpretation of the character than what we have today. I mean, 'insensitivity' is probably the biggest personality trait of Sonic you can draw from the early games. Not 'oh, he cares so much for his friends and doesn't want anyone to get hurt and he wants to save the world blah blah blah.' And doesn't the S1 manual suggest that his conflict against Eggman has been ongoing, even before the first game? Sounds like a pair of trickster culture heroes to me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demiurge

I don't expect ANYONE to agree with me though.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Chaosish

[Chaos Nightmare Moon]

I hate that Sonic 'has a heart of gold.' I feel that he's portrayed like that JUST because he's the protagonist. Sonic should be charming, but kind of an insensitive, selfish fickle bitch who only happens to save the world just because he likes antagonising Robotnik. Sonic is not Superman, or Goku (or at least the American portrayal of Goku).

[Chaosish]

I understand he has to be 'likeable.' But look at someone like Bugs Bunny or Donald Duck.

Has anyone read J.M Barrie's Peter Pan? Peter Pan in that book is very similar to how I would portray Sonic the Hedgehog. Captain Hook and Eggman too, as it goes (although with a bit more sense of humour)

[Koopalmier]

So TC is unhappy that Sonic is a free and optimistic immature teen.

Say, TC, are you a depressed person ?Sonic is free. He's just having fun. He doesn't want to think about srs bsns. He just saves the world for fun and world freedom, and obviously his own freedom too. Mario saves the world because he's the "chosen one" of every prophecy out there, he'll always have to save Peach and beat up Bowser, or he's simply there and does what he thinks is right. That doesn't stop him from being loved by everyone - literraly.There are happy heroes who just save the world for the heck of saving it and for fun. It's not because they have little to no development and backstory that they are boring.These characters have a heart of gold, but does that stop them from having fun antagonishing the recurring villain, or to be dick-ish sometimes ? They are nice, they can be an ass sometimes, they are having fun and they're optimistic. They don't have a backstory but they lived tons of adventures.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Koopalmier

[Badnik Mechanic]

If you read the manga, Naruto has more depth than current shonen heroes,

If you read the manga.

Ah right.

So whats wrong with you looking at other media then with regards to Sonic? I mean if you're going to bring in other medias that your only supportive argument has, surely you should compare it to the same level with what you're slagging off?

Only in STC, Sonic is a bit of a prick.

Edit: Is it just me or is there a lot of new members in this topic who conveniently agree with the OP?

[Chibinuva]

Okay so he is a hero(all heroes fight for freedom and against opression), Okay what compells him to fight for this things. Instead of because he just does. Batman fights for Justice because his parents were murdered and he was to seek vengence based on his experiences on those who preys on the innocent. Superman fights for Justice because he was raised by a humble family and was sent their to protect the world from his dad. Why does Sonic bother fighting against people who threaten his precious freedom to run around? What is origin and MO for being a hero? Lastly if he cares for others, why?

Besides the reasons mentioned before, it's directly stated in Sonic and the Black Knight. As he said himself, "I have no master, except the wind that blows freely," and later after saving Blaze/Percival, "I guess you could say that whim is my other master." That pretty much sums it up IMO.

[Flyboy Fox]

Sonic could definitely be written better, and more interestingly, at times. But he is not a boring character. Game scripts vary greatly in quality, and admittedly some have been filled with enough cheese to make a pizza the size of Mobius, but as a character overall Sonic is exactly who and what he should be; a carefree fun-loving teenage protagonist with a daredevil danger-chasing attitude, deeply protective of his friends and inherently optimistic and cheerful.

He isn't flawless. He's slipped up before due to his cocky and borderline arrogant belief that he'll be okay no matter what, and he's not always entirely tactful, but you're right, he's not angst-ridden or torn or treading an ethically grey tight-rope in all that he does. He's just not that kind of character. He was never meant to be.

If you WANT that kind of a character - one built around darker and more negative emotion and driven by a deeply personal motivation that is tangible and openly explained - you have Shadow. He exists for the sake of people (like you, CNM) who don't seem to like eternally optimistic cheery types. That's fine. But if you want a CENTRAL character with those traits, you're looking in the wrong place.

TL;DR: If you can't stand the main character of a franchise, or find him to be completely uninteresting and boring, it probably isn't the franchise for you.

[Chaos Nightmare Moon]

So TC is unhappy that Sonic is a free and optimistic immature teen.

No, he's a free and optimistic immature teen with zero detailed development. He's a empty PC hero. Like Link and most silent game heroes, only he's a outdated 90's cartoon character.

Say, TC, are you a depressed person ?Sonic is free. He's just having fun. He doesn't want to think about srs bsns. He just saves the world for fun and world freedom, and obviously his own freedom too. Mario saves the world because he's the "chosen one" of every prophecy out there, he'll always have to save Peach and beat up Bowser, or he's simply there and does what he thinks is right. That doesn't stop him from being loved by everyone - literraly.There are happy heroes who just save the world for the heck of saving it and for fun. It's not because they have little to no development and backstory that they are boring.These characters have a heart of gold, but does that stop them from having fun antagonishing the recurring villain, or to be dick-ish sometimes ? They are nice, they can be an ass sometimes, they are having fun and they're optimistic. They don't have a backstory but they lived tons of adventures.

Cmon man, he's a boring one note trick hero. And no I'm not depressed, he's just to bland and simple for me. The reason why most people like Dante over Sonic is because he's a extremer version of Sonic with more personality and loose character traits than Sonic. He's also got a back story and a mythos.

Fun doesn't cut it for me, I like my heroes to actually have responsible awareness to them, and how much they effect the plot, Sonic is just the kinda character who is to invincible to root for because he's so predictible and linear, you know he's going to win and save everyone, and he's always somehow happy and non phased by the fact he got killed or one of his friend almost got killed. Many protagonists with Sonic's personality, at least notice they have crossed the line and take a time to realize it. Then they go back to the way they were but is now knowing whats at stake.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Chaos Nightmare Moon

[Stacy]

I am with Flyboy Fox here, there is always room for Sonic's Character to be improved. But I like him as he is I don't think he is a boring character I just think he's lost his spotlight abit in the series with some of the Sonic games in the last decade and I don't blame SEGA for refocusing on him right now, who knows this might improve his character a bit.

[Vertekins]

Sonic is a boring character?

Puh-lease

Sonic is absolutely fascinating as a character. And the two Storybook games (Here she goes again) epitomize the deeper aspects of Sonic's personality. SatBK in particular is a masterful amalgamation of Sonic's traits as described by manual descriptions, song lyrics etc. If SatBK succeeded in pulling this off masterfully, SatSR thoroughly succeeded in the area of Sonic's philosophical side, such as the realizations he has upon finding World Rings i.e What their powers can be used for. The white world ring is filled with desire. Sonic theorizes that it could either mean aspiration or it could mean greed and ambition. He also has some very real-feeling realizations about his own mortality once he's been pierced by the Flame Arrow and even though he's optimistic about it most of the time, the writing is that good that you can tell Sonic is worried even though he covers it with optimism.

It shows a side of Sonic that is contemplative, intellectual and vulnerable to an extent and it gives him much more dimension than a character who is hyper and happy-go-lucky. It gives him depth and by extension makes him fascinating.

Sonic is an extremely interesting character. You just need to know where to look for it and recognize it when it's shown.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Verte

[Sonictrainer]

he's always somehow happy and non phased by the fact he got killed or one of his friend almost got killed.

Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, and Sonic and the Secret Rings says "Hi".

Also, since we were comparing him to a manga character in the beginning, we can look at the Archie comics for when his father almost died, he found out his parents were robots, or in 225 when he realized Sally got attacked and ran towards her.

Edited September 7, 2011 by STrainer

[Kuzu]

Cmon man, he's a boring one note trick hero. And no I'm not depressed, he's just to bland and simple for me. The reason why most people like Dante over Sonic is because he's a extremer version of Sonic with more personality and loose character traits than Sonic. He's also got a back story and a mythos.

He also hasn't had any of the "development" you crave so much, Dante has been mostly the same in every game he's in(Ignoring DmC 2, and the reboot), and even when tragic things happen to him, he's right back to his cocky self in the next game. So why is he so much more interesting than Sonic despite going around the same level of development.

Fun doesn't cut it for me, I like my heroes to actually have responsible awareness to them, and how much they effect the plot, Sonic is just the kinda character who is to invincible to root for because he's so predictible and linear, you know he's going to win and save everyone, and he's always somehow happy and non phased by the fact he got killed or one of his friend almost got killed. Many protagonists with Sonic's personality, at least notice they have crossed the line and take a time to realize it. Then they go back to the way they were but is now knowing whats at stake.

Then this isn't the series for you then mate, if you want a protagonist with a deep emotional response go watch Naruto or something because Sonic obviously isn't for you, he's not going to change; and even if he is boring, people prefer it that way, he doesn't need a convoluted backstory because no one is going to care about it, Sonic does what he does because, if that's not enough for you, then go play Gears of War or something.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Shadic93

[azoo]

No, he's a free and optimistic immature teen with zero detailed development. He's a empty PC hero. Like Link and most silent game heroes, only he's a outdated 90's cartoon character.

Cmon man, he's a boring one note trick hero. And no I'm not depressed, he's just to bland and simple for me. The reason why most people like Dante over Sonic is because he's a extremer version of Sonic with more personality and loose character traits than Sonic. He's also got a back story and a mythos.

Fun doesn't cut it for me, I like my heroes to actually have responsible awareness to them, and how much they effect the plot, Sonic is just the kinda character who is to invincible to root for because he's so predictible and linear, you know he's going to win and save everyone, and he's always somehow happy and non phased by the fact he got killed or one of his friend almost got killed. Many protagonists with Sonic's personality, at least notice they have crossed the line and take a time to realize it. Then they go back to the way they were but is now knowing whats at stake.

He doesn't have to be put in the same situation all the time, and if he is then that's just the writer's fault. Does that make his personality boring? Nope. Sonic knows when things get serious and when the world's at stake; he just takes it in a more determined and positive way than most would. That doesn't make the moment any less serious for him, but at the same time he gives it off as fun and games because it's all powered by his good will. And last time I checked, Sonic drops part of the act whenever his friends' safety is on the line, and gets noticeably angrier. That's not saying he gets wangsty and jerky, but I thought it was known that Sonic can get more tense if he has to.

There's a difference between putting Sonic in different predicaments and changing the way he feels about said predicaments. If you really want Sonic to be the latter, and can't stand the way Sonic is, then why exactly are you here?

Edited September 7, 2011 by Azukara

[Ferno]

he's always somehow happy and non phased by the fact he got killed or one of his friend almost got killed.

he's always somehow happy and non phased by the fact he got killed

non phased by the fact he got killed

I wouldn't be phased about someone killing me either, because I'd be dead. You see, science has proven that people die when they are killed.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Inferno

[Abominal SnowTaz]

Fun doesn't cut it for me, I like my heroes to actually have responsible awareness to them, and how much they effect the plot, Sonic is just the kinda character who is to invincible to root for because he's so predictible and linear, you know he's going to win and save everyone, and he's always somehow happy and non phased by the fact he got killed or one of his friend almost got killed. Many protagonists with Sonic's personality, at least notice they have crossed the line and take a time to realize it. Then they go back to the way they were but is now knowing whats at stake.

Well If you don't prefer Sonic as a list of characters you want to like, combined advice would be to just stick to Manga/Anime. If that's too hard, well, please continue your justified argument.