I'm getting sick of the main four

[Dash Speed]

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy are always  the core focus of the stories and other media. So much focus is based on them on to the point they have to be the most default Sonic characters to get into, when theirs other characters that have richer lore and bigger more complex stories as characters. Sonic and Knuckles themselves have been co joint protagonists in archie with them having a big main plot line focused around their expanded adventures and even making their own side cast build the narrative because of Sonic being the Hero and Knuckles being the Guardian. In the games, it's Sonic and Tails, as they been in every near title since 2, it's really about them having an investment in, especially Tails(who for better or worse) always plays a major impact in the story with stuff that connects his bond with Sonic or gets Sonic more development for as much he's allowed to. Also I noticed amy getting bigger and bigger focus because she chases Sonic and the gang every adventure and she's like the main mascot for girl sonic fans in a way that she puts a female perspective in the idea of cool heroes fighting a evil perspective, Amy might be more important than Tails in getting Sonic to stay the way he is as a hero, believing in him out of all the gang.

Personally, Sonic's a bore, he does his cool smartass hero routine, wins, and runs off to the distance. Sonic being the main narrative is wasted to me, his entire character doesn't warrant a full plot with emphasizing Sonic himself. With the possible exception of some games and the archie series. He's borderline perfect, no real flaws like Knuckles Temper or Amy's Bigger Temper to exploit in story(he's always cool, cocky and always ending up fixing everything), he always does the right thing and always comes off as right, never loses his cool and if he does it's because someone evil or ill mannered instigated it, unrealistically optimistic and larger than life and based on every story it's always about him being the perfect friend to new characters that want to aspire to his outlook on life. Sonic is so predefined in plots he often has to play off of others story while he's reacting towards everything while being the hero. It's really the other characters that bring life to the Sonic world, Sonic is like Mario in that he's an avatar with a encoded purpose and no real in depth story development or character progression, he's the same guy we played as in Sonic 1. This goes as well for the other three, why should they get more foundation with Sonic in the stories?

Lets look at Shadow and Blaze for example, these two have been extremely popular and mold breaking sonic characters in how they told stories about themselves. Shadow has more plot compatibility than any sonic character minus Knuckles and actually has ties to Eggman as the creation of his grandfather. If Eggman is always going to be a major element to Sonic's foundation as the antagonist, I expect Shadow to have some versatility with more plot about Sonic. If you think about how the main concept of a black ops Team like Team Dark or pure anti heroics, you get bigger story ideas than the typical beat the villain of the week and eggman. Same with Blaze, she comes from another dimension that explores her own contrast with Sonic as the Sonic of her own story. Thats more than I can say Shadow as well, Sonic in comparison plays off Shadow and Blaze stories and character development because he's dull as paint when he has a character arc about himself. Shadow is always about character arc plots or deep complex mysteries about humanity and his purpose. Blaze goes through character changes like a piece of sliced cheese and always finds adaptable ways to improve her own self conscious issues with her role as princess and guardian as well being anti social, alot of characters she's around bring out more interesting sides to her that leads to interesting interactions and dynamics when she's story focused and leading her own protagonist role.

Tails and Knuckles always focus their stories with Sonic because the extent of their story progression really has no real value when you look at them as friends of Sonic, Like when we try to focus around Knuckles losing the Emerald or fighting Sonic based off of being tricked it's easily resolved in the end and repeats, so why does Knuckles Master Emerald stories suck? Because they just abandoned it so he can revolve around losing his emerald or hanging out with Sonic. As for Tails, he's is always gonna be Sonic's right hand man and voice of logic, so his own narrative sucks when all his development gets built up to being a geek and a nerd because Tails can't have a life outside of hanging around Sonic right(sarcasm). Amy has to steal the spotlight by being the comedic role with her love/crush gags, and adds nothing to the plot, except being a moral mcguffian to the characters that the plot is about like Shadow and Silver at the last second. Im just sick that every thing is about them being about them when the story makes it way to make the plots with them about something they are involved in, not directly about them. Even in the comics, one of these four have to appear in every side characters main plot to promote the status quo of their main roles in the game, and compared to everyone else they matter more. Silver and Shadow might be exceptions but Shadow has to work with other characters that are involved with Sonic the most like Amy and Cream and even Sonic himself, I never seen his arcs distance himself far from Sonic's narrative in the comics, he was always involved in heavy sonic staring titles not including his own game, so they made Shadow a bit too much a crossover character. Can't be about Shadow by himself or  Rouge and Omega or Maria 2.0 its Sonic and friends that have to come by, I will never get Treasure Team Tango as a arc nor the Shadow/Knuckles Nxy arc. Shadow can't work under his own plots so he has to Share co plots with other characters. I wouldn't be objected if Rouge was his co character like Tails was, but bringing in the main sonic cast to help Shadow develop is not a good written narrative. Same with Silver, Blaze or Sonic or even Shadow has to carry him in order to function to the point he has no ability to work his own world separate from Sonic like Shadow and Blaze do.

Anyway this is my rant, I feel Big the Cat and Vector and the Chaotix have more interesting plots than the typical Sonic and main cast do now. Sonic's a resistance figurehead, Knuckles is the leader, Amy's the communications, Tails is mission control. Why should I care and what kind of plot induced stupidity would make any other sonic character accept that? Shadow has a military lore and rouge is literally a spy, what makes Knuckles and Amy capable of being the important enough to get main roles that they have never been shown being good at?

[MetalSkulkBane]

I'm tired of James Bond movies being about James Bond.  Or why every Kirby game has to star Kirby? How dare they assume being a lead character entitles them to anything!

Not that I don't share the sentiment (to some degree), but this is how pretty much every franchise works. Someone is a main character someone is not.

And before someone nitpick, Princess Peach's job position is stable too, even if Mario has 2 more princesses. All important Marvel character were made in 60s/70s (plus Cap from 40s), etc, etc. Franchises don't tend to change their leads, with some self explanatory examples (lives action like Star trek, constant reboots like Final Fantasy, etc)

[DabigRG]

TLDR

Might do so later.

[StaticMania]

9 minutes ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

How dare they assume being a lead character entitles them to anything!

This the opposite of the problem. People use this logic to complain about other characters being playable...

It's bad.

[Dr. Detective]

Sometimes being oneself does actually have a strong relation to the kinds of people you know and the friends you've made. There's nothing really wrong with that. It's not the same thing as not having your own identity as a person. 

I'm delighted that Team Dark is a thing that can exist. I think Shadow, Rouge, and Omega make a great team. I don't, however, feel that the existence of that connection is the reason they're no longer allowed to be their own characters on their own missions from time to time. Sonic Team doesn't use it as an extension of their characters. They use it as a cheap grouping mechanism. Rouge isn't a jewel thief and government agent doing her own stuff that occasionally hangs out with Shadow and Omega anymore. She's just that second member of Team Dark now. 

Tails, Knuckles, and Amy having these connections with Sonic isn't the issue either. You know, I'm sure Sonic could be apart of whatever new story that comes into existence that decides to give relative focus to them while still maintaining the fact that the story being told is all their own. It just comes down to the people in charge not being very good story-tellers.

As for the "issue" of the main four... sometimes a series has a main six, or a main ten, or a main five. This series has a main four, five, or six depending on how they decide to approach it. That's just how it works.

Now, if the problem is that they've done a terrible job justifying why these four (five, six) are the ones getting this focus, that's a bit more understandable. That just goes back to them being bad writers and not utilizing what they have to the fullest for any of the characters.

The ones headlining the series are just "showing up" and as such they're not doing a good job of demonstrating why they're at the front of the pack. On the flip side, the ones lost in the fold who may have more interesting foundations don't do anything because they don't have the popularity and aren't given enough screen time so that they can get more of it.

I feel like this isn't really a problem with the characters you've spotlighted here. They've got some interesting ideas and they don't use or capitalize on any of them, not even with the popular guys, anymore. 

[Sonic Fan J]

Why I can see the point around the OP, I personally feel it is more of a narrative problem then a character problem.

21 minutes ago, Dash Speed said:

Sonic's a resistance figurehead, Knuckles is the leader, Amy's the communications, Tails is mission control.

This right here says a lot about where this franchise has gone from where it started. In the beginning Sonic was an adventurer, Tails was inspired by him, Amy chased after him, and Knuckles' role as guardian easily allowed him to adventure in search of treasures in competition with Sonic. That the above description can even be used in any capacity says a lot about a narrative disconnect between the plots and characters. The funny thing is though, if going back to these basics about the main characters it actually becomes that much harder to tell deep convoluted and complex stories that benefit characters like Shadow and Silver. To me though there is nothing wrong with that as Sonic started simple and I rather yearn for the days where we followed Sonic from one adventure to the next and his encounters with Eggman along the way. To me where Sonic ended up next and the people he met along the way was always part of the appeal. It's part of why Sonic is my favorite character, because he is the adventurer we are following and the effect he has on the world around him while being larger than life has always made him a dynamic on screen presence which works spectacularly well for a series of arcade style platformers. Unquestionably the stronger narrative focused games benefit from a more diverse cast of characters, but when sticking to what Sonic has always done best, the core four just naturally work when Sonic is basing his adventures off seeking out legends. So while Shadow has his place in the franchise, without that strong narrative push I find he is a rather cumbersome character who can't be treated so shallow and carelessly as to just say he's here to stop Eggman before any kind of plot reason is even given. Seeing as SEGA/Sonic Team has been trying to keep Sonic's world narratively light it makes using Shadow as anything more than fan service even more difficult without taking the time to drastically re-approach the presentation of his character. While obviously a shame, as long as he stays popular that always has a chance of changing. However, in the current narrative environment the core four work significantly better than Shadow and he can avoid be misused as often by avoiding dishonest focus.

[Wraith]

I wouldn't really say I'm sick of them. I pretty much love all of them, so it's hard for me to get tired of seeing them. I'd like the focus to spread out a bit more though. I'm tired of games focused on the Sonic and Tails relationship specifically but I'm not really tired of Sonic or Tails in general. They're kinda timeless to me. 

Wouldn't be against more Shadow/Blaze focus though cause I love those characters too.

[Shadowlax]

If you want them to use other sonic characters my guy. Just tell em

Why you think shadow getting all this push now. People been yelling adventure and shadow for years, we probably got gonna a bit more of that in future my guy. You want blaze, make more of a stink about blaze show people are interested, maybe they will listen. Sega is in a weird place where they seem to be willing to just give people shit they want, with in their desire to make it. So we might not get SA3, shadow might be more playable and in front than he has been in  th elast few years. Things like that. 

That said, the only one I'm sick of is tais. Because they have been writing him... not great. And I ... and it seems like quite a few others have just grown tired of him. He has become the annoying little brother he had somehow avoided for several decades. 

4 minutes ago, Sonic Fan J said:

Seeing as SEGA/Sonic Team has been trying to keep Sonic's world narratively light it makes using Shadow as anything more than fan service even more difficult without taking the time to drastically re-approach the presentation of his character. While obviously a shame, as long as he stays popular that always has a chance of changing. However, in the current narrative environment the core four work significantly better than Shadow and he can avoid be misused as often by avoiding dishonest focus.

Just wanna address this, forces seems to indicate they are willing to have more complicated and grand narratives in stuff still. I'm not saying forces is good, but nah they can do it. Also , shadow can work in simpler narratives? Ian flynn does it, the best comic with shadow in it is him and knuckles talking in a cave about shit. I feel like you are underestimating good writing and the versatility of shadow's character

[Dr. Detective]

Yes, we've reached a point where in a game that had both Tails and Charmy in it, the one that got the most overwhelming negative reception and complaints was Tails. 

They know whose popular and they know to exploit that. They just don't know how. The popular characters are getting messed up while the less popular ones don't get to show up.

It's a messy oil spill that they keep trying to clean up with a used napkin.

[CrownSlayer’s Shadow]

I’m more sick of the main four as a group that’s seen as one that should be constantly together because “fuck circumstances.“

There’s nothing wrong with them as individual characters...bar Sonic Team’s inept handling of them. It not like others have farred better, mind you, but the main four getting the kind of preferential treatment regardless of any poor quality really does say something about the standards held among the characters.

I’ve always said I’d prefer a mix of the cast...the only series that has given me that so far was Archie, and to a different extent IDW comics.

[Sonic Fan J]

1 minute ago, Shadowlax said:

Just wanna address this, forces seems to indicate they are willing to have more complicated and grand narratives in stuff still. I'm not saying forces is good, but nah they can do it. Also , shadow can work in simpler narratives? Ian flynn does it, the best comic with shadow in it is him and knuckles talking in a cave about shit. I feel like you are underestimating good writing and the versatility of shadow's character

Perhaps I am, but arguably the scene you mention is in a character exploration story, or a story that is directly intending to study the characters and their motivations and methods. Even told simply that is typically a more in depth and detailed story than Sonic hears about a legendary location/object and goes on an adventure and encounters Eggman being nefarious. Of course though that is one of the advantages of a comic versus a platforming video game; the ability to really focus on story and characters. That's why I find the simplicity of the core four works for the games as there is not a lot of points that have to be strongly addressed or explored (bar a certain green rock) for them to move through the story. Shadow naturally brings a certain weight and moral stance that benefits from a little more expansion than the others which makes him great in comic book narratives but not necessarily as great in a simpler setting. Even then though, his complexity compared to Sonic in both motivation and history risks him taking up too much narrative importance in a Sonic focused story which could result in him being unjustly dumbed down so as to keep the focus on the much simpler Sonic. Of course if SEGA/Sonic Team/Iizuka were a bit more willing to let other writers have breathing room or explore the characters themselves in more detail this probably wouldn't matter. All that said though, I still think Shadow benefits more from a slightly more engaging narrative than the core four as his depth is easier to explore there then him just being along for the ride in a simple story with no worry about character beyond how the characters interact with each other.

Again, maybe I am underestimating Shadow's ability to work in a simpler story, or perhaps it's more because I fin a character with his depth doesn't deserve the disservice in being but into a narratively empty story where he can't really shine. As for Forces, the only thing that received any kind of real narrative focus was the Phantom Ruby, and frankly even that was botched. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for the other characters getting use (heck I want to see Sticks get used and see Marine return), it's just that I find the inherent simplicity of the core four (Knuckles being questionable again) makes them the easiest characters to always fall back onto, especially when telling a story with a simple to almost nonexistent narrative. As a result, I personally don't tire of them all that easily so much as I tire of them not even being handled well in the most basic of senses (Tails the coward who can't even fight Badniks like he's been doing since his addition to the franchise anyone).

[Diogenes]

If you don't like the main characters of a series...maybe the series just isn't for you?

Obviously it's fair to criticize how the characters (and the storytelling in general) have been handled, and it's fine to have your favorites in the extended cast and to want to see more of them...but they're not going to just up and change the main characters of the series.

And I don't think there's anything inherently stronger about the characters outside of the main four; the writing in the series has never actually been very good, and if we were seeing Shadow or Blaze as often as Tails or Knuckles, I'd imagine they'd fall into their own ruts the same as the more common characters have.

[Shadowlax]

20 minutes ago, Sonic Fan J said:

Perhaps I am, but arguably the scene you mention is in a character exploration story, or a story that is directly intending to study the characters and their motivations and methods. Even told simply that is typically a more in depth and detailed story than Sonic hears about a legendary location/object and goes on an adventure and encounters Eggman being nefarious. Of course though that is one of the advantages of a comic versus a platforming video game; the ability to really focus on story and characters. That's why I find the simplicity of the core four works for the games as there is not a lot of points that have to be strongly addressed or explored (bar a certain green rock) for them to move through the story. Shadow naturally brings a certain weight and moral stance that benefits from a little more expansion than the others which makes him great in comic book narratives but not necessarily as great in a simpler setting. Even then though, his complexity compared to Sonic in both motivation and history risks him taking up too much narrative importance in a Sonic focused story which could result in him being unjustly dumbed down so as to keep the focus on the much simpler Sonic. Of course if SEGA/Sonic Team/Iizuka were a bit more willing to let other writers have breathing room or explore the characters themselves in more detail this probably wouldn't matter. All that said though, I still think Shadow benefits more from a slightly more engaging narrative than the core four as his depth is easier to explore there then him just being along for the ride in a simple story with no worry about character beyond how the characters interact with each other.

Again, maybe I am underestimating Shadow's ability to work in a simpler story, or perhaps it's more because I fin a character with his depth doesn't deserve the disservice in being but into a narratively empty story where he can't really shine. As for Forces, the only thing that received any kind of real narrative focus was the Phantom Ruby, and frankly even that was botched. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for the other characters getting use (heck I want to see Sticks get used and see Marine return), it's just that I find the inherent simplicity of the core four (Knuckles being questionable again) makes them the easiest characters to always fall back onto, especially when telling a story with a simple to almost nonexistent narrative. As a result, I personally don't tire of them all that easily so much as I tire of them not even being handled well in the most basic of senses (Tails the coward who can't even fight Badniks like he's been doing since his addition to the franchise anyone).

Hmm, I can see and understand your points. And I do agree I would rather see shadow in much more involved story, but occasionally shadow can be involved in a simpler sillier story and it works as long you don't try to make him only that. You can totally have more simplistic narratives with a character like shadow, just make sure to also in other games have more complicated ones to show what he's about. And to be honest, I feel like that should apply for everyone. 

Also with you, and more so the OP. I feel like " Main 4 isn't accurate " I feel like its more like main 6 ( Yes, I know ponies, haha ) . Sonic, Tails, knuckles, Amy, Eggman, Shadow. I don't think sega has been no means shy about shadow now being included in the " Important characters club . In merch, spin of series like boom, and even games shadow has always had a weird level of importance he earned by making a lot of people love him. And if shadow is in smash like folks are speculating as playable, I thin it solidifies that. And again this is more so aimed at the OP and this is why, shadow is getting push right now? He's the first non sonic dude playable in years, he's on the front of the new racing game with sonic, dude just won another poll, and had people screaming his name to pick him at the conference about said racing game. Shadow's getting some push ( and adventure ) , and I think we will see even more of him in the future. I don't get op's problem here, yeah he's not in the front of the comic, but he probably will be in the future, especially if the smash bros thing rings true. Just give it a bit of time OP, this is the beginning of a push

Can't really promise anything about blaze though

[Harkofthewaa]

You know, as far as character overuse goes, it's funny that no one's talking about the fact that Eggman's a villain in some capacity in all but three games (the Storybook games and Tails Adventure). No one seems sick of him, but then again, compared to the others he tends to get the better writing.

[Shadowlax]

Just now, Harkofthewaa said:

You know, as far as character overuse goes, it's funny that no one's talking about the fact that Eggman's a villain in some capacity in all but three games (the Storybook games and Tails Adventure). No one seems sick of him, but then again, compared to the others he tends to get the better writing.

I'm kinda sick of him, I kinda want to see sonic and friends encounter villians not related to him. 

 

 

[Harkofthewaa]

If there's one thing that the Mario spinoffs TRY to do (emphasis on try, I'm looking at YOU Paper Mario), it's having villans for Mario and gang to face other than Bowser. In Sonic, the two Storybook and Tails games are literally the only ones to do that (and to a lesser extent, Sonic Chronicles, but Eggman ends up the villain in the end anyways). Jury's out on TSR, but I'm willing to bet this tanooki guy's just gonna end up as a pawn/front for Eggman in the end. You know they'll do it.

[Dash Speed]

32 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

If you don't like the main characters of a series...maybe the series just isn't for you?

Obviously it's fair to criticize how the characters (and the storytelling in general) have been handled, and it's fine to have your favorites in the extended cast and to want to see more of them...but they're not going to just up and change the main characters of the series.

And I don't think there's anything inherently stronger about the characters outside of the main four; the writing in the series has never actually been very good, and if we were seeing Shadow or Blaze as often as Tails or Knuckles, I'd imagine they'd fall into their own ruts the same as the more common characters have.

Based on? Shadow has the whole anti hero thing and for the mst part a huge fan following of supporting a fan narrative with GUN with Rouge and Omega. Blaze is basically Sonic on magical girl steroids and has dimension shenanigans. Shadow and Blaze used in outside of Sonic's narrative with their own plots and world building would only build more popularity for the series. Their basically furry versions of the MCU with their own potential to make more money for the series.

[StaticMania]

9 minutes ago, Harkofthewaa said:

If there's one thing that the Mario spinoffs TRY to do (emphasis on try, I'm looking at YOU Paper Mario), it's having villans for Mario and gang to face other than Bowser. In Sonic, the two Storybook and Tails games are literally the only ones to do that (and to a lesser extent, Sonic Chronicles, but Eggman ends up the villain in the end anyways). Jury's out on TSR, but I'm willing to bet this tanooki guy's just gonna end up as a pawn/front for Eggman in the end. You know they'll do it.

Bowser's still in those spin-offs and most of the time still serves an antagonist role...that's honestly barely any different than what was happening with Eggman before Sonic Colors.

[Dash Speed]

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

Hmm, I can see and understand your points. And I do agree I would rather see shadow in much more involved story, but occasionally shadow can be involved in a simpler sillier story and it works as long you don't try to make him only that. You can totally have more simplistic narratives with a character like shadow, just make sure to also in other games have more complicated ones to show what he's about. And to be honest, I feel like that should apply for everyone. 

Shadow needs his own Wario treatment. But without the gross humor. Shadow shoudn't compromise who he is as a complex character to fit into a simplier tone, it ruins him as a self defined concept.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

Also with you, and more so the OP. I feel like " Main 4 isn't accurate " I feel like its more like main 6 ( Yes, I know ponies, haha ) . Sonic, Tails, knuckles, Amy, Eggman, Shadow. I don't think sega has been no means shy about shadow now being included in the " Important characters club .

How important are we talking? Cuz he still plays minor parts in apperances with Sonic being the focus nowadays. Fanservice moments =/= importance. Even Knuckles has more a place in the stories than Shadow does involving Sonic.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

 

In merch, spin of series like boom,

Where he was a boss fight and made basically finale endings with him just being a douche.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

and even games shadow has always had a weird level of importance he earned by making a lot of people love him.

People still complain about him, from his looks to his powers, and has always blamed him for ruining Sonic to begin with. Shadow is out of focus alot for somene who is supposed to be popular.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

And if shadow is in smash like folks are speculating as playable, I thin it solidifies that.

And theory, and it's not like he'll be a main spot roster, he'll just be a echo fighter, which is basically a reskinned version of sonic. Oh and Knuckles kicked him out in his own trophy assist spot.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

And again this is more so aimed at the OP and this is why, shadow is getting push right now? He's the first non sonic dude playable in years,

Pushed in being playable? As opposed to whom? Tails and Knuckles who were in a sense playable for the first time in over 6 years like Shadow in Sonic Mania, thats hardly a thing to be stoked about since he's only DLC in the entire damn game and no he doesn't play a role in the story, even Knuckles has a bigger role of importance than Shadow story wise, actually guiding the OC.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

he's on the front of the new racing game with sonic,

He's not not on the game cover case, only Tails and Knuckles are. See to Sonic Team, Shadow gets front fanservice rights before anyone but still comes behing the class trio.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

dude just won another poll,

A poll that doesn't really matter. Shadow current fandom consists of women or kids under 12. Adults like Tails or Knuckles more based on the gaming forums I visit

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

and had people screaming his name to pick him at the conference about said racing game.

Please post proof of this. I've seen people cheer for Tails and Knuckles at the last conferance louder when Sonic Mania came out.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

Shadow's getting some push ( and adventure ) ,

Keyword some. Not all push, especially not on the main four.

27 minutes ago, Shadowlax said:

and I think we will see even more of him in the future. I don't get op's problem here, yeah he's not in the front of the comic, but he probably will be in the future, especially if the smash bros thing rings true. Just give it a bit of time OP, this is the beginning of a push

Can't really promise anything about blaze though

Meh. I think they need their own spin offs.

[Scape]

I'm sick of the main three. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, S3&K nostalgia exploitation, year after year after year.

Imagine how much better Amy would've turned out if the hacks at Sonic Team had long enough attention spans to give her the character development she's been promised since SA1 rather than just treat the three stooges and/or whatever new scrappy-doo one-off sidekick they came up with as the only characters that matter

[51010R]

I would guess they are doing it as a way of both keeping things simpler and to cash in the Genesis era, I'm guessing they look at it as their most successful time and are trying to imitate it. 

To me that was one of the things that I kind of like about both Forces and Generations. The other characters at least were there. 

[StaticMania]

Shadow's not gonna be given the Wario treatment because every Sonic game is either a main one or a spin-off...

Sonic Team is not big enough, he's also not stupid enough.

[Kazhnuz]

The main character are more often "driver" to the story than the real focus, though. They serve to enter a more "self-contained" story, even when they get a bit of character developpement. When Shadow's is here, he is often more important to the story than the other (they even made him the origin of Infinite in Forces, something that wasn't really necessary, even if that created an interesting mirror structure with the Avatar). And that's also true for Blaze.

[The Deleter]

The "main cast" I can get, as a lot of it is arbitrary and can be swapped out at any time for whatever the desired status quo demands, but I don't think it's worth much hoping for the focus of a video game series to actually change over from the protagonist to someone else. It's been done in other forms of media, yeah, but Sonic's more of a mascot video game series than anything else, which kinda dictates how the identity of the series will be for... kinda forever, regardless of the eventual monotony.

I don't think Sonic has to be a boring protagonist for the series, though. He could easily be just as engaging a character as the best in the roster, if he was given enough leeway in the storytelling department, imo, especially with the kind of atypical hero character he is. That just comes back around to the main problem with the characters in the first place, though, and that's the status quo and it's adjacent direction for this mascot video game series. Side characters are mostly a way for the writers to briefly stretch their legs creatively in this series in the first place, and that's why their characters are so interesting in comparison, even if they all feel like one-off blips of untapped potential in the series as a result.

I'd much rather the writers apply that creativity to the whole cast, though, so I can't say I agree that the focus of the series should be diverted towards the characters that feel more interesting in hindsight, really; that's just sidestepping a larger problem with the storytelling, and we've already seen the short-term result of this in the games that put effort into making an interesting new character, and molding the story mostly around them and them alone. All the interesting personal conflicts and story arcs are fully fleshed out and given to these new additions, while Sonic and the rest of the series mainstays coast through almost for the sake of being there, with a superficial presence at best. The new characters knock it out of the park and even evolve the scope of the storytelling altogether, while the actual mandatory cast is sitting around doing an everyday routine, even though they're still required to stand in the spotlight. That's not smart. That's how series' get themselves into these kinds of situations in the first place.

[knuckles20]

For me it’s more of getting sick of Sonic, Tails and Eggman since it’s pretty much the same dynamic in the games for years. Sonic being the only playable character who gives less of a crap about what’s going on around him, Tails has become a spineless brown noser for Sonic, and Eggman villain status prior to Forces has fallen to Team Rocket Trio of threatening.

I know the OP brought up Knuckles and Amy but they haven't been treated any better than anyone else given they can’t do anything aside from waiting for Sonic to save them and worship the ground he walks on when he does.

Also just because they’re the “core” cast doesn’t mean that things won’t get dull when they keep using the same formula. Especially when that formula requires 99% cast to act like helpless infants instead of acting like the pro-active individuals that can take care of themselves.