Summary
When thinking about characters from theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise, most people will go straight to either the humans or the anthropomorphic animals. However, over the course of this long-running series, several robots have also become fully-fledged characters rather than just being one of the many Egg-Bots that appear as little more than lowly grunts of Eggman.
Considering these machines are built to obey and carry out orders rather than have their own personal ambitions or motives, it can lead to some pretty interesting character arcs. On the other hand, a robot also needs to have a cool and unique design to become memorable, and thankfully, there are many that suit the description across theSonic the Hedgehogseries. This is how the robots ofSonicmatch up when taking into account their relevance to the wider story, development, and design.
Considering the first version of Mecha Sonic hasn’t been seen since the second game in the series, he’s not exactly a fan favorite, but still a fairly memorable boss nonetheless. Before the bots' appearances would get all flashy with colors and extra details, Mecha Sonic kept it simple with a silver metallic design that is fairly stripped back and traditional, but still eye-catching.
Mecha Sonic’s very existence would also give fans a glimpse into Eggman’s attempts tocreate his own version of Sonic, way before Metal Sonic was even introduced to the series. Overall, an interesting robot that maybe could have been a little higher with a more intriguing design and story.
Cubot and Orbot are an odd duo who seemed as though they were a random addition toSonic Colors, but to many people’s surprise, they’ve become mainstays in the series. These two clumsy robots can always be seen by Eggman’s side, willing to carry out any of his demands, no matter how outlandish they may be. Since the two aren’t fighters, it means Cubot and Orbot are largely treated likecomic relief in the series.
While they don’t receive much of any development, they do help to lighten the mood now and again. Most recently, inShadow Generations, they task Shadow with collecting special parts across the map to fuel their rocket, only to reveal that, once all the parts have been acquired, the rocket is little more than a coo-coo clock. These two little guys are extremely entertaining whenever they show up, though they usually only receive a small cameo here and there.
Emerl is amysterious characterwho would first debut inSonic Battle. Though he initially seemed like a quirky robot, once his backstory starts becoming revealed, it’s clear that this single Gizmoid is incredibly important to the lore. Emerl was created by the ones only known as the “Fourth Great Civilization,” who turned him into the ultimate combat machine.
While Emerl himself is already fascinating in both backstory and design, an alternate version of the bot named Gemerl would show up later inSonic Advance 3after being born out of Emerl’s combat data, thanks to Eggman. While Emerl is a fairly niche character, his introduction to the story adds a lot to the wider universe of the franchise.
After Sonic and Tails managed to deal with the first Mecha Sonic, they eventually stumble into a bigger, spikier, and overall more dangerous iteration of the bot during the third game. Mecha Sonic Mk 2 has a downrightstunning design, with the long hair talons and a single visor making him look like a genuinely evil version of the series' protagonist.
Mecha Sonic Mk 2 demands the player’s attention any time he shows up on the screen, and when he finally unleashes his Super form, it makes for a terrifying moment that every longtime player will remember. While Mecha Sonic Mk 2 doesn’t get quite as much love from Sonic Team as some of the other bots and is fairly light on the development of backstory, it’s hard not to still admire him for the design alone.
When E-123 Omega first shows up at the beginning of Team Dark’s campaign inSonic Heroes, he is awakened for the first time in many years after being locked away by Eggman. Because Eggman restricted Omega from entering the battlefield, making him a guardian to Shadow instead, Omega feels betrayed and ultimatelybecomes obsessed with seeking revengeon his master.
Over the course of the games, Omega has become less serious and more of a humorous character whose unique dialect and lack of emotions have led to plenty of hilarious conversations between him and Shadow. He also has one of the most unique robot designs in the series, which manages to look intimidating without appearing overly scary. While Omega has become more of a background character, he’s still extremely lovable and a very welcome addition to the cast.
By far the most recognizable robot in the entire series, and also the strongest, is Metal Sonic, the supposed “perfect” replica of the Blue Blur himself. As has been proven numerous times though, Metal Sonic just can’t seem to keep up with his inspiration, as he’s been defeated numerous times, though his battles are always a ton of fun to be a part of. Metal Sonic would become so popular afterSonic CDthat it earned him a spot as the final villain ofSonic Heroes, where he would put hisunderlying powerson full display.
However, his losses have also weighed heavily on Metal Sonic, whose character shows signs of being self-aware now and again. The comics, especially, have explored Metal Sonic’s deep contemplation of his purpose in great depth, but the games have also managed to add plenty of intrigue to his character too, due to how frequently he shows up. This isn’t even mentioning his appearance, which has become iconic for how effortlessly cool and menacing it is. It’ll be interesting to see how this legendary antagonist is handled in the fourthSonicmovie, but one thing is for sure, seeing him make his big-screen debut will be a real treat for all longtime fans of the series.
