Sonic crew - Karen (Sonadow)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog and the main protagonist of the series. Developed as a replacement for their existing Alex Kidd mascot, as well as Sega's response to Mario, his first appearance was in the arcade game Rad Mobile as a cameo, before making his official debut in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Sonic's greatest ability is his running speed, and he is known as the world's fastest hedgehog. Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, he becomes Super Sonic and can achieve even greater speeds. Miles Prower, better known by his nickname, Tails,[e] is a two-tailed fox who is Sonic's best friend and sidekick. His name is a pun on "miles per hour". He can use his tails to propel himself into the air like a helicopter for a limited time. Yasushi Yamaguchi, originally the main artist and zone designer for Sega's Sonic Team, designed Tails for an internal competition for a sidekick to Sonic. His first appearance was in Sonic 2 for the Game Gear, where he was kidnapped by Doctor Robotnik for a "hefty" ransom. He was first made playable in the Genesis version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.[11] Tails has appeared in almost every Sonic game since his first appearance. Tails starred in two solo spin-off games for the Game Gear in 1995 – Tails' Skypatrol, and Tails Adventure.[12] Frequently portrayed as a sweet-natured[13] and humble fox,[14] Tails used to be picked on because of his twin tails, before he met Sonic.[15] Tails is very clever and has excellent mechanical skills. Amy Rose[f] is a pink hedgehog and Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend,[17] who is an energetic tomboy.[18] Amy was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino for Sonic the Hedgehog CD (1993),[19] although she appeared in Kenji Terada's Sonic the Hedgehog manga a year before.[20] Hoshino created her in-game graphics, with many staff members contributing ideas to her design. Her headband and trainer shoes reflected Sonic CD director Naoto Ohshima's tastes, and her mannerisms reflected the traits Hoshino looked for in women at the time.[19] Her fur color was red at first, and her skirt orange.[21] The character had another name in early game previews: Rosy the Rascal.[22] Additionally, due to a localization effort by Sega of America in the North American manual for Sonic CD, Amy Rose was erroneously referred to as Princess Sally. Sega of America made this choice to capitalize on the popularity of SatAM and its tie-in Archie comics, where Princess Sally Acorn was the prominent female lead—despite Amy Rose being a distinct Japanese-original character.[23] Amy received her present design, with a red dress and knee-high leather boots, in Sonic Adventure (1998),[24] courtesy of designer Yuji Uekawa.[25] In the games, Amy is depicted as driven and competitive. She spends much of her time following Sonic to get his attention or make sure he is safe while demonstrating her affection.[17] Series co-creator Yuji Naka said that Amy was designed "to always chase Sonic", but stated that Sonic "will not ever get married".[26] An early character design document stated that Amy was also a high school cheerleader.[27] Not possessing the speed or strength of the other characters, Amy uses a hammer to defend herself instead.[17][28] In Sonic CD, Metal Sonic kidnaps Amy and Sonic must rescue her. When he does, Amy kisses him.[29] Her voice samples in the game were made using the Yamaha YM2608's FM Sound Source module.[30] Amy's first appearance in a Sonic platformer as a playable character was in Sonic Adventure;[24][31] although the first game to have her playable is Sonic Drift. She is playable in Sonic Heroes (2003)[32] and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006),[33] and appears as a non-player character in games such as Sonic Unleashed (2008).[34] While some journalists have called Amy cute and powerful,[24][35] others find her annoying.[36][37][38][39] Justin Towell of GamesRadar+ and writers from Mean Machines expressed general displeasure at her introduction in Sonic CD.[39][40] Additionally, some have criticized developers' treatment of Amy as a female character and analyzed her implications on gender representation in video games. The Electronic Gaming Monthly staff found her pink coloring and tendency to run from danger to be stereotypical and common in Japanese-created female characters,[41] while feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian cites Amy as an example of the "Ms. Male Character" trope, in which female characters in games with male protagonists often resemble those protagonists, but with stereotypically feminine features added.[42] Despite this, Amy is one of the series' most popular characters, coming in fifth place in a Japanese popularity poll in 2006[43] and sixth place in a 2025 poll conducted by Dengeki Online.[44] Her likeness has been used in Sonic merchandise,[45] and she appears in the television adaptations Sonic X (2003–2005), Sonic Boom (2014–2017) and Sonic Prime (2022–2024).[36][46] Amy is introduced in the live-action film series in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), appearing in a mid-credits scene saving Sonic from an army of Metal Sonics.[47] She is set to feature in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4, voiced by Kristen Bell.[48]