Welcome to another round of Community Poll Results—the awards show that still needs a better name!
This time, we ran a year-long poll to find out who the overall favorite English voice actor for the Blue Blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog, is! The results are in and are as follows:
- Jason Griffith (Shadow the Hedgehog – Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing): 31% (376 Votes)
- Roger Craig Smith (Sonic Free Riders – present): 25% (309 Votes)
- Ryan Drummond (Sonic Adventure – Sonic Advance 3): 18% (220 Votes)
- Jaleel White (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog – Sonic Underground): 10% (122 Votes)
- Ben Schwartz (Sonic movies): 6% (78 Votes)
- Deven Mack (Sonic Prime): 6% (74 Votes)
- Martin Burke (Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie): 3% (34 Votes)
With a total of 1,213 unique voters, the clear winner is Jason Griffith, who secured 31% of the votes with 376 in total!
Jason began his Sonic journey in 2003, voicing the Blue Blur in the English 4Kids dub of Sonic X. He went on to voice Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as the brooding anti-hero Shadow the Hedgehog and the squawky, green Extreme Gear pro, Jet the Hawk! Although his start was a bit rocky—much like Sonic’s early ventures into 3D (hardy-har-har)—Jason’s understanding of the character and his acting skills improved significantly over the years. His final game performance as Sonic was in Sonic and the Black Knight, even though Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing featured his voice.
In second place was the current voice of the the titular blue hero, Roger Craig Smith! With a total of 309 votes making up 25% of the total votes, Roger has been voicing Sonic ever since 2010’s Sonic Free Riders for the Xbox 360, but did you know that his actual first performance as Sonic the Hedgehog was during a special collaboration with Alton Towers Resort in England, in which Sonic had his own “Sonic Spinball” ride and would talk to visitors during the ride’s queue and welcome guests into its special Sonic the Hedgehog-themed room?
Roger Craig Smith holds the title of the longest-running English voice actor for Sonic the Hedgehog, officially marking 15 years in the role this year. Feel old yet?
While Roger’s performances are often overshadowed by the scripts of the so-called “Meta Era,” his portrayal in the Sonic Boom TV show includes some of the funniest and most memorable lines in Sonic’s history. Starting with Sonic Frontiers in 2022, Roger has taken Sonic’s voice in a new, more mature direction, which has certainly caught the attention of fans. Love it or not, Roger’s adaptability and range make it clear why he’s number two in the results.
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In third place is the original voice of Sonic in the games, Ryan Drummond!
Ryan made his debut in Sonic Adventure, delivering a youthful, energetic, teenage vibe that closely mirrored Junichi Kanemaru’s (Sonic’s Japanese voice actor) portrayal. Ryan’s last official performance was in 2004’s Sonic Advance 3. However, did you know he recorded lines for 2005’s Sonic Rush before being replaced by Jason Griffith?
While Ryan hasn’t officially voiced Sonic in 20 years, he remains active in the fanbase, lending his voice to fan projects like Sonic and Tails R and regularly attending fan conventions. His enduring appeal is a testament to the impact he left on the franchise and fans’ hearts, earning him third place in our poll.
The runners-up are as follows:
- Jaleel White (4th place) voiced Sonic in the DiC cartoons (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic SatAM, Sonic Underground) with 122 votes (10%).
- Ben Schwartz (5th place), the voice of Sonic in Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise, earned 78 votes (6%).
- Deven Mack (6th place), the voice of Sonic in Netflix’s Sonic Prime, received 74 votes (6%).
- Martin Burke (7th place), who voiced Sonic in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (OVA), garnered 34 votes (3%).
Do you agree with these results? Who is YOUR favorite English Sonic the Hedgehog voice actor? Let us know in the comments!
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