Editing Miles "Tails" Prower (section)

==Concept and creation==
[[File:Sonic-2-Tails-Sketches-I.jpeg|thumb|225px|left|Sketches of Tails by [[Yasushi Yamaguchi]].|alt=Various sketches of Tails during his development, depicting him in various expressions.]]
The idea of a companion to Sonic was made in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', developed by the [[Sega Technical Institute]] (STI). To decide on this sidekick character, a contest was held at the STI which was won by [[Yasushi Yamaguchi]], originally the main artist and level designer for [[Sonic Team]]. Yamaguchi's character concept was to hold a "deep admiration for Sonic".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sega.com/features/allsonic/creator/naka04.html|title=Sonic's Creator - Yuji Naka|accessdate=28 August 2008|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/19970605172353/http://www.sega.com/features/allsonic/creator/naka04.html|archivedate=5 June 1997}}</ref> The name "Miles Prower" is a pun on ''[[Wikipedia:Miles per hour|miles per hour]]'', with "Prower" being an alteration of the word ''power'' to avoid making the character sound too powerful.<ref name="S2 30th thread">{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/judy_totoya/status/1594372821794586624|date=21 November 2022|title=Yasushi Yamaguchi's explains Tails' creation on the 30th anniversary of ''Sonic 2''|work=Twitter|accessdate=21 November 2022|archiveurl=|archivedate=}}</ref> Marketing director Al Nilsen and product manager [[Madeline Schroeder]] insisted that the name be changed to "Tails", which Yamaguchi opposed.<ref name="Al Nilsen">{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/AlNilsen/status/1476008865951059969?t=B7WGCOeAGeaBUIvbgSVJdQ|date=29 December 2021|title=Al Nilsen on Twitter|work=Twitter|accessdate=29 December 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229140230/https://twitter.com/AlNilsen/status/1476008865951059969?t=B7WGCOeAGeaBUIvbgSVJdQ&s=19|archivedate=29 December 2021}}</ref> Alternately, [[Yuji Naka]] claimed that the name "Tails" came up during his meeting with a producer from [[Wikipedia:American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] at the time.<ref name="Gryson"/> A compromise was reached: the name "Miles Prower" would be the character's real name, and "Tails" his nickname.

According to Yuji Naka, the character was originally intended to be a [[Wikipedia:Tanuki|tanuki]], modeled after a UFO catcher plushie,<ref name="NEWInt">{{Cite web|url=http://shmuplations.com/sonic/|title=Sonic the Hedgehog – Developer Interview Collection|accessdate=19 May 2018}}</ref> although Yamaguchi clarified that Tails was intended to be a fox from the beginning.<ref name="25th Art"/> Naka instructed Yamaguchi to make Tails cute, inspired by [[w:c:uruseiyatsura:Kitsune|Kitsune]] from the ''[[w:c:uruseiyatsura:Urusei Yatsura|Urusei Yatsura]]'' series.<ref name="S2 30th thread"/> Yamaguchi designed Tails so he would appeal to Japanese audiences, where the ''Sonic'' series was not as popular as in the West.<ref name="S2 30th thread"/> Tails initially had one tail but received his twin tails for a stronger impact, inspired by [[w:c:phantasystar:Myau|Myau]] from ''[[w:c:phantasystar:Phantasy Star|Phantasy Star]]''.<ref name="S2 30th thread"/><ref name="NEWInt"/> Despite claims to the contrary, the character was always intended to be male.<ref name="Gryson">{{Cite journal|journal=Beep! Mega Drive|date=January 1993|pages=46–48|title=The People Making Sega's Future|url=https://mdshock.com/2021/12/28/the-people-making-segas-future/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229012806/https://mdshock.com/2021/12/28/the-people-making-segas-future/|archivedate=29 December 2021}}</ref> Additionally, he originally had completely black, round eyes. Yamaguchi imagined Tails as a five year old, although his final age ended up being eight. The character's three bangs were also intended to erupt from the right side of his head instead of the middle.<ref name="25th Art">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=66573542|title=Yasushi Yamaguchi's illustration}} for Tails' 25th anniversary.</ref> Finally, the relationship between Tails and Sonic was inspired by the dynamic between [[Wikipedia:Gohan|Gohan]] and [[Wikipedia:Piccolo_(Dragon_Ball)|Piccolo]] from the ''[[Wikipedia:Dragon Ball|Dragon Ball]]'' franchise.<ref name="DragonB">{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/judy_totoya/status/1766089483462865014|date=8 March 2024|title=斗々屋 on Twitter|work=Twitter|accessdate=9 March 2024}}</ref>

Sonic Team faced challenges while converting the characters into 3D for ''[[Sonic Adventure]]''. The perception that Sonic's design was "dated" allowed the team to redesign him, Tails, and the rest of the cast.<ref name="MakingOfAdventure">{{Cite journal |author=Retro Game staff |journal=[[Wikipedia:Retro Gamer|Retro Gamer]] |title=The Making Of: Sonic Adventure |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20181228/281659666135596 |date=28 December 2018}}</ref> Tails, like the other characters, was redesigned by [[Yuji Uekawa]], giving him longer limbs and blue eyes. ''Adventure'' also popularized the name "Tails" in Japan, where he was previously called "Miles".<ref name="MakingOfAdventure" />