Vector the Crocodile

It's all part of being a good detective.

— Vector the Crocodile, Sonic Heroes File:QuotVector.ogg

Vector the Crocodile (ベクター・ザ・クロコダイル, Bekutā za Kurokodairu^?) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic crocodile and the current director^[1] and head honcho^[2]^[3] of the Chaotix Detective Agency, which he founded with his close friends Espio and Charmy. Large and imposing with a kind heart beneath his scaly exterior, Vector is ready to take any job that pays, but will always help those in need for free, a charitable nature leaving his agency perpetually short on money.

Known for his great love of music, Vector's trademark is a pair of headphones which he always listens to.^[2] Despite his rough appearance and sometimes rude manners indicating otherwise, Vector is a capable detective and natural leader with a clear, deductive mind who will always see cases through until he deems them solved.

Concept and creation[edit]

File:Sonic the Hedgehog Band.png

Vector's original appearance as the keyboard player of the Sonic the Hedgehog Band, illustrated by Naoto Ohshima.

Vector was initially going to appear as one of the members of the Sonic the Hedgehog Band during the early development of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The Sonic the Hedgehog Band was created to be part of the early idealized Sound Test, which was eventually dropped from the final version of the game due to time constraints.^[4] Vector was going to be the keyboard player of Sonic's band. Many early concept sketches featured in the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis Collected Works art book show Vector and the other band members having a more prominent role in the game, appearing even on the Sega screen and in the game's ending.^[5] In terms of game appearances, Vector is thus among the oldest characters of the series alongside Flicky, Eggman and Sonic himself.

In the early development of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Vector looked quite different compared to his later designs and was more resembling an ordinary crocodile. The scales seen on his back and tail lacked their red color, and despite his taller and sturdier build, his hands and feet were smaller than in later designs. Furthermore, Vector's belly, neck and the underneath of his tail were gray rather than light green. He also wore shoes identical to Sonic's, just like every other member of the band. While missing most of his attire such as his gold chain, Vector was already wearing his pair of headphones, which later returned as his trademark accessory.

A later revision of the band artwork stepped away from Vector's bulky build and made him lankier, shortened his neck, and also reworked his head, eyes and snout, looking closer to following interpretations of the character.^[6]

File:Vectorconcept.png

Vector in a The Blues Brothers-esque get-up.

Sega Software R&D Dept. 8 created an alternative design for Vector, illustrating the character wearing sunglasses, hat and tie.^[7] The design was found alongside concepts for the Sonic the Hedgehog manga published by Shogakukan, where characters Amy Rose and Charmy Bee debuted.

Despite the band's appearance being scrapped from Sonic the Hedgehog, they briefly appeared performing in the tie-in manga Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Vol. 1 as well as in various gaming publications around the game's release. Sprites for them were also found in a prototype of the unreleased game, SegaSonic Bros..

File:SMRVM.jpg

Concept art of Ray, Mighty, Sonic, Vector and a character named Max (a redesigned version of Sharps), illustrated by Naoto Ohshima.

Sometime prior to the release of SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Naoto Ohshima revised the character design.^[8] This version of Vector made cameo appearances in the April 1992 issue of Shogaku Gonensei and the August 1992 issue of Shogaku Ichinensei, alongside the Sonic the Hedgehog manga cast,^[9] and appeared as a playable character in 1995's Knuckles' Chaotix.

Appearance[edit]

Vector before the Neo Metal Sonic incident, from Knuckles' Chaotix.

Vector before the Neo Metal Sonic incident, from Knuckles' Chaotix.
Vector after the Neo Metal Sonic incident, from Sonic Art Assets DVD.

Vector is a large, green-skinned anthropomorphic crocodile with spiky red scales down his tail, goldenrod eyes, and sharp teeth. He sports a thick body that resembles an S-shape, with his broad upper body getting slimmer towards his tail and legs. By contrast, his arms start out thin and thicken closer to the wrist. His belly, snout and arms are light green, while the rest of his body is dark green.

For attire, Vector wears small, black shoulder pads, white gloves with black armbands that possess orange stripes for cuffs, embellished with gold buckles as well as black urban lace-free boots figured with white and orange colors. He also wears a gold chain necklace around his neck, serving as his trademark accessory alongside his pair of black-and-gray wireless noise-cancelling headphones,^[10] and the crocodile is rarely seen without one or the other. With the exception of his chain, Vector's complete attire is frequently shown to be made out of leather. With his style said to exude an urban vibe, ready for going out doing detective work suddenly.^[11]

In Knuckles' Chaotix, Vector's build was a bit shorter and slimmer in general, and his red scales, while similar, parted into two arrays starting from his upper body, forming a V-shape. Compared to his Sonic Heroes incarnation, his arms had a darker shade of green matching the rest of his body, while his belly and snout had a more ochre color tone. His attire was also different: Vector wore yellow-and-blue circular headphones, connected to a Walkman which he had attached to his body using a belt. Furthermore, Vector wore dark blue-colored shoes with yellow zip-cuffs.

For a list of Vector's alternate outfits, see Vector the Crocodile/Miscellaneous#Outfits.

Personality[edit]

File:Vector profile SG.png

Vector's profile, from the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Generations.

Vector is easygoing and loud mouthed with the heart of a child. As the brains behind the Chaotix Detective Agency's operations, Vector is a true leader^[12] that keeps a cool head even in the most difficult situations. Unfortunately, his position as leader tends to get to his head, which often leaves Vector split between the "bossy" and "easy-going" parts of his nature. Nevertheless, Vector enjoys his profession as a leader and detective. He takes his profession seriously and uses his powers of deduction and common sense^[13] to solve any case with dignity and respect,^[12] although he is not above showing them off.

Vector normally displays a tough exterior. He speaks in a rough tone and may not sweat the details.^[2]^[12] He likewise quick to start a fight, often taking an aggressive approach when facing troubles, but he is always on the side of the weak.^[1]^[2] Despite his aggressive approach though, he is able to find a peaceful solution to a problem, though he will only do so as a last resort.^[2]

Deep down, Vector has a kind heart^[3] with an optimistic viewpoint and a wealthy personality. While keeping a calm head and a decisive determination when on a case, Vector can at the same time show a cool and relaxed sense of humor with some attitude. At the same time, Vector is charismatic and charming, allowing him to get along well with others no matter how different they may be, which is especially apparent in his close friendship with Espio and his occasional engagement in groups outside of Team Chaotix, such as Team Vector or Team Rose. Equally, Vector cares deeply for his friends and is always loyal to them.

Nonetheless, Vector has a short temper and aggressive manners. His pretended gentle behavior in front of strangers quickly changes to a rough demeanor with a snappy attitude when things do not go his way, especially when he feels insulted or peeved, and is generally very direct in his choice of words. He always says what is on his mind, often ending up being downright rude. While Vector is aware he has a big mouth, however, he is not bothered by the fact. Despite his charitable nature with clients, he has also shown a slightly selfish streak in front of his team mates, such as eating Charmy's pudding or only buying dessert for himself.

One of Vector's most defined traits is his dream of getting rich.^[12] His behavior is mostly geared around earning money, and his policy is to never turn down work that pays. He will do almost any kind of work if it means a good income and gets motivated by the thought of money alone. Because his business does not run as expected very often, Vector usually worries about rent payments and bills and has made remarks about being unable to afford adequate meals for himself. He likewise hates working for the landlord, who he is constantly at odds with. As a consequence, he may ask friends for jobs and is willing to do things that have nothing in common with detective work at all.

Despite his love for cash, Vector has strong morals and will not get involved in anything illegal or dirty. Similarly, Vector has a strong sense of justice and kindness, despite his argumentativeness. As such, Vector is very charitable and is known for helping those in need for free, such as finding a lost child or take up meager chases for children. Because of this, Vector will take up cases without any sort of compensation. Despite any money problems his generosity may present, however, Vector believes that helping out those less fortunate is the best reward. He is not above embarrassing himself either if it helps the well-being of others, even at the chance of it staining his good reputation.

Next to money, Vector's other great passion is music, which he always listens to. He is often being seen turning up and grooving to his current jam and usually becomes oblivious to the world around him being in his own world. He also likes to perform in his own band, converting his detective team into one whenever feeling like it, and believes himself to possess a great singing voice. Even if Vector listens and plays music loudly, he only enjoys the music if it sounds good, while disliking general noise.

Vector is also quite crazy about bubble-gum and food in general.^[3] While not always able to afford adequate meals,^[12] Vector is quite the connoisseur and enjoys trying a wide variety of food ranging from chili dogs to foreign sweets,^[14] and tends to be well-informed on culinary matters.^[15]

File:Vector crying.png

Vector bummed about Knuckles paying them with fruits instead of money, from Sonic the Hedgehog #66.

In the IDW Comics, an upbeat, laid-back and good-natured crocodile, Vector is an accomplished and firm detective who takes his profession very seriously, his agency's policy being to never leave a case half-done. He is also one of high moral standards, as he questioned whether it would be ethical or not to penalize Dr. Eggman after the doctor had seemingly lost his memories about his evil deeds and turned over a new leaf.^[16] While very heroic and more than willing to help out his friends and allies, Vector also has ambitions about getting rich and counts on getting "hazard pay" for his and his colleagues' heroic efforts and allowances for the harsh working conditions Chaotix often find themselves in.^[17] Vector is shown to have a short temper and aggressive manners that surface whenever he feels insulted or peeved, namely when Charmy annoys him or when work does not go as planned.^[18] When his emotions get the better of him, Vector can act rashly and engage in a situation without thinking if not reasoned with.^[19]^[20]^[21] Deep down though, Vector is kind and polite despite looking quite scary.^[22]

Powers and abilities[edit]

File:SHeroesVectorStrength.png

Vector smashing a large boulder with his Hammer Down technique, from Sonic Heroes.

Classified as a Power Type, Vector is strong,^[23] possessing impressive brute strength that few can question.^[24]^[25] In fact, his feats of strength rival the likes of Knuckles, Big and Omega. Notably, he can smash giant boulders, punch down thick metal doors with ease,^[26] and throw objects high into the sky and out of eyesight.^[27] By combining his strength with his weight, Vector can as well land downward blows that can not only heavily damage an enemy, if not outright crush them, but also produce a fiery shockwave upon impact. Most of his power, however, lies in his powerful jaws, which are a formidable weapon and possess razor-sharp teeth,^[2]^[24] attributes of which let Vector chew through robot metal with ease. As gentle with them as he can be brutal, Vector can effortlessly defeat enemies by crunching on them with his mouth, yet he can store Espio and Charmy between them without injuring them. He is even able to spit out objects with such force that they ignite from the friction. Physical strength aside, Vector is also rather fast, having been able to keep up with his speedy teammate Espio during the Neo Metal Sonic incident and even Shadow during the Black Arms incident. In addition, Vector has displayed impressive reflexes and acrobatic skills, enough to let him execute unique tricks and movements while in mid-air, pull off various Spin Attack maneuvers at high speed, and grind on Grind Rails with ease.

Vector is also able to perform the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at him targets. With it, Vector can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed. Adept in its usage, Vector can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both ground- and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, and Homing Attack.

As a crocodile, Vector is naturally good at swimming, using the typical movement of a crocodile in water to accelerate effortlessly. His unique swimming stroke is known as the "Crocodile Paddle" or the "Gator style". He can also carry this kind of movement over to the ground or even the air by sliding forward head-first on his stomach, allowing him to accelerate and plow through obstacles.

File:SHeroesMeetEggman.png

Having deduced the client he was helping was Dr. Eggman early on, Vector casually greets him the instant upon busting him out of prison, from Sonic Heroes.

Although it is hard to imagine from his rough appearance and behavior, Vector is an accomplished detective and he is usually the one who deduces the solution to a crime.^[23] While he is not a genius like Tails or Dr. Eggman, Vector still possesses a clear,^[23] sharp,^[28] and brilliant^[29] mind, along with a keen eye for detail^[29] and remarkably good instincts.^[13]^[30] Having a knack for solving riddles and mysteries, Vector's keen intellect can piece clues and other minor hints together to often reach correct conclusions that his teammates and most others would have overlooked or failed to reach.^[26] His skills at deduction are very profound, especially during his investigations, as Vector seldom, if ever, chooses the wrong individual as his prime suspect. Additionally, he can use his investigative techniques for other purposes, like locating lost things or even predicting his enemy's actions.^[31] Intellect aside, Vector also has charismatic leadership skills, having been described as a true leader.^[12]

File:Screen42.jpg

Vector breathing fire, from Sonic Heroes.

Vector possesses a number of offensive breaths to attack foes with. Notably, he can either produce a concentrated sonic scream as a destructive stream with concussive force behind it or breathe fire. The former breath might be connected to his singing voice, which he can use to generate extremely destructive sound, causing all nearby Badniks to explode as a result to the noise. Additionally, Vector is very skilled at blowing chewing gum; he can blow a huge bubble to ride through midair or knock smaller projectiles away from him, and, combined with his breath skills, spit out multiple bubbles that detonate into large explosions upon impact.

Vector has also proven himself a capable Extreme Gear rider, having established himself as a worthy competitor in the second EX World Grand Prix amongst the world's best riders. Specializing in Bike-type Extreme Gear, he can perform various athletic stunts and punch his way through giant obstacles while riding his Extreme Gear. Vector actually refactored his Extreme Gear, the Hard-Boiled himself, indicating he might have some skills in machinery as well.

As seen during Dodon Pa's Grand Prix, Vector also has excellent skills when it comes to driving and racing in race cars like the Beat Monster.

In the IDW Comics, Vector is in possession of extraordinary strength, being able to lift entire cars with ease, keep a giant snake's mouth open using brute force, smash an entire floor with one blow, and fold thick metal sheets like paper.^[32]^[33]^[34]^[35] He likewise possesses incredible jaw strength, enough to easily chew through metal.^[36] He also possesses a sonic scream powerful enough to blown down barricaded doors.^[35] In addition, he is a hand-to-hand combatant who knows how to use both his fists and tail to fend off opponents in a fight.^[35]

Equipment[edit]

Vector wears wireless headphones that he can use to make calls.^[37]

Color Powers[edit]

Main article: Color Power

By harnessing different variants of Hyper-go-on from Wisps, Vector can use specific Color Powers to transform into a certain form, such as a drill, a laser or even a planet, each one possessing its own unique abilities. So far, Vector has been able to transform into the Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill, and Indigo Asteroid. However, these transformations require a steady supply of Hyper-go-on to be maintained.

Weakness[edit]

Vector makes a deaf tone whenever he sings.^[38]

Due to Vector's temper, his emotions can get the better of him, leading him to act on emotion without proper planning. This has made him encounter several close calls with danger.^[39]^[40]^[41]

Concept and creation[edit]

Appearance[edit]

Personality[edit]

Powers and abilities[edit]

Equipment[edit]

Color Powers[edit]

Weakness[edit]

Relationships[edit]

Quotes[edit]

Trivia[edit]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]