Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu) is a renowned Japanese video game franchise developed and owned by Sega. Created primarily by the company’s Japanese team, including Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara, the franchise was designed to compete in the video game market, particularly with Nintendo’s iconic mascot, Mario. The core games in the series are platformers, mostly developed by Sonic Team, while spin-offs, typically outsourced to other studios, span a variety of genres. The franchise also includes printed media, animated series, films, and an extensive range of merchandise.
The series began in 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, which provided Sega with its own mascot to rival Mario. The game's success propelled Sega to prominence as a leading video game company in the early 1990s. The subsequent mainline games were developed by the Sega Technical Institute, and several spin-offs were released for the Sega Master System and Game Gear. After a hiatus during the Sega Saturn era, the franchise transitioned into 3D with Sonic Adventure, released in 1998. In 2001, Sega ceased its console production and shifted to third-party development, continuing the series on Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles.
The Sonic the Hedgehog series follows the adventures of Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog with the remarkable ability to run at superhuman speeds, and his acrobatic spinning attacks. He constantly battles his arch-nemesis, Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist who seeks to take over the world and impose a tech-dominated reality. His schemes often involve the Chaos Emeralds, seven mystical gemstones of limitless power. When combined, the Chaos Emeralds can transform living beings or machines, granting them incredible abilities, including Sonic’s “super transformation,” which allows him to defeat his enemies. The series blends elements of fantasy and science fiction, portraying Sonic as a free-spirited traveler and Eggman as a power-hungry conqueror.
In addition to Sonic, the series features a rich cast of characters, including his loyal sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, rivals like Knuckles the Echidna and Shadow the Hedgehog, his friend and self-proclaimed girlfriend Amy Rose, and his robotic counterpart Metal Sonic.
Sonic the Hedgehog is Sega’s flagship series and one of the most successful video game franchises in history, with total sales and mobile game downloads surpassing 1.51 billion units by 2022. The original Sonic games are critically acclaimed and frequently listed among the greatest video games of all time. Despite mixed reception to later titles, such as Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and Sonic and the Secret Rings, the franchise remains influential in the video game industry and continues to make an impact on popular culture.