Storm the Albatross

I'll make sure to pay you back for this!

— Storm the Albatross, Sonic Riders

Storm the Albatross (ストーム・ザ・アルバトロス, Sutōmu za Arubatorosu^?) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic albatross and the muscle of the current generation of Babylon Rogues. An imposing sight, Storm is a hulking individual that possesses incredible physical strength, enabling him to destroy just about anything in his path.

In general, Storm is somewhat dim-witted and slow on the uptake, but makes up for it in raw power. He is Jet the Hawk's most loyal follower and right-hand man. As such, he is always ready for Jet's assignments. Despite being committed to his duties though, Storm has a quick temper, and his clumsiness constantly succeeds in embarrassing himself and his teammates.

Concept and creation[edit | edit source]

According to Sonic Riders game designer Takashi Yuda, Storm, Jet and Wave were conceptualized by Sonic Team to be "air pirates" that would become Sonic's rivals.^[1]

Appearance[edit | edit source]

Storm the Albatross, from Sonic Riders.

Storm the Albatross, from Sonic Riders.
Storm the Albatross, with his goggles on from Sonic Riders.

Storm the Albatross, with his goggles on from Sonic Riders.
Storm the Albatross, in his "Tropical" outfit from the Sonic Channel.

Storm the Albatross, in his "Tropical" outfit from the Sonic Channel.
Storm the Albatross in his summer beach outfit, from Sonic Speed Simulator.

Storm the Albatross in his summer beach outfit, from Sonic Speed Simulator.

Storm is an anthropomorphic albatross of hulking physique with gray feathers and white feathers covering his body. On his arms near his wrists are dark gray fire-like markings. He has light blue eyes with red and black markings around it, a golden beak and his hair is short, similar to Wave's.

For attire, he wears tan gloves that possess visible lining with black bands, small goggles with yellow frames and white straps, a brown necklace with small gray pieces, and black, yellow and white sneakers with sock-like cuffs and gray soles.

Personality[edit | edit source]

One of Storm's most defining traits is his lack of intelligence. He is dim-witted, often forgetful, easily mislead and can trip over even the simplest of words. He also gets happy and upset in a childish manner quite fast, hinting his simple mindset. However, what Storm lacks in smarts, he makes up for it in raw power.^[2]

When confronting others, Storm takes on a rough and tough attitude by making threats of payback and/or beating up the people in question, in an effort to daunt them. He also has a quick temper, easily getting angry when provoked or when he thinks that he has been insulted. When he is angry, Storm becomes a destructive force.^[3]^[2] He is also always quick to start a fight with others without a second thought, always urging his opponent to start a brawl with him right on the spot. He is also rather impatient and hates to wait.^[3]

Whenever Storm gets excited, flustered or ill at ease, he tends to stutter, sometimes become gradually speechless, and will drop whatever façade of toughness he may have at that point, and acts like a bumbling and discouraged individual that easily succumbs to the orders of others.^[2] He is also rather clumsy, always barging into Jet's office, accidentally bringing down stuff on the walls and tripping on his own Extreme Gear.

Like the other members of the Babylon Rogues, Storm is a rather rude person, finding great fun in mocking and laughing at other people, though he rarely throws insults. Regardless, Storm is by far the most sympathetic of the Babylon Rogues, always being quick to apologize to those that he hurts unintentionally, such as when he apologized to a E-10000R for punching it and when he apologized to Amy for chasing her.

Storm is extremely loyal to Jet, who he almost always refers to as "boss". He constantly seeks to please Jet, either going on his assignments without hesitation or helping him in any way he can. Storm will also always support Jet or back him up, and as well insist that Jet never made any mistakes and that it was others' fault. In line with his, Storm gets very happy when he is praised by Jet and apologizes deeply with great remorse if he fails a mission or somehow insults Jet's pride or dignity.

Storm has a great deal of greedy love for money and treasure, and his primary motivation is to acquire as much wealth as possible, which was the sole reason he and the others on his team willingly competed in the World Grand Prix in Sonic Riders and Sonic Free Riders.

One of Storm's most defining traits is his lack of intelligence. Far from the sharpest tool in the shed, he is dim-witted, goofy, and often takes things too literally. He can also be quick to act and careless, like when he mistook a cowering Jewel for a gemstone after only seeing her rainbow-colored exoskeleton from behind, which costs him his team's reputation and latest profit. He also gets happy and upset in a childish manner quite fast, hinting a simple mindset.^[4]

Storm is also a greedy thief, having no qualms about plundering official institutions in order to earn a profit.^[4]

Powers and abilities[edit | edit source]

File:Sonic Riders - Storm - Level 1.jpg

Storm creating a shockwave by clapping his hands together, from Sonic Riders.

The muscle behind the current generation of Babylon Rogues,^[5]^[2]^[6] Storm possesses such levels of superhuman strength that he is considered a force of nature.^[5] His strength is so great that he can crush a boulder with little effort,^[7]^[3] create concussive shockwaves and gusts of wind powerful enough to blow opponents off their footing by simply clapping his hands together,^[8] and easily smash through obstacles like cars and walls made of all kinds of material with a single punch.^[8] Also, while not as fast as he is strong,^[5] Storm is still able to move around at super speeds on foot, enough to reach velocities well above 100 "Speed".^[8] He possesses as well above average acrobatic skills and agility, enough to pull off advanced tricks and movements while in mid-air. Storm also has a high degree of physical durability. Notably, he took a direct hit from Amy with her Piko Piko Hammer and became slightly staggered from it,^[9] and he has withstood a direct jab from Knuckles.^[10]

As a member of the Babylon Rouges, Storm is a professional Extreme Gear rider, enough to be acknowledged as a wind master on a legendary level.^[11] Notably, he can move expertly at high speeds, perform complex and impressive tricks and body movements while in midair, and engage in hand-to-hand combat with other Extreme Gear riders while riding his own Extreme Gear without any trouble. In addition, thanks to his strength, he is able to smash through all kinds of obstacles without losing momentum. However, he does sometimes have trouble stopping suddenly on his Extreme Gear.^[12]

Physical abilities and Extreme Gears skills aside, Storm is a talented and professional thief.^[2] Having pulled off successful heists and escaped capture from the authorities,^[10] Storm is a seasoned thief and talented with sleight of hand. As a testament to his thieving skills, Storm single-handedly infiltrated Dr. Eggman's base, stole the doctor's private diary, and escaped a horde of E-10000Gs.^[13]

In addition to possessing great strength, Storm is a brawler that focuses on hand-to-hand combat. However, he no other fighting skills besides that.^[14] Storm has proven himself to be a capable and swift Extreme Gear rider. In addition, he is a professional thief.^[15]

Equipment[edit | edit source]

File:Type-S SFR.png

The Type-S, from Sonic Free Riders.

Storm's choice of equipment is his Type-S. The Type-S is a Board type Extreme Gear, constructed by Wave, which is meant for durable and destructive Extreme Gear riding. Over time, the Type-S has been redesigned to have a wider base and maximum hover to support Storm's bulk and weight.^[16]^[17] When the situation calls for it though, he will also use it as a blunt melee weapon.^[18]

Weaknesses[edit | edit source]

Since Storm is stronger than he is fast, a quick enough opponent can outrun him.^[5] In addition, he has a short temper, is not smart or flexible, and can be slow to act.^[19]

Relationships[edit | edit source]

Babylon Rogues[edit | edit source]

Jet the Hawk[edit | edit source]

Jet the Hawk, leader of the Babylon Rogues, is at the top of his game every day of the week!

— Storm the Albatross, Sonic Free Riders

Storm greatly respects his leader, Jet the Hawk, and refers to him as "Boss". He will do anything to serve him and will always try to accomplish any mission given by him. In the Sonic Channel bio, it is mentioned that Jet is one of his favorite things.

As such, he is always seeking to please Jet and gets rather flustered or regretful when he angers him. Storm also always has Jet's back no matter the decision, even if it makes them both look ignorant. Jet is always appreciative of Storm's support. However, he does not like it when Storm does this and makes their group look incompetent. Despite this, Jet and Storm do care about each other enough to ride or fight together to the end.^[20]^[21]^[22]

Wave the Swallow[edit | edit source]

Storm and his teammate, Wave the Swallow, seem to get into small arguments. In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Storm was making fun of Wave as she was wishing upon a shooting star as he thought that it was childish to think that a shooting star can grant a wish. In Sonic Free Riders, Wave insulted Storm's skills in Extreme Gear. This disheartened Storm, causing them to not talk to each other.

Storm has a decent enough relationship with Wave, although Storm's lack of intelligence and Wave's genius-level intellect is a great contrast between them. She sometimes views him as incompetent due to his slower moments compared to her. In turn, Storm respects Wave but is not afraid to request for her to back up off of Jet when she tells him off. Regardless, he and Wave trust each other very much as teammates and know that they have each other's backs, being willing to fight side by side to the end.^[23]^[24]^[25]

Knuckles the Echidna[edit | edit source]

In the air! On the ground! Don't matter! You can't beat me!

— Storm the Albatross, Sonic the Hedgehog #66

Storm first met Knuckles the Echidna when he and his crew were committing a robbery, during which Knuckles punched Storm off his board. Since then, the two have become fierce rivals in strength. When Storm lost against Knuckles in the World Grand Prix, he falsely accused him of having cheated.

During the MeteorTech incident the two showed a spark of anger when they saw each other again. Knuckles thinks of him as a "meathead" and Storm wants to settle the score, causing great tension between the two.

Amy Rose[edit | edit source]

Storm finds a surprising new rival in Amy Rose during the MeteorTech incident.^[26] Storm to this day still fears her hammer as seen during Clean Sweepstakes when Amy confronts him for bullying Tails.^[27]

Master Zik[edit | edit source]

I ain't afraid to hit an old man!

— Storm the Albatross, Sonic the Hedgehog #26

Storm first met Master Zik during a fight with him in Winterburg. Before even meeting him in person, Storm admitted that he would have no problem beating up an old man like him.^[28]