It looks like it, doesn't it? But in fact, it's a fake one that I created after researching the real emerald! It has the same wavelength and properties, but is less powerful than the real one.
The Fake Emerald[2][3] is an object that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is an Emerald meant to bear similarities to a real Chaos Emerald, but it does not possess the same amount of power, and was designed to sabotage machinery.
The Fake Emerald is an exact replica of the yellow Chaos Emerald. Because of this, it is a large, diamond-cut Emerald with a yellow hue, being of the same size and structure that a Chaos Emerald has. Its wavelength and properties are also identical to that of a real Chaos Emerald, enough that not even machines could tell the difference, meaning that the only way to tell the difference between the two is prior knowledge of which one is real and which is not. Also, one of the major differences between the real Chaos Emeralds is that it is designed to first reverse the energy field inside the real Chaos Emeralds and then explode.[1] In the Japanese version, however, it is designed to absorb Chaos Emerald energy and explode.
Despite the Fake Emerald still having energy, it is less powerful than the real ones.[1]Sonic the Hedgehog was capable of using the Emerald to execute Chaos Control. This does not appear to be a common occurrence, however, as Shadow remarks that such a feat should be impossible.[4] It is also implied that a Fake Emerald will bar any hedgehogs from accessing a Super Transformation.
In Sonic Adventure 2, the fake Emerald was created by Tails sometime after he was awarded a Chaos Emerald by Station Square for defeating the Egg Walker. Using his research on this Emerald, he developed his own artificial Chaos Emerald, one with nearly the exact same properties, but explosive when used in machinery.[1]
Tails eventually brought the fake Emerald onto the Space Colony ARK, developing a plan to place the Emerald into the Eclipse Cannon, destroying it and halting Dr. Eggman's plan to take over the world. Sonic the Hedgehog went off to execute this plan. Meanwhile, Eggman noticed that there was an extra Chaos Emerald signature in the vicinity, and that there must have been a fake, as he already had the other six emeralds. Sonic was later about to insert the Emerald into the cannon, when Eggman called him, threatening Amy Rose at gunpoint. Sonic soon arrived on the scene, figuring that he could easily hand Eggman the fake Emerald, save Amy, and destroy the Eclipse Cannon. However, Eggman, having already suspected that Sonic and his friends were planning to use a fake emerald to undo his plans due to detecting both energy signatures from his base earlier,[2] called his bluff, with Tails unwittingly confirming the ruse as a result,[5] and trapped the hedgehog in a capsule which he jettisoned into space.
Before the capsule could detonate, however, Sonic used Chaos Control with the fake Emerald to teleport back to the ARK. He then decided to finish the plan by inserting the fake Emerald into the Eclipse Cannon himself.[6] Shadow, just before leaving to investigate an unknown entity approaching the Eclipse Cannon at Eggman's orders, alludes to the fake Emerald when telling Rouge the Bat that it would be "good enough" for her in reference to her attempted theft of the Chaos Emeralds from the Eclipse Cannon.[7] On his way to the weapon, he crossed paths with Shadow, with Sonic also exposing not only his usage of the Fake Emerald to survive, but also how Shadow unwittingly helped,[4] and the two began a fight where Sonic used the fake Emerald to perform Chaos Control with. Afterward, Sonic managed to insert the fake Emerald into the Eclipse Cannon, causing disabling explosions across the cannon.
In Shadow Generations, Shadow finds the same Fake Emerald that Tails made aboard the ARK. He admits that even he has trouble distinguishing the fake and real one before putting it away.
Later, after a brief scuffle with Sonic for the yellow Chaos Emerald, Shadow swaps out said emerald with the Fake Emerald he had, using it to continue fighting Black Doom. Upon defeating the Black Arms leader, he hands over the original yellow Chaos Emerald to Rouge to take back to Sonic and quietly swap it out with the Fake Emerald before Sonic confronts the Time Eater.
In the Sonic X anime series, the fake Emerald was created by Tails during the second season in the adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2. It essentially serves the same purpose that it had in the game.
In Season 3, the Metarex initiated a plan by the name of Operation Duplicate in order for a number of fakes to be used for their Forestation Project - providing their new world of endless forests enough energy to last forever. These emeralds’ energies were ultimately consumed by a brief transformation used by Sonic the Hedgehog.
Hundreds of these Emeralds were mass produced with similar abilities but altered properties when compared to a normal Chaos Emerald. They could easily be crushed or disintegrate after strenuous use. These Emeralds were capable of inducing Chaos Control and could also initiate a super transformation in the form of Dark Sonic.
When Team Dark uses their Team Blast, Chaos Inferno, there is a Chaos Emerald that is used to induce the move - even if the player has yet to collect any Emeralds. Many fans have presumed that Emerald was a fake, but canonically, it likely was the green Emerald that Team Dark obtained in the cutscene before the battle against MetalSonic.
In an unused texture found inside of the game files of Sonic Adventure 2, the Fake Emerald was depicted as white instead of yellow. This texture was supposed to be displayed onto Eggman's monitor when he finds out that Sonic and his friends have infiltrated the Space Colony ARK.
The scene in Hero Story before the final battle against Shadow has Sonic revealing that he used the Fake Emerald to use Chaos Control to escape Eggman's death trap and credited Shadow for "saving him" (referencing how Shadow's constant usage of Chaos Control inspired him with his escape plan).[4] This was omitted from the Dark Story equivalent, cutting right to Shadow asking Sonic who he actually is due to not being ordinary.
↑ 1.01.11.21.3Sonic Team USA (23 June 2001). Sonic Adventure 2. Dreamcast. Sega. Cutscene: The Space Colony "ARK" (Hero story). "Tails: It looks like it doesn't it? But in fact, it's a fake one that I created after researching the real Emerald! It has the same wavelength and properties but is less powerful than the real one. It's designed to reverse the energy field inside the Chaos Emeralds and blow up! It looks so real, even a machine can't tell the difference!"
↑ 2.02.1Sonic Team USA (23 June 2001). Sonic Adventure 2. Dreamcast. Sega. Cutscene: Cutscene 24 (Dark story). "Eggman: This is strange... it's showing energy readings from two separate Chaos Emeralds. Did they really think they could trick me with that fake Emerald?"
↑Sonic Team USA (23 June 2001). Sonic Adventure 2. Dreamcast. Sega. Cutscene: Final Chase (Dark story). "Doctor Eggman (radio): This is Doctor Eggman. I have found all seven Chaos Emeralds! Shadow, someone is trying to get to the Eclipse Cannon. There's not much time left before the cannon fires again! Can you get over there?! // [Shadow addresses Rouge.] // Shadow the Hedgehog: If you want to live, leave the Chaos Emeralds where they are; the fake Emerald is good enough for you!"
The fake Emerald on the ARK, from Shadow Generations.
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