Sonic races toward the camera with Dr. Robotnik in a flying orb behind him in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.Image via Paramount
By
Collier Jennings
Published 2 hours ago
Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's been able to tackle a wide variety of articles.
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Sonic the Hedgehog wears many hats. He's a video game icon who can stand shoulder to shoulder with other gaming legends, including Lara Croft and Super Mario. He's the star of a highly successful trilogy of video game adaptations, with a fourth on the way. Fans will also be quick to point out that Sonic is the star of multiple animated series. Most people either remember the Sonic cartoons from the '90s or Netflix's recent Sonic Prime series, but they should also check out Sonic X, which is available to stream for free on Pluto TV.
Sonic X begins in the same vein as other Sonic the Hedgehog stories, as Sonic is locked in the middle of a battle with his arch nemesis Doctor Robotnik. During said battle, a freak accident involving the Chaos Emeralds sends Sonic and his friends to an alternate dimension, where they befriend a boy named Chris Thorndyke. As they adapt to Earth, Sonic and friends have to thwart Robotnik's plans to gain control of the Chaos Emeralds, along with other threats to the Earth. The end result is one of the best takes on Sonic to ever hit a television screen, especially given how the series evolves over time.
'Sonic X' Perfectly Adapted One of the Best Sonic Games
Shadow (Jason Griffith) standing behind Sonic (Jason Griffith) while holding a Chaos Emerald and smiling in Sonic XImage via TMS Entertainment
Sonic X is notable for beating the Sonic the Hedgehog movies to the punch with the plot device of Sonic traveling to Earth and meeting a human companion, but its biggest claim to fame is adapting the Sonic Adventure video games. Sonic Adventure and its sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, are often credited with being major milestones in the Sonic franchise for introducing characters and concepts that endure to this day. Sonic X's choice to adapt those games led to the first proper appearances of certain characters, like Amy Rose and Shadow the Hedgehog, alongside underrated characters like Shadow's robotic companion, Emerl. It was also a great introduction to Sonic for fans who couldn't get their hands on the games, as it captured Sonic's cocky yet confident personality perfectly.
Surprisingly, fan reception to Sonic X was mixed during its release, mostly due to the series' English dub. The dub was handled by 4Kids Entertainment, which became famous for bringing anime, including Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, to the United States, but was extremely infamous for heavily editing those shows; this led to some of the more emotional moments, like Shadow's loss of Maria Robotnik, losing their meaning. Fans were also divided on Chris Thorndyke, with some calling him the most annoying character in Sonic history and others realizing he was meant to be an audience surrogate.
Despite this reception, Sonic X remains one of the most popular Sonic shows. It managed to be one of the highest-ranking animated shows during its run, and it spawned an entire franchise, including comic books, a trading card game, and a line of video games in partnership with McDonald's. Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka even said in an interview that Sonic X was a large part of revitalizing Sonic's popularity in 2003: "I truly believe that this has been a Sonic Year, thanks to the McDonald's Happy Meals, the Sonic X anime, and Sonic Heroes. I'm not calling it that just because of Sonic Heroes, but because Sonic was exposed to a new generation of players — not just the fans we've had for a while."
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Posts 22 By Collier JenningsSeason 3 of 'Sonic X' Shifts to a Sci-Fi Odyssey
Sonic X would kick into a new gear with its third season, which crafted an entirely new storyline. After having to return to his world to prevent an intergalactic disaster, Sonic finds himself battling a new foe in the form of an alien race called the Metarex. Sonic and his friends reunite with Chris, while also joining forces with Doctor Robotnik, to stop the Metarex from getting their hands on the Chaos Emeralds. The end result is a gripping, rather dark storyline that feels more like it has more in common with Battlestar Galactica or Babylon 5 than witha Sonic game. Nowhere is this more clear than with Cosmo, a new ally that befriends Tails; at the end of the series, Cosmo winds up sacrificing herself alongside Shadow to stop the Metarex, resulting in a bittersweet but poignant finale.
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Crave deeper Sonic X context and wider Sonic-franchise analysis? Subscribing to the newsletter provides focused coverage on Sonic X, character deep dives, adaptation history, and related video game adaptation insights. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Sonic X might have been met with mixed reactions during its run, but the fact that it was willing to both take bold swings and adapt the events of the Sonic games is what makes it one of the best video game adaptations. While fans wait for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, they should check this series out if they want a Sonic fix.
Sonic X
Like Follow Followed TV-Y7 Animation Action & Adventure Comedy Release Date 2003 - 2006-00-00 Network TV Tokyo, JetixCast
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Jun'ichi Kanemaru
Sonic the Hedgehog (voice)
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Nobutoshi Canna
Knuckles the Echidna (voice)
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Sanae Kobayashi
Chris Thorndyke (voice)
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Ryo Hirohashi
Miles 'Tails' Prower / Cheese the Chao (voice)
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Sonic X
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