Who is the villain that gives Sonic the most grief? Probably Diary Queen? Maybe Coldstone Creamery? Oh my bad, I thought you meant the fast food chain. Sonic the Hedgehog? Who knew a small mammal could be wanted dead by so many people, including Jim Carrey? Let’s rank them.
10. Infinite
Sonic Forces‘ Infinite is the Scarlet Witch of the Sonic series. Originally a mercenary leader whose forces were decimated in a botched hit on Shadow the Hedgehog, Infinite teams up with Eggman and absorbs the Phantom Ruby – giving him reality-bending powers. Determined to seek revenge, Infinite begins to harass Sonic and the gang. While his bad guy motivations are somewhat shallow, his dope design makes up for it entirely.
9. The Black Doom
The Black Doom is a villain that appears in the unfortunate Shadow the Hedgehog game, a title that was universally clowned upon for its gritty, grimdark, made in the 90’s approach to a fluffy series about a cartoon blue hedgehog. Despite the game’s stumblings, a silver lining appears in the Black Doom, arguably one of the series’ most intimidating threats. BD is a space alien from the Black Comet, which carries a sinister alien species known as Black Arms. This dude is so bad that Dr. Eggman’s grandad actually struck a deal with him for Chaos Emeralds. He’s got staying power, that’s for sure.
8. Metal Sonic
While Metal Sonic isn’t exactly the most creative villain on this list, he’s certainly one of the longest-running. He was created by Dr. Eggman for the express purpose of defeating Sonic at his own game: running really fast. The robotic hedgehog is able to keep pace with Sonic’s supersonic speeds, making him an intimidating threat. He’s also got spooky red eyes and a body made out of polished chrome, which certainly earns him style points.
7. Bio-Lizard
The Bio-Lizard is one of the most grotesque entries on this list, and there are some seriously ugly dudes that it had to compete with to get here. Appearing in multiple games, the Bio-lizard is a lab-grown monstrosity that was created to be the Ultimate Life Form. It didn’t quite pan out that way, and after the real Ultimate Life Form Shadow the Hedgehog was created, the less charismatic Bio-Lizard was sidelined. Primal and aggressive, the Bio-Lizard was seen as a failure due to its difficulty to control. In the end, the creature’s violent temper led it to try and destroy the planet.
6. Chaos
What in the Final Fantasy is this monstrosity? I thought the Bio-Lizard was bad! Though this creature appeared in the first-ever 3D Sonic game and served as a guardian over the Chao Shrine in ages past. The creature was transformed into a frankenfish giant after Dr. Eggman thought it would be a good idea to feed the beast Chaos Emeralds. That idea didn’t pan out well for anyone involved. The best part of Chaos is its multiple designs, from the slippery little Chaos Zero to the all-powerful Perfect Chaos.
5. Dark Gaia
The Big Bad from Sonic Unleashed may have the best creature design of any game, hands down. Just look at this terrifying monster! All eyes and fangs and mandibles on a creepy snake body with hands! It’s the biblically accurate angel of the Sonic universe! Like most of the series’ villains, Dark Gaia was created by Dr. Eggman messing around with forces he shouldn’t. The creature slithered out of a hole in the Earth that was created by a laser cannon fired into the planet’s core by the good doctor himself. Dark Gaia’s energy is so powerful that it actually infected Sonic, birthing the mighty Werehog. Chaos could never.
4. Merlina
Sonic and the Black Knight‘s Merlina may appear to be a sweet and innocent helper character, but that’s all a clever ruse! That’s right! Sonic pulled a Bioshock 1 and transformed the person you thought was on your side into your greatest enemy! For a series that tends to color code the forces of good and evil, Merlina served as an unexpected twist villain. Hell, she’s the character that helps you through the tutorial level. Never had there ever been so deep a betrayal.
3. Mephiles
Sonic 2006 does not have good gameplay. What it does have is an absolutely bonkers plot revolving around a frankly terrifying villain. Mephiles is the only being in the Sonic franchise to ever succeed in killing the titular hedgehog. For what purpose? Literally just to make someone cry. Long story short, Mephiles’ evil other half is sealed inside of Princess Elise III and will be released if the princess ever sheds a tear. After seeing the corpse of the beloved blue blur, breaks down. Honestly, so did we.
2. Shadow the Hedgehog
I know that Shadow the Hedgehog technically isn’t a “villain” but rather an “anti-hero”, but he is certainly an “antagonist” and therefore deserves a spot on this list. The second most popular Sonic character first appears in Sonic Adventures 2, where he serves as an oppositional force to Sonic himself. He’s sharp-witted, strong, and, most importantly, cool as hell. While he hasn’t ever had a chance to shine in his a game of his own (sorry Shadow the Hedgehog, but you weren’t it) perhaps the tables will turn and Shadow will emerge from the … well, shadows, in order to claim his own game once more.
1. Dr. Eggman
Who else did you think it would be? Dr. Eggman is singlehandedly responsible for EVERYTHING that goes wrong in the Sonic universe. Nearly every single villain can trace their origin back to this guy. Who used a laser cannon to release Dark Gaia? Eggman. Who fed the Chaos Emeralds to Chaos? Eggman. Whose grandad brokered a deal with evil spacefaring aliens? Eggman’s. The whole Eggman family line is cursed. Dr. Eggman has been a nuisance from the very beginning, serving as an egg-shaped Joker to Sonic’s cuddly blue Batman. He’s so iconic that they got Jim Carrey to play him in the Sonic movie. Name me a video game villain with more Hollywood pull? I’ll wait.
(images: Sega)
