Crossovers with Sonic the Hedgehog
- This page is about the series of games by Sega and Sonic Team. For the eponymous character, see Sonic.
| Sonic the Hedgehog | |
|---|---|
 Wordmark for Sonic the Hedgehog used since 2004 | |
| First installment | Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) |
| Latest installment | Sonic Rumble (2025) |
| Number of installments | 250+ |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Boom, Sonic the Hedgehog (film series) |
| Related franchises | Angry Birds, NiGHTS, Puyo Puyo, Super Monkey Ball |
Sonic the Hedgehog, often referred to as simply Sonic, is a media franchise mainly comprised of videogames produced by Sega and Sonic Team (named after the debut videogame of the same name). The main titles are platform games, both in 2D and 3D, with Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog known for his supersonic speed, having to save the Animals from the hands of Dr. Eggman, who captures them to power his Badniks. Chaos Emeralds also play an important in most games, primarily as a way to turn Sonic and his friends into their Super State and as another source of power for Eggman's machines. Starting from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, characters such as Tails and Knuckles have accompanied Sonic during several of his games and other media.
As one of Sega's most successful series and as the Super Mario franchise's former main rival, Sonic the Hedgehog has shared synergy with the Super Mario franchise. Both series have had frequent crossovers with and references to each other, such as in the Super Smash Bros. series starting from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with series protagonist Sonic having made several appearances in the Super Mario franchise itself, including as an amiibo racing suit in Mario Kart 8 and its port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and even a whole crossover series, that being Mario & Sonic.
Overview
Most Sonic the Hedgehog games occur on the planet Earth, with the mainline games usually occurring within an island in the Pacific Ocean such as South Island or Angel Island. The locations in the franchise are often varied, with some being known for its vivid wildlife filled with colorful plants, while others have been modified to varying degrees by Eggman, featuring various mechanic elements. Levels in numerous games are referred to as "Zones", which work similarly to levels in the Super Mario franchise, though these are usually divided in two or three "Acts", with a boss at the last one, often being Eggman himself. These mainly contain Badniks (sometimes some of Robotnik's other robots are used), Monitors (also known as Item Boxes), which provide one of several items (most are helpful, but others will deter the player from finishing the stage) and Rings, which have a similar functionality to Coins but are usually used as a health system or in the case of Sonic in his later games, to fill up a Boost Gauge and are sometimes also required to access Special Stages, which must be completed in order for the player to get all of the Chaos Emeralds, which are often key to getting the good ending.
Prominent crossover elements
Characters
Sonic the Hedgehog
- Main article: Sonic
Sonic is the main protagonist of the eponymous series and is usually either the only playable character or accompanied by at least one other playable character. In most games, he has to defeat Dr. Eggman and his creations, which are most commonly robots. Apart from his supersonic speed which is his namesake, Sonic has several other abilities, such as the Spin Dash and the Homing Attack. Sonic was designed by Naoto Ohshima for an internal contest at Sega back in November of 1989.[1] Sonic's design had various inspirations, including Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse, among others, while his color came from Sega's logo.
Sonic has made recurring appearances in the Super Mario franchise, mostly as a playable character in the Mario & Sonic and Super Smash Bros. series. However, he has sometimes appeared in cameo and referential forms, such as in the original version of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, where his shoes appear next to a trash can with a sign reading "No Hopers" in Cranky's Video Game Heroes. Sonic's design has been used for amiibo costumes in Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Yoshi's Woolly World/Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, with Mario being able to take his form in Super Mario Maker through a Mystery Mushroom. Sonic has also appeared alongside Mario in Mario & Sonic at Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a one-shot manga from Super Mario-kun.
Miles "Tails" Prower
- Main article: Tails
Tails is one of Sonic's friends and one of the main deuteragonists of the series, introduced in the Master System and Game Gear version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. As his nickname implies, he is a twin-tailed yellow-orange fox who can fly with his tails and carry others, provided he's not underwater. Tails is also an experienced mechanic considering his young age, building or modifying complex devices such as the Tornado and the Miles Electric. Tails was designed by Yasushi Yamaguchi for an internal contest at the Sega Technical Institute, who was developing the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at the time, although his name was suggested by Brenda Cook[2], with his nickname reportedly being suggested by a producer at the American Broadcasting Company while speaking to Yuji Naka during a production meeting for the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning cartoon.[3]
Tails mainly appears as a playable character in the Mario & Sonic series and as a non-playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series, appearing in the latter as a cameo on the Green Hill Zone stage, a trophy (or in the case of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a spirit), a Mii costume and as a sticker. He also briefly appears in Mario & Sonic at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Knuckles the Echidna
- Main article: Knuckles
Knuckles is one of Sonic's former rivals and the sole guardian of the Master Emerald by virtue of being the last descendant of the Knuckles Clan. He is a red echidna that was first introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and he is known for his strong punches (represented by his gloves), as well as his ability to glide and climb walls, and sometimes being able to burrow on the ground or walls. He was designed by Takashi Yuda for a contest similar to the one held for Tails, albeit he was originally green and meant to be one of Sonic's friends from the beginning before getting changed to his antagonistic role in the aforementioned game and being recolored red. The crest on his chest was the result of a failed sponsorship deal with a shoe manufacturer (most likely Nike).[4]
Just like Tails, Knuckles mainly appears as a playable character in the Mario & Sonic series and as a non-playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series, appearing in the latter as a cameo on the Green Hill Zone stage, a trophy (or in the case of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a spirit), a Mii costume and as a sticker. Unlike Tails, he is also an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He also briefly appears in Mario & Sonic at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Enemies and bosses
Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik
- Main article: Dr. Eggman
History in the Super Mario franchise
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
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In the Cranky's Video Game Heroes awards ceremony from this game, Sonic's shoes can be seen next to a trash can with a sign reading "No Hopers" alongside Earthworm Jim's plasma gun, referencing the console wars at the time, which was primarily between Nintendo and Sega.
In the Game Boy Advance version, this detail was removed as the game was released after Sega became a third-party developer.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Starting from version 4.0, Mario Kart 8 features an amiibo racing suit based on Sonic, unlocked by scanning a Sonic amiibo.
Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
In Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, by tapping Sonic's amiibo, a Yarn Yoshi can be obtained in the amiibo Hut. The appearance is purely cosmetic.
Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker introduces the Mystery Mushroom for Super Mario Bros.-themed courses. This power-up transforms Mario into Costume Mario, a form that disguises Mario as one of many other characters, the majority of which do not originate from the Super Mario franchise. Only one of the 136 costumes comes from Sonic the Hedgehog, which features the character of the same name.
Sonic is the 87th costume in the game and can be unlocked by either clearing the 100 Mario Challenge on Expert setting or harder or by using any Sonic amiibo. Unlike most other characters with an amiibo figure made for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Sonic is not based on his design from that game. Instead, his design is based on the original Sonic the Hedgehog (albeit scaled down to match Small Mario's proportions), with the sound effects taken from that game, although the course clear fanfare and "lose a life" tune are taken from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 instead. Whenever the player collects a Mystery Mushroom containing this costume, the tune for getting a continue from the first Sonic the Hedgehog game will play. If the player presses 
a sound effect for collecting a Ring will play.
History in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise
Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)
The level Marble Zone contains fireball obstacles that behave similarly to Lava Bubbles.
Sonic The Comic
Sonic The Comic #18
- A trio of villains known as the Marxio Bros. (a parody and fusion of the Marx Brothers and the Mario Bros.) appear as antagonistic electricians. Their names - Harpio, Grouchio, and Chicio - also parody Mario and the Marx Brothers. They are also said to originate from "Super Marxio World", a parody of Super Mario World. In an apparent insult to the Mario games, Dr. Robotnik threatens to send them back to Super Marxio World if they fail to stop Sonic from shutting down his Casino Night Zone, with the brothers' horrified reactions implying that Super Marxio World is a horrible place to live. Chicio also says "Mamma mia!" once, in a reference to Mario's Italian vocabulary. The Marxio Bros. as a group are referred to with inconsistent spellings, such as "Marxio Brothers", "Marxio Bros.", and "Marxio Bro's".
Sonic the Comic #26
- The story "The Sonic Terminator, Part 3" has Sonic playing a Marxio Brothers video game. Three stick figures representing the Marxio Brothers can be seen on the screen, as well as a Warp Pipe and a Bomber Bill, parodying the latest Super Mario game at the time, Super Mario World. Sonic further insults the Mario franchise by ridiculing the Marxio Brothers video game, despite Tails enjoying it.
Sonic X-treme
A promo of the canceled Sonic game Sonic X-treme ends with a title card reading, "Mario Who?", which is followed by Mario saying "Sega."[5]
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut/Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (Multiplatform)
The Mushroom item, found in the Black Market, closely resembles a 1-Up Mushroom and how it appeared from Super Mario 64 up to Mario Kart DS.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comics)
In issue 160, Bean the Dynamite exclaims "Shine Get!" upon showing Fiona Fox's keys to Shadow the Hedgehog, referencing Super Mario Sunshine.
In issue 221, there is a background character that resembles Mario. Besides the resemblance and similar clothing, the character itself appears to be a raccoon, similar to how Mario can transform into Raccoon Mario when collecting a Super Leaf.
In issue 263's back-up story "Consequences", one of Dr. Eggman's monitors is on a site titled "Mustacio Afficionado" (spelled with an extra "f"). The site shows a glimpse of both Mario and Luigi's mustaches, along with Dr. Light and Dr. Wily.
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Xbox 360/Multiplatform)
Banjo & Kazooie's in-game racer profile states the former's 1st appearance as "DIDDY KONG RACING (1997)".
A couple of the game's item pick-ups function similarly to those of the Mario Kart series: Fireworks function like Green Shells, while Remote Controls function like Red Shells. Additionally, the Boost Pads in the game function like Dash Panels, with them propelling the player's car when they drive over them.
Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide (part 10)
A Goomba makes a cameo on board the Wily Egg along with a group of Buzz Bombers, Metts, and Motobugs in Mega Man issue 27.
Sonic the Hedgehog (iOS/Android)
One of the notifications that pops up on the player's smart device when closing the game reads "Thank you Sonic! But the Chaos Emeralds are in another zone!", referencing the famous Mushroom Retainer quote from Super Mario Bros.[6]
Sonic Lost World (Wii U)
- Main article: Sonic Lost World
Yoshi's Island Zone is a DLC level which features Sonic in a Yoshi's Story-themed level. This DLC level was part of Sonic Lost World because of Sega's collaboration with Nintendo.
Sonic Boom
In the episode "Let's Play Musical Friends", when Orbot and Cubot are exploring the 17-bit world, Cubot asks "What if the princess is in another castle?"
In the episode "Nominatus Rising", when Tails explains the Build-it Box, Sonic says "There's this princess in a castle that I'd like to meet."
In the episode "Eggman: The Video Game (Part 1)", after completing his game, Dr. Eggman says, "Finally, a video game starring a pudgy guy with a mustache.", a reference to Mario. Later in the episode, Tails and Knuckles list parodies of popular video games, one of which is "Super Plumber Bros.".
Sonic the Hedgehog (film)
In the Thai dub of the film, when Sonic and Tom Wachowski are in a hotel room, Tom says, "At least you can have a mushroom forever." to which Sonic responds, "No. I'm not Mario." The original English dialogue, where Tom says "At least you won't be the only "fun-guy."" and Sonic responds "No. Don't ever do that again.", is hard to translate in the Thai language, so the joke was changed into a reference.[7] In context, they are referring to a subplot in the film where Sonic needs to use one of his rings to escape to a mushroom planet. Sonic's disdain of mushrooms may itself be a reference to Nintendo and Sega's rivalry in the '90s, when Mario and Sonic were in direct competition as leading video game mascots.
Sonic X Shadow Generations (Multiplatform)
One of the Doom Powers used by Shadow, Doom Surf, involves him summoning a manta ray made of black energy and riding it similar to how Mario or Luigi surfs on Ray in Super Mario Galaxy.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
To promote the game, Sega would create an advertisement based on the blast processing Sega Genesis commercial.[8] The commercial starts with a TV playing blurred footage of a racing game, with the narrator saying, "We all know that kart racing game. It's great, we don't need to show it to you." before showing another TV with footage of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and stating, "But what if you can blast through and race on a whole other level?" Like in the original commercial, a TV strapped on a drag car is then shown while the narrator promotes the game's features. Later on, the narrator unexcitedly says, "Or, uh, what if you want to roam around on the open road?", as a beat-up RV with a TV showing the blurred racing game is seen next to a turtle and a cow, alluding to the game being Mario Kart World.
Sonic Rumble (PC/iOS/Android)
One of Sonic's alternate outfits, Woolly Sonic, gives him a knitted appearance similar to the art style of Yoshi's Woolly World, likely as a nod to Sonic's appearance in the game as an amiibo pattern.
Gallery
Notes
- Most of the main characters in the franchise introduced before Sonic Adventure have two major designs, denominated "Classic" and "Modern" respectively. The "Modern" design refers to the redesigns introduced in the aforementioned game, which were made by Yuji Uekawa (who previously designed Ristar), while the "Classic" design refers to the original character designs.
References
- ^ "平成元年の十一月、セガのコンシューマ研究開発室では、ひそかに制作プロジェクトチームが組まれた。男八人、女二人のチームであった。(...) 千五百人の全社員から、さっそくキャラクター原案を公募した。" ("In November of the first year of Heisei (1989), a production project team was secretly formed in Sega's Consumer Research and Development Office. (...) The company immediately solicited character drafts from all of its 1,500 employees.") – Sega - Kingdom of Games. Translated by Ryoga Masaki. Retrieved February 3, 2026 from the Sonic Retro Forums. (Archived February 3, 2026, 21:43:22 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ "I think that's all I was working on, but I remember Yamaguchi was designing Knuckles [Tails] and I came up with the name Miles Prower." – Alexander Rojas (aka Cartridge Culture) (March 10, 2025). Interview: Brenda Cook (2025-03-10) by Alexander Rojas. Retrieved February 8, 2026 from Sega Retro. (Archived February 8, 2026, 22:59:29 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ "いい呈、あれは噂が飛んだだけで、 一番最初からちゃんと男の子でしたよ。テイルスっていう名前も、本当はずっとマイルスだったんですけれね。" ("No, that was all just wild rumor. He was a boy from the very beginning. In fact, Tails’ name was actually Miles for most of the time. The nickname Tails came up during a meeting with a producer from ABC.") – January 1993. Beep! Mega Drive. Translated by Gryson. Minato, Tokyo: SoftBank (Japanese). Page 48. Retrieved February 8, 2026 from MD Shock.
- ^ January 29, 2004. Creators Note #28. Sega.jp (Japanese). Archived June 3, 2004, 04:49:31 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 27, 2026 from Sega Retro.
- ^ ArgyleDX (October 27, 2012). Sega E3 1996 Sonic X treme Promo Video. YouTube. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ SonicNicholas1995 (May 10, 2018). Sonic 1 (2013) Notification easter eggs. VG Facts. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ Smez Prakezz. Twitter post with English translation of Thai dub scene in Sonic the Hedgehog. Twitter. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ Sonic the Hedgehog (September 15, 2025). Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Come Race on Our Level Commercial. YouTube. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
