Ring (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Rings are the primary collectibles in the  series that function similarly to coins in the Super Mario franchise, serving various purposes once collected. In the Mario & Sonic series, Rings also appear in mainly collectible roles and commonly boost speed, but also appear as different kinds of items in certain events.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Rings appear in Dream Long Jump in the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, where several appear along the course and can be flown through to boost the character's speed and height. Additionally, the sounds which play when the player traces a figure in the Vault event are the same sounds traditionally played when rings are collected. Rings also appear in Airship, where they award the player points and occasionally time when collected.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, five Rings can be collected to perform a character's special action again in both the Individual and Team versions of Dream Alpine, the Individual and Team versions of Dream Snowboard Cross and Dream Short Track.

In the Nintendo DS version, up to ten Rings can be collected in Ski Cross Racing to boost the character's top speed, as well as giving them a short boost as each one is collected. In Rocket Ski Jumping, Rings function similarly to how they did in Dream Long Jump, providing characters that pass through them a boost in speed and altitude, and Rings are collected to score points in Ultimate Figure Skating.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Rings appear in Dream Discus in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where the aim of the event is to collect as many Rings and Ring Capsules to add points to the player's score. Rings also appear as collectibles in several different London party minigames.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Giant orange rings appear in Bullet Bill Sledge Race in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where the player can pass through them to gain a speed and height boost. Rings are also collected by the player in Roller Coaster Bobsleigh, where they increase the top speed of the bobsleigh. Characters also collect rings in Sonic's Figure Skating Spectacular, though this is only a cosmetic effect.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
In the Wii U version version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Rings appear as a currency that can be earned alongside Coins though competing in events and tournaments, as well as a number of other activities. Once collected, the Rings can be spent at the Olympic- and Sonic-themed items stands on Copacabana Beach, as well as be used as the entry fee for the carnival challenges for the Sonic and Dr. Eggman floats.

In the Nintendo 3DS version, Rings appear as one of the items that can be obtained on the roulette in 100m Plus, causing several to appear on the track and collecting them gives the character a short speed boost while slightly increasing their top speed. In BMX Plus, Rings appear in various places on the course and can be collected to increase the character's top speed, but can be lost by hitting enemies and obstacles.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, rings are collected throughout the Dream Race event, typically in linear sets of ten. The player may collect up to forty rings, although rings may be lost due to colliding with certain obstacles.

Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, rings make a minor appearance in the background of Green Hill Zone.