Ring (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Rings are the primary collectibles in the  series. They are intended to be collected by Sonic the Hedgehog, attributing to the gimmicks of the game, in a similar way to Mario collecting coins in his games. Similar to coins, rings are typically golden, shiny, and small, allowing Sonic to easily and quickly collect them. Although they are featured prominently in a variety of Sonic the Hedgehog installments, rings tend to make little appearance in the Mario & Sonic series, aside from occasionally being involved in the gimmicks of an event or serving their traditional role as collectibles.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Rings are sparse in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, though they are featured in the Dream Long Jump event, albeit larger and with a different function. The player is intended to guide their character through as many as possible, each providing a brief burst of speed, seeming to do so with a small gust of wind. Otherwise, rings have no purpose in the game, with coins typically used as collectibles during the minigames. Notably, the sounds which play when the player traces a figure in the Vault event are the same sounds traditionally played when rings are collected.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, rings are scattered throughout the Dream Alpine event map. They are usually found in straight sets of five. Notably, if a character collects five rings, they receive another opportunity to have their character perform a special action as an alternative to collecting a special action item. Rings are also featured in the Dream Snowboard Cross event, serving a similar function. Collecting five rings rewards the player a short burst of speed. Rings also attribute to the gimmick of the Dream Short Track event, serving again as collectibles toward the player's speed, items, and progress.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
As featured in the Dream Discus event of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the players must guide their characters and discusses through the sky, collecting as many rings as possible to receive points. Each ring is worth one point, and every ring capsule is worth five points. Throughout this stage, rings tend to come in strict formations, such as straight lines and occasionally arrows. At the end of the stage, the points the players accumulate from collecting rings, in addition to obtaining points by other means, such as defeating enemies, are added for a total, resulting in the win.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Throughout the Bullet Bill Sledge Race event in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the players are tasked with guiding their characters through large, orange hoops strongly resembling rings, more so in the second lap. Each ring the player guides the character through gives them a subtle boost of speed and height. Traditional rings are collected regularly during the Roller Coaster Bobsleigh event in simple formations.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
In the Maracanã Stadium of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, completing Single Matches earns the player rings in addition to coins.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, rings are collected throughout the Dream Racing 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.