Fastest Characters In Sonic The Hedgehog

Since the Sonic franchise began in 1991, many new and interesting characters have been introduced. Subsequent games have featured many unique characters, each with skill sets and well-developed backstories. The usual familiar faces make up Sonic’s core allies, but even among the plethora of minor characters, there are many popular and powerful ones, both friend and foe.

Central to the Sonic franchise is many characters’ ability to run at super-fast speeds. Even those who may not look like the usual hero possess skills and traits of their own. Coupled with their speed, they make for some formidable forces in battle. Many times they’ve worked together to defeat the forces of Eggman and his robot army.

Updated October 25, 2024 by Nadia Mullings:With the recent release of Sonic X Shadow Generations, fans of the Sonic franchise can be treated to exhilarating, speedy gameplay with two of the game series’ fastest characters. Seeing as the Sonic franchise was built around speed, pretty much all the games feature high-speed platforming and boosting.

The era the games were made in, whether the Dreamcast era or the so-called “Boost Era” defines what type of gameplay is most prominent, whether it’s multiple playable characters, as seen in the Sonic Adventure games, or the Quick-Step Boosting in Sonic Unleashed. Many characters other than the two hedgehogs are capable of moving at very high speeds, due to their unique skill sets and personal abilities, and thus serve to keep Sonic looking over his shoulder.

17 Marine The Raccoon

Believes In Her Own Abilities

Sonic Rush Adventure

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Action

Adventure

Simulation

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Released

September 17, 2007

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The young raccoon from Blaze the Cat’s dimension, Marine first met Sonic and Tails in the events of Sonic Rush Adventure. Marine may be one of the series’ youngest characters, at only seven years of age, but she is especially known for her highly adventurous and energetic personality.

Despite her low stamina, she is shown to be a fast runner, and can even keep up with the likes of Sonic himself. Her outfit can be obtained in the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series. In London 2012, her outfit is classified as a speed type due to very high acceleration and max speed.

16 Jet The Hawk

The “Legendary Wind Master”

Jet is mostly known for his continual boasting that he’s the fastest character on Extreme Gear. Earning the title “Legendary Wind Master’’ Jet puts his superior knowledge and agility into making himself go even faster. He’s able to measure and ride wind currents and thus uses this to his full advantage when using his Extreme Gear.

Due to his formidable speed, Jet is suited as another close rival of Sonic himself. In the Sonic Riders series, Jet is consistently trying to rival and outclass Sonic’s speed, claiming he can be faster than him on the gear. However, it remains to be seen if Jet is equally as fast on foot as he is on the gear.

15 Cream The Rabbit

Stronger Than She Looks

Sonic Advance 2

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Released

December 19, 2002

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Upon her debut on the Game Boy Advance, Cream is shown to be a graceful and polite character, inspired by her mother Vanilla’s instructions on the value of manners. It may seem surprising that this very young, sweet-natured rabbit can reach super speeds that almost rival Sonic’s, but Cream definitely can. As well as being intuitive and working out quicker routes, so she can catch her fast friends up, Cream is also capable of flight. She can flap her powerful ears to go really fast.

Cream is incredibly noble and brave for her age. She can’t evenly match Sonic’s speed, but a unique move, seen in Sonic Battle, has Cream using a hopping type of sprint. This makes it hard for enemies to pursue her and yields great speed on foot.

14 Knuckles The Echidna

The Power Is In His Fists

Sonic’s original rival, Knuckles is a skilled echidna who can climb, swim, and glide swiftly, as seen in many gaming appearances. He can run quickly, able to keep up with Sonic and Tails, though isn’t quite as fast as them.

Knuckles is mostly known for his superior strength in his arms and fists, which makes him one of the strongest characters in the franchise. By comparison, his strength is equal to Sonic’s blistering speed. However, he can perform Spin Attacks and is capable of becoming Super Knuckles or even Hyper Knuckles, meaning both his strength and speed are massively increased.

13 Amy-Rose The Hedgehog

Has Boundless Energy

Amy is typically seen as more of a power type, as she fights with her iconic Piko Piko hammer. Her vast amount of energy, including a frightening temper as seen in the Sonic X series, makes her a character with great strength in battle. But, she also doubles up as a speedy character, too.

As well as having super speed like most of her friends, she can also use her hammer to propel herself forward whilst running. Though not at Sonic’s or many of her friends’ speed levels, Amy can still go fast enough to keep up with them. Especially in earlier games, her cheery attitude and huge crush on Sonic gave her a greater incentive to maintain super speed, so she could chase the Blue Blur and hope to win his affection.

12 Silver The Hedgehog

Has A Unique Skill Set

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Action-Adventure

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Released

November 14, 2006

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Silver debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and was, alongside Sonic and Shadow, a main playable character with his own story campaign. Silver had a unique skill set but controlled much slower than his counterparts.

However, Silver has since been regarded as one of the fastest Sonic characters. His appearance in the Sonic Rivals duology, released in 2006 and 2007, sees him able to go up against some of the series’ speediest characters, showcasing his super speed. He’s also incredibly agile, has quick reflexes, and can match Sonic’s speed with his attacks in Sonic Generations’ “Rival Battle.”

11 E-123 Omega

Equipped With Jet Boosters

Despite his large frame, Omega can move at a speed close to that of Shadow the Hedgehog. Being the final most powerful of Eggman’s E-100 robot lineup, Omega is capable of intense speed thanks to his installed jet boosters and is incredibly acrobatic. Omega can grind on rails to achieve greater speed and has quick reflexes.

Despite his classification as a power type, he feels quick and nimble to play as, in titles like Sonic Heroes and Sonic ’06. In the Olympic Games spinoff games, Omega challenges the player in Speed Skating and the 100m sprint, proving he is definitely a fast opponent.

10 Rouge The Bat

A Skilled Treasure Hunter

One of the series’ most popular female characters, Rouge possesses strength that can match Knuckles’. Whilst her rival has great upper body strength, Rouge is the opposite, which lends itself to great speed. She’s a swift opponent, her great speed yielding much stealth, hence why she’s such a good spy and hunter.

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Being a bat, she has very powerful wings, enabling her to dart across wide spaces quickly. As well as being a fast swimmer and climber, notably in Sonic Adventure 2, she tells Eggman she only needs five minutes to gather the Chaos Emeralds from the Security Hall. Eggman had previously allowed her 15 minutes, which she rejected. Her later appearance in Sonic Rivals 2, among the fastest characters in the series, is also a testament to her speed.

9 Tikal The Echidna

This Lesser-Seen Character Can Move Quicker Than Many Others

Tikal is the daughter of ancient echidna warlord Pachacamac, who sacrificed herself to save the world from Perfect Chaos’ destruction. Tikal’s first appearance was in the first Sonic game for the Sega Dreamcast, Sonic Adventure, in which she reveals herself to the main cast via flashbacks detailing how Chaos came to be sealed inside the Master Emerald. Players didn’t get any idea of her personal capabilities until the game’s sequel, Sonic Adventure 2.

In the highly enjoyable 2 Player Battle mode, Tikal can participate in various treasure-hunting stages. The Sonic Adventure 2: Battle manual describes her as having “quick moves and can find Emeralds quickly.” Notably, Tikal can run faster than both Rouge and Knuckles.

8 Espio The Chameleon

Speed-Type Character In Various Titles

• Knuckles’ Chaotix
• Platform: 32X
• Released: April 20, 1995
• Developer: Sega

A calm yet gruff ninja, the lesser-known Espio is a member of the Chaotix Detective Agency. He first appeared on the Sega 32X, which was a device that was attached to the Genesis to give it more processing power.

His ninja abilities enable him to be a very agile and capable character, as well as a fast one, as he takes on the Speed-type role for his team in Sonic Heroes. In the Olympic Games series, he’s also a Speed Type character. Espio additionally possesses the ability to turn invisible. This, coupled with his speed and stealth, makes him a valuable member of the Chaotix Team.

7 Infinite

Uses The Phantom Ruby

Undeniably, Infinite is seen to have great speed and skill, though this is only due to his fusion with the Phantom Ruby. Before this, he was fairly quick and agile but was no match for Shadow the Hedgehog, who was able to use Chaos Control to beat his enemies. After Shadow defeats him, Infinite gets himself fused with the Phantom Ruby partly due to how humiliated he is at his defeat.

Harnessing this power, however, made him stronger and faster than Sonic himself, even outpacing his famous Boost move. Infinite even surpassed the powers of the Master Emerald. He easily defeats Sonic in Sonic Forces before eventually sparing him, which later proves to be his downfall.

6 Tails The Fox

Consistently Keeps Up With Sonic

Sonic’s long-time best friend, the lovable twin-tailed fox first appeared on the Sega Genesis. His most recognized ability is using his two tails to fly, which spin like helicopter blades. Tails can fly incredibly fast using this unique ability. After all, he always keeps up with Sonic’s pace and sometimes catches right up to him. Though he cannot fly indefinitely, when he does, this renders him one of the fastest characters in the entire franchise.

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Even when he’s not in-flight, Tails can still run at super speeds. With his real name, Miles Prower, being a pun on the speed measurement ‘Miles Per Hour,’ even his name proves how fast the fox can be.

5 Blaze The Cat

Capable Of Incredible Speed

Sonic Rush

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Released

November 15, 2005

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Blaze the Cat is arguably the strongest of the series’ female characters. Hailing from another dimension, Blaze possesses sheer strength and the ability to control fire. She’s even the only female opponent to tie in a battle with Sonic so far.

Notably, Blaze is also very graceful and elegant, and, as such, her moveset revolves around this. Her athleticism and nimble moves serve to enhance her speed, enabling her to travel even faster. Almost able to reach Sonic’s speed, Blaze is a force to be reckoned with.

4 Emerl

Learns The Skills Of Those Around Him

Sonic Battle

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Emerl is a very powerful robot called a “Gizoid.” At least 4,000 years old, he was created by the ‘Fourth Great Civilization’ and was eventually discovered by Eggman’s grandfather and Shadow the Hedgehog’s creator, Gerald Robotnik.

Emerl is truly among the most powerful characters of the entire franchise, especially due to his ability to copy the skills of those around him. Whether witnessing an attack or being a victim himself, Emerl quickly learns how to imitate his opponents’ or friends’ abilities, meaning that he can adopt the super speed from Sonic himself. He can also absorb the Chaos Emerald’s power, making his potential unbounded.

Has Great Acceleration

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• First Appearance:Sonic CD

Created by Dr. Eggman to destroy Sonic, this ultra-skilled, high-performance Badnik presents a real speedy threat. Though he can be outpaced if Sonic persists, the metal duplicate was created with the ferocity to rival the iconic blue hedgehog.

The advanced Badnik also has a high level of sentience for a robot. Thus, he is completely focused on defeating Sonic, even obsessing over the idea that he is superior to him in every way. He is Eggman’s most powerful weapon against the hedgehog; he can move at blistering speeds and can even accelerate faster than Sonic can.

2 Shadow The Hedgehog

Can Match Sonic’s Abilities

• First Appearance:Sonic Adventure 2

Known as the “Ultimate Lifeform,” Shadow was created by Gerald Robotnik aboard Space Colony ARK using the DNA of the alien overlord Black Doom. The sharp-witted, brooding hedgehog is Sonic’s closest rival, and, as such, can match him in terms of speed. Indeed, Shadow can equal Sonic in nearly every ability.

In terms of speed, Shadow uses his extremely powerful Air Shoes to move lightning-fast. However, he doesn’t just rely on these since his body possesses extraordinary power in itself; Shadow can use various Chaos powers at will to give him enhanced speed and power. He’s also able to utilize the Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Shadow, an even more powerful and fast version of himself.

1 Sonic the Hedgehog

The Fastest Thing Alive

There’s no denying that Sonic himself is the fastest character in the series, known for “rollin’ around at the speed of sound.” Unlike his nearest speedy rivals who get their speed primarily from another object or machinery, Sonic was always gifted with the ability to run at supersonic speeds, as it’s in his nature. His iconic Power Sneakers merely let him run at his absolute fastest; they’re not the source of his speed alone.

Alongside this, the Blue Blur can transform into an even faster Super form using the Chaos Emeralds. His rare Hyper State enables him to go even quicker than this. Throughout the games, his speed is his primary weapon, as he channels his momentum to create force. He regularly runs at the speed of sound or faster, but his absolute top speed is 186,000 miles per second, the very speed of light. Truly, no other character can outperform Sonic when it comes to speed.

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