Audiences everywhere are positively buzzing over the new Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise. With surprisingly beautiful CGI work, exciting action sequences, and a narrative that pays respect to the beloved video game series, it’s hard not to love the blue blur and company! Fortunately for us, per Comic Book, Sega Sammy is already hard at work on the threequel to the Sonic series and a spin-off starring our favorite power-packed echidna warrior. The mid-credits scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 did, after all, introduce us to Shadow the Hedgehog, so a third movie was already a given.
Since we’ve still got a ways to go before we see any new theatrical releases, now is the perfect time to look at all our favorite characters in the movies — more specifically, we want to see who the strongest players are. From otherworldly anthropomorphic creatures to mad scientists and lovable law enforcement, the whole cast is stacked with formidable fighters who know how to rock the house. Let’s rank the strongest characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies.
8 Agent Stone
Doctor Robotnik’s devoted henchman isn’t necessarily throwing cars or smashing bricks with his bare hands, but he holds his own alongside the mad scientist, and that’s a feat in itself. Most of Stone’s strength comes from sheer dedication and willpower; he shows only confidence when staring down high-ranking military personnel and his unwavering dedication to the doctor’s wild escapades and unpredictable demeanor speaks volumes about his resolve. As an added bonus, the man is far tougher than he looks — he barely breaks his stride after taking a wind-knocking chest punch from Robotnik in the first Sonic the Hedgehog film, and he can withstand being thrown around by the doctor’s giant mech in the second.
7 Maddie Wachowski
Thankfully, Sonic has had no trouble building connections with his adopted loved ones, and Maddie is an underrated beacon of strength in his life. From wrangling distressed patients to lifting animals and heavy equipment, veterinary work takes a lot of strength — and Maddie’s been a vet for years. Outside her profession, she’s an avid yoga enthusiast and flexible enough to have earned the ‘Pretzel Lady’ moniker from Sonic. Maddie clearly takes her physical and mental fitness very seriously, which lends to her ability to get her husband and alien son out of trouble as often as she does.
6 Tom Wachowski
While Tom doesn’t see much action in the line of duty as a Green Hills cop, it’s no secret that police officers are required to pass rigorous physical tests to join the force. Considering how easily he can carry Sonic (who canonically weighs 77 lbs.) in both films, he’s obviously still got it! As far as toughness, he takes several hits during a bar fight in Sonic the Hedgehog and still manages to hold his own, and he survives multiple explosions and car crashes throughout the franchise. For additional context, his fishing trip with Sonic in the second film suggests that he’s a relatively experienced angler and has spent plenty of time in the great outdoors — something that often gives way to good physical conditioning. Despite his affinity for donuts, Tom’s a hardy guy all around.
5 Longclaw
Sadly, we don’t get to see much of Sonic’s beloved guardian in either film, but the bit of screen time she gets tells us plenty about her character. A vision of unrelenting courage, Longclaw doesn’t hesitate to take on an entire tribe of warriors while Sonic escapes through a portal — and that’s after she bursts through a window and takes off with him under her wing. Even after being stricken with an enemy arrow, she’s right back on her feet without breaking a sweat. On top of all this, she was an amazing mother-figure who was obviously capable of keeping up with Sonic’s antics, which says a lot.
4 Doctor Robotnik
Like his devoted cohort, Doctor Robotnik’s strength is more heavily based on his mind rather than his body. He’s one of the most intelligent (albeit unhinged) people in the universe, and he survives hits and damage that would probably hospitalize the rest of us. In the opening scene of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the mad genius is physically thrown across the ground by the sheer electrical force of his portal device. While he spends a good chunk of time unconscious, he’s immediately able to fend off the invading warriors and deliver wacky one-liners at the same time. He spent roughly eight months surviving alone on the isolated mushroom planet, keeps up with Knuckles while navigating a booby-trapped temple, and has the physical and mental strength needed to harness the energy of the Master Emerald. While robotics and brainpower may be his forte, Doctor Robotnik is sturdier than you might have realized!
3 Tails
Sweet, endearing and armed with razor-sharp wits, Tails is another brainiac who boasts impressive physical strength. Given how quickly and easily he flies with his helicopter tails, his strength is shown even further when he starts carrying Sonic (again, 77 lbs.) and Knuckles (a whopping 88 lbs.) while he flies. From holding up his weight while break-dancing to putting up a heck of a fight against Robotnik’s giant mech (and taking a few insane hits in the process), Tails’ strength arguably matches his intelligence.
2 Knuckles
As the unmistakable brawn of the Sonic Team, Knuckles is all about strength, per The Gamer. Hailing from a proud tribe of honed warriors, he prides himself on being one of the most formidable fighters in the entire universe, and he’s quick to put his money where his mouth is. Right from his first interaction with Sonic, Knuckles comes in swinging with fists that can literally break a human hand with a single squeeze; every fight scene displays the extent of his prowess as he bashes, throws, and digs into solid surfaces without batting an eye. Toward the end of the movie, he has no problem carrying Tails (who weighs a deceptive 44 lbs.) with one arm, and he visibly weighs Tom’s truck bed down when he hops inside. Through and through, Knuckles is an unmatched warrior not to be outdone by any enemy.
1 Sonic
Sonic might not pack the absolute hardest punch or the most brainpower of the franchise, but he’s a conduit for some of the most wicked displays of strength on the silver screen. Physically speaking, he’s capable of breaking the sound barrier and running several hundreds of miles an hour without any adverse effects on his body. In fact, moving at such unparalleled speeds allows the blue blur to pull off super-powerful attacks like his signature spin dash, which can destroy Robotnik’s robots in seconds. He’s also quite the athlete, given that we see him dive into baseball, snowboarding, fistfights, dance battles and his own superhero save-the-day routine. Despite Knuckles’ brick-breaker strength, Sonic can jump back to his feet after taking hits from the echidna warrior and is almost able to free him from a massive underwater pillar on his own. Above all, the characteristic that sets Sonic apart from everyone else is his control over the Chaos Emeralds — Robotnik wields them as a whole but ultimately relies on an enormous mech suit to harness their power. On the other hand, Sonic can maintain their energy in his body. He’s certainly surrounded by powerful players, but let’s not forget: this is Sonic’s game, after all!
Read Next
About The Author
