Fandom Enraging Misconception / Sonic the Hedgehog

The fanbase of Sonic the Hedgehog has a lot of misconceptions that can set it off.

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Examples:

• Do not say that Sonic's speed comes from his shoes (unless you're referring to the Speed Up Shoe monitors that let him go even faster). That bit of old backstory was mentioned exactly once in the franchise (in the western manual for the original game, and even then it was probably referring to the aforementioned power-up) and has never been supported as canon, including in the games' own promotional comics. Games like Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic Adventure 2, along with all of the other fast characters in the series, show that Sonic's speed is just a natural ability he has, and that the shoes have no bearing on them. Even adaptations (a notable case being Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog) show his speed as being a natural ability.
• Calling Shadow's Super Form "Hyper Shadow," a common mistake stemming from Prima's Sonic Adventure 2 game guide. This one is a surefire way to light the fuse to a Flame War. Likewise, referring to Super Tails and Super Knuckles as the less distinguishable Turbo Tails and Hyper Knuckles, which are names that originate from the Archie comics.^note there is a Hyper Knuckles in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but that's a step above Super Knuckles (being equivalent to Sonic's Hyper Sonic form) and is gained from the Super Emeralds rather than the Chaos Emeralds.
• Saying that Sonic & Knuckles should have been called Sonic 4 (especially egregious in light of an actual Sonic 4 getting made), or any implication that Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are two distinct games, as opposed to one full game that was forcibly split in half.
• Confusing Metal Sonic with Mecha Sonic can annoy some fans. ^note Specifically, the two are similar but completely separate robots, but it's an understandably easy mistake to make and forgive, since this isn't necessarily made clear in the games themselves, only in supplemental material. It should also be noted that there are multiple incarnations of Mecha Sonic, though the one that appears in the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is designated as Silver Sonic in the manual for the English Master System and Game Gear versions (fans typically use this label to distinguish him from the 16-bit Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles Mecha Sonics) and the Sonic the Fighters variant is officially "Mecha Sonic Model No.29," though its name is registered in-game as "Rocket Metal" (presumably for "Rocket Metal Sonic") and is implied to be an transformation of Metal Sonic, adding to the confusion.
• Confusing Silver Sonic^note Sonic's first Evil Knockoff in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Silver the Hedgehog^note The silver-furred hedgehog who debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). A Google Images search for "silver sonic" also brings up plenty of images of the latter, presumably due to the former's relative obscurity and the query being interpreted as "Silver [the Hedgehog from] Sonic [2006]".
  • An Entertainment Earth catalog once did an Epic Fail related to this.
• Spelling Rouge the Bat's name as "Rogue".
• Referring to Rings as "Coins".
• Referring to Miles "Tails" Prower as a girl. He is a boy. Boys don't wear clothes. Unless you're in certain countries where the dub made him a girl. There's also a common misconception that Tails was originally a girl in early development of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. However, Tails was always intended to be a boy.
  • Charmy is also a boy, not a girl (even though he wears clothes and has a stinger, which only female bees have in real life).
• Calling Amy Rose "Amy the Hedgehog" or Tails "Tails the Fox" (both are among the few characters to have "real" names in the series, with Tails' real name being "Miles Prower").
• Confusing "Sonadow" and "Shadic". The former is the Portmanteau Couple Name for Sonic and Shadow; the latter is the name for the hypothetical fusion of the two.
• Remember: Shadow is not Sonic's brother and Tikal is not Knuckles' sister (though Tikal being Knuckles' ancestor is plausible).
• Do not call Shadow "Dark Sonic", or imply that he's an Evil Counterpart of Sonic. The "Dark Sonic" thing was another mistake from a magazine. Shadow is an entirely separate entity who was actually canonically "born" a few decades before Sonic was, and his similarity with Sonic is a coincidence.
• Don't ever pronounce "Chao" as "Kay-o". It's "Chow". Also, "Chao" is both singular and plural. Saying "Chaos" will result in confusion at best, and derision and chaos at worst; "Chaos" in written form refers to something else entirely.
• Some people will get angry if you refer to Dr. Eggman as Dr. Robotnik, or vice versa, though this has calmed down a bit after Sega officially announced that Dr. Ivo (pronounced "ee-vo", not "eye-vo") Robotnik is his real name, and "Dr. Eggman" is a nickname that everyone, including the character himself, uses.
• On that note, if you imply that Robotnik is his original name and the Eggman name was introduced by Sonic Adventure, you will get corrected (if not berated) and informed that Robotnik was a Dub Name Change done by old western localizations, while Eggman was his original name, and the one he has always gone by in Japan.
• Similar, don't imply that Sonic lives in Mobius, or that he used to and later games retconned his planet into Earth and introduced humans out of nowhere. In Japan, Sonic games were always treated as taking place on Earth, and even old school games and material featured cities and the occasional appearance of human characters, even if you ignore the fact the main antagonist is one. It wasn't until the Dreamcast era that it became evident for non-Japanese players due to the greater prevalence of urban environments. Mobius was an invention of Sega of America to explain the semi-surreal environments in the classic levels, and was mainly used in old western adaptations.
• On the subject of localization-induced misconceptions, we have Sonic's shoes being sneakers with thick socks (they're actually boots with the high-tops folded over[1][2][3]), Classic Eggman/Robotnik having pitch black eyes (he has sunglasses over normal eyes[4]) and a yellow cape (it's a yellow flap collar[5]), and Fang/Nack being a weasel (he's a jerboa, sometimes said to be a jerboa/wolf hybrid).
• The opening song for the Japanese/European version of Sonic the Hedgehog CD is officially titled "Sonic - You Can Do Anything". Calling it just "You Can Do Anything" is fine, but whatever you do, do not call it "Toot Toot Sonic Warrior".
  • The ending song is titled "Cosmic Eternity - Believe in Yourself". Unlike the intro song, calling it just "Believe in Yourself" will get you corrected. There is a good reason for this too: Tails' ending theme music in Sonic Adventure is called the easily-confused "Believe in Myself."
• Whether you're playing SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles Chaotix, or Sonic Mania Plus, do not under any circumstances confuse Mighty the Armadillo for Knuckles the Echidna or Ray the Flying Squirrel for Tails.
• Referring to Funny Animal characters as if they have technicolor skin. Most are furry or scaley, with at most patches of skin (such as, possibly, Sonic's arms and stomach).
• Calling Amy a cat, echidna or dog. She's a hedgehog whose quills are styled into a short bob-like style. This misconception only applies to her modern design, as her classic design has quills styled after Sonic's, making it difficult to mistake her for anything but a hedgehog.
• As demonstrated here, if you grew up with Creepypasta or Friday Night Funkin' mods do not confuse Shadow for Sonic.exe.
• A little note on the comic and animated adaptations: Many fans think that the mid-90s Saturday morning version of Sonic the Hedgehog (referred to by fans as SatAM) is based on the comic book by Archie Comics. The truth is that the situation is the other way around. When it first began its run, Archie Sonic had a feel and storytelling style that looked like an unaired pilot of SatAM. That pilot took a lot of stylistic cues, both artistically and in storytelling, from the syndicated cartoon Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. SatAM would ultimately be re-tooled to be much Darker and Edgier, and it would take nearly two years for Archie Comics to fully shift the comic to be more in line with SatAM.
• Unless you want to get ripped to shreds by fans (especially by Sonamy shippers), don't ever suggest that Sonic hates or even dislikes Amy. While Sonic does get annoyed by her due to her obsessive crush on him, the games and adaptations make it explicitly clear that he cares deeply about her and values her as both a true friend and a trusted ally. Many will point to a scene in Sonic Unleashed where Amy couldn't recognize Sonic in his Werehog form and thought she mistook someone else for Sonic, which ends up saddening him, where this is at its most apparent.
• On the other end of the spectrum, don't imply that Amy is Sonic's canonical girlfriend. This was a common misconception in earlier years that would immediately get corrected by people pointing out that Amy isn't officially together with Sonic and that the two are Just Friends. In fact, Sonic finds Amy's clinginess and forcefulness to be annoying and off-putting.
• Suggesting that Amy Rose's only trait is her crush on Sonic is a good way to get whacked with a Piko Piko Hammer by Amy fans, who will point to her plucky, caring, and determined personality, her role as The Heart of the cast, and her love of fortune telling as proof that there is a lot more to Amy than "Sonic's obsessive and self-proclaimed love interest".
• Saying that Sonic had a "rough transition to 3D" is a quick and easy way to become mocked by fans, who will quickly point out that Sonic's first proper mainline 3D titles — Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 — were both near unanimously acclaimed at the time of their original release and were amongst the best selling games on the Sega Dreamcast. It was only when Sonic Heroes came out and well into Sonic's 3D career that things began to get rough (and even then, Heroes still sold well and was relatively well received at the time, even if the reception was more polarizing than the Adventure games).
  • On a broader note, saying Sonic 3 & Knuckles was the last good Sonic game will get you labeled as an ignorant bandwagoner by fans, who will point out that the series has had many installments that were both critical and commercial successes since then, and are still getting acclaimed upon receiving modern rereleases.
• No, Amy did not debut in Sonic Adventure. She made her game debut in 1993's Sonic CD (and her official debut was in the 1992 manga). Suggesting that she is an "Adventure-era" character or that she debuted in Adventure is a very easy way to enrage fans.
• No, Sonic games aren't just about speed. Not even the classic ones. They might have put a greater focus on speed than other platformers, but they still included elements of exploration, item colleting, and the occasional puzzle. Some of them even required players to explore the stages in order to unlock the Golden Ending.
• The classic games didn't all feature Excuse Plots. Sonic 2 and 3 in particular featured rather extensive lore for their time and genre (as presented in their Japanese manuals) that gave plenty of background on the characters, the settings, and the Chaos Emeralds' history, which served as the basis for more modern games, particularly Sonic Adventure.^note Things like an ancient prosperous civilization being wiped out a night after attempting to seize the Chaos Emeralds, Knuckles being the last in a line of guardians, or a legendary draconic monster being prophetized to "awaken" to destroy the world? They all came from the classic games' lore. Unfortunately, the western manuals simplified or left out most of their lore, leading to many players and critics feeling that Adventure's story came out of nowhere and was too drastic a tonal shift from the classic games.
• Contrary to what casuals and non-fans think, the fan criticism of "Sonic's shitty friends" doesn't refer to the inclusion of Sonic's friends in the games, or even to them being made playable. It refers to the 3d games giving them mandatory alternate play styles of lackluster quality that detract from the title character and his speed-oriented style. The 2d games' handling of Sonic's friends, by contrast, has always been well received, making them optional playable characters^note Outside of Sonic Superstars, where you must play through Trip's campaign to unlock that game's True Final Boss. that keep the speed-oriented gameplay the series is known for.
• Blaze is not a Distaff Counterpart to Sonic. The only thing she and Sonic have in common is that they have Super-Speed and super forms (and even then, those are traits shared across multiple characters). Otherwise, she is her own character with her own background, abilities, and personality. Making this mistake is a good way to be burned to ashes by Blaze fans.
• Don't say Shadow is evil. He was only canonically evil once in Sonic Adventure 2,^note The dark paths in Shadow the Hedgehog are non-canon. According to Word of God, the pure hero path is the canon path. Even without that, the last story (which is canon regardless of the path you've taken) ends with Shadow on the side of the heroes. and even in that game, he pulls off a Heel–Face Turn by the end (and was only evil because Gerald altered his memories) and makes a heroic sacrifice. While Shadow can be a Jerkass who is prone to clashing with Sonic and his friends, in most of his appearances post-Adventure 2, he is a Knight in Sour Armor who seeks to protect the world.

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