Sonic the Hedgehog lives a simple existence. Spending his days fighting the evil Dr. Eggman, Sonic's made it his life's work to keep our world safe from any threats that might come our way. And that's it. What you see is what you get.

PSYCH! Ha! You totally just got your world flipped upside down, and you're barely two paragraphs into this listicle! Here's the truth: there's more going on in Sonic the Hedgehog than you could ever imagine. Sure, a surface interpretation of the series is all you need to enjoy it. But once you start going a little deeper, the conspiracies start to reveal themselves, and they go deeper than you could ever imagine. But be advised: once you've gotten wise to these theories, there is NO going back. You'll never be able to look at the blue blur the same way again. Even if you think you're just snooping, as usual, you'll soon learn there's nothing "usual" about the world of Sonic the Hedgehog. Still on board? Good. Then strap on that tinfoil hat and brace yourself: your world is about to be rocked harder than Dr. Eggman's ship at the end of the Emerald Hill Zone. This is 15 Conspiracy Theories About Sonic the Hedgehog.

Did we miss any theories you know of? Maybe you've got a few of your own? That comments section won't fill itself, people.

15 Sonic Games Are All About Saving The Environment

via: theannalsofretrodom.blogspot.com

It's so clear. The Sonic franchise starts out in the green, lush, Emerald Hill Zone. But by the time you get into the future in Sonic CD, everything is dark, polluted, and covered in industrial technology. Sonic is in a race against time to save the environment, but no matter what happens, he loses. As you progress in the game, you move further and further away from nature, and normal looking environments, instead of finding yourself in increasingly industrial backgrounds. You may win the game, but you lose the battle. Thanks to the team over at Cracked for coming up with this conspiracy theory. Whether or not you believe in Sonic Environment Change, or Spinball Warming, it IS real.

14 Super Mario Appears In Sonic 2

via: board.sonicstadium.org

Take a gander at the image above, taken from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (credit to user Vertekins from the Sonic Stadium boards). Look familiar at all? Maybe because it bears a striking resemblance to the face of one Mario the plumber! The distinct mustache, the two little eyes, that unmistakable hairline, it has to be Mario, right? But that raises the question: what is Mario doing here? Why would Sega want to throw in an easter egg basically promoting their top competition? Unless they knew all along that someday they'd make the switch to a software only company and were trying to get on Nintendo's good side! Either that or it's actually two lines drinking from a fountain. I could go either way.

13 Sonic Isn't Real

Via Youtube.com

My internet-wide search for the craziest and most disturbing of Sonic the Hedgehog conspiracy theories brought me to Wattpad.com, where posted TigerSkittles101 presents this mind bending theory:

"Our beloved blue hedgehog and his friend don't exist in their actual dimension...how do people go faster than the speed of sound? By machine, right? Well...the theory states that Eggman was just a parent/guardian playing along, while the kids, the characters (Sonic, Tails, etc) pretended to be humanoid teenagers with special abilities."

Basically, what this theory is saying is that since there's no way anyone could go as fast as Sonic and his friends do without the aid of machines, Eggman is just watching a bunch of kids pretend to be really fast animals.

12 Sonic's Whole World Is A Crazy Death Playground Made For Him

Sonic near a checkpoint in Sonic Mania

Every environment you come across in a Sonic the Hedgehog game (at least, the Genesis/Mega Drive ones) feels like a literal playground for a supersonic, incredibly fast hedgehog. Tunnels have been carved out for him to spin in. Shoe that will allow him to run faster are littered throughout the terrain. There are even fun balls to hit to keep your place if you mess up! Is it just crazy enough that maybe Dr. Eggman has set up all these courses as a sort of giant hamster wheel to keep Sonic from stopping his evil plans? I've been to a lot of casinos. But I've never been to one where there are flippers you can jump on to play slots with your own body. Those conveniently placed air bubbles underwater so Sonic can stay alive. It's all just a little too easy, isn't it?

11 Yuji Naka Desperately Wanted Sonic Out Of The Spotlight

via: youtube.com (TheSonicGamer20IX)

According to Compile Worlds, there's a theory that Sonic creator, Yuji Naka, has wanted nothing more than to take the focus off the blue blur ever since his creation. It almost makes sense when you think about the way the Sonic games have changed, and, arguably, gone downhill ever since the Genesis and early Dreamcast days. Is Naka the one behind this? Cranking out as many new characters as he can and purposefully sabotaging new games to get his most famous and most personally despised creation out of the limelight? Fans initially thought this might be the case when Naka released Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, a Gamecube game that bragged about having the same creative team as Sonic. Let's put it this way: if Naka is trying to take Sonic down from the inside, he's going to have to try a little harder than Billy Hatcher.

10 Dr. Robotnik Is Still Out There

Via: GamesRadar

When Sonic the Hedgehog hit the US back in 1991, American gamers came face to face for the first time with the blue speedster's arch nemesis: Dr. Robotnik. However, when the Sonic games were drastically updated for the Dreamcast with the release of Sonic Adventure in 1998, Robotnik was suddenly nowhere to be found, and had been replaced with a look alike who went by the name of "Dr. Eggman." Now apparently, Sonic's rotund red nemesis has always been referred to in Japan by this name, as a reference to the Beatle's song I Am the Walrus (because that makes sense), but I don't buy it for a second. Sega is hiding something. Just try putting Dr. Robotnik into Google: the first thing that comes up is Dr. Eggman! Robotnik is still out there somewhere, I tell ya. Along with the actual Paul McCartney.

9 Sonic Is Homeless

(via metro.uk.com)

Originally theorized by YouTube user The Sonic Show, this theory states that the hasty hedgehog doesn't actually have any particular place he calls home. And think about it: do you ever see Sonic just retire to a comfy armchair, or even take a nap? Almost never. He's constantly off on some corner of the globe with his friends saving the world. And with the supernatural speed he possesses, settling down at the end of the day just doesn't seem in the cards for him. My guess would be that he occasionally uses AirBnB, or just snoozes in very remote, out of the way places only he can get to.  The guy is a natural born wanderer. In fact, that Dion song probably would work better in an ad for a Sonic game than Fallout 4.

8 Sonic Only Dates Real, Human Women

via: kotaku.com

The 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game is well known among fans for a variety of terrible reasons. In addition to glitchy levels and terrible controls, Sonic '06 (as it's affectionately called, and I use that word very lightly) is maybe best known for introducing the idea that Sonic prefers to date human women. Sonic has his first and only onscreen kiss with Elise, a princess he is trying to protect. It's weird, uncomfortable, and bizarre, and that doesn't even begin to cover it. We all know Amy Rose has a thing for Sonic, and yet, the only game we've seen him be really romantically involved with someone was this one, and it was with a human. But hey, to each their own, right? What Sonic does in the bedroom is his business. I just don't ever want to have to see it on screen again.

7 An Ancient Tapestry Tricked Knuckles Into Following Eggman

via: screwattack.roosterteeth.com

This theory comes to us from Screwattack.com poster Ultraguy, and his based on the image posted above, taken from Sonic 3 and Knuckles in the Hidden Palace Zone. There are tapestries posted throughout the zone depicting Sonic and Eggman fighting over Chaos Emeralds, specifically, the Master Emerald. But based on the mural above, it actually looks like Eggman is the one protecting the Emerald from Sonic and not the other way around. Look at it. Sonic is some kind of fireball looking thing, while Eggman appears to be trying to secure the Emerald in a much safer place, his hand. From this, we can derive that Knuckles wasn't actually tricked by Eggman, but he may have believed him to be the true protector of the Master Emerald. It's not his fault, man. He's just an echidna trying to do the right thing. We could use a few more of those these days.

6 Super Mario Galaxy Was Sega's Idea

via wired.com

This theory was first posted on the Sonic News Network board via user Mystic_Monkey. Interestingly enough, this theory is based around the game Ristar, a little known Sega title. The theory posits that it was actually Sega who had the initial idea for Super Mario Galaxy's gameplay. "What if before SMG, Sega had an idea for a game starring Ristar, a star who travel the depths of space seeking new planets...If you noticed in Mario Galaxy, gravity isn't just a gameplay element but the use of propulsion, such as star launchers and blue stars which

"What if before SMG, Sega had an idea for a game starring Ristar, a star who travel the depths of space seeking new planets...If you noticed in Mario Galaxy, gravity isn't just a gameplay element but the use of propulsion, such as star launchers and blue stars which draws you closer. These forms of propulsion were present in the original 2D Ristar games only instead of gravity it uses Ristar's arms. My guess that Miyamoto knew in advance of this Ristar game and either began work on Mario Galaxy or Nintendo asked Sega to back off the idea."

But would Nintendo really do something like that? I don't think so. It's not like they're corrupt AF or anything.

5 Sonic Is Tired of Living On Our Planet

via YouTube.com

Here we explore the second theory on this list submitted for your approval from Youtube user The Sonic Show. The theory states that since Sonic can traverse the entire planet in a matter of seconds, it stands to reason he has seen everything and must be painfully bored of living on here. He also cites examples, including lines of dialogue where Sonic mentions traveling the world would be "an easy jog if the planet weren't broken." So if Sonic is a fast moving, thrill seeking hedgehog who lives for adventure, it would seem he's probably all adventured out at this point. Imagine your passion in life is surprising yourself and finding new things, but you'd already found everything? Yikes. Gets a little depressing. Maybe it's time for Sonic to get a new hobby or something. I hear video games are fun.

4 Tails Has Placed A Tracking Device On Sonic

via wikia.com

Isn't it kind of strange that every time Sonic gets a real head of steam in Sonic 2 and races ahead of Tails, he just seems to find his way back? Every time you hit a Sonic Spin and blast out of view, all it takes is slowing down for three seconds or so for those two spinning tails to plant themselves down next to you. How does that work? How exactly is Tails, who is clearly significantly slower than Sonic, able to almost effortlessly find his way back to his blue buddy's side every time? There's only one explanation: Tails has placed a tracking device on Sonic and is able to follow his every move. I'm guessing it's in his shoes. You know, because he's naked otherwise. And that means if it's anyplace else, it was probably a pretty uncomfortable installation process.

3 Sonic CD Has A Disturbing Hidden Message

via: youtube.com (wwwWario)

This is probably my favorite conspiracy theory on this list, and maybe one of my favorite of all time, because it's completely based on fact and is incredibly disturbing (thanks to YouTube user WwwWario for this theory). By inputting a code at the title screen, you can access Sonic CD's secret sound test room to hear different songs from the game. But by inputing 46, 12, and 25, you are taken to a screen where super creepy music plays over images of what looks like a man with a mustache in a Sonic the Hedgehog mask. Japanese lettering appears on the screen, which translates to "Infinite fun. Sega Enterprises. Image by Majin."

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS? I don't know, but it's crazy creepy, and I'm so glad I found it! By the way: Majin is both a nickname for a developer on the game and a Japanese word that can mean demon or genie. SCARY!!

2 Wait, What Did Eggman Just Say?

via en.wikipedia.org

This is another of the all time greatest Sonic conspiracy theories, and is based on a sound clip taken from the old Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog TV show. Specifically, it dissects an isolated piece of dialogue of Eggman says the phrase, "Snooping as usual, I see." When part of the dialogue is lifted, it sounds like Eggman actually says the word "Pingas." Now, you may ask yourself, what is Pingas? I can't answer that question. I don't know. But I do know this: it sure sounds like he said it, and the YouTube videos and memes made about the phenomenon that is Pingas are among the best the entire world wide web has to offer. If you want to go down a Pingas rabbit hole yourself, I recommend starting here. I can't even begin to describe what it is, but I can tell you that it's my new ringtone.

1 The King Of Pop Himself Composed The Music For Sonic 3

via: nintendoeverything.com/

Look, I don't know how else to say it: this is the best thing I've ever read in my life. For a long time, Sonic fans kept the flame alive that Michael Jackson, arguably the greatest entertainer of all time, had written the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Despite the rumor being repeatedly shot down, a group of die hard fans refused to let go. And recently, via a report in The Huffington Post, they were finally vindicated. Directly from the post:

"Six men -- Brad Buxer, Bobby Brooks, Doug Grigsby III, Darryl Ross, Geoff Grace and Cirocco Jones -- are listed as songwriters in Sonic 3's endgame scroll. Buxer, Grigsby and Jones tell The Huffington Post that Jackson worked with them on a soundtrack for Sonic 3 -- and that the music they created with Jackson ended up in the final product."

Tell me once again, who's bad? Sonic. That's who.