The Sonic franchise contains a host of bright and vibrant characters. From the iconic blue blur to the devious Dr. Robotnik, there are numerous characters, or Mobians, to fill the plethora of games the series has released. That being said, despite the many games that have been released, there only seem to be a handful of characters showcased.
Nearly every game in the series has presented us with characters like Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow. Hardly any other character from the franchise has seen any sort of screen time in years. As a result, many of the once beloved characters of the franchise have become forgotten over time. Here are a few examples of characters who many have been forgotten.
6 Marine The Raccoon
This energetic raccoon first appeared in Sonic Rush Adventure having found Sonic and Tails washed up on the shores of Seagull Beach. She introduced herself as a sailor, though she quickly proved to be...inept in the field. Despite this, she joined Sonic and his friends on their adventure to find the Jeweled Scepter.
Since her first appearance, Marine has made appearances in other games including three games in the Mario and Sonic series, though it was through a Mii costume. The plucky raccoon always has a carefree yet stubborn attitude, leading her into a few predicaments from time to time.
5 Ray The Flying Squirrel
Ray the Flying Squirrel had his first appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic. He was one of the many Mobians who joined Sonic and his Freedom Fighters to battle Dr. Eggman. The timid squirrel also had relations with Knuckles and Chaotix, a trio of detectives consisting of Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Charmy Bee.
Ray's first game appearance came in the form of SegaSonic the Hedgehog. He, along with Mighty the Armadillo and Sonic himself, was captured by Dr. Eggman before teaming up to escape, a storyline similar to Ray's appearance in Issue 26 of Knuckles the Echidna. Since then, he's only had a couple of cameos in games and comics.
4 Bark The Polar Bear
Bark the Polar Bear had his first appearance in a 1996 arcade game by the name of Sonic the Fighters, or Sonic Championship. The game itself is a pseudo-3D fighting game that pit iconic Sonic characters against one another in an attempt to gain control of the chaos emeralds and face off against Dr. Eggman and his Death Egg II.
While the arcade system didn't give a lot of background on the polar bear, it did present Bark as shy and gentle, though a brutal fighter with strength that rivaled even Knuckles. In the Archie comics, however, Bark was part of a mercenary group and was hired by Eggman to opposed Sonic at various moments.
3 Shade The Echidna
Everybody knows Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's red, strong, and sometimes dimwitted rival, but he's far from the only echidna-like Mobian that lives in the world of Sonic the Hedgehog. Once such Mobian is Shade the Echidna and, despite her rather edgy name, she has an interesting history.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood was Shade's first, and only, appearance in the Sonic franchise. She was initially introduced as an antagonist serving under Imperator Ix in hopes to free the Nocturnus Clan. When it is revealed that Ix has less than noble intentions, she turns on him and allies herself with Sonic and Knuckles.
2 Honey The Cat
Honey the Cat was a one-off character for the Sonic the Fighters game. She was originally scraped from the original arcade release but could be hacked upon the release of Sonic Gems Collection. In the 2012 release of the game, she is a fashionista who battles to promote her brand.
Ironically enough, she may be based on another character from a different fighting game. According to the director of Sonic the Fighters, Honey shares many similarities with a fighter of the same name from a game called Fighting Vipers, which so happened to run on the same engine as Sonic the Fighters. Both the anthropomorphic cat and human fighters have the same poses and even share an attack called 'Cat Punch'.
1 Mighty The Armadillo
Mighty the Armadillo shares a great deal of his history with Ray the Flying Squirrel. In both SegaSonic the Hedgehog and issue 26 of the comic Knuckles the Echidna, he and Ray were introduced as prisoners of Dr. Eggman and teamed up with Sonic to not only escape but aid the hedgehog in his fight. Unlike his friend, however, Mighty has been more than just a cameo in other games.
He appeared in Knuckles' Chaotix where he aided the titular echidna in his quest to put an end to Dr. Robotnik's evil plot. He's said to be an incredible fighter, though he is very much a pacifist in every iteration he's introduced in. Despite this, he consistently proves himself to be a valuable asset to Sonic and Knuckles alike.