There's One Sonic Character That Desperately Needs The Shadow Treatment

While the franchise has always been an incredibly popular staple in gaming, Sonic The Hedgehog has had somewhat of a renaissance in recent years, aided by the success of the film franchise and the release of Sonic X Shadow Generations. The films themselves have been praised for being filled with references for long-time fans while bringing a new generation of players into the franchise for the first time. With Shadow X Generations releasing only a few months before the third game, it was a fantastic entry point for Sonic 3 fans who wanted to learn more about Sonic’s rival.

[Warning: this article contains spoilers for Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s post-credits scene]Given that the Sonic film franchise continues to hit major box office milestones for a video game adaptation, it seems the franchise will only keep growing in popularity. While Shadow’s debut was an incredibly faithful adaptation of his story with some unique twists regarding his origin and story with Maria, Sonic 3‘s post-credits scene left a lasting impression on viewers with its iconic inclusions. While fans will have to wait until 2027 to see them in action on the big screen, it would be the perfect chance to shine the spotlight on one underrated Sonic character.

Amy Rose Has Never Had A Chance To Shine In Her Own Game

Often Being Overshadowed In Most Of Her Appearances

Despite making her first appearance in 1993 with Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Amy Rose has never had her own mainline game to star in. Starting solely as Sonic’s one-sided love interest and damsel in distress, Amy has changed drastically over the years, evolving into an independent character with her personality. While Amy’s love for Sonic has remained strong over the years, she has plenty of unique moves and interests aside from the iconic blue hedgehog.

Amy has only been the center of attention in a Sonic game once, in the card-based mobile game Amy’s Page One.

While it’s a bit outdated, having been conducted in 2018, a community poll by Sega revealed Amy was among the top five most popular characters, as noted by MediaFan11 on X, even though she still lacks her mainline game. Even without her own standalone release, Amy has appeared in plenty of Sonic games over the years, consistently included as a bonus character or NPC throughout the series, especially for any ensemble cast titles.

2024 Was A Fantastic Year For Shadow The Hedgehog Fans

A Year Of Content Dedicated To The Ultimate Lifeform

It’s no secret that Shadow the Hedgehog is one of the most popular characters from the Sonic franchise, sometimes rivaling the titular hedgehog himself. This popularity was pushed to even greater heights in 2024, with SEGA officially declaring 2024 the Year of Shadow on X in anticipation of their upcoming Sahdow-centric projects.

SEGA managed to live up to their word by the end of the year, as Shadow received a starring role in his own movie, a new story expansion for the alien hedgehog in Shadow X Generations, and an incredibly high-quality short animated series.

SEGA pulled out all the stops for Shadow last year, taking great advantage of the upcoming movie to further boost awareness of their latest game. Even with Sonic 3 doing remarkably well at the box office, Shadow X Generations didn’t need much help as it sold over 1 million copies in its first weekend alone, marking a considerable shift in quality for a mainline Sonic game.

While Sonic Generations helped pave the path for this hybrid of a sequel and remaster, Shadow shines brighter than ever in his new story, even overshadowing Sonic’s enhanced Generation’s story. There are few characters in the Sonic franchise popular enough to warrant this much of a push from SEGA, but that doesn’t mean they can’t boost another iconic character to even greater heights before Sonic 4 releases.

A Smaller-Scale Project Could Be A Great Fit For Amy In The Future

Offering A Unique Gameplay Experience For Long Time Fans

The post-credits scene for Sonic The Hedgehog 3 may have left fans with more questions than answers regarding the plot of its fourth installment, but there’s still plenty to be excited over. While one of the biggest points of speculation surrounds Metal Sonic’s origins in the new Sonic cinematic universe, Sonic 4 has the perfect chance to update Amy’s introduction to better fit the character she’s evolved into over the years.

While Amy might lack the popularity needed to star in a big-budget release like Shadow X Generations, that doesn’t mean she can’t shine in a smaller project focusing on her specialized skill set.

The perfect time for an Amy Rose-themed entry in the Sonic franchise.

Given that Amy is one of the few Sonic protagonists capable of using magic instead of physical superpowers, she has the potential to offer an incredibly unique playstyle for the series centered around her hammer and tarot card abilities. A solo adventure would also be the perfect chance to explore Amy’s dynamics with other memorable characters in the franchise aside from Sonic or even get a more in-depth look into her backstory.

Even Princess Peach has received her spin-off title. The latest Showtime game shows room for unique adventures starring beloved side characters, especially given the similarities between Peach and Amy’s transformation from damsel in distress to full-blown adventurer.

Metal Sonic is captured in Sonic, with his arms restrained.

Should Jim Carrey voice Metal Sonic in Sonic the Hedgehog 4?

Metal Sonic was teased as a new villain for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, as seen in Sonic 3’s post-credits scene. One of Doctor Robotnik’s most powerful and dangerous creations, I think it would be very cool if Jim Carrey served as the voice of Metal Sonic. It would be an absolutely hilarious and awesome way to keep the actor in the franchise, especially after Robotnik’s apparent death aboard the Eclipse Cannon.

With Shadow X Generations being closely tied to its film release, even featuring a Keanu Reeves-themed character DLC, a future Amy Rose game could have a similar level of crossover potential. With the next Sonic film aiming for a 2027 release date, there’s still plenty of time to set up an Amy Rose-themed entry in the Sonic game franchise beforehand.

Source: MediaFan11/X, SEGA OFFICIAL/X