With Sonic the Hedgehog, speed is the name of game. The Blue Blur has thrilled players for years with his breakneck feats. He routinely shatters the sound barrier and rattles off one-liners while doing it. However, he's also demonstrated other abilities.

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Sonic sometimes pulls his powers out of nowhere. For the sake of the plot or a novel gameplay gimmick, the developers give the hedgehog some new move that makes fans scratch their heads. The only thing more confusing than the power itself is the fact that it's gone in the next game. In fishing for ideas to innovate the longstanding series, the folks at Sega seem to treat their own rules as a polite suggestion.

7 A Living Buzzsaw

Spin Dash in Sonic the Hedgehog

Hedgehogs use their quills for protection in nature, as their sharp points obviously damage those who would harm the animal. What's odd about Sonic is that he'd rarely made full use of his own quills. True, he has the spin attack, which makes short work of enemies, but that only scratches the surface.

The hero can harden his quills so that his spin saws through walls and other objects. With this ability, he could theoretically cut through the whole level to make navigation easier. On the other hand, that would make for slow going, which is not his style. Not to mention, he's only ever demonstrated this move in the unreleased Sonic-16, so the developers may not want to acknowledge it as canon.

6 The Werehog

The Werehog in Sonic Unleashed

The late 2000s games throw an endless amount of gimmicks into Sonic's repertoire. Among them is the Werehog. The selling point of Sonic Unleashed, this beast is born when the hedgehog absorbs the divine energy of Dark Gaia. He doubles in size and can stretch his limbs to insane degrees--all the better to shred enemies to pieces with his claws.

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In short, this feral form is Sonic's version of Marvel's Hulk or the Dark Jak from Jak & Daxter. The difference is that Sonic channels this force while retaining his identity. It's unclear whether anyone else would react this way upon encountering such energy. For instance, would Cream become a rabid rabbit? Who knows?

5 Darkspine

Darkspine Sonic in Sonic and the Secret Rings

Another gimmick introduced in this era is the collection of World Rings. Appropriately appearing in Sonic and the Secret Rings, these once again grant the hedgehog an imposing transformation. This time, it's Darkspine: a persona born by harnessing the power of the Rage, Sadness, and Hatred Rings. The result is exactly what one would expect from that combination.

Darkspine Sonic comes with elemental and supernatural abilities. He can augment his attacks with wind, fire, and darkness to utterly devastate his foes. For the cherry on top, he can fly. Armed with such a destructive form, someone as reckless as Sonic could destroy the world, especially once it amplifies his aggression.

4 Stopping Time

Time Stop in Sonic Adventure and Sonic and the Secret Rings

One wouldn't think the blue blur would need such a power. He's already faster than the speed of sound. Nevertheless, Sonic sometimes demonstrates the ability to slow or even stop time.

Many games offer different explanations for this temporal manipulation. Sonic Chaos presents it as an item-based power-up while Sonic and the Secret Rings grant it to the hero through Shahra's Ring. Whatever the source, the effect remains the same, making Sonic all the more overpowered.

3 Color Shapeshifting

Wisps in Sonic Colors

Sonic has obviously changed his form before, but this takes it to a whole new level. In Sonic Colors, he receives a dose of Hyper-go-on force from the extraterrestrial Wisps. This lets him warp his own bodily matter at the atomic level.

The hero takes on a slew of shapes for traversal and combat. Just to name a few, he turns into a laser, an asteroid, a drill, a bomb, a ghost, and a bolt of lightning. Many of these aren't even solid, let alone sentient. However, Sonic smirks at that contradiction, defying the laws of nature thanks to sci-fi mumbo jumbo.

2 Cheat Death

Sonic's Death in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006

The 2006 anniversary entry suffers from sloppy writing in every area, so this shouldn't come as a shock. When Mephiles stabs Sonic from behind, the blue blur is seemingly dead. Princess Elise, however, senses the hero's presence in the wind. How Sonic can preserve his essence in some intangible form is anyone's guess, but that's nothing compared to what follows.

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The hedgehog's friends use that slim hope to bring him back to life. They restore his body by collecting the Chaos Emeralds. Elise then revives him with a kiss. Just like that, Sonic is soon running again like nothing happened. If he can defy his own demise for the sake of the plot, then he's practically a god. Any danger he encounters afterward poses no real threat.

1 Breaking The Fourth Wall

Breaking the Fourth Wall in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic X

Sonic is sometimes aware of the audience, mainly during the TV shows. The first animated series, for instance, ends each episode with a lesson. Sonic advises kids about situations they might encounter, such as talking to strangers, but he never follows his own advice. This makes it weird that the creators considered the hedgehog a role model.

The Sonic X anime seems to learn from that in its own fourth-wall antics. When the hero speaks to viewers in this show, it's usually to deliver a corny joke. That said, he still acknowledges the audience, which is more than one can say for other characters. Maybe he has some extrasensory ability that enables this. Alternatively, he could just be insane.

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