25 Days of Villains - #25: Metal Sonic

For this December, I decided to revisit the '25 Days of Christmas' list I made two years ago, but with a new angle. I had originally planned to make a '25 greatest anime list', but felt there were still a number of classic series and films that I needed to watch before the list could truly be considered complete. Since I had already compiled my 25 favorite video games, I decided to put a slightly different spin on things, taking a look at twenty-five of my favorite video game villains.

My criteria for this list limited some potential candidates. The characters could not be anti-heroes. If they were to have changed roles to an ally, this transition could not occur within the game they originally appeared (but could in fact happen in sequels). For example, Shadow the Hedgehog helped Sonic save the Earth before the conclusion of Sonic Adventure 2, and is therefore ineligible for this list. Characters were eligible if they transitioned from good to evil, though. Also, the majority of the characters that made this list acted as the main villain in at least one of the games they appeared in (though there are some that had less prominent roles). These villains are not necessarily listed in the order of how evil or villainous their actions are, but more on which ones are my personal favorites. So, without further ado, the first name on Santa's naughty list...


One of the most iconic Sonic villains of all time, Metal Sonic is a robotic counterpart to the series' titular blue hedgehog. He has the ability to fly and shoot laser attacks, making his attack patterns much more dynamic and varied than Sonic and many of his companions. Perhaps the most interesting attribute at his disposal is his ability to scan individuals and replicate their signature attacks.

While this jack-of-all-trades style seems very befitting a robotic creation meant to outperform Sonic himself, Metal Sonic falls short of the other contenders on this list for one simple reason: he is a robot. With the exception of his independent run in Sonic Heroes, Metal Sonic serves Dr. Robotnik first and foremost. Defeating Sonic is Metal Sonic's goal only because Dr. Robotnik programmed him for this purpose.

Even so, Metal Sonic has proven one of the most iconic characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He's also one of the more creative evil counterparts to a classic video game character.


Boss theme:
To be completely honest, I quite like the remix of Stardust Speedway (USA version) from Sonic Generations.