The Sonic the Hedgehog movies have had a problem with their human characters, but Sonic the Hedgehog 3 can fix this by learning from the cartoons. One of the biggest complaints with the first two movies is the unnecessary human element, with characters that distract from the plot without adding much to the overall experience. Because of this, Sonic 3 needs to learn from the one property in the franchise that handled humans correctly: Sonic X.
Sonic X, an anime based on the wildly popular franchise, originally aired from 2003 to 2005. The show was heavily inspired by the Sonic Adventures series of games, lifting many elements and characters from the two titles, as well as the original series of games. The show follows Sonic after he and his friends are transported to the human world, where the blue blur finds himself accompanied by a human child named Chris Thorndyke. Together, the two must reunite with Sonic’s friends and stop the villainous Dr. Eggman. Known for its complex overarching story and faithfulness to the source material, Sonic X is still beloved by many viewers.
Although Chris is one of the main characters of Sonic X, he and the few other humans never feel like distractions from the story. On the other hand, the humans in the live-action Sonic movies—especially in Sonic the Hedgehog 2—constantly distract from the story. These films feel like they need humans for the audience to relate to, but instead of involving them in Sonic’s far more exciting journey, they are instead concerned with weddings and job promotions. Most of the human scenes in the live-action movies offer nothing of substance. While the movies do a lot right, Sonic 3 can remedy its predecessors’ biggest flaw by handling the human characters in the same way that Sonic X does.
Although Sonic the Hedgehog TV shows have changed a lot of the series’ lore, Sonic X is faithful to the wacky story of the video games. Because of this, the show uses Chris to ground these zany elements, giving the audience a relatable character. However, instead of giving Chris boring time-consuming side stories, he is often heavily involved with the journey of Sonic and his friends. Furthermore, Chris fits in perfectly with the group, acting as just another friend rather than a parental figure as Tom does in the live-action films.
Although Chris is a powerless child, the show treats him no different from the rest of the cast, creating a relatable character who is also involved with the main story. There is no reason that in Sonic 3 Tom and Maddie have to be relegated to a side journey; as the ending of Sonic 2 shows, they can fit in with the action and craziness of Sonic, Eggman, and the rest of the gang. Sonic 3 needs to take the human characters and integrate them into the main story, in the same way that Sonic X successfully does with Chris.
Viewers aren’t necessarily opposed to humans in Sonic stories; Sonic X is beloved, and it has a human main character, for instance. Even in the films, audiences love Agent Stone due to his personality, not because he is part of a boring B-plot. In order to balance out Sonic 2‘s human problem, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 needs to learn from Sonic X and make the humans less distracting and far more fun—especially if Jim Carrey’s enigmatic Eggman really is gone for good.