The Metaphysics of Sonic

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It may be a sign of Jungian synchronicity that Sonic’s first game was released on a console called the Genesis since the plots of the games themselves are often a recreation of the Biblical conflict between Chaos and Order. Take a look at the progression of the Zones in the first game for example. Green Hill Zone represents the Garden of Eden--a paradise where nature is able to grow and thrive in an enclosed environment. Beasts were allowed to roam freely amongst its palm trees, vast grasslands, and naturally-occurring inverted loops. However, this Eden is interrupted by the arrival of Culture who is represented by Dr. Robotnik(aka Eggman). Dr. Robotnik is the physical manifestation of the Tyrannical or Devouring Father that Culture embodies. He is depicted as an obese man who rejects the body Nature gave him to achieve his objectives and instead relies on machines to carry out his machinations. He perversely kidnaps the beasts from this Garden and turns them into mindless robots and engines of death that ravage the paradise they once inhabited. His ultimate goal are the Chaos Emeralds which are the embodiment of the vast potential that lies dormant in nature.. He will take the vast potential of Nature and use it to expand Culture’s own existence until it encompasses and dominates all.

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As Sonic, who is an envoy of Chaos, traverses the different Zones in his goal to stop Dr. Robotnik, the environments he experiences become more like a descent and re-emergence through the various levels of Hell. He starts out in the Paradise of Green Hill Zone and first encounters the snakes (as represented by Eggman’s robots) creeping into this Eden and corrupting the inhabitants within. The next stage, Marble Zone, represents the decay of the foundations of the world as well as perhaps Sonic’s naive view of reality. The Road of Trials in the classic Hero’s Journey Arc is reflected in the forked paths of Spring Yard Zone where Sonic chooses between two possible routes to reach his destination. The constant threat of water in Labyrinth Zone is a reminder that Nature is a destructive force that can return all beings to where they originated from. Star Light Zone with its grand vistas of the cosmos is the Journey of the Abyss where Sonic reflects upon the majesty of creation amid the darkness and emerges transformed from the experience. After going through this apotheosis, Sonic is ready to face Dr. Robotnik in Scrap Brain Zone with its choking Industrial hellscapes is a vision of the destructive and soul-crushing world that would be created if Order was allowed to take complete control. Finally, the confrontation with Dr. Robotnik in the last level is the Belly of the Whale where Sonic has to defeat his Tyrannical Father and become the metaphorical Savior Son who takes back the stolen Chaos Emeralds as a boon to enrich the lives of his people.

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“Gotta Go Fast” is Sonic’s signature catchphrase as well as his philosophy of how to live one’s life. The Red Queen Hypothesis, based on the character from Alice in Wonderland, represents the problem that organisms have in adapting to a rapidly ever-changing environment. In the Red Queen’s Race in Alice in Wonderland, the Red Queen tells Alice "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" after Alice realizes that she is stuck in the same place despite running as fast as she can. Organisms in nature have to run (adapt) as fast as possible in a sense to avoid death whose form is always changing yet whose presence constantly remains. Sonic’s signature spin dash and high-speed gameplay are the embodiment of how to confront the many obstacles and enemies from Nature, which include lava, water, and bottomless holes, as well as Culture in the form of mechanical deathtraps and killer robots. If one can not observe the landscape ahead, see its dangers, and “Go Fast” before it is too late then one will perish. Therefore Sonic is running from death itself and in doing so is enraptured and revivified by the very act of escape and is able to overcome his fear of oblivion.

>>387233208
I just wanna press down and then the spin button to go fast okay?

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Sonic as a character inhabits the role as emissary of Chaos. Hermes, the messenger of the Gods in Greek mythology, is often depicted with winged sandals similar to the red power sneakers that Sonic wears. As a messenger or emissary of, Sonic is tasked with travelling to and from the worlds that Nature and Culture have dominion over. Like another mythological emissary of Chaos, the Frog, Sonic is a being who defies classification. Frogs are a seeming contradiction in that they can live on both Land and Water and their life cycle depicts them going through drastic changes in appearances from egg to tadpole to pollywog to frog. Sonic’s appearances and actions also seem to be a contradiction that is a synthesis of Nature and Culture. Even though Sonic is biologically a hedgehog, he speaks the words of man, wears man’s shoes, and his favorite food are chili dogs which are also created by man out of the flesh of dead animals. He also is often depicted as a trickster in various games, t.v. series, and comics, which agains in a manifestation of the Fool arcana from Jungian psychology. The Fool, like the gamer who first plays a new Sonic game, is ignorant of what lies ahead and stumbles along, but through overcoming adversity is able to grow stronger, wiser, and more competent until he is able to breeze through challenges at top speed.

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Sonic’s adversal relationship with Dr. Robotnik embodies the mythological conflict between a father and his son. Dr. Robotnik is the opposite of the Wise King aspect of culture as depicted by Geppetto from Pinocchio. Geppetto wanted to guide Pinocchio (who is a gift from Nature as represented by the Blue Fairy) into becoming a strong individual who is able to judge right from wrong. Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik wants to take the denizens of nature--most especially Sonic--- and turn them into mindless automatons who exist only to do his bidding. Instead of wanting what is best for his creation and giving him the tools to release himself from the strings of culture that bind him down, Dr. Robotnik has taken the inverse course and instead wants to hamper the growth of creation and hold total dominion over every aspect it. He constantly puts obstacles in Sonic’s path with the ultimate goal of either destroying him completely or making him a slave to his will. Sonic is therefore the archetypal Son who must either redeem his father or destroy him for the sake of his people. Like the archetypal Redeemer, Sonic must go on a journey that can either destroy him completely or transform him into the Savior of his People. Sonic meets many friends such as Tails and Knuckles who aid him on his journey and in later games has to confront his Jungian Shadow in the character of Shadow the Hedgehog. He has to overcome trials brought upon by Nature in the form of naturally-occurring obstacles as well as Culture in the form of machines of death.

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The death and birth cycle that the hero must undergo is manifested in various ways by the gameplay of the series. There is of course the physical death of course from being hit by enemies or failing to overcome an environmental hazard, but there is also a death in one’s preconceived notion of the world since the player would have to discard strategies or ingrained habits that would often lead to destruction. The player is then reborn by learning from the past in order to become more capable to deal with the everchanging challenges ahead until he can reach a state of transcendence. The golden rings scattered throughout the levels are also interestingly tied to this rebirth process. Gold has often been viewed as a divine or transcendent metal in ancient cultures since it represents the life-giving and constant Sun as well as having the properties of purity with its intransmutability. The shape of the ring is that of the Oroboros which is a snake that devours its own tail and represents the cycle of death and rebirth. These golden rings are scattered throughout the level--often over obstacles or difficult encounters--and provide Sonic with life in the form of a second chance when he is damaged or if he collects 100 he transcends in a sense and gains a 1UP or new life. The Chaos Emeralds are a physical embodiment of the unlimited potential that lies in the domain of Nature. It is a transformative agent that Dr. Robotnik wants to exploit to propagate his own presence onto the world and Sonic’s goal in the original game is to stop Dr. Robotnik from abusing this power. Interestingly in later games, however, Sonic can harness the potential power of these Chaos Emeralds and transform himself into a Super Sonic state which is a golden, transcendent form with seemingly god-like powers.

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Again, we go back to the question of why Sonic is so popular with people from all over the world with diverse backgrounds and ages. I believe it is because players and fans can relate on a subconscious level to Sonic’s Journey. These mythological archetypes are so ingrained in cultures throughout the planet because the stories they contain reflect the experiences of an individual’s life and impart wisdom on how to act in the world. Perhaps players are entranced by the death and rebirth loop where they become stronger and gain satisfaction from the sense of accomplishment when they use these hones skills to overcome an unexpected challenge further along the game. Perhaps they are entranced by the environments with the promise of Paradise in Green Hill Zone and the warnings of Hell in Scrap Brain Zone. Or maybe in an unconscious way they identify with the struggle of an overbearing father or society that has taken away their potential and the desire to either redeem or destroy the oppressor and take back the potential to transform themselves or the world around them. Whatever these reasons for Sonic’s appeal may be, I give Sonic Mania 5/5. It’s a Mastapiece.

Autism.

Is Sonic even hedgehog at this point.

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>>387235694
No. Sonic is a being who has transcended his physical form and is just a metabeing who goes so fast that he inhabits all of existence at once by literally running everywhere

>>387236851
Infinte.Speed

>>387235694
Sonic will be 100 years-old in 74 years.

Thanks, dr. peterson

Great read

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I have other ideas I’d like to expand on such as:

Dr. Robotnik as Satan (Prideful, in love with own creations, associated with Light)

Chili Dog Consumption as perverse inverse of the Sacrament of Eucharist (Instead of offering his body to be eaten as an act of revivification, Sonic eats Chili dogs which are made from animals in order to revivify himself)

Super Sonic as the ultimate Transcendent state where Sonic exists as a Metabeing who runs so fast that he exists at every point in time and space

Shadow the Hedgehog representing Sonic's suppressed desire to slow down (Shadow uses guns, can stop time, not as fast as Sonic)

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>>387233208
>Google this to see if it's pasta
>It's not

>>387239648
Jesus

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>>387239041

What do we make of Sonic's infatuation with Princess Elise in Sonic 2006? Perhaps he is trying to seek a different path where he hopes to create a Divine Son with the union of Nature/Chaos/Beast with Culture/Order/Human? The sonic that would be created from that copulation would thereotically occupy the interstice of Order and Chaos which is the optimal mode of being. Perhaps Sonic's goal is not to be the Savior but to sire and guide the Savior?

>>387239648
I read like a few of OP's posts out of curiosity. All I want to say is that this has nothing to do with metaphysics, of which I would have been curious about.

>>387239041
>Shadow the Hedgehog representing Sonic's suppressed desire to slow down (Shadow uses guns, can stop time, not as fast as Sonic)

This is a good point that I've never thought about. Honestly, I think that as far as edgy characters go, Shadow is alright.

You suck just enough for a 'murrican college degree.

>>387241248
OBSESSED

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what about BARDONIC tho

>>387241290
What?

>>387241473
So Bardonic walks with human legs, no pants, and a rape boner ready to go.

>>387241971
Bardonic is a failed abomination from the synthesis of Chaos and Order. Bardonic wants to crucify the father and in an act of rejection of his heritage put his seed back into Sonic when he rapes him.

>>387241971
The rich, handsome, sexy man on the left is Bartleby. Bardonic is the love formed between Bartleby and Sonic and it's the purest love known to man.

>>387233241
>It may be a sign of Jungian synchronicity that Sonic’s first game was released on a console called the Genesis

Sorry to destroy your shitty arguments, but only 'merica called the Megadrive wrongly.

What about Hyper Sonic? He's far beyond Super Sonic.

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>>387243730
Unexplored Meta-state beyond our earthly comprehension

>>387233208
>and yet
Two conjunctions is redundant
>capitalizing Franchise
>repeating "throughout" in that compound direct object (use a different preposition)

I'm omitting stylistic suggestions but that last thing was grating so I threw it in

2fast4me

>>387241473
>>387241971
Rape is NOT a joke. Reported.

>>387246382
You better be fucking joking. A rape reference on /v/ should be the least of your concerns.

>>387233364
Fun fact: Despite the memes, Sonic never said "gotta go fast"

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>>387247595
No, but his fans attribute that phrase to him so in a sense it becomes a meta-truth that has transcended mere physical reality and is now more real than anything Sonic ever said.

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>>387241473
>bardonic stuff not from tamers12345
get that shit out of here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_ZpRiHr9Ds