Sonic X
Encyclopedia
is an anime
series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It was produced in Japan
by TMS Entertainment
with the partnership of Sega
and was created by Sonic Team
and Sonic Project. In the United States
, 4Kids currently owns and manages copyright
and branding
of the series.
of Chaos Control, a reaction that occurs when the 7 Chaos Emeralds come together, that transports them to another dimension occupied by humans. When Sonic and his friends are transported to Chris' world and they get into trouble with the police they hide in Chris's house, where only Chris, his grandfather, their maid, Ella, and their butler, Tanaka, know of their existence. Eventually, however, they are accepted as heroes and celebrities, with the entire city knowing about them. The second season features plots based on Sonic Adventure
, Sonic Adventure 2
and Sonic Battle
.
In the second season (in Japan, the end of the first series), it is discovered that the Earth and Sonic's world were once a single planet, but a cataclysmic event split it into two and sent them into different dimensions. The flow of time on Sonic's world is considerably slower, with a single month on Sonic's world equaling an entire year on Earth. Because Sonic and his friends were transported to Earth, the two worlds are beginning to merge into one yet again, which will cancel out their respective time lines and freeze time itself; thus, Sonic and co. have no choice but to go back.
On the course of the Season, Sonic and his friends end up on many different planets, searching for the Chaos Emeralds and restoring life to almost barren planets. During this time, Dr. Eggman joins up with the Metarex and becomes one of the five Metarex kings soon after, along with: Pale Bay Leaf, Black Narcissus, and Yellow Zelkova. It is later revealed that Dr. Eggman was stealing technology, he, along with Decoe, and Bocoe, were later arrested by Pale Bay Leaf, and sent to jail. Sometime later Chris shows up and tries to save him. Only for Dr. Eggman to point out that he never needed any help breaking out, and the crew proceed to escape.
A few episodes later, Cosmo is eventually unveiled as an unwilling spy for the Metarex, who are part of the same race of anthropomorphic plants as Cosmo. When Dark Oak, Pale Bay Leaf, and Black Narcissus enact a plan that could destroy the galaxy, Cosmo sacrifices herself with the help of Super Sonic, Super Shadow, and Tails. Her essence is manifested in the form of a seed, which Tails plants once they return to their own planet. With the Metarex destroyed, Eggman helps Chris return to his home, implying he may never be able to return. Soon thereafter, Dr. Eggman revives his previous rivalry with Sonic, albeit a more light-hearted one.
The series ends with a couple of minor cliffhangers, such as the whereabouts of Shadow (although it is implied that Dr. Eggman knows what happened to Shadow) and what Dr. Eggman plans to do with Chris gone. In the original Japanese version, Shadow the Hedgehog is still alive and he is seen where he put a rose on Molly's grave.
and VIZ Media
co-licensed Sonic X for the United States, with the series being distributed by Paramount Pictures
, Sonic Team
. and Jetix Animation Concepts
and licensed on DVD by FUNimation, Alliance Films
(Canada) and Paramount Home Entertainment
(UK). The episodes were then localized for the intended demographic, including the complete replacement of the score, as well as removing suggestive content and changing the fate of several characters, as well as editing the story to be much lighter and younger in tone for US Release. Other continuity errors include mislabelling "Chaos Control
" as Doctor Eggman
's base. While both English and Japanese characters were digitally removed or replaced with incoherent symbols (This was done by TMS Entertainment themselves, rather than 4Kids.), Chinese characters were unedited in The Adventures of Knuckles and Hawk, in coherence with the episode's setting.
4Kids did not dub the Sonic games at the time and went with their in-house VAs. Mike Pollock
, the current voice actor for Doctor Eggman, stated during an interview that he was provided samples of the game's voice overs as a reference. The original 4Kids cast included Jason Griffith (as Sonic and Shadow), Lisa Ortiz
(as Amy), Amy Palant
(as Tails), Dan Green
(as Knuckles), Rebecca Handler
(as Cream), and Mike Pollock
(as Dr. Eggman).
As 4Kids owns the international distribution rights to Sonic X, the edited version of the show was then provided to most other countries around the world, including most of the countries of Latin America and Europe. The show was dubbed into the corresponding languages for each country, but the footage had the edits already made in the American version, along with the music changes. Furthermore, the scripts for the foreign dubs were based on the revised dub scripts of the American version rather than the original Japanese scripts, most likely as a way of maintaining consistency with the edited footage. The only other countries to receive their footage of Sonic X directly from Japan—without any of the edits made by 4Kids Entertainment
--are France
, China
(including Taiwan
and Hong Kong
), South Korea
, and Thailand
.
The cast of the 4Kids production eventually became the official cast for Sega's Sonic games from 2005 to 2010.
When a producer for the series was asked about any prior experience with the Sonic franchise, he replied, "I've never played the game, seen the series or read the comics."
As of 2011, 4Kids Entertainment still owns the North American rights to Sonic X as of this day. The edited dub airs on Toonzai (formerly The CW4Kids
) in reruns, and the entire series can be viewed online at 4KidsTV.com, 4Kids' YouTube channel, Hulu, and Toonzaki, although the episodes are only available in the United States.
However, in July 2009, 4Kids uploaded a preview for a subtitled episode of the Japanese version of Sonic X. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCWWiWOQxCo Season 1 of the Japanese version with English subtitles were uploaded to Hulu
, along with the dubbed version of the complete series. http://www.hulu.com/sonic-x More recently, the Japanese opening and closings were added to 4Kids' YouTube channel. On June 7, 2010, 4Kids had begun releasing Season 1 in Japanese on their YouTube channel. By June 11, 2010, the dubbed version of the complete series and the First Season in Japanese with English subtitles became available on 4Kids' YouTube channel. As of June 28, 2011, all episodes of the Japanese Sonic X with english subtitles became available to watch. http://www.toonzaki.com/sonicx
, violence
, blood
, and death
. As a result, 4Kids Entertainment removed most scenes containing these elements, due to the fact that the American version was rated TV-Y7 FV, although most of the fighting was kept in all the episodes. A glaring example of this is in Episode 3, where police-issue rifles have laser-blaster sound effects in the dub, despite obviously being gunpowder weapons.
, Australia
, New Zealand
, Latin America
, much of Europe
, and Brazil
, the opening song was performed by a female singer repeating the show's title numerous times, the U.S. ending theme was kept, however, and all of the inserts were edited out of the English version. In addition, the DVD release in Japan often replaces insert songs with either an instrumental version of Hikaru Michi, or the song itself with vocals.
, which featured two episodes per disc. In Australia, 17 volumes of the first series were released by MRA Entertainment in 2005-2006, which featured three episodes per disc. In America, after complaints about confusion among which episodes were on which volumes, 4Kids released all three seasons on 13 episode collection box sets by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
& Contender Entertainment Group.
, publisher of the North American Sonic the Hedgehog comics started a series
based on Sonic X. Issue #40 was its finale, and in March 2009 a new comic book series started entitled, Sonic Universe
.
McDonald's
released a set of Sonic X disk launchers one with Sonic, one with Tails, one with Knuckles, and one with Shadow on the launchers and the disk themselves. The Leapster
, from LeapFrog Enterprises, released a Sonic X-themed math game intended for kindergarten and first grade students. Toy Island also made action figures in 2006 and 2007, some of which were, too, slightly altered re-releases of figures from a Sonic Adventure line and larger molds of part of a series of Gashapon figurines. Jazwares has also made a fairly new version of these figures now available in stores.
A Sonic X Trading Card Game
was also created.
Japan (Original country)
South Korea
USA
Canada
UK
Australia
Ireland
Italy
Brazil
Portugal
Poland
Netherlands
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Thailand
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It was produced in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by TMS Entertainment
Tokyo Movie Shinsha
, formerly known as , is a Japanese animation studio, founded on October 1946. One of the oldest and most prominent anime studios in Japan, it has also produced numerous animated series airing in other countries such as France, the United States, and Italy. The company currently uses "TMS...
with the partnership of Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
and was created by Sonic Team
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
and Sonic Project. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 4Kids currently owns and manages copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and branding
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of the series.
Series 1 (Seasons 1-2)
During the mission to rescue Cream and Cheese from Dr. Eggman's headquarters, Sonic and his friends are caught in an explosionExplosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
of Chaos Control, a reaction that occurs when the 7 Chaos Emeralds come together, that transports them to another dimension occupied by humans. When Sonic and his friends are transported to Chris' world and they get into trouble with the police they hide in Chris's house, where only Chris, his grandfather, their maid, Ella, and their butler, Tanaka, know of their existence. Eventually, however, they are accepted as heroes and celebrities, with the entire city knowing about them. The second season features plots based on Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure
is a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
, Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
and Sonic Battle
Sonic Battle
Sonic Battle is a fighting game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega and THQ for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being Sonic the Fighters...
.
In the second season (in Japan, the end of the first series), it is discovered that the Earth and Sonic's world were once a single planet, but a cataclysmic event split it into two and sent them into different dimensions. The flow of time on Sonic's world is considerably slower, with a single month on Sonic's world equaling an entire year on Earth. Because Sonic and his friends were transported to Earth, the two worlds are beginning to merge into one yet again, which will cancel out their respective time lines and freeze time itself; thus, Sonic and co. have no choice but to go back.
Series 2 (Season 3)
The new villain, known as Dark Oak, tries to get the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic, but Sonic scatters them across the galaxy to prevent Dark Oak from using their power. Meanwhile, six years having passed in the human world, Chris uses a portal to travel to Sonic's world, where only six months had passed, but ends up in the form of a twelve year old. During their reunion, Dark Oak and his Metarex army (similar to the Black Arms from the Sonic games) attacks and steal the "Planet Egg" from Sonic's planet. Without the Egg, all the plants on the planet wither. Once again, Sonic and his friends venture into space to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds. Dr. Eggman follows soon afterwords with his ship: The Crimson Egg.On the course of the Season, Sonic and his friends end up on many different planets, searching for the Chaos Emeralds and restoring life to almost barren planets. During this time, Dr. Eggman joins up with the Metarex and becomes one of the five Metarex kings soon after, along with: Pale Bay Leaf, Black Narcissus, and Yellow Zelkova. It is later revealed that Dr. Eggman was stealing technology, he, along with Decoe, and Bocoe, were later arrested by Pale Bay Leaf, and sent to jail. Sometime later Chris shows up and tries to save him. Only for Dr. Eggman to point out that he never needed any help breaking out, and the crew proceed to escape.
A few episodes later, Cosmo is eventually unveiled as an unwilling spy for the Metarex, who are part of the same race of anthropomorphic plants as Cosmo. When Dark Oak, Pale Bay Leaf, and Black Narcissus enact a plan that could destroy the galaxy, Cosmo sacrifices herself with the help of Super Sonic, Super Shadow, and Tails. Her essence is manifested in the form of a seed, which Tails plants once they return to their own planet. With the Metarex destroyed, Eggman helps Chris return to his home, implying he may never be able to return. Soon thereafter, Dr. Eggman revives his previous rivalry with Sonic, albeit a more light-hearted one.
The series ends with a couple of minor cliffhangers, such as the whereabouts of Shadow (although it is implied that Dr. Eggman knows what happened to Shadow) and what Dr. Eggman plans to do with Chris gone. In the original Japanese version, Shadow the Hedgehog is still alive and he is seen where he put a rose on Molly's grave.
Main Characters
- Sonic The HedgehogSonic the Hedgehog (character), trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
- Chris Thorndyke
- Miles "Tails" ProwerMiles "Tails" Prower, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
- Knuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
- Amy RoseAmy Rose, known earlier as Rosy the Rascal, is a video game character who appears in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games developed by Sega's Sonic Team, debuting in Sonic CD as the third recurring protagonist. Amy Rose was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino and based on one of Kenji Terada's...
- Cosmo the Seedrian
- Cream the Rabbit
- Cheese the Chao
- Shadow the HedgehogShadow the Hedgehogis a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Shadow is an artificially-created life form. His trademark hover shoes propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic, and with a Chaos Emerald he has the ability to distort time and space using "Chaos Control." Often referred to as being...
- Rouge the Bat
- Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik
- Decoe and Bocoe
- Bokkun
Minor Characters
- Chaotix Detective Agency
- Vector the Crocodile
- Espio the ChameleonEspio the Chameleonis a fictional character in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game series and media franchise. He was created for the game Knuckles' Chaotix and his subtle color changing demonstrated the technical capabilities of the Sega 32X console. The character is a 16-year-old anthropomorphic purple chameleon...
- Charmy Bee
- Vanilla the Rabbit
- Big the Cat
- Froggy
- Tikal the Echidna
- Chaos
- E-102 Gamma
- Emerl
- Maria Robotnik
Original characters
- Chris Thorndyke: Chris is a boy who becomes Sonic's best friend and good friend of his companions. He is mainly raised by his grandfather, Chuck, and his maid, Ella. He lets Sonic and his companions stay at his mansion, and he helps them find the Chaos Emeralds. After they return back to their dimension, Chris spends six years working on a gate that will allow him to transport himself to Sonic's world. After he arrives, due to one year being one month in Sonic's world, he is only 6 months older (making him look identical).
- Helen: Helen is one of Chris' closest friends, and one of the few who readily accept Sonic and his friends from the start. Helen was born with a condition that restricts her to a wheelchair and has spent much of her life a paraplegic. Despite this, Helen thrives for adventure - she showed very little fear when Sonic pushed her chair faster than anyone else. Six years later, Helen is seen to be in a relationship with Chris.
- Frances: One of Chris' friends at school. She is notable for wearing deep salmon pinkish-red overalls.
- Danny: One of Chris' friends at school who occasionally helps Sonic. He fights and loses to Chris in the Battle Tournament.
- Chuck Thorndyke: Chuck is the paternal grandfather of Chris Thorndyke. He is a scientist and inventor, who bonds with Tails due to their shared interest of inventing.
- Lindsey Thorndyke: Born "Lindsey Fair", she is a beautiful famous actress and the mother of Chris.
- Nelson Thorndyke: Chris' father who is the wealthy owner of a computer and housing business. His father is Chris' grandfather, Chuck.
- Ella: Ella is Chris's large, jolly and Hispanic maid. She befriends Amy and Cream after discovering their existence. She enjoys her job and she is very hotheaded.
- Mr. Tanaka: Mr. Tanaka is Chris's butlerButlerA butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
, who discovers that Chris is hiding the existence of Sonic and his companions. He is a skilled martial artist and he works with Topaz on occasions.
- Decoe and Bocoe: Decoe and Bocoe are Eggman's personal humanoid assistant robots. Decoe is tall, slim and gold-colored, while Bocoe is short, stubby and silver. They are almost constantly seen with Eggman, helping him pilot his machinery among other things. They are somewhat clumsy and stupid (similar to Scratch and Grounder), and they constantly reflect on their failures and insult Dr. Eggman behind his back. In Japanese, the word 'dekoboko' (凸凹) means uneven, bumpy, jagged. The symbols on Decoe and Bocoe's chests represent the two kanji in this word. Their character designs are based on the villains Omega and Epsilon from previous TMS series Kinkyū Hasshin Saver KidsKinkyu Hasshin Saver Kidsis an adventure anime series by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, originally created by Monkey Punch....
.
- Bokkun: Bokkun is a robot made by Doctor Eggman to send messages to Sonic that come in a form of a TV that blows up in the recipient's face. Bokkun is constantly mistreated and abused by Eggman, though he still is very loyal to him. He enjoys using bombs to annoy people and he flies using a jetpack. He has a weakness for sweets, as seen in episode 44, the Sewage Search, when he was bribed by Chris' friends to call for Sonic's help in exchange for Ella's apple pie and strawberry shortcake. Bokkun was also forced into helping Rouge the bat when she found out a secret of Bokkun's in episode 56, An Enemy in need, which she used to blackmail him. She found a heart shaped locket with a picture of Bokkun's crush, Cream, which was revealed at the end of the japanese version of the last episode.
- Cosmo the Seedrian: Cosmo is a young member of a plant-like alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
species known as Seedrians, whose homeworld was destroyed by the villainous Metarex. She escapes to Sonic's homeworld after the attack and meets Sonic and his companions. She has the ability to empathize with plants, trees, or the planet and determine their state of life. She also can decipher the Metarex language. Her skirt allows her to jump to high heights, and gently float down to the ground (as an homage to Alice in Wonderland). During Season 3, she falls in love with Tails.
- Metarex: The Metarex are a group of five roboticRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
cyborgs, Pale Bay Leaf, Black Narcissus, Yellow Zelkova, Red Pine, and their leader, Dark Oak, who use an endless army of robots to rob worlds of their "Planet Eggs," the source of all life, leaving the worlds dying in their wake. They later reveal that they are the masculine members of Cosmo's species, who turned their back on their own kind after using their own planet's planet egg to become extremely powerful, which eventually corrupted them. In his first appearance, Dark Oak easily outmatches Super Sonic (though it should be noted that Sonic was, by his own admission, holding back).
- Mr. Stewart is a government agent posing as a school teacher assigned to watch Sonic and his friends by the President. He is a fan of Chris' mother, Linsey Thorndyke. He always looks out for Chris and the other kids in his class.
- Scarlet Garcia is a reporter for SSTV news in Station Square.
- Sam Speed: Sam is Chris's maternal second uncle and the leader of the Speed Team, a special unit of the Station Square police force that uses high-performance Formula racing carsFormula racingFormula racing is a term that refers to various forms of open wheeled single seater motorsport. Its origin lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single seater regulations, or formulae. The best known of these formulæ are Formula One, Formula Two, and...
. He forms a rivalry with Sonic. In the Japanese dub, in every appearance he makes, he has a different nickname.
- Topaz is a GUN agent and the human partner of Rouge the BatRouge the Batis a character in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, who is a determined treasure hunter and part-time government agent who plans to make all the gems and treasures of the world hers. Her main jewel obsessions are the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds...
. She initially disapproves of Rouge, though they later become friends, and their main assignment is to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds from Eggman.
American version
In 2003, 4Kids Entertainment4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
and VIZ Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
co-licensed Sonic X for the United States, with the series being distributed by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, Sonic Team
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
. and Jetix Animation Concepts
Jetix Animation Concepts
Jetix Concept Animation was an American brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. Its programming was previously seen on ABC Family and Toon Disney; some, soon to be one, of these programs can now be seen on Jetix's successor in the US, Disney XD....
and licensed on DVD by FUNimation, Alliance Films
Alliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
(Canada) and Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
(UK). The episodes were then localized for the intended demographic, including the complete replacement of the score, as well as removing suggestive content and changing the fate of several characters, as well as editing the story to be much lighter and younger in tone for US Release. Other continuity errors include mislabelling "Chaos Control
Chaos Control
Chaos Control is a rail shooter developed by Infogrames and published by Philips Interactive Media for the CD-i, Macintosh, SEGA Saturn and PlayStation in 1995. The game may be recognised by its cutscenes, which are rendered in a style reminiscent of anime.-Gameplay:Chaos Control is a sci-fi themed...
" as Doctor Eggman
Doctor Eggman
, also known by his alias , is a fictional video game character, the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series created by Sega. Dr. Eggman is a rotund, mad scientist with an IQ of 300 who plans to conquer the world in order to build his Eggman Empire and is the archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog...
's base. While both English and Japanese characters were digitally removed or replaced with incoherent symbols (This was done by TMS Entertainment themselves, rather than 4Kids.), Chinese characters were unedited in The Adventures of Knuckles and Hawk, in coherence with the episode's setting.
4Kids did not dub the Sonic games at the time and went with their in-house VAs. Mike Pollock
Mike Pollock
Michael B. "Mike" Pollock , sometimes credited as Herb Lawrence, is an American voice actor, famous for playing characters in anime dubs by 4Kids Entertainment. He has appeared as the narrator for 4Kids shows like Pokémon and some promos on the original Fox Box and 4Kids TV. He is also well-known...
, the current voice actor for Doctor Eggman, stated during an interview that he was provided samples of the game's voice overs as a reference. The original 4Kids cast included Jason Griffith (as Sonic and Shadow), Lisa Ortiz
Lisa Ortiz
Lisa Ortiz is an American theatre and voice actress, best known for her roles in English anime adaptations. She is perhaps best known for the roles of the high-elf Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War, Lina Inverse in Slayers, and Tony Tony Chopper in One Piece...
(as Amy), Amy Palant
Amy Palant
Amy Palant is an American voice actress and singer. Her most famous role is that of Miles "Tails" Prower in the English version of Sonic X and, from 2005, the video games of the franchise....
(as Tails), Dan Green
Dan Green (voice actor)
Daniel Alexander Green , is an American voice actor, voice director and script adapter who has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media...
(as Knuckles), Rebecca Handler
Rebecca Handler
Rebecca Handler , mostly known as Rebecca Honig or Rebecca Honig Freeman, is an American voice actress, who works on the properties of 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media & FUNimation.- Filmography :...
(as Cream), and Mike Pollock
Mike Pollock
Michael B. "Mike" Pollock , sometimes credited as Herb Lawrence, is an American voice actor, famous for playing characters in anime dubs by 4Kids Entertainment. He has appeared as the narrator for 4Kids shows like Pokémon and some promos on the original Fox Box and 4Kids TV. He is also well-known...
(as Dr. Eggman).
As 4Kids owns the international distribution rights to Sonic X, the edited version of the show was then provided to most other countries around the world, including most of the countries of Latin America and Europe. The show was dubbed into the corresponding languages for each country, but the footage had the edits already made in the American version, along with the music changes. Furthermore, the scripts for the foreign dubs were based on the revised dub scripts of the American version rather than the original Japanese scripts, most likely as a way of maintaining consistency with the edited footage. The only other countries to receive their footage of Sonic X directly from Japan—without any of the edits made by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
--are France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(including Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
), South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
The cast of the 4Kids production eventually became the official cast for Sega's Sonic games from 2005 to 2010.
When a producer for the series was asked about any prior experience with the Sonic franchise, he replied, "I've never played the game, seen the series or read the comics."
As of 2011, 4Kids Entertainment still owns the North American rights to Sonic X as of this day. The edited dub airs on Toonzai (formerly The CW4Kids
The CW4Kids
The CW4Kids is a Saturday morning cartoon block on The CW Television Network that premiered on May 24, 2008 in the place of Kids' WB...
) in reruns, and the entire series can be viewed online at 4KidsTV.com, 4Kids' YouTube channel, Hulu, and Toonzaki, although the episodes are only available in the United States.
However, in July 2009, 4Kids uploaded a preview for a subtitled episode of the Japanese version of Sonic X. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCWWiWOQxCo Season 1 of the Japanese version with English subtitles were uploaded to Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
, along with the dubbed version of the complete series. http://www.hulu.com/sonic-x More recently, the Japanese opening and closings were added to 4Kids' YouTube channel. On June 7, 2010, 4Kids had begun releasing Season 1 in Japanese on their YouTube channel. By June 11, 2010, the dubbed version of the complete series and the First Season in Japanese with English subtitles became available on 4Kids' YouTube channel. As of June 28, 2011, all episodes of the Japanese Sonic X with english subtitles became available to watch. http://www.toonzaki.com/sonicx
Censorship
Although all the episodes aired in the US, they were not presented full-length compared to the original Japanese version. In the Japanese version, some scenes from some Sonic X episodes contained material such as profanityProfanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
, violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
, and death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. As a result, 4Kids Entertainment removed most scenes containing these elements, due to the fact that the American version was rated TV-Y7 FV, although most of the fighting was kept in all the episodes. A glaring example of this is in Episode 3, where police-issue rifles have laser-blaster sound effects in the dub, despite obviously being gunpowder weapons.
Theme songs
For the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, much of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the opening song was performed by a female singer repeating the show's title numerous times, the U.S. ending theme was kept, however, and all of the inserts were edited out of the English version. In addition, the DVD release in Japan often replaces insert songs with either an instrumental version of Hikaru Michi, or the song itself with vocals.
DVD releases
All Sonic X episodes were released in America and Australia. In 2005, four volumes were released in the UK by Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
, which featured two episodes per disc. In Australia, 17 volumes of the first series were released by MRA Entertainment in 2005-2006, which featured three episodes per disc. In America, after complaints about confusion among which episodes were on which volumes, 4Kids released all three seasons on 13 episode collection box sets by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures...
& Contender Entertainment Group.
Tie-ins
In September 2005, Archie ComicsArchie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, publisher of the North American Sonic the Hedgehog comics started a series
Sonic X (comics)
Sonic X was an ongoing comic book series published by Archie Comics, based on the English dub of the Japanese anime of the same name. Like Archie's other title, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic X features SEGA's mascot video game character Sonic. It began in September 2005 and was originally meant to be a...
based on Sonic X. Issue #40 was its finale, and in March 2009 a new comic book series started entitled, Sonic Universe
Sonic Universe
Sonic Universe is a comic book series set within Archie Comics's Sonic the Hedgehog continuity, designed to expand the horizon of that fictional universe. Sonic Universe deals with various characters throughout the fictional universe, including Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna and many more...
.
McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
released a set of Sonic X disk launchers one with Sonic, one with Tails, one with Knuckles, and one with Shadow on the launchers and the disk themselves. The Leapster
Leapster
The Leapster Learning Game System is an educational handheld game console aimed at 4 to 10 year olds , made by LeapFrog Enterprises. Its games teach the alphabet, phonics, basic math , and art and animal facts to players...
, from LeapFrog Enterprises, released a Sonic X-themed math game intended for kindergarten and first grade students. Toy Island also made action figures in 2006 and 2007, some of which were, too, slightly altered re-releases of figures from a Sonic Adventure line and larger molds of part of a series of Gashapon figurines. Jazwares has also made a fairly new version of these figures now available in stores.
A Sonic X Trading Card Game
Sonic X Trading Card Game
The Sonic X Trading Card Game is an introductory-level trading card game based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game property from Sega. The card game, from Score Entertainment, debuted in August 2005.-Card elements:...
was also created.
Broadcast history
Japan (Original country)
- TV TokyoTV Tokyois a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
(2003-2004)
South Korea
- Jei TV
USA
- FoxBox (2003–2005)
- 4Kids TV4Kids TV4Kids TV was a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...
(2005–2008) - The CW4KidsThe CW4KidsThe CW4Kids is a Saturday morning cartoon block on The CW Television Network that premiered on May 24, 2008 in the place of Kids' WB...
(2009–2010) - Toonzai (2010–present)
Canada
- YTV (TBA)
UK
- CITVCITVCITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
(2004–2006) - JetixJetixJetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
(2004–2008) - Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(TBA)
Australia
- Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
(13 September 2004 - 14 December 2004) - Seven NetworkSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
(2005–2006) - BoomerangBoomerang (Australian TV channel)For the original Boomerang channel, see Boomerang .Boomerang is a cable and satellite television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting, a unit of Time Warner and its main flagship channel of Cartoon Network...
(TBA) - Disney XDDisney XDDisney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
(2012 or 2013)
Ireland
- RTE TwoRTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
(2003–2008) - RTE OneRTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
(2008-present)
Italy
- Fox Kids (2004-2005)
- Jetix (2005-2008)
- K2
- Italia 1Italia 1Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival...
Brazil
- Jetix
- Rede GloboRede GloboRede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
Portugal
- SIC (2005-2006)
Poland
- JetixJetixJetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
(2004-2008) - PolsatPolsatPolsat is Poland's second biggest television channel, founded on December 5, 1992 and owned by Zygmunt Solorz-Żak.Polsat belongs to the Polsat Group , which also owns other channels:*Polsat HD*Polsat 2 International*Polsat News*TV Biznes...
(2007-2009)
Netherlands
- JetixJetix (Netherlands)Jetix was a children's television programming brand owned by Disney-ABC Television Group broadcast in the Netherlands. It was previously known as Fox Kids. This version of the channel was also available in Belgium on Telenet and TV Vlaanderen and Belgacom TV...
(2004-2009)
Taiwan
- Yoyo TV
Hong Kong
- TVB JadeTVB JadeTVB Jade is a flagship TV channel in Hong Kong, established by Television Broadcasts Limited, and is one of the free-to-air Cantonese language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival ATV Home...
Thailand
- Modernine TVModernine TVModernine TV, formerly known as MCOT Channel 9, is a Thailand television channel. The headquarters are located in Bangkok, Thailand. The channel began operation as Thai TV Channel 4 on 24 June 1955 and its the first television channel on air in Thailand....
See also
- List of Sonic X episodes
- List of television programmes broadcast by ITV
External links
- Sonic X at Sonic Central
- Sonic X at Sonic Team
- Sonic X (anime) at Absolute Anime
- Sonic X at TV Tokyo (Japanese)
- Sonic X at Wikia