Earth

Earth broken up as seen in Sonic Unleashed

Earth is the main planet in the series and third planet from the Sun. It is the setting of all canonical Sonic games according to the original Japanese continuity. According to the old American continuity however, all games prior to Sonic Adventure were set on the fictional planet Mobius. This is now taken as non-canon and those games were retconned into taking place on Earth.

Concept

Sonic the Hedgehog was created as a mascot for Sega, replacing its former mascot Alex Kidd. In order to maximize the appeal of the new character, his background (and the planet on which he lived) was given no detailed information in any of the initial games of the series (from the first game through to Sonic 3D Blast). This allowed the separate branches of the company (Sega of Japan, Sega of America and Sega of Europe) to each create its own stories to fit third-party sponsors such as comics and TV series.

Whereas Sega of Japan considered the setting of the games to be Earth, the English-speaking versions of the games considered the setting to be a fictional planet. The name Mobius was adopted as canon by Western cartoons and comics. However, since the release of Sonic Adventure, which was obviously set on Earth and featured more human interaction than previous games, the Japanese backstory has risen to prominence in the rest of the world as well. The name "Mobius" is sometimes believed to have originated from a mistranslation of a 1992 Yuji Naka interview, but Sega of America had been using the name since at least 1991.

Overview

Humans and Mobians are the dominant species of Earth, however a number of deities are also present on the planet, such as Chaos, Solaris and Dark Gaia (along with its counterpart Light Gaia, nicknamed Chip). The term Mobian is sometimes used by fans of the series to describe Sonic the Hedgehog and the other anthropomorphic animals, as they hail from the planet Mobius in several continuities such as comics and cartoons (According to Sonic X, they are aliens from an unknown planet that is often called "Mobius" by fans). Humans and Mobians co-exist peacefully with each other and are affiliated with each other. Examples of this include Rouge the Bat and Shadow the Hedgehog both being part of the human military force G.U.N.

Although many countries have been seen, especially in Sonic Unleashed, the country most games take place in is the United Federation, based on the USA. In the capital Central City lies a White House-like building with the a President as the head of state. It's main military is the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N), which is shown to be a brutal "shoot now, ask questions later" organization that aim for justice to triumph but are often clouded in judgment. Some of Earth's cities seem to be very advanced and futuristic in, as robots and super technology are commonplace especially to G.U.N, who create weapons primarily to combat Dr. Eggman. Futuristic cities are seen in Sonic Heroes, Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity holding robots, flying cars, Extreme Gear and transport tubes similar to those in in the TV series Futurama.

History

Ever since the planet began, it has been locked in a cycle of destruction and resurrection by Dark and Light Gaia. They have been doing this since time immemorial, but sparingly. Chip mentions to Sonic that it takes millions of years for Dark Gaia to be fully reborn.

Over 4000 years ago, two warring civilizations of Echidnas, the Knuckles Tribe and Nocturnus Tribe existed. In order to overcome their foes, Pachacamac, the leader of the Knuckles tribe, attempted to steal the Chaos Emeralds from the Chao. His civilization was almost completely wiped out by their guardian Chaos in the process. In that same time, a series of sentient weapons, the Gizoids, were created by the Nocturnus tribe, one of which was thought to have destroyed the "Fourth Great Civilization." In actuality, this Great Civilzation was the tribe themselves, and they were all really pulled into a different dimension known as the Twilight Cage. The alien Black Doom seems to have been observing the planet and warped the Glyphic Canyon to it over 2000 years ago.

50 years ago, aboard the Space Colony ARK, Professor Gerald Robotnik was forced by the President of that time to create the Ultimate Life Form. Aided by Black Doom, they created Shadow the Hedgehog. Gerald also studied the Gizoid, Chaos and the Chaos Emeralds. G.U.N. invaded ARK and either imprisoned or killed all those related with "Project: Shadow". Gerald's granddaughter Maria Robotnik, who had become very close to Shadow, was killed and Shadow was sent to Earth. Gerald was later executed on Prison Island.

Recently, the planet has been attacked by the monster Chaos, threatened with impact by the falling ARK, invaded by Black Doom and the Black Arms, nearly sucked into a giant black hole, and broken apart and plagued by Dark Gaia. All disasters have been stopped by Sonic, Shadow and their allies who use the powers of the Chaos Emeralds to protect the world time and again, something the President has admiration to them for.

Important Places

Christmas Island

According to a Japanese manual for the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, this is Sonic's birthplace. This is possibly the only instance in which a specific real-world location has been referred to in the Sonic video game continuity. It may refer to either Christmas Island, Australia, or to Kiritimati

Green Hill Zone

see main article for details

Angel Island

see main article for details

Station Square

A large seaside city that was home to many humans and Amy Rose. Famous for its train station, hotel and amusement park. It was defended by Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower from Eggman, but it was still destroyed by Perfect Chaos prior to his deafeat by Super Sonic.

Stages

• Emerald Coast
• Casinopolis
• Twinkle Park
• Speed Highway

Mystic Ruins

A group of ancient Echidnan ruins located in a forest near Station Square.

Stages:

• Windy Valley
• Lost World
• Final Egg

Prison Island

G.U.N's high security island where Gerald, Shadow and Sonic were all prisoned on at separate times, which Eggman successfully manages to blow up. Although destroyed, the island remains as a toxic waste dump where Black Arms were held.

Stages:

• Iron Gate
• Weapons Bed
• Security Hall
• White Jungle
• Green Forest
• Prison Lane
• Metal Harbor

G.U.N. Fortress

The G.U.N. Federation's headquarters appears in Shadow the Hegehog and is considered the most secure shelter on Earth. The President is taken there for safety when the Black Arms attack Central City. The underground fortress is heavily guarded by three mother computers, armed security cameras, and an immeasurable number of G.U.N. troops and machines. It is located in a mountain near the sea, as seen on the platform where the goal ring is located.

Central City

The capital of the United Federation, home to the President.

Stages:

• City Escape
• Mission Lane
• Aquatic Mine
• Route 101
• Radical Highway
• Route 280
• Central City
• Highway
• Office
• Empire City (maybe)

Soleanna

The city of water, a beautiful and elegant city resembling Venice, Italy. It was led by the Duke of Soleanna until his death, but is currently ruled by Princess Elise the Third. The events of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) took place there.

References

Features of Sonic the Hedgehog