Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)

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Tails
Miles Prower
Sonic the Hedgehog character
Miles "Tails" Prower Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed.png
First appearanceSonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Created byYasushi Yamaguchi
Designed byYasushi Yamaguchi (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)
Yuji Uekawa (Sonic Adventure)
Voiced by
In-universe information
Full nameMiles Prower
SpeciesFox
GenderMale
Occupation
  • Mechanic
  • pilot

Miles Prower (Japanese: マイルス パウアー, Hepburn: Mairusu Pauā), better known by his nickname Tails (テイルス, Teirusu), is a fictional character in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the title character's best friend, sidekick, and most recurring ally. Tails also appears in his own spin-off series, comic books, cartoons, and films. He is the second character to consistently appear by Sonic's side in the series. The name "Miles Prower" is a pun on "miles per hour", a reference to the famed speed of Sonic the Hedgehog. He is a two-tailed fox, hence the nickname. A mechanical genius and skilled pilot,[6] he can fly by spinning his tails like a helicopter rotor and can be seen flying in multiple games and TV shows created by SEGA.[6] He debuted with the release of the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in October 1992. In the mid-1990s, he was featured as the main character in a number of spinoff games: Tails and the Music Maker for the Sega Pico, and Tails Adventure and Tails' Skypatrol for the Game Gear.

Concept and creation[]

Yasushi Yamaguchi, originally the main artist and zone designer for Sega's Sonic Team, designed Tails for an internal competition for a sidekick to the speedy hedgehog. The character was based on a kitsune,[7] a creature from Japanese folklore that could over time grow multiple tails. The character was also meant to hold a "deep admiration for Sonic".[8]

While Yamaguchi's entry won, Sega of Japan wanted to name the character "Miles Prower" (the surname being a play on "per hour"), whereas the American subsidiary Sega of America preferred the moniker "Tails", respectively. Sega of America crafted a compelling backstory for the character to convince the Japanese parent company and Sonic Team to have him named "Tails". Yamaguchi ended up with a compromise, using "Miles Prower" as the character's real name; "Tails" would be his nickname, giving the character the full name of Miles "Tails" Prower.[7]

The character debuted as Sonic's tag-along partner in the franchise's second game and has remained an important player since. However, the character's uniqueness was not established until Sonic the Hedgehog 3, when players were given the power to control his flying (although the AI would make Tails fly when he would get off-screen).[9]

Tails was redesigned (along with all of the other Sonic characters) by Yuji Uekawa for Sonic Adventure. His fur changed color to a more yellow shade as opposed to the orange in his early appearances, and he gained blue irises.

In the American Sonic comic book, along with the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons, he was originally dark brown, but the comic artists and cartoon artists eventually decided to change this to match his in-game appearance.

Voice portrayal[]

Throughout the years, Tails has been voiced by several different voice actors. In the Japanese dubs, Tails was voiced by Nariko Fujieda from 1994 to 1996, Hekiru Shiina in 1996, Kazuki Hayashi in 1998, Atsuki Murata from 2000 to 2001 abd by Ryō Hirohashi since 2003.[2]

In Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails was voiced by Christopher Stephen Welch, he was then voiced by Bradley Pierce in Sonic the Hedgehog and then by Lainie Frasier in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.[1][2]

Beginning in 2003 with Sonic X, he was voiced by Amy Palant who would later take over the role in the video games, starting with Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005.[2] Plant was replaced by Kate Higgins (who is well known for voicing Frankie Stein in Monster High) in 2010, beginning with Sonic Free Riders.[10] She continued to voice the character for three more years until 2013, her final role as Tails was in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.[10] Since 2014, Tails has been voiced by Colleen Villard, beginning with the television series Sonic Boom.[4]

Characteristics[]

The character of Tails is portrayed as a very sweet-natured[11] and humble fox[12] who, before he met Sonic, was often picked on because of his twin tails. Sonic, however, saw Tails' special talents and cheered him on, causing the fox to have some admiration towards the blue hero.[13] As a longtime friend,[11] he admires Sonic[14] and dreams of being just like him.[15] Though he lacks much courage,[13] he wants to prove that he can be counted on, and has fought Dr. Eggman and his robots without the aid of Sonic before.[16] He loves mint candy,[17] tinkering with machines, and flying mechas.[13] Despite overcoming most of his fears and becoming very bold, Tails remains keraunophobic.[17]

Tails has been described as a mechanical prodigy who rivals Dr. Eggman but has not yet realized his full potential.[14] Coupled with his skills as an airplane pilot, he uses a biplane nicknamed the Tornado to assist Sonic on their adventures.[18] Additionally, by spinning his two tails like a helicopter rotor, he has the unique ability to push himself through the air[11] to catch up with Sonic; however, this tires him quickly, hence his use of planes.[11] Unlike Sonic, Tails has the ability to swim. Like Sonic, he can transform into Super Tails, but he requires either the Chaos Emeralds (Sonic Mania) or the Super Emeralds (Sonic 3 and Knuckles) to transform. Also, when in this form (In Sonic 3 and Knuckles only), a swarm of Flickies circle Tails, this is often referred to by fans as the "Flicky Army". This was seen first as what seemed to be a one-time appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles and then again in Sonic Heroes, where alongside Team Sonic members Sonic and Knuckles, would transform themselves into their super forms.[19]

Appearances[]

In video games[]

Tails debuted in Sonic 2 for the SEGA Master System before being made playable in its Genesis version, playing the part of Sonic's sidekick. He was a playable character from the second controller and could be chosen as player one for the main game. Sonic Chaos (1993), on the Game Gear/Master System was the second game where the player could control Tails and the first time the player could control his flight. Tails also made a minor cameo in Sonic CD for the Sega CD, appearing in the debug mode unlock screen.[20] Tails makes an appearance alongside Sonic in the little known arcade game, SegaSonic Popcorn Shop, a Japanese arcade game which also dispenses popcorn.

Tails made his third major appearance in the 1994 game, Sonic 3 (& Knuckles), with the ability to pick up Sonic and use his tails to fly him to other areas, rotating his tails like a helicopter. He also gained the ability to swim under water, something Sonic has never been able to do.

Tails has also starred in games without Sonic, such as Tails' Skypatrol, which is a side-scrolling score attack like game for the Game Gear released exclusively in Japan. This was followed by Tails Adventures later the same year, which is a Metroid-esque platformer with RPG elements.[21] Tails is also the star of Tails and the Music Maker for the Sega Pico.

Tails was intended to appear in the Sega 32X game Knuckles' Chaotix, but was scrapped during development. Leftover data of him still remains in the game, and can be played as by using a cheat code.[22]

In later games, Tails had roles that require unique modes of play including Sonic Adventure, where he appears as one of the six playable characters.[23] His gameplay is based around standard platforming stages, but the goal of each stage is to get to the Chaos Emerald before Sonic, or to the missile dud in the final race against Eggman. In Sonic Adventure 2, he is featured in third-person-shooting segments, seated in his "Cyclone" mech.[24] These stages, along with Dr. Eggman's shooting levels in the same game, were very similar to the E-102 Gamma levels of Sonic Adventure. In Sonic Adventure, he was given a theme song "Believe In Myself", of which another version appeared in Sonic Adventure 2.

Tails also appeared either as a playable character or in a supporting role in many later Sonic titles and still often resumes his role flying other characters around, such as in Sonic Heroes, where Tails appears on Team Sonic as their flight-type character, being capable of carrying both Sonic and Knuckles the Echidna.

Tails is seen in the background of Green Hill Zone along with Silver and Knuckles in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and also appears as a trophy, he makes an appearance in the game's two sequels as well. He is the third character the player unlocks in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, where he acts as a team medic.

Tails appears in Sonic Unleashed, where he helps Sonic restore the shattered planet, largely by flying Sonic from continent to continent in the game.[25]

Tails takes a supporting role in Sonic and the Black Knight, portrayed as a local blacksmith who helps players craft goods from the items Sonic collects.

He appears as a playable character in all of the Mario & Sonic titles, as well as in Sega Superstars Tennis, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, and Transformed. He also appears in Sonic Colors as a non-playable character.

Tails celebrates Sonic's birthday along with his friends by setting up a party in Sonic Generations, but when the Time Eater appears, it warps them through various time holes, sending Tails to Green Hill. After Sonic frees him, Tails meets his classic counterpart (Classic Tails) and concludes that they were traveling through time and space. They accompany both Sonics throughout the game, later discovering that Eggman and Robotnik are controlling the Time Eater. Both Classic and Modern Tails, along with all of Sonic's friends, help motivate the 2 Sonics to defeat the Time Eater.

The feature to play as Tails was added to the 2011 enhanced port of Sonic CD. He later appeared as a co-op character in the second episode of Sonic 4.

Tails was added as a playable character in the enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog released in 2013 for mobile devices. The port also has the option to play the "Sonic and Tails" mode as well.

Sonic and Tails end up facing a group of villains allied with Dr. Eggman, called the Deadly Six when they were shot down while chasing him in the Tornado in Sonic Lost World. They run into Eggman and notice him wielding a Cacophonic Conch to control the Deadly Six. Despite Tails' warnings, Sonic knocks away the conch, causing the Deadly Six to betray him. Eggman reluctantly teams up with Sonic and Tails to stop them. This causes numerous conflicts between Tails and Eggman and increases tension with his friendship with Sonic since Sonic believes Eggman is their only hope in defeating the Deadly Six. Eventually, Tails gets captured in a trap intended for Sonic, and the Deadly Six plan to use this to their advantage by turning Tails into a robot. However, Tails manages to reprogram the computer that would control his mind. The seemingly-roboticized Tails confronts Sonic at the game's final stage, but by retaining his free will, he takes the Deadly Six by surprise and attacks them. Later on, after Sonic defeats Eggman at the game's climax, Sonic apologizes to Tails for doubting him. Tails forgives him and the two return home.

He is a playable character in Sonic Mania (Plus), playing like his older incarnations... along with Sonic, Knuckles, Mighty and Ray.

Tails appears as a playable character in Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, Shattered Crystal and Fire & Ice.

Tails also was featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack of Lego Dimensions. He is also playable if the player uses the Tornado as Sonic to fly around. In the story mode for the Sonic level titled "Sonic Dimensions", Tails assists Sonic using the Tornado and his technological knowledge. In the hub world, Tails has a side quest for the player to aid him in disabling all of Eggman's roboticizers.

Tails is a supporting non-playable character in Sonic Forces, finding Classic Sonic and joining up with a resistance opposing Eggman

He also appears as a downloadable Mii Fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Ultimate, as well as being featured as a Spirit in the latter.

In other media[]

Tails is a supporting character in the animated series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic X and Sonic Boom, as well as the Sonic the Hedgehog 1996. Tails also makes a guest appearance in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Let's Meet Sonic".[26] In print, he is a supporting character in the Comics-produced Sonic the Hedgehog comic series as well as the Fleetway-produced Sonic the Comic.

Tails appears in the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film during a mid-credits sequence, emerging from a ring portal onto Earth in search of Sonic.[27] Early drafts for the film featured Tails in a bigger role, with some drafts featuring him as Sonic's best friend in his world, as in the games, while another draft featured him as one of the main characters in the film.[28] However, when it was decided to center the film's storyline on Sonic being alone on Earth, the filmmakers decided to use Tails as a teaser for a sequel through a cameo in the film's mid-credits scene, a role co-writer Pat Casey compared to Nick Fury's role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[28]

Tails was confirmed to have a larger role in the sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the release of the teaser trailer, which features an orange "2" with two tails attached. The film is expected to be released on April 8, 2022.[29]

Reception and legacy[]

Reception to Tails has been widely positive. He was awarded "Best New Character" in Electronic Gaming Monthly's 1992 video game awards, stating "not only is he as cute as Sonic, but he actually serves a major purpose in the game."[30] IGN editor Lucas M. Thompson listed Tails as one of the Sonic the Hedgehog characters who should be in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, citing his importance in the series and his abilities.[31] IGN editor Levi Buchanan stated that the fan response to Tails' introduction was favorable, which led to further introductions such as Knuckles.[32] Unlike most Sonic characters, Tails has received consistently positive opinions from the Sonic fanbase over the years.[33]

Tails is remembered for helping Sonic 2 become the second-highest-selling game for the Genesis through allowing a second player to join the game.[34] He has been featured on many "Top Sidekicks" lists. Maximum PC listed him as their third-greatest sidekick,[35] Machinima.com ranked him fifth,[36] and Maxim listed him as the eighth-most-underrated sidekick.[37] Ranking him as the sixth-greatest, Mashable stated that Tails "pretty much embodies the definition of 'sidekick'".[38] Sonic and Tails were together ranked as IGN's ninth-greatest gaming duo.[33] Morgan Sleeper of NintendoLife called Tails "one of Sega's most beloved mascots".[39]

However, IGN staff writer Levi Buchanan stated that when SEGA noticed the popularity of Tails, and, later, Knuckles, they "just kept stuffing new faces and names into the game, pulling attention away from their hero."[32] GameDaily listed the "annoying sidekick" in their top 25 video game archetypes list, citing Tails as an example of this.[40] GamesRadar+ listed him as number one on their list of cutesy characters they wanted to beat up, stating that while he started out as interesting, he led to the creation of other characters who "choked the life out the franchise". They cited him being a "know-it-all" in later games as to why they hate him so much.[41] Official Nintendo Magazine listed him as the second-best Sonic character.[42]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Excluding the 2022 Netflix series Sonic Prime.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "The REAL "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" Tails voice actor speaks up!". SEGAbits. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Miles 'Tails' Prower Voices (Sonic the Hedgehog)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 31 January 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  3. ^ "SEGA Blog - Out of the Mouths of Hedgehogs". blogs.sega.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Doolan, Liam (February 1, 2021). "Tails' Voice Actor Won't Be Voicing The Character In Sonic Prime". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008). In-game description of the "Tails" trophy.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Harris, Blake J. (2014). Console wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the battle that defined a generation (First ed.). New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-227669-8.
  8. ^ "Sonic's Creator - Yuji Naka". Archived from the original on 1997-06-05. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  9. ^ "Smash It Up! - Sonic Team". October 2007. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "SEGA Blog - Out of the Mouths of Hedgehogs". blogs.sega.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Sega (1999). Sonic Adventure instruction manual, pp. 20
  12. ^ Sega (2004). Sonic Heroes instruction manual, pp. 7
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sonic Team. "Tails's official character profile". Sega of Japan. Retrieved 28 Jul 2010.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Sega (2001). Sonic Adventure 2 instruction manual, pp. 8
  15. ^ Sega (2001). Sonic Advance 2 instruction manual, pp. 4
  16. ^ Sega of America. "Tails's official character profile from Sega of America". Sega of America. Archived from the original on 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Sega (1997). Sonic Jam, Sega Saturn. Sonic World's Character Profiles (in English)
  18. ^ Sonic Team. Sonic Adventure. Sonic: I'm just glad you're okay. What happened anyway? You're too good of a pilot to just crash like that. / Tails: That was a test run using a new prototype propulsion system. It's got a few bugs to iron out. / Sonic: Why not just use my plane, the Tornado?
  19. ^ Sega (2001). Sonic Advance instruction manual, pp. 9
  20. ^ Sonic Team (September 13, 1993). Sonic CD. Sega. Level/area: Debug mode unlock.
  21. ^ "Play Tails Adventure on Great Games Experiment". Archived from the original on February 22, 2010. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  22. ^ Baird, Scott (28 December 2016). "15 Secrets Hidden Inside Sonic The Hedgehog Games". ScreenRant. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  23. ^ "Sega of America". Sega.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  24. ^ "SONIC ADVENTURE 2". Sonicteam.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  25. ^ "Sonic Unleashed E3 2008 Stage Show Demo". GameSpot.com. 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  26. ^ @cartoonnetwork (July 19, 2019). "GOTTA GO FAST to keep up with this legendary duo!