- "Rings are how all advanced cultures travel between worlds."
- ―Sonic the Hedgehog to Tom Wachowski[src]
Rings are small, round, golden objects that turn into large portals when thrown. The portals are capable of transport to any location that the user can imagine within the universe.
Sonic was given a bag of rings from Longclaw when he was being chased by the Echidna. He later lost them in a confrontation with Tom Wachowski, requiring him to venture to San Francisco to retrieve them.
History[]
Attack on Longclaw's Home[]
- "These rings will be your most important possession. If you're ever discovered, use one."
- ―Longclaw to Sonic the Hedgehog[src]
When forced to flee by the Echidna's invasion, Longclaw handed her bag of rings to Sonic the Hedgehog, and is told to use one to travel to the Mushroom Planet when discovered. Longclaw threw one to a planet far away named Earth, where Sonic must run to. Seeing as how the Echidnas approach Longclaw, Sonic rushes back, unfortunately facing a now closed portal.[1]
Losing the Rings[]
Sonic loses his rings
- "Mine are on top of a pointy building I've only ever seen on your skintight T-shirt. So, I'd like you to take me to San Francisco so I can get back my rings and use them to go to the Mushroom Planet."
- ―Sonic the Hedgehog to Tom Wachowski[src]
When discovered by Green Hills sheriff Tom Wachowski, Sonic gets shot by a tranquilizer dart when he wanted to travel to the Mushroom Planet after causing a massive energy surge. Dropping a ring, it opens to San Francisco, a city seen on Tom's shirt, and he drops his bag of rings onto the Transamerica Pyramid, tumbling upon the floor.
After hearing his pleas for help, Tom relunctantly agrees to escort Sonic to San Francisco, with the hedgehog deeming it a road trip. They proceed to stop by various places, such as Piston Pit, and thwart the forces of the mad contracted scientist Doctor Robotnik along the way.[1]
Retrieving the Rings[]
Sonic reaches for a ring
- "Now, all I have to do is think of where I want the other end of the ring to appear, and I throw it."
"So, that's it? We did it?"
"Yeah! We did it!" - ―Tom Wachowski, Sonic the Hedgehog and Maddie Wachowski[src]
Eventually reaching up the Transamerica Pyramid, now with Tom's wife Maddie, Sonic and the Wachowskis are confronted by Dr. Robotnik. Sonic, in order to spare the Wachowskis' lives, throws them off the building, fighting Robotnik's Badniks. Hit by Robotnik's missile, Sonic regains consciousness, lucky to find Tom and Maddie still falling. He reaches for a ring with his quill and throws it to farmer Zimmer's barn in Green Hills. Challenging Robotnik to a race to be caught, Sonic runs across several locations via his rings, still followed by Robotnik in his Egg-Pod. Sonic, opening a ring back to Green Hills, is blasted through by Robotnik.
Sonic sends Robotnik to the Mushroom Planet
A final battle between Robotnik and Sonic ensues, with Sonic destroying Robotnik's vehicle. Sonic then asks Tom to open a ring to the Mushroom Planet, sending Robotnik off to that planet.[1]
Searching for Sonic[]
Knuckles' Search[]
- "The hedgehog. He's the key to everything. He's the reason I'm investigating the most desolate corners of the galaxy."
- ―Knuckles the Echidna[src]
Via a ring, Knuckles the Echidna travels to a volcanic area, believing Sonic the Hedgehog is there somewhere. He however falls from a cliff he climbed and confronts scavengers from another ring that kidnap Knuckles. They take him to Casino Night, where Knuckles defeats a mighty beast. Winning a bag of rings, Knuckles forms a short alliance with the scavengers, wanting them to help him search for Sonic.[2]
Tails' Search[]
Tails travels to the Aquatic Ruins
Hopping through a ring, Tails arrives at Longclaw's Home, scanning Sonic the Hedgehog's DNA which creates a rough map of places he might've been to. With his rings, he travels to the Marble Zone, the Spring Yard, the Aquatic Ruins and Hill Top. Resulting in a dead end, Tails reads an energy signature stemming from the Mushroom Planet and Earth, travelling to the populated planet Earth, Knuckles and the scavengers also appear in Hill Top. Knuckles knows one more lead though, that of the Mushroom Planet.[2]
Eggman's Back on Earth[]
Knuckles appears through a ring to the Mushroom Planet
- "Let's light this candle... and see who comes a-knocking."
- ―Doctor Eggman[src]
After Doctor Eggman activated his energy beacon, scavengers step through a ring portal leading to the Mushroom Planet, where they are defeated by Eggman's booby traps. Rushing to enter the ring, Knuckles steps out, demanding the location of Sonic the Hedgehog, as he holds a quill belonging to him. Eggman replies it is from Earth, and is happy to show who it is from. Meanwhile, Sonic has sent Tom and Maddie to Rachel's wedding in Hawaii with a ring, having the entire house for himself.
Eggman and Knuckles then transport themselves to Green Hills, Montana on Earth, battling Sonic. However, Tails, who had arrived earlier that day, saved him.[3]
Travel to Siberia[]
- "This Knuckles, that Knuckles, doesn't matter. We're gonna get there first."
- ―Sonic the Hedgehog to Tails and Wade Whipple[src]
When learning about the mystical and mighty Master Emerald, Sonic and Tails must protect it from the hands of Doctor Eggman and Knuckles. They thus travel to Siberia, and meet the evil duo there. With the now achieved Master Emerald Compass, Sonic is chased by Knuckles, eventually losing his rings. Sonic throws the compass to Tails, but it is snatched by Robotnik. With an avalanche incoming, Sonic must snowboard down a mountain with an unconscious Tails, calling Tom to have him throw a ring to Hawaii. However, Tom has swapped a normal wedding ring with a magical ring, having to disturb the wedding in order to save Sonic and Tails. Thusly, from a ring, Sonic and Tails storm through the wedding with gallons of snow.[3]
Battle Against the Giant Eggman Robot[]
Team Sonic flies out of a ring
After Eggman had obtained the Master Emerald, and Sonic, Tails and Knuckles have agreed to work together, Team Sonic travels to Green Hills, confronting the Giant Eggman Robot. The team fights Eggman and his enormous mechanism, forming an order to keep the Master Emerald safe at all times afterwards.[3]
Using a Ring Gun[]
Willoughby and Mason step out of a ring
- "No, I can't get sucked into that thing! Help me!"
- ―Willoughby to Mason[src]
With the Guardian Units of Nations having recovered objects used in the Battle Against the Giant Eggman Robot, they have also collected a number of rings, which former G.U.N. agent Mason used on agent Fairley to banish him to the Mushroom Planet. Mason and Willoughby, affiliated with The Buyer, were supplied with a Ring Gun as to capture Knuckles the Echidna for him. In a confrontation at Neon Nightz Lanes, what the agents entered through a ring portal, Willoughby shot a ring under his feet, teleporting Knuckles from the bowling alley to the trunk of the agents' car.[4]
Willoughby and Mason are pulled by the ring's suction
Knuckles eventually escaped when he was assisted by Wade Whipple, continuing their quest to Reno, Nevada, where the agents confronted the Echidna once more. Willoughby now shot two rings, Knuckles deflecting them as they approached him. The rings opened facing each other, sucking each other in. Knuckles clung onto the ceiling while Willoughby and Mason struggled to hang onto something. They found themselves traveling through both rings until the portals eventually collapsed into one another.[5]
Investigating Gerald Robotnik's Laboratory[]
Doctor Eggman and Sonic arrive on Gerald Robotnik's Laboratory
- "Sonic, try to reach one of my rings!"
"Got one! Check this out. Trick shot!" - ―Tails and Sonic the Hedgehog[src]
Team Sonic were recruited by the Guardian Units of Nations sometime later to neutralize Shadow the Hedgehog in Tokyo, Japan. Boarding a G.U.N. Helicopter, the team was flown to the city through a ring portal. After chasing Shadow and Stone, Team Sonic allied themselves with Doctor Eggman in order to find Shadow and Gerald Robotnik, using a ring to travel to the latter's traced base of operations.
Entering the lab, Team Sonic and Stone were ambushed by Shadow, tying them to a pole in one of the lab's sections. After explaining their plan to destroy the world using the Eclipse Cannon, Team Robotnik departed in the Mecha Crab to the Guardian Units of Nations Headquarters in London, England to retrieve a second keycard required to activate the Space Colony ARK. A Black Hole Orb was deployed and exploded, Tails urging Sonic to equip one of his rings. Sonic reached for one and kicked it into the air, the ring bouncing off of flying debris until it finally opens in front of the black hole just as the team were getting sucked into it.[6]
Battle for Earth[]
- "Oh, Knuckles, please tell me you have a..."
"Last one."
"Let's make it count." - ―Tails and Knuckles the Echidna[src]
Landing safely on a mountain near the laboratory, Team Sonic watched as the laboratory they narrowedly escaped from got sucked in by a black hole. They afterwards used another ring to transport themselves to the Wachowski Residence, Tails devising a plan to get the keycard before Team Robotnik does. In his explanation, he explicitly stated that the vault in which the key is kept is inaccessable via ring as all images and schematics have been wiped by G.U.N.
Upon arrival in London, England, Sonic breaches the Guardian Units of Nations Headquarters along with the rest of the team, which attended to an injured Tom Wachowski who had the keycard stolen from him by a violent Shadow. After the Space Colony ARK had risen, a vengeful Sonic decided to use the Master Emerald's power, teleporting atop the Green Hills Sheriff's Station where he met Wade Whipple practicing hockey with the emerald as a puck. Sonic took the emerald and fought Shadow as Super Sonic. Meanwhile, the Eclipse Cannon's laser prepared to fire. Doctor Eggman, betraying Gerald Robotnik after his views conflicted with Gerald's, was thrown off of one of the ARK's catwalks. Gerald turned around, oblivious that Eggman was saved by Tails and Knuckles, both arriving aboard the space station via ring portal.
The three combined their efforts to steer the cannon away as Super Sonic and Super Shadow stopped the laser from impacting Earth, slicing the Moon before its eventual deactivation. Knuckles noticed Sonic, weakened, falling back into Earth's atmosphere. Panicked, Tails queried if Knuckles has another ring left, Knuckles showing the last one to him. Knuckles throwing Tails towards Sonic, Tails grabbed onto him, preparing to throw the ring but fainting before he could do so. Knuckles followed suit, throwing the ring and grabbing onto Sonic and Tails as the ring deployed, safely landing Team Sonic on the ground.[6]
Capabilities[]
- "Now, all I have to do is think of where I want the other end of the ring to appear, and I throw it."
- ―Sonic the Hedgehog[src]
Rings can create portals that can reach practically anywhere in the universe that the user can imagine, from several dozen meters away from their origin point to planets on the far side of the universe. However, it is implied that there is a limit to their warpable range. They are seemingly able to interface with their wielder's mind, allowing them to be controlled by thought.
To utilize a ring, the user must either throw or drop a ring with the intention of using it while thinking of the place they want the other end of the ring to appear. The user does not even need to have any prior knowledge of the place they want to go to with a ring, as long as they can picture it in their mind. Conversely, if its wielder has no intention of using it, a ring will not activate, meaning that accidentally dropping a ring will not activate it. Furthermore, they cannot be used to track a person; Tom could for example not open a ring to Sonic's whereabouts in Siberia without being able to picture where Sonic was. After moving an appropriate distance following the user's release of it, the ring will position itself vertically, although it can also set itself up horizontally when lying on the ground and expand significantly. The size the ring will assume seems to depend on the user's preference. However, should the ring collide with something before it positions itself following the user's release of it, it will not activate.
Once in position, the ring will open a portal inside its inner rim that leads to the wielder's desired location. Also, once used, the ring that made the portal will either shrink away until it ceases to exist or simply fade away. The stability and duration of the transition through rings vary. However, a ring usually closes up after someone or something, be they either a singular entity or multiple ones, have passed through it.
If two rings expand too close together, it will cause feedback that will suck anything nearby into, going through the rings over and over, eventually causing whoever is stuck going through to the rings to spin around and draw to each other which will cause an explosion. It is unknown if this kills whoever gets stuck in the blast or it sends them to an unknown location.
Items[]
Appearances[]
Sonic the Hedgehog- Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Knuckles | Episode 1.01: The Warrior
- Knuckles | Episode 1.04: The Flames of Disaster (depicton)
- Knuckles | Episode 1.06: What Happens In Reno, Stays In Reno
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Trivia[]
- In the video game series, Rings are a recurring gimmick that serve as unique health systems, granting extra lives, Continues and points beside the ability to turn into a Super form when collecting 50 of them. Canonically, Rings are common mystical objects of unknown origin, embedding Ring Energy and functioning as currency.
- Rings function similarly to the video game series' Giant Rings, larger versions of the usual Ring that are portals often leading to Special Stages.
References[]
