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South Island
'Sonic the Hedgehog' location
South Island in ending of Sonic the Hedgehog
First appearanceSonic Generations (2011)
GenrePlatforming

South Island (サウスアイランド, Sausu Airando) is a location in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is also the main setting of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and has made many appearances in the earlier games. South Island is known to be a trove of gems and ancient ruins, that supposedly shifts along the water due to some connection to the Chaos Emeralds.[1] The island is also inhabited by animals.

History[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

Mega Drive[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic went to South island, only to find that the evil Dr. Robotnik had built a base on the island and turned the local wildlife into Badniks to aid in his search for the legendary Chaos Emeralds.[1] However, the heroic hedgehog was able to stop Robotnik and chase him off the island while also securing the island's Chaos Emeralds, which he used to ensure the island's prosperity

Master System/Game Gear[]

Sonic01

South Island in 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic1SummitMap

A close-up map of the island's summit.

In Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit), the evil Dr. Robotnik had begun menacing South Island by imprisoning animals in Badniks and spreading pollution across the island from his Scrap Brain Zone. This prompted the heroic Sonic the Hedgehog to set out to defeat Dr. Robotnik. Along the way, Sonic collected the island's Chaos Emeralds. After defeating Robotnik, Sonic used the Chaos Emeralds to erase the pollution cloud above South Island.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit), Dr. Robotnik returned and kidnapped all South Island's inhabitants, along with Miles "Tails" Prower, demanding a ransom of six Chaos Emeralds to return them.[2] Upon discovering this, Sonic went out to stop Robotnik once again. After Sonic successfully defeated Robotnik on the island, Tails was freed from the doctor's captivity.

Sonic Chaos[]

In Sonic Chaos, Robotnik stole one of the Chaos Emeralds on South Island. As a result, the rest of the Emeralds became unbalanced, causing South Island to slowly sink into the ocean.[3] However, Sonic and Tails managed to recover all the Emeralds and save the island after defeating Robotnik.

Sonic the Fighters[]

Sonicgcps2 003-large

The South Island stage in Sonic the Fighters.

In Sonic the Fighters, a section of South Island was used as a fighting arena for a fighting tournament. The arena was set on a small island plateau, in an area that looked mostly like Green Hill Zone, and served as the home field for Knuckles the Echidna. The victor of the fighting tournament fought their first round here in order to earn the right to use the Lunar Fox for a mission to destroy the Death Egg II.

Sonic Blast[]

In Sonic Blast, Robotnik's latest floating base, the Silver Castle, threatened South Island, so Sonic and Knuckles resolved to take it down.[4] After gathering all the missing Emerald Shards, the duo was able to make the Silver Castle crash into the ocean.

Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood[]

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, South Island appeared as the western landmass on Earth. This iteration of the island included Green Hill Zone, Central City and the Mystic Ruins.

After learning of the Marauders' uprising, Sonic returned to South Island where he teamed up with his old friends to uncover the mystery of the Marauders and find the missing Knuckles. After searching much of the island, Team Sonic found Knuckles in Mystic Ruins. Believing Eggman to be a part of this crisis too, the group tracked Eggman to his hideout in Green Hill Zone. When Eggman revealed that he was against the Marauders as well, he teamed up with Sonic and co. for their assault on the Marauders' base in Metropolis.

Sonic Generations[]

In Sonic Generations, as a side-effect of the Time Eater's time-traveling, a past version of South Island's Green Hill got transported to the White Space where it was drained of color and life.

After ending up in the White Space, Modern Sonic paid a visit to Green Hill. By speeding through Green Hill, Sonic was able to fix space, thereby restoring Green Hill from its lifeless state. When the Time Eater later got destroyed, Green Hill was seemingly return to its rightful place in the timeline on South Island.

Sonic Runners Adventure[]

In Sonic Runners Adventure, South Island was the location Sonic traveled to after hearing from Tails that Dr. Eggman was causing trouble there. After finding Tails, Sonic put a stop to Eggman's plans on the island before following Eggman off the island.

Sonic Forces[]

In Sonic Forces, South Island's Green Hill, as well as the locations within it, got changed for the worse by Dr. Eggman's industrial projects. Because of Eggman, the area would undergo heavy desertification, causing Sandworms to infest the area.

Shortly before the War to Take Back the Planet, Sonic took a trip through Green Hill before being called in to defend the City. When Eggman later seized control over the globe, he conquered South Island as well. However, thanks to the efforts of the Resistance, the Eggman Army eventually withdrew from the area.

Other game appearances[]

Sonic Adventure 2[]

In Sonic Adventure 2 and its GameCube re-release, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Green Hill Zone was a secret stage that could be unlocked by obtaining all 180 Emblems. On the Stage Select screen, the icon for Green Hill could be found on a secluded island, presumably South Island.

Sonic Battle[]

Sonic Battle features Green Hill as an unlockable arena unrelated to Story Mode. Emerald Town's landscape greatly resembles Green Hill, but whether or not it takes place on the island is not confirmed.

Locations[]

  • Aqua Lake Zone, a lake surrounded by fountains and pillars.
  • Aqua Planet Zone, a group of ruins partially submerged in water. Despite the name, there is actually very little water.
  • Blue Marine Zone, the waters off the coast inhabited by ancient ruins.
  • Bridge Zone, a long bridge over a river.
  • Crystal Egg Zone, a transparent crystal base of Robotnik's. Can only be accessed with six Chaos Emeralds.
  • Electric Egg Zone, another of Robotnik's many large bases.
  • Gigalopolis Zone, a sprawling urban area with various passages.
  • Gimmick Mountain Zone, one of Robotnik's metallic bases, apparently set inside a mountain.
  • Green Hill Zone, grassy plains with lakes and waterfalls.
    • Arsenal Pyramid
    • Green Hill
    • Guardian Rock
    • Lost Valley
  • Green Hills Zone, very like Green Hill Zone, but with normal trees instead of palm trees.
  • Jungle Zone, a rain forest with wild rivers and vines.
  • Labyrinth Zone, an underwater maze.
  • Marble Zone, ancient ruins half-sunk in lava.
  • Mecha Green Hill Zone, Robotnik's version of the Green Hill Zone, with deathtraps strewn everywhere.
  • Red Volcano Zone, an active underground area surrounded by molten rock.
  • Scrambled Egg Zone, a mountain filled with large pipes, and another of Robotnik's bases.
  • Scrap Brain Zone, a heavily industrialized area which serves as Robotnik's base.
  • Sky Base Zone, a large, weaponized zeppelin made by Robotnik.
  • Sky High Zone, the top of a mountain that reaches the clouds.
  • Sleeping Egg Zone, a mostly flat region of plains, with Eggman's self-portrait adorning parts of the background.
  • Spring Yard Zone, an urban area with pinball bumpers and springs.
  • Star Light Zone, a peaceful, highway-like city area at night.
  • Turquoise Hill Zone, a grassy hillside area, much like Green Hill Zone.
  • Under Ground Zone, a volcanic mountain, once used as a mine.
  • Yellow Desert Zone, a large yellow desert with Egyptian caverns.

In other media[]

Sonic the Comic[]

South Island STC

South Island in Sonic the Comic.

In the Sonic the Comic published by Fleetway Editions, South Island is a location on Planet Mobius which hosts a number of prominent Hill-themed Zones, including not only the Green Hill Zone but the Emerald Hill Zone as well. It is also home to the Emerald Hill Folk and the Freedom Fighters.

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie[]

South Island movie

The capital of South Island in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.

In Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, South Island, rather than being a single island, is a region in the Land of the Sky on Planet Freedom which is governed by the President. It is made up of many islands suspended in the sky. Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails serves as South Island's defenders, protecting it from Dr. Robotnik's schemes.

Archie Comics[]

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, South Island is a location on Sonic's World. In the Post-Super Genesis Wave timeline, Sonic the Hedgehog has had many battles with Dr. Eggman and his forces.

Trivia[]

  • In Sonic Forces, one can see on the world map that Green Hill covers a significant part of the island, leaving no room for the other zones depicted in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. However, this is likely due to presentation reasons and is not intended to be an accurate map of Sonic's world, much like how the continents in Sonic Unleashed do not match up with world maps from previous games.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction manual, pg. 7-10.
  2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear) Japanese instruction manual, pg. 4-5.
  3. Sonic Chaos (Game Gear) Japanese instruction manual, pg. 4-5.
  4. Sonic Blast (Game Gear) Japanese instruction manual, pg. 4-7.
70px-Wiki.png This article uses content from the Sonic wiki.
The original article can be found [[w:c:sonic:{{{1}}}|here]] and the original contributors here.
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