The Fascinating Lore of Rings in the Sonic Series

Check out Manta Sleep here bit.ly/3E1qXgm and make sure to use chaomix for 10% off your order!
Rings, they appear all over Sonic's world. So much so that I think we forget to take the time to think... what the heck even ARE these things? Let's uncover the fascinating lore of the rings!
---Table of Contents-----
0:00​​​​​​​ Intro
3:24 Where Do Rings Come From?
5:16 What We Know About Rings
7:12 Different Interpretations
9:51 My Theory
11:40 Conclusion
12:22 End Screen
Intro song by Hyper Potions:
/ hyperpotions
⭐Become a chaomix KZbin Member!
/ @chaomix
🔥Buy chaomix merch here!
kzbin.infostore
👍Follow me!
Twitter: / chaomix
Twitch: / chaomixttv
Instagram: / chaomixttv
Facebook: / chaomixttv
💬Join the discord!
/ discord
#sonic #sonicthehedgehog #sonicfrontiers

[@chaomix]

Let me know what you think is the true origins of the rings! Also, huge thank you to Manta Sleep for making videos like this possible! Check out www.mantasleep.com and use code "chaomix" for 10% off your order on their top of the line sleep masks!

[@Sonikku_Za_Hejjihoggu_1991]

i have no idea why rings exist lmao

[@RameNoodls]

The true origins is eggmans robot pooping

[@XxDramaticBatu]

nice sonic x style thumbnail, its great

[@MLat3]

Honestly i just went by what the archie comics said

[@SonicTheHedgehogXEdits]

I like the role that they play in Satam, Archie, & Sonic X

[@RogersPS5]

Impossible to imagine the sonic the hedgehog series without rings honestly

[@bluestar5812]

Sonic and the Black Knight had apples and yellow fairies instead of rings. I think there are normal rings in one single stage that is made to look more like a traditional Sonic game.

[@dolomite1067]

​@@bluestar5812Every world (except for Misty Lake and Faraway Avalon) has a Legacy Stage that is shorter, but has Rings, Egg Flappers, and a Goal Ring.

[@P-P-Panda]

Seriously it would be weird

[@SN64YT]

I think it could be possible honestly.

[@thedredayshow9246]

​@Redm1nwhat would we use to refill Sonic's health? If rings don't heal him, what will?

[@winnerthecoolguy2009]

I always thought there were two types of rings in the Sonic universe, the man-made rings used as curency like in Sonic Unleashed, and the "power rings" that naturally spawn in random places like in underground tounels or in your bathroom

[@camoshunthetankengine1]

Imagine taking a dump and feeling a power ring on your butt

[@HOTD108_]

What's the point in seperating the two? Why can't you just say that the naturally spawning ones are also used as currency? There's no reason to split those two functions into two different types of ring. There's one type of ring, the naturally spawning kind, but they're extremely valuable due to their protective qualities and the fact that they tend to spawn in dangerous places.

[@carlosemilio5180]

Sonics gonna be seeing a different inflation than what devianart puts him through

[@DaynNight1234]

​@HOTD108_ I mean I see what you're trying to say but at the same time ops way of thinking is also a good idea too and makes sense

[@DaynNight1234]

There's not really a point of separating then yeah but I think it could work

[@jamiegioca9448]

For a time, I used to think that rings, springs, boosters and the likes weren't canon. I thought they were a metaphor for Sonic's physical prowess and durability. Also, I wonder who at Sega was like "Yo, y'know those coins that Mario collects? Let's just add a big ol' hole in the middle of 'em and call it a day"

[@normalgraham]

This is so interesting. The way people engage with games tells you so much about them. It's truly fascinating. People watch movies differently too, like some people will miss entire subplots. Ludology really shines a light on your preconceived notions

[@devEdev1100]

I always thought that too except for the rings. Like no one actually sees the springs or boost pads, they're just there for the player

[@eyzmaster]

You know, 99% of platformers from the early 90s add similar currencies? XD At least Sonic's was pretty original compared to most...

[@Jay_D_Ashe]

Probably Takashi Iizuka

[@tf_is_this_shit]

Probably to differentiate Sonic from Mario even more

[@Hypershadic23]

I've always figured that rings were just a natural occurrence in Sonic's world made by the Chaos Emeralds. My headcanon is that the rings possess only a fraction of one of the emeralds' power which is why they're able to boost the strength and speed of Sonic and the others and also why you need a good amount of them to go super.

[@zahir1014]

Well I have some good news for you in the Archie universe they are made from the energy from a chaos emerald

[@arkansamana963]

my headcannon is that the core of the planet naturally produces rings that would later go up to the surface/platforms

[@Pingwn]

My speculation is that they are either spawn by the chaos emeralds or by the master emerald.

[@Meepmeep189]

It should also be mentioned that in Knuckles' Chaotix, at least in the Japanese manual, the Chao Rings are forms of crystallized Master Emerald Energy. The idea that Rings have residual chaos energy has a lot of merit.

[@krxxc.kk6]

cool to see you here, your remixes are great !

[@UltimaShadowX]

It would definitely be cool to have a Frontiers styled mystery plot to the rings, would be really cool to see something so big to Sonic get properly explored.

[@jamiegioca9448]

Like the game did the Chaos Emeralds

[@nyhtfall1969]

i always dug that admittedly it wasn't really a question I was asking but I'd be interested none the less

[@finalhazard247]

Please god no. The explanation to the chaos emeralds was so boring.

[@swagxd3970]

​@@finalhazard247the full explanation of the chaos emeralds are nice doe

[@Mr.Feather130]

I'll be down for it especially we got info on where did the chaos emeralds come from in frontiers

[@enzo1673]

I find it weird that some people call rings coins like they literally called rings called them that it’s quite a pet peeve for me

[@ISAAC607]

Sonic coins

[@chasethemaster3440]

@@ISAAC607lol

[@donstarplayz]

I like how he says “Kintobor” like it’s a month of the year 😂. “Sonic Superstars, releasing: Kintobor 17th!”

[@MSCLeap75]

I really like when rings are used to gradually increase your speed like in Advance 2, 3, & Unleashed. Hopefully they bring that back in future games.

[@SymbioteMullet]

Using a gameshark to lock your rings at 999 in Advance 2 made the speed remarkably silly, you'd hit blur speed in about one screen of movement and regularly go off screen too! (And you needed your ring counter locked to survive at that speed too)

[@agentomecha634]

I like to imagine that the rings and Chaos Emeralds are connected to each other in some way considering the fact that collecting enough rings opens a ring portal to the Chaos Emeralds and the rings also allow you to use the Super Form with the Emeralds. Them being by products of the Chaos Emeralds would also make a lot of sense too.

[@rym99]

This was my headcanon/imagination before watching: Rings randomly appear around the word occasionally, but are more commonly found on the island that the animal people live on. No one has been able to figure out where they came from, even in this age of science. When held in one's "nonexistent pocket" (something that Sonic probably has) they allow them to endure most damage that would normally injure them.They are often used as a currency and under certain circumstances (being "is this an endless runner game?") can be used to upgrade one's attributes. This is also what I imagined the events leading up to Sonic 1 would be: Dr. Robotnik, before meeting Sonic, was trying to see if the rings could be used as a renewable energy source, but with the small amount in the area he lived in, there was no efficient way to harness their energy, which is only worthwhile in groups of tens or hundreds. So he traveled to South Island, where rings were extremely abundant, but found a better power source in the animal buddies there. He built Scrap Brain Zone in order to mass produce badniks, one day Sonic came around when he was capturing Flickies, and the rest is history.

[@Catfan0202]

That is amazing and logical headcannon

[@Ocarinist_Drew]

Okay hear me out. Bees. Each zone has helpful bees (and I don't mean like Charmie, I mean actual insect-sized bees) who make rings out of honey to guide Sonic in the right direction. It might sound crazy, but this theory is supported by an unused voice line in SA1 where Ryan Drummond's Sonic says, "WoAh! BEe riNgS!" Anyone who has the PC or Steam version of SA1, I highly recommend you to go through all the voice files so you can hear this line.

[@NessTheChosenOne]

So... Are the rings edible then?

[@benogle4951]

So I take it you're a channel pup fan

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

One other kind of ring are Shadow's inhibitor rings. While they might not be related, I think if they are, it has some interesting implications. Imagine if ordinary rings function as power inhibitors as well, just in a weaker, more disposable context. Rather than literally being lost when he gets hit, when Sonic is about to be hit, he ditches his inhibitors or breaks through their limit in order to dodge at unfathomable speeds (hence why he's also briefly invincible after losing some). They don't make Sonic more powerful, rather they allow him to use more of his own power without the risk of damaging himself. Why would they exist everywhere, then? For the same reason as if they originated from the chaos emeralds, but kind of the opposite. They're needed in order to handle the chaos emeralds safely without being overwhelmed by their power. Who exactly put them there would still be up in the air, the Master Emerald, the Ancients, the Echidnas, Gerald, but they would mostly be everywhere so that Eggman's robots could utilize them and safely bring the Chaos Emerald back to their boss if they found one. Personally, I like the idea that it was the Echidnas that created them to safely capture the Emeralds and then proliferated them as currency, since it fits with their mesoamerican, "El Dorado" esque inspiration to be flush with insane amounts of gold, so much that it's not even really precious to them anymore

[@AkihiroDigital]

While the actual in-game explanation of the Ring's origin is unknown, I also like the theory of the Rings being a guide towards the Chaos Emeralds or just being connected to the Chaos Emerald in terms of their energy. This was a very interesting video and I liked it!

[@lks19]

My headcanon is that rings are portal fragments, that's why they appear everywhere. They also hold some sort of life energy can be gathered to give a little bit of "boost" for Sonic, and can also be reunited to open bigger portals (to special zones or bonus zones).

[@bowserbreaker2515]

I really like how they are handled in Satam and Archie. The idea of them being mystical, and them being able to fend off magic in the comic was cool.

[@superaustin6383]

Unless I'm getting things mixed up don't the Rings have some magic origin too in Archie? Like some maybe we're man made but not all casue Sonic gathered a lot and it took him to another universe and he could use that ring to grant a wish.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

@@superaustin6383 Yeah, they are man-made and magical.

[@jessiebell6884]

​@@bowserbreaker2515I can't quite remember, but I think the rings were created by Nate Morgan in the comic. Uncle Chuck later used them to make Sonic's shoes.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

@@jessiebell6884 I know. But they were mystical.

[@SisterRose]

I always assumed the rings were a by product of the Chaos Emeralds too, but curious what the deal with the Chaos Rings in Chaotix was meant to be, did they ever receive an explanation?

[@Michael-bb5dd]

The Chaos Rings are crystallized Master Emerald Energy.

[@bazinger1142]

7:50 Fun Fact: Rings did show up one more time later on during the 4-episode special (actually colored correctly), where they were guarding the tomb with the Chaos Emerald. Also similar to the games, Scratch and Grounder while falling, were tasked will collecting 100 rings, similar to ring quotas often needed to access Chaos Emeralds in the games.

[@BedBuggy]

Something I find interesting was their integration in 3D Blast, where it's explained that Flickies can form teleporting rings and Tails & Knuckles were able to create rings of their own, allowing access to the special zone.

[@anarchimation1448]

I like how that concept was used in the Sonic movies as a mode for transportation

[@CanalDaZoeiraBrasil]

You can never grab too many rings

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

RRRIIINGS!

[@bluestar5812]

I like the concept of Rings being a representation of good karma. Like they are the opposite to the Chaos Emeralds. Very much like the Chaos Emeralds always existed, so are the Rings. The emeralds are the negative, and rings the positive, balancing one and another. The Chaos Emeralds can corrupt people's hearts, and the Rings are used to maintain the Super state without the user being corrupted by the power.

[@antshield]

I actually agree. It would be so simple to throw in a line "Rings are by products of Choas Emeralds" and it would fit the lore just fine.

[@SisterRose]

I feel like given the Chaos Emeralds have "Infinite" power, Ring Energy is used to stabilise the Super Transformation rather than fuel it. THere's times we see people use them without rings.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

You forgot to mention that Knuckles Chaotix had Chaos Rings (people like to jokingly call them Fruit Loops lol) instead of Chaos Emeralds and Eggman even uses one of them to power up Metal Sonic into Metal Sonic Kai. Despite not being of much importance or introducing a new Super Form outside of getting a Good Ending I thought they would still be worth bringing up.

[@Goofballcus]

Sonic Prime’s version of rings are my favorite. Obviously because there the most accurate. And I feel like the origin of the Rings is the origin given to them by Sonic X. It makes the most sense cause there Magical rings in the games, not manufactured like in SatAM or Archie.

[@ALegendaryBlueHedge]

Except they don't really affect the story and get forgotten after two episodes

[@mistersp3753]

I like Channel Pup's explanation for rings: Bee Theory. It's totally ridiculous, but it's a fun concept.

[@levisjammin]

My headcanon is that all the shows that make the rings into some kind of crazy power source for Sonic are actually half-correct. The headcanon actually is that Sonic is able to do those feats on his own, but he risks harming himself in doing so. The rings actually provide Sonic with the protection to let himself do crazy things like spindash through robots like butter. That also meshes with the gameplay pretty well since Sonic uses rings as an HP system. Although, as boost became a thing, they do seem to be a power source still.

[@stolenalt]

I believed that the rings were made of remnants of chaos energy. And the reason why they are in every level is because the chaos emerald's probably leave a trail. Which explains why sonic can become super with them and why they somehow disappear when super.

[@multivewer]

Honestly the rings being a byproduct of the chaos emeralds make a whole lot of sense

[@pencilvoid]

My headcanon is that rings are condensed Chaos energy/a diluted form of it. They don't provide enough energy to unlock new power (i.e. Super forms) on their own but they provide enough to support/enhance existing abilities (i.e. Boost, Silver's psychokinesis, Super form once the Chaos Emeralds provide it). It's also possible that rings are produced by the Master Emerald, which also has Chaos energy. Maybe normal rings are produced by the Chaos Emeralds and giant rings are produced by the Master Emerald.

[@unnamed12346]

I always imagined the Rings were byproducts of the Emeralds, and Ironically Super Sonic is the key to that since whenever he transforms, he seemingly goes straight to 50 Rings or 100 as of Frontiers, but in that case, it's the Emeralds generating them for the User, and outside of those do-or-die moments, the Emeralds aren't gonna react

[@Anonymous-bi5pv]

9:17 i love how tails is just awkwardly standing there

[@EmilceMaidana2010]

I love the idea that was used into the movies where the rings work like portals to others dimensions.

[@jessiebell6884]

It was the same in the comics, though there were several types of rings used. The power rings, like we see in the games, the portal rings, which though they are also in the games are used slightly differently, Tether rings like from Knuckles' Chaotix, and Red Star Rings, which seem like an exponentially more powerful version of a power ring. Power rings sort of made a disappearing act as far as I can tell after Sonic used a crap-ton of them at once to defeat Ixis Naugus. Portal rings(also called warp rings) were still used frequently.

[@winnerthecoolguy2009]

Bro I can't believe he forgot to talk about the chaos rings from Knuckle's Chaotix

[@DangerDurians]

Clearly theyre onion rings And the chaos emeralds just make you really hungry

[@castform7]

Y'know, the way you explained rings and their connection to Chaos energy makes way too much sense with how well they tie into each other. I was not expecting Sonic X to have a somewhat solid answer (even if it's not actually canon).

[@cyanidethefox2160]

makes sense. they also give you can extra life when you get 100 of them. but what are the origins of the coins in mario?

[@joewilliams-un8vu]

Perhaps the most known Sonic item. I guess it makes sense for it to have so much lore then

[@sonicthechilihog2529]

If the rings are constantly being made by the Chaos Emeralds and used for currency in Sonic‘s world, then I have to say, the economy is about to be the 2nd biggest problem in the world behind ancient gods, evil robots and a a Egg shaped man with a mustache.

[@jeannesery9936]

Rings is so important but can easily be forgot

[@Howardpower679]

Rings are just a gameplay mechanic though.... THE Giant rings are the exception

[@onesywashere]

Fun fact, in Sonic Advance 2, the more rings you have, the easier it is to reach your top speed and enter boost mode

[@matevidakovics5271]

My headcanon is jow they protect our beloved blue cactus-pig, is this: When collected they turn into a dust that covers the holder, protecting it. When the holder gets serously the absorb a huge part of the damage, while scattering around.

[@NewSkater3000]

Just came to comment that your thumbnails are still really good! Even the ones that don't try to replicate the Adventure artstyle like this one!

[@mysticmonkey6132]

I like to think the out-dated Sonic backstory can still hold water if it had some changes. Such as replacing "Dr. Kintobor → Dr. Robotnik" for "Dr. Robotnik → Dr. Eggman". Instead of an instant transformation, it was a slow change... kind of like how Simon Petrikov slowly became the Ice King while Dr. Eggman still identifies as Dr. Robotnik, just embraced his villain identity. That way, Dr. Eggman would still be the grandson of Prof. Gerald Robotnik. Dr. Robotnik still made the gold rings as a mean to syphon off the excess chaos energy from the emeralds and to "harmonize" it. If the opposite of chaos is harmony, then that's what ring energy is. The rings are still made of gold, but the harmonized energy caused their diamagnetic properties of the gold to be effected by geomagnetic properties of zones... and "what are zones?" is a whole other Sonic theory of mine. (Ley-lines between Gaia Temples, where Chaos-Earthen energies terraformed zones for millions of years.) It's also important to know that while Dr. Robotnik made hundred-millions of gold rings, there is no "infinite" or some means of duplication for these rings. There is a finite number of rings, it's just unknown how many rings there are. (This is important! Especially their use of international currency.) Each and every gold ring holds a charge of ring energy (or "harmony energy") and that there are two ways gold rings can lose that charge: 1. Carrying rings offer an invisible protection and will disperse and scatter when the ring-carrier is attacked or hurt. These dropped rings will flicker out of existence unless collected and stabilized. 2. Super transformations absorb ring energy, this cause rings to deplete per second. Where do these lost/depleted rings go when they lose their charge? I believe they go to the "Special Zone" and line the Special Stages. When not collected by Sonic running through Special Stages, these rings will recharge and will eventually warp back to Sonic's Earth (or certain planets) and will appear in a random zone. So that one ring you collected long a go in Sonic 1 Green Hill could be the same ring you collected in Sonic Adventure Emerald Hill. Thus, this cycle continues for gold rings. Sonic collects them, the energy within these rings deplete, and they warp to the Special Stage where they get recharged, then they warp back to Earth somewhere else entirely where Sonic or someone else collects them and the cycle continues. If you don't like the idea of gold rings being man-made, especially by Dr. Robotnik, it could be possible gold rings just come from the Special Zone and have no discernable origins other than being a by-product of chaos energy. I myself simply prefer they remain gold, even if it's some sort of phenomenon-altered gold. They have been long-established as "gold" rings and not want the metal excused to "look like gold".

[@AnglesSol]

Little head canon theory. Maybe Sonic and company needed to collect certain amount of rings in the special stages in order to gain some kind of immunity to their huge power or maybe even stablish some kind of "chaos link" in order access their full power. That could also explain Sonic's sudden use of some abilities like the boost and lightspeed dash (without upgraded shoes), they are chaos energy he has come to be familiar with and knows how to use it.

[@Hutch2Much]

this has been on my mind for a while, and i’ve always subscribed to the idea that they’re related to the chaos emeralds. great video!

[@caiocesarmarques4765]

I like to think that the Rings is, not only a byproduct of the Chaos Emeralds, but also have some life force inside in. Because the Rings appear in different dimensions/universes that you start thinking that is the chaotic life force of these dimensions that create the rings. Also, you forget about Knuckles' Chaotix. That game go full on the Rings' lore. Especially because is the only time we see Artificial Rings created by Dr. Eggman. Rings with the gray color, that once a badnik is destroyed, it's fall on the ground, bounce a little, and crumble into dust.

[@Vidiocity92]

Funny seeing Sonic rings have actual lore vs other collectibles like Mario coins

[@LoganLanimations]

Meanwhile in an alternate universe: The Fascinating Lore of Coins in the Sonic Series

[@azzaelulbrinter]

I vividly remember when I was a kid and saw a poster for the Secret Rings and I though "omg! they will finally explain what's up with those!"

[@romelenleg]

I like the idea that the chaos emeralds immense power just happens to randomly create rings as a result. I also like the idea that rings could be like a way to bridge the gap needed to use the chaos emeralds properly. Their little bit of chaos energy is needed or else the emeralds can't turn sonic super normally, and you NEED 50 or more rings for it to work right.

[@ZekeachuYT]

Chowmix is the Matpat of the sonic franchise.

[@SlyceCaik]

personally i keep forgetting how integral they are to the series due to how prevalent they are. with that said, ive always wondered what the heck was up with all the other gimmicks sprawled across the zones. springs, boost pads, red rings, they all act as guides as well but i have yet to wrap my head around how they can just exist without being questioned

[@LumiNyx_x]

I'm not sure whether this is me hallucinating false memories or not but I distinctly remember in the Sonic Mega Collection + , I once read a comic where the rings held a very prominent role in the storyline. It quite literally is his lifeline, and it powers him up, whether he is beat down or is physically exhausted, they surge him with both mental and physical energy.

[@thevioletskull8158]

I love when you talk about Sonic lore

[@sirhoopsalot7605]

my headcanon for rings is that they're naturally occuring, small caches of chaos energy, not necessarily as a direct result of the chaos emeralds, but rather from the ambient chaos energy of the universe. the ring shape is a sort of stable state that free-flowing chaos energy always becomes given enough time, which also kinda fits them in with the loop land formations, portals, and maybe the chaos rings, and the chaos emeralds and master emerald are simply a result of massive amounts of chaos energy being condensed. rings can vary in size depending on the amount of chaos energy stored within it, so a ring completely drained of energy would become really small, upon which they can either be kept to be filled with energy later (i.e. personal warp rings) or can be traded around as currency. red star rings are a special case as they're completely man-made, thus they don't serve any practical purpose outside of serving as more currency. basically they're a $20 bill much like a ring is a $1 bill

[@alejjtheninja5803]

NYRR I love Chamonix so much, these quick hits of lore are so deeply satisfying. I love lore and I love Sonic, and NOBODY DISCUSSES THE LORE, not on a regular basis. And the conclusion is always something I can take away to chew on for a while, it's IDEAL content!

[@coltonk.3086]

I actually came to the conclusion that they were tied to Chaos energy a while ago. Not only because of Super Sonic feeding off of the energy, but also Sonic in the boost games. In the comic that came out for Sonic 2 (the movie), Tails is tracking Sonic through reading his signals of Chaos Energy, implying that his speed is tied to Chaos energy, and by extension, the emeralds. The idea of rings being tied to Chaos Energy is by far the best explanation.

[@user-xj3wy7qc9g]

SEGA: “rings are the byproduct of the Chaos Emeralds” Fans: O N I O N R I N G S

[@mogooviejake]

in my head canon, people put rings in places, go home, and come back the next day to see if sonic collected them. just to be like " WOAW, SONIC WAS HERE"

[@sonicheroesfan1]

Wait, so, if we're going by the theory that Rings contain small amounts of Chaos Energy of a single use, then... ...could this explain how Tails was able to create the fake yellow emerald in SA2? Like, what if he made it out of rings? That could mean that it'd be entirely possible for that fake emerald to release that chaos energy for its original plan (blowing up in the eclipse cannon) or the backup plan (performing chaos control to save Sonic)

[@MrNeedleM0use]

I would love to know where the rings came from. Its interesting to think about their origins and their lore in the Sonic franchise.

[@justanactualrealbear]

Funny enough, in the Archie Comics, while the Rings were Artificially made originally, after the Reboot, the Lakes of Rings (yes multiple Lakes across the globe) and the Rings that they spawned were naturally occuring on Earth, and at one point after the reboot, when a Chaos Emerald is found at the bottom of one, it actually spawns a Red Star Ring, which is far more powerful than the regular Gold ones, and it even gets used to give Nicole, Sally Acorn's AI Companion that she's had since childhood (in SatAM, Nicole was just a handheld computer but in the comics she eventually developed as a character and even made a physical form for herself), a Super Form of her own called Overclocked Nicole.

[@johnnypollack3243]

Keep up the awesome work and videos chaomix

[@thedemonofswordsmanship5470]

The amount of energy the rings have has always been weird in the games the boost uses 'ring energy' yet the boost doesn't drain your rings to use and the one ring rule implies that that particular ring you can keep recollecting has unlimited energy.

[@bunilla3856]

whenever ppl asked "where does sonic put all his rings?" i always assumed they were absorbed the same way the chaos emeralds were. makes sense that they'd be connected

[@Elycha_]

An interesting take! I'd love to see it become cannon!

[@NootOfRoses]

I've been honestly saying this for years. It feels so good to finally have some validation with this.

[@SirenRunner]

Rings being a byproduct of the chaos emeralds would make perfect sense. I personally like to imagine that the rings are a guiding force that guide those to the chaos emeralds when the balance of good and evil is shifted. The rings appear around sonic and friends when evil in the world is at its strongest and vice versa when good is at its strongest. Or, maybe the rings start randomly appearing in a set radius of a chaos emerald's current location. This radius can be massive which can help explain Planet Wisp's appearance. It also explains floating rings high in the air or in space. IDK rings are wack, yo

[@Spinball2006]

My headcanon for rings was that they were plants that would grow on any surface whether grass or metal and after blooming, the ring would pop out of the flower and float there while the flower died off, just leaving the ring and that's why places like Green Hill have more rings, cause its easier for the flowers to grow in soil then in metal or other surfaces

[@atone404]

the song from the intro sounds like when jerma was singing “shes got her hair tied up in braids”

[@bluegamercatlady5248]

I also headcanon that the rings are manifestations of chaos energy. I also like to think that only certain individuals can use their power too, hence why it's used as just currency in Sonic's world.

[@byjohan832]

Rings are honestly the coolest videogame collectable ever made

[@mushroomfusion245]

I’ve always liked the idea that the Chaos Emeralds constantly need to release excess Chaos Energy that builds up inside of them, like we see in Sonic Unleashed or Adventure when there’s none at all. Releasing a tiny bit of that energy creates a ring, and with how small of an amount that released energy is, this is why they’re so plentiful in various locations.

[@smoothie7362]

I believe the chaos emeralds create the rings because the special zones where they chaos emeralds are usually found are filled with them. The sonic 1 special stages have rings surrounding every chaos emerald almost as if they are being produced so much that they leak into the normal world

[@saiprimal98]

I can't remember where I heard it from but I heard an idea that the rings are possibly like a physical manifestation of chaos energy. Which makes sense especially considering everything mentioned about them here.

[@tucannYT]

I'm surprised the Chaos rings from Knuckles' Chaotix weren't brought up. I feel like it would've been the perfect video to mention them alongside the dark rings.

[@komradekush3411]

SEGA should hire chaomix as their Sonic Lore Master

[@LoadingError0]

i REALLY hope the next story-heavy sonic game expands on the rings, like how we got some more lore on the chaos and master emeralds in frontiers

[@valmid5069]

Cant wait for more content!

[@ChaosBloodNinja]

Rings are such an insanely iconic part of the Sonic franchise it's shocking how little we know about them canonically. It's sometimes brushed off as them just being game mechanics and nothing more, hence why they're not seen or brought up at all in the IDW comics, but most of the TV shows feature them one way or another with Prime treating them in-universe the way they're depicted in gameplay. Them being tied to the Chaos Emeralds makes way too much sense to not be the case in my opinion. My most hairbrained theory is that they're exactly the same items as the Halos in Bayonetta, another Sega franchise which references "Eggman the Destroyer" in the first game. Halos are also used as currency like Rings are.

[@softgirlvelvet8446]

My theory about Sonic using rings to keep his super form is that going super is severely and intensely physically draining. So it makes sense that rings are drained as they're still working as a damage buffer there.

[@fatalwaffle1715]

Cool video bro!

[@theadventuresofdonny7122]

Bee Theory. The only explanation we need.

[@user-tw4pu3mb1v]

True

[@winterbelle4043]

I've always wondered about this!! I like the idea that rings are connected to the emeralds; it's really cool!

[@yousefslimani99]

Thanks for keep supporting sonic contents, Keep up the good work

[@nicholasharlan6504]

I’ve always thought the rings are small manifestations of chaos energy since the emeralds are constantly radiating this stuff into the world. Over time it coalesces and takes the form of the floating rings. Would also explain why, in knuckles chaotix, the ancient civilization that sank into the sea chose the shape of a ring to attempt to create artificial emeralds. The chaos rings could potentially be a huge indicator of the true nature of rings but alas that games story is so obscure.

[@ChaosInferno101]

These shiny rings will always be one of the most recognizeable thing in the sonic franchise

[@MegaManNeo]

If those rings rather emerge from the Chaos Emeralds which themselves come from the Master Emerald, it'd explain why it is always Sonic to find a ton of these up to a point in Frontiers where it seems like he can even spawn these himself.

[@LizHawk]

Your explanation sounds like the most logical one, wish they confirm it as canon

[@inendlesspain4724]

Reading the japanese manuals of the classic games, they say that both the normal rings and the giant rings that take you to special stages are actually devices created by the "ancient civilization" that used to inhabit the different islands the classic games take place in (which would later be revelaed to be the equidna tribe). They even say they have special inscriptions carved in them in a different language which in turn are different depending on which region/island they are from.

[@slateoffate9812]

I present Sonic: Chaos Force(non-archie edition) Theory: Given that the Chaos Emeralds are extraterrestrial while the Master Emerald isn't, that suggests there's a connection with wider implications than a single planetary oddity, some kind of Chaotic aspect of the universe. I suspect this is why the levels in the games, even the city-themed ones, are so weird and unlivable; they've been warped by ambient chaos energy. This is, after all, a clue in the name. I think this "Chaos Force" might also have some Narrativium mixed in. Those loops and gaps in city zones can't be good in the long term, so perhaps the location reverts after the local narrativium(i.e. plot) moves on. I also believe that Rings may be a manifestation of Chaos Energy that beings like Sonic and event robots can absorb and later expel for whatever purpose.

[@wispy5543]

if the rings are connected to the chaos emeralds specifically, why do they also lead to the time stones?

[@nottoofast]

I prefer rings existing in lore only as a currency and nothing more. Just my preference.

[@FinmacleFresh]

Sonic rivals confirms that rings are a form of extra energy. Silver explains in one of the cutscenes tires out and pushes himself by using rings as a form of energy

[@sonicmariokirbys.m.kchanne8592]

Maybe Rings just reappear with Chaos Energy randomly because in all Sonic’s Adventures there are always there and when Sonic or his Friends collect them or some random guy collects rings, the rings make an invisible shield that allows invincibility until the person gets hurt by someone or something and as we all know 50 rings or more could make an Special Stage Portal unless the Emeralds were on random places instead of special stages.

[@Agent_Extreme]

Love the vids, bro! You think you could do a video about Whisper and Tangle from the IDW comics?

[@andymcmillan2193]

Sometimes I think any individual rings that haven't been collected become special stage rings.