Ranking (most of) the Sonic Openings

What makes Sonic games better than Mario? The gameplay, the characters, the story, music, the world? NOPE! That would be the openings to each game. A short cinematic that plays at the beginning of every adventure and includes a rocking song with it. But not every opening is created equal. So, I decided to rank all of the Sonic openings from every game that has one. From the beautifully 2d animated Sonic cd opening to the Sonic Unleashed opening cinematic. I find out what works and what really doesn't work. \
Make your Own!:
tiermaker.com/create/sonic-op...
Music Used:
Marble Garden Zone Act 1 - Sonic 3
Double Down - Sonic Lost World
Sonic Boom - Sonic Cd (USA Ost)
You Can Do Anything - Sonic Cd (Pal Ost)
Open Your Heart - Sonic Adventure
Sonic Heroes - Sonic Heroes
All of Me - Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Speed Riders - Sonic Riders
Title Screen - Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Arid Sands - Sonic and the Secret Rings
Camelot Castle - Sonic and the Black Knight
Super Sonic vs Dark Gaia - Sonic Unleashed
Reach for the Stars - Sonic Colors
Reach for the Stars Recolor - Sonic Colors Ultimate/30th anniversary
Hyrdocity Zone Act 1 - Sonic 3
Friends - Sonic Mania
Hope Ster - Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

[@fnafstuff9785]

Sonic Unleashes intro will forever be a masterpiece in my eyes

[@Elite_Acro]

Agree

[@Rexy_THE_T-REX]

also aonic cds was A SUPER SONIC OPINING

[@avcables_]

Shadow the Hedgehog*

[@domoru5264]

Sonic Unleashed easily has the BEST intro in any Sonic game

[@WebSickler]

goated

[@DMFroomer]

By this logic, doesn't Adventure 2 have three opening cutscenes? Sonic breaking out of the helicopter, shredding through the streets of San Francisco, all on top of a chunk of said helicopter, hooked me into this franchise for life. And Chad Eggman busting into Iron Gate is the perfect introduction for his character.

[@00Sabersolos]

you can have control of the game before you see these cutscenes😭

[@DMFroomer]

@@00Sabersolos same goes for Black Knight. But you don't control the characters before either.

[@s-dew]

same could go for sonic 06.

[@Jackalos1]

I would say it has two: there's the Gamecube one shown above and the Dreamcast one where the title card flys onto a space background (basic but still pretty good tbh)

[@Joker_Kirby]

You can make Big appear in the cutscenes, so technically you do have some control.

[@IonicSplash365]

An entire show in the style of the Sonic CD opening would be a delight to watch.

[@HonchoV1]

At least we got the Ova.

[@Gokuorkakarot]

I always loved the fact that people still love the intro like me 🎉

[@TailsSupremeYT]

Ova is mid

[@Gokuorkakarot]

@@TailsSupremeYT if you think a masterpiece like the ova is mid then the community will come and start telling you bad things

[@ognjenmilanovic6154]

​@@TailsSupremeYTbruhh

[@stoneapollyon8313]

Sonic riders needs to make a return at some point, it had such a unique artstyle compared to the other games

[@sentinel87]

Seriously. I would’ve loved to see another animation or even a comic with this art style

[@mober7430]

And gameplay was amazing

[@KenShackler]

That Sonic 3D Genesis intro was impressive as heck back in the day. But I guess you're not giving extra points for how much these intros pushed the limits of the system at their time.

[@Unknownslenderman]

omg this The Genesis at least deserves a bit of credit for that, that's pretty impressive on a Genesis

[@purpleprawler9286]

doesnt make them look any less shitty

[@officialFredDurstfanclub]

The Genesis and Saturn openings for 3D Blast are the most charming things ever

[@Nitrooncrack]

5:03 I thought I was the only one that appreciated that scene. Eggman dead ass flies over Station square just to assert his dominance into the minds of the civilians.

[@SPIDUTO]

Sonic unleashed and 06 cutscebes are ahead of its time

[@HonchoV1]

Really need ambitious cutscenes like those again

[@eliel0503]

Hey, just letting you know that Toei Animation didn't animate anything in the Sonic CD cutscenes, basically Studio Junio did everything and Toei gave them the budget, this was common for mayor studios to subcontract other smaller studios to help with their weekly animes

[@animepanda8905]

The original Sonic Colors opening will always be my favorite due to it being in a very special place in my heart. When i was younger this game dominated most of my life i remembered coming home from school and hopping on the wii to play it and I would never skip the intro cause it was that good. Every time i hear Reach For The Stars I start to tear up a little because of how much i miss those days man. I miss the wii and I miss a time when games were more passion than profit and i know things will never be the same. But I'm glad I got to experience those days man.

[@HonchoV1]

I got it for Christmas from my aunt. Spent the while holidays playing it at my grandparents, good times indeed.

[@theonlybilge]

Sounds pretty gay

[@agatsumazenitsu2684]

Agree

[@agatsumazenitsu2684]

Got it on my 8 birthday

[@alonsomoyano9278]

14:43 The only things I could hear (without headphones) were a guitar, drum beats and a bit of piano

[@SuckHeh]

Sonic unleashed is a truly masterpiece

[@alonsomoyano9278]

I haven’t played it, but the daytime stages look so fun, but the nighttime stages don’t.

[@NotNenma]

​@@alonsomoyano9278night stages are ok, but the battle song is overused as fck, it gets so annoying But boss battles are cool

[@sil9411]

@@alonsomoyano9278 lol a lot of people hate it, i dont mind them but i just wish they would give the battle music a break 💀

[@hotwetsoup3565]

@@alonsomoyano9278 dude, if you learn combos it's actually hella fun

[@stan2961]

Night time stages with the combat is very satisfying to play. The song is just overused.

[@masterreece1098]

Honestly sonic mania's opening has always been my most favourite because of its amount of creativity and references, even with just 2d art they make it feel like a mix of both

[@KOTSOSMC2002]

Bro placed the 06 opening, easily the most S Tier cinematic in the entire franchise alongside Unleashed, at B☠️

[@kame8132]

fr

[@progame1076]

Remembered. B I A S.

[@KOTSOSMC2002]

@@progame1076 What?

[@Montaser144]

​@@progame1076 he didn't say it has to be a good reason

[@hamburgerlover9825]

Dude I am so happy someone else pointed out how fucking wild it is that they rhyme "racing through my crazy maze" with "like a laserbeam my eye's on you". That line has always made me laugh

[@HonchoV1]

I don't how they do it and make it sound so good.

[@Morbius-Tension]

If it’s one opening I remember by hard and it’s burned into my memory it’s sonic heroes that intro feels iconic to me😂

[@Delta_Zone]

10:10 Don’t worry, you’ll hear it everywhere else

[@HonchoV1]

Every time I went back to the menu.

[@seematahir5970]

Great job on this vid, it is genuinely very well-edited and fun! 06's openings have always been my favorite. Silver's is ambient and melancholic, Shadow's is badass, and Sonic's is just pure HYPE. Never minded rewatching them as a kid when ever I game-overed lol.

[@felixmckinney7132]

Ok, I know you said MOST of the openings, but you can’t just ignore the iconic opening cut-scene of Sonic 3, and how it quickly shows how much a beast knuckles is.

[@HonchoV1]

I honestly did not consider it when making this list at all. I probably should've laid out my rules better. But yeah, having knuckles knock the super out of sonic was shocking.

[@alonsomoyano9278]

I think that’s a B Tier at best, great for the time but falls way to short nowadays

[@capone6716]

Sonic free riders 😭😭😭

[@SgtPeppers132]

agreed

[@nojolie]

Wow I am SHOCKED literally as soon as I saw the title of the video my first thought was ‘unleashed will be top tier’

[@HonchoV1]

To be fair, the threshold between S and SS is thin. It's the other openings have nostalgia and better music.

[@33pandagamer]

The imagery that the Sonic Heros theme song creates is S tier. Sure its lyrics might be nonsensical, but they still give off this energy, this feeling, like you're unstoppable. "What comes up must come down, yet my feet don't touch the ground. See the world spinning upside down, a mighty crash without a sound" There are so many lines just like this one that are so beautiful to me. I could make a whole analysis video on this song if I had the time and motivation to do so.

[@tiymakoizau]

Unleashed and Shadow The Hedgehog are definitely my two favourite openings in any sonic game.

[@nobodyofimportance3922]

The Sonic CD intro occupies a special corner of my childhood memories that I still revisit as an adult. Makes me think of a time where the only expectation imposed on me was just to be a kid and have fun. I miss those days of simplistic innocence

[@rodrigonogueira9375]

Sonic Unleashed not being in super sonic Tier should be a cardinal sin

[@Football_pheonix1]

Fr

[@S0NICSP33D]

Sonic unleashed does have an opening with music, but it’s just reused cutscenes and you have to sit on the title screen for a bit.

[@Caintastrophe]

“I can see your every rage”, they can see why their target is angry. “Step aside ill turn the page”, they can help to change that, as long as their target lets them. “Like a laserbeam, my eyes on you”, like a laserbeam, their eyes are focused with pin-point accuracy on their target. As long as you think about it, the lyrics make sense

[@Haastuur]

Your editing is insanely good dude. Also sonic colours does have one of the best sonic openings

[@1BANDSX1]

I love this video amazing job!

[@HonchoV1]

Thank you!

[@user-gs6uo7mp8d]

Man what a video. I subbed for the effort alone! Looking for what you will do next

[@shardofkingdoms9816]

I like your style, keep it up!

[@HonchoV1]

Thanks!

[@qua.thequa]

13:42 The "toniiiiiight" at the end of the song are just .. 🖐😉👌

[@depressedtoaster887]

While it isn't an opening cutscene, the Divergence prologue animation for Frontiers is amazing (2D) and should be recognized

[@ognickname7745]

Sure wish you covered Fighters' opening, considering it's the _actual_ first 3D opening

[@HonchoV1]

Just watched it and it does look leagues better than 3d blast's attempt.

[@katamari_]

ive always loved and forever will love the sonic mania opening. sonic mania was my first real sonic game, and its opening was what inspired me to animate in the first place

[@sirnooty]

Ngl every time I look at that animation style and sonic riders AND CD makes me want to learn to animate sonic or at least learn to draw better and everytime I see those animations my inner childhood be commin back to me and I get SO EXCITED AND HYPED AHHHHHH I JUST LOVE THOSE ANIMATIONS I WANT TO BE ABLE TO ANIMATE IMMEDIATELY, but to learn such skill I suppose it takes time…………sorry for the rambling I just get so excited when seeing awesome sonic animations and awesome animations and drawings in general

[@cheesebacond]

Sonic Mania was my third sonic game and I really loved it, still do I mean for me its one of the best sonic games (including Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed)

[@Youknowjoe187]

Sonic Unleashed was my first sonic/video game in general, and that intro gives me 122 tons of nostalga

[@JonyPlayz1]

Nice video! This is all mostly peak fiction. New sub!

[@kinggalactix]

Personally, I consider Sonic Unleashed intro at the Super Sonic rank. It is, in my opinion, that good. I'm still glad it's in S rank, though.

[@HonchoV1]

What is your favourite Sonic Opening? (Also, anything b tier or above is still good)

[@Elite_Acro]

Unleashed

[@lorigayeallen522]

Generations.

[@arlokraft3041]

While I will always love Black Knights and Secret Rings a lot, probably CD’s

[@Elite_Acro]

Yeah Iean CD's opening is iconic bit Unleashed has the most action pack opening

[@headlessrival7218]

Always and will be unleashed

[@unalives]

Aye ur a cool dude, love the content fr

[@echo_sans4239]

hey Honcho I wanted to tell you that sonic unleashed actually has a second opening where the song "endless possibilities" is playing while it cuts between gameplay moments. so I just wanted to tell you that sonic unleashed has an opening theme.

[@angrybarstewardlive3004]

Just finished watching. Must say this list is completely spot on. SA1 intro to me still to this day is just perfection

[@shadow_man9341]

Wtf why so little views/subscribers? This video was super fun and entretaining and it encouraged me to see more of ur content and you should have more recognition. Hope this video makes you a little bit more viral at least.

[@Unknownslenderman]

omg neat video, always wanted to see someone else gush about these openings as much as I do Shadow the Hedgehog unironically deserved Super Sonic tier tho. Perfect song, perfect visuals, perfectly matches the tone of the game (as odd of a choice as that tone might be), and it actually manages to make the idea kinda hype for a bit, even if the aliens, military and the game itself just feel kinda off... plus the animation is top tier, specially by the time! (then again, that might all be my bias lol) Also wished TSR and Free Riders were there. I don't care much about the games themselves, but their opening cinematics actually match the definition of an opening much better than many of the mainline games, the songs are great, the animation is perfect and one of them even has Crush 40 on them! Thost are all nitpicks tho, other than that, perfect stuff

[@cheesebacond]

fr TSR and even Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed would of been cool to see, although Team Sonic Racing's opening is better in my opinion.

[@cjcanado]

3:12 foreshadowing 10 years ahead

[@TheUltimateSEGAman]

Your list was actually reasonable. I'm impressed.

[@oFiiREo]

Wow, that intro YOU did was S Tier, that whole Mario intro had me in stitches

[@TheDuighMan]

Yo im new here and your editing is crazy

[@erickck240]

Not putting unleashed in Super Sonic tier is criminal when it's the only opening that actually has Super Sonic in it 😭

[@Samimey13]

Wtf with sonic x

[@erickck240]

@@Samimey13 what about sonic x?

[@kolishasyerap1572]

You're one of those content creator that doesn't have much subs but has content that's as good as a channel with millions of subs

[@cynderadracona7093]

Sonic Unleashed my personal favourite Sonic intro, it is so much fun to rewatch, with the Sonic Riders intro coming in so close that they might as well be joint-first.

[@maryafantalia8614]

The intro cutscenes in Sonic games are surely the first thing I can't wait to see, after the story, the music, etc... Because man, IT'S SO BADASS!!!!! :D But I don't know if I should take what you said in the description well or badly...🤔🤔🤔

[@lakitudude7577]

I always swore the reach for the stars remixes sounded different. Now i have to check if that was only an intro thing or if it's also like that in the recolors album

[@SonicntZane]

12:53 bro thought he could get us with this

[@jazlegend2479]

The CD opening made me wish we got an anime in the style. And when I saw the OVA I only wanted it more

[@DarielChavezV.]

Sonic Mania and CD are the best for me, the impact, the song, and the nostalgic feels, when i playes the game back in 2019 the first time, i shed a tear. Classic Sonic games are important for me since i was a kid, my introduction to Sonic games, and to plataformers along Mario World in emulator all the way back in 2008.

[@1br0.]

Ngl this vid made my day

[@TheXenith]

18:16 don't worry, sonic superstars has one

[@HonchoV1]

It's so good.

[@TheXenith]

@@HonchoV1 I agree

[@Poezick88]

Sonic Unleashed is one of the best openings to a Sonic game. The main melody being subtle as the title is presented. The focus on Sonic and Eggmans rivalry. Super Sonic destroying giant ships. But you rank Sonic colors higher? Lol ya that bias is real All love

[@OverloadVA]

Not sure how you only have 5k subscribers, but here, take my sub!

[@HonchoV1]

I'll take it! It's mine now!

[@OverloadVA]

@@HonchoV1 Well worth it! I'm watching your Return to Dreamland video now and gonna watch a few others before I start running my errands for the day.

[@djshadeemotive5636]

Sonic 3d blast music honestly was more then expected for the genisis

[@techstorm.3461]

I honestly had never seen your content, pretty underrated! You feel kinda like Scott the Woz :D

[@SNAKE-fk9zw]

I want to make a slight correction to the Sonic CD portion. The animated cutscenes of Sonic CD were done in totality by Studio Junio, who worked under Toei Animation. Toei the company themselves did no direct work as at the time.

[@heyimbrady]

This is 10 months old as of posting but the very beginning where you clap and play the video just to have Mario and Luigi pop up for two frames is comedy gold.

[@Im_very_hungry]

Fun fact: Sonic CD's intro takes place in green hills zone, no thats not a typo its from sonic 2! (Wait a second that dont have that zone!?!) Sonic 2 for the master system or the game gear! Dont belive me? Search up the ost for the zone! You will understand.

[@HonchoV1]

Thank you, you just blew my mind.

[@Im_very_hungry]

​@@HonchoV1anytime!

[@lightxsaltonpaper5580]

Epic video and glad to subscribe to the channel. The bias is unmatched....AND I LOVE IT 👁🕳👁

[@HonchoV1]

Well in that bias, i made a few mistakes, but I'm glad you liked it 👍

[@lightxsaltonpaper5580]

@@HonchoV1 haha xD Looking forward to more content!

[@D461Sage]

Seeing SA1's opening in Sonic Mega Collection gaslit me into pestering my friend to Let me borrow because it was soooo good

[@sunshineandbandicoots8587]

Two words: Sonic CD

[@RedSaber9]

"You killed my entire family, Sonic!" "Well, that"s 6:45"

[@bennayboy37]

While Sonic 3D Blast for Genesis’ opening is super dated and not the best, you have to admit that the fact they have a CGI cutscene on the SEGA Genesis is extremely crazy and revolutionary for the time and console.

[@SmashtoonGamer]

10:11 they make up for it by letting you hear it after literally every stage

[@SoraHyakuya]

Sonic unleashed has an intro as well as it''s opening cutscene, it's similar to black knight as in more of a trailer but with the unleashed in game visuals and endless possibilites blasting it's still really good.

[@HonchoV1]

Thats on me because I played the wii version growing up (which didn't have it) and even though I played the 360 version. I always just skipped to menu immediately to play the game. Otherwise not that impressed with it as Endless possibilities is just layered over gameplay and the opening footage, without a cohesive vision tying it together.

[@SSNullSpace]

The fact that when he does that whole game show like welcome to the ranking of Sonic openings it played the spin the wheel music from sonic runners

[@alexisgarza1223]

Buen video amigo, adoro los openings de todos los juegos de Sonic, de los más recientes es el de Sonic Origins y Team Sonic Racing porque se ve espectacular y la música de Crush 40 es más que Increíble.😎

[@ASOtheprO]

“Sonic games let you know what’s in store even if it’s false advertisement” How to summarize Sonic in a single sentence 101

[@TheRealR3mix]

I always thought the lyrics of the heroes opening were “gueefgwhcejgecjhwgcjdw my eye on you”

[@HonchoV1]

My thoughts exactly. Same with Secret Ring's main theme.

[@NinjaV_Editz]

Sonic Intros keep the blood pumping in my brain

[@CallsignShowtime]

Holy smokes, you have a song from Digimon Story: Cybersleuth as your outro? Instant sub for that

[@roman_codex]

glad i'm not the only one who noticed Re-Colors on the Symphony Live was way better than the remaster version

[@Ky6x4_Sticknodes]

12:49 sonic colors will always be a masterpiece of an intro

[@CapLikesIceCream]

Mania has to be my favorite. The animation is absolutely killer, the music is so fucking awesome (awesome job hyper potions) and it’s exactly what sonic mania is, an absolute killer game

[@JackAndTom610]

All of these openings are so nostalgic

[@-JaydenAnimates-]

Sonic colors is definitely the best intro for me. It was literally the FIRST video I watched when I first got an iPad, truly my childhood!

[@HTBAGF_YT]

sonic adventures opening gave me chills

[@iiamkadel]

That frontiers ending had me shed a tear

[@legendaresn6983]

Wdym, the opening cutscene plays before gameplay in frontiers

[@black.sasuke.uchiha]

Just subbed, keep it up!!! Loved the outro song. Is it from Persona?

[@HonchoV1]

It's in the description. Digimon actually!

[@beastinator456]

Thats not the sonic unleashed opening. You have to sit on the start menu for a few seconds and endless possibilities will play over the real opening of the game

[@HonchoV1]

I grew up with the Wii version and it played immediately after the Sega logo appeared.

[@twobrosincorporated]

Well hey, does the sonic prologue animation count? I’d put that in either A or S tier, really good animation and a good story.

[@silverwind6902]

The only thing i'm thinking about after watching that is "what about the Advance games?".

[@GUNUFofficial]

Shadow the hedgehogs opening actually has an extended version, also you should have added the unused animated sonic chronicles opening.

[@maricthehedgehog]

I think You can do anything is better than Sonic Boom

[@o0Neddster0o]

toot toot sonic warrior toot toot sonic warrior

[@etherealhatred]

Because You Can Do Anything is supposed to reflect in what Sonic is and means, meanwhile Sonic Boom is to make you feel you're in an epic quest with a great hero

[@Strusefulrailway2010]

Cool video 10 out of 10

[@Anderson-bs9jc]

In the shadow intro sonic literally DIES.

[@badlydrawnsonic]

Colour's intro just slaps you for animation then punches you with the music 🎵 🎶 reach for the stars

[@FedoraKirb]

1:33 Hotel Mario BETTER get S Tier or I will unsubscribe /j

[@HonchoV1]

Don't you worry. I put it in SSS tier off screen, but consider it would've been unfair to compare it to the pitiful Sonic openings.

[@FedoraKirb]

@@HonchoV1 Ah, of course, thank you for being so considerate, Honcho. Great video, btw, I’ll never get tired of your comedic timing and editing style!

[@HonchoV1]

@@FedoraKirb Thanks! those words help because of how long these videos take for me to make and I do wish I could get these things out sooner. Working on the Mario movie video as we speak!

[@PlushPoweer]

@@HonchoV1 honestly hotel mario is the game of all time

[@HonchoV1]

@@PlushPoweer it sure is.

[@kekidakid]

In my opinion Sonic CD's intro has You Can Do Anything be superior as an intro song, but by a small margin.

[@KelpsCovers]

The Forces intro is pretty good even (The CGI one.)

[@hydrmania]

Colors intro was the best thing in my life when i was younger

[@dantetouchdown9030]

Actually you forgot Team Sonic racing, that intro is sick as frick

[@bancho2005]

I'm very curious on how would you rank the CGI openings for the sonic racing trilogy (Sega All-Stars, Transformed, and Team Sonic Racing)

[@HonchoV1]

The best thing about Sega all stars is that it features well, Sega All stars. From shenmue to virtua fighter, it truly feels like a celebration of Sega’s legacy. Not to mention its incredibly well edited and dynamic with its shots. And the best part, is that Sonic himself doesn't show up until the end, making it all the more special. S tier. Transformed is more of the same as All Stars (even copying Sonic boosting into Eggman at the end), and while it does showcase the new gimmick well. It's just a lot less exciting to me as an intro, but still good. A tier. Now TSR is held back a bit because it's all about Sonic this time, but Green light ride and being the best looking opening definitely keeps it up there with the first game, even having better editing/more exciting shots than transformed. S tier.

[@boxcatgames537]

Sonic Cd open SLAP i've was born in 2007 but i see this and i love this

[@shadicTPZ]

You forgot that Free Riders had an opening.

[@alonsomoyano9278]

It’s MOSTLY mainline Sonic Games