The Forgotten "Metal" of Sonic X

[@KingoftheBashful]

The design of Spectre is really cool, and I kinda hope that the Metal Sonic in the movie universe takes influence from him considering both Eggman's mechs and Spectre share a similar color palette of mostly white with red eyes.

[@A1_Spare]

Imagine if Metal Sonic has the abilities of Spectre in the moives

[@The_Dumb_1_]

@@A1_Spare probably will since that's an ability of metal neo.

[@A1_Spare]

@@The_Dumb_1_ But the question is will neo be in the movie?

[@The_Dumb_1_]

@@A1_Spare probably, if not will at least have his copying abilities

[@A1_Spare]

@@The_Dumb_1_Honestly I think either would work

[@Blackheartzero]

Having Spectre emoting like Amy would gave me a horrifyingly interesting thought. If they ever brought it back and gave it a personality, they could totally give it a kitbash of all of Sonic and his friends' worst character aspects. Sonic's cockiness and long-standing disdain of copycats, Amy's one-sided toxic affection at the time, Tails' crippling little brother syndrome issues, and Knuckle's thick-skulled temperament. all tied together with Eggman's programming targeting it all at the blue blur. The result would no doubt be this nightmarish, borderline deranged yandere murderbot who believes it being the one to kill Sonic and take his place is this twisted, demented way of showing it's love and adoration for him!

[@benjaminizquierdo4700]

This is brilliant and needs to be made into either a fan game or an animation

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

​@@benjaminizquierdo4700 YEESS YES YES YES!

[@muddashucka9743]

They could also have Spectre have one set of characteristics become emphasised based upon which form it's using.

[@vision4860]

Sonic already has a number of nods to Dragon Ball Z, I imagine this bot could have some nods to Cell. It's already an artificial being made with the skills of the main heroes, it makes sense that it could end up with some of the worst traits of all of them. Would balance it out a bit, being potentially more powerful than Metal Sonic, but also 4 times the character flaws that can be exploited. It also reminds me not only of Cell, but also Super-Skrull from Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, especially the main point that even if it has all their abilities, teamwork is the one thing that it *can't* have because it's alone.

[@Umbra_Ursus]

Another good route is it simply leans into the identity of whoever it copies at the moment: Just a T-800 by default, a smug dasher as Sonic, a more intelligent ranger as Tails, aggressive but dimmer brawler as Knuckles, and a full melee yandere as Amy. Could even tie that into beating it, as those different mindsets really can't gel as one individual.

[@hattoripool1533]

This robot could be a fun character to play as if it appeared in the games

[@Solesteam]

On more modern devices, yes. Definitely not on the genesis. I can see any air based moved to be a pain to use due to button mapping.

[@The_Dumb_1_]

@@Solesteam you do know the genesis controller has 3-6 buttons right?

[@averageguy3661]

Mods for a model for it when? Lol

[@TotalWannabe]

​@@averageguy3661 I can make a model, don't know how to import anything into the game tho

[@averageguy3661]

@@TotalWannabe give it time. There’ll probably be someone out there that’ll think of something

[@CapnJigglypuff]

Tracy Yardley is probably the first comic artist whose work I ever felt really enthusiastic for and actively looked forward to seeing more of! Super cool seeing how much thought he put into this one-off robot of the week.

[@theonewhowatches869]

The idea that this guy might've migrated into the main Archie-Verse is so freaking cool to me. And imagining the way it might've changed over time to maybe adapt to other characters just sets my mind loose.

[@andrewclark3330]

and hopefully Archie Sonic Online brings this guy back using the portal from near the end of Sonic X's second season yet instead of taking him back to Eggman, who has sent Chris back to his world at this time. he enters the main Archie universe and probably either helps Robotnik out or teams up with Scourge, who is on the run from the Zone Cops

[@AceNX]

First time in years I've been introduced to something in Sonic I hadn't seen before. This is gonna be a good one!

[@BlooKurby]

I could see Spectre being a little sibling to metal sonic, not as agressive or experienced but has their own traits and ideals of how to take down Sonic and his friends.

[@ratte6090]

Slightly older than Proto Silver, drippy as all get out and just as serious as it’s older brothers.

[@marbenmin5878]

Bro, if someone modded this or just made a fan game where you get play as Sonic throwing down with this thing, that would be sick!

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

i feel like they would work really well for a 3D sonic game boss fight. imagine him throwing boulders at you with Knuckle's hands, run around the arena with the same speed as Sonic, dodge you in the air with Tails' flight, and smack you around with Amy's hammer!

[@YungandRekless545]

Oh shoooot! When I was a little kid, this was the first Sonic comic I ever bought with money I earned. So this issue has a special place in my heart

[@bagelgod946]

Never seen this design before but it looks absolutely stellar

[@7GRANDAD7]

yeah the design is really interesting and definitely really cool looking

[@skidz2046]

This robot is actually so cool! I can't believe neat characters like these are almost never elaborated upon more often and are only used for like one comic.

[@dandrelamay8273]

I knew of this obscure robot through Ultimate Sonic Fighter, and I’m surprised you were able to find enough information about it. The concept is honestly a good one, and I’d love to see it utilized in modern Sonic media. Also, props to you for getting the chance to see Tracey, it was nice of him to share this information with you. Also, good luck on reading the Archie Adaptation of Sonic X. While the show could get bizarre sometimes, the comic takes it up to 11. A particular agreed standout is the El Gran Gordo arc.

[@Scornfull]

Reminds me of when I taught my siblings how to strategize, I used videogames as a basis so it's fun and makes them more interested in learning how to think critically to solve a problem and the value of teamwork. They first tried to attack me in-game without working together and I used their attacks against them knocking them into the dirt effortlessly but as soon as they started working together they actually managed to overpower me with their unique playstyles coming together to overwhelm my own strats and sheer skill. Basically taught them to work smarter not harder and you can take down Goliaths while only being Tiny Tim

[@tastethepainbow]

I would love a video on Archie Sonic X, but I don't think the world is ready to handle El Gran Gordo's power

[@magolord2820]

El Grand Gordo is too much to be appreciated by us simple mortals, only superior beings can understand his importance in the franchise as a whole

[@itscznben8728]

So? Do it.

[@ドラゴンリュー-f1x]

Aside from Metal Sonic, I miss the days when a cool executive robot like this was one of Eggman's subordinates.I'm begging you, please bring back a boss character like this in the next game.

[@Graphomite]

The name "Robot X" does make sense beyond the obvious. It's a robot with mutable characteristics decided by the other characters. "X" is often used as an undefined or yet-defined expression, especially in algebra, in which it is ultimately defined by the determined numbers around it.

[@zXDaishiXz]

Remember in Sonic X where Shadow one shot sonic, then proceeded to dunk on the rest of the team, mildly playing with tails with the express intention to kill Cosmo. Good times.

[@PK-starstorm1995]

I remember loving this robot when I was a kid. I wanted it to come back so bad. It's also funny that I always wanted that comic to take on a tone like season 3, but that is what the archie book was for

[@lancer434]

Imagine if robot X or Specter was like a ring leader of the different robo doubles, and they led a rebellion against Eggman, planning their own evil intentions

[@Couch_Banana]

Like the Brotherhood of Metallix, but not just Metal Sonic.

[@itscznben8728]

@@Couch_Banana and a bit of sonic heroes.

[@thesunsmoon9206]

It's still February in my time zone and mecha march madness is already staring 💀

[@P-P-Panda]

Yeee

[@M_Alexander]

It's March o'clock somewhere

[@superfreddyplushadventures2714]

Ye

[@rossjones8656]

Yeah

[@thephantomist7199]

Same lmao

[@beastrage4686]

Honestly wouldn't mind seeing the prototype designs revisited and always love work from Tracy Yardley as he always makes this brand we love better or just more fun.

[@joeker5208]

mecha march madness in february???? absolutely insane

[@SyntaxTsundere]

Ah, ‘tis March in New Zealand though! ‘Tis Mecha March Madness here!!

[@JamessonAllen]

For me it’s march in 2 hours

[@joeker5208]

@@SyntaxTsundere Ah, ‘tis still February 28th here in Massachusetts, good sir

[@CyberdustStudios]

​@@SyntaxTsundere Ah, 'tis still February 28th here in ohio, good sir

[@theant2266]

@@joeker5208 ah, 'tis march 4th here in Indonesia, wonderful sir!

[@omega_blue5009]

God two episodes in 24 hours thanks Nick this is an early Christmas gift you know it’s just 299 days early

[@intrepidhero]

Honestly I love the name Specter. On top of its ghost white design it also makes me think of spectator. Which is fitting because it watches and copies the moves of its opponent.

[@santiagoarrieta2175]

It's a rare overcharged design that work, combined with the plain and simple way is colored give of a experimental vibe, something that was made for test and have room to improvements.

[@wakeangel2001]

This kind of makes me think of a Sonic the Hedgehog interpretation of Amazo or the Superadaptoid, though I admit that can be redundant if you think about Emerl or the Heroes version of Metal Sonic. I think I might have personally nicknamed him "Omnibadnik" when I first saw him in that comic issue, though the term Badnik wasn't used in Sonic X so I don't think it would be fitting.

[@ahmedseen]

I think Mecha March Madness might be my favorite series of yours, I find myself rewatching and revisiting it a lot. I just find the idea of Sonic Mechas, analyzing their designs, origins and their roles in their respective stories, very intriguing. Excited to see more of the series

[@Rais-Codex]

I'll hold a place in my heart for Sonic X, for the small moment in time when I wanted to watch videos of it online when it was airing...

[@andrewclark3330]

1:31 to skip ad

[@herrice3227]

Pity the idea of making "Spectre" a Main Villain never went through; it's a super cool design!

[@RadikaRules]

Aw man, here we go. Another obscure, cool concept I'd get obsessed with. It's awesome you got Tracy to not just answer questions but show you some concepts. Big ups to him, he made this vid special Also, this is a _severe_ stretch, but the lower part of the head shape, specially the spikes on the sides make me think of a MAG Agent from Madness Combat. Bet it's not intended tho, just coincidence

[@ratte6090]

I thought he reminded me of something like that, heh!

[@ViiVocal]

i love it so much that its obscurity makes me cry. no other appearances, no fanart, no discussion other than this video. not even an official name. just a perfect design that deserves more love.

[@jaredtherock5692]

Loved this video, liking it now, but I hope to see another TMNT video soon! Really cool you asked Tracy about this particular mecha

[@mr.skateandwatch]

I always had a thought about how odd eggman never made metal sonic in the Sonic X anime continuity . Closest robot was emerl (as far as I’m concerned)

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

You commented on how Specter/Robot X's existence makes the various robot copies redundant in their existence, but let's be honest here: If it had not been for certain robots becoming recurring characters when they were originally meant to be one time antagonists (Metal Sonic and Tails Doll in particular, both of which I'm convinced that you are never going to cover at this point), none of these robots would be redundant. As with most of Robotnik's plans, there's a reason why he rarely repeated the same designs, as to keep Sonic on his toes and make effective use of trial and error to eventually find a way to stop him and his friends. It's why there were different designs for the Sonic copies back in the Genesis/Master System days, as they were all meant to be different plans that each went on to be deactivated and destroyed by the Blue Blur (except for Mecha MKIII, who is destroyed by Knuckles), and this of course is not counting Knuckles's Chaotix because, as many people agree, that's not canon. Imagine a timeline where whenever a need for a robot doppelganger to Sonic and his friends was needed, we got a unique and distinct design every single time.

[@Hanokaze]

The designs of this robot (including the unused prototypes) are all pretty awesome! A shame it didn't pop up more often.

[@SSJ22Terris]

I just barely remember reading this issue back in the day. Didn't leave much of an impression at the time, but I'm appreciating it more now.

[@darknessrising2453]

12:09 Wow! Imagine Eggman making this as a counterpart to Gemerl! Hmmm.... "Spectre the Gizoid" has a nice ring to it...

[@itscznben8728]

Wtf is a gizoid?

[@darknessrising2453]

@itscznben8728 It's a type of Robot, basically the type of models Emerl & Gemerl are.

[@damiancruz42]

Thanks for the early "mecha march madness," or I guess it would be "fecha february fadness." Also, the bot looks like it could've come from Sonic xtreme,"Not that there's anything wrong that."

[@hoseinbmr3449]

is it me or this Robot X really looks like a SICK battle armor for knuckles ?

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

It actually does, but be careful. Too much talk of echidnas in advanced battle armour risks bringing down the litigious wrath of He Who Shall Not Be Named (but has the initials K. P.)

[@hoseinbmr3449]

@@minimalbstolerance8113 😂👍

[@itscznben8728]

@@minimalbstolerance8113 who?

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

@@itscznben8728 A writer for the Archie sonic comics called Ken Penders. Pretty much the entire fandom hates him for reasons that would take WAY too long to explain here, but there's plenty of videos on the whole story elsewhere on KZbin.

[@mushroomfusion245]

Really hoping this month you cover Unit the Drone from that one Movie tie-in short “Sonic Drone Home”! With the next movie being an SA2 adaptation, I can’t help but wonder if its ability to add scrap metal to its body could make him part of the Cyclone since Tails is taking care of him.

[@SoranotRoxas]

My guy is back and pumping videos out like crazy! Love it 👍

[@TerravancerYoh]

Man, I remember this robot and got reacquainted with it like a year ago when I was reading the “thankskenpenders” blog, so it’s some fascinating stuff to see from Tracy Yardley himself as well.

[@EiForgor]

This is my favorite Sonic robot design. I like metal sonic, but I like this one more. I really hope they adapt it somehow if (a) metal is in Sonic 3.

[@shisketches01]

I never read the Sonic X comics, but this robots design and the concept behind it made me want to look into it 🤔😊

[@SonicWind149]

Never read the Sonic X comics, so I never knew this bot existed. Thanks for exposing it a little and even getting some more info on its creation from Tracy!

[@BlazeWolf11]

imagine someone makes a sonic fangame where you actually fight robot X, might be just me but i think it would be INSANE!!

[@MasterSwo-MK]

Jesus, March literately just started and you're already uploading?! You don't mess around do you.

[@shard7549]

To be honest when I first saw the video title I thought it was gonna talk about a dropped plot thread from Sonic X. In the Metarex saga in the episode Sonic goes Dark Sonic, he is tested by two robots meant to test his strength and speed. The Metarex general claims this is because they plan to build a robot to counter Sonic based on how the test goes. As a kid I thought this was gonna lead to Metal Sonic. Instead, it was literally never brought up again to the best of my recollection. I wonder what happened there.

[@ahmedmuhammadawi]

You know what this bot will be great for? A sonic adventure mod :O The bot could have the powers of the characters it can copy.

[@knines6279]

12:24 I think the one on the right is WAY better. I love those shoes and gauntlets. Plus the wings are cool. I’d want to see it used somewhere

[@Nightmare_52]

i remember reading a little bit of this comic and hoping it would appear again together with neo metal sonic as they both take advantage of copying and improving the heroes powers like if after metal is defeated in sonic heroes he stumbles upon the discarded parts of spectre and uses them to improve himself further

[@jamalsimmons619]

Congratulations on the 141k subscribers nick ! Great job 👏 👍

[@dan8er709]

I would very much appreciate you talking about the roboticized masters!

[@robertlupa8273]

12:10 The colored one is giving me Gurren Lagann vibes.

[@MisterMii601]

“It wasn’t around long enough to build a big fanbase” Neither was Stealth The Hedgehog, but it has a cult following Btw, can you make a video on Stealth and all the fanwork done for him?

[@some_tiny_dragon7411]

Honestly would have loved to see this comic as an actual episode of the Sonic X series.

[@Nephew-2]

15:13 dont worry im sure everyone can hear you.

[@SillyBoi_handle]

I was literally watching a bunch of your videos again, and noticed that this video came out It's MECHA time.

[@Zippy_Zolton]

Spectre would be a really cool superboss in a future game

[@Nel_Annette]

Having Sonic X's comic end just to leave "Specter" as its legacy in the main book and Universe would have been AWESOME and now I am sad.

[@TooneyBird2468]

Even though you don't want to do it, I would like to see a video about the Cheetha Bot from SatAm and besides you already did a video about Pseudo Sonic (A robot from AoStH) so it would be a perfect fit to talk about a robot from the other Sonic cartoon airing along with AoStH at the time. Also I enjoyed this video, can't wait to see more from this year's Mecha March Madness.

[@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp]

And do the robot baby from Sonic Underground while you’re at it.

[@jasonjimerson7046]

I was not aware of this bot's existence. Thanks for sharing this!

[@overall_great213]

Spectre-X is a good name Idea. Even with the color scheme we could see something like this as a pseudo-metal sonic for the sonic movies.

[@henrymalloy1344]

this robot reminds me of the adaptoid from marvel, they even have a similar color scheme. although adaptoid could mimic more then one hero at a time

[@GBlastMan]

I mean he could be called Spectre X or Xpectre (it also makes a cool nod to Sonic Xtreme that way because it does remind me of some of the scrapped Metal Sonic designs for that game) I really find it funny that whatever i see from Sonic it has secretly some Evangelion inspired design or detail in there, its like they took the Hedgehog Dilemma a bit too literal there.

[@marplatense31]

The robot can predict their moves? So what you're saying is that he knows everything they're going to do? But I don't think that's gonna help him, because that means they know everything he's going to do. Strange, isn't it?

[@The_AuraMaster]

Look, I love Neo Metal Sonic, but Spectre would've made a great villain for Heroes. Obviously the story would have to be a bit different, but it would make more sense for a villain that copies data and DNA of the characters. Hell, he could've been a secret boss for those who unlocked hard mode. The possibilities of this forgotten robot are endless.

[@RealLarsUlrichISwear]

Double video? My luck might be good for once! Thanks for making my day nick.

[@benogle4951]

Just remember to be careful when searching for characters from this show

[@WebstersYouTube]

This is a really cool bot that I was completely ignorant of. Thanks for highlighting it.

[@TorellSuggs]

Man just like Dbz there are a lot of forgotten sonic characters

[@minedantaken1684]

This one would be an awesome Cell-like Villain!

[@briandxmaster8599]

Specter or Robot X resembles Marvel’s Super Adaptoid, where both machine had the ability to mimic their opponents abilities.

[@axelsonicsson7160]

It's like a mix of Sonic Tails Amy knuckles emerl and the color scheme reminds me of the robots in the sonic movies

[@brandonhiatt2546]

I always preferred calling it "Kin" since it has relations to all four of them and since it's a particular KINd of robot.

[@TheKillerMoth]

MECHA MARCH MADNESS. I wait for this every year.

[@pg28]

Finally. Adequate sustenance. We thank you father Nick. We have been filled to our brim. We shall be full until you next uploaded video for us to consume like the greedy little gremlins we are. We shall absorb your immaculate commentary and feed upon your top-notch editing until then. Yum yum

[@sossisthenotsossig]

ITS BAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait for a month filled with fun... uhhh i mean deadly robots. YIPPEEEEEEE!!

[@Person_You_Dont_Know]

Wait… I just thought of something… If Spectre has the Data of Sonic (Super Spammer), Tails (The youngest super with the most op hacks a.k.a. FLICKY ARMY OF DEATH), and Knuckle Head (Guardian of the Master Emerald), Could Spectre Potentially have a super form?

[@Dra9ondemon]

I have that issue, and I really like do like this design. I think this was the first Sonic X comic I ever got too.

[@josh_miester_x511]

I wish this was an actual episode. Looks great.

[@mistersp3753]

It's technically March in the UK. Close enough.

[@ToaArcan]

A really cool design, this one. Shame it's so underutilised, but at this point that feels like a refrain that could be written about 70% of the characters in this series. Also, I'm just amazed to see the Sonic X version of Tails doing something other than sitting behind the controls of a generic sci-fi vehicle.

[@benogle4951]

12:37 this design reminds me of perfect cell from Dragon Ball Z with the wings and tall headpiece, given the fact that it takes all the characters abilities and uses them against him I wouldn't be surprised if it was somewhat inspired by cell

[@nomad4338]

I agree completely it's a shame that this robot has never come back. I think that is truly the greatest weakness of all sonic media, there are so many good ideas and characters and designs just floating around going unutilized because they're in a comic book or in a show that Sega doesn't acknowledge anymore or has never acknowledged.

[@Mr_pizzbruh]

I feel like if Specter was to return, the Scrapnik Island Arc would be the best place for his return!

[@omegastrike8812]

We could call it specs in reference to his in house name, but also in reference to the ability of the hardware

[@johnathan7313]

Is this gonna be the video I finally wanted?! Sonic X BABY!!!!!

[@GamerTowerDX]

Two minutes earlier than it should for march on my time zone,video instantly discarded

[@santiagoarrieta2175]

It's a interesting concept, to be a prototype, I have really advanced abilities but a lot of sidebacks. I think the design work for a prototype robot because it's a little overcharged, like it go with the easy way to incorporate all necesary characteristics to perform all the replicated abilities. It like a improved version e-123 pi of Sonic battle. The personality change it's a good gimmick.

[@anonymoususer188]

Huh. I had no idea there was a tie in comic for Sonic X. That show was part of my childhood.

[@kenkaneki8809]

Wow two videos in one day game apologist has been cooking

[@7GRANDAD7]

Mecha march is back! I honestly cannot wait to see the roster for this year

[@supersonicfan7514]

I remember the X Robot. I have his comic. His design is really cool.

[@IgnatiusBlaze4]

HOT DAMN, I really love this, wish it would've been a thing.

[@Princess_Hoshi]

MECHA MARCH MADNESS!!! My Birthday is next Wednesday . Hopes for my favorite Sonic Robot(and probably one of my favorite characters). The adorable Tails Doll.

[@weegoh8324]

Wait, two game apologist videos in one day?! Happy mecha valenpatrick’s day!

[@tsprime48]

idk if this was stated or not but this might have been around the time of the "Battle/Emerl" Saga of the anime, which is maybe where they got the ideas of using muitiple abilities mid fight from as they did the same abilities (except tails being replaced with rouge). think sonic got punched in the balls in that arc and Cream and cheese remind us why they are gods.

[@MrDariox555]

Nick with the top tier exclusive scoops