The Good & The Bad: An Amy Rose Character Analysis

[@skull902]

*BEFORE YOU COMMENT* Be aware that I've since done a follow-up to this video revising, further explaining, and defending some of the views I expressed in this video. Here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6rReZmenaqLmrc

[@rainbowtoyfunrandomess1982]

Thank you for letting us know.😁💕

[@theambitiousduck]

amy is best girl

[@skull902]

Agreed

[@namnuena]

She is❤

[@SonicTron-pf7lk]

@@skull902 Actually

[@Sundrey438]

Fr

[@markstewart1632]

Facts

[@zerastardust1712]

Finally, some one who gets it. I saw so many people complaining about her updated bio, as if it was just taking away part of her character.

[@skull902]

Thanks for enjoying the video!

[@PGbutalsofourteenplus]

@@skull902#WeStanCharacterDevelopment1nThisHouse😊

[@SSlovebird]

Amy is often more of the more overlooked Sonic characters, and people mostly just passed her off as an obsessive Sonic fangirl, which to be fair, there are moments in the main games that depict her as such like Sonic Heroes and Sonic Generations, but the Adventure games and even Sonic 06 show that she’s so much more than just that, she’s kind and caring for her friends and inspires those to see the good in humanity, and it makes me sad to know that people didn’t see her in that light until the IDW comics and Sonic Frontiers. Also, I’m really glad you didn’t mention her in the Archie Comics, because if anything, those comics portrayed her as a Sonic fangirl in the worst way possible, by making her so selfish and so desperate to win Sonic’s attention that she took the Ring of Acorns to make herself look older, which made her look even worse when you find out that Sally’s brother Elias was going to use it to revive his mother. So yeah, I really hate how they handled Amy in the Archie comics, but thank god for Ian Flynn for finally showing the world her true nature.

[@Howtoplay116]

Im a big fan of amy because of her kindness and her attitude towards others and her part in the idw comics in the metal virus like saving cream in the fallen shelter i like her character

[@AJKC-kr6wh]

Great video. In my opinion, I miss most of Amy's flaws and wished they just dialed it down instead of completely removing it. Like her temper, sass and impulsiveness. I wish they could balance her traits cuz I'm not a fan of her new motherly depiction I see in other mediums besides the comics. She could be the heart of the team without being the mother

[@skull902]

Thanks for enjoying! I think, at least in Frontiers' case, since they were going for a more somber feel they couldn't really have anybody being terribly energetic (aside from certain circumstances ofc; hard to make fun fighting animations without a good sense of energy). I think in something more lighthearted, she'd have more of her other stuff.

[@AJKC-kr6wh]

@@skull902 Ok. I hope so

[@chordsofsteel-i4j]

intro: 0:00 classic era: 1:24 adventure era 2:24 x era 4:32 sonic unleashed: 8:28 boom era: 9:20 IDW era: 11:32 sonic frontiers (still IDW): 16:04 conclusion: 17:33

[@jaykc48]

People hate Amy liking Sonic to some extent. But the thing is Amy always liked Sonic, so that part of Amy shouldn't be removed or pushed to be her personality. It should be used in a friendly matter where it doesn't make her annoying nor boring

[@skull902]

Yeah, there's gotta be a balance. It shouldn't be straight-up passed on as a character trait since that's how Amy got the inspiration to become a hero in the first place, but on other other hand, she has so many other excellent traits that get tossed aside by writers that want to make her Sonic-obsessed

[@XGame80]

I feel like you undermined her in Heroes. The main reason she sought out was to help Cream and Big find Chocola and Froggy, and that’s shown many times. She’s always the one to lift the 2 of them up and has a never give up attitude. I think she wasn’t completely serious about the “Marry Sonic” line, and there is a bit of truth to what she says about it being Eggman’s fault they’re not together. But overall, I think Heroes Amy is solid and better than you gave it credit for, her team dynamic with Cream and Big and her positive attitude are great directions for the character.

[@skull902]

While there are some moments you can definitely point to to come to that conclusion, to me personally, her pep-talks to the others always felt secondary (by a large margin) to how her own goal is to find Sonic. Like it's moreso a means to an end for her to get what she's looking for.

[@gleamingroses2952]

I think fans have grossly overexaggerated her actions in Sonic Heros, that one cutscene where her team encounters Sonic is like one scene, and wasn't even done the way fans say that it is, people just like to place context because the insertion of gender roles that don't even apply to the context it's just what people throw in. The entire scene isn't meant to be taken seriously because it's not done in a way where it's playing Amy "abusing" (which she's not) Sonic as a joke, but rather nobody sees her affection as malicious, just a way for Amy to annoy Sonic, it's not meant to be taken seriously, but fans do exactly that. But beyond that, the entire point of Rose's story was that from the opening cutscene Amy was reading a newspaper that showed what looked to be Sonic with Froggy and Chocola, in fact, it was HER idea for her team to go out and look for answers about their friends, I don't think being the instigator of the idea to help your friend's problems is a secondary goal, and while she does get distracted by Sonic using the marriage card, the reason they fight is that they want answers, in fact during the boss fight itself if it plays out Amy is shown to be concerned about their missing friends and even Cream tries to ask Team Sonic about their friends, only for them to act very off handed about it, Sonic doesn't even see this situation as Amy trying to "abuse him" just annoy him. In fact, in the Japanese script it translates differently, as if she's going to win his heart by proving how good she is! This is just a result of poor translation dubbing. Since even if you want to use it's what is shown" that really isn't a reason to act like it is an error doesn't exist. Even considering that, the boss fight in the Dub version does have Amy say this "Give back Froggy and Chcola, you won't get away with this" within the fight itself, so she's still as much wanting answers about her friend's friends as much as she's into Sonic, with Tails responding that they have no idea where their friends are, meaning the miscommunication gets cleared up in the boss fight. Not only that, outside of the brief mention of Casino Park, Amy's goal is strictly helping her friends the rest of the game as alluded to by the end of Rail Canyon when she discovers the fake out Eggman, as until they encounter Eggman she doesn't mention Sonic again after that, and even then, her line to Eggman Pre-Egg Emperor was meant to be ironic. She even has a laugh with her friends and doesn't even notice Sonic within distance of them until Cream points it out to her, and even then, she's just chasing him playfully, since even her friends find it funny. Unlike Sonic Battle, which is just Heroes Amy takes to the extreme and actually flanderizes her to the point of self-neglect for Sonic, and unlike Heroes is more aggressive toward her friends. Instead of her love being channeled through confidence, it's through obsession.

[@skull902]

The thing about that other dialogue in the Team Sonic fight though is that since the team battles typically last just a few seconds, most people are likely to not hear that at all. It's not a bad argument that she peps her friends up and all that, but again it just feels like her #1 goal is finding and marrying Sonic and that her friends' goals were a convenient justification to go on an adventure. Her literal first line is "Wonder where Sonic is", as if she didn't notice that the fake Sonic in the picture she was looking at was hauling Chocola and Froggy off. Her not blathering about Sonic _constantly_ is a plus (because let's be real, with how expansive the in-game dialogue is, it'd be rather distracting for her to keep to that one subject), but I just feel that with what we are presented, that's her first priority. With the line deliveries she gives right before the fight and their title card when you fight them as Team Sonic, I personally can't see the argument about her being sarcastic with it. And then when it comes to the translation, yeah, that does make it sound a bit better, but then it kinda becomes a case of which version is canon and that's a whole can of worms (whereas like X is its own separate thing, so it's a bit easier to contrast and compare the different languages). And again I also cannot possibly fathom how her pre-fight line against the Egg Emperor is supposed to be taken as ironic given the very upset-sounding way the line was delivered.

[@gleamingroses2952]

@@skull902 The irony comes from the fact that, in a way she's both right and wrong. Sonic is always out stopping Eggman and whatever plan he has going on, this would mean things like dates or personal downtim e are out of the question, along with Sonic just not being into dating. However, she is also wrong in that she doesn't take notice her advances cause him to run away for that reason. Regardless how she acts. But like, she's going to talk about Sonic because it was part of her character. And as far as incorporating her love for Sonic into motivation Heroes is one of the lesser offenders in that regard, just because she happened to be more extreme with her advances comparatively doesn't change that at least helping her friends was a priority. Plus, it also gave them a reason to chase Sonic beyond Amy wanting to marry him. as opposed to it just being the only reason she is there and nothing else, at the very least i find to see how this is worse than Rush or Battle. If her friends were convenient, Amy would just leave them to chase Sonic, but she doesn't. If Amy didn't consider her friends a priority enough why would she still stay with them to find their friends? She could have just ditched them to go chase Sonic after their scuffle, but again she doesn't. She even stops thinking about Sonic once she suspects Eggman is behind everything, she is even lost in the moment of just laughing with her friends until Cream had to point out Sonic was within distance of them. For example, Amy does leave her friends while giving them a friendly goodbye talk, but that's after she had accomplished her goal to assist them. It isn't convenient for her if she chooses to stay with them the whole way! Plus, she wouldn't treat saving their friends as important, which she does. She is motivating her friends to find their friends, which isn't something someone who is "conveniently" along for the ride would do, if Amy was that way she wouldn't motivate them at all, if very little. Compare this to Free Riders Amy, who literally is just Heroes Amy done wrong, is rude to her team, only cares about Sonic, and is viciously bratty. While it is missable given how boss fights work, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, even canonically the fight is less bad BECAUSE Team Sonic were the winners of that fight. Also there isn't any canon or non canon translation, they both have Amy mean the same thing, its just that the American DUB just words it poorly to say something else, her motive is still the same as Japanese.

[@skull902]

That's a very roundabout-sounding way to play that line as comedic. I personally still don't see it. Also I'm not saying her motivations can't be driven by Sonic in some way, of course. I just think, instead of assertively trying to marry him, her goal could've maybe been to prove that the Sonic in the newspaper is a fake, knowing the actual Sonic wouldn't do such a thing. That would've been a pretty interesting angle (and would've given a more believable justification for the Team Sonic fight, if she and the others thought they were all fakes). And again, it just felt _to me_ that marrying Sonic was more important to her. By helping Cream and Big being "convenient", I don't mean that she's necessarily just _using_ her friends; I think they did enough to give off that she genuinely wants to see them happy and reunited with Froggy and Chocola. It's convenient for her more in a sense of "Hey, that works, why don't we all go together?" The "two birds with one stone" philosophy. I also don't think the convenience would mean she'd leave them by the wayside, since they're the whole reason it makes the justification convenient, it'd make more sense to keep them around. On the point that I don't think she's using her friends, she treats their mission as a whole as important because she made a promise to them. Again it's just my opinion that she didn't think finding Froggy and Chocola was _as_ important as marrying Sonic. She does take it more seriously after Rail Canyon, to be fair, but I think the pre-fight dialogue against Egg Emperor shows that her main priority still lies with hooking up with Sonic. And I mean, of course she didn't notice Sonic was there until Cream pointed it out; they had their backs turned to him. In all, of the bad depictions of her character, Heroes is one of the least egregious and that's probably to do with how light on story that game is. While we might not agree on whether it was a good or bad one, I'm sure we can at least agree that ones like Battle, Rush, or Free Riders were much worse.

[@purplelightning8589]

Amy Rose my favorite character too. She strong and cute!

[@TailsThePrower71]

A well thought out analysis, Skull! Sadly I brought a lot of biases of Amy with me from Sonic X as I didn’t have a Dreamcast or read the JP game manuals growing up. But I loved Amy in Boom, IDW, and Frontiers. Especially Frontiers. And thanks to your video, I have a new level of respect and admiration for Amy.

[@skull902]

Thanks for enjoying, my dude! And yeah, I can't blame anyone who had X as their first impression turn out to not like her much. If the video's made a convincing argument to the contrary, well, I'm glad you heard me out on it. XD

[@Nathanieltan100]

When I first saw Amy in Sonic X on TV as a kid, I thought I found her annoying because of her voice in the English dub, and throwing tantrums. It's hard for me to understand why. However, I've gained respect towards her after seeing her defending Gamma as Sonic tries to attack the robot in Adventure and X, being a leader of The Resistance in Forces, and being friends with Cream like sisters. Amy is still one of the best Sonic characters in the franchise. She may not be my favourite Sonic character but I actually like and respect her because she assists Sonic and his friends to stop Eggman when anything happens like in Sonic Origins and Superstars. You did a pretty great job explaining everything about Amy Rose, skull! And lastly: Happy 30th Anniversary, Amy Rose!

[@skull902]

I can imagine anyone who was introduced to her in X having a bad first impression, for sure. Thanks for the compliments, Nathaniel (and also thanks again for those X comparisons; they were a great resource)!

[@rainbowtoyfunrandomess1982]

​@@skull902Amy Rose in Sonic X might have some flaws, but at least she's not a Mary Sue or anything plus she does have a kind side as well.💕💕💕💕

[@geeebuttersnap2433]

The fact that it’s Amy roses 30 anniversary should be a testament to her age. People always say she’s 12 and Sonic is 15 or 16 as an excuse for why shipping them is weird. But I’m sorry bro, these characters have been that age for 30 years, Amy and Sonic should really be 42 and 46 years old. Charlie Brown has this the worst, has been 12 for nearly a hundred years now.

[@gleamingroses2952]

I think there's a HUGE misconception when it comes to Amy. There's no denying some fans might miss her old ways, but as an Amy fan since the beginning, I DO think change for the character is good, the issue is how it is handled. Amy's change doesn't feel organic, but rather a blatant 180 just to appease people who complained about her since this change of hers began as early as Lost World. Even as an Amy fan who loves seeing her character in new heights and direction, her character shouldn't be solely defined in one direction to another opposite direction, since even in her fangirl phase Amy had expressed other traits that weren't related to Sonic. I've seen people say "Well it's better than chasing him" but like, that's not how character development works. Just because YOU don't like something doesn't make it a perfect solution, especially given Sega's reputation for taking criticism TOO much into account. I always found people grossly exaggerated how bad Amy use to be, and a lot of times people really missed the point entirely or simply built too much of off context. They look at her more flanderized appearances like Battle or Rush and assume that's her entirety, ignoring how her infatuation with Sonic was used in other games. In Adventure games (and Shuffle even) she specifically calls Sonic her Hero, implying her infatuation was more admiration, nowadays she just comes off as dull. I guess one could make the point of older titles emphasizing that aspect of Amy's personality over her other traits, and that's fair, but even in Sonic X for instance, a thing that gets overlooked is that her goal wasn't even to be with Sonic, but too open her own restaurant and be a chef. Even so, in Sonic X it really depends on the episode. Episodes like the Cruise Ship one is good examples of Amy's anger being justified. Amy has basically been given the modern Disney approach, where she's been taken one extreme to the next in an effort to market her in a way seen as serviceable. And no, this isn't comparing Amy to the same mistake of Modern Disney heroines, its moreso the mirror in just doing a 180. We are simply TOLD she has changed, but didn't get to see the change happen, which for character development the entire point is to show don't tell. I also want to note that with this new change, Amy no longer expresses any notable character flaws in her personality, which for a character, having flaws is actually important, otherwise they run the risk of being perfect. I also don't like how Boom Amy has been used in a way to compare the character when the entire point was to be a different character to fit that particular universe, but even then, people have used "being mature" and "being immature" in a very black and white lens, as if it's just inherently, one way, ignoring there are different ways to be mature and immature. Ignoring the notion that being immature does NOT make a character inherently flawed or bad, people often ignore that outside of them changing the dynamic of Sonic and Amy in Boom, Amy was quite immature herself in other ways, especially her unflattering tendency to fall for any male she happened to think was hot, despite having feels for Sonic, which made her come off as shallow. Since modern portrayals base her off of this, she just becomes a diet version of Boom Amy and in Frontiers se becomes so monotone and dull, with the VA's delivery just coming off as static to emphasize the fact. They literally just gave her the most stock, generic female character voice. Which can be said for modern media of Amy in general. and outside of IDW she's lacked a personality that's not overly kind, which yeah is a good trait that I'm glad is being emphasized, but Amy should also have flaws and other characteristics too! Being mature doesn't mean auto-good, and being immature isn't auto-bad, In Amy's case, if you wanna excuse her being dull as "mature" mature people can have more varied and ranged emotions. Amy is allowed to and should change since it would be regressive to ask her to go back, but I take more of an issue with HOW and WHY it happened rather than BECAUSE it happened. Especially when people who hated Amy never offered solutions to improve her character, just complained about her existence. I also feel its regressive and a tad sexist to say to make a female better she isn't allowed to be angry or to do a 180 as a solution to "fixing" her entire persona. That's like if Princess Peach decided to become a girlboss need no man princess because of Nintendo responding to her being a damsel. In fact, with Peach they seemed to have ended her being a damsel with Odyssey, since she hasn't been kidnapped since then, but didn't sacrifice any personality in doing so. This is an issue with female characters in media too, developers will 180 them, instead of taking what was bad and using it in an interesting way or improve it. But nobody ever seems to have a problem is a male character displayed similar flaws such as aggression Amy. There's no denying some fans might miss her old ways, but as an Amy fan since the beginning

[@skull902]

While I disagree about her portrayal in Frontiers being static and boring, I think we're on the same page when it comes to how a character needs flaws to be interesting, which is why I made sure to point out in my summary at the end that she's not immune to making mistakes and having something go wrong due to them. Like for instance in IDW, I don't think I would've had a problem with Amy throwing Jewel under the bus as a result of her getting cold feet if it had played a part in the story, like if Jewel or another character called her out on it and it aided the confidence arc in some way. Another example I used in a reply to a different comment was Episode 24 of X where she yells at Sonic and then feels bad about it and sets out to help him after she gets a full picture of the situation. And yeah, there are also moments where her getting upset about something is justified (that scene with Sage in Frontiers, or when Zero struck Birdie), sometimes her _response to it_ isn't though (chasing Sonic up the pole with her hammer in Cruise Blues, or the hammer-chase in Black Knight; as a side-note you can definitely make an argument for all these as they were for slapstick, I just kinda feel like she'd be more likely to verbally confront whoever was making her mad unless she or someone else were in serious danger, unless it's one of those situations where getting angry to the point of making such a mistake would be understandable like at the end of Riders, where Sonic completely disregarded her safety). I don't think her being such an open fangirl over Sonic is a bad thing either (since she's so upfront about her feelings) but it's gotta come with balance. That's why I like her depictions in the Adventure games so much. While, again, it's rather weird she and Sonic didn't have a conversation about it in Frontiers like Knuckles did with his guardianship or Tails with his confidence, I still think they showed Amy's character off pretty well for the reasons I explained in the video. And on the topic of her capacity to make mistakes, in the scene where Sonic suggests she's focusing too much on the Koco, she sees things from his point of view, acknowledges she got a little too distracted, and they compromise. It's small, but given her role as the guide on Kronos Island, I feel like they couldn't have done a bigger example, especially with her being digitized. With the line deliveries, I don't think that's a fair assessment with how the feel of the game was to be somber; _everyone_ delivers their lines in a more subdued, downside kind of way but they still carry emotion in their performances and Amy's no different. I'd also argue that Cindy Robinson's voice for her evolved from being _very_ genericized at the beginning (they told her straight-up to do a Minnie Mouse impression when she auditioned) to a fitting and uniquely Amy voice in Boom. Not my favorite of her VAs (that'd be Lisa Ortiz) but still.

[@CRock878]

Love her or hate her but amy rose is one of the best characters in the Sonic franchise in my opinion.

[@skull902]

Agreed!

[@luizaugustosilvalima]

Agree

[@crabman3144]

Just came in off the premiere, and I'm not seeing any flaws in the analysis. Excellent work, Skull!

[@skull902]

Much appreciated, my dude!

[@ceruleanarcher2766]

Great video! TLDR at the bottom. Imo Amy's character was near perfect especially from 1998-2002. She was also good in sonic shuffle too and sonic advance 1 showed the evolution of her adventure playstyle and becoming capable although having different methods. I thought it was fun too (even though a lot of people didn't like it). You had to use momentum when the hammer jump and open times she could break bosses or clear zones faster than others with her abilities. I had to search for something to like about Amy in the inconsistent era. In heroes she is ok but her sonic "admiration" overshadows her leadership qualities and helping her friends. It's a shame because if you wait during the team sonic fight she says to give back chocola and froggy, but the team battles are so short you'll miss it. Still a dumb reason to fight but all the heroes fights are dumb except maybe team rose vs team chaotix. Shadow she was fine like you said, and battle was bad and good for the reasons you mentioned. Mostly hilarously awful, but she had cool moments like taking off her weights or her determination to become stronger. Also they reinforced her as the only character that trained for her abilities like her hammer tornado or tremors shown in idw #2. In rush her and knuckles are just pretty bad. However Amy does become friends with blaze after the conflict and blaze admires her since she is so open with her emotions. Again this is overshadowed. I thought she was fine in advance 3, although I wish they didn't show her so uppity to hit sonic with her hammer. I think it was a joke in that case but idk. In the riders games besides free riders I like her too, since she is happy to race and be more a part of the group. Also I loved Amy in tmosth! It's a shame Cream, Charmy, and Silver couldn't be there though. I don't really have anything to say about the rest you haven't already said. TLDR: I think boom Amy having the sonic doll would be seen as obsessive in main Amy even if it was in passing like the show. A lot have just convinced themselves Amy was always bad until recently(I've seen many say the adventure series was her worse portrayal unironically), but like you I'm just happy she's getting better reception and writing nowadays, even in wikis. If I'm being honest I think Amy and Knuckles both peaked in the adventure games, or at least until the idw comics and stuff. Tails I would say plateaued since adventure 2 too and then regressed in forces. While in 06 Amy was good knuckles from that game onward just had nothing to do. Again I'm glad two of my favorite characters, Amy and Knuckles, are being treated better. Big too. I know many fans can be rude, so again great video, and I hope I was respectful in my response 😊

[@skull902]

Thanks for liking the video so much, my dude! You raised some interesting points there, too. And not to worry; your response was quite respectful

[@jcasali3391]

In My Opinion out of all the character's in the Series Amy is starting to become my Most Favorite sure her character development has been back and forth over the Years but it never bothered me and I think shes underrated and should get more appreciation from Fans sometimes her Obsession for Sonic can be funny to me and it was never annoying as you said it was

[@omegaus817]

And now and today she is grow up hero. Amy isn't going to change back her new stuff is staying. IDW comic did a good job. And Sega fix her the right way. Sense Boom Amy did a good job and soon IDW comic like half used Boom Amy's act for helping even Rusty, Thorn and Black Rose as well in Prime. Amy will help everyone with her friends and the Resistance. Nice work.

[@skull902]

Thanks, Omegaus!

[@omegaus817]

​@@skull902your welcome

[@SuperWarrior64]

I remember when I was younger I could not stand Amy. I found her to be annoying and more of a nuisance rather than a character. As I've gotten older I've learned to like her more, however I am not a fan of obsessive "Sonic fangirl" characterisation as it made her unbearable through out the 2000s and early 2010s. In fact in general I never liked the stalker x love interest and never will. I espcially hated her in Sonic X (the worst character in the whole show) Another thing I hated was how she lost her mind when Sonic was seen just talking to another girl (which is another trope in fiction that I can't stand) I do however really like her character in Frontiers and the IDW comics as they really did her justice for me. She went from annoying obsessive nuisance to one of my favourite Sonic characters

[@locosword3985]

I’m always stuck between Blaze and Amy, Blaze is consistent, but Amy is in so much and there’s so many amazing portrayals it’s hard to hate her even when she’s overly annoying.

[@skull902]

Well hey, why not both? Blaze and Amy alike are fantastic characters in their own ways Also I am _amazed_ to see a Drawn Together pfp in 2024. XD

[@SofiaVejar-wq5tt]

Amy is actually the most character matured in the franchise

[@skull902]

She's definitely gone through some serious development over the years!

[@erikbihari3625]

@@skull902. More like they put a round peg in a square hole.

[@captkate-yz8kd]

I didn't mind Knuckles in Sonic x. Sure, he's pretty angry, but it's usually in moments where someone is being a jerk or Rouge is bothering him. He's someone you don't wanna mess with and later is constantly making sure that his friends are ok. Could've been better, yeah, but i prefer

[@captkate-yz8kd]

His personality here to the one in Boom. (Stupid phone won't let me edit)

[@EdgardoJCruz-dk5kv]

This is one of better Amy character analysis I have seen. I liked how you objectively depicted the pros & cons for each era she apeears in. Instead wroting it off entirely like others did for certain games. Like in Forces. Also I am so glad you did not compare IDW Amy's characterization to Sally Acorn from Archie. I kept seeing people say that despite how nonsenical it is.

[@skull902]

Ironically the confidence arc shows exactly how Amy is very much _not_ like Sally, but some people just don't see it that way I guess. Thanks for enjoying the video!

[@Cyborgmonkey145]

This was a great video on Amy, she is pretty high up in my favorite characters in the franchise. I personally liked her in Heroes as I felt she also had her friends' desires in mind (though I recognize her some of her dialog might not be ideal). I think people nowadays say she's done wrong because it feels she's less bubbly and energetic in Frontiers (though the game was explicitly made for a more mellow tone). My ideal Amy is a balance of Advenutre era (SA1 - Heroes) ShtH and IDW.

[@skull902]

Yeah, there's definitely some stuff you can point to in Heroes to make a counterpoint. Agreed on Frontiers, as well. Thanks for liking the video so much!

[@peacockqueen]

Know? It was the Japanese writers who wrote the Sonic games who also wrote the Sonic X episodes, so that means that the way the characters act in that anime is precisely how Japan's Sonic team sees these characters, it's pure logic. Everything we've seen outside of the games has been basically Western, so we don't really know how the Japanese writers currently view Amy, we would need a new anime using those writers.

[@skull902]

The only writer from Sonic X that worked on the games did it _after_ the show was over. The show went through a few different development concepts so, while I obviously don't know what kind of reference material they had on hand, but were probably given a brief summary by Sega meant to fit the characters into the story they were directing the writers to tell. I wouldn't be surprised if their reference material wasn't very thorough since the show was understaffed. Either that or Sonic Team at the time started changing their minds since they had wanted Sonic to get a little more lighthearted at the time; Yuji Naka did say in an interview that they wanted the show to resemble the games. In my personal opinion, they missed the mark As far as how they see her now, that's not terribly relevant to Amy's current portrayal since they haven't worked on Sonic for well over a decade. Sega's entrusted Sonic Team to do with the Sonic series what they want, they have an official writing staff, and the entire operation is headed by a Japanese veteran of the franchise (though personally I don't think nationality really correlates to how well someone can understand a character; writing's universal)

[@theambitiousduck]

back again because this is worth the rewatch

[@skull902]

Thanks so much!

[@XMOBPLAYZz]

Sonic boom and Amy boom are definitely dating. They might keep it a secret but we all know the truth

[@Thegamingtrouge]

This is a very amazing video I love your style of video

[@skull902]

Thank you so much!

[@harold5337]

Amy is my favourite character and always has been She’s kind, caring, funny, maybe a little bit crazy at times, but she still has a big heart and will always stick up for what’s right. I love all her incarnations, I always enjoy seeing her. Fleetway comics in the UK also worked wonders with her, and UK media gave her plenty of attention. She is a true heroine, and I hope she’s in the third sonic movie.

[@skull902]

UK media also gave her one of the most unintentionally funny stand-in voices in television, so that's a plus kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3fOcnemhLmkpsU

[@bryanferratt6598]

Voiced by Ashley Tisdale 😄😆.

[@ashesGeek]

While I agree these versions did not have an impact on her character in Japanese perspective, I still think throwing out her depictions in Archie and Fleetway Sonic comics isn't right. Fleetway Amy is quite interesting to cover since she's basically the first outright "adult" character before Boom, IDW and Frontiers. She was depicted as tomboy similar to her classic look but more edgy in comparison. So far, this Amy is the ond who showed her crush on Sonic the least focusing on being a leader of the Freedom Fighters. Not to mention, while sometimes she was captured she managed to get out on her own using Sonic's sass and manipulation. And small fun rumor, that apparently Fleetway writers possibly wanted to hint Amy might have an attraction to one of her best friend Tekno the Canary(basically 90's Tangle and Whisper relationship situation). So therefore, Fleetway Amy have much in common with 2010's versions and has nothing to do with Sally. Talking about Sally, there's Archie's Amy. To be fair, there are quite a lot of good moments with her that surpass any moments from the 2000's games, but there's no denying the comic run was very cruel and disrespectful to her. The most notorious thing was her growing up using magic ring, I understand writers had to logically explain why her design changed to modern one, but having a 8 year old child in teen body is just creepily weird and uncanny. And it doesn't help that even then she stayed in Cream's position as helpless kid for Sally to babysit while Tails easily went along on many adventures. Ian Flynn's era was better for her, but still that side of her left a bitter taste in mouth. In general, Archie Amy,to me, is a combination of her best and worst traits throughout the whole franchise.

[@skull902]

Personally don't feel that either version had anything to do with the games' writing, but maybe some day I could do a general look at both series. Would require a hell of a lot of reading though, especially with Archie, so it'd be a long time before anything of the sort comes out. XD

[@austinreed7343]

Will you cover Archie and Fleetway Amy (and the manga version) as a bonus video?

[@skull902]

Perhaps some day, but since there's so much of Archie to read, it'd take a good while to make.

[@djschannelyep3283]

I think Amy was actually pretty good in sonic heroes yes she does wants sonic to marry her and gets side tracked sometimes but she is always encouraging her friends and supporting them she even says in the team sonic boss fight if you don't beat them in 1.2 seconds "sonic give back chocola and froggy you won't get away with this!" And to defend her in sonic battle i do think she was s little overbearing but her makeing emrel her child isn't that big of a deal she is a kid and lik if i was he age and i got a stick with eyes on it? Oh yea thats my son

[@antrox2346]

Hmm. I do not entirely agree with the video. Amy has lost many qualities that made her interesting to watch and entertaining. I understand that some fans may find her tiresome or somewhat annoying, but that was what made her stand out and unique from other characters. Now I feel like a female character who is just good and that's it.

[@skull902]

I can see it from the standpoint of her being open about her feelings for Sonic; like the Adventure games had her do it but not go overboard in that respect either. It can be done with balance like in those games, but I don't think they've made Amy static or boring in her modern portrayals either.

[@cadethumann8605]

@antrox2346 I see what you're saying. In fact, her eccentric traits in the past could work. It's that they weren't balanced or executed properly. If you want a really good example of how it can be done, I'd point to official visual novel The Murder Of Sonic The Hedgehog (Don’t worry, it's not morbid). There, she's energetic and excitable whilst knowing when to tone it down in the right moments or even nuances. She flirts with Sonic in the beginning, but like SA2, it's rather playful and she moves onto other things. She has her chaotic aspects like her rage, but they are in understandable contexts like finding out something interfering with her birthday (I won't spoil it). When one character ultimately confesses about being duped into something, she ultimately doesn't take her rage out and hurt them. Besides that, she's perfectly approachable and maintains a friendly chemistry with the gang. Plus, she's rather adorkable at various points where she gets awkward. I suggest you check TMOSTH out. It's free on Steam and is a charming story that utilizes the cast pretty well, IMO. More importantly, it's one of my favorite portrayals of Amy where she's both a fun and likable character.

[@ethanandjessie1997]

I Love Amy Rose! She's The Best Girl!

[@skull902]

She do be pretty great

[@Gerik75]

I always saw that Amy being a violente obsessive girlfriend in the 2000' is because it's a popular trope in japanese cartoons where it is perfectly okay to girls to acting violent toward boys for any reasons because it just comedy, and it not supposed to take seriously, like Ranma 1/2 or Love Hina. Because I never was fan of this trope, it was a hard time for me to appreciate her at this time, even if it know Amy was able to be kind and compassionate in the show or Adventure

[@HitWYD]

I’m not seeing anything about this video but I don’t get it before frontiers everyone would be like say like if you’re in VR chat or something or any thing public thing really and then someone will be like oh it’s Amy there Amy she’s so annoying run! Amy’s annoying now frontiers fixes her and now they don’t like her. It doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t add up.

[@meganshaw1949]

I believe that the reason why she threw her under the bus was mainly due to frustration and fatigue.

[@skull902]

Which would've made sense to write into the comic so that Amy and Jewel could have a moment later on to discuss it. Instead they just kinda left it alone, which imo is a real waste

[@andrar1892]

Amy is Queen 💖💕❤️🌹💓🥀😍🥰

[@rainbowtoyfunrandomess1982]

Queen of Cuteness in Pink.😊👑

[@SonicTron-pf7lk]

Para mi las versiones buenas son la clásica boom y idw boom prime y etc si hay o haya mas xd y hasta diría que la amy actual es la que debió ser desde un inicio mientras que la de antes fue mediocre :/ aunque se que tuvo sus buenos momentos pero no se si la salvan especialmente en sonic x pero en fin almenos cosas buenas tuvo supongo

[@Morales3088]

The X version of Amy had so much Karen energy

[@skull902]

Since you put it that way, yeah, I can definitely see her demanding to speak with the manager. XD

[@lala-jd6em]

Great vid!

[@skull902]

Thanks so much!

[@BeckyWilliamson-l7n]

I didn’t like what they did to her. I honestly miss her energy and sassy self. They even took away the mallet that she uses in video games. I don’t mind the card thing but I wish they would let her use her mallet instead. Am I the only one who’s thinks that? Anyway they could’ve kept her old personality but make her seem like she got character development by making her have controlled her temper and matured a bit. I’m not real good at explaining things, but that’s what I’d like to see.

[@cadethumann8605]

I understand what you mean. It would be nice if a future story would incorporate her energetic traits without sacrificing her modern self's positive traits. Although, if it makes you feel more at ease, there is this little game called The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (don't worry. It's not as dark as it sounds) where they do have her energetic.

[@Karianysu]

The...mallet?

[@Karianysu]

​@cadethumann8605 wtf are you talking about. One game where she is more mellow and people think that's the character forever?

[@cadethumann8605]

@Karianysu Perhaps you're right, partner. Maybe Ian Flynn or other writers have her energetic traits in mind for future projects. Just that it depends on the context as to what story is being told. I confess that I haven't yet seen all of recent Sonic media. I've only indulged in Frontiers and TMOSTH (which, in my opinion, is one of Amy's best depictions). I haven't read the IDW comics or played the other games. I also should note that I actually did enjoy her in Frontiers. While not her definitive, I enjoyed seeing her looking to help out the Coco despite being trapped in cyberspace and having a significantly more healthy interaction with Sonic again (I say again because they could at least interact normally in the Adventure games before her character got flanderized). I just hope that future stories do keep her energetic traits in mind whilst balancing her friendly dynamics with the cast. (At the very least, she's certainly in a far better place in the community nowadays. Before, she was either liked or widely hated. Now, it's generally more of a discussion on which version is better or how she can be improved)

[@mr.j1401]

great video

[@skull902]

Thanks so much!

[@mober7430]

Classic Amy is goated

[@MorganBell-h6n]

I like sonic x😭😭😭😭 I get she was mega cringe in it, but Cosmo and Topaz and the Meterex where great characters to me.

[@Karianysu]

One thing is certain: amy's waifu

[@sketchsskotch1073]

Amy is probably my least favorite of the main cast. At her best like in SA1 and IDW; she's good. But the rest are either serviceable or just annoying. I never found her too interesting outside of SA1 and IDW; where she had an arc in SA1 and IDW was the only time where it felt like Sonic and Amy had an actual friendship. Also don't like how they've been turning Amy into a more strength focused character, I always saw her as the compassionate part of the team and it kind of gives the feeling that if you don't have super-powers, you don't have anything to contribute to the team. And honestly it would allow for more interesting scenarios with Amy not being able to rely on her Knuckles super strength to get her out of situations.

[@skull902]

I think what they're doing (and have been doing for many years now) is make Amy, ability-wise, an all-around type. Like she's fast but not as much as Sonic, Shadow, or Blaze. Strong but not as much as Knuckles (like the giant hammer in IDW for instance where she's completely exhausted after the fact), the strength coming in a more situational sort of fashion as well. It's not outright said but given how her gameplay progresses in SA1 to SA2's multiplayer to Heroes, it gives off the idea that she'd had to train to get to where she is, whereas the others just kinda had their abilities to begin with. Fits the "Badass Normal" bill, imo.

[@sketchsskotch1073]

@@skull902 I get what they're going for, and honestly I'd be fine with her getting stronger. But not really to the level of being super-powered; makes her feel less unique, at least to me if she's just strong enough to be another member of the super powered cast. Part of me feels like it was something by the writers to make it easier for her to fit into any kind of story if she can just have all around powers.

[@skull902]

I can see your point of view, certainly. I believe the idea is instead that like these great feats of strength aren't normal for her, like she can do it, but like I said in the video doesn't really know that she can unless the situation calls for it and that when she does, it takes her out of the fight for a good while (whereas someone like Knuckles would have a much easier time regrouping). So in order to make the most out of her abilities, she's gotta fight normally, use her hammer and combat knowledge smartly. Her hammer being there at all, to me, is a good showing that she is the "normal" one, or the closest thing to it since she's one of the few that uses a weapon (a close-range one at that, unlike others who use bombs or firearms...or Cheese). But I also think that they're making it clear that Amy's predominant trait is her unique compassionate side, kind of like how you said you saw her. It sorta supersedes the other stuff in that way, if that makes any sense.

[@antrox2346]

I think they should focus more on her tarot cards, than making her another strong character.

[@cadethumann8605]

@sketchsskotch1073 My take is that she can be a physical underdog (not that she can't strive to get stronger or improve her skills. Just that she's not on the same level as the rest of the core cast) who uses creative ways and determination to get around disadvantages. Maybe she has to use her wits to exploit an enemy's weakness. This can create exciting scenarios where a more vulnerable character has to overcome tense odds (example, Yahiko from Ruroini Kenshin is a small fry student of the main protagonist, armed with nothing but a bamboo sword (or nothing but his fists). Regardless, he uses his determination and creativity to beat tougher foes). Alternatively, she could tag team with another character where one draws agro while the other flanks the enemy (ex. Knuckles clashes head on with the enemy while Amy sneaks behind and strikes). It can also go in different ways depending on what kind of story you want to tell. There's so many potential stories and scenarios you can tell with an underdog character, be they the main hero or a supporting one.

[@silvey5697]

Watched it as you asked. Still don't like her xD All things aside - pretty complete analysis of the character, I may not like her cause I didn't play Forces or didnt read the comics just quite yet. But we'll see

[@andrar1892]

I agree wholeheartedly with you I agree that the current Amy is an amazing character and she is being portrayed the way she deserves to be this treatment from Sega had been long over due

[@skull902]

Thanks for liking the video!

[@yngsonic18]

I wish you would do the comics Amy rose

[@skull902]

The Archie comics?

[@yngsonic18]

@@skull902 yes

[@skull902]

@@yngsonic18 Again, I think it didn't really impact her writing in the games...and my god, that would require a _hell_ of a lot of reading. XD

[@128bot]

Yeah no. That Amy loves Sonic is no secret in Boom

[@skull902]

She sure tries to keep it one

[@128bot]

@@skull902 Only in one episode

[@TwoTailedSponge]

❤️🩷💚🧡💙

[@skull902]

Thanks!

[@dragondelsur5156]

I've never dropped a video sooner when you said Lost World Amy was a good portrayal, that garbage? Amy does tons of nothing in Lost World, she just takes care of some random animals for the entire game when she and Knuckles could've done something more. Like, compassion my ass, she's not this passive, not this closed off, nor this boring. The capsule fell from a thousand feet, you know the animals are okay, let them be and go to the goddamn Lost Hex where you probably wish to be. And about her feelings for Sonic, when she's an open book, the last thing you want for her is to HIDE them. I swear, fuck this BS that Amy should save what she feels to herself, people treat it as maturity but it's the complete oppossite of it. Boom sucks, Frontiers sucks, Lost World more than sucks with Amy, and all they're defended for when talking about this character is that she acts nothing like Amy. Whenever people say "oh Amy was this and this and this but thanks to X game she's mature and stopped bothering Sonic", you definitely are not fans of the character, and you're one of those people.

[@skull902]

Well that's unfortunate; had you stuck around just a little longer you'd have heard me say that while her personality in Lost World and Forces were portrayed well, they were really just a snippet rather than something great and that they should've been having her and the rest of the cast more involved in the plots of these games. While I too think that Lost World would've objectively been better by making more use of Amy and Knuckles (and better use of literally every other character), they wrote her to be the one giving Sonic updates from ground level, and with the little they _did_ do, they at least gave her good characterization. Had you watched a bit beyond that as well, you would've also noticed me saying that Amy's complete lack of dialogue in Frontiers with Sonic about her feelings for him was odd compared to how Knuckles and Tails' conversations with him were more personal, and that their portrayal of it as a secret in the associated Twitter takeover was also weird. And, if you stuck around to the end, you would've also heard that I do in fact think of Amy as an openly-emotional character. Have some examples, and I'll note some angry examples too just so that it's clear I don't think that side of her is an inherently bad idea: -Her seemingly final message to Sonic in Lost World. Minor one as well but when she shoves off Knuckles for being a showboat is a pretty subtle one -The celebration and big hug she gives him at the end of Frontiers, when it was appropriate for her to act in her more energetic way since Frontiers is generally a more somber game. _That_ is why I don't understand complaints about the way she carries herself in the game; the tonal dissonance of Amy being bright and cheery while all this negative stuff is going on simply wouldn't have made sense. She still carried an optimistic attitude in a way that fit with the game's storytelling, and when she got pissed off, she had some real reason to be -As mentioned in the follow-up video, there were moments in Riders, the IDW comic, and even X that showed some real justified anger -In pretty much every scene she's in in Unleashed, she is unabashedly letting whoever she's talking with know exactly how she's feeling with her body language and demeanor; she encourages Professor Pickle to not give up hope, drags him along to his office out of concern and curiosity to find out what happened to Sonic, etc. etc. Contrary to what you said, I _do_ want Amy to show her emotions, even her crush for Sonic. What I'm not keen on is when they make liking Sonic her entire personality, because then they diminish her other traits such as her caring and understanding nature and replace it with being an unreasonable hot-headed bully. The Sonic Adventure games set up a perfect base for what her character should be; why abandon that? It just robs her of her depth If the Sonic X or Heroes or Rush or whatever similar interpretation of the character is what you like, that's completely fine. That doesn't mean I'm not a fan of the character, that just means you disagree with my opinion. There's really no reason to try and gatekeep a fictional pink hedgehog, my dude

[@kieranstark7213]

@@skull902 Yeah, you tell him (I know you’re solely trying and succeeding to reason with him, and that’s great, all your points here are valid, but still)! This guy would even fight with me a few years ago for having a positive opinion on the character Sonic the Hedgehog (mainly before the 2010s when his character was more consistent and before the characters in general became one-note in the games compared to the Archie comics written by Ian Flynn) and thought that when I said he had a lot of good qualities (re: he inspires his friends and rivals to become their own heroes and lives by his own rules with his freedom regardless of what the evil government aka GUN thinks, nothing wrong with that) and he didn’t have to be perfect, I was justifying him being a one-dimensional jerk (which he thinks is all the time except for, like I said, the 2010s games where he had no personality other than to make bad jokes even when times got serious) to all his friends and rivals (including but not limited to his besties Tails and Knuckles) when he has more layers and moments of being a hero (or at least a world protecter) than given credit for.

[@rainbowtoyfunrandomess1982]

Amy Rose is definitely the best girl! Sure, her counterpart in Sonic X is a bit much, but fans still love her as a character no matter what. We all need to respect Amy Rose because she's more than just a Sonic Fangirl. She's kind, compassionate, strong, cute, tough, protective, and she's also very helpful to anyone plus she always has a soft spot for animals as well.🩷💖🌹🥀

[@bryanferratt6598]

I do kinda like her Sonic Fangirl persona as well to be honest . I find it kind of endearing 😄😆.

[@rainbowtoyfunrandomess1982]

​@@bryanferratt6598So do I, she's really funny! Of course we know she has other hobbies besides chasing Sonic everyday.😁💕