Why Are Sonic's Arms Blue Now?

The Sonic Fanbase are known for many things, one of those things being that they like arguing over extremely pedantic things, so today I decided to discuss one of these talking about; let's talk about Sonic's Arm Color, and why SEGA have recently leaned into making them blue instead of the usual tan.
Twitter - / _splashdash

[@yaboylou7967]

When I first saw the Boom designs, I didn’t even notice that they changed his arm color until people started pointing it out online.

[@MizfitZer0]

Lies

[@sideways_chip_eater6420]

@@MizfitZer0 uhh how did he lie?

[@antusFireNova]

Same

[@insanerhombus8446]

same

[@AshRyder]

For me it was hard not to notice

[@KaleBennett]

I think the blue arms look better when the shoulder is smooth with the body, while tan arms work with the tube arms that look attached to a socket.

[@Lunalite]

Was about to comment that exact same thing

[@onthedre]

Ohhh thats how you draw sonic lol

[@wumpus976]

Yeah, it ends up making it look more like the fur on his chest ends.

[@GodzillaTalesProductions]

I completely agree

[@ThatBugBehindYou]

And yet in motion the tan arms will always look better.

[@LocoRodeoBozo]

It's always about the arms... But why does no one talk about Sonic's eyelids? They've been changing way longer than the arms.

[@lordkaijux5262]

I think after Sonic Heroes is where they permanently made his eyelids blue. Then again Classic Sonic had flesh colored eyelids in Sonic Generations.

[@ThatSneakman]

@@lordkaijux5262 He did in the Dreamcast version of Adventure as well.

[@ChanceTheBrony]

Sonic has two sets of eyelids, like a cat.

[@michaelsleeman2443]

Let me put my two cents in as well: sometimes (early cartoons like the Saturday one or the Sonic anime movie) had his pupils blink. So the white of his eyes would always be open but his pupils would change to a horizontal lines rather than a vertical ones. Then there's the inconsistent eyelids themselves. Sometimes tan, sometimes blue. I think it's been more colored blue nowadays, but it bothers me that pupils are the ones to change. When it's black on white like Sonic's, I think it doesn't look good, more simple eyes when it's black on the face color(blue in this case) or something like that could work, but honestly eyelids are better than the alternative. But hey, like I said: my two cents.

[@scorch_the_hedgehog]

When i animate i forgot sonics eyes are blue now so i give him classic eyelids it's better

[@ridleylegassy]

I like how that dude was complaining about Eggman being named Eggman despite being a classic purist, seeing as his original Japanese name is Eggman.

[@SilitongaProduction]

That dude be like “I hate Japan, they should’ve stick with Robotnik!” 🤣

[@jamiegioca9448]

He's too busy coping, seething and malding about the pettiest and most pointless BS he can think of to ponder on this

[@zombiedalekweck2243]

I always loved the idea they made that his actual name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik, but he took on the nickname of Eggman due to constant mockery. It's fitting.

[@Bellathewolf55]

It's also fitting how in sonic x his name is Ivo Eggman Robotnik or Eggman Robotnik in the comics

[@ColdFuse96]

I never even realized they changed the color of Sonic's arms until Chris Chan assaulted that game stop employee 💀💀💀

[@shadokwastaken]

absolutely yes for the video on the design document

[@shadowkirbs4471]

I second this

[@mightbetoad6786]

sorry to be that guy, but uhhhhh "absoutly"?

[@shadokwastaken]

@@mightbetoad6786 woops, corrected, thx

[@JustJohn43]

Such a tease

[@cradiculous]

Concept stuff is always interesting

[@lokid.r-k-9608]

Almost none of the other characters have tanned arms. Could you imagine Tails or Knuckles.

[@lucasmendes3219]

Cause in the other characters It looks good.

[@bardonardo2001]

Amy, Rouge have tan arms

[@AsecasJavi]

I could, and it wouldn't fit, just as it wouldn't fit for sonic to have a furry muzzle

[@Duvk99]

@@bardonardo2001 that's why he said almost

[@faded9581]

Look at their classic sprites. Sonic's arms are in front of his blue spines, so in a pixel format in would be near impossible to distinguish his blue arms from his blue spines. Tails and Knuckles don't have spines that lie behind their arms, so no problem.

[@RoseCalyx]

because the mighty Chris Chan has finally been defeated. Without such a potent and forceful threat looming over SEGA if they ever wanted to make Sonics arms blue, they are now finally free to do it.

[@fbafroguy6200]

When he gets realised sega is fucked

[@ibilesfighter3.16]

@@fbafroguy6200 It'll be attack on titan in this bitch

[@StarGazerTom1991]

Christ, Im only an hour late, didn't think someone would have made a CWC reference that fast.

[@driveasandwich6734]

Ding dong! The witch is dead.

[@bluishwolf]

@@StarGazerTom1991 There was a photo of Chris in the video itself.

[@kookaman6095]

Papyrus: SONIC’S ARMS ARE BLUE NOW. THAT’S MY ATTACK! NYEH HEH HEH!

[@Scissorie]

Frisk: damn

[@thegodzillafandomsrookie5514]

his shoes are probably red and insired by santa due to sonic canonically being born on "christmas island"

[@TravTrevTV]

I thought it was based on michael jackson

[@GooferArslan]

​​@@TravTrevTVhis Shoes are inspired by Michael Jackson indeed but the red and white color combination is inspired by Santa because his creator thinks the most known character all around the world is santa

[@eltonsstuff]

As an animator, I hard disagree with "blue arms are easier to animate", it comes down to the same reason as why tan arms worked better in the 2D games. It's easier to pose, with tan arms, it's extremely easy to convey Sonic's poses from shot to shot, it doesn't need a second thought. as opposed to the monkey-fiddling you have to do to ensure the audience can understand where Sonic's blue arms are in a 3D space. As for those weird arm sockets, it's more of a model issue. I don't believe all models have that weird sleeve thing going on. some just connect the arms to the torso. It would've been a non-issue with the sonic movie, since they could've just used the big-budget realistic fur to hide the seams. I'll agree more realistic proportions would make Sonic easier to animate, but I found that also takes away the cartoonish charm of Sonic.

[@TripleJump]

More importantly, the realistic proportions in the Sonic movie likely made it easier to translate the mo-cap into actual animation.

[@FlamingFoxProd]

@@TripleJump Yeah but... has Sonic ever really looked good with MoCap? In the video SplashDash mentioned, the "Animation of Sonic Games" video, it went into detail about how awful the MoCap looked in basically all the games between SA2 and Unleashed. Sonic just doesn't look right when they use MoCap, it only works in the movie because it's already meant to look realistic.

[@bluerious5475]

@@TripleJump Then it really shouldn’t be said that motion capture is a bad choice in general

[@kaobunn]

Blue arms still aren't that bad

[@FlamingFoxProd]

@@kaobunn Why are you bringing this up? Nobody's saying that they are. We're just saying that from an animation standpoint, calling them easier to animate is false.

[@andreou5711]

5:51 I’ve been making this comparison for YEARS, with the cars having similarly large conjoined eyes. I always had a feeling that they served as inspiration in the last decade.

[@lordkaijux5262]

Hell, several Looney Tunes characters such as Taz had conjoined eyes way before Sonic became a thing.

[@pogpogpurinn]

It was probably inspiro on how the eyes moved, those eye shapes have been around forever in animation however modern sonic just didnt move his eyes like that anymore, So I think the cars eyes were purely inspo on how to get back to that sort of animated conjoined eye look, which I believe hes been drawn to have in the past? But not usually in games, It's quite a cool inspo haha it strangely makes sense

[@Axxidous]

@@lordkaijux5262 Not in 3D

[@foursidekm]

@@lordkaijux5262 I think the whole thing probably started with mickey mouse honestly. A lot of people think the black dots on classic mickey mouse are his eyes but they're actually his pupils. They fucked up his modern design a lot

[@malachiroberts1465]

@@foursidekm oh ew! I just went back to check, and now I can’t unsee that. it’s disturbing

[@Moonswirly]

I'm big on color theory so the blue arms just reduce the contrast between different parts of his body and don't really look right to me as a result. I'd say them "blending into his body" is still a possible issue during gameplay since the camera usually isn't right up against his ass.

[@darkhorse744]

Yeah, it's usually shoved up Crash's ass.

[@felixdaniels37]

Yeah, it's the same reason Superman's design doesn't work as well without the red spandex, because there's nothing to break up the blue.

[@bob74h67]

Yea, I agree it just makes the limbs stand out from the body

[@LemonFuture]

That’s what the bandages are for

[@ItsSupercat94]

nah the blue arms look way better

[@Arthas972]

0:32 “it’s appalling, it’s terrible, it’s…oh, wait, that’s tails”

[@MrLocazo212]

That was funny 😂

[@doughytown4188]

As a member of Sonic’s general audience, I can confirm: We don’t give two fucks what color modern Sonic’s arms are.

[@___8241]

I like the tan arms more personally. They add an "adventurous" outdoors type of energy to Sonic while blue arms looks like something he'd grow out in the winter.

[@darkhorse744]

I like to think that Sonic shaves his arms as a fashion statement of some kind.

[@Keanine]

@@darkhorse744 Jesus, this cursed thought shall never leave me thank you

[@purplechaosemerald6187]

@@Keanine he can shave the rest of his skin

[@purplechaosemerald6187]

He also shaves his stomach

[@WhiteCresentKnight]

That actually sounds fun, summer sonic has tan arms and winter sonic has blue arms

[@adammyers7383]

I would LOVE to see a video on Sonic Synergy. Also, while it would piss some people off, I’d prefer any design that allows better and more expressive animation.

[@diskdem0n]

same here

[@Remour]

And hopefully they don’t gatekeep the pdf file.

[@-sgsdfhdhhdt]

I'm pissed of now

[@Jesterclown17]

I actually liked the blue arms, it matched Knuckles and Tails and was a fun way to change up the look. ... but why did they bother keeping Amy's arm color the same if they were going to change Sonic's? Also, it would be awesome to see a video on the behind the scenes stuff for boom. I always love see the early builds and "what if's".

[@justcholey4131]

for amy i guess they thought that a red shirt and pink arms would be too similar in color and just kept it the same, if amy was like sally i'm pretty sure they would had made her arms pink

[@ivanacurna6577]

Now that I think all characters have arms fully colored, only Sonic and Amy are exception... and maybe Vector and Rouge (to be fair though Vector arms are more green and Rouge has white fur only on head). But just like in video I don't mind. Sonic is still Sonic, tan arms or blue. :)

[@JoaoPedro-ki7ct]

I think her arms being "shaved"(?) makes her look a more delicate and therefore more feminine, it's a very subtle detail, but it changes the things a lot when you notice it.

[@devilmaycrysarockingdontcome]

@@JoaoPedro-ki7ct no

[@hickory-dickory1638]

@@devilmaycrysarockingdontcome why no?

[@e-madart9420]

I actually think that each change that happened to sonic's design really fits the type of media or the aesthetic of whatever they're working on, the tan arms fit the classic and modern sonic, while the blue arms fit the boom redesign and hyper realistic design of the movie, I'm pretty sure they didn't go and do those changes without thinking about it

[@Daft-SFM]

I want to think SEGA made the change after finding out about Sonichu as a way to get back at chris chan

[@smt64productions40]

Based move honestly

[@CynicalScorpio]

I actually prefer the blue arms because it's more consistant. It just feels weird for his arm color to be different from his leg color.

[@scorch_the_hedgehog]

Like in the movie not even in boom sonic is acting cool without the tan arms like movie sonic and boom sonic are not that cool as morden and classic

[@coltonk.3086]

DAS WHAT I'M SAYING

[@Noobdoesforfun]

Yeah, I like the blue arms actually looked better than the tan arms. I do like them, but I like the blue arms more

[@personrhs]

It only works with boom and movie sonic, I really prefer the tan arms

[@charliep7112]

I mean, look at Mario, he went from wearing a blue shirt and red overalls to wearing a red shirt and blue overalls, and I bet you most people did not care. When it comes to redesigns, as long as the character is still recognizable and still maintains what people liked about the design, it's fine. The thing is, even with Sonic's Adventure redesign and Sonic Boom redesign, yes there were changes to the design, but they still kept what people liked about Sonic's design, he was a hip blue hedgehog who likes to go fast, and the arm color change and eye color change did not change that original image, he was still Sonic, the Sonic we all know and love.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Well overalls should be blue

[@Leig5H0T]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 sonic has fur textures in the movie so it looks really odd with tan arms because either you have random tan fur, or the arms are just hairless, both of which are kinds odd

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@Leig5H0T Real African hedgehogs have hairless legs, but European ones do have hair on their legs. See Shadow

[@Leig5H0T]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 sonic looks so different than an actual hedgehog though

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@Leig5H0T Yeah but you can relate it to the real animal

[@miimiiandco]

He's not called Dr. Eggman now. He's called Baldy Nosehair.

[@randoncourter4923]

*McNosehair

[@j.j3264]

@@randoncourter4923 It was originally just Nosehair, Boom introduced the “Mc”.

[@alicev1500]

@@j.j3264 nah I'm pretty sure it's been McNosehair since Colors.

[@j.j3264]

@@alicev1500 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGKnlqGjl7WWftU Ignore the title.

[@johnathonturner2279]

@@j.j3264 Nope. In the very cutscene Nosehair was introduced, Sonic added the Mc in. "I'm totally calling him McNosehair!" or something like that.

[@niczaz58]

Honestly I think blue arms work more for cohesive design than anything, the only other consistently prominent characters we see with tan arms are Amy and Rouge while pretty much everyone else has arms that match the fur, so blue arms just goes to make sonic more in line with the majority of the cast’s visual design. Hell I could see movie Amy getting pink arms if she ever shows up cause then it just feels more consistent to what we’ve seen rather than an animation thing

[@UndertowOfficial-v2c]

The dude who is talking about egg man’s name doesn’t seem to realize that dr robotnik was always egg man and was changed due to localization

[@dynamitewolft4194]

im pretty sure both were made cannon

[@UndertowOfficial-v2c]

@@dynamitewolft4194 idk not a sonic fan no more

[@fabriserra1227]

I think that from story prospective he just shaves himself, that's why Shadow and Silver have their fur/spines while Sonic don't.

[@Eman02kG]

Sonic and Amy are a species of hedgehog that don’t have fur on their torsos or arms

[@Vexcenot]

Hedgehog manscaping

[@lordkaijux5262]

@@Vexcenot Now with today's sponsors: Hedge-Scaped.

[@quijotapazos2750]

@@Eman02kG yes, a lot of people doesnt know there are different species of hedgehogs

[@Nintendofan570]

Chris Chan is going to jail so we are going to have one less sonic fan who makes the rests of us look bad

[@jace.r]

Facts the blue arms can live on now

[@subifyouhatetiktokandreddit234]

How? The fact that he went to jail for incest Repe makes him look even worse

[@StarGazerTom1991]

The Blue Armed Menace has won!

[@thisduckisgoingtokillme]

lmfao chris chan has done so much damage to the sonic community that no one will ever take sonic fans seriously

[@Vexcenot]

1 down, the rest of us to go

[@forbiddenspatula4243]

Compare Sonic Boom the game and Sonic Boom the show. In the show he actually doesn't look all that bad with blue arms; but during gameplay he looks off. I think he looks better with blue arms when being animated for media because the different camera angle and lower speed of the character means he can have blue arms without just looking like a blue blob.

[@parlinmains]

The game models have this weird plasticky look that makes their fur shiny. (Maybe because of the lighting?) That's probably why Sonic looks worse.

[@lucasmendes3219]

@@parlinmains not really, his arms simply disappear if the angle of the camera isn't correct

[@shawntheg7076]

Sonic prime trailer dropped, they proved this vid wrong, the animation is smooth as heck

[@tamedlyneldog8210]

Prime and Boom's animation have their own ways of looking great

[@gronkpatrol]

I don't think tan arms look worse in 3D, it depends on the model they use. I think they just wanted to make his shoulder to arm transition more seamless and realistic. The arm socket thing is a model issue, not a colour issue. They could easily colour his arms tan and have them connected to his torso.

[@Sjono]

Why wasn’t there as big an outcry when Nintendo redesigned Link to be blonde compared to when Sega made Sonic have green eyes

[@xenogen372]

Because Link's redesigns were still made by Nintendo of Japan, while most of Sonic's redesigns were made by Americans, like Boom Sonic, and Movie Sonic. In other words, people are mad that they're apparently "Americanizing" Sonic

[@Sjono]

@@xenogen372 Sonic’s redesign in Sonic Adventure was done by Japanese devs

[@Mysticgamer]

There was no Twitter back then, just random fan forums that nintendo would never see, also execpt for a few games the Link you play as isn't the same guy and takes place centuries later in a different timeline.

[@Mechablizz]

There are a ton of different Links from a lot of different universes. This has been confirmed on multiple occasions like smash bros and the official timeline. This means that the audience always expects a different continuity, so small changes aren't that big a deal. In fact, it's a good thing for them to stand out from one another so casual followers like me can keep track of events. Sonic is a slightly different case because the games are directly connected to one another (unless stated otherwise), while every show or comic ends up being a different continuity. This means the audience expects no big changes to be made to Sonic's person outside of clothing articles, and even that is a stretch because people thought sonic looked kinda stupid with all the athletic tape and the bandana in Sonic Boom. That's my theory anyways

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@Mechablizz I think he should have pants

[@albertodiaz9296]

In my headcanon, Sonic always had his arms blue. The peach-color arms are just him arms after shaving. Why does he do this? Idk, I probably thinks he looks better with peach arms.

[@bushybeardedbear]

Initially he thought it reduced drag, but after several sessions in Tails' wind tunnels, he realised it made very little difference.

[@CosmicSponge2004]

@@bushybeardedbear I always assumed Tan in Sonic was skin & Blue was Skin/Quills

[@goose4349]

@@bushybeardedbear that’s honestly an interesting idea

[@CosmicSponge2004]

@KIAN he is has?

[@purplechaosemerald6187]

He shaves his stomach but doesn’t shave his arms in winter to keep warm sense we never see him in a house during the games

[@thesaltyeevee1459]

It’s a little weird that Amy’s arms are tan in Boom though, I never really noticed they didn’t change her arms until watching this.

[@becklubime9105]

I really just think that a reasonable explanation is that she's a girl. You know, is probally just the same as women rarally having beard or not having hairy chest.

[@MoonlightGlimmers]

I didn’t know Sonics arms were tan until yesterday and I’m kinda a Sonic fan, that’s how unnoticeable it is.

[@strengthcolossal5538]

*Chris-Chan:* i'm about to end this man's whole career!

[@destronlaserwave9566]

Ah yes, the Sonic fanbase. Known for complaining about things as trivial as the color of a fictional blue hedgehog's eyes. I'm proud to be apart of this fanbase.

[@vinicius100470]

There's absolutely no problem over complaining about the details of something you're passionate about HOWEVER the problem starts when you overreact about such a small thing.

[@mikeval1525]

They awesome fan games.

[@BlueTyphoon2017]

Idk of you know this but I think the person who complained about green eyes was a troll, I think a youtuber did a video on it showing a clip where he admitted it was fake.

[@micjimster4845]

Same

[@Imps603]

​@@vinicius100470 yeah, like when a certain someone vandalized private property and maced a gamestop employee

[@LuigiChannel50]

It depends on what design it is tbh... Boom/Movie design definitely looks better with the blue arms, While the Modern design looks better with tan. It just comes down to personal preference.

[@misterzygarde6431]

I actually didn’t notice Boom! Sonic’s arm color at first until it was pointed out.

[@smt64productions40]

Same

[@smt64productions40]

@FuckOuttaHere Heck, I don't even pay attention to his arm color

[@Sikei-keisokei]

Same

[@PopFizzzzzzzzz]

My ideal sonic would have tan legs, blue arms and a tan head. As for the eye color, He just has no eyes. The whole eye(s) just gone.

[@agustinhernandezrivas-jp7jk]

Sonic: *has blue arms* People in 2014: NOOOO! THIS RUINS THE CHARACTER AND HIS ARMS SHOULD BE TAN INSTEAD OF BLUE! People in 2020: That looks so cool.

[@thenewherooftime815]

That Sonic synergy thing looks cool, please do a whole video on it!

[@mdh0422]

This was an interesting video, I very much tan arms no matter what, but this was a nice perspective. Though I do disagree that the blue arms aren’t off putting in 3D renders. Given Sonic is a very solid blue color, I feel it still faces the same issues as if you make his arms blue in 2D Art, it looks too monochromatic and hurts pose readability. Boom and Movie Sonic I think tend to rock the blue arms better due to additional elements of their designs, such as the scarf and rendered fur.

[@davidorioh]

Especially after (or during depending on who you ask) the whole "green eyes debate", I'm surprised more people didn't blow a fuse over how they chose to separate the round cyclops eye into two distinct square-ish eyes for both movie designs

[@mihailos8701]

I think both arms can work depending on what Sonic they used, and I personally blue ones looks good on Boom and Movie version

[@batfang25animations39]

I would totally watch a deep dive on sonic boom can’t deny I kinda enjoyed the franchise as a whole

[@J0shGrham]

I thought I was the only one

[@krugerofcause9048]

You enjoyed Rise of Lyric? I won't deny that the 2 3DS games were good, and the show is a certified hood classic, but you enjoyed Rise of Lyric???

[@batfang25animations39]

@@krugerofcause9048 I never play ed any of the games but watched it and well it objectively boring game design honestly I like it because of the jack & daxter and ratchet & clank influence

[@krugerofcause9048]

@@batfang25animations39 Rise of Lyric is also just as buggy as Sonic 06. The rest of the Boom franchise might be good, but there's a reason Rise of Lyric tainted the Boom reputation as badly as it did.

[@batfang25animations39]

@@krugerofcause9048 eh from the gameplay I watch it didn't look that buggy buggy yeah but not by much I think they patched it out a around its release so that might explain it

[@rfh9560]

The Sonic Boom show is amazing from an entertainment and technical perspective, the animations are smooth and characters so expressive, much better than any Sonic Game in this regard, they convey so much more emotion, I’m impressed at how many jokes in the show rely on body language, I think it’s time for a Sonic redesign based on Boom’s proportions, people may not be happy at first, but if the game delivers and the design serves a purpose, people will get used quickly

[@ghosts8673]

I would agree

[@miss_chelles1338]

Im just glad someone else likes sonic boom. 😂

[@mattdude]

@@miss_chelles1338 I’m pretty sure everybody liked the tv show. The game on the other hand…

[@berryblue_levi9500]

YES

[@extremmefan7305]

I disagree. I think the modern proportions are already a great middle ground between an expressive character and a mascot. I am, however, fine with Boom and Movie having their own versions of the character. Gives a little something for everyone.

[@FrannyFranhocas]

Please go over the Sonic Synergy document on a future video!! I love this type of stuff, and learning about Sonic Boom's development was a wild ride for younger me so this would be a treat!

[@justcallmecat]

I first saw that in Sonic boom, and I really loved it, it looks more natural I think, so I prefer when they do with that design choice now

[@crying2theocean203]

Alright, hot take; Boom sonic is a universally nicer design both visually and ESPECIALLY for animation, the on,y thing I don’t like is the sports tape, the scarf kinda gives him a little bit of the cute classic energy.

[@icewelder8117]

“Sega don’t give a shit” that’s my exact problem. Sonic since heroes has kept reinventing itself for no reason when it could’ve just stuck with what they had. Sega also adds things not because of artistic integrity but just because of business decisions. This is a problem cause for the past decade it just feels like Sega doesn’t treat sonic with respect.

[@bowmaj8666]

I agree! Though let's not forget that Sonic has been the internet's personal punching bag for so damn long that it honestly feels like Sega have just given up and gone "What's the point of putting any passion or effort into this series if people are just going to badmouth it regardless of it's quality? If everyone is just going to make idiotic memes to show how stupid Sonic is, then we might as well do that too! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" At least, that's how it feels to me!

[@bowmaj8666]

@360 Overdrive While I don't think Sega necessarily should sell the Sonic series, but they definitely need to get a competent team who understands the series, it's history and lore, it's characters and it's overall tone. Yet at the same time, this fan base is so divided that even that wouldn't keep everyone happy! At the end of the day though Sonic games, regardless of their quality, still sell! And even the bad games are being bought by KZbinrs just so they can make videos mocking the series with the same overused, unfunny jokes we've heard a million times before ("HUH HUH, SONIC SUCKS! MEMBER WHEN HE KISSED A HUMAN? WERE THEY PROMOTING BEASTIALITY? THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO LIKE SONIC OBVIOUSLY JERK OFF TO CRINGEY SONIC PICTURES ON DEVIANT ART!") And yet Sega just don't care, because they're still making money! It sounds crazy, but there's a part of me that thinks this is why the games just aren't improving!

[@bowmaj8666]

@360 Overdrive I honestly don't think the "America Vs Japan" thing is necessarily a problem. At least not a big one! The majority of the Sonic fan base have been whining about the most trivial things practically ever since Sonic 2. I remember people who hated Tails in that game almost with a passion; so if there are people who can't even handle Sonic having ONE friend, then is it any wonder why Sega have been prioritizing the demands of the "Sonic's Stupid Friends" crowd? THAT seems to be the only reason that they've all been sidelined and Sonic has been the only playable character with a bunch of gimmicks tacked on! Even the Werehog felt like a cheap alternative to playing as Sonic's friends! It's the same with this "Two Worlds" thing. There's absolutely nothing in the games that suggests that there's a world of humans and a separate world of anthropomorphic animals. However, because so many people are confused about this and are constantly asking weird questions like "Why are there humans? Humans weren't in the old games", completely forgetting, ignoring, or even straight up denying that Eggman IS a human and has been there since day one! And yet Sega, who seem to be getting confused by this themselves are saying things like "oh yeah, those old games are set on a totally different world to the newer ones" as a desperate attempt to try and appease these fans. As a result though all this has done is mess with their continuity and make everything more convoluted and confusing than it needs to be! It's the same with the "Modern Sonic Vs Classic Sonic" fiasco! When Sonic 4 was announced every Sonic whiner was going " NOOO, I DON'T WANT THAT STINKY GREEN EYED IMPOSTER! WHERE'S THE REAL SONIC?" People were even saying "Sonic's old design and his new design should be two separate characters!" And in the very next game, they bring back the old design as a younger version of Sonic, then all the fan brats were treating that like it was the second coming of Christ, even causing people to start whining "now all they have to do is get rid of Modern Sonic and the games will finally be good again!" Then after Mania's success, is it honestly any wonder why Sega retconned Classic into a separate character from an alternate dimension? He was shoehorned into Forces because Sega were honestly convinced that no one would buy a game starring Modern Sonic! None of these decisions have been made because they benefit the series, they were just made because Sega thinks this is what the majority of the fan base wants; but all it's doing is making things worse! Now I know that Sega are technically to blame for making these bonkers decisions, but I honestly don't think that they would've even considered them if they weren't being egged on by overly nit picky fan brats who can barely comprehend that Sonic has green eyes, friends, allies and rivals to help him on his adventures, and can actually speak!

[@bowmaj8666]

@360 Overdrive I guess I've never really thought about Sega of Japan. If Sonic isn't as popular in Japan as it is in the US and UK, then I honestly don't think that Japanese Sonic fans are the ones going "Get rid of Sonic's stupid friends, no more humans, more Classic Sonic PRAISE BE HIS NAME!" And it certainly isn't Sega of Japan that are making these fan appeasing mandates.

[@unknownwill4th549]

@@bowmaj8666 heh you said imposter

[@aaaaaasafafasfasfasfsaa11]

Sonic is Real

[@tricerapop8335]

Realy?

[@GabsOfficialYT]

I once saw him stealing rings in a wedding party

[@billiamafton6528]

Yes I want a video on the 500 page document. Make the video as long as it needs, this is good stuff.

[@Mike-mf3ed]

As a big sonic fan, I never had an issue with Sonic’s arm or eye colour. I was surprised when I first heard about the eye colour argument. And now people are complaining about the arms. This makes me wonder, did nobody ever complain about the shoes changing in “adventure, the movies and prime”? Just because something’s a little off, doesn’t mean the movie, game or series that he appears in are bad. Give it a chance, if you don’t like it, then move on to something else, it’s better to talk about any bad experiences than regretting not knowing what it could’ve been like.

[@obamius4521]

Sonic Boom Cartoon was my first sonic experience and it's the reason why I am a sonic fan today.I was hooked to watch every single episode and when I saw the part with shadow I really wanted to learn everything about the franchise. I am now a really huge sonic fan. I want to play every single game and every single piece of lore.

[@iceman92211]

Honestly the Sonic Boom cartoon is terrible introduction to the franchise as whole because it gives the wrong idea of how the characters personalities are like but if you like it that’s great for you

[@obamius4521]

@@iceman92211 But I later watched character analysis videos and I know the characters much better.

[@iceman92211]

@@obamius4521 well it’s still kinda of embarrassing knowing the characters personalities from random KZbin videos than an actual official product

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

The kid complaining about Eggman clearly didn't know that he was always called that in Japan

[@totempoleman7810]

Wing Fortress Zone has been one example about it if you ever paid attention to text on ship's walls. Eggman has kinda always been thing regardless of region.

[@CosmicSponge2004]

@@totempoleman7810 Also, The UK comics had alot if Egg Puns & Jokes despite calling him Robotnik

[@charliekahn4205]

I like the compromise they came up with where his name is Ivo Robotnik but everyone calls him Eggman.

[@CosmicSponge2004]

@KIAN Was it tho? Can you prove it? Did Dillin Thomas tell you?

[@CosmicSponge2004]

@KIAN was he also joking about his Diaper fetish? Assuming this isn't just Damage Control

[@Scroteydada]

I think he blue arms do take away from the design. The contrast in colour makes up for the lack of difference in shape, so he can be lean and simple to look at and still have that contrast. The blue is also a stronger colour, and it makes sense for it to be reserved for the stronger parts of him. Also the blue just gets lost against his body in so many of those mock ups.

[@LupinticDream]

Let me preface this by saying that I'm looking at this as a long-time Sonic enthusiast, and as someone who's extremely passionate about character design, so that's bound to affect my viewpoint a little. In my opinion, the tan arms look better because they help break up his design, and makes the visual language of the character much easier to read. That goes for both 2D and 3D imo (contrary to what Mark thinks). 3:30 Even though I will admit the blue arms look slightly more tolerable in 3D, I still wouldn't say they look "great," rather, just "worse, but still works well enough." Additionally, whether he has tube arms (games) or anatomically shaped arms (movie) also plays a big part in how good the blue arms look, which I saw a couple other folks in the comments point out. Personally, I don't give much credence to what general audiences think (I mean, I'm sure SEGA does, but I don't), because the majority of any general audience does not end up becoming actual fans (in the sense that they become interested in other parts of the franchise that isn't the movie). That's what makes them "general audiences." On the other hand, I've heard from people introduced to Sonic through the movie who 𝘥𝘪𝘥 end up becoming fans, and while a lot of them say they prefer the blue arms (naturally, considering that's what they were introduced to), I've actually heard some of them say they like the tan arms from the games more. So take that as you will. At the end of the day, it's simply a matter of what your cup of tea is. When it boils down to it, we all like this speedy little blue rat to some extent, yeah? So it's kinda stupid to fight about the little things. Just respect what someone else thinks, and 9 times out of 10, you'll get the same level of respect back. Too easy, piece of cake. 👌

[@ghosts8673]

Great comment, I do think he looks better with blue arms though

[@Bacchus8699]

Epic comment. I prefer the tan ones more.

[@SilverAura]

From a 3D designer perspective, the blue vs tan arms for easier animation only makes sense if you're forced to use a separate model for the arms. Ironically this is less an issue now than it was back when his arms were tan. Older games used textures sparingly because the resolution wasn't high enough for crisp clear details. Instead most games just colored whole objects, hence his arms being separate. These days, texture quality even on the lowest settings, is often more than sufficient to have his whole upper body be one piece and his arms still textured a different color.

[@brassymender1980]

Legit cool to have a real reason and not a complaint/argument about it, never really cared about the color change but I enjoy knowing the reasoning behind it!

[@satelliteprime]

Thank your for this video, for the love of God, I am keenly familiar with and grew up watching and drawing tan-armed Sonic but I still recognize that the "fixes" like 7:56 looks cursed as hell. Shoulders + tanned arms make Sonic look as tho he's wearing a blue tank top or jumpsuit, which muddies, and in some cases flat out ruins, the entire design. It's actively distracting.

[@dragonick2947]

I think tan arms look great on the main Sonics, but the blue ones look pretty good on Movie and Boom Sonic.

[@mcqueenspartyisinhell2013]

The past 28 years that I have been alive, I've never thought that this 6:43 would traumatize me for the rest of my life

[@ego-lay_atman-bay]

I personally think boom sonic is the best in the entire series, and giving him tan arms just makes it look out of place.

[@גוהטנקס]

3:08 red shoes usually represent speed so that's probably why also tbh I didn't even know that kind of detail was changed untll this video

[@Te2oISR]

Pls do a video going over the sonic boom concept art, that's sounds really interesting (to me at least)

[@kevinsupreme_ph36yearsago59]

I kinda like sonic's design in sonic boom, he just looks more mature.

[@RosheenQuynh]

There was always something off about Sonic for me, when Boom came around, I realized it was cuz the tan arms looked weird to me and I never knew this until they were changed. For me, it feels natural. Like, now I think his stomach and muzzle should be the only tan parts of his body. Look at how natural it is on Shadow and Silver...

[@ShaggyMaddie]

Blue and tan both work, but omg keep blue arms away from classic ULEGH Modern blue arms actually looks so much better can't deny, but tan arms definitely helps keep that original classic feel for the classic character, blue arms = shoulders, modern with shoulders makes sense I can't think otherwise now

[@untapped8776]

I feel the same way about Boom and Movie Sonic. For whatever reason, blue arms just works for them. I don't think it has anything to do with ease of animation, but the defined shoulders definitely plays a part in it. For game Sonic it's easier to excuse because he has the cartoon noodle arms that just attach to his body. When Sonic has shoulders, it's hard to justify why his fur wouldn't extend down his arms. The best way to do tan arms with shoulders is how the one concept Boom design did it: extend the chest fur down the inside of his arms. But then you run into other problems with that.

[@scrump11]

I think even in a 3D space giving Sonic tan arms makes his design way more readable. 7:56 I love Movie Sonic's design a lot but this perfectly shows off how just a change in color makes the arms instantly more readable. In the original shot you could easily mistake his arms for other limbs or even his spines. I don't think it'd make animation more troublesome if they just had it be a simple texture shift.

[@krugerofcause9048]

1:46 So...who's going to tell him that "Dr. Eggman" was his original Japanese name, and "Ivo Robotnik" was a name we Americans came up with after the fact? I feel like he'd flip his shit.

[@the6597]

The video shown is a joke video making fun of people who were like this

[@realsalu634]

How to solve the problem: take out Sonic's arms Rayman style

[@troyami]

Tan arms boom Sonic actually looks good…

[@mrb1248]

why did i just watch a 10:11 minute video about sonics arms

[@totempoleman7810]

Only funny thing about blue arms in Sonic Boom nowadays is that Amy is only one of five main characters having pale arms for some reason. Aside that inconsistency, I do think that blue arms honestly help distinguishing different incornation of the same character from different media. - It's not really big deal if the game counterpart still has pale arms.

[@KiloCreates0_0]

I really don’t know why people take things like this so seriously it’s literally the color of a hedgehogs arms 🦔

[@vegetaYT1]

I know right, I thought it was just Fine and Normal when they update a Design like Sonic but now that most People think about it it seems they just don’t like the Majority of Sonics Arms being Blue, I mean I was fine with it at first but now it just seems Questionable with Chris Chan gone now….

[@ThatBugBehindYou]

It's called design and it's the most nuanced and autistic part of art, let us have our fun.

[@ezbeanz4208]

@@ThatBugBehindYou nerd

[@ayrtonjoga]

@@vegetaYT1 Honestly when I saw the Boom's design for the first time I almost didn't noticed the color change in the arms, and I didn't even noticed it in the movie which I've watched a few times While Chris Chan gone ape shit about this

[@jbbajangamer]

Honestly I think Boom Sonic with tan arms looks strange and that he looks better with blue arms

[@MoostachedSaiyanPrince]

Honestly, I like the blue arms a bit better because it always bothered me a little that his arms were a different color than his legs, which when combined with the way it almost made it look like his arms were exposed skin, made it look like he was wearing a tank top. It was never a big deal but it hit the eye a little wrong.

[@rosegoulding4329]

He hit puberty and got hair on his arms it’s simple

[@crashmasterj0837]

Okay I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the sonic boom character designs are actually pretty cool and I’d like to see them come back. I love the expression and neat detail’s like tails wearing a messenger bag just full of random stuff he’s been tinkering with.

[@bakedbeans5494]

Just no.

[@crashmasterj0837]

@@bakedbeans5494 could you elaborate?

[@bakedbeans5494]

@@crashmasterj0837 They're for Sonic Boom only. Plus, the games sucked.

[@crashmasterj0837]

@@bakedbeans5494 I’ll agree with you that the boom games showed that 06 wasn’t the only terrible sonic game, but the models were extremely expressive and I think with some editing of the models I think it’s would probably work

[@bakedbeans5494]

@@crashmasterj0837 Stop overrating them. They were nothing special or groundbreaking.

[@spaceace9103]

Mark how'd you get your hands on that design document? Stuff like that is amazing, love seeing the thought process behind these things

[@brianh4955]

Boom sonic with tan arms is very disturbing to me. I think I'm just used to seeing blue arms on him Edit: 2:08 minus sonic

[@Crox101]

A lot of the time I feel like I never really notice if he has blue or tan arms, I’m honestly neutral about it I don’t care which arm color he does have

[@inkboyco9832]

Same

[@R.JTehBeagle]

Personally Before The release of the movie To Me, The Color Of his Arms was a bit of a Mandela effect for me sometimes in which I remembered it Being Blue even though it always has been Tan, But nowadays After the release of The Movie, I Primary been depicting him With Blue Arms in personal iterations of the character.

[@amm2media472]

I'm one of those few that think the blue arms are much better for Sonic nowadays.

[@SonnyTM]

sonic....

[@zigzoinks5493]

Wait what? How?

[@Darvoth]

This is the most beautiful comment of all time. It has brought me to tears and changed my life for the better.

[@dragondelsur5156]

sonic

[@Brain_With_Glasses]

I honestly believe they could've used Boom Sonic's scarf to obscure his shoulders so they could still give him tan arms.

[@inendlesspain4724]

I think it'll look weird if his scarf stays unnaturally attached to his shoulders during the more action-y moments.

[@marx3443]

I definitely agree with you, Sonic's design could've looked way better if they put the scarf on the shoulders, as long as they can make the scarf move and flap around too so it doesn't look like Sonic got glue on his shoulders before he put the scarf on.

[@Guywithachair]

Yeah but then again does it matter?

[@felixdaniels37]

@@Guywithachair If we judged everything by how much it mattered then what's the point of even being on the internet?

[@Guywithachair]

@@felixdaniels37 Yeah fair enough

[@El_Mince]

I kind of want to see the modern design but with boom’s proportions

[@matthewgarner7215]

I personally love the boom designs. For example, I love how Sonic has a bandana. It just kinda makes it look like he wants to say,”howdy, partner!”

[@DylanDemarkus]

0:18 fun fact that guy's is into wearing diapers

[@Znaites]

O- oh..

[@diegomanzo-y5y]

Really?

[@GAT957]

he likes thoses life sized mlp plushys with holes in them

[@k14m15]

6:12, It is literally the top recommended video on the right lmao xD

[@PipflakeOwO]

9:43 You heard it guys; Splash Dash is constipated: he’s not giving a shit... I’ll see myself out.

[@diskdem0n]

*points gun* into the grave you are

[@QyfieK]

I just started playing Sonic Mania today. Had it on my list for a while now. I immediately got softlocked in Chemical Plant Zone. 10/10 game, perfection.

[@lamotou4banana383]

How?

[@whoeverest_the_whateverest]

I once found softlock for Tails in WingFortress in Sonic 2 (2013)

[@mdstevens0612]

How? Where did you go my guy?

[@QyfieK]

My answer has gotten deleted TWICE already. So I’ll try a link to a video of the glitch instead: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKeTdoCuatuHo7M

[@mdstevens0612]

@@QyfieK I have never seen this happen. I wonder if this is Switch exclusive? On PC I've run into literally no problems.

[@d.w.9485]

I was more confused by the fact that if Sonic's arms are now blue, then why weren't Amy's arms pink?

[@Brain_With_Glasses]

Because she wore a dress that obscured her shoulders, so it's easier to animate here while at the same time keep her arms the original color.

[@piranhafangugc4818]

Amy wears clothes while sonic doesnt, making the disconnected elbows problem non existant for amy

[@bushybeardedbear]

Much like the sphinx, she thought they looked cute so she had to shave them.

[@sebastianbenavidesmorales2274]

cause she wears clothes maybe? so there's not a big problem to animate her unlike sonic

[@d.w.9485]

@@Brain_With_Glasses I understand that, but they're both hedgehogs, so it just seemed weird to me especially since shadow has black arms.

[@stupidrelaoded]

That 3A design reminds me so much of "90s marketing mohawk Sonic" but WAY better implemented. I kinda like it tbh

[@Gage_Brumley]

I think Sonic looks better with blue arms honestly. In fact I wouldn't mind if they adopted Sonic's movie design for the games from now on. His eyes look much more natural in the movies.

[@richardsphd]

Oh my god. If everything in the Boom video is as interesting as the Cars Inspiration, then yes please. I always thought Sonic's eyes in those sketches reminded me of something, but to think it was the motherfucking masterpiece that is Cars-

[@Everik-ct6pg]

Here's my take on it: fully 3d games should use the Blue arms, while 2d games use the tan arms. The only purpose of the tan arms is to make them stand out on a 2d space, it's entirely useless in 3d, where you can clearly distinguish Sonic's features. Also, Sonic is the only male hedgehog without arms with the same color as his main fur, which looks weird to me.

[@scorch_the_hedgehog]

Tan arms are better on 3d

[@LittlemanBRYMDP]

He stopped shaving them😂

[@marlz-x4u]

😂

[@KaminoTenshi]

Honestly, i think every Sonic design fits its environment. Classic Sonic's simple black eyes in a simple era (classic); Modern Sonic's green eyes in a more detailed era (modern); Boom's exagerated traces like his height and arms, the design overall fits the exagerated and funny environment; Movie Sonic's arms would look oddly uncanny if not blue, since it was meant to be more realistic, yet cartoonish.. I think all sonic designs are pretty great and fit in their place! (We dont talk about ugly sonic, the first movie sonic design).

[@Happy8008]

tbh, Boom sonic is actually one of my favorite designs for him! Maybe they could've toned down the Tape, but I love every bit of it! Even the Anatomy! And I kinda prefer the Blue arms, they look a little cleaner on him.