CHARACTER INFORMATION


Name: Ivo Robotnik
(Yes, his name IS Ivo Robotnik, contrary to popular belief. Go to the Plothole Speculation sub-section to find out why.)

Nicknames: Dr. Eggman (or just Eggman)
(This is actually more of an alias than it is a nickname, since this is typically what he is referred to as by pretty much everyone. Rarely is he anymore addressed by his actual name.)

Race: Human
(Speculation: If you choose to get technical, judging by the color of his only bit of visible hair, skin, and his voice, Robotnik is *probably* a European-American mixture which could be anything from Scottish/British to German.)

Gender: Male


Blood type: B


IQ: 300

Age: Unknown
(In the games, it is not known whether he is 46 as he is listed in the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics. However, in Sonic Adventure 2, at the very end when you beat the last story, Eggman says that he always wanted to be like his grandfather. This means Eggman could've been alive before Gerald was killed. That means that Eggman is over 50 years old! But it's not confirmed.)


Date of birth: Unknown

Birthplace: Unknown

Height: 185 centimeters (6 feet)

Weight: 128 kilograms (281.6 pounds)

Physical techniques: N/A (He can deliver a pretty good slap and kick, but that's about it)

Abilities and aptitude:
(1). Is an unusually fast runner for a human of his physical conditions.

Hobbies and talents:
(1). Dr. Robotnik has an unfeasibly high intelligence quotient of 300 and exhibits tremendous knowledge in all fields of science whether it be mathematics, mechanics, Extreme Gear, quantum physics, or even computer science and programming.
(2). Although, he is a living prodigy in all variants of science, Eggman most aptly displays his superior brilliance through his innovative and highly impressive inventions in mechanics. If he thinks of something, there isn't much doubt that this madman will construct it quickly and almost flawlessly (Sonic is usually that one flaw). He has the skill to build things ranging from small, animal-themed robots to vast, desolate factories, power plants, and bases that are miles in size and stretch as far as the eye can see.
(3). Proficient in many forms of piloting and aerial dogfighting.
(4). Skilled with airbike-type Extreme Gear.

Weaknesses:
(1). He is a genius, but he is unnaturally immature and childish for his age; very conceited, always wants things done his way or the highway, and is incredibly stubborn with his plots to take over the world. Although, this determination might actually be more of an advantage than a weakness.
(2). Not the ideal type of guy to throw into hand to hand combat under the prerequisite that there will be NO machinery.

Physical Appearance:
- Caucasian skin
- Broad, highly elevated shoulders, a round, egg-shaped physique and long, almost comically-proportioned arms and legs
- Large hands and feet
- Very small, dome-shaped, bald head (his brain must be in his body or something)
- Graish-blue eyes
- Long and large pink nose (as if he's done a lot of drinking)
- And, of course his most admirable feature: his giant, unkempt-looking, rugged and scruffy brown mustache

Attire:
- A pair of circular, armless glasses with tinted lenses — they always cover his eyes. These glasses also have scanning abilities.
- Hexagonal-shaped, protective goggles (worn around his forehead; very rarely are they actually fastened over his eyes)
- Dons a red jacket/coat with white trim, large yellow cuffs, and gold box-compartment accessories
- Black contoured, and form-fitting one-piece pants/boots made of what seems to be latex with gray/silver accents and large buttons that attach his red coat to the pants in front
- White, cuffless gloves

Items & weapons: He can arm himself with whatever he feels necessary to build or compile at the time.

Vehicle(s):

(1). The Egg Mobile (also known as the Eggpod)
Description: A pod-structured, hover-capable vehicle that is completely customizable: able to be covered in various types of armor, implemented weapons, or have its functions modified between a large variation of modes.

(2). E-rider
Description: A large red Extreme Gear air bike. Good abilities, but sucks up air.

(3). … Whatever he wants to build! Whether it be a large mobile suit he can usually attach his Eggpod to (or manually operate) or even a gargantuan skyship, he gets to travel in whatever he can muster up mechanically, which is just about anything.

Personality details: Dr. Robotnik: a romanticist, feminist and (self-professed) gentlemanly genius hell bent on world domination with an unreasonably immature and childish character. One would think that with such vast intellect and resources (which have never been revealed), taking over the world would be child's play. But there is always one flaw in Eggman's plans. As you would have thought, it wasn't some minor miscalculation in the programming and structure of his innovations. (Although there have been few cases where his robots did something that they weren't designed to do.) It was actually Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends. As he watches his plans of global conquest go down before him, at the receiving end is always a blue grinning hedgehog or perhaps an angry red echidna, or even a rather ill-tempered pink hedgehog with a large hammer mounted on her shoulders. Sonic, in particular, always stops Eggman's plans to take over the world; destroying his giant doomsday machines or cutting through his intricate bases like a hot knife through butter and cornering the dastardly doctor to the point of inevitable surrender. Recently, he's seen a technical rival in Tails, but doesn't let it concern him… unless it's the fox dishing out the punishment. In any case, he doesn't take Tails too lightly nowadays.

Although Dr. Robotnik wishes for global conquest, perhaps his plan for it if he were to happen to actually achieve that goal wouldn't be so bad. Unlike how most believe, it's not death or complete and utter destruction he seeks out with his quest for conquest, despite the fact that he came THIS close to killing Sonic once. He actually has a deep respect for Sonic's determination, evident by the now more frequent occasions where Eggman has helped Sonic & company when things looked bleak. In the end, Eggman is just full of himself, and he wants to show that to absolutely everybody. It doesn't take an IQ of 300 to figure that out considering all of the depictions of his face on his robots or even his moon-sized space stations. (But hey, Eggman's got an IQ of 300 anyway, so yeah.) Unfortunately, the attention and celebrity Eggman has received thus far is on the negative side, but his childish and stubborn fortitude drives him in the opposite direction from actually learning his lesson.

Historical biography:

           When you consider the mystery behind the pasts of the other characters such as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy, you don't think it's such a big deal since they all have a common factor about them. But Dr. Robotnik is not some bipedal-intellectual animal. He's human. Up until recent days, Sonic and company haven't associated with the humans that much, and nobody knows how Dr. Robotnik showed up or what motivated him to become the apparent terrorist he is now. All Sonic and his friends know is that he is an egg-shaped human who is stubborn as a mule with his plots for global conquest.

           For years now, Dr. Robotnik has always tried taking over the world or parts of it with his veritable army of robots, impressive aerial fleets, massive skyships, or his gargantuan, city-sized factories and fortresses. He always tries looking for the Chaos Emeralds to power his great doomsday machines, but in the end, that blue hedgehog always manages to throw in the proverbial wrench right into Eggman's plan. But to this day, he has never learned his lesson. However, he has developed a deep respect for Sonic. On several occasions, one of which involved the near-annihilation of Earth, Dr. Robotnik banned together with Sonic and co. to save the world. If there is no world to conquer, then it defeats his purpose afterall. And death, suffering, and destruction obviously isn't what Eggman fantasizes when he envisions how he will control the world, if that's what he even truly wants... though, he will definitely resort to destruction.

Personal information:

Greatest friend(s): His robots.

Other friend(s): Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat (when necessary)

Rival(s): Over the test of time, Eggman has developed more of a rivalry with Sonic the Hedgehog. These days, he practically welcomes Sonic to try and stop his plans. But from a mechanical/inventive standpoint, Miles "Tails" Prower is his rival, whether he likes it or not.

Enemy(s): … … But still, only because Sonic is always the one who stops his plans, that makes the hedgehog his enemy as well. Other than Sonic, just about everyone is Eggman's enemy, and vice-versa.

Likes: Loves creating his own innovations and using them to overthrow cities and run them dry of their citizens. He also seems to like testing them against Sonic's skills. Eggman seems to have grown accustomed to being very active; often jumping or cavorting around and swimming in his own giant ego. So needless to say, he loves himself.

Dislikes: When his declarations for domination are taken with a pinch of salt or not being heavily admired or loved by everybody. And of course, he dislikes it when Sonic ruins another one of his plots, evident by his childish temper tantrums and odd tangents he goes off on. But in the end, he starts scheming once again.

Favorite food(s): Believe it or not, there is no indisputable proof that his favorite food is eggs. More than likely, eggs are his favorite, though.

Favorite color(s): Unknown. Could be gray or red. Or even yellow and black, considering that classic pattern that adorns most of his contraptions.

Occupation: Runs his own Eggman Empire, so it seems (or at least he'd like to), though, it's no income occupation. However, he has been known to sell a robot here and there to score some cash.

Place of residence: Any one of the many immense fortresses he has built allover the world over the years.


GAME INFORMATION

Franchise name: Dr. Eggman (Dr. Ivo Robotnik in the US, until Sonic Adventure 2, now both names are recognized by Sega as a whole)

Original purpose: Arch-nemesis of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Current purpose: Hasn't changed. Though, his status has dwindled just a bit to a point where he is just a bit more than a rival to Sonic; somewhat of a nemesis or enemy, basically.

Date of first promotion/presence in the industry: The first promotion of Dr. Robotnik was in Sonic the Hedgehog, first released in the US on June 23rd, 1991.

Years in service: 15 and still going…

Original Designer: Naoto Ohshima

Design process: What would a hero be without an arch-nemesis to save the world from? That's what Dr. Robotnik's purpose was from the start. His design process was similar to Sonic's, as Naoto Ohshima's design of Dr. Robotnik proved to be the most appropriate enemy for the blue blur. His simple design (which was because Ohshima wanted Eggman to be easy to draw for kids, quite contrasting from today's complex design), yet at the same time daunting, yet comical appearance made him perfect for the role.

Possible design inspirations: Eggman has quite a few design inspirations, actually. His name was obviously taken from the 60's Beatles song, I am the Walrus; the lyrics of which contain the phrase, "I am the Eggman, they are the Eggman," which later was slightly modified and used in Eggman's theme song for Sonic Adventure 2. The inspiration is, of course, confirmed from how Eggman looks like a walrus with that huge mustache and robust image..

A rather obvious design inspiration is from the 1986 anime, Castle in the Sky. (The anime's original name is Laputa, yet for you Spanish people out there, you know what that means and so did the dubbers.) Robotnik has a rather striking appearance to the unknown mechanic character in the white tanktop. The character wasn't named in the movie and served a small purpose. But it's usually minor characters that are used as inspirations, anyway, since that makes the inspired creation that much less obvious. And, for an extra little note, one of the voice actors in the dub version of the anime was Jim Cummings (voice acted for the General), whom, coincidentally, was the voice actor for Dr. Robotnik in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog TV series.

However, Eggman's most prestigious inspiration was an act of recycling, to put it bluntly. One of the conceptions for Sega's mascot was a fat man with a huge mustache, glasses, and pink polka-dot suit. The idea was rejected and later recycled for Eggman's design. This concept also expresses the Castle of the Sky roots more than Dr. Eggman. Here is a pic of the concept character. Need I say more?

Prestigious design variations: 2
+ - current design
— - original design

- 1, Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991 — (image)
- 2, Sonic Adventure, 1998 + (pictured to the left)
- 3, Sonic Riders, 2006 (image - this design is exclusive only to Sonic Riders and is not his official design)

Known Game Voice Actors:
SegaSonic the Hedgehog (JP): Masaharu Satou
Sonic Adventure (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Adventure (US): Deem Bristow
Sonic Shuffle (US): Deem Bristow
Sonic Shuffle (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Adventure 2 (US): Deem Bristow
Sonic Adventure 2 (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Battle (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Battle (US): Deem Bristow
Sonic Heroes (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Heroes (US): Deem Bristow
Sonic Advance 3 (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Advance 3 (US): Deem Bristow*
Shadow the Hedgehog (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Shadow the Hedgehog (US): Mike Pollock
Sonic Rush (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Rush (US): Mike Pollock
Sonic Riders (US): Mike Pollock
Sonic Riders (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic the Hedgehog aka Sonic Next (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic the Hedgehog aka Sonic Next (US): Mike Pollack
Sonic Rivals (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic Rivals (US): Mike Pollack
Sonic and the Secret Rings (JP): Chikao Otsuka
Sonic and the Secret Rings (US): Mike Pollack

*Sonic Advance 3 was Deem Bristow's final testament to Sonic the Hedgehog voice acting, because later after the game's release, Deem Bristow passed away. God bless his soul.

Sonic Games he has been playable in:

(1). Sonic Drift (Game Gear)
(2). Sonic Drift 2 (Game Gear)
(3). Sonic R (Saturn)
       - Sonic R (PC)
(4). Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast)
(5). Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube)
(6). Sonic Advance 3 (Game Boy Advance)
(7). Sonic Mega Collection PLUS (PlayStation 2/Xbox)
(8). Sonic Gems Collection (GameCube)
(9). Sonic Riders (GameCube/PlayStation 2/Xbox)

Sonic Games he has made an appearance in:

(1). Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis/Mega Drive)
       - Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (Game Boy Advance)
(2). Sonic the Hedgehog (Master System)
       - Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear)
       - Sonic the Hedgehog (Mobile Phone)
(3). Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Master System)
       - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear)
(4). Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis/Mega Drive)
(5). SegaSonic the Hedgehog (Arcade)
(6). Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sega Mega CD)
       - Sonic the Hedgehog CD (PC)
(7). Sonic The Hedgehog Chaos/Sonic & Tails (Game Gear)
(8). Sonic Spinball (Genesis/Mega Drive)
       - Sonic Spinball (Game Gear)
       - Sonic Spinball (Master System)
(9). Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Genesis)
       - Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Game Gear)
       - Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Master System)
       - Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Mobile Phone)
(10). SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter (Arcade)
(11). Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Genesis/Mega Drive)
       - Sonic & Knuckles Collection (PC)
(12). Sonic the Hedgehog Gameworld (Pico)
(13). Sonic & Knuckles (Genesis/Mega Drive)
       - Sonic & Knuckles Collection (PC)
(14). Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble/Sonic & Tails 2 (Game Gear)
(15). Waku Waku Sonic Patrol (Arcade)
(16). Knuckles' Chaotix (Mega 32x)
(17). Sonic Labyrinth (Game Gear)
(18). Sonic The Fighters/Sonic Championship (Arcade)
(19). Sonic 3D Blast/Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (Genesis/Mega Drive)
       - Sonic 3D Blast/Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (Saturn)
       - Sonic 3D Blast/Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (PC)
(20). Sonic Blast/G Sonic (Game Gear)
       - Sonic Blast/G Sonic (Master System)
(21). Sonic Jam (Saturn)
       - Sonic Jam (Game.com)
(22). Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast)
       - Sonic Adventure International (Dreamcast)
(23). Sonic Pocket Adventure (Neo Geo Pocket Color)
(24). Sonic Shuffle (Dreamcast)
(25). Sonic Advance (Game Boy Advance)
(26). Sonic Mega Collection (GameCube)
(27). Sonic Advance 2 (Game Boy Advance)
(28). Sonic Pinball Party (Game Boy Advance)
(29). Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (GameCube)
       - Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (PC)
(30). Sonic N (Nokia N-Gage)
(31). Sonic Battle (Game Boy Advance)
(32). Sonic Heroes (GameCube/PlayStation 2/Xbox)
       - Sonic Heroes (PC)
(33). Sonic Café Series (Mobile Phone)
(34). Shadow the Hedgehog (GameCube/PlayStation 2/Xbox)
(35). Sonic Rush (Nintendo DS)
(36). Sonic the Hedgehog aka Sonic Next (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3)
(37). Sonic Rivals (PlayStation Portable)
(38). Sonic and the Secret Rings (Nintendo Wii)

Non-video game portrayals:

(1). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOJ-licensed by Shogaku Yonensei (Manga series)
(2). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOA-licensed by Archie comics (Comic series)
(3). Sonic the Comic, SOE-licensed by Egmont Fleetway (Comic series)
(4). Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, SOA-licensed (TV Series)
(5). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOA-licensed (TV Series; also known as Sonic SatAM)
(6). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOE-licensed by Penguin Books (Interactive Children's books)
(7). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOE-licensed by Virgin Books (Children's books)
(8). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOA-licensed by Troll Associates (Children's books)
(9). Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, made in Japan, then later dubbed for US release (Two-part Anime Movie; also known as Sonic OAV)
(10). Sonic Underground, SOA-licensed (TV Series)
(11). Sonic the Hedgehog, SOJ-licensed by Corocoro Magazine (Manga series)
(12). Sonic X, made in Japan, then later dubbed for US release (Anime TV Series)
(13). Sonic X, SOA-licensed by Archie comics, based on the previously mentioned anime (Comic series)

Personal character analysis/commentary (by Nuclear Envoy):

           Dr. Robotnik, in spite of the fact that he is the bad guy, has earned respect amongst the entire Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase, and a lot of it. Why, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have had some of those awesome zones back in the pre-1998 Sonic games or some of the cool robots he has invented like Metal Sonic! But his genius isn't all that is respected. It is him, himself. Dr. Robotnik is a favorite character among many fans these days. He's my third favorite, actually.

            You see, back when Sonic the Hedgehog was first made, most of the fans were kids: people that Sonic the Hedgehog was originally intended to appeal to. Kids didn't care about the storyline or the character personalities. And kids are very moral-driven and focus on the conventional assets of the plot. So needless to say, all the kids back in the day hated Eggman. "Oh, he's the bad man! He's trapping helpless animals in robots and wants to take over the world!" That's all they thought. They didn't care about how his personality would make him an admirable character. Young kids ALWAYS like the hero and dislike the bad guy.

            However, today, most Sonic fans are teenagers; mid or late teens, in fact. (If only Sonic Team realized this whilst making Sonic Heroes.) When we're older, we become more curious and find it necessary to delve into our interests and try to scope out more depth to it. This is why many have come to like Dr. Robotnik. Eggman, despite his thirst for world conquest, seems to be quite a gentleman. He is a mad scientist, yes. But he is a mad scientist with (some) morals, believe it or not. These days, Eggman isn't as much of an enemy or nemesis as he was in the old Sonic games since Sonic Team is now experimenting with other characters and will probably make an even more imposing villain. However, the trend still lives on since Eggman is usually the perpetrator behind the fiendish plots in all of the Sonic games.

           We can conclude with this information that Eggman is so appealing for three reasons. One, his seniority: he's been there since the start, and in many ways, is just as crucial, if not more, than Sonic to the video games. Two, his personality: Eggman is evil, yet it is in the most egotistical, comical, and slapstick-humorous way possible. Yet on the inside, he has a soft heart and his morals cap his actions, so his treachery will only go so far. That's a bit unique for a mainstream, central arch nemesis… not to mention risky. And three, the things he has created: next to his personality, this is what has earned him the most respect by fans. When we look back, some of the coolest parts of the Sonic games were of Eggman's doing.

           Eggman has and always will be a key character in the Sonic games. More and more fans are liking him every day. He is by far one of the most admirable Sonic characters there are, which is usually not common for a generic mad scientist villain. All there is to worry about is that Sonic Team is making Eggman more and more, well, good. If they keep this up, they'll have to make a new arch nemesis for Sonic, which could possibly disrupt the entire series, not to mention the fanbase. But they're not that dumb. Overall, Eggman is definitely a character worth giving props to.