Welcome to the revamped Sonic fandom sub-section of Concept: "Mobius." How is it revamped, you ask? Well, okay, I guess it isn't. I just did a data overhaul, and if anything, the page is more… well, personal than the reference page it used to be. Sorry, same imagery, although I plan on making new pics someday. Don't count on it happening, though. I procrastinate. Not to mention, I managed to sneak in just enough time to type this sub-section out whilst toil on a project I am doing goes on. Anyway, I'll stop shootin' the breeze and just get to what's important: preparing you for the much more unpleasant depths of Sonic fandom.


A brief introduction:

           Past all of the enthusiastic, unreasonably hyper, emoticon-spewing younglings of Sonic fandom lie some of the more extreme examples. These extreme examples are often fans of only a particular dimension of Sonic such as perhaps his Sonic Team, or as the purists call it, "SegaSonic" portrayal, his Archie portrayal, and even the discontinued Fleetway portrayal. However, iit's not quite often that during your proverbial stroll down the world wide web super highway you'll stumble upon a universal Sonic fan that is actually an asshole. That makes sense; they have no reason to be an asshole. If it graces a blue hedgehog on it, they'll like it.

           Not to say there's a problem with those who favor a particular dimension of Sonic. Rock on, it's your taste, your preferences, your world, your freedom, your Sonic. But there are those who get a little extreme with their favoritism and virtually shun those of the opposite tastes. A classic example of what I am getting at is the well known war between "SegaSonic" purists and SOA loyalists. If I see either one of them bitch about the other, it kinda makes me ashamed I am part of this community in the first place. If I see it, I am like, "OMG GET A LIFE LMAO." (And that's coming from me.)

           It's just, it's funny seeing these people squabble over a common interest. Sonic is a blue hedgehog who runs fast. That principle remains intact no matter what dimension he's portrayed in, so what's the big deal? I guess this is another disadvantage of being able to form an opinion… a gift we, as humans, have been given over the animal kingdom we claim to be superior to.

           Sonic fandom is a virtually divided community; separated among a plethora of fan types. You got your SegaSonic purists, your SOA loyalists, your Sonic X fans, your game researchers, and of course those forum lurkers that have really huge e-balls by acting like know-it-alls when they're not even Sonic fans. (IGN, Gamefaqs, anyone?) Other than that, you have your four types of universal Sonic fans, which are undoubtedly the ideal type to congregate with… unless, of course, you are a masochist and you draw enjoyment out of being nagged on with shallow views over a 3 foot tall blue SD hedgehog by a "SegaSonic" extremist or an SOA extremist.

           I realize Concept: "Mobius" is definitely one of the more peculiar Sonic sites out there. It possesses content of a different caliber in contrast to those of other sites. We're not so much an information database regarding the games as we are one that delves into the messy Sonic fan community. Even the REAL Character Profiles sub-section gives the fandom's input on each of the characters we have come to love and/or hate.

           But this sub-section, right here, is meant solely to give you the lowdown on the fandom. I've loved Sonic ever since he first came out. Albeit, I didn't become a major fan until 2001 when SA2 re-sparked my interest, I've gone through enough trends in Sonic fandom, made enough mistakes, and seen enough people to actually form some astute observations concerning common factors between some of these people and thus separate them into different sects. That's what it means to be a smart fan: know the other types. That's what this sub-section is for. So read on and have a ball.


Part I. - Sega of Japan

           The Japanese portrayal of Sonic garners what is indisputably the largest percentage of the Sonic community. From the purists to the Sonic X fans, they're still under the diverse Sega of Japan repertoire. It makes sense that this particular dimension of Sonic harbors the largest fanbase, since Sonic came from this sect first, and as the purists like to say, is more "official" than any other portrayal of Sonic. But we all know that is entirely untrue. So alright, what is the first type of extreme example of Sega of Japan fans?

           "SegaSonic" Purists is the first of Sega of Japan fans. There are two types of them. The first type is what I consider to be more of an extremist than a purist. Luckily, they're not that common. But whatever you do, if you stumble upon a batch of them, keep your opinions to yourself, since "SegaSonic" extremists are usually very superficial and conservative in their beliefs regarding Sonic games, and in general are pretty rude and impolite people — there are only a few exceptions. If you even mention the word Archie in a positive manner, you'll be chewed out a'la Rancor.

           What are they, exactly? A "SegaSonic" Purist falls into the category of any Sega of Japan fan who favors the games and ONLY the games (and for the pre-1998 titles, they live and die by the Japanese manual translations). To them, any other portrayal of Sonic (sometimes even other Sega of Japan portrayals, particularly Sonic X) is obsolete and sometimes, for the more irrational examples of this breed, considered unofficial..

           For what we've researched, "SegaSonic" extremists are notorious for both their hatred of the comics and their sheer condemnation for the direction Sonic has been going in lately in the videogame world. So no matter what way you go, these people are pretty hard to please and don't take kindly to others that don't support their own shallow views.

           You'll know a "SegaSonic" extremist right when you see them. They'll have no problem reciting their views on how sucky Sonic has been lately, how lame all the new characters are, and of course the giant tornado of apparent suck that is the comics. Vague signs include their habit of buying only the Japanese versions of the games (although a lot of them don't even understand Japanese), bickering about how crappy the English voices are (you know, as if we couldn't have already figured that out ourselves), and, of course, ranting endlessly about how Sonic is going down the drain and his fame has dissipated and is losing the image he once had; turning into a corny catchphrase-spewing money grabber.

            Look, I won't deny that I also liked the old rebel Sonic with an attitude more so than the cornball he is today. But if you're a fan, you have to learn to embrace the foreseeable changes that have been made to the series over time. That new Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or Sonic Adventure these people are always hoping for is never coming, but something equally as cool, but in a different way, will come. Their delusions, however, hinder them from seeing that.

           In light of the recent trend Sonic games have been bound to lately, I will side with these people that these new games aren't the Sonic games of yore from 1999 and before then, and that Iizuka is just pulling "innovations" out his ass. But change is an inevitability, and they apparently can't accept that. It's almost as if these people have nothing better to do than bitch about how sucky Sonic is. They don't like the games anymore, they don't like the comics… I wonder, why are they even fans, then? They usually have a tendency to deliberately look for errors in new Sonic games such as horrible voice-acting or crappy gameplay elements instead of just playing the game and having fun. Because hey, the voices in Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes sucked, yeah, and the stories could've used some work. But man, who cares (?) — to me, they were fun as hell to play. Should a new Sonic game come out that actually conforms to these people's standards, they'll probably find some other erroneous assets to it, so no matter what, you can't win with them. With an attitude like that, I wonder how these people get by in their lives outside the internet?

           However, only a very minute concentration of "SegaSonic" Purists hate both the current games and the comics, thus being considered extremist. The second type of "SegaSonic" Purists, which luckily takes up most of the "SegaSonic" Purist community, love everything about the games (even the games of today's generation), and even other Sega of Japan portrayals such as the Sonic OAV and Sonic X (more so the OAV than Sonic X, though). If they find areas that need improvement in Sonic games, they don't flaunt a rant of massive proportions allover the place, but instead, the rationally criticize. So basically, the second type is what can be considered an actual purist. For the most part, they pretty much just hate the comics and that's it. These people can at least be considered humane since they're pretty cool and polite, so they're capable of being a very good friend of yours. But it's still advised to just stay away from the whole Archie topic with them.

Sub-breeds:

           When it comes to "SegaSonic" Purists, the amount of sub-breeds depends primarily on what type out of the two kinds of "SegaSonic" Purists you're talking about. The first type of "SegaSonic" Purist, AKA the extremists we learned about do not separate into a lot of sub-breeds. You'll find the occasional artist or fanfiction writer, but most of them just hang out in forums and keep to themselves. The second type I mentioned in the last paragraph, however, is a much more versatile type. You'll see a lot of fanartists and fanfiction writers of their kind. Most of their fanfics are centered around humor and never stray too far off from remaining canon, and a lot of them own fancharacters. Art is a commodity among the second type of "SegaSonic" Purists, and their style is usually anime/manga since most "SegaSonic" Purists are anime fans, as you'd expect them to be.

           Sonic X fans are usually looked upon as the definitive newbies of the Sonic fan community. Naturally, it is simple to understand why somebody would single the Sonic X fans out as being newbies since Sonic X was just released in 2003. The logic behind second-party perspective on these fans is that, if Sonic X lured them into liking Sonic, they are completely oblivious of the huge videogame/comic past Sonic had and wouldn't know how to appreciate it.

           The thing about that, though, is that most Sonic X fans weren't lured into being a Sonic X fan from Sonic X alone. Most Sonic X fans were normal Sonic fans before they began to accumulate an interest in the anime TV series more so than the games and/or comics, so in the end, their rap is ultimately infallible.

           Hardcore Sonic X fans stand by the possibility that the anime TV series is canon to the videogame storyline, which, needless to say, is an asset of some Sonic X fans that "SegaSonic" Purists absolutely despise. For the most part, Sonic X, although Sonic Team material, is looked down upon by "SegaSonic" Purists since it is, in their point of view, a spinoff of the games and the characters have been maimed. In spite of all that, most normalized Sonic X fans, like most, are skeptical about the potential of Sonic X being canon and stay neutral in that department.

           Regarding their behavior, out of the Sega of Japan fanbase, Sonic X fans are pretty nice. As usual, the extreme examples are not nearly as polite as the more casual fans since they take their enthusiasm for it waaaaay too seriously to the point where they begin to grow elite views: most of which involve the Sonic X storyline's standing in the whole continuity war. But in the end, Sonic X fans are definitely one of the more safe fan types to be around if you are a rather opinionated ole' chap.

           Most Sonic X fans are, needless to say, anime fans. It doesn't really take your average Stephen Hawking to come to that conclusion since Sonic X is indeed… you guessed it, an anime. Most Sonic X fans aren't really that old either. "SegaSonic" purists (especially the extremists) can be over 20 years old, but most Sonic X fans don't exceed 17. And the ones that were lured into Sonic fandom FROM Sonic X alone (the TRUE newbies, as it were) are usually preteens, believe it or not. Preteen Sonic X fans usually don't even know Sonic had a videogame past, so they are obviously ragged on by "true" Sonic fans quite often. They don't usually last in the community that long because they couldn't take the prejudice anymore or because of the appeal of some other half-baked, poorly-dubbed anime TV series on Cartoon Network or something.

Sub-breeds:

            Sonic X fans divide into three sub-breeds: artists, fanfiction-writers, and fangamers; fangamers being the most elusive of the sub-breeds. Sonic X fanfiction-writers are a commodity, since the Sonic X storyline has been confirmed as quite intricate and detailed across its 78 episode span, which spurs creative ingenuity, meaning lots of fanfiction. Anime/manga-ish, Sonic X-inspired art, believe it or not, is usually not as common as the fanfiction, but you'll still see it from time to time, especially on DeviantFART.


           The Game Researcher breed is the only one in the Sega of Japan fanbase that doesn't have any sub-breeds, since the only thing they do is research the games. With many sites such as the Sonic Cult, Sonicology, and Secrets of Sonic Team, it has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that their research has proven successful.

           Game Researchers devote their fandom for Sonic to hacking into the video games and finding lost information or lost graphics, gathering rare information about Sonic Team and lost conceptual facts about the video games, creating hacked edits of the video games, and even finding forgotten titles. Needless to say, the game researchers have supplied the fandom with a lot of information that has been passed around for years now, and to this day are still subjects of debate and interest.

           A very technical type of Sonic fan, the game researcher usually has mixed views on the Sonic community. For the most part, they preserve the conservative views of "SegaSonic" purists, just not to a nearly as high extent. The game researcher is usually pretty old; around their late teens since younger fans do not have the hacking experience they do. They're generally cool people; very casual and variable in their interests. Some can act pretty immature since most of them have a wealthy sense of humor, but that is excusable since they are helpful to the community.

           In the end, game researchers have made some of the biggest contributions to the community and are more of a utility fanbase.


Part II. - Sega of America


           The tragic story of Sega of America has been told to many a fan. The once proud Sega of America boasted a very broad range of Sonic media: 3 TV shows, a comic series, and tons of merchandise. But in a fanbase now overrun by fans of the games and Sonic Team-oriented media, Sega of America fans are now few and far between, especially since the only remaining stronghold of the SOA continuity is the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic. So let us delve into this elusive fanbase and see what we're dealing with.


           Anybody who is still a fan of Sega of America is obviously a loyalist, which is why this breed is named so. Like "SegaSonic" Purists, there are two types of SOA loyalists. But I'll start out with the less-extreme kind. No matter which one you look at, finding them is a bitch since the prejudice against them is on the high, so they tend to stay on the low; congregating mostly in small groups or forums.

           The definition of an SOA loyalist is simple: an SOA Loyalist is a Sonic fan who is a fan of the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics and/or the SatAM TV show, AoStH TV show, and Sonic Underground TV show. That's it. SOA loyalists aren't real big on the games. Some SOA loyalists like different parts of SOA more so than others. You'll find some SOA loyalists that like SatAM, but dislike the comics and vice versa with the other parts. But in the end, they're still SOA Loyalists since they are fans of the same overall "Save Mobius from Dr. Robotnik" SOA plotline.

            The first type of SOA loyalist is an actual loyalist. They love the comics and/or SOA TV shows, but are fairly liberal in their interests. Unlike "SegaSonic" Purists, SOA loyalists tend to be less fastidious with their views on the community and are simply in it for the comics and prefer to keep to themselves and congregate only with others of their kind. The standard SOA loyalist is a very balanced Sonic fan. They're pretty decent people and are capable of making friends with just about anybody, even "SegaSonic" purists, similar to their standard "SegaSonic" Purist equivalent.

           However, like their "SegaSonic" Purist opponents in the community, SOA loyalists also have their extremist fans. Finding an SOA extremist is a tough gig, since there are barely any more of them left in the entire community. But if you do, hold onto your hats. The SOA extremist is a sheer visionary, so needless to say, they show a complete and utter hatred towards the storyline of the video games, since to them it is frenetic, plothole-ridden, childish, and insubstantial. To them, anybody who actually likes the "poorly-made" games is just supporting Yuji Naka's Ferrari obsession. SOA extremists appreciate the dark, detailed atmosphere of the comics and/or SatAM TV show. You'll very rarely find one that is a fan of AoStH or SU, since the comics and the SatAM TV show stand out as the most prestigious monoliths of the SOA continuity.

           If you're lucky, you'll find an SOA extremist who might have actually liked the real old games (we're talking '93 and before). But there is not a single SOA extremist that likes any of the, as they would call it, pathetic, commercialist dribble they release these days. Like "SegaSonic" extremists, SOA extremists are generally impolite and very defensive regarding their precious 'ideal' SOA storyline. Spotting an SOA extremist is a sinch: they'll bitch quite frequently about how Sonic Team and the games suck and their comic collections are usually complete along with their SatAM/AoStH/SU DVD series (even though not all of the eps have been released yet), and furrs are a common taboo among SOA extremists since the SOA storyline perpetuated the concept of an anthropomorph more so than the games.

            Another factor among SOA extremists and SOA loyalists in general is that even for such a small percentage of the Sonic community, SOA loyalists are usually the oldest Sonic fans. I am not lying, I have met a 31 year old SOA loyalist. Now… okay, look, Sonic is cool and all, but man, I'm 18 now… I can pretty much foresee that I'll be out of this crap by the time I'm 21 tops (unless I happen to get a good job relating to Sonic). Once you pass 25 years of age as a Sonic fan… 'ey, time to get a girlfriend/boyfriend.

Sub-breeds:

            Most SOA loyalists are fanfiction-writers. An SOA loyalist that is an artist eventually becomes a normal anthro artist instead of a Sonic artist. But even then, most SOA artists have some of the best talent in my opinion, since they are inspired by the comics (in other words, by Patrick Spaziante). But as mentioned, most, even the extremists, write fanfics. The fanfics are mostly inspired by the SOA continuity, but go off in their own direction since they have plenty of diversity and detail in the SOA plot to conceptualize off of. Fangamers are very rare in the SOA fanbase, but you'll see a few. More so than SOE fangamers, that's for sure.


Part III. - Sega of Europe


            The Egmont Fleetway Sonic Comic was all Sega of Europe had that set it apart from the other two nations. If a European Sonic fan is not fond of this comic, then they fall into any of the other mentioned fanbases on this page. Because that's what an SOE fan defines: a Sonic fan who is a loyalist towards the Egmont Fleetway Sonic comic and that's it.

            Sonic the Comic, published by Egmont Fleetway, was a long-lived Sonic series started in 1993, adding some distinction to Sega of Europe: the proverbial mediator between the warring SOA and SOJ. The comic managed to spew out a very impressive 201 issues before it discontinued in 1999. For the most part, the story of the comic borrowed assets from both the SOJ and SOA plotline. It had more bearings from the game continuity than SOA's SatAM/Archie storyline, though it still had a few from SOA's plot such as how the comic took place on Mobius and how Eggman was named Dr. Robotnik. Like how Archie does these days, each Fleetway Sonic comic had several stories between each cover, most of which featuring Sonic, Tails, and their freedom fighter friends Johnny Lightfoot and Porker Lewis. Other stories featured Knuckles and the Chaotix, and Amy and her friend Tekno the Canary traveling through time.

            You'll mostly find fans of this comic to be foreign, as very few American or Japanese fans are knowledgeable of the comic enough to form a large interest in it. British Sonic fans usually favor Sonic the Comic more so than any other, but there are plenty in other countries as well — even outside of Europe. From what I've seen, SOE fans are probably the most at-eased fanbase there is (not counting universals). I have not once seen extremist views on the Fleetway Sonic comic, nor have I seen SOE fans rag on or bitch about how sucky the games and/or American comics are. Most Fleetway fans haven't read the American comics to judge, making them more in tune with the games.

            SOE fans, like SOA loyalists are rarities among the fanbase, since now that the comic is discontinued and the Japanese storyline has become the international game storyline, it has caused most European Sonic fans to become fans of the games. However, a bulky, but compact concentration of Sonic the Comic fans are still out there, which is most notably proven by how a group of dedicated fans unofficially continued the comic series!

            Ultimately, as mentioned, SOE fans are probably the most tranquil of the three pure root fanbases. They're pretty cool people, from what I've seen.

Sub-breeds:

            SOE fans have sub-breeds that are a lot like SOA's. You have artists, fanfiction-writers, and fangamers. Fleetway Sonic artists are usually quite talented since the Fleetway art definitely has its ups, especially the very talented Thalia Evans: cover and pencil artist for the unofficial Sonic the Comic continuation series. SOE fanfiction-writers aren't as much of a commodity as fanfiction in the SOA fanbase. Personally, I haven't seen any Fleetway storyline-based fanfics yet, but I am sure they exist and are well-written since they are based off of a detailed and intricate continuity. And then there are SOE fangamers, the rarest of all Sonic fan types. Many sprite sheets are made of Fleetway characters, but running into a fangame that adapts to the Fleetway continuity is a true find.


Part IV. - Universal Sonic Fans



            Universal Sonic fans are what could be considered the ideal type of Sonic fan. They don't care what it is. If it graces the blue hedgehog they know and love, they're going to like it; any peeves or criticism they have concerning the video games and comics are usually plausible and justified. Universal Sonic fans can still form their own honest opinion here and there, but they also try to find the positive assets of the games, comics, tv shows, etc., etc. A universal Sonic fan finds enjoyment out of engaging in all dimensions of Sonic: one day he might be playing a Sonic Team video game (no matter if it's an old-gen game, or new-gen) while the next day he'll be reading the Archie comics. To a universal Sonic fan, Sonic is a blue hedgehog who runs fast, nothing more. Universal Sonic fans are usually called newbs or fanboys in the community by the superficial "true" Sonic fans, when in actuality, they are simply insightful fans who don't let continuity portrayal differences stop them from having a rockin' time.

            There are four types of universal fans, however all of them have the same general conduct. Universal Sonic fans are very opinionated since they are knowledgeable of almost all portrayals of Sonic, and they throw their 2 cents in almost every chance they get. They could be pretty sensitive, and angering them is easy since they enjoy all portrayals of Sonic, meaning they have more weak spots. However, it's a small price to pay since they have more knowledge. Universal Sonic fans are probably the most common types of fans there are and you'll know them when you see them. Mentioning Archie, Sonic Team, or Fleetway should never bother a Universal Sonic fan, and they exhibit all sub-breeds ranging from fanartists, fanfiction-writers, webmasters, and fangamers.

Types of universal Sonic fans:

Universal Sonic fan; leans more towards Sonic Team - The most common fan type in the entire Sonic community. Universal Sonic fans that lean more towards Sonic Team like the games since they grew up with them, but have no problem with the comics or any other portrayal of Sonic what so ever, and are usually willing to learn about them. However, their past with the games causes them to lean more towards favoring the Sonic Team portrayal. This is the type of fan I am: I run a Sonic site that is aimed towards the Sonic Team continuity and have played all the games, but I also have and have read all issues of the Archie Sonic comic and find it to be pretty neat.

Universal Sonic fan; leans more towards Sega of America - Even the much more diluted version of an SOA fan is a rarity. Universal Sonic fans that lean more towards SOA are not easy to find. These fans are basically Sonic fans who grew up with or just flat out like the Archie comics more than the games, but they are not biased towards the games in any way and often play them on a regular basis. They just like the comics more and are more educated regarding them.

Universal Sonic fan; leans more towards Sega of Europe - Very rare breed, as expected. A universal Sonic fan who leans more towards SOE constitutes a Sonic fan who favors the Fleetway comic the most, but has played the video games, and read at least some issues of the American comic and doesn't really have a problem with either of them.

Universal Sonic fan; fully universal - A fully universal Sonic fan is actually pretty rare. However, if you do find one, then you got a real good potential ally on your tail. The fact that we have one as our third on command is a good sign, innit? A fully universal Sonic fan dismisses all portrayal differences and is a fan of everything that graces the blue hedgehog, period. To these people, if it's Sonic, they'll want to find out more. End of story.


Conclusion:

            So okay, what have we learned here? We've learned about the stereotypes and general mannerisms of each of the primary Sonic fan types. Of course, they spread out into much more breeds, but this page only describes the general types, which in the end is all that is needed.

            Ultimately, the Sonic fan community is an extraordinarily diverse population in the videogame fanbase. The countless continuities Sonic has been depicted in has created a very impressive amount of fanbases, and to think that all of them decide to bicker over some mindless crap such as how Amy is better than Sally or vice versa is what could be considered the unthinkable. But believe it or not, it happens. And the best you can do is to know that it can happen to you, and that your own opinion can be rejected or looked down upon. It's always best to know the nature of what you're dealing with, and if you're a new Sonic fan, then you got a lot to learn about this fanbase, because even if it is just Sonic the Hedgehog… it's filled with a lot of assholes, and assholes get off on your misery. Anyway, I hope this article helped you a bit, and hey, hopefully it entertained you somewhat as well. That's all for now!