What Could Have Been Different: Sonic X and OVA

[Mike Arcade]

Yet another entry in WCHBD! In this topic we'll look at the Anime Incarnations of Sonic and see what could have been different. As before we ask a What If scenario and answer it the best we can, afterwards any of us ask another question and do so as much as we can. With the Sonic OVA I'll admit there might not be too much we can do or ask but it wouldn't be right not to include it, Sonic X on the other hand...well my own distaste for it aside, Sonic X could have ended up much differently (and better honestly) then it ended up as. That said the first question is one that would change the entire landscape of the series.

What if Sonic never met Chris Thorndyke that day when he fell into his pool?

To clarify this question, say that Sonic never landed in Chris' pool and met him, what would have happened if he landed elsewhere and/or met someone else or some other kid?

[WarTraveller]

11 hours ago, Mike Arcade said:

What if Sonic never met Chris Thorndyke that day when he fell into his pool?

To clarify this question, say that Sonic never landed in Chris' pool and met him, what would have happened if he landed elsewhere and/or met someone else or some other kid?

Hmm...tough one. I can see two specific scenarios;

1. He could have just landed in another person's garden. Exactly what could have happened then is another debate all of its own, as it really depends on what kind of person Sonic runs into. It could be someone really nice, really horrible, really humble, egocentric, rich or poor. It could have been anyone. And about half of those people would probably blast him into chili dog meat with a shotgun, thinking he's some overgrown vermin.
2. He doesn't land with anyone and remains a hedgehog on the run. Chris takes him in because he's Jesus and the plot says so because he's so gosh darned kind and lonely. Urgh. If he didn't land with anyone, it's very unlikely people are just going to give him shelter, especially with the scene he put up in the middle of the city centre. Therefore, all he could really do is keep hidden and hope his friends found him before the humans - or Eggman - did.

[Ishapar]

I think many fans would be singing:  HALLELUJAH!  HALLELUJAH!  HAL-LE-LU-JAH!  HA-LE-LU-JAH!  HA-LELU-JAH!

Couldn't resist, Mate.

Honestly, anything could have happened, but I think Sonic would probably have continued running around on his own.  He probably would have met other random people and probably made some human friends along the way, but I believe Sonic only stayed with Chris at first because Chris did save him from drowning (He kind of rebuffs this later on, but early in the series, this was probably his mindset).  It probably wouldn't have been hard for Sonic to find his friends as he probably would have seen them on various televisions, and the EGGMAN would have made himself known to Sonic with no problem.  Basically, you could have another reboot to Sonic X, but tie it more to Sonic's SOA persona.

[TheRedStranger]

On 12/11/2016 at 0:23 PM, TheRedAuthar said:

Lorewise, Chris would grow up with a relatively normal life for a lonely rich kid despite the fact that he has Ella, Tanaka, his Grandpa, and his friends at school.

I agree; someone like him is needed. And I would be okay with Chris if he did not take up much of the narrative and was actually more relateable. Most of Sonic's friends problems adapting to this world are easily solved with no struggle and thus becomes flat and boring. They just so happen to get a Deus Ex Machina right off the bat and essentially they are better off here on Earth and spoiled in a mansion. The biggest conflict they have is an elaborate game of hide and seek with people not wise to their existence, which ultimately is not really detrimental anyways. This is the opposite of drama and conflict, the obvious hallmark of narrative. No wonder the formula of the show was so puerile, they did not need to adapt and the main premise of the "Sonic Friends" (we will call them Diet Freedom Fighters - just one calorie, just not enough) being fishes out of water was resolved in the first few episodes immediately. They are better off than ever before, lounge, whine for lazing Sonic, Sonic beats Eggman, rinse and repeat. There is nothing deep there at all, no true character dynamics and exciting out-of-your element conflicts such premise promises. *Snores*

First thing I would do is take away  and give Chris real world problems that would extend onto The Diet Freedom Fighters. I would keep the crazy uncle, but go full Doctor Brown to his Marty Mcfly. I would also make him very close to the struggling and discredited scientist.  I would even have them somehow involved with him entering this world. I would would make Chris personally troubled, financially struggling, and have troubled home life kind of like Marty Mcfly or Uske Urimeshi from Yu-Yu Hakushou. Chris would be a very imperfect kid that is not raised right but has talents and aspirations to better himself. Sonic could be the guy that brigs that out of him and even holds him accountable to some misdeeds in the series, perhaps like shoplifting food for the gang. He tells him to take it back. There is a lot more you could do this way.

[Mike Arcade]

So we'd have a Sonic X with Chris and Chuck being Marty and Doc Brown? Now THAT sounds like a show I'd actually watch!  

But yeah the whole thing about Chris Thorndyke is that his parents money and him being the rich kid is literally Sonic and Friends instant win button, it's like as soon as they got there Sonic bought a lottery ticket and won the top price on the first try. Now when I mean Rich, I mean Stupid Rich, Richie Rich levels of wealth. Chris' parents are basically Angelina Jolie and Bill Gates, it's completely ridiculous. I'd rather have Sonic X be about Sonic and Friends struggling living in our world, trying to make ends meet and such, which can provide a lot of comedy and drama that the show lacked. Granted Sonic and to an extent Knuckles' doesn't care about sleeping outside somewhere but everyone else aren't like that, especially considering they would have to care for Cream as she is just a little girl. At least Tails is super smart, Amy would have some growing up to do and would probably drag Sonic and Knuckles along to help support themselves. That's not to say they couldn't meet Chris later on but the context of them meeting would be much more different. Heck The Chaotix overall have the same sort of struggle in the games and so forth ever since they showed up in Sonic Heroes, they could possibly be apart of the main cast much earlier on even if possible. With all of these elements and those you guys have proposed we've already made a much more interesting premise for Sonic X then the one we got.

So with that in mind let's me pull out another question.

What if Sonic Heroes was adapted for Sonic X and how would that have gone about?

[WarTraveller]

10 minutes ago, Mike Arcade said:

What if Sonic Heroes was adapted for Sonic X and how would that have gone about?

Chris would defeat Metal Overlord simply by talking him out of being evil.

[TheRedStranger]

7 hours ago, WarTraveller said:

Chris would defeat Metal Overlord simply by talking him out of being evil.

I would ask you to be a bit more elaborate and creative...

 

...but this is oddly (and regrettably accurate).  

[WarTraveller]

1 hour ago, TheRedStranger said:

I would ask you to be a bit more elaborate and creative...

 

...but this is oddly (and regrettably accurate).  

Exactly. What else needs to be said?

[Mike Arcade]

3 hours ago, WarTraveller said:

Exactly. What else needs to be said?

Actually some more elaboration would be nice, I mean it's a funny joke but that wouldn't ever go down.

Besides when I said if Sonic Heroes fwas adapted for Sonic X who ever said that Chris would be in it? I mean granted I left the question open for interpretation but when I heard of Season 3 I thought they were going to adapt Sonic Heroes for it, oddly enough that wasn't the case. But you can take it however you want, I'd like some more answers from everyone before I answer it myself but Metal would never be talked down by some kid, the only reason Shadow was talked down in the first place is because Amy did the same thing in SA2.

If you guys want you can also take into account of the Archie Sonic X Comic as canon if you want, which would be interesting as in that canon it's said that Eggman has never seen a robot like Metal Sonic, implying he never made one before. Take it what you will, Chris would be stomped on Overlord Style.   

[TheRedStranger]

6 hours ago, Mike Arcade said:

Take it what you will, Chris would be stomped on Overlord Style

Sorry Chris - you ain't Frisk.

[Wulfsbane]

What if Chris didn't join Sonic & Co. in Season 3 but played more of a supporting role back on Earth?

[Ishapar]

I think Chris' role is not necessary for Season 3, and the adventure would have taken place without him.  I don't know what type of supporting role he would have played back on earth: it's not like he would have anything to give that the company already didn't have, and I doubt he would have realized Sonic and the others went out into outer space (which makes it odd that Chris' parents sent a spaceship to Sonic's world when they had no idea Chris would be in space; it's not like people on earth travel through space on a daily basis).

Yet season3 was probably Chris' best moments in Sonic X.  He became useful for a change, being the second in command of the Blue Typhoon and one of the ship's main mechanics and inventors.  He had enough guts to take on one of Dark Oak's leaders with Cosmo, and still remained a factor in keeping Shadow from going too far overboard.  He may have replaced Tail's role, but at least he had some uses in that season.

[TheRedStranger]

What would happen if Egghead was not dropped on his head  as a baby? XP Or, better said,  what would havppen if we replaced Eggman with his more sinister and successful counterpart, the SoA Robotnik (serious non-AoTSH version)?

[WarTraveller]

15 hours ago, TheRedStranger said:

What would happen if Egghead was not dropped on his head  as a baby? XP Or, better said,  what would havppen if we replaced Eggman with his more sinister and successful counterpart, the SoA Robotnik (serious non-AoTSH version)?

Hmmmmmm...tough one. Well obviously Eggman would be far more competent, and his plans would be better thought out and better executed. He'd probably be smart enough to take out Chris and separate Sonic from his friends. And PROBABLY just kill him without gloating to him for six hours first. And...probably kidnap someone other than Cream. And make sure the Adventure 2 adaptation is a proper adaptation. And he'd go in the Boomiverse and kill Lyric. JUST to be sure.