Doctor Eggman

Doctor "Eggman" Robotnik
'Sonic the Hedgehog series character
File:Robotnik Riders.png Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, as seen in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
First game	Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Created by	Naoto Ōshima

Doctor Ivo Robotnik (ロボトニック, Robotonikku), also known by his alias, Doctor Eggman (ドクター・エッグマン, Dokutā Egguman), is a video game character and main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is a comically obese scientist with an IQ of 300. His character designer is Naoto Ōshima, and he has gone through several appearance changes throughout the series. The character was named the 15th most diabolical video game villain of all time by PC World.

Concept and inspiration

File:Oldrobotnik.jpg

Doctor Eggman's original design.

In April 1990, Sega petitioned its research and development department, AM8, to create a character who would replace Alex Kidd as the company's mascot, as well as compete against Nintendo's flagship character, Mario. A caricature of Theodore Roosevelt was among the proposed designs, and combined with the idea of an egg-shaped character, it eventually became the basis of the visual design for Dr. Eggman. In creating the "bad guy" for the Sonic series, the development team wanted a character who was "the opposite of Sonic;" a character who represented "machinery" and "development" to play on the then-growing debate between developers and environmentalists. The character was also designed to be easy for kids to draw.

Eggman has been known by different names in various Sonic media depending on region. In Japan, the character has always been known as "Doctor Eggman". However, in early American and European games and media, he is known as Doctor Ivo Robotnik. Yuji Naka has explained that "Robotnik" is the character's "real name" while "Eggman" is a "common name taken after his shape." Beginning with Sonic Adventure, Sega began referring to him more as Eggman in both languages, with the use of the name Robotnik becoming rare.

Characteristics

Doctor Robotnik is described as being a certifiable genius with an IQ of 300. His fondness for mechas has also made him a renowned authority on robotics. Ultimately, Eggman's goal is to conquer the world and create his ultimate utopia, Eggmanland (alternatively known as the Eggman Empire or Robotnikland). He selfishly never gives up on this matter, and does not care for others' opinions. He considers those who would interrupt his plans a prime threat. His abominable laughter and maniacal declarations contrast his self-professed softer side, as a romanticist, feminist, and gentleman. Despite his intelligence, Eggman is terribly immature, prone to childish emotional fits when he is not getting his way. Although Sonic has always ruined his evil plans, Eggman begrudgingly holds a secret respect for his determination. Developers have noted that with recent titles he has become more of a comic relief villain, and wish to make him a "more credible bad guy again" and re-establish his role as a true threat.

Actor portrayal

A great number of voice actors have portrayed Dr. Eggman in his post-1998 game appearances, as well as in other media. In the Japanese game releases, Eggman is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka. From 1999-2004, Deem Bristow provided the English dub for Eggman; 4Kids employee Mike Pollock assumed the role following Bristow's death from a heart attack in 2005. The first video game to star Pollock was Shadow the Hedgehog, in which all of the regular voice actors were replaced with the 4Kids cast.

The only person besides Ōtsuka to portray Eggman in a Japanese production is Junpei Takiguchi, who provided Eggman's voice for the direct-to-video film Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie. Edwin Neal later provided the English dub.

The television incarnations of Doctor Eggman (or "Robotnik" as he is often known) has been voiced by three different actors. In The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Robotnik is voiced by British blues singer Long John Baldry, who coincidentally died the same year as Deem Bristow. Robotnik was voiced by Jim Cummings in the ABC Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, and by Gary Chalk (who also voiced Grounder in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog) in Sonic Underground. Eggman is also voiced by Pollock in the English dub of Sonic X.

In video games

File:Robotnik-boss.png

In the games, Dr. Eggman will routinely oppose the character directly as an end-level boss

In most video games, the main villain is the final boss fought by the player. Robotnik, by contrast, appears as the boss of almost every level in most of the 2D Sonic games (and some 3D games), in a different machine each time. In the three-dimensional games, Eggman has often fallen under the thrall of other, more fearsome enemies. He is rarely the final boss in his post-Genesis appearances, often being betrayed by his own allies and forming alliances with Sonic after his plans spiral out of control.

Dr. Eggman first debuted in the 1991 platform game Sonic the Hedgehog, where he attempted to collect the six Chaos Emeralds (later seven) and imprisoning all of the helpless animals inhabiting South Island into robots. He returned in the immediate sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where he once again sought the Chaos Emeralds, this time to fuel his new warship called the Death Egg. In 1993's Sonic CD, Eggman, along with his latest creation, Metal Sonic, travels to Little Planet in search of magical stones that have the power to control the passage of time. In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, following the events in Sonic 2, Eggman's Death Egg crash-lands onto Angel Island. While repairing the ship, Eggman meets Knuckles the Echidna, whom he tricks into believing that Sonic is trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds; in truth, Eggman intends to use the emeralds to repair the Death Egg.

Other two-dimensional platformers that Eggman appears in include Sonic Chaos, Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic Blast, and Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure.

In Sonic Adventure (later released as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut for the GameCube), Robotnik learns of the legendary beast, Chaos, and seeks out the Master Emerald. Upon finding it, he shatters it, freeing Chaos in the process. Eggman's goal is to control Chaos and obtain the Chaos Emeralds, which he can feed to Chaos so that it transforms into its most powerful form, using its destructive powers to conquer the world. Sonic Adventure 2 marks Eggman's first appearance as a playable character in a main series game. Eggman revives the anti-hero Shadow the Hedgehog from dormancy. Shadow, knowing Eggman's desire to rule the world, agrees to help him by using the Eclipse Cannon aboard Space Colony ARK. In the last story, Eggman aids Sonic in trying to stop a fail-safe put in place by his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, which would set the colony on a crash course with Earth. In Sonic Heroes, Eggman is captured by his own creation, Metal Sonic, who disguises himself as Eggman as part of a larger evil plan.

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Eggman is an opportunist who tries to gather the Chaos Emeralds in the middle of the alien invasion. He ends up sending his robots to help stop the alien menace in the end. As Shadow interrogates Eggman for information regarding his past, he is met with taunts from Eggman, who claims that Shadow is one of his androids. During Shadow's fight with Black Doom, Eggman admits that he was lying.

In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game, Dr. Eggman (who had a realistic human appearance) kidnaps the princess of Soleanna, who harbors the Flames of Disaster within her, in order to control time. Once again, he is forced to assist the heroes during the last act, much like previous games. Eggman also appears in Sonic and the Secret Rings as Shahryār of Persia. Here, his physical appearance has been changed back to his Adventure look. Eggman appeared in Sonic Rush Adventure, where he is once again a main villain. He is also a playable character in the Sonic RPG, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. He has been confirmed to appear in the upcoming Sonic Unleashed as one of the two main villains, the other being a monster known as Dark Gaia.

In Sonic Spinball, a pinball-themed game, Dr. Eggman seizes Mount Mobius and turns it into a mechanical base, setting up an elaborate pinball mechanism to keep the Chaos Emeralds safe. Eggman has also appeared in "2.5D" isometric platformers; in Sonic Labyrinth, he secretly replaces Sonic's famous red shoes with the new "Slow-Down Boots," which take away his ability to jump or run fast, and in Sonic 3D Blast, he turns innocent Flickies into robots in yet another search for the Chaos Emeralds. Dr. Eggman is also a playable character in such games as Sonic Drift, Sonic R, Sonic Riders and its sequel Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood and Sega Superstars Tennis. Eggman appears as a playable character in the crossover game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

The only game as of yet to feature Dr. Eggman as the central character is the 1993 game Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, a Puyo Puyo clone in which Robotnik (as he was known in the West), along with numerous bounty hunters seen in the first episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, attempts to rid all the fun and music on the planet Mobius by kidnapping the citizens of one insignificant town and turning them into robots.

Cultural impact

In other media

Doctor Robotnik has uniformly appeared in every form of Sonic-related media, including animation and comic books.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

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AoStH version of Dr. Robotnik.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, a DiC animated series that first broadcast in 1993, featured Dr. Robotnik as the recurring villain. A pompous and short tempered despot, his only goal was to rule Planet Mobius. Notably, the design of Robotnik in this series was wildly different from his portrayal in the games - his mustache is much more rugged, his head is conical, his nose is pink, and his eyes are black (his black eyes are reused in Sonic the Hedgehog). His costume vaguely resembles the red and black color scheme of his video game counterpart. At least once per episode, Robotnik declares his hatred of Sonic with his unmistakable catchphrase, "I HATE that hedgehog!"

In the episode "Best Hedgehog", a flashback to high school reveals that an acne-ridden Robotnik harbored a crush on a classmate, Lucinda; according to him, she was the one thing he treasured besides power. Unfortunately, Lucinda was already in love with fellow classmate Lucas, and his feelings went unreturned. Robotnik tried to get revenge on Lucas using one of his inventions, and was subsequently expelled. Somewhere along the line, Robotnik managed to get a doctorate degree, which he flaunts often.

Robotnik's main henchmen, Scratch and Grounder, aren't very intelligent, and frequently bungle the Doctor's attempts to kill (or at least imprison) Sonic and Tails. Robotnik once creates a robotic wife called Omaletta (who malfunctioned when she came into contact with water) and a son called Robotnik Jr, who defected to Sonic's side and was promptly disowned.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is the one of the few instances where Robotnik's parents are ever seen. Mama Robotnik is usually under lock and key inside Mobius' asylum, but she occasionally escapes to make a special guest appearance. She is quite a mad woman, to the point that even Robotnik himself fears her. Robotnik also has a cousin called Dr. Warpnik whom Robotnik banished to the Land of Confusion since he is a "loonie".

This version of Robotnik features prominently in the Sega Mega Drive and Game Gear title Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine; to date, it remains the sole game to feature Robotnik as the titular character. Robotnik's AoStH design was also used in American Sega display cases and in most European Sonic merchandise from 1994 up until the release of Sonic Adventure, as well as in the variation cover art for Sonic Spinball.

In the Sonic The Hedgehog book series by Troll Associates (based on the SatAM series), this incarnation of Robotnik was used on the cover art of "The Fortress of Fear" and "Robotnik's Revenge" books, depicted alongside the SatAM cast of characters, who never appeared on AoSth.

AoSth's Robotnik was voiced by Long John Baldry, whom coincidentally passed away the same year as Deem Bristow, who voiced Robotnik for the English release of Sonic Adventure and its subsequent sequels. Baldry's performance became highly praised by fans even after his death, due to his portrayal of Robotnik as both a deranged and over-the-top, yet sympathetic mad scientist.

Sonic the Comic

Main article: Dr. Robotnik (Sonic the Comic)

The Sonic the Comic continuity originates with a short "official" storyline created by Sega of America for the original 16-bit game, which was then expanded upon by the book, Stay Sonic. The original tale was revamped even further by the enduring Sonic the Comic series by Egmont Fleetway, as well as some other UK novels. Although his goals and actions were always evil, this incarnation of Robotnik often showed many foibles, such as in early issues replacing the "ex" in words with "eggs" (e.g. "eggs-actly"), and acts of pettiness such as having his robots attack places he already rules just to show that he can.

Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series & Archie comic)

Main article: Dr. Robotnik (TV series & Archie comic)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning cartoon (aka "SatAM"), Robotnik is a recurring villain. He is depicted differently from his counterpart in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games in that he is not a mad scientist; instead, he is a dictator who has conquered most of Planet Mobius. His principal weapon is the Roboticizer, a series of machines which transform innocent Mobians into robot slaves. He was voiced by Jim Cummings.

The character of Dr. Robotnik initially used in the Archie Comics series was based on the version that had appeared in SatAM. As the comic series progressed, more details were added to his background. Although the comic series began with a stand-alone storyline, it later evolved to incorporate elements from the games. To reflect this, the character of Dr. Eggman has been introduced into the comic storyline; "Robotnik" and "Eggman" literally appear as two different people.

Sonic Underground

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Robotnik, flanked by Sleet (left) and Dingo (right), from Sonic Underground

Like the Robotnik of Sonic The Hedgehog and Robotnik Prime of the Archie continuity, Sonic Underground's Dr. Robotnik has already taken over most of Mobius. Like his counterparts, this Robotnik's greatest nemesis is Sonic the Hedgehog; however, he must also contend with Sonic's siblings, Sonia the Hedgehog and Manic the Hedgehog. Other than that, SU's Robotnik has a history much like that of SatAM's, including deposing the rightful ruler (SatAM's King Acorn, SU's Queen Aleena Hedgehog). Additionally, this version of Robotnik has the same design as the SatAM Robotnik, but he wears a red cape rather than a yellow one and both of his arms are roboticized, unlike the SaTAM version who only has one roboticized arm. In a dream sequence, it is revealed he can extend his robotic arms. His voice was also different, performed by Gary Chalk who played Grounder from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Robotnik's assistants were two canine bounty hunters named Sleet and Dingo.

This version of Robotnik did not appear in every episode, with Sleet and Dingo serving as the ever-present villains instead (as they were pursuing Sonic Underground while Robotnik remained in Robotropolis). Unlike his SaTAM counterpart, he did not Roboticise the whole population of Mobius; that was reserved for those who broke the laws (of which there were many), leaving an underclass for him to have fun oppressing and an aristocracy which he taxed heavily. While he is often viewed as less evil than his SaTAM version, one of his goals is to find Sanctuary — where Freedom Fighter's leave their children — and exterminate all the children in it. He also once was willing to let the entire planet be destroyed by Chaos Energy if it meant the Sonic Underground would be destroyed as well. However, he does not seem nearly as intimidating or fierce as his saTAM counterpart, and resembles the more imaginative and calculating trickster seen in the video games.

This version of Robotnik also appeared as an alternate reality incarnation in the Archie Comics. In Sonic Super Special #10, Sonic Prime, Sonic Underground Sonic, Sonia, and Manic, teamed up with zone cop Zonic to stop this Robotnik, who had taken control of Robo-Robotnik's Giant Borg after Evil Sonic recollected the pieces and delivered them to this Robotnik.

Sonic X (anime & Archie comic)

File:EggmanX.jpg

Dr. Eggman from the anime Sonic X.

Dr. Eggman (as he is solely referred to) in the anime series Sonic X closely mirrors his game counterpart. He first appears along with the other main characters in the first episode, experimenting with Chaos Emeralds when Sonic attacks his tower base. Eggman's experimental machine malfunctions after being damaged, and the entire cast is sent to Earth via a giant Chaos Control. Eggman decides to conquer this new world instead, and repeatedly clashes with Sonic while looking for the Chaos Emeralds. He also finds and releases Chaos, Shadow, and Emerl, effectively creating cartoon adaptations of Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Battle. By the end of the second season, Eggman leaves Earth along with the other characters, teleporting back to their homeworld. In the third season, Eggman is no longer the main antagonist, with the alien Metarex taking that role, similar to how in the video games other more dangerous villains take the role of the main villain from him. Still, Eggman follows the rest of the cast into outer space, where he battles both Sonic and the Metarex multiple times.

This Eggman looks exactly like his videogame counterpart in terms of appearance, and often personality as well. However, he's much more comical here then in the videogames. In fact, as the series goes on he becomes more and more of comic relief character. Also, his personality is less dark and evil, his seeming war with Sonic has become more of a light-hearted rivalry, and he sometimes shows that he does not like physically hurting people or even animals, although his robots with animals imprisoned inside are sometimes seen. Also in episode 29 "A Robot Rebels", Eggman sends out his series of "E" robots to reclaim Froggy, whom has swallowed a chaos emerald. Only E-102 Gamma brings back the real Froggy to the Egg-Carrier, and Eggman dismisses the other E robots. Later in the episode whilst doing errands for Eggman, E-102 comes across a room wherein he finds E-101 screaming in pain, as he is deconstructed by electrocution, showing that Eggman's new found conscience doesn't quite stretch to his own creations. He is often seen with his personal assistant robots Decoe and Bocoe, who help him with his schemes and are in a way similar to Scratch and Grounder, the robots that help the "AoStH" Robotnik. He also has a robot messenger by the name of Bokkun, who he uses to send (generally explosive) messages to Sonic and friends.

An odd note about this Doctor Eggman is that while he appears to come from Sonic's homeworld, his grandfather Gerald and cousin Maria, who appear mirroring their game roles, still hail from Earth. His discovery of his grandfather's work on Project Shadow leads him to the conclusion that he himself also originates in the human world, although it is unknown in which world he was born.

Eggman appears in the ongoing Sonic X comic book nearly exactly like he does in the anime, along with Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun. Running parallel to the anime series (even referencing events in the episodes), this comic is still set on Earth, where Eggman hatches various plans to get hold of the Chaos Emeralds and eradicate Sonic. He also takes a page from his original video game incarnation in that he has designed robots with live animals (and even people) trapped inside them as power sources, though has apparently given up on this tactic for the time being. Another interesting aspect of Eggman in the comic is his curiosity towards the concept of money. Although Eggman doesn't quite understand what's so valuable about "little green slips of paper" (as he often calls it), he does understand that having a lot of it allows him to buy more parts for his robots, and often makes attempts to steal and/or extort vast amounts from the people.

Aside from his talents as a scientist, this incarnation of Eggman is also a master of disguise, and his base contains a large room full of costumes, wigs, masks, hats, and other disguise paraphernalia. In the comic series, Eggman develops a crush over Ella, the Thorndykes' personal maid.

Merchandising

Over the years, Dr. Eggman has had a variety of merchandise. Going from collectable pins and plushies, to specialized notebooks and clocks.

Critical reception

The character has been well-received, going on to become one of the most well-known villains in gaming. However, many fans have been critical of the name change from "Robotnik" to "Eggman" even though it technically still is his name.

Creations

Main articles: List of recurring characters from Sonic the Hedgehog (games) § E-Series, and Eggman's robots

Doctor Eggman's most traditional vehicle is the Eggmobile (known as the "Egg-O-Matic" in comics and cartoons) is a small hovering craft with a very distinct egg-like shape, a small circular lamp on the front, and can be fitted with a seemingly endless amount of gadgetry. It can notably be converted into a more mech-like walker configuration, which Eggman used extensively in Sonic Adventure 2. It can also be converted into car like vehicle which Eggman used in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 or into a submarine that can travel in water or lava as seen in Sonic & Knuckles.

Doctor Eggman's army consists fully of mass produced robotic drones whose appearance and armaments vary greatly from type to type. The helpless animals that inhabit the islands of Sonic's world are usually the first to fall victim to Eggman's schemes, as he will gather them in large droves to be transformed into his loyal worker drones. "Badniks" was a term used to describe these robot henchmen in early North American and European releases of the games, whereas they were just known as "Eggman's robots" in Japan.

The E-Series are a special part of Dr. Eggman's forces that have played a larger role in the games than the rest of the robots. Most notably E-102 Gamma, who was playable in Sonic Adventure and whose design is reused often by Sonic Team, and E-123 Omega who first appeared as a playable character in Sonic Heroes, and has appeared several times since, are his most recognized robots.

Doctor Eggman's most successful and persistent Sonic copy to date is Metal Sonic. He made his first appearance in Sonic CD to capture Amy Rose and race Sonic on the Stardust Speedway. Unlike the previous attempts, Metal Sonic was built for speed with a sleek form. Metal Sonic, after his first defeat at the hands of Sonic, went on to harass the Chaotix, where he was able to turn into an enormous, red version of himself via the Chaos Rings and wreak havoc for a while, until he was defeated once again. Afterwards, he was seen around participating in any kind of racing or fighting Sonic joins in, in hopes of defeating him one day. In Sonic Heroes, Metal Sonic impersonates Dr. Eggman in an attempt to copy DNA from Sonic and other characters so that he can finally put an end to his rivalry with Sonic. Eggman has also built robot copies of other characters, such as Metal Knuckles, the Tails Doll and the Shadow Androids. He has even created robots based on himself, called Eggrobos.

External links

• Sonic Central official character profiles
• Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik Concept: "Mobius"