Top Five Sonic the Hedgehog Cartoon Intros

We've seen a few Sonic programs throughout the decades. Like the video games he's best known from, the carious shows fluctuate in their qualities; some are good, others are best left untouched.

However, we're here today not to rank the programs themselves, but their short intros that appear at the start of each episode. Without further hesitation, let's begin our exploration of the five best Sonic the Hedgehog intros!

Bottom place in our countdown goes to the most recent cartoon's opening. Sonic Boom easily possesses the shortest intro of any Sonic program yet. Depending on your perspective, its brevity could either be a gift (it saves screen time for the actual episode) or a curse (it's not lengthy enough to lure us in).

I don't mind the briefness, but the intro still seems underwhelming. It lacks a catchy song , and considering the name of the show, this would have been the perfect opportunity to remix the classic Sonic Boom song. The graphics are more current than the other cartoons, but the animation seems wanting. Look at the way Amy runs three seconds in, it just appears silly.

Also, this next problem isn't really the intro's fault, but Knuckles's depiction as little more than a meathead is an unwelcome change from the wise yet gullible rival we once knew. At least the opening is over with soon, and uses a nice variety of colors, but Sonic intros can be much better.

This intro - well, the whole show, really - is about wild and zany antics from Sonic and his sidekick Tails. Like a Looney Tunes cartoon, it uses slapstick humor and constant silliness. The song doesn't have lyrics, but it's an enjoyable enough melody.

I've revisited the actual show as an adult, and I'm sorry to say it doesn't hold up terribly well. There are some fun moments, but a surprising amount of time is dedicated to Dr. Eggman's bumbling robots, Scratch (a robot chicken.. real intimidating, Eggman) and Grounder (a robot.. tank?), and there's little in the way of a story.

Still, as kids we enjoyed watching Sonic speed around, living however he pleased, and the intro helps prepare us for the wackiness we're about to encounter.

Sonic and his siblings (in this show, Sonic has a green brother and purple sister) are abandoned by his mother. Forced to grow up parentless, they begin to fight against the forces of oppression.. with their musical instruments. Weird. Regardless, this animation is enjoyably dramatic and corny, and does an adequate job demonstrating the premise of the show.

By the way, Sonic's brother, Manic, gets ripped off by the developers. All the siblings have their powerful instruments to fight evil (yea, I don't get it either), but Sonic also has his trademark super speedm Sonia receives amazing physical strength, and Manic.. is good with technolohy. Lame. Regardless, check out this opening for a cheesy but fun experience that's probably more enjoyable than the show itself.

Unlike Adventures, the opening (and the show) depicts an actual story. As a cheesy song plays, we see Sonic and his team infiltrate a base; it's nice to see the program's female cast member, Sally Squirrel, contribute to the success of the mission. Many fans fondly remember Sally, but she hasn't made many appearances lately, and seems to have been replaced by pink hedgehog Amy.

Anyway, this a good opening, with action, drama, teamwork, and nice animation (for its time). Plus, two incredibly dumb and fragile robots stupid enough to run into a wall. Maybe Eggman isn't the best engineer afterall. Still, this is arguably the best Sonic cartoon to date. But regarding openings, there's one many of us consider to be better..

In terms of openings, Sonic X is number one. It displays Sonic's speed nicely; he's always on the move, and it feels fast-paced and natural. Additionally, we get a quick glimpse of many supporting characters, and this is one of the catchiest and fastest Sonic tunes yet. Try increasing the song's playback to double speed with Youtube's settings to further energize the music.

Also, it's colorful, and the animation's well done, too. The show itself has mixed reception. Personally, I believe it has some awesome moments, story development, and even humor, but it's definitely dragged down by a couple annoying characters and mediocre voice actors. Whether or not you enjoy the show, most of us were jamming to this song whenever it played!

Hopefully you enjoyed listening to some Sonic History. Despite Sega's blunders, I'm still optimistic Sonic will one day earn his lost reputation among fans.

For now, feel free to vote for your favorite intro, and I'll see you at our next countdown!