While the new characters being introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 are undoubtedly the most exciting aspect of the sequel, there is another that has been around in the Sonic movies since nearly the beginning who needs to be given their proper time to shine, as they have felt sidelined throughout the franchise.
Even though the Sonic movies have made a habit of centering each subsequent movie around the new additions teased in the previous film, which, in the case of Sonic 4, are Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, the franchise needs to seriously consider how it is going to continue developing the characters that have already been established.
The character who has taken the brunt of this trend in the Sonic franchise has been Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), who, despite being one of the most important characters in the games and other Sonic media, has felt largely abandoned by the movies, even during the movie that introduces him.
Tails Can’t Be Underserved Again In Sonic 4
The Character Needs A Bigger Role In The Next Sonic Film
Tails’ biggest role is obviously in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, as that movie is the one that brings him into the cinematic universe. To be fair, he does have a very notable role in the second installment, adventuring alongside Sonic (Ben Schwartz) throughout the entire movie, before ending up becoming part of his family.
That success also came at the cost of giving Tails or Knuckles anything significant to do, making them feel like very minor characters, when they are supposed to be some of the most important.
However, even in Sonic 2, Tails is given less focus than Knuckles (Idris Elba), as the movie introduces them both at the same time. Additionally, Tails is mostly brought on to be Sonic’s sidekick, while Knuckles has a proper individual storyline. This is further evidenced by the fact that Knuckles even got his own spinoff show.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 only exacerbated this problem, and while it was an excellent movie, and the introduction of Shadow (Keanu Reeves) was an unquestionable success, that success also came at the cost of giving Tails or Knuckles anything significant to do, making them feel like very minor characters, when they are supposed to be some of the most important.
Sonic 4 is certainly going to primarily focus on Amy and Metal, which is fine, but Tails, as one of Sonic’s closest allies, definitely deserves some more spotlight this time around. As a character, Metal is probably going to be kept fairly simple, hopefully giving some extra room for Tails to get his own arc.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is set to release in theaters on March 19, 2027.
A fun way this arc could start is to use the fact that the character hasn’t felt terribly important to the series, translated into Tails himself feeling underappreciated, which could cause him to ʙuтт heads with the others in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, leading to some interesting drama for a vital team member who hasn’t had much to do.
