Why Tails is Important Ft. Chaomix – A Character Analysis of Tails Ahead of Sonic Movie 2
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Is anybody else SICK of the “Sonic the Hedgehog’s stupid friends” narrative? Well, among the many characters in the series who have suffered terribly from this ridiculous false narrative, it’s everyone’s favorite fox boy, Miles Tails Prower! Games media and series detractors have been attempting to gaslight us for well over a decade now that Sonic’s friends have done nothing but hold the series back. With some “journalists” even going as far as trying to say the Sonic Series itself was NEVER good! Well I’m here to confirm that is complete and total nonsense! And what better way to make my argument, than a YouTube series going into insane detail on why each and every supporting Sonic character is important to the series?!
Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Metal Sonic, Gamma, Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, E123 Omega, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Dr Eggman, and the star of this video, Miles Tails Prower, were all important characters. Crucial to the series, and, the deeper Shonen style stories from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, that fans are desperate to see make a return!
Of course, there are many more than the ones I’ve just mentioned, and we will get to ALL of them in time! But for now, let’s take a trip to West Side Island and check in on everyone’s favorite fur genius, Tails! With Sonic Prime and Sonic Frontiers just around the corner, let’s first go back to a place and time where everything was perfect. And, bash on some terrible Tails takes along the way! Tails looks to be done justice in Sonic Movie 2. So let’s analyze how that ties in to the games series.
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 official movie trailer –
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Final movie trailer –
Sonic Movie 2 – Meet Knuckles –
Sonic the Hedgehog – TailsTube –
Sonic Fandom – Knuckles the Echidna –
Great video man loved it
Tails in Sonic x mostly season 3 is my favorite iteration. To me Tails doesn’t feel like a sidekick or protege. He builds amazing tech and commands a ship with Sonic to help save the universe. Cosmo and Tails had a interesting relationship and blooming romance (I know that they are kids but it’s wholesome and sweet with these two together. )Furthermore,she brings the best in Tails and emotional moments we don’t see in games. Also the final episodes with Tails and Cosmo made me cry. (I haven’t felt like that since we though when thought Shadow died. ) Tails had a lot of awesome and memorable moments that should be remembered. Tails became his own and surpassed Sonic in his own unique way.
I understand having a lot of characters in a series makes it hard to evolve characters over time, but it's really baffling how Tails took a complete 180 in character. He went from the heroic fox who proved himself to be able to go on adventures with his hero, to a Gen Z kid- stuck on his I-Pad. I think SEGA could do something really great with his character if they take his Miles Electric away from him. Seriously, that kid is addicted to that thing!
You guys worked well together on this.
He's perfect in the movie. Watched it 2 days ago and all the small bits of characterization that we've never really seen emphasised in the games are at the very least touched upon in the movie. They remembered exactly why he's worthy of standing alongside Sonic
19:34 and that is why you play with the Japanese dub XD
I blame Meta Era Tails being so smug and arrogant compared to Tails from 1992-09 on Meta Era Sonic and his toxic arrogance when compared to Sonic from 1991-2009. More so when you look at how the Japanese write the characters in the Meta Era, which feels more in line with how the characters should be, rather than these fakers we're lumbered with now. Especially when Tails isn't spewing pseudo intelligent crap like
ENG gotta connect the framistatic capacitor to the maximizing modulationzor
which becomes
JPN: I need to connect the frame capacitor to generate a strong pulse
Also for the Japanese lines for 29:25
JPN: It's nothing compared to what I've ever done. You know, last time, I tried to fix a computer with just one toothpick. Compared to that, fixing a propeller that I touch all the time is a piece of cake!
Plus when Tails' actually does grab the toothpick from the sandwich in the Zeri lair, rather than making a stupid joke about dishwashing detergent, he says, "gotta turn a crisis into an opportunity!" I know I have been accused in the past for supposedly having a "hate boner" for the American take on Sonic, but if the Japanese are writing the characters better, why should I have to lower my standards to give America a chance when they should be stepping up their game and actually writing the characters correctly.
Also meanwhile in the comics he's written to be a brave a courageous kid who can stand as an equal by Sonic's side. The same can be said for Emi Jones' Sonic and Tails R, which in its 10 episodes sees Tails doing more than he's done in the past 10 years of the Meta Era and not cowering before regular Egg Pawns he should be smashing without breaking a sweat like in Forces, nevermind Chaos 0.
Hopefully Sega remember Tails in the little fox cub who could and actually let him, and the other characters, off the bench and get a chance to do something again with Frontiers.
How is Tails' depiction in 06 worse than his depiction in Heroes? Frankly, he's just as tacked on in both, but at least he gave some level of contribution in 06 (looking through Eggman's database to deduce Elise's death aboard the Egg Carrier caused the ruined future, detecting the chaos emerald in Flame Core, following the Egg Carrier and informing Sonic of its location, etc.), unlike in Heroes. Where he literally did nothing.
That aside though, this was a wonderful analysis for the character, and a great overview of why he's so valuable to the series. Though I feel like a lot of what you said you here was recited from your other video on Tails (I was actually a bit surprised how much I was able to predict what you were going to say as you talked about each game, lol). It's still nice, don't get me wrong! I just wish you went more in-depth on other stuff, like how you would've fixed, altered, or added to his lackluster appearances over the course of the series' history. I'm sure you'd have some fantastic ideas 🙂
Sonic should’ve yelled “You can fly, Tails!!!”
Tails is bragging and it’s not good bragging either.
We can only hope our two tailed buddy can return as the secondary protagonist he was in the classic and Adventure era and expand on his growth. He definitely needs it!
The Gentle Tech Badass need to return!!!
Ya know here's a weird comparison I was thinking for a while:
The 2010s was a decade full of unnecessary "reboots" and crap, and stuff filled with mostly bad writing. Also some nostalgic baiting for those nostalgic boners.
Guess what Sonic did that decade? Bad writing and nostalgic baiting. Not sure about reboots…maybe a soft one because everyone is dumb-downed for the dumb audience by the dumb people. Idk.
But that's just a theory, a game theory!
The real issue with Tails' characterization (and just about every Sonic supporting character for that matter) is that so many people seem to have different ideas for how he should be portrayed. Just look no further than the different media's and continuities to see this.
Even since the early days, I've always liked Tails, but almost everyone I knew seemed to despise the little guy, almost with a passion! I remember someone even saying "No one likes him! Everyone hates him! Even SONIC doesn't like him!" Basically it was like they were saying "Sonic should hate Tails as much as I do!" I never agreed with that, but it felt like I was the only one.
Sonic the Comic was interesting because it was one of the first continuities I remember that actually saw Tails going from Sonic's sidekick to being more independent, long before Adventure did it. Whether this series did it well is another matter. The thing that bugged me personally was how Sonic constantly belittled him a called him hurtful names like "Pixel Brain!" Almost like the writers of this comic couldn't stand him either. Even as a kid, that never felt right to me.
In The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails featured in every episode, and even though they were really pushing the "little kid" angle, Sonic and Tails did have a cool camaraderie. Yet there were times when he was pushed aside while Sonic saved the day (there was even an episode where Sonic literally leaves him in a kiddie's ball pit), but at least there were some moments where he got to shine.
The same however can't be said for the SATAM series. In that one they REALLY pushed the little kid aspect of Tails, even going as far as putting him to bed with a bedtime story by the "adult characters!" Again, it just felt like the writers simply didn't want to give him that much screen time as they were more interested in their own characters like Sally. They also didn't have him as a technical genius and instead replaced him with another one of their own characters, Rotor the Walrus (and even he didn't get much screen time!)
Then there's Sonic Underground, which either totally ignored Tails because they didn't like him or didn't even know he existed! Either wouldn't surprise me!
Sonic X I always felt didn't do any of the supporting characters justice, mostly because it basically was just "THE CHRIS THORNDYKE SHOW….oh and guest starring that speedy blue… thing… I guess!" Sure he builds the X-Tornado, but that really just felt like it was there to give all the minor characters a seat when they're flying somewhere. They tried recreating the scenes from the Adventure games, but since Sonic and Tails barely share any screen time it just doesn't have the same impact as the original stories. Then in season 3 he falls in love with that plant thing Cosmo, but I just remember thinking "He's 8 years old! He should still think that girls are riddled with cooties at that age!" Even when he has to kill her to save the universe, I just personally didn't think that was something I'd want to see from Tails. Maybe I could imagine a character like Shadow or Silver having to go through a difficult and emotional choice like that, but not Tails. Even after that scene where he's crying his eyes out (and Sonic doesn't even comfort the poor kid, might I add) in literally the very next scene he's happy and smiling like nothing happened!
I can't really say much about the Boom series, as that just seems like the Teen Titans Go equivalent of a Sonic cartoon. Just not for me!
As for his portrayal in the newer games compared with his portrayals in the Adventure games, I guarantee you that there are people going "Nope! He was never good, and never will be! Forces totally got him right! Completely irritating, gratingly annoying, and utterly worthless! THAT'S TAILS! Sega should just get rid of him and just have Sonic!"
Update: I just saw the new movie. I remember hearing an early review saying that Tails' only real purpose in the story was to just spout exposition. And while that's… kind of true, he does at least have some good chemistry with Sonic, he flies around with his twin tails, he fights robots alongside Sonic (& Knuckles), he builds gadgets, he pilots a biplane, he basically does everything you expect Tails to do, and that's a huge improvement over his portrayal in Forces, that's for sure! And, the most important thing, the writers of this movie obviously didn't feel obligated to appeal to all the Tails haters out there, unlike the current game writers! It's really something Sega needs to learn from!
This got added to the countless number of videos about how Sega has ruined Tails ( and I commented on almost all of them that I'm unhappy with how my favorite character is being treated )
I'm getting tired of it , when will Sega fix it ?!
At least other media did him justice ( hopefully sonic movie 2 will be a new great start )
In terms of the Dark Gaia Monsters, there's a point you missed; it wasn't just ONE new enemy, it was SEVEN new enemies he was surrounded by. But hey, you're entitled to not like that scene I suppose.
Knuckles cries out for help in Shadow's gun game when he and Shadow get sucked into a tornado ("Help! We're being sucked in!"), and no complains about that.
Fortunately we got sonic 2 to give tails his confidence.
Tails is as important as Sonic
#changemymind
You know that comment that its like Pontac and Graff don't know the characters? Well Roger (who you might know from Sonic Paradox's newer stuff) as part of his excellent Sonic Dissected series asked them upfront about that and they honestly admitted they don't and that they also didn't bother do any research on the characters either, so you're right on the money.
I agree that Tails' fall started with Unleashed, the only way I can see to explain it and keep Tails development, is Tails just has a fear of the supernatural in general but thats barely a bandaid solution. I do disagree that Tails should replace the Avatar though, as why would he need a hookshot? He can fly already, instead I think he should replace Classic Sonic. (removing that stupid retcon of Classic being a alternate universe version in the process) By using his development from SA2 Tails could and should be the leader and main person in action for the fight against Ivo.
Thanks for the video though, I've decided to sub and I look forward to your upcoming content.
Classic tails: Able to defeat army and make cool machines and know's how to fly a plane.
Adventure: Able to defeat eggman and prove himself worthy and save a town from a bomb. And earns the trust of sonic.
Modern tails: A cry baby jerk whose always on his i pad and always depends on sonic.
I think Tails probably tastes like a bathed cat, what do you think he would taste like?
the chracters that got hit with the meta era curse the hardest are tails knuckles and shadow
Two of my favorite Sonictubers discussing my favorite Sonic character? Yes, please!
A lot has been said about the negative aspects of Tails' portrayals, so I will choose to focus on the positives (although I really want to thank Chaomix for calling out Unleashed because I was so disappointed in Tails in that game, and people tend give it a free pass just because it's not as egregious as some other examples).
A lot of my love for this character came from Sonic 2 being my introduction to the franchise and me playing him in every game as a player 2 (despite me being the older sibling lol). Hmm, Sonic 2 (Tails), Sonic Adventure 2 (Shadow, Rouge), Sonic Advance 2 (Cream)…I may have a thing for the second games in series within this franchise introducing me to some of my favorite characters. Tails technically wasn't my favorite Sonic character back then, but he is now, partially due to those experiences. It's so much fun carrying Sonic around the levels. Helps cheese boss fights a lot too.
I like that Tails constantly wants to prove himself. In contrast with Sonic, Knuckles' and Amy's mostly confident attitudes, Tails seems more unsure of himself at times, but he eventually does learn to believe in himself. Not that the others don't have bouts of self-doubt, but it feels more pronounced with Tails. He may lack the experience that Sonic has accumulated before and even after their friendship, but in some ways, Tails already surpasses the blue hedgehog with his own skills. Additionally, his backstory and how he got that cool biplane from Sonic pull at my heartstrings.
I'm quite a sucker for sibling-like relationships, so the way that Tails looks up to Sonic as a younger brother would is something I really appreciate. Even the blue and orange contrast between the two characters communicates that close relationship. They complement each other like those colors do. The "bad" ending of Sonic 2 is one of my favorite moments in the franchise because it affirms their future bond and reliability on each other as well as serves as a powerful moment where Tails proves himself. Speaking of that bond, I really enjoyed Sonic Boom's portrayal of it. I may have even enjoyed it more than the portrayal in Sonic X in all honesty.
The Adventure games had good moments communicating Tails' awesomeness too. Like how you brought up Tails making a fake emerald. That one scene where Eggman tricks him into exposing his plan is one of my favorite scenes in SA2. Actually made my jaw drop. Felt so bad for the kid but that fact that he was able to craft an emerald that could be used for Chaos Control, which ended up saving Sonic in the end, is impressive enough that I don't mind that he was able to be manipulated. Makes him more endearing that way since it shows he's not perfect. Eggman has more relevant experience, so of course he would be able to outsmart Tails in that specific manner.
Another thing that I adore is that despite his impressive intellect, it's still clear that Tails an adorable kid. Reminds me a bit of Linus from the Peanuts comics, and he's one of my favorite characters in anything ever, so it checks out that I'd eventually gravitate to Tails as well.
I really want to see Tails interact with Knuckles and Amy more. Knuckles because it would be fun to see them both use their knowledge together (such as Knuckles knowing ancient languages). Amy because both of them look up to Sonic and it would be cool to see them grow into and encourage their independence as heroes in their own right.
Also, since he's a young kid, why not have him team up with Charmy and Cream as Team Junior or something lol? It would really highlight how most of the flight type characters that are responsible for carrying others are the youngest members of the cast, which seems a bit unfair, haha (even if they are physically capable). Also, I just realized they all sport similar base color schemes. Huh. But in all seriousness, it would be interesting to see how Tails could feel a bit out of place with both the younger kids and the teens due to simultaneously being precocious yet juvenile. Or maybe he could get along swell with anyone of any age. Either way, I just want to see more of Tails' dynamic with others than Sonic in the games.
Last but not least, I am a fan of the simple, yet charming, wordplay in his name. May this fox be able to Prower on for many Miles in the future!
He teamed up with Dr. Eggman at the end of SA2, but becomes a lil bitch when he has to work with Eggman again. Yeah, Paramount Cares more about the Sonic IP than Sega
I wanna fly high!
Some People actually believe Tails is a Cyborg because it would be physically impossible for him to spin his tails like a Helicopter 🚁 if he wasn’t.
Kinda sucks seeing your favorite character in the franchise become a useless turd
Yes not gonna lie Tails got Character Assassination ever seen Sonic Colors and it got worse in Lost World and Forces and it not just Him,Knuckles is extremely Dumb,Shadow is nothing more than a Cash Cow,Rogue,Omega, Silver is a Afterthought,Cream and Vanilla are being Forgotten by Sega and so on and so on,I Hope and Pray that Tails ant the Rest of the Characters get more love and attention they deserve.
25:21
Let's agree on one thing FNAF lore is more consistent than Sonic lore.
Edit: Only consistency in the Sonic franchise is inconsistency.
Tails is actually my favorite sonic character besides Sonic. It's quite baffling to see one of my favorites in the series become a weak coward or a character that's just shoehorned into the background, just going on adventures with Sonic yet not doing anything to help.
What about my favorite sonic character rogue the bat
what is the name of the music playing from 34.16 till the end?
Excellent video as always! I feel that Tails and Knuckles should have been protected more in the recent games and their characters preserved given just how important they were in Sonic becoming the global phenomon he was in the 90's. Hopefully the renewed focus on both characters due to the movie will push Sega in the right direction and give them the character depth they need and had in the past.
I wish tails wasnt acting like he never learned anything in sa1/sa2 in sonic forces. Hopefully they fix this in sonic frontiers
Knuckles is better
Cool video but I personally believe the only canon version of tails is the one from sonic for hire
Tails' character has regressed ever since Sonic had new sidekicks like Chip, Yacker ect.
How good is Sonic movie 2 Tails right now? Ps great video.
I'm glad someone realised how OOC tails was in Unleashed. Most people liked to shrug it off for some reason, only puuting that complaint on a similar scene in SONIC FORCES.
tfw that "ipad thing" would be fine if the data gathered from it was ACTUALLY USED FOR STUFF.
No, seriously, speaking on even just Forces alone, the guy gathers readings and data when Sonic is beaten into the ground by Infinite, and then… those are just never spoken of again. At all. The game pretends Tails knew about the Phantom Ruby and snirks at Eggman for not testing his invention enough, but he himself was never shown working on the very readings he gathered from way back when, instead being shown to work on the highly-unrelated Omega.
Unleashed and Colors at least got that right, but those instead have the problem that the writers don't know how ELSE to use Tails, so they just completely attach him to it, rather than making anything interesting with it (for crying out loud, he's in a THEME PARK in Colors. Dude could easily be analyzing the very tech that makes up those boss stage cutscene arenas or even Tropical Resort itself and use said pad to interact with it further, but he doesn't, even though some kind of electric-like energy is literally everywhere there). Unleashed has it a bit better, but in every game since Heroes, those kind of out-of-character cutscenes just accumulated over and over, and by the time of Lost World, they were visibly so confused as to what they wanted to do with him that they decided to do the exact opposite.
I remember when it was pulled out in the IDW comics it was actually used in conjunction with other machinery, which makes sense since it itself is a portable machine, so coming up with AND providing an easier access to the man-to-machine language on the fly (heh) is exactly in line with the intellect Tails is supposed to have.
It's interesting to me because even as someone who enjoys Heroes and Generations, and likes Tails as a character, I think cool stuff could be done with it but just, isn't.
(Then again, that's what should be expected of writers who literally just took a Google search)
I really hate how all of the characters are being so underutilized in this Meta Era, but the fladerization of Tails' character is such a tragic case. He's been by Sonic's side since day 2. Seeing his character arc in Adventure 1 and his AWESOME characterization in Adventure 2 just makes you feel so good. But ultimately, I think that's why we love these characters so much. The way they were written and the relatability we felt in their struggles. They mean something to us and a lot of others.
And it's channels like yours Ace Card Gaming, as well as Chaomix, Al the Boi, Characters-in-Depth and Game Apologist that remind me that there are still people out there who care about this franchise and it's future, and gives me just a small sliver of hope that maybe this franchise could be what it used to be, if not BETTER if they would just TRY. So to that, I just wanna thank you for giving me that hope and good luck to you! Stay way past cool!!👍🏿
why do I kind of want to know why Sonic is important
I know I am important
Tails is, always has been, and always will be best boy.
Brief, unimportant fact check- Tails has been aged up to 12 in recent media (at least in boom).
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Good material about my favourite member of Sonic Team. That little fluffy fox kid was my inspiration to go out from shell and accept myself as i am with my pros and cons, he never give up so do i. Its a humble thing how now Sega treat him in games. He deserves more than be a nerdy Luigi clone that hie is now. I hope Frontiers will give him position that he have in Adventure Era/ Dark Era when he was not only a partner for Sonic but a Hero on his own
I have a rationalisation for the way Tails was portrayed in Unleashed that doesn't involve power-scaling. Dark Gaia's influence was able to negatively sway the emotional state of almost everybody at night. Chip made a point of explaining that Sonic stays pretty much himself because of his unwavering confidence but even then there are noticeable albeit subtle shifts in temperament between Hedgehog and Werehog which even the manual points out. We see this with other characters too like Amy who was powerless to stop the guy who was aggressively dancing with her when ordinarily she'd be more than able to fend off such an advancement. So for Tails to have some reversion back to scared little kid mode doesn't seem too farfetched with that in mind. Not like when he did the same thing in Forces, in front of an enemy he had already beaten once before.
25:18 Tails the iPad Kid. 🙂
This video is overflowing with Sonic Adventure 2 bias.
By your own admission his character traits have remained consistent throughout the series.
There was only one single game where he was out of character, that being Adventure 2.
You justify all the times before that as simply pre-character-development.
You imagine Adventure 1 as being a road that lead to Adventure 2 because it suits your narrative.
You're ignoring the fact that games are developed by different creators given the same resources.
You're also ignoring the fact in games not centred around Tails obviously don't star him.
You have a design you want for that character and that's okay.
You can produce your own works with that kind of characterisation if you want.
That will not make them canon just because you'd prefer it to be so.
You have an inflated ego to imagine that your opinion is what everyone else should agree with.
It's a children's game franchise at it's core and it has a large array of colourful characters.
It's not made for nostalgic adults with some sort of traumatic confidence issues.
You are not the target audience.
Pack your stuff up and take it home to a franchise more befitting your current personality.
Stop ruining this for the rest of us.
I know that discussing about Tails' character through years has been talked down to the ground at this point that it's not much of a surprise to be perfectly honest. Like I've seen so many videos about this same topic that I was expecting the same information to be shown. How the Meta Era portrayed Tails as he was flanderized and how the Adventure Games were the peak of his character.
The one thing that could've stayed consistent within Tails is that he is a loyal partner to Sonic and is able to help him out in any way he can. Despite the praise of Tails being independent has been talked a lot, I do not hear much about how Sonic and Tails' partnership being actually genuine and show how this affects their relationship. I always adore the best friend/brotherly aspect of Sonic and Tails because it's adorable and it showcases on how they were meant to be a strong duo from the beginning.
If the Meta Era couldn't keep Tails' independency development in tact, I was kind of hoping that he would still be a loyal partner to Sonic in a way like he was back in the 1990's. The dynamic is there, but it's just not genuine like it feels like the relationship is non existent. Like please, it's not hard to make a brotherly relationship be genuine! That's my biggest issue with Tails' character in the Meta Era and some moments in the Dark Age Era. Not just about Tails' character being flanderized on it's own, like I get it. But, this aspect about making the relationship of Sonic and Tails being less genuine. I adore the partnership of Sonic and Tails and it doesn't have to be too serious or too sappy all the time to make it a good relationship. The two are different in terms of personality, but they compliment each other while having a wonderful relationship that it is a shame that the games doesn't carry this relationship out.
Sonic Forces really could've had the potential to add stakes to their relationship. Like how Tails reacted to Sonic being tortured for 6 months and how he felt ashamed for not being able to stop the creature who was beating his best friend down like it was nothing. Certain situations like these can still have Tails stay true to his character, he can still show worry, but he doesn't let it take over his head whenever he is against the odds. Having moments to be in a stressful situation is not easy, and that's what I could've seen Tails as in Forces. He tries to take down the odds, despite failing and have settle moments of him worrying about stuff while not letting it get to his head. I've seen a fanfiction of a retelling of Sonic Forces that used Tails in a different manner and I thought it was heck of a lot better than what we got from Sega.
Flanderization happens to a lot of characters and I know that Tails is not the only acception of this because Knuckles and Shadow do seem to fall in that category where I love the character, but is disappointed to the flanderization. Amy got the flanderization too, but she is a character that I don't care for because of personal reasons. I see Tails as a loyal and cute partner to Sonic that holds a strong bond thanks to how they compliment each other for being different in terms of personalities and purposes. Not just a Tails that is just an exposition dumper, being a complete selfish jerk(Yes, Sonic Lost World Tails is just the worst depiction of himself…), and being a coward. I love Tails, but I just hate how they made him look like a pathetic coward with moments of just having no purpose.
I hope this comment is enough to explain my feelings about this topic and how I talked about a flaw that hasn't been talked about as much compared to the most common factor within Tails' character.