Intro:
In classic Marvel style, when it comes to the after credits scenes in Sonic the Hedgehog films, director Jeff Fowler aims to make every single one count in his efforts to expand the Sonic Cinematic Universe. For the fans, they have become a significantly exciting part of every installment as each one adapts a new character from the Sonic franchise into the film series – setting them up as the primary focus for the sequel. While the wait for the recently released Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had mostly been all about Shadow ever since his introduction at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Amy Rose managed to take a bit of the spotlight during that time as well. This is due to a combination of her having played a crucial role in Shadow’s story, her development as a character making her beloved amongst the fanbase, and a general need to have a female Sonic character in the films to balance things out. Much of this is explored in my article about the importance of Amy Rose and the impact of her absence in the Sonic 3 trailers. Suffice it to say, many were left feeling uncertain towards the notion of leaving her out of telling Shadow’s story on the big screen and potentially the Sonic films as a whole.
While the film did manage to tell his story in a satisfying way without Amy Rose, the after credits scene now has all eyes on her in a totally different way. In it, Sonic accidentally finds himself all the way in New York after his race against Tails and Knuckles. It is here that he encounters Metal Sonic and quickly becomes overwhelmed when many more start to surround him. However, their destruction from a swing of her Piko Piko Hammer and the removal of her hood reveals his savior as none other than Amy Rose. While the booming success of the film has revitalized the fanbase, this after credits scene has also caused a surge of Amy Rose appreciation. This has come in the form of so many passionate speculations and expectations regarding what could happen to her character as she enters the unique world of the Sonic the Hedgehog films.
Her Backstory:
Throughout original Sonic media, almost every character has their own origin story that explains how they ended up by Sonic’s side. The films have then adapted these loosely to fit the circumstances of their world, while still maintaining the lore accuracy needed to keep who these characters are at their core. However, Amy Rose is a unique case as she has never gotten an official backstory in any Sonic media. While the Sonic CD game had first introduced her character as a female hedgehog who had a crush on Sonic and needed him to save her from the clutches of Metal Sonic, there has never been a story explaining her life before Sonic or even where she came from.
Coming in as his savior by taking down multiple Metal Sonics all with one throw of her hammer, it’s clear that the movie’s adaptation of Amy is a far cry from who she is in the games’ first introduction of her. So with that being said, the sky’s the limit when it comes to her backstory as a character in the film. Some have already played around with ideas like her having grown up with Sonic on his home world before he left, having somehow lived her entire life on Earth as well, or even coming with Metal Sonic from the future. With nothing concrete to go off of, the filmmakers truly have all the creative freedom to tell us any kind of Amy Rose backstory they want!
Her Relationship to the Wachowski Family:
While Knuckles and Tails have been adopted into the Wachowski family as the brothers that make up Team Sonic, after the events of the third film, it seems like Shadow is on his own path apart from them for now. This has fans currently split on the kind of relationship Amy Rose should potentially have with the Wachowski family. Since Amy has also been part of Sonic’s Team as the primary female member in the games as well as in most of the shows, many have speculated that the Wachowskis will also adopt her as a sister to Sonic and his friends. Though alternatively, there are other fans who don’t see her taking on this sister role by living with the Wachowskis. Similar to Shadow, it feels more right for her to remain on her own somehow while also claiming her spot on Sonic’s Team. In light of speculations about Amy and Metal Sonic having come from another world, perhaps she will return to it once Metal Sonic has been defeated – happily returning to battle by Sonic’s side whenever they’re in need of her again.
“Reverse Sonamy”:
Such a topic, of course, ties into the relationship between Sonic and Amy which has remained infamous amongst the fanbase with the help of its impressive evolution since her character’s introduction. In earlier Sonic the Hedgehog media, despite her astounding fighting abilities, she was generally disliked by most in the fanbase as there was not much else that defined Amy outside of her intense crush on Sonic – spending most of her time chasing after and thinking about him much to his annoyance. However, more recent Sonic media has shown her gradual development into a well-rounded female character.
Naturally, with this change in her reputation came a change in her relationship to Sonic. Known nowadays for her admirable roles as a leader, ruthless defender of her friends, and more independent fighter, she has evolved into Sonic’s equal with agendas that compliment the good he tries to do. Becoming someone that Sonic more sincerely cares about and admires opened up more doors for him to show some more affection towards her – which she now replies to with a mutual level of appreciation instead of the obsessive infatuation she’s shown in previous years. All of which make up a strong friendship with some teasing here and there.
The culmination of cute interactions between them in the midst of this trajectory has brought forth a better appreciation for the ship amongst the fans. So it comes as no surprise that much of the fanbase have already come up with ideas for what their dynamic could look like in the fourth movie. Most people have been showing their support for a “reverse Sonamy”, where Sonic is the one fumbling in his attempts to pursue Amy to which she expresses some level of appreciation while remaining more focused on the mission. There are also many others who want a mutual expression of their feelings where they both act rather shy towards each other and possibly even get together in the end. Albeit, the latter might not happen as SEGA has pushed back against Sonic being in an official relationship across all media for the sake of preserving his reputation as a symbol for freedom in life. Still, there are those who believe that this film might become an exception to this rule. Finally, there are also fans who want nothing more than just a proper adaptation of their fantastic and endearing friendship. Hilariously, either way, it seems the one scenario that everyone does agree should happen is Sonic’s family embarrassing the heck out of him by teasing that Amy is his girlfriend.
According to an interview with Pat Casey and Josh Miller, introducing Amy Rose as the first girl that Sonic takes on as a potential teammate will mark yet another milestone in his journey of growing up – much like any other young boy. With this, it seems that the potential romance in their relationship is likely to be touched upon in some capacity regardless of what happens between them – which I personally find super exciting! Of course, this seems inevitable given all the ways their relationship has played out across so much Sonic media and how much prominence this topic has held within the fanbase over the years since Amy Rose’s creation.
Doing Her Character Justice:
Above anything else, by far the most important topic discussed amongst Amy Rose enthusiasts is the need to do her character justice when adapting her into the film. This concern comes as a result of her character’s history combined with the poor female representation we’ve gotten in much of movies and T.V. We’ve seen the Damsel in Distress trope where women rely on a man to save them instead of figuring out how to do things on their own. In contrast, we’ve also seen the Strong Independent Woman trope where women embody nothing more than toxic masculinity by acting overbearingly tougher than the men in an effort to prove that they’re equal in power.
Given where Amy Rose’s reputation began and where it is now, adapting her into the films could be a slippery slope. That is, there’s room to incorrectly interpret the overall role she’s played in the Sonic universe across pre-existing media in a way that could make her character in the film feel reminiscent of either trope. To the general audience, despite her progression, her strengths are not acknowledged properly and having a sweet demeanor paired with potential as Sonic’s love interest is still her predominantly defining trait. As such, while she is clearly able to fend for herself in the after credits scene, she might still be viewed from this perspective to the audience if they place too much focus on those aspects of her. In the midst of this effort, it would be problematic to downplay her skills or her role in the movie and make her rely on Sonic’s to get out of situations more than she should. Luckily, this is the option less likely to happen as we do not see much of that dynamic anymore in recent Sonic media. However, it could also lead to the exact opposite issue occurring – completely neglecting the softer side of her personality. That is, it would also be a major issue if they relied on exaggerating the ease and caliber of her fighting abilities as well as giving her a solely overconfident and domineering demeanor in order to define her as a strong female character.
Placing her under either of these categories would do a significant disservice to Amy Rose as it would completely neglect the true depth of her character that many fans have come to love. Taking a proper look at the source material reveals that striking the right balance between the two would be the way to do her character justice. At best, Amy Rose is known to fans as the most caring and compassionate member of the team whom everyone treats as an equal. She is an unabashed romantic at heart and is not afraid to be vulnerable. She is also whimsical, passionate, and super supportive – but quite explosive under the right circumstances. She is an animal lover with girly hobbies like baking, shopping, having tea parties, and performing tarot card readings. As the heart of the group, she has an innate ability to bring people together – especially her friends to whom she is often enthusiastic about and values very strongly. Best of all, she is committed to taking a closer look to see the good in everyone – even some of the villains.
As a fighter, her strengths are also rooted in this immense care she has for her friends and the well-being of others. While she loves the thrill of adventuring and kicking butt as much as her friends do, when those she cares about get hurt, she fights with a passionate ferocity that’s equal in power to all the love she holds in her heart. She is also self sufficient, smart, and an organized leader for those who rely on her to protect them during times of need. Her skills are a result of the hard work she puts in to become a better teammate for her friends and protector for others – which goes admired and appreciated by the ones who support her. She takes the help of her friends when she falters and does the same for them as she is equally appreciative of their strengths and how dependable they are as teammates. Finally, while she has faced hard times and difficulties during battle, she finds ways to remain resilient so that she can push through and instill hope within others.
There is a unique combination of qualities that make Amy Rose an authentically strong and significant female character to the Sonic franchise. Shortly after celebrating her appearance in the after credits scene, there were those who feared much of this complexity would get lost in translation when adapting her into the film. However, Sonic writers Casey and Miller have confirmed that they fully recognize her as one of the most beloved female characters in the franchise. In fact, they admitted that this was the reason they left her out of the third movie. They wanted to do her character some real justice by creating big plans for her in the fourth film and making sure she’s a truly cool character who’s more than just ‘the girl’. This information has come as a relief and sounds pretty promising. Hopefully, her film version lives up to the best we’ve already seen from Amy Rose.
Her Voice Actress:
For the most part, the voice acting for the films’ Sonic characters sound drastically different from their video game counterparts – with the exception of Tails being voiced by his original voice actress. Yet, they are also fitting for the world of the film and capture the heart of who these characters are. As such, given how popular of a character Amy has become in recent years, it’s only natural that fans would want Amy’s voice actress to deliver the same effect. Many have already picked a variety of potential candidates that they believe would bring her strong willed, yet girlishly sweet and kind personality to life.
Going the route of casting a bigger celebrity the way they did Knuckles and Shadow, we’ve have gotten ideas for actresses who have played more iconic female characters in recent animated movies. This includes Anna Kendrick, Kristen Bell, and Hailee Steinfeld – all of whom have voiced adventurous and kindhearted animated women. However, going the route of Sonic himself, the fanbase has also thought about casting voice actresses who have played adventurous female characters in smaller scale animated content such as Allison Brie and Kimiko Glenn. There are even those who would like for them to follow the Tails formula by casting some of her original voice actresses from Sonic T.V. shows, mainly Cindy Robinson from Sonic Boom or Shannon Chan-Kent from Sonic Prime, to play her in the film. While I do like this third option, my personal choices come down to Kimiko Glenn or Chloe Grace-Moretz. Both possess voice acting talents that can make her sound realistic for the movie while delivering the essence of her personality properly.
Conclusion:
The amount of love Amy Rose has been getting from the fanbase so far is nothing short of impressive as we’ve gotten all this speculation just within the first month of Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s release. It truly goes to show how far she’s come as a character within the franchise. With proper development and care for how she’s written, she has made so much Sonic media so great and now holds the potential to add to the quality of the films as well. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out when Sonic the Hedgehog 4 officially releases on March 19th, 2027! While we wait those 2 years, it seems there’s only one thing to say for Amy Rose fans: it’s finally our time.
