Dr. Robotnik

"This time I'll take your lives as well as the Chaos Emeralds!"

Article by: Alex Stuart (Linearity)
Pictured from: Sonic Adventure
Created by: Sega
First appearance: 1991

Bio

Dr. Ivo Robotnik, known in Japan as Dr. Eggman, is the recurring antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games. He is a mad scientist with a talent for robotics, and his malevolent ambitions classically involve turning Sonic's animal friends into robots. Sonic's decisions to stop him prompt the games' adventures.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, his operations expand to include his familiar quest for dominion of the world. He takes control of cities and industrial facilities and, again, captures animals for robotic slaves to build a doomsday machine called the Death Egg, which reappears several times later in the series. It is also in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 that he first seeks the Chaos Emeralds: seven large gems of extraordinary power that are, together, a signature of the Sonic series. The race to keep the Emeralds' power from the Doctor's hands takes center stage in Sonic's adventures hereafter.

Dr. Robotnik's character and story are expanded upon piecemeal in later games. In Sonic Adventure 2, he is noted as having an I.Q. of 300. This game reveals that his grandfather, Prof. Gerald Robotnik, was a brilliant scientist like him and designed the space colony "ARK." In addition, Gerald Robotnik was involved in the development of Shadow the Hedgehog, the so-called ultimate life form. His granddaughter, Maria Robotnik, is also noted as Dr. Robotnik's cousin. In Sonic Heroes, he is described as "a romanticist, a feminist, and a self-proclaimed gentleman" but also as possessing a mania that often obscures this side of his nature.

Dr. Robotnik is the boss of most levels in the Sonic series. His position as Sonic's evil contender is defined by his megalomaniac programs of world disaster and his undiluted delirium.

Selected game appearances

Genesis

• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
• Sonic & Knuckles (1994)
• Sonic 3D Blast (1996)

Master System

• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)

Game Gear

• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
• Sonic Chaos (1993)
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (1994)

Sega CD

• Sonic CD (1993)

Pico

• Tails and the Music Maker (1994)

32X

• Knuckles' Chaotix (1995)

Sega Saturn

• Sonic 3D Blast (1996)

Dreamcast

• Sonic Adventure (1998)
• Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)

Game Boy Advance

• Sonic Advance (2001)

GameCube

• Sonic Heroes (2003)

Nintendo DS

• Sonic Rush (2005)

Xbox 360

• Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Wii

• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010)
• Sonic Colors (2010)

References

• Sonic the Hedgehog instruction manual
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 instruction manual
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 instruction manual
• Sonic Adventure 2 instruction manual
• Sonic Heroes instruction manual
• Wikipedia - "Doctor Eggman"
• The Green Hill Zone