The Most Selfless Characters, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Cream steps out of her comfort zone to help “Mr Sonic” and friends in dangerous adventures
• Big, despite his love for fishing, goes to extreme lengths to save his pal Froggy
• Mighty, the pacifist armadillo, uses his super strength to protect others from danger

Doctor Eggman may be known as a pretty selfish mastermind in the Sonic universe, but thankfully, there are plenty of characters that oppose him who possess selfless qualities and are willing to do what’s right and save others from his evil schemes. Sometimes, this can come at the expense of the characters themselves, who may be forced to put their own life on the line, or simply be forced to go out of their comfort zone to ensure someone gets the help they need.

No matter how they decide to go about it, being a character with selfless character traits is, usually, only ever a good thing, especially in the world of Sonic where new threats are always lingering on the horizon. These are the characters who have proven throughout the games that they ultimately care a lot more about the safety and well-being of others than themselves.

7 Cream

A Shy And Considerate Ally Who Steps Out Of Her Comfort Zone To Help Others

• First Appearance: Sonic Advance 2

Cream can come off as a pretty shy and isolated member of the main cast who would rather stay out of conflict if she can. However, when times get tough, she will still willingly join the fight, so long as it means keeping ‘Mr Sonic’ and her friends safe. In Sonic Heroes, for example, she decides to embark on a long and dangerous adventure with Amy and Big, not only to help them find Sonic and Froggy respectively, but also to seek out her Chao’s missing twin.

In the mobile game Sonic Dream Team, Cream again gets to showcase her selfless attitude as she pushes herself to prove her reliability in the group, even taking center stage at some points in an attempt to demonstrate her newfound bravery. Cream might seem quite passive on the surface, but her selfless personality encourages her to become a valuable ally to Sonic and the team.

6 Big

Big Is Willing To Put Himself In Danger If He Can Save His Pal Froggy

• First Appearance: Sonic Adventure

Big the Cat is a lovable gentle giant who can often be found fishing in the games he makes a cameo in. While he may love nothing more than relaxing by a fresh pool of fish though, Big cares a lot more about his pet Froggy than anything else in the world, willing to go to extreme lengths to find and protect him if he suspects something is wrong.

In Sonic Heroes, Big ventures through a rail canyon, a haunted mansion, and even one of Eggman’s ships just to reunite with his companion, caring little about his own safety in the process. Another small indication of his more selfless attitude is how he is more than willing to lend out fishing rods and bait to Sonic in Sonic Frontiers, rather than hogging the biggest catches for himself.

5 Mighty

A Pacifist Who Uses His Super Strength Only When Others Are In Danger

• First Appearance: SegaSonic the Hedgehog

Despite his name, Mighty isn’t some big and brash warrior who loves throwing his weight around. In contrast, this armadillo is actually more of a pacifist who can usually be found embracing nature, preferring to stay as far away from violence as possible. If he notices that innocent people, or animals, are under threat though, Mighty will still jump into action and use his sturdy defense and powerful attacks to save others from danger, even if he’d rather avoid throwing a punch altogether.

Though he has only made brief appearances throughout the series, Mighty has proven that when push comes to shove, he will willingly take on Eggman and any of his cronies if it’s to protect the weak from danger. As a result, he’s become a dependable ally of Sonic’s who fans can only hope will make more appearances throughout the series.

4 Knuckles

Rather Than Using The Master Emerald’s Power, Knuckles Protects It With His Life

• First Appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

When Knuckles makes his debut in Sonic 3, he is presented as an antagonist, but the reason for his stubbornness towards Sonic is explained pretty soon after. It turns out that Knuckles is the last surviving member of the Echidna clan, who dedicated their lives to protecting the Master Emerald, which is used to maintain a level of peace and stability in the world.

Rather than deciding to abuse its power for his own selfish gain, Knuckles protected the emerald with his life, despite watching over it on his own and being forced to accept the loss of his people. Even after the events of Sonic 3 though, Knuckles still demonstrates a caring attitude by how much he’s willing to support Sonic and Tails in any way he can, usually through punching anyone who stands in their way.

3 Chip

Chip Makes The Ultimate Sacrifice To Ensure Sonic Can Continue Saving The World

• First Appearance: Sonic Unleashed

Despite losing his memory at the beginning of Sonic Unleashed, Chip is mostly concerned with helping out Sonic, who has mysteriously been turning into a Werehog after dropping out of the sky. Though he can be a little irritating at times, especially with his chocolate obsession, Chip is ultimately a guiding light for Sonic who becomes increasingly dedicated to not only helping his new friend return back to normal but also saving the planet.

Chip’s selflessness shows itself at the very end of the game during the battle with Perfect Gaia when Sonic’s plucky companion decides to sacrifice himself, saving the entire planet and Sonic in the process. Though some might argue that this was always going to be Chips’ fate, the fact that he takes extra care to ensure Sonic isn’t caught up in the destruction shows how much he truly cared.

2 Maria

Despite Her Illness, Maria Is More Concerned About Shadow And His Safety

• First Appearance: Sonic Adventure 2

Maria, the daughter of Gerald Robotnik, suffers from a life-threatening illness which is briefly explained in Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic X Shadow Generations. Despite being a young girl reaching the end of her life though, Maria is constantly showing more concern about Shadow and is ultimately the only character in the franchise who truly manages to get through to him with her kind words of support.

This is quite ironic considering Shadow was essentially created as part of an experiment to be the ‘Ultimate life form’, manufactured out of Gerald’s hope to create a cure for his daughter. Right up until the tragic end of her life, Maria never expressed pity for herself or complained about her situation, choosing to dedicate the energy she still had left to those around her.

1 Tails

Tails Is Always Up For Sharing His Weird And Whacky Machines With Sonic To Help Him Out

• First Appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Considering how wicked-smart Tails is, he could easily use his manufactured weapons and machines to cause some real chaos and become an evil villain if he so desired. Unlucky for Eggman, who probably would have tried to team up with the naive fox, Tails is more concerned with creating new gizmos to help give Sonic a leg-up against a new batch of villains and is always there to support his best buddy whenever needed.

Throughout the series, there have been subtle implications that Tails may be secretly envious of Sonic and how capable he is of taking down world-ending threats. However, rather than lashing out in jealousy, Tails instead decides to prove his worth by assisting Sonic in his adventures and never hesitates to put himself in danger if it means getting one step closer to world peace.