Air Bubble
Sonic inhaling an Air Bubble
First appearance	Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Other appearances	Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) Sonic CD Sonic Chaos Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sonic & Knuckles Sonic Triple Trouble Sonic Adventure Sonic Pocket Adventure Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic Advance Sonic Advance 2 Sonic Advance 3 Sonic Rush Sonic Rush Adventure Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Sonic Colors Sonic Generations
User(s)	Sonic the Hedgehog Miles "Tails" Prower Knuckles the Echidna Big the Cat Shadow the Hedgehog Rouge the Bat Blaze the Cat
Purpose	Giving oxygen whilst underwater
Description	A bubble of air

Air Bubbles are large bubbles of air that allow Sonic to breathe while underwater. First appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog, they appear in every water-based level in every Sonic game. Without using air bubbles underwater, Sonic will eventually drown. It is possible to run through the level at full speed and avoid using them, but this is difficult unless in Sonic Rush or Sonic Rush Adventure, when the player can use Sonic/Blaze Boost. For this reason, air bubbles are usually necessary for Sonic's survival underwater.

DescriptionEdit

Air bubbles are usually found on the ground in various water-themed levels, however the bubbles are too small for the player to inhale so the player has to wait for a large enough air bubble to inhale. In Carnival Night Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, air bubbles can also found by popping balloons whilst underwater. In Sonic Chaos and Sonic Triple Trouble, there are larger air bubbles that can surround the player, making them float slowly to the surface. Whilst in the bubble, the player is impervious to drowning and can move left and right as well as changing the speed of ascent by pressing up or down. The bubble can be popped by jumping out of it, hitting a hazard and, in Sonic Chaos only, colliding with a wall.

CountdownEdit

If the player does not get an air bubble within 18 seconds, a Countdown sequence will be played. The song played during this sequence is one of the most famous songs in the series.

Appearances in Other MediaEdit

Adventures of Sonic the HedgehogEdit

In the episode "Robotnik Jr." when Robotnik and his son drop him in the sewer, Sonic inhales air bubbles so he can breathe.

Sonic XEdit

An air bubble appears in the episode "The Light in the Darkness" which help Sonic and Amy out of Final Nova.

TriviaEdit

• In most 3D Sonic games, air bubbles do not appear. Instead, most of the time, Sonic drowns instantly or loses his Rings when falling in water. He can, however, run across the water at a certain speed and the right angles.
• Early on, the countdown sequence had a zero at the end. This was later scrapped (possibly in Sonic Adventure).