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The Buzz Bomber (ビートン,Bīton?, lit. "Beeton") is a recurring enemy in Sonic the Hedgehog series. Buzz Bombers are a bee-type Badnik models created by Dr. Eggman and made first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) as one of the most common enemies in the game. Buzz Bombers are able to hover in the air with its small but effective wings and can shoot rail detonator blasts at its target.
Buzz Bombers also have several upgraded models based on them. After the Buzz Bombers' first appearance, they or other similar bee-type badniks (such as Buzzer) have become one of the most common enemies in the series.
The Buzz Bomber resembles a mechanical mud dauber with a blue and black metal coloring. The stinger at the tip of its stripy colored tail is a rail detonator cannon, its primary weapon. Two mechanical devices resembling pale wings give it the ability to hover. Two engines are installed at the bottom of the badnik, allowing it to travel at very high speeds.
In Sonic Generations, newer models are more detailed, having now four pink wings, and a giant purple version. Since Sonic Lost World, Buzz Bombers have retained their softer appearance from earlier game appearances.
Powers and abilities
Buzz Bombers glide across the landscapes of their territory, waiting for enemies to show themselves. When a Buzz Bomber targets an enemy, it will halt in mid-air, retract its stinger, and fire a rail detonator blast, which appears as a concentrated orb of laser energy, at the target. However, their halting programming is their weakness, as they leave themselves open to attacks.
Buzz Bombers first appeared in the original 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, as these badniks were the most common enemies in the game, as these badniks are featured specifically in Green Hill Zone, Marble Zone and Spring Yard Zone. In original 16-bit version, Buzz Bombers fly in single or in a group from the side of the screen, firing a single rail detonator blast and then flies away. The player has to avoid projectiles and use the Spin Jump to defeat them as the timing is right.
In 8-bit version of the game with same name, Buzz Bombers have the same attack pattern and are featured in Green Hill Zone and Bridge Zone. Like many other badniks in the Game Gear and Master System titles, Buzz Bombers don't have Animals inside as an organic battery.
Sonic Chaos
Buzz Bombers reappeared in Sonic Chaos, although they are redesigned with plain stingers replacing their usual rail detonator projectiles. These variations appear in Turquoise Hill Zone, Gigalopolis Zone and Electric Egg Zone. They fly around in the first two zones, but are stationary in the latter zone.
In the game's English manual for the Game Gear, these enemies are simply called "bugs",[3] but the Japanese version identifies them as Beeton,[4] which is also the name used for Buzz Bombers in Japan. A Sonic the Comic issue which covered Sonic Chaos simply refers to these enemies as Buzzes,[5] presumeably due to their lack of bombing capabilities.
Sonic Spinball
The Buzz Bomber[6] from Sonic Spinball, also known "Wasp"[1] in the Game Gear version and "Waspin"[2] in the Master System version, closely resembles the Buzz-Bomber from the Sonic the Hedgehog animated series. These enemies hover around and block pathways in The Showdown. It can be destroyed with one hit and, in the 8-bit versions of the game, destroying one of them rewards the player with 80,000 points.
Buzz Bombers made an appearance in the bonus stage Green Hill in Sonic Adventure 2, as these badniks mostly act like in its first appearance. Appearance of Buzz Bomber is almost the same but more cubic.
The Buzz Bomber appears less commonly and only flies toward the player. There also exist giant ones at Knuckles' race challenge, which are similar to the regular ones, but can propel the character high in the air if struck by a Spin Attack at a certain height.
Sonic Jump
Yellow variations of Buzz Bombers appeared at Green Hill Zone in 2012 remake of Sonic Jump. It acts normally like it did like in Sonic Generations which shoots energy projectiles from its stinger. It can be easily destroyed by jumping under of it.
In both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of Sonic Lost World, only blue Buzz Bombers appeared, which in this game were given a more comical design reminiscent of their appearance in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. In gameplay, the Buzz Bombers appear in multiple Zones where they either just fly around or float stationary in one place from where they shoot lasers at the player when they spot Sonic. Like in earlier games, the Buzz Bombers release Animals when defeated. Sometimes, the Buzz Bombers also appears in chains with Spinners which the player can use to traverse the Zone.
During the game, the Badniks, Buzz Bombers included, got hijacked by the Deadly Six when they turned against Eggman and used to attack him under the Deadly Six's orders. When that happened, a few of them got destroyed by Sonic, while one Buzz Bomber managed to injure Tails, which made Sonic retreat with Tails.
Sonic Runners
In Sonic Runners, Buzz Bomber are some of the more common Badniks in the flying type characters' stages. In this game, they do not fire projectiles and instead either fly around back and forth separately or in groups, though some of them also fly stationary in midair
Buzz Bombers in Sonic Runners come in three types. Aside from the regular types, there are golden Buzz Bombers which give 300 extra points each when destroyed, and black ones called Super Buzz Bombers which only Color Powers and power type characters can destroy. Any type of Buzz Bomber contain Animals inside them.
Sonic Mania
Buzz Bombers are scheduled to make an appearance in Sonic Mania.
Sonic Forces
Buzz Bombers are scheduled to make an appearance in Sonic Forces.
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Buzz Bombers are a part of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army. Depending on the artist, the Buzz Bomber's design was altered in different issues. They are among the first generation of Badniks Robotnik produced and have threatened the people of Mobius since their creation.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Buzz Bombers, here called Buzzbombers, were among the first generation of badniks produced by Dr. Robotnik. Early on, their design resembled that of their counterparts from the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, though they would come to resemble their game counterparts. Over time though, the Buzzbombers were rendered obsolete by more advanced robots and got decommissioned.
Following the events of Worlds Collide, the Buzzbombers' history became nearly identical to that of their game counterparts.
In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series, the Buzz Bombers are red and green with no engines, eye eyes, and drills for noses. They would occasionally come after Sonic and Tails, but would prove no match for the hedgehog.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog, the Buzz-Bombers, here spelled Buzz-Bombers, possessed a more sinister design, although they retained their wings, rockets, and laser stingers. They only appeared in "Heads or Tails", where Dr. Robotnik deployed them twice, first to coax out Sonic and later to deploy a chemical weapon against the Great Forest. Both times though, they were stopped by Sonic and the Freedom Fighters.
In the Sonic Boom televisions series, the Buzz Bombers, here called Bee Bots, are a mass-produced robot model created by Dr. Eggman. They serve both as Eggman's sentries and foot soldiers which the doctor uses for his frequent attacks on Team Sonic and Seaside Island. While fast and agile, they are not very powerful and are easily destroyed in intense combat.
Merchandise
The toy company TOMY has released Buzz Bomber action figurine during the release of Sonic & Knuckles as it also includes a series of 21 Sonic figurines and these figurines came in packs of four under the Sonic & Knuckles label and were also released individually under a Sonic the Hedgehog label.
Trivia
The Buzz Bomber's names might have been based on a game for the Intellivision called "Buzz Bombers", which is also the name of a minigame for Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors.
Buzz Bombers in Sonic Generations are simply recolors of the Buzzer that do not fire at Sonic. Before Sonic Generations this Buzzer model was used in Sonic Colors.
The Corn Hornets which appear in Treetop Terrace, a chapter in Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, bear a slight resemblance to the Buzz Bombers.
References
↑ 1.01.1Sonic Spinball Game Gear instruction manual page 12.
↑ 2.02.1Sonic Spinball Master System instruction manual (fold-up).
