- "Nack the Weasel" redirects here. For other uses of the term, see Nack the Weasel (disambiguation).
Fang the Sniper (ファング・ザ・スナイパー Fangu za Sunaipā?), also called Nack the Weasel, is a fictional character in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic wolf weasel and a treasure hunter from another dimension who tries to get his hands on the Chaos Emeralds for monetary purposes.[3] However, he is not fast like Sonic and Knuckles, and is rather clumsy. Fang uses a Popgun as his primary weapon and the Marvelous Queen airbike as his main transportation.
Concept and creation
Fang the Sniper was designed by TOUMA, who worked in Sega during between 1994-2002 and later became known as popular free lance figure artist in Japan.[2] According to the interview of Artoyz.com, Touma got interest of the Sega's blue mascot after studying for designing in Art school. After Sega hired him, Touma has worked in many departments, including at Sonic Team. Fang the Sniper was his first professional character he has designed.[2]
One of the screenshots from earlier development of Sonic Triple Trouble.
During development of his debut title, Fang had what appeared to be a revolver or silver magnum as a weapon, but Sega eventually scrapped for unknown reasons. Early screenshots of Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble featured Fang pulling out his gun to hold up or shoot Sonic, but this was entirely removed from the final game. In Sonic the Fighters, his signature weapon is instead a Popgun.
The character was originally revealed to the public as Jet,[4] but it is unknown if this was a name used during development or an early localization attempt. His finalized name was "Fang the Sniper" (which was used in the Japanese version of his debut appearance), but this was briefly changed in the English release to "Nack the Weasel". This name was also used in the comic books he appears in, but all games released after Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble have called him "Fang" regardless of region. The wanted poster of Fang seen in Sonic Generations reads: "Nack The Weasel A.K.A Fang The Sniper".
Accuracy of the character's species
In the character's bio featured in the Japanese instruction manual for Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, Fang's species is not mentioned.[5] When Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble got localized, they renamed the character "Nack the Weasel". The former official Sonic Central website would later also describe the character as a wolf weasel hybrid.[3]
While the Japanese information for the species statement remains unclear, the former Japanese fan website Sonic Dimension also lists Fang's species as wolf-jerboa/Dipodidae (half) (オオカビトビネズミ（ハーフ）?). A jerboa is a small hopping desert rodent that shares lot of elements with the character (long ears, unique tail shape and ability to hop around).[6] The character designer Touma stated on Twitter that he designed Fang with a jerboa motif in his mind, while mentioning the character then being introduced as weasel abroad.[7]
Appearance
Fang is a purple and white weasel. He wears a big brown stetson hat, brown boots with white gaiters, brown gloves with metal plates on them and a brown belt with a gold buckle. In Sonic the Fighters a holster was added to his belt. The reason that he is known as "Fang" is because his left maxillary canine is much larger than the other, another trademark of his. He has long ears, long feet and a long, thick, purple tail that he uses to lay back on, for bouncing on and attacking his foes.
Game appearances
Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
Fang, referred to as Nack the Weasel, makes his first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, as he is one of three antagonists opposing Sonic and Tails in the race for the Chaos Emeralds (together with Knuckles the Echidna and Dr. Robotnik). Contrary to Knuckles, however, who is simply misguided by Robotnik into fighting Sonic, Nack is purely motivated by his greed, as he seeks to steal the Chaos Emeralds for himself, but he never knew the true power of them. At the end of each Special Stage, Sonic (or Tails) must fight Nack for control over the Chaos Emeralds.
Nack always fought Sonic on his airbike throughout the Special Stages (except the first), often attaching some sort of device such as a drill or spring to his motorcycle, much like Robotnik's Eggman Mobile. Nack's weapons were often used against him by Sonic.
Sonic Drift 2
In Sonic Drift 2, Fang the Sniper is one of the seven playable racers in the game. He drives his "Marvelous Queen", and while Fang has good acceleration, he has poor handling. He has the ability to toss oil balls that cause whoever hits them to slip out of control.
Sonic the Fighters
Sonic and Fang at Casino Night in Sonic the Fighters.
Fang's last major appearance and only 3D appearance to date is in Sonic the Fighters, where he attacks quickly and fiercely with his Popgun and tail. He is the sixth opponent in the "story mode" and his arena is Casino Night, a casino area that appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Other game appearances
After Sonic the Fighters, Fang has not made major appearance in the series since, although Fang has made different, small cameo appearances, such as at Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Mega Collection Plus in Archie Comics covers, got mentioned by Sonic in the DVD-ROM flash comic which was sold to promote Sonic and the Secret Rings, and he made a cameo in Sonic and the Black Knight on one piece of fan art that made it into the game, which features him on the Marvelous Queen racing alongside Sonic and Knuckles.
Tails Adventure
in Tails Adventure, Fang makes a cameo appearance as an item called Fang. This item can be found at Polly Mountain 2. When equipped, it increases the chances that a destroyed enemy drops Rings.
Sonic Generations
The cameo of Fang in Sonic Generations.
Fang the Sniper makes a cameo appearance at the incarnation of City Escape in Sonic Generations, as he appears on a wanted poster for theft and extortion. Both his original Japanese and western names are mentioned in his poster.
Sonic Mania
Fang makes a cameo appearance in Sonic Mania. Right before the start of Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2, he, Bark the Polar Bear or Bean the Dynamite (depending on the random pattern) is seen standing on a Badnik while firing his Popgun to take down the Tornado. Much like in Sonic Generations, he also appears on a wanted poster around the Zone.
Fang also appears during the boss battle of Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2, where he is revealed to be one of the illusions created by the Heavy Magician. During the battle, Fang bounces around with his tail while shooting corks from his popgun. Hitting him will make the Heavy Magician reveal herself.
Personality
Fang is a mischievous treasure hunter who tries hard to be sneaky and cunning, although his overconfidence and overall naiveté proves to be his biggest flaw.[5] In the English Sonic Triple Trouble manual, he is said to desire the Chaos Emeralds not because he knows of their true power, but because he believes they will fetch a hefty price on the market.[8] Fang appears to be a coward, as he often runs away when his plans go wrong or when he's frightened.
While Fang had no dialogue, he showed himself to be a comedic and egotistical bad-guy who sews his own defeat in Sonic Triple Trouble. This is shown by his trap backfiring and lighting himself on fire in his first encounter and getting shot by his own heat-seeking missile while gloating in his fourth battle against Sonic. Fang was fairly clumsy, often tripping when running away after a defeat. His poster in Sonic Generations suggests that he may be a loose criminal wanted for theft and extortion.
Powers and abilities
Fang seems to be generally lacking in abilities, he often uses his wits and gadgets instead of brawn. He's fairly skilled at piloting his airbike, the Marvelous Queen, and the various gadgets attached to it, such as springs, an irate missile and a drill.
Fang's main weapon is his Popgun, a popgun that fires corks, as opposed to conventional bullets. His title, Sniper, suggests that he's able to use his Popgun with great accuracy.
Despite being overall lacking in any real abilities, Fang's tail is rather strong and dexterous. Fang is often seen laying back on it while relaxing, Fang can also use his tail as a spring to reach great heights, in Sonic the Fighters, Fang uses his tail as part of a powerful attack as well as a third leg of sorts when kicking opponents with both of his legs.
In other media
Sonic the Comic
In Sonic the Comic, Nack used to be a member of the Chaotix Crew, but betrayed them and sold them to the Brotherhood of Metallix for money. He reappeared sporadically throughout the comic, working solely for financial gain either through mercenary work or robbing banks/ancient treasures, and he battled the Chaotix twice. He was later instrumental in shrinking various characters (including himself and Sonic the Hedgehog) to sub-molecular size, initiating a string of adventures on the sub-molecular world of Shanazar.
Archie Comics
Nack in the Archie Comics.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog and its spin-off comic series published by Archie Comics, Nack was a rare wolf-weasel Mobian hybrid and a mercenary of much renown, tracking down both treasure and individuals. In particular he had captured or overcome Sonic the Hedgehog numerous times. Nack usually preferred to work alone for the sake of speed, efficiency and so he does not have to share the reward. He worked on odd occasions with his twin-sister Nic the Weasel, but his rivalry with her is legendary.
For a brief time he worked for the Destructix, but that did not serve his interests. His most disastrous team-up was with Karl, Jeff, and Konor. They plotted to kidnap Princess Sally, but things fell apart, and the lackeys were arrested. Nack was captured later, only to find his gang bulked up and very displeased about being left behind. When the opportunity, Nack snuck out of prison - but not before fatally poisoning the gang's food. His last job featured Bean and Bark in his employ as Team Hooligan, but ended in disaster.
Following the events of Worlds Collide, Nack has become virtually identical to his game counterpart, though he remained a part of the Team Hooligan with Bean and Bark, operating as a mercenary in Dr. Eggman's employ.
Relationships
Enemies
Theme songs
- Sonic Triple Trouble: Nack's Theme, played whenever he appears in Sonic Triple Trouble.
- Sonic the Fighters: Casino Night - Here We Go.
Trivia
- According to the Japanese manual of Sonic & Tails 2, it is said that Fang resides in the mysterious Special Stage, which is described as another dimension.[5]
- Fang the Sniper is one of the few characters (such as Mephiles the Dark and Bean the Dynamite) to have a title that does not refer to his species. The Sniper references his penchant for using guns.
- Fang appeared as a collectible toy in Sega's 1999 adventure game Shenmue for Dreamcast and its sequel Shenmue II released in 2001. In the game, the player can collect toy versions of several Sega characters which includes Fang from Sonic the Fighters.
- In most media, unlike most other characters, Fang has four fingers instead of five, even in Japanese promotional artwork. The reason for this is not known.
- Additionally, his alternate title-"Nack the Weasel"-was thought of by Sega of America localization team, as his name is a reference to firearms. Why "Fang" was changed to "Nack" is unknown, but it might be because fangs and other sharp objects tend to have negative connotations.
- In character select of Sonic the Fighters, Fang's gloves are miscolored white instead of brown in his icon.
Fang the Sniper as he is supposed to appear in Sonic X-treme.
- Originally Fang was supposed to appear as boss in Sonic X-treme. In several magazine screenshots Fang is shown to be unusually giant, similarly to Metal Sonic in the game. The boss battle was meant to happen in a free roaming field.[9] These boss battles were programmed by Chris Coffin, based on the engine of Sonic Team's game NiGHTS.[10] Because the game was canceled, Fang never made an appearance in the game.
- Fang was left out of Sonic Tweet for unknown reasons.
- Fang was a prominent figure in the classic era as he had the most appearances of any side character from that era in Sonic.
- According to an interview on Sonic Central, Sonic does not know the whereabouts of Fang, Bark the Polar Bear, Ray the Flying Squirrel, Bean the Dynamite, Chaos, or Tikal.[11]
References
- ↑ Playing as Tails and Knuckles in Sonic Mania - Kinda Funny Plays. YouTube (26 October 2016). Retrieved on 26 October 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mise au point avec Touma. Artoyz.com (25 July 2007). Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved on 6 September 2017. "Bonfil: Quel a été le premier personnage que tu as dessiné ? TOUMA: Mon premier personnage à Sega, c’était Fang the Sniper, un membre de la Sonic Family. Mon premier personnage en tant qu’artiste indépendant était Kaeeru Rider Series."
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sega of America . Fang. Sonic Characters. Sega of America. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved on 26 October 2017. "This slick wolf weasel has only one thing on his mind: Chaos Emeralds. He doesn't want to rule the world or anything like that, but he knows the prized glittering jewels will bring a hefty price from the right bidder. This makes him quite a menace for Sonic who must keep the Emeralds from falling into the wrong hands...or else."
- ↑ "Strangely Sonic". Mean Machines Sega. June 1994http://sost.emulationzone.org/sonic_tt/scans/mmsjune201994.jpg.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 South Island Stories - Sonic & Tails 2 - Fang Character profile
- ↑ Mistaken Identity: Fang and Bean Are Not What You Think They Are. The Sonic Stadium. Retrieved on 22 August 2017.
- ↑ TOUMA on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (23 August 2017). Retrieved on 6 September 2017. "TOUMA: 私はトビネズミをモチーフにデザインしました。ですが、海外ではイタチと紹介されていたと思います。"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble (Sega Game Gear) North American instruction manual, pg. 2.
- ↑ Secrets of Sonic Team - The Nack The Weasel Boss stage. Retrieved on 26 March 2015.
- ↑ Secrets of Sonic Team - What is Sonic X-Treme?. Retrieved on 26 March 2015.
- ↑ Sega of America (March 2007). Sonic Central. Sega of America. "Stephen F. (a.k.a Sonic's number 1 fan.): Will Ray the Flying Squirrel, Bean the Duck, Chaos, Nack, Tikal, and Bark reappear? P.S: COOL SITE!!! / Sonic: Actually, I don't know exactly where they are…but we do have some old faces from the past that will be with me in Sonic Heroes…make sure to check 'em out!"
| Playable characters | Sonic · Tails · Knuckles · Amy · Eggman · Metal Sonic · Fang | |
| Courses | Purple GP | Emerald Hill 1 · Hill Top 1 · Dark Valley 1 · Casino Night · Desert Road 1 · Iron Ruin |
| White GP | Desert Road 2 · Rainy Savanna · Ice Cap · Hill Top 2 · Mystic Cave · Emerald Hill 2 | |
| Blue GP | Dark Valley 2 · Quake Cave · Balloon Panic · Emerald Ocean · Milky Way · Death Egg | |
| Enemies | Mecha Vulture · Moto Bug | |
| Vehicles | Blue Devil · Breeze · Cyclone · Egg Typhoon · Marvelous Queen · Tempest · Whirlwind S7 | |
| Gimmicks and obstacles | Balloon · Bumper · Goal Plate · Heart Attack · Jump Panel · Meteorite · Mine · Spring · Triangle Bumper | |
| Items | Flash · Item Box (Dash, Invincible, Jump, Mine) · Reverse · Ring | |
| Other | Chaos Emerald · Chaos GP · Death Egg | |
| Playable characters | Sonic (Super Sonic) | Tails | Knuckles | Amy | Espio | Bark | Bean | Fang | Dr. Robotnik* | Metal Sonic* | Honey* | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-playable characters | Mecha Sonic Model No.29 | RoboEgg | |
| Arenas | South Island | Flying Carpet | Aurora Icefield | Mushroom Hill | Canyon Cruise | Casino Night | Dynamite Plant | Giant Wing | Death Egg's Eye | Death Egg's Hangar | |
| Moves/Techniques | 16t | Aerial Bomb | Air Espio Spin | Air Hammer | Air Kick | Air Punch | Air Spin | Air Snipe | Airplane Drop | Airplane Throw | Back Hammer | Back High Kick | Back Low Punch | Back Punch | Backhand Chop | Bark Elbow | Bark Elbow Combo | Bark Punch | Bark Strike | Bark Uppercut | Barrier Walk | Beak Dive | Beak Rush | Beak Shot | Beak Slip | Bean Warp | Biff-Baff | Blind Fire | Blind Fire Dash | Body Dive | Bomb Shoot | Bomb Toss | Bonk Kick | Cannon Barrage | Crush Punch | Crush and Wham! | Dash Peck | Dash Spin | Dash Tongue | Dizzy Spin | Double Beak Slip | Dodge Beak | Dodge Beak Dive | Dodge Body Dive | Dodge Bonk Kick | Dodge Dive | Dodge Hammer | Dodge High Kick | Dodge Lunge | Dodge Punch | Dodge Snipe | Dodge Spin | Dodge Spin Dive | Dodge Tongue | Double Beak | Double Beak Slip | Double Cork | Double Feint | Double Hammer | Double Jump Kick | Double Kick | Double Punch | Double Scissor | Double Side Kick | Double Slap | Double Tail Kick | Double Tail Whap | Double Upperslap | Drop Kick | Dual Hyper Upper | Emerald Dive | Espio Chop | Espio Spin | Espio Warp | Fierce Attack | Fire 'Em Up! | Fist Drop | Foot Crush | Giant Swing | Girly Punch | Guard & Attack | Hammer Attack | Hammer Dive | Hammer Spin | Hammer Throw | Hammer Uppercut | Headbutt | Head's Up! | Head Slide | Head Spin | Head Throw | High Kick | Hip Attack | Hip Dive | Holding Punch | Hop Hammer | Hop Kick | Hop Punch | Horse Kick | Hyper Uppercut | Jab | Jab-Reversal | Jab, Straight | Kick | Knuckles Glider | Knuckle Special | Leg Throw | Low Hook | Low Punch | Long-Tongue | Magical Hammer | One-Two Punch | One-Two Reversal | One-Two Throw | One-Two Uppercut | One-Two Wham! | Propeller Dash | Propeller Dash-F | Propeller Dash-L | Propeller Dash-R | Pummel Combo | Pummel Punch | Punch | Punch-Kick | Punch Rush | Punch-Spin | Push Away | Rapid Peck | Rapid Shoot | Rapid Straight | Rising Uppercut | Rocket Missile | Roundhouse Kick | Rush Spin | Scissor Punch | Shadow Followup | Shadow Punch | Skip Kick | Side Kick | Sit Punch | Slap Attack | Slap Kick | Slip-Around | Smackback Kick | Sniper Set! Snipe 1,2,3,4 | Spin Attack | Spin Dive | Spin Double Kick | Spin Hammer | Spin Kick | Spin Punch Bomb Throw Combo | Spin Rocket | Spiral Feint | Spiral Spin | Spinning Uppercut Bomb Throw Combo | Stomp | Stomp Dive | Strike | Submarine Sniper | Super Cork | Super Rush | Swing Uppercut | Tabletop Flip | Tail Attack | Tail Combo | Tail Down Attack | Tail Kick | Tail Spring Kick | Tail Throw | Three-Bomb Toss | Tongue-Down | Tongue Punch | Tongue Throw | Tongue Throw + | Toss & Attack | Triple Beak | Triple Cork | Triple Hammer | Triple Kick | Triple Punch | Triple Scissor | Triple Side Kick | Triple Tail Kick | Turnaround | Twin Hammer Dive | Twin-Dodge Snipe | Twin Punch-Spin | Uppercut | Volley Toss | Wall Beak Dive | Wall Dive | Wall Hammer | Wall Spin | Wall Stamp | Wall Twin Hammer | Weapon Grab | Wheel Dash | Wheel Punch | Wimpy Punch | Windup Kick | Windup Punch | | |
| Music | Sonic the Fighters Sound Tracks | |
| Other | Chaos Emerald | Death Egg II | E-Mech | Health Gauge | Hyper Mode | Lunar Fox | Mirror fighter | Ring | South Island | Tails' Lab | Tornado | Sunset Town | |
| *Appears in the 2012 remaster only V·T·E | Category | ||
Template:Sonic Game Characters