Power Sneakers
The Power Sneakers are Sonic the Hedgehog's iconic footwear, and iconic attire entirely
First appearance	Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Other appearances	Most games starring Sonic the Hedgehog
User(s)	Sonic the Hedgehog
Purpose	Footwear
Description	Red sneakers with a white strap and gold buckle.

Power Sneakers (sometimes called Speed Shoes for the power-ups) are the distinctive footwear of Sonic the Hedgehog. They are mainly red, with a gold buckle and white strap and cuffs. They have pointed toes. The term may sometimes refer to certain item boxes available in early games of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, depicting the Power Sneakers on the screen, that temporarily increase Sonic's speed and jumping height.

Although Sonic is naturally fast, several continuities (such as Sonic the Comic and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog) established that the Power Sneakers were designed to reduce friction on his feet, thus allowing him to run at his full potential. This was expanded upon in the Game Gear game Sonic Labyrinth, where Dr. Robotnik replaced Sonic's Power Sneakers with Slow-Down Boots that drastically hindered Sonic's walking speed and drained him of some of his energy.

Naoto Ōshima admitted that the design of the shoes was inspired by the cover of Michael Jackson's hit album Bad, and that the contrast between the colors white and red made him think of Santa Claus.^[1]

Alternate FootwearsEdit

• Slow-Down Shoes power-ups, that can be found at competition mode of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
• Slow-Down Boots are boots made to look like Sonic's normal shoes that drain his speed in Sonic Labyrinth.
• Light Speed Shoes are shoes that let Sonic use the Light Speed Dash to travel across trails of rings.
• Soap shoes are shoes that Sonic wore in Sonic Adventure 2 and its remake Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.
• In the Sonic Riders series, Sonic wears a different version of his Power Sneakers when riding Extreme Gear.
• Custom Shoes are shoes that Sonic got in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) that let him use the powers of the Light Chip, Antigravity, and Gems in the game. Whenever he uses them, Sonic's Power Sneakers take on the appearance of the Custom Shoes.

Appearances in Other MediaEdit

ComicsEdit

Promotional comicEdit

In the Sonic the Hedgehog promotional comic, the Power Sneakers (referred to simply as "frictionless shoes") were created and given to Sonic by Doctor Ovi Kintobor. This was after Sonic's previous trainers were shredded by the accident that turned him blue. In this comic, there is no indication that the Power Sneakers help Sonic to run faster or that they help to protect his feet.

Sonic the ComicEdit

In Sonic the Comic, the Power Sneakers were again created and given to Sonic by Doctor Ovi Kintobor. (Sonic had, until this time, worn a tatty pair of trainers.) During Sonic's first use of the Power Sneakers, on the Kinetic Gyratoscope, he managed to break the sound barrier for the first time. The resulting shockwaves fused his spines and turned him from his original brown into his more familiar streamlined, blue shape.^[2] Sonic has many identical pairs of Power Sneakers.^[3]

Sonic once replaced his regular Power Sneakers for a new pair with extra grip, but his intense speed (as well as a battle against Robotnik and Robofox) melted them after their first use.^[4] Shortly afterwards, a squirrel named Tufftee found some of Sonic's old Power Sneakers and ran off. The shoes contained a bit of Sonic's "high-speed energy" and allowed Tufftee to run all the way to the Marble Zone, where he was captured by badniks and had to be rescued by Sonic. Sonic later took the Sneakers back, claiming that they only worked for him.^[5]

Archie ComicsEdit

In the Archie Comics continuity, Sonic's shoes were created by his uncle, Sir Charles Hedgehog. Because Sonic continued to burn through the rubber soles on any sneaker he received due to his speed, Sir Charles created a pair of light weight, hyper friction resistant sneakers from the energy of Power Rings for Sonic that would never be worn out. These sneakers would then become Sonic's signature power sneakers.

Initially, these sneakers resembled the Power Sneakers Sonic the Hedgehog wore during the Genesis era. However, after Sonic managed to divert an energy beam, that would have caused the entire planet to be destroyed, with a Super Emerald, Sonic got exposed to the Super Emerald's energies when the beam hit him instead. The resulting energy burst not only slightly changed Sonic's appearance, but it also caused his sneakers to gain golden buckles on them as well, making them resemble their more modern appearance.

Sonic's sneakers were once stolen by a SWATbot and replaced with special energy-draining shoes. This resulted in Sonic losing his great speed and a bit of his life force, although it is not clear whether it was the lack of his own shoes or wearing the new shoes that was responsible. When Tails returned Sonic's original shoes, his speed instantly returned. His Majesty, King Sonic of Mobius also wears a variant of the Power Sneakers, even when going to formal affairs.

Television seriesEdit

Adventures of Sonic the HedgehogEdit

Sonic's need to wear Power Sneakers to protect his feet was dealt with in an episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, "The Mystery of the Missing Hi-tops".

Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM)Edit

The first half of the SatAM episode "The Odd Couple/Ro-Becca" established that Sonic is fiercely protective of his sneakers, as Antoine threw them out the door of his home when he saw that Sonic was tracking mud on his floor and putting snow on his sofa. Sonic angrily told him to never mess with "his sneaks" again.

In addition, Sonic's sneakers are fitted with anti-gravity jets on the soles that allow Sonic to slow his descent when falling in order to land safely. These "anti-gravs" are activated by pushing a button on the side of the shoe.^[6] Sonic's sneakers also have magnetic soles, also activated by buttons on the shoes, that allow him to stick to metal surfaces, such as the underside of a Hover Unit.^[7]

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

• Power Sneakers at the Sonic the Comic Wiki