Warning: Spoilers ahead for Sonic Prime.When it comes to theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise, there have been quite a number of TV shows and, more recently, feature films for fans to enjoy. While spin-off media and adaptations have focused on many different aspects of the ratherexpansiveSonic the Hedgehogseries,Sonic Primemakes itself one of the more ambitious takes on the blue hedgehog yet. As the story of the Netflix original series deals with Sonic single-handedly shattering reality as he knew it, the show covers themes of personal growth, betrayal, and teamwork in deep, impacting ways that make Prime one of the series' most epic stories yet.
Sonic Prime’s ambitions didn’t stop with its long, character-driven story, however. With the latest adjustments toSoniclore and media as a whole, Sonic Team has stated thatSonic Primeis part of a connectedSonicuniversewith the games and IDW comics. Due to this announcement, fans had been wondering throughout the show’s duration just where in the series' canon the show fits, with the understanding that it would make sense by the end. However, its placement after Sonic Advance 3 is a bit of a headscratcher.
Sonic Prime Takes Place Sometime After Sonic Advance 3
AsSonic FrontiersandSonicIDW comic writer Ian Flynn is now a prominent member of an internalSoniclore team at Sega, he’s stated on X (formerly Twitter) that he would share whereSonic Primefit in the canon timeline once the show was over to avoid “souring expectations by spoiling howPrimeresolves.” However, now that all theseasons ofSonic Primeare available to watch, Ian Flynn has revealed on the social media platform X that the Shatterverse adventure takes place “some time” afterSonic Advance 3.
Why Sonic Advance 3 is Important to Sonic Prime
In season 3 ofSonic Primeitself, a short pixel art flashback shows Sonic and Tails taking down Dr. Eggman in a mech powered by Gemerl. It uses sprites fromSonic Advance 3itself to make it very clear that the events of the Game Boy Advance came before Sonic shattered the Paradox Prism. However, many fans have an issue with the idea thatSonic Primetakes place so early in the canon and afterAdvance 3due to the appearance of Orbot and Cubot inPrime, characters who didn’t appear untilSonic Colors.
This presents a problem because Orbot and Cubot’s appearance inColorscan’t be stretched to fit nearSonic Advance 3.Orbot’s creation in particular waswitnessed inSonic UnleashedandSonic Colorsas he goes through a “prototype phase” of sorts as SA-55 before becoming Orbot inColorswith Cubot in tow. This lengthens the time that it took forPrimeto happen rather considerably in terms of the timeline already understood by long-time fans, but with the use of the words “some time afterSonic Advance 3” this isn’t entirely a wrong answer.
Narrowing Down When Sonic Prime Could Take Place
The use of Orbot and Cubot certainly placesPrimeafterSonic Colors, so that leaves a number of options still available when it comes to where the Netflix show could fit into the timeline.Sonic Generationscertainly fitsthe boastful, cocky attitude that the blue blur uses inPrime, but it doesn’t entirely suit Sonic to run in and break the Paradox Prism without knowing what could happen, and then learn nothing by the time he does a similar stunt inSonic Lost World.
In the end, the best place to putSonic Primeis either beforeColors, making it Cubot’s first proper appearance asColorsuses him but doesn’t make a prominent show about it, or after. This means that Sonic’s boastful attitude inGenerationscan be seen as him returning to his everyday life, withSonic Lost Worldfollowingas a swift reminder that he’s settled back into normalcy and has forgotten what happened the last time he rushed in to stop Eggman without the help of his friends, especially Tails.
Either way, in the endSonic Primeresets the timeline to before the events of the show happen, with only Sonic and Shadow remembering the events. As a result, if fans don’t wish to think of where the show takes place, or simply didn’t enjoySonic Prime, then they can ignore it if they wish to.
Sonic Superstars
WHERE TO PLAY
nspired by the franchise’s 2D heyday, Sega’s Sonic Superstars is a co-op platformer that features Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy as playable characters.
