Game Theory: How Fast is Sonic the Hedgehog? 

I always thought the game was slowed down so we can understand what's happening

lmao imagine sonic ran at the speed that he was actually intended to have. the game would be unplayable

I can't believe it's been a full decade since I stumbled upon this video and Game theory as a whole. It's crazy seeing how MatPat went from debating the speed between Mario and Sonic to figuring out the complicated lore of FNAF.

Decided to come back and watch my first GT video. the memories. Enjoy yourself Matt. You deserve it.

Childhood completely destroyed.

and non of them are the fastest because i am

The only reason that sonic doesnt run that fast in the game is because who wants to play a game that the instant you move ull be at the finish line

Sonic is capped at the speed of sound so we can see what's happening. The game would be unplayable. Sonic also doesn't want to damage anything. Also, you can tell that even in unleashed ( the fastest we have ever seen him) he never really tried. Running through the stages he yells "WOOHOO" AND "LETS GO".

You missed a pretty important detail MatPat...the Sonic course isn't a straight line, there are corners and loops everywhere. If you REALLY wanted it to be accurate you'd have to make sonic run across a flat surface at maximum speed and see how quickly he crosses that surface, and the same with the Mario comparison.

Sonic runs at the speed of sound A bullet moves faster than sound. Mario can run faster than a speeding bullet. Conclusion: Mario is faster than Sonic.

There’s a difference between modern and classic sonic

Theory: Elise was also the one responsible for the old sonic movie design

8:16 "Don't believe everything you hear, go out and do your own research." I did when I was like 5 years old and played Sonic CD, in one cutscene (the intro) Sonic creates a Sonic boom around him and runs up a chain from the surface of the earth to space in a couple seconds, which is way past breaking the sound barrier.

Yeah but let's be real would you really play a sonic game if he actually went the speed of sound?...

*All dull* "Hello Internet, Welcome to Game Theory" That hit me like a ton of bricks

To celebrate 10years of GT, I decided to re-watch the entire series from start to finish. If you think about, no he isn't running at the speed of sound in any games, but he does he always have to run at the speed of sound at any given moment? When someone asks you your speed you tend to give them your best record, not your average walking speed of 6km/h.

You can't just measure the level from left to right, you'd have to include all of the slopes and loops as well. Mario has a much flatter level, so he has much less distance to cover, making him seem faster. Sheesh

The games were made in a way that you feel like you're going fast but still have control over the character and can see stuff. If he was literally the speed of light, you'd tap the button and next thing you know you're face first in a brick wall.

…needed to go back to the first video of his I ever saw after today.

Which is more controversial? This episode, or Sans = Ness?

Think about this is sonic was really running at the speed of sound he would be so fast to where the point where nobody would be able to play the game I mean really imagine playing a game at the speed of sound the game would be over in 5 seconds

Sega has mentioned a number of times ( if memory serves ) that they had no choice but to slow Sonic down for the players and the computer. It's very easy to get Sonic to run faster then the camera to can keep up. And isn't comparing Sonic's first level to Mario's unfair? They are different lengths. Same with their bodies. Have Mario run compared to the length of Sonic's body and vise versa. Also, Eggman is not faster then Sonic. That's just stupid. Those moments you point out are strictly for cinematic and gameplay purposes. If Sonic caught Eggman, then it's game over. Thus game over at the end of Act1. Super short game.

Anyone else here after Game Theory’s final episode?

Dude this video is so old, yet I still watch it

As shown in one of you videos on the Rosalina theory, the faster you go, the more time slows down. While Eggman is still faster, that would make it seem to the player that he is going slower. This could mean all the other characters are running on caffeine, as they would have to be fast to appear at normal speeds. There is probably something we are missing... this theory isn't finished...

Alright, Matt. Alright. You know what? Using your Sonic Unleashed analysis as a model, I'm going to mod Sonic's top speed in Sonic Generations so that he CAN move at the speed of sound! This is gonna be good.

This was the first theory I watched and I had to come back to watch it after seeing his retirement:(

Well sonic did do a sonic boom in the sonic CD opening guess which part

But matpat, the faster you run, the slower the things around you move, and in "sonic and knuckles" the mines go off a good 1.5 seconds AFTER sonic steps on them!

What if the game plays at a much slower speed so our eyes can have a chance at seeing things?

Had to come pay respects to my first theory 🫡

Who came back after MatPat's final theory?

What if...Sonic really runs at sound speed but they show it to us slower so we can play the game? Like when the Flash runs at light speed and you can still see him as if he is running like a normal person?

hes a 4 foot tall blue hedgehog who wears shoes and stands on his back feet. I think running at the speed of sound of one of the game's easier to believe features

Coming back to this after so many years feels so weird.

Thank you for everything Mat

It all comes down to Sonics title. Sonic is "The fastest thing alive". It's quite simple. Sonic is faster than any living organism in the universe he inhabits at the time. In regular canon he is the fastest thing alive. If he were to be in the same universe as say, The Flash, Sonic would become faster than him seeing as how he is the fastest thing alive. If he were in a universe inhabited entirely by snails, he'd be the fastest thing alive in that particular universe. Whatever universe Sonic inhabits at the time, his speed increases to outspeed the fastest living thing in that universe. It's the reason Metal Sonic is such a smart choice as an enemy: He's not alive, so he can be faster than Sonic.

I usually agree with you on your theories, since they're so convincing, but not this time; not with Sonic. If you want to compare Mario with Sonic, then why didn't you take into perspective that Sonic had more challenges than Mario? If you ever played the games, which I'm sure you have, then you will notice that Sonic has more stops and "locked doors," as well as courses to go through, so of course he could not go the full speed he is supposed to go. As for Super Sonic, once again those courses get in the way and prevent him from showing full power in those stages because you can't just teleport Sonic; sometimes he has to wait for a moving box, or object, to come down so he can get on and slowly take his ride. Sometimes it's a no choice thing. And comparing Super Sonic to a Super Sayajin (and I am a BIG Dragonaball Z fanatic; just look at how many comments I have put on DBZ vids) is just absurd. Yes, Super Sayajin first debuted in August 1991 in the manga and November 1991 in the anime, which was a full year before Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (debuted November 21, 1992). However, do you honestly think it was that easy to create a game, just for the sake of plagiarism? Our technology was not that advanced back then, even in Japan, whom has always been known for their advancement in technology. As if the Sonic manga creator was like, "Oh, I *have* to create a Super Sonic modeled after Goku! It is such an epic hit with the kiddies!" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was already underway after the first Sonic the Hedgehog release. And, seriously, do you even want to try to play a game where everything is blurry and you can't see? We would all be going into seizures like the kids in Japan after watching Pikachuu's lightening attack. And if you want to compare Sonic to Mario, well, let me just throw this in you face: at least Sonic is not a Sociopath like Mario. And, just so you know, I'm still subscribed, and I still love your vids. ^_^

This theory has more holes in it than Swiss cheese

We see sonic make a sonic boom in the opening cutscene in Sonic CD, so he’s just going slower so the sonic booms don’t destroy everything around him. Still doesn’t change the fact that eggman is faster since he wouldn’t care about collateral damage in Eggman’s bases

maybe... his games are in slow motion!

I don't care if this has been debunked. I just like watching the old Game Theory videos.

Quick run down of the problems. 1. He didn't use Mordern Sonic's speed but used his height still. 2. He assumed that was Classic Sonic's height. 3. Mario Gains speed immediately in his games so you would have to put Sonic at his top speed as well instead of just having him complete a level. 4. I get this is old but....wow he did not think the theory through. Still like this vid tho

Hey, it's my first ever Game Theory I ever saw! Thank you MatPat for all the theories, happy further adventures!

OK.... I have 3 complaints about this 1. The Height You ARE correct in terms of sonic being 1.1 meters great, good job, ect. HOWEVER!! You took the sonic from 06 and used him in sonic 1 for the Genesis, You can't do that because if we look at the box art from sonic generations We can see that classic sonic is A LOT shorter then 06 sonic, so I'd say use 06 sonic to determine how fast he is with a MODERN sonic game 2. The Speed In The Game If sonic DID run that fast as he's made out to be able to, the game would be unplayable Because he'd be running SO FAST that our human brains can't process all of that Speed/Thing happening on screen. And also if sonic did run fast enough to make a Sonic boom he would make tons of damage to forests, town, city's, so he's going at a reasonable speed to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone 3. Mario Being Faster Then Sonic Lastly you determined how Mario is faster with an 8-bit game Vs. A 16-bit game Not only are sizes in the original Mario Bros. Inaccurate BUT theres also a lot of design flaws Example peach at the end of the game is a hella lot shorter then powers up Mario We can't determine if Mario is normal size as super Mario or a Goliath size person as Super Mario Because in Mario 64, Sunshine, ect. Peach is taller then mario And also since there's more detail in sonic 1 For an early Genesis game they didn't want to make something not so difficult to make Which why sonic 2's levels are longer (Says someone who's not a massive sonic fan)

THE GAMES DID NOT MADE IT RUN AT THE SPEED OF SOUND BECAUSE IT WILL BE REALLY HARD TO CONTROLLE AND SEE.

I'm watching this 2019 and dang his voice and his intro was SOOOO LAME but today omg it's so good

We will miss you Matpat

They're obviously slowing down time so players can still control Sonic. Obviously.

Eggman moving from 0-60MPH in ⅓ of a second. I lost my shit when I heard that.

When I saw him mention Robotnik being faster than Sonic I immediately paused the video and recited the Eggman’s Anouncement meme from memory

We’re going to miss you matpat

note however that the speed of sound is not fixed, and depending on his worlds atmosphere, he could be surpassing the speed of sound

Wow, great video. Except for one thing: it's wrong. 1) You used Modern Sonics height and applied that to Classic Sonic. As you can tell from Generations, Classic Sonic is about half of Modern Sonics height. This does not affect the theory, however. 2) When you were playing Unleashed, you were moving forward, and forward only. This means he was moving at A^2. But, when you quick step, you would be moving A^2 AND an extra distance of C^2. So, A^2 * C^2 would mean that he was moving just under the sound barrier. He doesn't go above it as it would most likely kill him, if he did. Ass processing? More like Blast processing. But hey, thats just a theory, a FIXED THEORY! Thanks for reading :)

This was the last video before Ronnie. He will be missed.

Thank you matt

LET'S BUY SOME SHOES.

They aren't running in a straight line tho

After Matt's recent announcement that hes going to being leaving the channel, I'm back to watch the first Game Theory video I've ever watched.

Rewatching this later I realized just how dirty old Game Theory was 😭

If in the games Sonic would move with the speed of sound we could not even keep track of were we going, so he just has a speed that human eye can track so it would not make the game experience to frustrating

Heh heh. 69 Marios to the first warp pipe.

Oh, wow! the audio quality on this compared to his videos now is a HUGE testament to how much work this man has put in! Congrats, MatPat! You really have made it.

Did you guys know that a video debunking this theory got into the Guinness Book of World Records? Lockstin's video to be exact.

Even if Sonic doesn't run at the speed of sound, I can't play any of his games. My reaction time is horrendous.

That was classic sonic in the past and doing some research, in order for him to reach the sound barrier it could be by him reaching the age of 27 to 31. This time you underestimated yourself Mat Pat.

i like thinking that eggman is the most physically strong in the sonic universe, but relies on robots just because sonic is too good at avoiding him

Sonic's the fastest *Animal* in the world. I mean... Dude, what did you expect? He's a hedgehog.

Eggheads running fast cus burger kings whoppers are a buck for a limited time

f for respect matpat

im here before everyone floods in from the final theory

1. The egg man that was faster that sonic is a robot (read the comics) 2. STOP RUINIG MY CHILDHOOD!

You can't expect the games to make him as fast as the speed of sound/light though.. you wouldn't be able to see Sonic in the game and therefore you wouldn't be able to enjoy it in the slightest.. And a game where he was pretty fast is Sonic Heroes, there were bonus levels where you'd be going through some sort of a tunnel and at the end there would be chaos emeralds, he was pretty fucking fast in those levels.

Theres still like 6 people who find this theory to be valid

The nostalgia........... Makes me feel devastated that the fact the MatPat retired the theory channels 😢

The music don't lie. If the developers said that he runs that fast, he does, you must also understand that sonic is cocky and errogant. That is his top speed without being serious. Look at the cutscenes. That is like saying that goku doesn't move at light speed because of his game appearances. You have to use all sources not just pick and choose what to acknowledge.

Ok, the method you used to find out sonic's speed in the first game is very flawed, for a few reasons. First is that Sonic is growing up throughout the entire series. (that is canon), which therefore means that the most accurate way to find his height in the first game would be through sonic generations. That simple. The second flaw is that because of jumping, acceleration time, etc., the only way to actually find a time to distance ratio is on a perfectly flat course. So, yeah. That's about it.

what MatPat always forgets is that if sonic was that fast then how would we be able to understand what is happening in the game

Game Theory be hitting different back then

To be fair, one big reaon the in-game speed will never be the whopping speed of sound or light is because a gamer's reaction time would be WAY too slow to actually play. When Sonic runs his fastest I can BARELY keep up with proper reaction speeds. You're supposed to use your imagination and pretend you're running at the proper speed, but the fact is, if Sonic moved at the speed of light in a game, we wouldn't be able to see him moving.

Oh... Finally the youtube send me the notification of this video

4:36 Noice

Well of course sonic wouldn't be running at the speed of sound or faster in his games or else it would be basically unplayable and the only stage you could have would be void Hill zone aka an endless straight line going for dozens/hundreds of miles. Basically SEGA slowed down the perspective majorly for us...

Sonic's "Speed of Sound" reputation is when he's pushing his limits. Keep in mind that Sonic is powered internally by the amount of rings he's gotten in his adventures, so quite possibly, he's able to withstand the G-Force that the speed would bring. Also, Sonic is an avid collector of the infamous Chaos Emeralds and Super Emeralds, enhancing his endurance, speed, and power even further. His power is multiplied by 1000 (according to Sonic X) when he goes Super. Since the speed of sound is 770 MPH and 770 x 1000 = 770,000, that means in Super form, he clocks at a speed of 770,000 MPH, enough to go around the earth 30 times in one hour. But that's when he's pushing his limits. To guess the Blue Blur's average speed, take in account of his height, 3.7, and his weight, 77lb, using the momentum formula of mass and velocity, we'll divide the speed of sound, 770, with his weight, 77 (it conveniently fits perfectly), and get 11. The world record for Green Hill Zone is 25, so we'll do basic multiplication and multiply 11 x 25, and we get Sonic the Hedgehog's average speed of 275 MPH. So, no, maybe not "moving around at the speed of sound", but he still earns the title of the Blue Blur.

I think the reason Robotnic was wearing a device that had a force field that propelled him away from Sonic. So the faster Sonic went, the faster Robotnic went. So basically Sonic was pushing him towards his final weapon.

M-Speed in Unleashed: **laughs in beating Eggmanland in 3 mins**

Sonic: **breathes** MatPat: allow me to introduce myself

There's a flaw in your logic. You took your measure of Sonic's height from Sonic 06, and then applied it to classic Sonic The Hedgehog. In the game Sonic Generations, we see that classic Sonic was like a child version of the Sonic from the later games. Younger, smaller. The two incarnations, modern and classic, stand side by side many times, and it is clear that modern Sonic (Sonic 06) is substantially TALLER than classic Sonic (Sonic The Hedgehog).

For gods sake, I really want a video made from Matt to show that he was wrong here. Does he even look at the goddamn comments in this video? It's all the same thing. Sonic is officially 3'3". The games wouldn't be playable if Sonic ran at the speed of sound. You can't measure the distance of Green Hill Zone in a straight line because the entire act isn't even straight at all, and there are obstacles everywhere. The fastest time record for Green Hill Zone still had Sonic not running at a constant speed because of the obstacles. You can't use Modern Sonic's height in a Classic Sonic game because clearly Modern Sonic is taller than Classic Sonic. If Eggman was moving from 0 to 60 mph in 0.75 seconds (which actually equals him going 80 mph for every second), Sonic could've done the same since Eggman moved at a constant speed similar to Sonic when he used his spin dash. 10 m/s is close to 22 mph. 80 mph is approximately 36 m/s, which was faster than Game Theory's speed for Mario. Speaking of Mario, his height is actually 5'1". The distance to get through World 1-1's first Warp Pipe isn't straight because of the obstacles in the way. The same could be said for the fastest time to get to the Warp Pipe due to enemies, obstacles, and the lack of constant speed. What have I learned here? Matt didn't make a fool out of only Sonic for getting his numbers and logic incorrect, but for Mario too.

It really isn’t the same anymore bro please comeback and do like a theory every so often so that we can at least hear you This was one of the first vids I’ve seen on RU-vid period and i was in the 5th grade

7:37 there's something called "Game Anti-Cheat"

You're right, but.. It's a game, if he was faster than the speed of light, we would barely see him in the game... :/

*crosses arms and looks down* I don't know what to believe now.

Not offense, Mat Pat, but in Sonic Colors for the WII, A black hole is created and begins to suck everything in. In terminal volocity Act 2, you need to outrun the black hole, and Sonic does just that. Granted, he only managed to outrun it for 30 seconds, but a Black Hole is something so strong, not even light can escape, but Sonic lasted 30 seconds against it, meaning in order to do that, he would need to be faster then light itself.

Btw sonic is so fast he can timetravel you can know that from Sonic generation

One thing I want to add, Sonic goes through loops, meaning he has to go a little over 3 times the speed he would normally have to go if the loop wasn't there. Your measurements are based off a flat surface theory. I'm not saying he is breaking the sound barrier, but he is faster than you give him credit for.

The Game Theorists U used modern sonic to measure and classic sonic to scale. Classic Sonic is shorter.

I really enjoy your vids! it also helps when you poke at DA because of the riduculous fan art. XD

I know that this is a rather old video, but there's indeed going to be a rebuttal. The issue with that flaw is by using Sonic’s height in a straight line, when there are chutes, hills, loops, cliffs, and pits in Green Hill Zone for reference. Not to mention that this is Classic Sonic, which is like a teapot; short and stout. Whereas Modern Sonic is like a kettle; tall and svelte. And when the same they gave Mario the official height (155 cm, or 5’01”), so did Sonic. After all, he is a blue, meter-tall (or 3’03”), supersonic hedgehog. Without the Super Mushroom, that could be Mario’s normal height compared to Princess Peach who’s probably 5’09” for all we know. Also, I looked into the 8-bit pixel of Mario, and I’m pretty sure his width is not equal to his height. Plus if Sonic did move at a supersonic speed, which is more than 343 meters per second (767 mph, or Mach 1), it would be harder for us the players to react in milliseconds and would not be enjoyable if we end up dying over and over in the game. I can assure you Sonic is built way different compared to us, as he is an anthropomorphic hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. He should be a whole lot sturdier, from that other video ya made of what happens if he stops after breaking the sound barrier. With physics on our human body, it would affect us when we’re not as robust as we’re not built for that speed. I’m sure there's more things to list, but that's all I can enlist until further notice.

I did the math again seeing that there is a new world record which is 19 seconds for green hill zone, and then taking the height difference of classic sonic being half modern sonic's height, we see that 259.6/19 = 13.66, and multiplying that times 2 gives us 27.32 m/s. Just a quick update on the math.