There’s always a few actively looking to debate the fighter status of Super Smash Bros., which I’m going to ignore together with “a celebration of videogames” to use Sakurai’s words. It is definitely the best party brawler regardless of what label it is given and has a massive fan-base for a reason. Instead, I’m covering part of Sonic’s long legacy of fighting games. I want to make the case that his inclusion in Smash Bros. is a defining moment for guest characters. Sonic the Hedgehog’s inclusion in Brawl made a lot of new things possible concerning mechanics and traits. Ultimately, Sonic the guest character Hedgehog influenced all guest characters that followed; he showed how to properly design one in any game.