Tails

Miles "Tails" Prower

, better known by his alias , is a character in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, and animated series released by Sega. Tails has normally acted as a flagship character since Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

The name "Miles Prower" is a pun on "miles per hour", a reference to the famed speed of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an 8-year-old orange-golden yellow, anthropomorphic fox with two tails (similar to the mythological kitsune), hence the nickname. He is known to be Sonic's sidekick and a mechanist. He is able to use his two tails to propel himself into the air like a helicopter for a limited time. His debut was in October 16, 1992, introduced in the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2; the 16-bit version was released that November.

During his first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, his fur was an orange color, but the color was changed to yellow-orange for Sonic Adventure, and light-yellow for Sonic Heroes. In 1993 and 1995, he starred in his own games, Tails and the Music Maker for the Pico, Tails Adventure, and Tails' Skypatrol for the Game Gear. Tails is the third most popular character of the series, behind Sonic and Shadow, according to official polls.

Conception and creation

Yasushi Yamaguchi, originally the main artist and zone designer for Sega's Sonic Team, designed Tails for an internal competition for a sidekick to the speedy hedgehog. The character was meant to hold a "deep admiration for Sonic." Tails was originally intended to be a tanuki, a strikingly raccoon-like canid native to east Asia, and extremely popular in Japanese folklore. The designers decided to change him to a fox, however, to avoid possible comparisons with another popular game character. His entry won, but Sonic Team decided to change his character's name from "Miles" to "Tails".

Yamaguchi ended up with a compromise. He sneaked the name "Miles" in as his legal name; "Tails" would be his nickname, ending up with the full name of Miles "Tails" Prower.

Tails was redesigned (along with all of the other Sonic characters) by Yuji Uekawa for Sonic Adventure. His fur changed color to a slightly orange shade of yellow, and he gained visible blue irises.

In the American Sonic comic book, along with the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons, he was originally a brownish color, but the comic artists eventually decided to change this to match his in-game appearance.

Game appearances

Tails was first seen in Sonic 2 for the Genesis. He was first made playable in the Genesis version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, playing the part of Sonic's sidekick. He was a playable character from the second controller and could be chosen as player one for the main game. Sonic Chaos (1993), on the Game Gear/Master System was the second game where the player could control Tails, and the first time the player could control his flight.

Tails made his third major appearance in 1994 when Sonic 3 was released, this time acquiring the ability to pick up Sonic and use his tails to fly him to other areas, rotating his tails like a helicopter. He also gained the ability to swim under water, something Sonic has never been able to do.

Tails has also starred in games without Sonic. His first solo game was Tails' Skypatrol, which is a puzzle-like game for the Game Gear released exclusively in Japan. This was followed by Tails Adventures later the same year, which is a Metroid-esque platformer with RPG elements. Tails is also the star of Tails and the Music Maker for the Sega Pico.

In later games, Tails has had roles that require unique modes of play. For example, in Sonic Adventure, Tails is one of the six playable characters and his gameplay is standard platforming stages, but the goal of each stage is to get to the Chaos Emerald before Sonic, or to the missile dud in the final race against Dr. Eggman.

In the sequel to Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, he is featured in third-person shooting segments, seated in his "Cyclone" mech. This third-person shooter style of play, along with Dr. Eggman's shooting levels in the same game, were very similar to the E-102 Gamma levels of Sonic Adventure.

Tails has appeared either as a playable character or in a supporting role in almost all later Sonic titles. He still often resumes his role flying other characters around, such as in Sonic Heroes, where Tails appears on Team Sonic as their flight-type character, being capable of carrying both Sonic and Knuckles.

He is also seen in the background of Green Hill Zone along with Silver the Hedgehog and Knuckles in Super Smash Bros. Brawl He also appears as a trophy. He has been confirmed to appear in the upcoming Sonic Unleashed..

Comic and TV show appearances

Tails has appeared in three cartoon shows: Sonic the Hedgehog, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and the anime Sonic X. However, he is absent from Sonic Underground. He has also appeared in several Sonic series comic books.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

In Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, he is supposedly significantly younger than in the games; he is "only 4 and a half". In the games, he is eight, and the youngest besides Charmy Bee and Cream the Rabbit. As with the game canon, his real name is Miles Prower. However, his fur is brown in the cartoon as opposed to orange in the games.

While Tails is indeed useful to Sonic in many situations, he can be a hindrance. Because he is very young and cannot defend himself, he is incredibly susceptible to kidnappings. Sonic appears to know of this flaw and does his best to protect him, but his protection methods are often the reason why Tails gets kidnapped in the first place. He also seems to have a very large appetite, and like Sonic, his favorite food is chilli dogs, but apparently Tails likes extra cheese on his (in the anime and games, his favourite food is mint candy).

SatAM

Tails's role in the Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon (dubbed SatAM by fans for short) had him in a supporting role, quite low-key compared to the games and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series. Here he was just another inhabitant of the village where the Freedom Fighters lived, and Princess Sally Acorn's protégé.

He became a full "member" of the Freedom Fighters near the end of Season 2. In the canceled Season 3, it was rumored that his relationship with Sonic would draw closer to that of the video games.

Sonic the Hedgehog (comic)

Tails is the son of Rosemary and Amadeus Prower. After being separated from them by Dr. Robotnik, he grows up in Knothole Village with Sonic the Hedgehog and the other Freedom Fighters. He joins the Freedom Fighters, though he is unable to work in some of the more dangerous missions. He eventually leaves on an adventure where he learns from Athair that he is the "Chosen One", a great hero that will bring about "The Great Harmony." He eventually becomes the target of Mammoth Mogul, and the two do battle on various occasions. During one battle against him, he becomes "Turbo Tails" and defeats Mogul along with various other companions, and in another battle, he combines with many alternate versions of himself to become "Titan Tails" and defeat Mogul once again.

Tails later completes part of the Great Harmony by sealing away the Chaos Emeralds in a special dimension after being captured by A.D.A.M.. He also soon manages to rescue his parents along with Sonic, but it causes a riff between the two that they eventually settle. Tails has feeling for Fiona Fox, and he is shown to have married Mina Mongoose and had two children in Mobius: 25 Years Later.

Sonic the Comic

Tails also appears in the British Sonic the Comic, published by Fleetway. In this series Tails was older than his other incarnations and initially portrayed as a bit of a push-over, who constantly allows Sonic to insult him, gets flustered in dangerous situations, and had a significant Inferiority Complex. As time went on, Tails became more competent and heroic. On occasion he would return to his home land 'The Nameless Zone' where would get a suit of Silver armour and a short sword.

Sonic X

Throughout most of the anime series Sonic X, Tails mirrors his game role in various stories and game adaptations, though he often plays a smaller role in the series due to the presence of Chris Thorndyke. He quickly befriends fellow inventor Chuck Thorndyke, who built the X-Tornado jet with him.

In the third season of Sonic X, Tails is the commanding officer of the Blue Typhoon, and over the series develops leadership. Tails becomes attracted to and eventually falls in love with Cosmo, a plant-like female alien introduced during this season. The strength of Tails's love is shown in Episode 73, where Shadow, in an attempt to kill Cosmo, clobbers Sonic, Chris, and Knuckles, but, despite his best efforts, can't manage to get past Tails despite severe beating and threatenings, who is determined to protect Cosmo no matter the cost. He had an emotional breakdown when he was forced to kill Cosmo himself to stop the Metarex after which he received a seed from Sonic which was the last remaining part of Cosmo.

Characteristics

The character of Miles "Tails" Prower is portrayed as a very sweet-natured and humble fox; who, before he met Sonic, used to be picked on because of his twin tails. As a long time friend, he admires Sonic and dreams of being just like him. Though he lacks courage, he wants to prove he can be counted on. He loves mint candy, tinkering with machines, and flying mechas. Tails has a fear of thunder and a tendency to ramble.

Tails has been described as a mechanical prodigy who rivals Dr. Eggman, however he has yet to realize his full potential. Additionally, by spinning his two tails like a helicopter rotor, he has the unique ability to push himself through the air to catch up with Sonic. However, when he takes to flight, he tires quickly. Tails is also able to swim by dog paddling.

Like many Sonic characters, Tails can transform into a Super Form, but needs the Super Emeralds instead of the Chaos Emeralds. He also has other transformations in media beside the games (such as Turbo Tails). However, he hasn't appeared in a super form since his transformation in Sonic Heroes. His only official transformation is seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, in which he gains a white aura and several Flickies protect him.