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Chaos

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Forces Chaos.png
Chaos
First seen: Sonic Adventure (1998)
Species: Chao (Mutant)[1]
Gender: N/A[1]; referred to as male
Height: Varies[1]
Weight: Varies[1]
For other meanings of the word Chaos, see Chaos (disambiguation).

Chaos (カオス), known to the echidnas as the God of Destruction, previously the Spirit of Water, is a character first introduced in Sonic Adventure. Composed of a cyan, water-like substance through which his brain can be seen, Chaos was the first known protector of the Chaos Emeralds, Master Emerald, and the Chao. In Adventure, Chaos is used as a weapon by Dr. Eggman, and the player must defeat Chaos in different forms throughout a number of boss battles.

Character conception

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic Adventure/Development
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History

Chaos among Chao and Tikal at the Emerald Shrine.

Sonic Channel and Sonic Adventure: Navigation Guide assert that Chaos was, in the dim and distant past, a humble Chao himself. However, prolonged exposure to the Master Emerald mutated him into his familiar translucent, watery form. Later in Sonic Frontiers, it is revealed that Chaos and the Chao are descendants of an alien race only known as the Ancients and they are responsible for bringing the Chaos Emeralds to Earth. Chaos' current form after being mutated by the Master Emerald bares a strong resemblance to his ancient ancestors.[2][3] Chaos adopted a role as protector of the Emerald Shrine and his Chao brethren.

How long this arrangement went on is never stated, but eventually, along came the Knuckles Clan, a tribe of echidnas. Pachacamac, the leader of the clan, wanted to take the Emeralds from the altar to prosecute his wars of conquest. His initial attempts to do so failed due to Chaos - who the ancient echidnas at the time dubbed the Spirit of Water. Despite this, Pachacamac didn't give up his plans, plotting a large assault of the altar.

During this time, Pachacmac's daughter - a young girl named Tikal, befriended the residents of the altar. She was initially surprised by Chaos, but the two eventually bonded. After seeing her peaceful intentions, Chaos led Tikal into the Master Emerald's shrine, introducing her to the Master Emerald. Knowing of her father's plans, Tikal urged that the residents escape the altar, but Chaos and the Master Emerald refused to do so.

When Pachacamac and his warriors began their attack, Tikal and the Chao stood against him, pleading that he reconsider. Pachacamac had no intention of listening to his daughter's rebellion and charged his tribe forward anyway, trampling her and the Chao. Seeing his friends get hurt enraged Chaos with an unending urge for destruction - he took the 7 Emeralds and used them to transform into a powerful monster that would later be named Perfect Chaos. Chaos unleashed his anger on the tribe, summoning destruction never seen before. Despite her injuries, Tikal used the Master Emerald's to seal Chaos and herself away inside it, curtailing Chaos' rampage at a local, rather than global, cataclysm.

The surviving echidnas named him the God of Destruction under the name Chaos and wrote warnings to future generations in the form of murals and various other ancient inscriptions in hopes to prevent the same disaster from occurring again. Having read some of these tablets years later, Eggman decided to release Chaos from the binds of the Master Emerald to use him as a weapon. The Master Emerald was shattered - freeing Chaos and Tikal. Though Chaos was free again, he wasn't entirely complete - his tail fell into the Mystic Ruins, where it was swallowed by Froggy. After brief encounters with Knuckles and Sonic, Chaos is offered a deal by Eggman: he'll give Chaos all the Chaos Emeralds if he, in turn, follows Eggman's orders.

Chaos originally agreed and followed Eggman, who was able to retrieve 6 of the Emeralds for Chaos, as well as recover his missing tail. Upon being defeated by Sonic and Knuckles on the Egg Carrier and having the Emeralds taken from him by the latter however, Chaos ended the alliance - he attacked Eggman and forcefully took back the 6 Emeralds from Knuckles. Sonic and Tails tried to stop him getting the 7th Emerald but Chaos was able to grab it before them, becoming Perfect Chaos once again.

Perfect Chaos used his power to attack and flood Station Square. Eggman attempted to stop him using a second Egg Carrier built to counter Chaos should he betray him, but Perfect Chaos destroyed it before it had the chance to launch an attack. Through his anger and sadness, he absorbed all the power from the Chaos Emeralds leaving them empty, grey and powerless. He thought that without power in the emeralds, nobody would be able to use them against him - but that wasn't how the Emeralds worked. Sonic recharged them using power from the bonds created with his friends (Localized as 'Positive energy') and transformed into Super Sonic. Super Sonic defeated Perfect Chaos, leaving him once again in his initial Chaos 0 form. However, this time was different - Super Sonic had erased his urge to destroy.

Reverted to his peaceful self, he reunited with his Chao friends and Tikal - who assured him that the Chao he protected were safe and happily coexisting with the humans. She gave Chaos her hand and the two ascended into the sky, their spirits presumably laid to rest at last.

Personality and traits

Art of Chaos 0 drawn by Yui Karasuno.
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Forms

Chaos transforms into a stronger form with every Chaos Emerald given to him. Each form of Chaos is named according to how many Emeralds he needs to assume that form, with the only exception being "Perfect Chaos". In Sonic Adventure, 6 of these forms are seen - Chaos 0, 1, 2, 4, 6 and Perfect. Chaos 3 and 5 are yet to be seen. Despite Adventure making it clear that Chaos is supposed to have the tail attached to Froggy, he's never seen with it (aside from Chaos 6) - even after it gets "restored".

When Chaos is idle or resting, he prefers to rest in an unformed state in a large body of water. In this form, he's almost impossible to detect - the only clue to him occupying a large pool are ripples that mark his location. In Adventure, these ripples are seen in the past, but also when Sonic finds the large mural depicting Perfect Chaos. Chaos has some level of control over water he inhabits, which increases the stronger his form. When on land, Chaos moves around as a small puddle. Since he can't be damaged in this state, he often uses it to retreat in battles as well.

Chaos 0

Chaos0-sonic adventure.jpg
  • For more on the boss fight, see Chaos 0.

Chaos 0 is Chaos' base form, with no Chaos Emeralds absorbed and his most commonly seen form. Sonic battles Chaos 0 in Station Square at the beginning of Sonic Adventure. He reverts to this form after being defeated by Knuckles on the Egg Carrier, as well as when defeated by Super Sonic as Perfect Chaos.

Chaos 1

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When Chaos absorbs one Chaos Emerald, he becomes Chaos 1. Chaos is taller, and he grows bones in his right arm. In Sonic Adventure, he is seen in this form in a cutscene after the player battles the Egg Hornet. No characters battle Chaos in this form, however.

Chaos 2

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  • For more on the boss fight, see Chaos 2.

When Chaos absorbs two Chaos Emeralds, he becomes Chaos 2. Chaos is the same height he was as Chaos 1, but now has bones in both arms. He can now produce an energy shield to shield himself from attacks, and can also transform into a huge ball of bouncing water. Knuckles is the only character to battle Chaos 2 in Sonic Adventure.

Chaos 4

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  • For more on the boss fight, see Chaos 4.

Chaos is more fish-like in this form, differing greatly from his appearance as Chaos 1 and 2. Chaos can now swim and attack from a distance by discharging energy waves. In Sonic Adventure, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all battle Chaos 4 in a small pond in Mystic Ruins. Chaos 4 swims around trying to knock the player off of lily pads in the pond.

Chaos 6

Chaos6.jpg
  • For more on the boss fight, see Chaos 6.

Chaos 6 differs greatly from his appearance as Chaos 4, being a bulb-shaped figure with a tail and walking on four stubby legs. He attacks with his tail and causes giant shock waves by jumping up and down. Chaos 6 also tries to 'suck' his opponent into his mouth. This attack turns out to be his weakness, however, as the player can throw 'freeze bombs' into his mouth and freeze him to the bone. The player can then shatter his ice form. In Sonic Adventure, Sonic, Knuckles, and Big all battle Chaos 6 atop the Egg Carrier. The rules are different in Big's case. The player must aim for the target marker on Chaos' body and cast their lure to fish out Froggy. This is the only form of Chaos that is ever seen and intact tail.

Perfect Chaos

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Main article: Perfect Chaos

When Chaos absorbs all seven Chaos Emeralds, he becomes Perfect Chaos. In this form, Chaos is almost invincible. Perfect Chaos looks like a giant snake-like creature, and can be as tall as a skyscrapers. He attacks by shooting huge energy beams and generating tornadoes to impede those in his path. In Sonic Adventure, Super Sonic is the only one to face Perfect Chaos as he destroys Station Square. In Sonic Generations, Sonic defeats Perfect Chaos without the need to become Super Sonic.

In other games

Chaos makes an inscrutable, if minor, reappearance in Sonic Battle, where he coagulates in the caldera of Holy Summit upon the unveiling of the Death Egg. Knuckles offers no insight into Chaos' motivations, stating that "He's just sitting there... He only shows himself in times of great crisis". Emerl can train against Chaos, learning some of the creature's (quite devastating) attacks in time for the showdown against Eggman. He can also be unlocked as a playable character in other modes.

In Sonic Heroes, though he didn't appear directly he is mentioned by Neo Metal Sonic in Team Rose's ending, having obtained his data vicariously through Froggy. Chaos' ability to liquify is used by Neo Metal Sonic to expedite his Eggman disguise and Metal Overlord transformation.

Chaos appears in Sonic Generations as Perfect Chaos (alongside the destroyed Station Square). He can still be attacked the same way as he was in the original game, but can also be attacked by directly attacking his head as well.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack for Lego Dimensions, Chaos is accidentally summoned when the Keystone Device malfunctions after Sonic's battle with his past robotic doppelgängers and ends up on the Death Egg. Later on, after Sonic defeats the Death Egg Robot, Chaos takes the Keystone Device that Tails was keeping safe from Eggman and gains the Elemental Powers it holds, becoming giant sized in the process. Eggman appears on an intercom telling Sonic to destroy Chaos, but when asked to hand over the Emerald so that Sonic can turn into Super Sonic, he refuses. Sonic does not manage to do much damage to Chaos, until Amy finally shows up to smack Eggman aside with her Piko Piko Hammer, take the final Emerald, and give it to Sonic, allowing him to transform and easily defeat Chaos, sending him to another dimension in the process.

In Sonic Forces, Chaos 0 is one of the illusory villains created by Infinite through the powers of the Phantom Ruby. In this game, he attempts to ambush Tails while he is repairing E-123 Omega, but is defeated by Classic Sonic in a cutscene. Hordes of Chaos illusions are also fought by the Resistance during the climax. Chaos is also a playable character in Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.

In Sonic Frontiers, Chaos is mentioned by Dr. Eggman when he was studding the Ancients and he figures out Chaos' connection with them.[2]

In other media

Sonic the Comic

In Sonic the Comic, published by Fleetway in the UK, Chaos is depicted as a much more intelligent beast. Rather than being captured within the Master Emerald, Chaos was actually imprisoned by Dr. Robotnik. Robotnik's assistant Grimer Wormtongue released Chaos when he saw that Robotnik was depressed after losing to Sonic so many times.

In the comics, Chaos has a 'fear factor' that makes anyone near him have incredible fear against him to the point where they fall to their knees shaking, petrified. Chaos also kills one of Sonic the Comic's longest running characters, Johnny Lightfoot. Unlike in the games, Chaos can talk and is actually a transformed Drakon Prosecutor, a group of fish-like alien creatures that were at war with the Echidnas. His appearance is more that of a snake than a watery blob. In following with the games, however, he absorbs all seven Chaos Emeralds and transforms into Perfect Chaos.

Eventually, Super Sonic (who is separate from normal Sonic at this point in Sonic the Comic) absorbs all of Chaos' energy, causing Chaos to revert back to his fish state. This was also Fleetway's last original story for Sonic the Comic.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comics)

In Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, Chaos' background and appearance are consistent with that of Sonic Adventure, although he was broken out of the Black Emerald rather than the Master Emerald.

Sonic X

In Archie's Sonic X comic series, Chaos has the ability to change size in his regular form.

Appearances

Video games

Television series and film

Comic books

References


Characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog game series
Recurring characters
Heroes Sonic (Super, Starfall, Hyper, Darkspine, the Werehog, Excalibur) | Tails (Super, Hyper) | Knuckles (Super, Hyper) | Amy (Super, Hyper) | Mighty (Super) | Ray (Super) | Espio | Charmy | Vector | Cream | Big | Blaze (Burning) | Silver (Super) | Sticks
Anti-heroes/Neutrals Shadow (Hero, Dark, Super) | Rouge | E-102 Gamma | E-123 Omega | Jet | Wave | Storm
Villains Dr. Eggman | Metal Sonic (Rocket, Neo, 3.0) | Mecha Sonic (8-bit, Mk. II, Super, Mk. III) | Fang | Tails Doll | Metal Knuckles | Chaos (Perfect) | E-Series | ZERO | Biolizard (Finalhazard) | Black Doom (Devil Doom) | Eggman Nega | Orbot | Cubot | Deadly Six (Zavok, Zazz, Zomom, Master Zik, Zeena, Zor)
Teams Sonic/Heroes | Rose | Dark | Chaotix | Babylon
Other Animals (Flicky) | Froggy | Chao (Hero, Dark) | Tikal | Pachacamac | Omochao | Chaclon | Gerald & Maria Robotnik | President | King Boom Boo | Cheese | Chocola | Vanilla | G.U.N. Commander | Wisps | Mother Wisp
One-off characters
Heroes Emerl | Marine | Lumina Flowlight | Chip | Shahra | Knights of the Round Table | Caliburn | Yacker | Avatar | Barry | Trip (Super)
Anti-heroes/Neutrals Bean | Bark | Shade | Merlina | Sage
Villains Witchcart | Hocke-Wulf | Bearenger | Carrotia | Battle Kukku Army (15th, 16th, Dr. Fukurokov) | E-101 Beta | Void | Chaos Gamma | Gemerl | Shugo-hei | Iblis | Mephiles | Solaris | Erazor Djinn | Captain Whisker | Johnny | Master Core: ABIS | Ix (Super) | Dark Gaia | King Arthur | Hard Boiled Heavies | Infinite | The End | Mirage Express
Teams Vector | Eggman
Other Birdie | Illumina | Secretary | Elise | Duke of Soleanna | Sonic Man | Coconut Crew | Vikings | Professor Pickle | Wentos | Don Fachio | Dodon Pa | Koco | Ancients | Conductor | Conductor's wife | Ariem | Heavy | Bomb | Tiara | Gazebo | Honey