Hotaru

Hotaru
Games: Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Sonic Mania
Affiliation: Eggman Empire
Hits to defeat: 1
Points: 100

Hotaru (ホタル) is a badnik found in Sonic the Hedgehog CD's Stardust Speedway and Metallic Madness. It is a strange firefly badnik which behaves differently in each Round it appears in. It isn't listed in any instruction manual, however it is referred to as "hotaru7" or "hotaru8" in the game's source code ("hotaru" being the Japanese word for firefly; the 7 or 8 designating which Round's version of the badnik is being used).

The Stardust Speedway variant fly in pairs around for a short while, then settle on screen. They situate themselves in such a way that no matter where or how the player moves, they stay in the same position in relation to the player. They then light up and shoot a line of electrified balls in between them before flying away, never to be seen again. This type of Hotaru can be destroyed if hit with a Spin Attack before it disappears.

The Metallic Madness variant appears in Zone 3, immediately before the boss. This version shoots a laser straight down, before flying to a different part of the screen and repeating the process.

Hotaru also appears in Sonic Mania's Stardust Speedway Zone. Within the level itself, the badnik acts identically to the version seen in Sonic the Hedgehog CD's Metallic Madness.

The Zone's mid-boss, Hotaru Hi-Watt, is heavily inspired by Hotaru and is basically a giant, more powerful version of the badnik. This boss is accompanied by Hotaru badniks, which the player faces whenever the boss flies off-screen. Two variants of the badnik are faced throughout the fight: the first acts similar to the variant faced in Sonic the Hedgehog CD's Metallic Madness, and the second is a pair of Hotaru which appear high above the player and form a chain of electrical orbs between them, before lowering themselves and the chain in an attempt to damage the player.

Hotaru shares some similarities with the Flasher badnik from Sonic the Hedgehog 2's Mystic Cave Zone, which is also based on a firefly.