5 Sonic the Hedgehog Characters Who Could Show Up in Sonic 4 (And Who Should Play Them)

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is turning out to be quite a hot-ticket title, given the ongoing success of Sonic 3 at the box office. With the team being hard at work on the future installment, there’s the guarantee that we’ll see some more Sonic characters from the games join the film universe. However, as for which ones, we’ve made a list of just who we may witness on the big screen come 2027, as well as who could portray them.

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So far, the Sonic film universe has introduced Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and, just recently, Shadow. However, for those who haven’t played the games, this only scratches the surface of new characters that can show up. These five do seem the most likely to appear, if the story is heading in the way it seems to be, post-credits considered. Plus, as the series gets bigger, the actors who play them can reach quite heights, like nabbing Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey, so nothing is too off-the-table for who plays who. Still, we’ve picked those that feel in-line with their gaming counterparts, not for star-power.

Amy Rose

If you’ve seen Sonic the Hedgehog 3, we know that this hammer-wielding pink hedgehog is playing some part of the next installment. Her introduction, done via mid-credit scene, does show off her look and style, which balances her original Sonic CD appearance with her modern attributes. However, it’s not yet know just how big Amy will be, whether she’ll be treated like Tails or like Knuckles in terms of narrative impact. With Metal Sonic in the mix, it does seem like Amy will be rather big, as it may follow Sonic CD. All that said, her involvement is guaranteed and one fans like myself can’t wait to see more of.

Still, as the series continues to grow, you’ll need someone who can bring that character to life for a while, not just for one project. With that said, Amy’s high-pitched and throaty vocals require an actress who has experience with that sort of voice. Enter two actresses: Karen Fukuhara and Stephanie Beatriz. Karen, while most known for non-speaking roles as The Female in The Boys and Katana in Suicide Squad, has dabbled in voice work like with the Oscar-winning The Boy and the Heron and Haru in Pokemon Concierge. Her up-start attitude and light lilt would nail the hammer-wielding hedgehog well. If high-pitch is their thing, you can go with Stephanie Beatriz, whose roles as Rosa Diaz in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Mirabel in Encanto show off her impressive range and comedic abilities. Both have done plenty of sitcoms, gaming-related projects (Stephanie with Peacock’s Twisted Metal and Karen with The Callisto Protocol), and long-term projects, so they can easily make time to rejoin the Sonic gang for more adventures. 

Big the Cat

We’ll admit it: when it comes to who we want to see most, the fishing-obsessed feline with an always-missing frog is number one. Big the Cat has taken a backseat in recent games, but they’ve been a fan-favorite since they appeared in the original Sonic Adventure. While it does seem like Sonic 4 is taking the Sonic CD route, there could be some Sonic Heroes inspiration at play, as Team Amy consists of her, Cream, and Big (with Team Sonic already established). Plus, the team has gone on record stating the character was going to appear in Sonic 2, albeit in a morbid way. 

As for who should voice Big, one instantly comes to mind that may seem far-fetched: JK Simmons. The Academy Award-winning actor, while being one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed, actually does a ton of voice work in a variety of animated projects. Those roles range from the wise Avatar Tenzin in The Legend of Korra, cult leader Ketheric Thorm in Baldur’s Gate III, and arrogant CEO Cave Johnson in the Portal series. Yet, the part that may help the most in securing Big is, in fact, the Yellow M&M in the M&M candy commercials. The deep vocals and confused tone fit Big rather well as is, but further elongated words and slowing the pace may make JK’s chance too good to pass up. 

Team Chaotix (Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy the Bee)

Yes, these are technically three characters, but, if one is in the next, all will be, so they are grouped here. A little mystery never hurt anyone. So, might as well call in the freelance detectives of Team Chaotix to solve your case! The group, consisting of ninja Espio, loudmouth Vector, and talkative Charmy, could be ‘gum’shoe-ins for Sonic 4, especially if they go the Sonic Heroes route. Still, any form of crime-solving, now that Metal Sonic is on the loose and Shadow and possibly Eggman are still alive, could be a good segway into their introduction (though Knuckles Season Two may do that earlier).

With casting, while it would be easy to cast Hollywood’s current household favorites, going the VA route may be the safest, budget-wise and canon-wise. For Espío, current VA Matthew Mercer, with his ever-increasing popularity with Critical Role and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, works quite well already. Frequent collaborator Jorma Taccone would be a pretty solid choice for Vector, given his range and comedic chops from projects like The Lonely Island and Hot Rod. Lastly, pitch is key with Charmy, as it needs to balance both adorable yet annoying in a good way, which is where Kimiko Glenn comes in. With her Broadway experience and VA work like Hazbin Hotel and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, she would be quite the scene stealer and one both kids and parents wouldn’t mind hearing on the TV on repeat.

Cream the Rabbit

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If Big the Cat and Amy are going to be in Sonic 4, you might as well complete Team Amy with Cream. The Chao-friendly rabbit child, like Big, has been absent from more recent Sonic entries, though they came in for Sonic x Shadow Generations. She, alongside her Chao Cheese (yes, it’s Cream and Cheese), first appeared in Sonic Advance 2 to make way for her role in Sonic Heroes. Many of her adventures stick to Green Hill, so perhaps if Sonic 4 takes a trip back to Sonic’s home world, we could meet Cream and have her set up for other projects.

As for who should give life to Cream, you do want someone young who can, like Amy, grow into the role. Cream is canonically a young child, around 6, but that doesn’t mean you need an actual child to play the role. Still, having a young actress would fit it better, which is where Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Cailey Fleming come in. Both are very promising young talents that have been in huge projects recently. For Ryan, her role as Kern in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is enough to make them a viable contender, much like Alyssa Brown (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) was for Maria. In terms of Cailey, she’s been in many hits like The Walking Dead as Judith Grimes and IF as the lead opposite Ryan Reynolds. They each can bring that child-like quality Cream deserves plus a lot more personality.

Rogue the Bat

Shadow, while he works alone, doesn’t always. While E-123 Omega could appear, it’s more likely that his companion may be the burglar bat herself, Rogue. The character was a big rumor going into Sonic 3, with Krysten Ritter, whose character (Director Rockwell) at the time had no name, attached. Hype surrounding her inclusion pre-trailer may be the key to Rogue debuting in the next installment, especially with Shadow, post-credit, surviving the Eclipse Cannon explosion. She could act as his key to adapting to society, albeit in an illegal gem-stealing way. 

With Rogue, the more recent iterations of the character give her a deeper, sultry voice. One that may be a viable option, albeit more A-list is Academy Award-nominee Scarlett Johansson. Her recognizable scratchy vocals and experience with infiltration via the MCU’s Black Widow may already make her role feel more in-tune with her career, much like Keanu was for Shadow with John Wick. Plus, her star power can be big at the box office, if that is a factor. However, during the rumored times, Sarah Paulson, star of the hit anthology American Horror Story, was mentioned and commented about it for ComicBook, saying “Nobody has called me about playing Rouge the Bat, but I would like them to,”. Perhaps it would be fate, but they did get Keanu Reeves after his Speed appearance in the first, so maybe Sarah’s comment could nab her the role. If so, she would fit it rather well, given her mastery of drama with Carol and deception with Ocean’s Eight. Both would be inspired but apt choices for the winged criminal.