#for me it really shows how Eggman Nega truly is not so different from Eggman

[true-blue-sonic]

I'm fascinated to know more about Silver's relationship with Eggman Nega. Not only is Eggman Nega one of the most evil people in the series with a twisted sociopathic personality that directly contrasts Silver's but his existence means that even in the peaceful future Silver has been fighting a great enemy by himself for a long time.

Eggman Nega is a contested villain for many, but he indeed intrigues me as well. What I find interesting about Eggman Nega is that he clearly is pissed about Eggman's conga line of failures and busted world domination attempts ever since meeting Sonic, the ramifications of which apparently are still noticeable for the Robotniks 200 years later. And instead of trying to move away from his ancestor's legacy and showing the world that he has worth and intelligence galore as his own person, Eggman Nega bitterly links himself to Eggman all the same by seeing his destiny as being denied and doing anything he can to bring a change to it. He and Eggman are so the same it is almost painfully ironically hilarious: they're both impatient and hotblooded manchildren who thinks everything should revolve around them and the world should be grovelling in awe of just how amazing they are, Eggman is simply much more bombastic and allegedly somewhat more rational on top. Meanwhile, the moment the change he desires goes wrong for him, Eggman Nega decides that if he can't have nice things, no-one can...

It's an interesting contrast with Silver and Silver's selflessness. Silver would do anything to help another person, and often puts himself in a position wherein he places world-saving on solely his own shoulders if he can. If you need anything, no matter what it is, Silver will drop all he is doing to aid you. Eggman Nega meanwhile is wicked to his core, and everything he does is for personal benefits only. I find it interesting as well that Silver in Rivals never even hints at there being another force to keep Eggman Nega in line, like GUN or a government or something. It's just this fourteen-year-old fighting against a depraved and unhinged madman whose desire for vengeance can get overshadowed in the blink of an eye with a desire to just destroy everything, solely because he can and wants to. Perhaps that is also a contrast between Eggman Nega and Silver: Silver can be short-sighted and rash, but I was watching the Rivals 1 cutscenes from him yesterday, and he is shrewd. He directly concludes on situations based on the information he has, and he is both correct and his line of reasoning based on what he knows checks out. Silver appears dumb and fool-hearty, but he can be quite the opposite, with a perceptiveness you would not give him if you just came across him. Eggman Nega meanwhile appears very well-put-together and intelligent, giving off the 'always a step ahead' vibes easily. But he tends to oversee small details, talks FAR too much (one time in Rivals he literally says he'll use Metal Sonic (iirc) to buy him time to sneak away), and makes grave mistakes that come back to bite him down the line due to simply being careless. To generalise, Silver appears dumb but is not, Eggman Nega appears intelligent but is not.

As for the future, Eggman Nega seems to be someone who always comes back from the brink, just like Eggman: I get the feeling he might not be stuck in the Ifrit's dimension anymore, and if he goes back to Silver's era it will be with a vengeance. But I also think Silver is willing to carry that burden if it means the world will be safe. In Rivals he seems to have been archnemeses with Eggman Nega a long time (or at least he's been chasing after Nega a long time, iirc), and I doubt either will ever consider giving up before they got what they wanted!

[crusherthedoctor]

The Lutrudis Hadeer Characterization Masterpost

A while back, I made a big post about the thought process that went into the design for Lutrudis, as well as her name, species, and choice of weapons. In the midst of doing a bunch of other stuff (like the Eggman Sweet or Shite review, which is definitely still coming guys I swear, please don't leave me D':), I recently figured I could do the same for the character's... well, character, and provide some further insight into how her personality was shaped together. Cause why not, right?

Obviously, we won't be covering literally every single personality trait that Trudy has, like her hobbies and whatnot. If we went over all of that, we'd be so far into the future that Tumblr's search system might actually start working again. No, we'll just be keeping it to the central ingredients that make up the overall package.

1. A cool head? In my Sonic OC?

The recurring cast in the Sonic universe is filled with fiery, hot-blooded sorts in one way or another. Sonic might as well be the love child of Mentos and Diet Coke with how full of energy he is, Knuckles and Amy are both prone to letting their temper do the talking, Eggman... is Eggman, and the list goes on. And while there are a number of characters who are more low-key or even outright introverted by comparison, they still tend to exhibit a trait or two that makes them more in-line with the rest of the crowd, be it youthful excitement (Tails, Cream), a fiery temper (Blaze), or the odd bit of cockiness (Shadow).

So what better way to help make Trudy stand out... than by not really having anything like that at all? Contrary to most of the hot-blooded cast, it takes a lot to truly enrage her, and even then, you'll be lucky to get anything past tranquil fury. She's not particularly hammy either - flowery with her language at times, certainly, but not hammy - nor is she a cocky type, even against the weakest or most ridiculous of opponents, and although she does grow as a person over the course of the story she's involved in, all of this remains fairly consistent.

That's not to say that Trudy is not a passionate person. Far from it, in fact. She has a lot of passion. She just shows it in a different way than the average Sonic character.

2. Lutrudis? More like Unsureofdis.

Uncertain characters are also somewhat rare in Sonic's recurring cast (at least in the game universe), and just like with the previous point, even when they're there, they'll usually have something to counter it. Blaze may have been a bit insecure before meeting and befriending Sonic and Co, but as mentioned, she’s got a fierce temper, and even when she started off on her own, she felt that only she could take care of the threat of Eggman and Inferior Eggman Nega. Likewise, while Silver may have doubted himself about Leslie the Crack Dealer’s Iblis Trigger ruse cruise, he still got cocky when he had Sonic on the ropes, and he could be quite full of himself in the Rivals duology as well.

The point being, they still tend to show some semblance of the same “yep, I'm the one for the job, no questions asked” confidence and swagger that nearly everyone else has, no matter the flavor. Trudy, suffice to say, does not have this mentality. Trudy accepting Sonic and Co's help in dealing with sinister affairs in Viridonia without any haughty protest on her part isn't just because she knows they can handle it, or because they're Sonic Heroes and they'll show 'em the real superpower of teamwork... it's also because she's genuinely not sure if she would be able to take care of the matter on her own.

When she saved Cream from the wrath of the Wraith for example, she wasn't thinking “This looks like a job for Miss Hadeer!”

She was thinking “This could very well get me killed, but I have to help the poor bunny somehow...”

In other words, Trudy doesn't consider herself to be some sort of destined protector who has to do this herself. She constantly second guesses herself, and frequently believes her friends are more qualified and competent than she is. Her only reason for doing her best and helping out regardless is simply because she wants to.

3. A light at the end of the tunnel.

For the sake of tact, it's not shoved in your face relentlessly, but reading between the lines, it can be easy to get a sense of melancholy from Trudy. Particularly due to past experiences, she does indeed have an element of depression within her, and this can occasionally show in her body language and facial expressions, even if she's currently feeling positive emotions.

And yet, notice how she continues being a friendly pony. Notice how regardless of her experiences, and her thoughts on said experiences, her actual behaviour is (mostly) free of bitterness or cynicism, and that she doesn't hide the joy that her new friends make her feel. She's not outright ignoring her experiences or pretending they don’t affect her, because they clearly have affected her, and she's never ignored her scars (metaphorically and literally, the latter being a permanent side-effect of her condition), but she knows better than to let it consume her, so she tries her best to look at the bright side of life even during the darkest days.

It's Sonic's opinion that Trudy's inner spirit is a lot stronger than she thinks, with or without his help. Her refusal to give into misery and lash out at the world foreshadows that he's not unjustified in that belief. That, and it ties into the franchise’s usual taste for optimism and idealism against the odds.

4. Hadeer? More like Hadork.

So, everything thus far helps set Trudy up as a mellow, down-to-earth sort of personality. So far, so good. However, it's still the Sonic the Hedgehog universe we're talking about, filled with many colorful characters of all shapes, sizes, and eccentricities. When a franchise has a larger than life cast in a larger than life world, the characters who are meant to be grounded often risk coming off as boring and could end up easily overshadowed, because the creators or writers often neglect to give them any quirks of their own, usually out of fear that it'll disgrace the character's gracefulness. In fact, I personally feel this was a common problem with Sally, in both SatAM and Archie (mostly pre-reboot admittedly).

IMO, these writers are just being plain old silly. Just because a character is quirky doesn't mean they forfeit all their dignity altogether. Like a lot of things in life, you just have to balance it out, and that's what I did (or tried to do...) with the green equine.

So yes, Trudy is elegant, but she's also a really goofy dancer. Yes, she's gentle and motherly, but she also goes back and forth between being a heavy sleeper and being an insomniac. Yes, she serves as a warmhearted auntie figure for Cream (and a big sister figure for Amy), but she also spends a quarter of her time looking like a ninja with the way her bandana covers her face (whether it be due to cold weather, strong scents triggering her sensitive nose, or doing it in the presence of villains as a mildly theatrical way of visually conveying her disdain for them).

And of course, in the right situation, she can be just as much of a dork as the titular blue hedgehog is.

Which leads me to my next point...

5. “You might know everything I'm going to do...”

Trudy was created with the intention of having a character who is actually like Sonic himself in a lot of ways, but it's not apparent initially.

This sort of yin-yang contrasting routine has been done before a few times in the series, with Knuckles, Shadow and Blaze being the most obvious examples. But with them, their similarities are easier to spot from a distance. Knuckles is more earth than wind, but you can tell he's as stubborn as Sonic is. Shadow's methods and outlook differ, but you can tell he's still a mirror of Sonic (cause you know, he looks like him). Blaze is more distant, but you can tell how she can easily be just as worked up and angered as Sonic.

With Trudy however, if you take her at face value, you would think she's the exact opposite of Sonic. She's an introvert, he's an extrovert. She's got a calm temperament, he can get impatient even at the best of times. She's quite fancy, he's more rough and tumble. She takes things slowly, he leaps ahead without a care in the world... You would think that, outside of them both fighting for good, they would have nothing in common, and that their dynamic would be more akin to Sonic's relationship with Sally, which although they were friends, their relationship could often be somewhat rocky due to their differences in... basically every area and opinion imaginable.

But then you get to know Trudy, and the unfolding of the adventure reveals the rest of what she has to offer. The aforementioned soldiering on in spite of any depressed moments is in itself a small hint that Trudy shares Sonic's philosophy of never giving up. She believes that most people are good at their core, and while she won't excuse especially evil people or actions and will punish them appropriately (albeit with regret that it had to come to that), she's willing to give a chance to those who are willing to take it, just like with the Blue Blur. Not only does she NOT find Sonic's jokes and hijinks annoying, she actually has a similar sense of humor herself. And while reasonable people generally tend to loathe injustice and oppression, Trudy shares Sonic's uniquely intense contempt for it, and believes in one's own personal freedom just as much as the hedgehog does, let alone freedom in general.

In short, Trudy is what you get when you take Sonic's deeper qualities and general outlook on life, and apply them to a more introverted and taciturn personality. The exact same beliefs, but from a different perspective, so to speak.

6. A different kind of intelligence.

Tails and Eggman are the resident kings of scientific prowess in Sonic's world, and it goes without saying that I wouldn't want to do them a disservice by having Trudy one-up them in that department. But that doesn't mean your character can’t be talented in other areas, right? Contrary to what all those Mary Sue tests dictate, your character can in fact have a high IQ without intruding on an official character’s territory.

Therefore, Trudy is pretty good at innovation and craftsmanship in her own right, but whereas Tails and Eggman do it through technology, her field of expertise is more to do with arts and crafts, and to a lesser extent geology. For example, both her bow and her whip were crafted by the lady herself, using nothing but her decorative knowledge and flair.

Outside of that, she tends to know a fair bit about a lot of things in the world, largely attributed to her photographic memory, meaning she's bound to have a few answers no matter the subject of discussion. Granted, she's unlikely to be the absolute number one expert on any of those things, but she's at least a useful jack of all trades in that regard.

7. Feeling a little horse.

I very much approve and flat out adore the idea of Sonic characters having characteristics that remind the audience of what species they're supposed to be, so I made sure that Trudy had a wide selection of little mannerisms that would reveal her for the little horsie that she is. These include, but aren't limited to...

- When she’s fascinated or concerned by something, she’ll lean a little forward with her hands close to her chest, which subtly mimics the act of prancing.

- When she wakes up, she briefly stretches her arms and legs (albeit not too recklessly so as to risk straining her sensitive limbs).

- Her tail has a number of quirks. If she's happy, it might slowly swish to and fro. If she's REALLY happy, it might flick...

- And if she doesn't approve of someone or something, it might stiffen and raise a little bit, as if to helpfully inform the bad guys where they can kiss, if ya know what I'm saying.

- When she's being affectionate with her friends, she might give them the ol' nuzzle.

- When she's in a playful mood, there might be a little skip in her walk, the anthro equivalent of trotting.

- When she's annoyed, she might humorously let out a snort that sounds identical to a real life horse snort. And while she certainly doesn't neigh in the traditional sense, when she finds something hilarious or Sonic's making her laugh with his antics, her laughter can't help but take on a neigh-like touch to it. (The latter was actually a headcanon suggested by @darklightheart​, and I immediately agreed with it because it's cute and funny in equal measures.)

Naturally, she gets all shy and embarrassed when the neigh-laugh comes out, thinking it sounds silly. At least Sonic finds it endearing.

Note that I'm well aware that some of this differs from how real life horses react to certain things. (Eg: tail swishing tends to happen when a horse is agitated rather than happy.) But I freely admit that it's more for the sake of giving the character that extra bit of soul than it is for utmost accuracy. That's the way it goes with fiction sometimes. :P

Interestingly, Trudy tends to get Sonic indulging in a funny hedgehog characteristic of his own. That being, he might curl into a ball if Trudy's being particularly... ~complimentary~ towards him.

And there we are! These are the core elements that make up Trudy’s characterization. If you ever wanted a general list of what makes her tick, then hopefully this post will help in scratching that itch. And if it doesn’t, then hopefully it still proves that more thought was put into her than Scourge. :]

[robotniiik]

Here’s the 12-paragraph start to this event or whatever you want to call it- I’ll have a summary up soon too in case you don’t want to read all of this!

“So, Ivo, do you want to show me your progress on the interstellar amusement park? We’re going to need to go up there either way.” Nega finally said, after being silent for a while. He had to admit, even if this wasn’t going the way he wanted it to, he was interested in what this space amusement park was going to be like. Eggman was brought out of his thoughts of what he wanted it to be like by Nega’s voice, looking at him and trying to process what he said. After a moment, he finally realize what he’d asked, and he gave a nod. “Why, of course, Nega! Actually, I have the elevator for it going already!”

An elevator. To space. This was likely a prototype of some sort, too. That didn’t comfort Nega much, but then again, Eggman had created an amusement park like this before, right? And he likely had some kind of elevator before, otherwise, why would he try this now? “Well, lead the way then, Ivo.” Eggman nodded, leading the way to the massive white tower with glass on all four sides. It stood behind one of his many bases, and it definitely stood out. With a press of the button, the doors of the huge elevator opened, and the two men stepped inside. Eggman pressed the up button on the elevator, and the elevator took them up fairly quickly, but it didn’t feel like it was ascending as fast as it really was.

When the doors opened, they were greeted by the beginnings of what was once the Tropical Resort from Eggman’s first park. Some of the neon lights and buildings were already up, but much of it was still under construction. Eggman stepped out to lead the way forward, and Nega followed him. Already, Nega was pretty impressed by what he saw. Eggman was pointing things out and describing what they were and what was going to be added, going on about his visions for this area alone. And there were going to be about five areas. But Nega was only half-listening. He was trying to take this all in, but just ahead of them, he spotted something that looked very out of place. A large, metal ‘P.’ It looked like it was forcefully embedded into the ground, as if it had skidded in. There was no reason for there to be a ‘P’ as far as Nega knew- it was Resort, not Paradise, right? Ivo’s name obviously didn’t start with that letter, and it didn’t look like anything Eggman had ever created to Nega.

Eggman had stopped going on and had spotted the metallic letter, seeming confused by its presence. The first thing that came to mind was that his robots were messing around on him, but even when they did that, the result didn’t often look like that. The doctor looked at Nega, giving a shrug, then he went ahead and approached the thing. Nega followed behind, but he kept a distance, just in case. As Eggman approached it to look at the damage it caused, there was a sudden flash and the front of the letter disappeared. When it did, Eggman didn’t get to have a great look because a small silver robot that was unlike his own hopped out and jumped up on him. “Chu!” The little thing squeaked. It didn’t appear to actually be trying to attack. Two taller, silver robots with red accents took a step out of the metal letter to look around. Again, these robots were nothing like Eggman’s own.

These robots were the only things Eggman had noticed. “Are you all okay? Where did you come from?” Nega approached his relative’s side to get a better look at these robots, but he spotted something behind the taller ones. It appeared to be a person, but he was curled up on the floor and facing the other way. Nega cleared his throat to get Eggman’s attention, then pointed at the person. As he did this, the small robot jumped off of Eggman to allow him to get a better look. The two taller robots stepped aside, and the person slowly turned over a little to see what was going on when their shadows weren’t cast over him anymore. He appeared to be a young man- a young man in some sort of pain. And he was confused. He didn’t know who these two were. They almost reminded him of someone he’d used before, but they also looked quite different from him at the same time.

His back and shoulders were in pain from having his robots smash against him a few times during the rough landing he’d endured. Not only that, when they decided to get back up, they used him to push up off of. He was clearly having a difficult time standing up, so Nega took a step forward and reached a hand down to him. Eggman did the same for him, and the young man took both of their hands. The two helped him stand back up, and before Eggman could ask him what happened, Nega spoke. “Nice of you to drop by. Who might you be?” For a while, the cloaked young man didn’t answer, not looking at either of them. “Well...” He began. “I don’t really know who you two are. But I might as well tell you anyways. They call me Purge. Genius Purge, if you will. But, I suppose you can simply call me Purge.” He looked at the two doctors. “Now, who are you?” Already, he was able to distract himself from the pain he was in just by focusing on these two.

This time, Eggman was the first to speak. “They call me Dr. Eggman, but my actual name is Robotnik. Dr. Ivo Robotnik. You can call me any of those names, I don’t mind!” Purge raised an eyebrow at that name- Eggman. But, he supposed the man was a bit egg-shaped. A little unfortunate. He wasn’t sure why he’d let people call him that, but he wasn’t about to make a comment about it. Nega put a hand on his chest. “And they call me Dr. Eggman Nega. However, I prefer to drop that ‘Eggman’ name. I’d be fine just being called Dr. Nega, or just Nega. A pleasure to meet you, Purge.” Now this, Purge could understand. While he had a quite similar appearance to this ‘Eggman,’ it would make sense to not want to be called such a name.

Purge gave a nod. “It’s a pleasure to meet you two, too...” Just now, he started to have a look around the place. Some kind of...space amusement park in the works? Or was it just some fancy ideal vacation area? While he was pondering where he was, Nega watched him. Was this kid just what he needed to help turn Ivo back to his ways of trying to rule the world? It might’ve been a bit too early to judge for sure, but this kid seemed to at least share an interest in robots. If Nega could sway this kid into helping him, things could turn out the way he wanted.

Both were brought out of their thoughts by Eggman speaking. “So, do you like the place so far, Purge? It’s a work in progress, obviously, but one day, this great amusement park will bring happiness to everyone on the planet, I hope!” Purge looked at the doctor, then took a look around the place again. So far, it was pretty nice, but he felt like he sensed that this ‘Eggman’ wasn’t happy himself. Again, he looked at the doctor. “Why, I do like it, Robotnik. However, is it going to make you truly happy? It’s not right to sacrifice your happiness for everyone else’s. After all, I tried something a bit similar. I wanted my entire galaxy to be happy, but I wasn’t sacrificing my own happiness for it. I may have failed to make them happy, but that was because they were fools who didn’t realize how unhappy they were.” He gave a small shrug. Now wasn’t the time to rant about what had happened to him. “Is there some sort of deeper desire? Something you want to accomplish before you set out to finish this and make the planet happy?”

Eggman was surprised by what the young man had said, by what he was asking. Before he could get a word in, Nega looked at Eggman. “Yes, uniting the world, perhaps? That would contribute to their happiness, Ivo- world peace. The amusement park would be the cherry on top, but the most important part is having you bring everyone together, isn’t it?” Purge was pretty sure that he knew what Nega actually meant by ‘uniting the world,’ and he wasn’t too sure why he didn’t just say ‘taking over the world.’ If he was trying to censor his actual meaning to Purge, he’d need to, at some point, explain that it wasn’t necessary. But Eggman had looked down slightly, reaching up and rubbing the edge of his mustache with one hand. “That...would be nice...” Deep down, he knew what Nega actually meant, too, but it was a much nicer way of saying ‘taking over the world,’ and right now, that’s what he preferred to hear- ‘uniting’ the world.

Purge simply shrugged, laughing a little. “Well, I could help you! Maybe I can help this galaxy be happy! Together, we could achieve exactly what we want!” He would need to get to know these doctors better, but if this little space park was their doing, if these robots hurrying around to construct the place were their creations, he could use their technology and recreate his Ballistic Groove Gun. He’d achieve what he tried to over there right here! He would need to recreate a few of his other creations as well to simply get around the place, but it wouldn’t be too difficult. With the help of his own robots (who were simply watching the three converse at the moment) and the technology of these two, he was definitely going to be able to rebuild everything he’d need.

Eggman nodded. “I would be glad to have your help, Purge...” Nega nodded as well. “Quite thrilled, really.” He just needed to get closer to this kid. Possibly closer than Ivo would get to him. That would be the best way to go about trying to get things to go his way. By the end of all of this, hopefully, Ivo would be back to normal. Yes, this kid seemed to be exactly what he needed...

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic Villains: Sweet or Shite? - Part 8: EGGMAN NEGA

There are some villains I like. And there are some villains I don't like. But why do I feel about them the way I do? That's where this comes in.

This is a series of mine in which I go into slightly more detail about my thoughts on the villains in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and why I think they either work well, or fall flat (or somewhere in-between). I'll be giving my stance on their designs, their personalities, and what they had to show for themselves in the game(s) they featured in. Keep in mind that these are just my own personal thoughts. Whether you agree or disagree, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions! I don't bite. :>

Anyhow, for today's installment, we'll finally be tackling Sonic's beloved arch-nemesis, the rotund doctor himself, the scheming conquerer in the making, the forever determined mad scientist...

...'s clone.

Eggman Nega.

The Gist: It was just an ordinary handheld adventure for Sonic the Hedgehog, as he made his way through the opening act of Sonic Rush to foil the nefarious ambitions of Dr. Eggman yet again. The doctor hinted early on that there would be more than meets the eye this time around, to which Sonic initially disregarded as typical Eggman talk. However, he changed his tune when he met a purple cat who he had never seen before... and later, a mysterious fellow who looked rather derivative...

“Look, no disrespect, but I’d rather not stumble over my vowels and offend an entire section of the human race by accident.”

It's quickly established that this man, who went by the name of Dr. Eggman Nega, hailed from an alternate dimension. The same applied to the aforementioned feline, Blaze, who in turn was revealed to be the Sonic to this Eggman's... Eggman. So she was well-acquainted with Nega's dickery, and it didn't take long for her to conclude that he was responsible for the regular Eggman's presence regarding her side of affairs.

Eggman and Diet Eggman, in league with each other, planned to use the growing time-space rift between the two dimensions to, scientifically speaking, fuck shit up. But together - after having an unnecessary scuffle (because all new heroic characters in this franchise are obligated to fight Sonic for trivial reasons) - Sonic and Blaze went Super and Burning, kicked the Eggmen's Eggasses, and restored everything back to normal. And that was the end of that, right...?

Pfft, ANYONE who looks exactly like Eggman can say that.

Not necessarily. Nega made a surprise return in Sonic Rivals, where he was revealed to be the mastermind of attempting to turn the world into a card, a plan that even the actual Eggman would probably laugh at. This cemented him as the... by my estimation... sixth antagonist to screw the doctor over. And that's if we're not counting villains who were unaffiliated to begin with.

Somewhat more concerning however, his backstory was completely different. Rather than being Blaze's arch-enemy in an alternate dimension, he was now inexplicably Silver the Hedgehog's arch-enemy IN THE FUTURE!!!!!, having been revealed to be the descendant of Eggman. Nevermind that this would imply Eggman found someone worthy of his affection (himself notwithstanding). At least Blaze's backstory remained intact, right.........?

Not that it stopped Nega from reestablishing himself as Blaze's dimension foe in Sonic Rush Adventure.

That would explain the Eggman jamboree.

And then that didn't stop Nega from reestablishing himself as Silver's future fiend in Sonic Rivals 2.

YYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

It's been said that the future interpretation is the true and honest one for Nega, because with a character like this, you clearly have nothing to lose by picking the more confusing option. Not that it matters too much nowadays, since he's been spending his decade long retirement at the Olympics. Best place for him, really.

The Design: Nega's appearance is a masterstroke of telling a story purely through the visuals. The grey-haired moustache establishes how Nega is older, and thus wiser, than the real Eggman. The red tracksuit confirms that Nega is always quick to call for action, unlike the defeatist outlook implied by Eggman's black pants. The use of the Classic yellow tusks on Nega's jacket, as well as the bumblebee shoes, make it apparent to the viewer that he is more Eggman than Eggman will ever be, as he encompasses the heart and soul of the character, of which the original simply cannot live up to.

Now you see, anything can sound deep when you talk a lot of shite.

He should really get that hip checked.

All sarcasm aside, Nega's design gets a solid place in the "not particularly great" tier, and that's putting it nicely. Whether it took five days or five minutes to come up with him, we are given no point of interest outside of the very thing that makes him unoriginal. After all, why should we care about the thought put into his look when they didn't...?

Even his poses are the fucking same.

Sonic got himself a counterpart in the form of a serious-minded cat with pyrokinesis. Tails got himself a counterpart in the form of an excitable raccoon with (implied) hydrokinesis. But all Eggman gets is a guy who looks just like him, right down to the name. I would say there's some injustice here. If you're going to make an alternative equivalent of the doctor, go wild with it. Think up as many physical contrasts as you can. Make the character their own being, rather than a halfhearted copy and paste of another, better villain. Especially when the latter is the villain of the series.

The Personality: Nega is set up to be an eccentric yet brilliant mastermind, even though Eggman is also such.

Nega is set up to provide a polite contrast to the often childish Eggman, even though Eggman is also capable of maintaining a polite facade when he feels like it.

Nega is set up to be capable of some truly evil things that can shock and disgust others, even though Eggman is capable of that too.

Noticing a pattern?

That said, there is one notable difference: Nega's lapses in logic are ten times more unintentionally hilarious.

“And I’ll have, you know that, my grammar has, always been, perfect!”

“...By removing myself as well in the process! On another note, what's 2 plus 2?"

There's really not much to add about Nega's personality. Whatever you can say about Nega, you can say about Eggman too. And I'd prefer not to be redundant when it's the turn of the real deal.

The Execution: If it wasn't obvious at this point, Nega falls flat as his own character and as a counterpart for Eggman. Either he's a repetitive second wheel (the Rush duology), or he's a straight up poor man's replacement (the Rivals duology). He has very little going for him that the original Eggman doesn't already have, which makes his shortcomings all the easier to spot.

Now you might be willing to think "But Nega is a darker mirror of Eggman! He shows a more vicious and sadistic side of the doctor! This type of character provides a fascinating insight into Eggman's character!"

Well here's the thing.

We already have a character who fulfills the role very well as a darker mirror of Dr. Eggman.

His name is Dr. Eggman.

Contrary to popular belief (which I'm sure has been influenced by certain adaptations), the real Eggman is still a massive bastard when you look past his outwardly silly demeanour, and as such, he's fully willing to commit surprisingly cruel acts of villainy that you wouldn't initially expect from him. This includes the enslavement and corruption of an innocent alien race, breaking the entire planet apart for the sake of waking up an ancient beast, and going full suicide bomber on Station Square when Chaos is seemingly defeated.

Part of the genius with Eggman's character is that he has two contrasting sides: the playful manchild, and the monster within. Giving the latter half to an uninspired recolour simplifies Eggman himself in the process, because by doing that, he's only one half of himself, and he's less effective as a villain in his own right because of it.

Well at least even the official cast don't seem to take Nega seriously.

“Oh no! He’s going to turn the planet into a card!” *smiles joyfully*

This review was a hard one for me, because there's only so many times I can point out that Nega is a complete ripoff, and aside from that elephant in the room (eggaphant in the room?), I don't have much else to work with. So I'll just reiterate that Nega has fortunately been reduced to Olympic fodder and call it a day.

Meanwhile, the real Eggman literally conquered the world. Just a reminder.

Crusher Gives Eggman Nega a: Thumbs Down!