Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック)

In 1990 Sega was looking for a mascot able to stand up to Mario. The brief was commercial before it was creative: a fast, teenage character with attitude — the exact opposite of the good-natured plumber. Sonic shipped in 1991 and made the Mega Drive a hit in the United States, where Sega briefly took the lead.

What followed was a long wilderness: the move to 3D failed for twenty years, and the brand survived largely through its community, its fan games and its recent films. It is a textbook case of a character outlasting its games, to the point that the redesign of the 2020 film, demanded by audiences, set a precedent in Hollywood.