One question I see being asked quite quite often is about Sonic the Hedgehog's age.
It's understandable, as fans of the series span a wide range of age groups, and many newcomers can't help but be curious about the hedgehog's place in the world. Is he my age? Is he older? Is he younger? Does he even have an age? I'm sure most fans have asked one of these questions at least once in their life, and today I wanted to take a quick moment to answer just that: "How old is Sonic the Hedgehog?"
Sonic and the Real World:
First of all, Sonic actually has two ages. We have his in game universe age, and we have his real world creation date. The original Sonic the Hedgehog came out on June 23rd of 1991. At the time of this article, he is currently 33. While real world events acknowledge this fact, and will state how "old" Sonic is, this age does not reflect his in universe self. This was only Sonic's release date.
Sonic's Video Game Age:
Although Sonic's real world age is pretty clear cut, his in game universe age is not.
Sonic the Hedgehog was originally stated to be 15 years old during the SEGA Genesis games, and is the age stated on his profile in the PC release of Sonic 3. However, the release of Sonic Jam states that Sonic is actually 16, with the Japanese version listing his age between 15 and 16 years old.
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With that being said, the video game Sonic Generations begins with the cast celebrating Sonic's birthday, which would now put him between the ages of 16 and 17 years old instead. Classic Sonic (who is clearly much younger than Modern Sonic) also makes an appearance, but later entries in the series pass him off as an alternate timeline version of Sonic, and not necessarily the same Sonic as Modern Sonic. So although he may look younger, he very well may be within the same 15 to 16 age range as Modern Sonic.
As for Modern Sonic's shift in art style, this too is actually shown within the game Sonic Pocket Adventure. This game features the Classic Sonic style for gameplay purposes, but uses Modern Sonic art and in game sprite work. It further shows that the original difference between Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic was just the art direction the character moved towards, while the Classic Sonic design itself was later reused for the character of "Classic Sonic." In other words, it does not relate back to Sonic's age, but rather the art style itself, and now to a unique separate character.
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Sonic's Movie Age:
The final age and version of Sonic is none other than Movie Sonic. Once again this Sonic's age has never been fully confirmed, but is hinted to be around the age of 14. Sonic 2 takes place a year later however, so it is safe to say Sonic is around 15. This character is also not the "same" Sonic we see in the games, so fans shouldn't get confused over how he's younger than his game counterpart.
So how old is Sonic?
For all intents and purposes, Sonic is 15 to 16 years old. This is what his official age has been confirmed to be, while Sonic Generations shows that it could actually be within the 16 to 17 range. However, if we assume that "15" has always been correct for his age, and that Generations is the game that officially tipped the scales, then Sonic is officially 16 at the oldest.
What about Shadow Generations?
Shadow Generations takes place during Sonic Generations, and can lead to some confusion. The game starts during Sonic's Birthday Party, but focuses on Shadow facing his own past. This "past" includes stages from games that released after Sonic Generations. This can be viewed from two angles. Either Sonic Generations now takes place at a later point in the timeline, or Shadow's stages include his future and not just his past. The latter is the more likely option, as moving the game's placement forward would bring into question why Sonic is familiar with Classic Sonic in Sonic Forces. Considering Sonic Generations already had a stage that no longer existed within the timeline, it isn't too surprising Shadow gets to see the future.
Ultimately, this doesn't change Sonic's current age.
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