Tikal the Echidna
Tikal (ティカル Tikaru) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. She is a light orange echidna with blue eyes. Tikal first appeared in the game Sonic Adventure for Sega Dreamcast, which was released in Japan on December 23, 1998. Her character is described as 14 years old, 3 ft 1 in tall, and 52.8 lb in weight. The character was designed by Yuji Uekawa.
Tikal is named[1] after a ruined Mayan city whose name means "bread", or "Place of Voices", and her father shares the name of both an Inca solar deity and a city of the Inca Empire. The pyramid in the Mystic Ruins resembles the city of Tikal's, and the Lost World level retains aspects of Maya ruins, such as the rotating snake and the jade. Tikal's attire is also based on it.
Tikal is the daughter of Chief Pachacamac and is said[2] to have originated from the same tribe as Knuckles the Echidna. Her mother died when she was young, so she was raised by her grandmother. Tikal respected her and believed everything she taught, causing her to become a pacifist. After her grandmother died, Tikal followed her wishes to oppose Pachacamac's power-hungry ways.
Despite not being the game often, she has appeared in other Sonic media as well, such as the comic books, Sonic the Hedgehog, Fleetway, and Sonic X. Tikal also made several appearances in the cartoon, Sonic X, is playable in 2-player in Sonic Adventure 2/Battle, and she also made a cameo appearance in Sonic Pinball Party. Moreover, she appeared in a mini-game in Sonic Adventure DX.
Tikal's role
Tikal's role in the game, Sonic Adventure, is to show what happens thousands of years prior to the game and is the plot of it. It shows how Tikal has pleaded with her father to stop all his fighting, stealing, and killing, and how she struggled with him to be on the right path to peace. It shows how much she wanted Pachacamac to do what's right, to the point of being knocked unconscious.
Even when Pachacamac attempted to steal the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald at the shrine to give his tribe total power, Tikal continued to beseech with them to stop, saying that once they had greed, they would always want more. Despite her pleas, Pachacamac ignored her and charged forward with his men, knocking down Tikal in the process. However, as they approached the Master Emerald, Chaos, the Chao's guardian, was enraged and used the Chaos Emeralds to turn into Perfect Chaos to kill Pachacamac and the warriors.
Tikal immediately knew that trouble would befall the world if she didn't do anything and ran to the Master Emerald. She then remembered a wise saying from her grandmother, "The servers are the seven Chaos, Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the chaos." Now realizing what it meant, she requested that the Master Emerald stop Chaos. The Master Emerald, listening to her heartfelt pleads, trapped Tikal and Chaos in itself. The remaining echidnas that lived made it their duty to protect the Master Emerald to assure that Chaos would never be released again.
A few thousand years later, Doctor Eggman found the ancient tablets describing the event and shattered the Master Emerald to free Chaos. When the Master Emerald broke, Tikal, in the form of a glowing ball of light, was freed. Knowing that if Chaos acquired the seven Chaos Emeralds, the world would be destroyed again, she subsequently transported Sonic and his friends to the past so they would stop Chaos from obtaining the emeralds.
Despite this, Chaos acquired the Chaos Emeralds and he used their negative energies to become Perfect Chaos. As Chaos attempted to destroy Station Square, Tikal appeared and told Sonic that Chaos would destroy the world again and must be sealed inside the Master Emerald now. However, Tikal soon learned that Chaos's heart would still remain in turmoil, and his anger wouldn't vanish, and instead of sealing Chaos, Sonic used the positive energy of the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic. Sonic then neutralized Chaos, and Tikal said, "The fighting's over. Harmony is restored and life goes on." After thanking Sonic and his friends for their help, she and Chaos rose into the air and disappeared.
Personality
Tikal is a passionate, gentle pacifist who has an amiable nature and a good-heart. She never wavered in her attempt to oppose Pachacamac and is determined to have her tribe in peace. She has tried to stop her father in amicable ways and have never once resorted to violence. Tikal's peaceful temperament and beliefs drastically contradict with her father's, who was fierce and warlike. Though she begged him to stop in his conquest, his greed and ambition overcame everything else, eventually causing him to lose his love for his daughter.
The official Sonic Adventure 2: Battle website[3] describes Tikal as, "She is a caring person, and everyone loves her, however, she sometimes opposes her father's ways. She moves very quickly and is a proud warrior of this tribe."
Abilities and weaknesses
One of Tikal's abilities in the game, Sonic Adventure, is the ability to transport people to the past in their mind (similar to a vision), which affects the plot of the game. With it, she is able to show Sonic and his friends her past and try to persuade them to stop Chaos from obtaining the seven Chaos Emeralds. Tikal is also able to turn into a red and white sphere of light, which enables her to quickly go to the different places where Sonic and his friends are located. She can also communicate with Chaos, which allowed her to mollify his anger by telling him that the Chao are fine.
In Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Tikal has similar abilities to Knuckles the Echidna and can also sense emeralds but does not contribute to the plot. Her only purpose is to be in 2-player. In those two games, for every twenty rings Tikal obtains, she will receive one of three special attacks[4]. The special attacks are called Wrath of Gaia (shakes ground), Heaven's Justice (hits opponent) and Captive Light (prevents opponent from moving for some time).
In the Archie comic books, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic X, Tikal has telepathy, which allows her to communciate with Chaos. In Fleetway's Sonic the Comic, she has a staff, which allows her to battle complacently. In the Sonic X comic book, Tikal mentions that the tribes' elders taught her how to fight, which explains how she knows how to defend herself.
Tikal's weaknesses include being physically weak, which shows that even though she isn't strong, she is determined to have her tribe in peace. In the games, Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, she throws short punches and can't sense emeralds as well as the other treasure hunters. She has these weaknesses to even out her abilities and weaknesses in 2-player and does not contribute to the plot in the game.
Fleetway
In Sonic the Comic (Fleetway), the Drakons took over the emerald mines and made an unsecure “Chaos” energy source. However, by using the Echidnas' emeralds, they were able to control that energy, resulting in the Chaos Emeralds. At that moment, Pachacamac had ordered his men to take the energy source so he could take over the galaxy, when the Drakons waged war with them.
Since Pachacamac had the Power of the Chaos Emeralds, he transported Sonic to the past. Pachacamac then beseeched Sonic to assist Knuckles in the capture of the Drakon Fish so he could make peace with the Drakons. However, after the two had captured the fish, the Drakons had attacked them. In the war, the Chaos Emeralds were hit, which caused it to become unstable. Everyone left, leaving the Drakon Fish behind, which resulted in the fish becoming Chaos. The Echidnas then sealed Chaos in a container, but later on, Dr. Eggman's assistant, Grimer, released him.
Because of Chaos, Tikal says this would be the beginning of the Great War. Despite this, Pachacamac returned Chaos to his own time with the Chaos Energy he stole from Chaos. This weakened Chaos, allowing Knuckles to defeat him. When the war ended, Pachacamac, Tikal, and Knuckles thought about the beginning of a war that would determine what would happen to the Echidnas. Although Tikal and Pachacamac knew Knuckles would live 8000 years, they realized that everything else was lost.
Archie comics
Sonic the Hedgehog
In the Archie comic book, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tikal appears in issue #79. Contrasting to the game, her eyes are green instead of blue. In the comic book, Tikal's tribe lived next to the Mysterious Cat City and fought against the Cat people. Later, Tikal found the ruins where the Chao resided and made friends with them. When the Echidnas started to lose to the Cats, they attempted to use the power of the Chaos Emeralds to win against them. The warriors attacked Chaos, who in turn used the Chaos Emeralds to turn into Perfect Chaos and kill them. Chaos began to wreak havoc on the world, so in order to stop the disaster, Tikal and the chao trapped Chaos in the Black Emerald, but for a price, Tikal’s spirit was trapped as well.
Later, Doctor Eggman's Robian slaves were digging up the Mysterious Cat City when they found a Black Emerald. Eggman broke it open and Chaos emerged while Tikal, in the form of a red light ball, flew by, unnoticed. Then Tikal communicated with Knuckles through telepathy and told him her history. After Chaos acquired the seven Chaos Emeralds, he used the negative energies of the emeralds to turn into Perfect Chaos and began to destroy Station Square. Then Tikal appeared to Sonic and showed him the past of Chaos’s origin. Next, Tikal used a spell to weaken Perfect Chaos, she positive-charged the Chaos Emeralds, which changed Sonic into Super Sonic. After Sonic neutralized Chaos, he and Tikal returned to their zone, which is Angel Island before the attack on the Master Emerald shrine.
Sonic X (Archie)
Tikal appears in the Archie comic book, Sonic X, in issue #6. The Master Emerald had brought Tikal to the present time because the earth was in danger from angry Chao. As a back-up, Tikal brought Chaos and a multitude of chao with her and assisted Sonic and his friends in the defeat of the enraged chao. Later, Doctor Eggman appeared, and Tikal telepathically told the chao to gives Chaos the seven Chaos Emeralds to increase his strength. Tikal then assured Sonic that Chaos would not destroy the city because he was using the positive energies of the Chaos Emeralds this time. After Dr. Eggman's defeat, before returning to her own time with Chaos and the chao, Tikal tells Cheese that if she calls her name, she will return.
Sonic X
Tikal appeared in the series, Sonic X, in episode #27, The Beginning of Disaster, narrating the first part of the show. However, the dub[5] cuts her off, and instead, she first appears in episode #28, Puzzle of the Liquid Life Form, Chaos (in the dub, it's known as A Chaotic Day). Although Tikal is not of royalty, she is commonly referred[6] to as Princess Tikal.
Knuckles had just picked up a piece of the Master Emerald from the rubble of Casinopolis when he has a flashback. Tikal at the shrine, pleading with Pachacamac not to take the Chaos Emeralds. Later, when he goes back to Angel Island, Tikal transports him to the past and he sees that the shrine has been overcome by flames. Knuckles is then taken back to the present.
After some time, Knuckles picks up the Master Emerald pieces inside the Mystic Ruins, where he has another flashback. Tikal is at the shrine with the Chao and beseeches with Chaos to help them. However, Tikal realizes that Chaos must stay at the shrine and tells the Chao that everything will be okay. Then the Chao lead her to the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald, where Tikal learns a riddle.
Later, when Knuckles acquires the last piece of the Master Emerald at the Egg Carrier, he has another flashback. The shrine is engulfed with fire and Tikal is on the ground. She tells Knuckles she tried to prevent her father from taking the Master Emerald and then runs up to the shrine. As Knuckles tries to follow her, he awakes. Afterwards, Sonic enters the temple in the Mystic Ruins and sees the mural of Perfect Chaos. He hears Tikal's chant and suddenly, Sonic is transported to the past. The shrine is on fire and he approaches Tikal, who is holding an injured chao. After Tikal determines to stop Chaos, Sonic is taken back to the present time.
Later on, when Knuckles and Sonic are looking for Chaos, they are taken to the past, where they see Tikal begging her father not to take the Chaos Emeralds. Pachacamac and his men then knock down Tikal and the Chao and approach the shrine. Chaos, enraged at their actions, uses the Chaos Emeralds to turn into Perfect Chaos. He kills them and begins wreaking havoc. Sonic tells Tikal to get a hold of herself, so she runs to the Master Emerald. She then realized what the riddle meant and asked the Master Emerald to stop the Chaos Emeralds from powering Chaos. Sonic and Knuckles are then returned to the present time.
When Perfect Chaos began wreaking havoc in Station Square, Tikal appeared and told Sonic that she attempted to keep Chaos sealed in the Master Emerald, but Eggman released him. After Chaos drains the Chaos Emeralds and regurgitates it out, Tikal says that Chaos must be sealed in the Master Emerald again. However, Sonic said that history would just repeat itself, and instead used the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic. Tikal then understands that others could use the positive energies of the Chaos Emeralds as well, not just the negative ones. After Chaos is neutralized, Tikal says that the Chao are alright, and she and Chaos disappear.
Appearances
Tikal has played a major role in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX, but was not seen after this. However, Tikal is playable in the Dreamcast game, Sonic Adventure 2. To acquire her, the player has to complete all of Knuckles' missions with an 'A' rank. In the Gamecube version, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, she is already playable in Treasure Hunting. Some people believe that her appearance in 2-player clears up the plot hole of her disappearance, while others think[7] SEGA put her there for fans.
Tikal makes a cameo appearance on Sonic Pinball Party (SPP) as an animated stone carving. She has also appeared on a chao mini game in Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2, and Sonic Adventure, via Sonic Adventure DX, which involves Tikal giving Sonic tips on where to find a specific chao.
Tikal appears on Sonic X:
- Episode 27: The Beginning of Disaster
- Episode 28: The Puzzle of the Liquid Life Form, Chaos (Dub: A Chaotic Day)
- Episode 29: Amy the Captive (Dub: A Robot Rebels)
- Episode 30: Egg Carrier Battle (Dub: Heads up, Tails!),
- Episode 31: Gamma the Wanderer (Dub: Revenge of the Robot)
- Episode 32: The Cry of Perfect Chaos (Dub: Flood Fight).
Tikal also appeared in the Archie comic book, Sonic the Hedgehog:
- Issue #79
- Issue #82
- Issue #83
- Issue #84.
As well as in the Sonic X comic book:
- Issue #5 (In a flashback)
- Issue #6
In Sonic the Comic (Fleetway):
- Issue #180
- Issue #181
- Issue #182.
Besides these appearances, Tikal has not been seen since, and it is unknown where she went. A populary theory[8] is that she went back to the Master Emerald, but this has been proven to be untrue, for when it shattered in Sonic Adventure 2, she was not to be seen. It is also possible that Tikal died when the Master Emerald sealed her and Chaos, but it cannot be confirmed. However, the image after the Super Sonic story credits shows Tikal at Angel Island.
Voice actresses
- In Japan, all of Tikal's voice acting is done by Kaori Asou.
- In the American version of Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure DX, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Tikal's voice is done by Elara Distler.
- In the English version of Sonic X, Bella Hudson does the voice of Tikal.
See also
- Sonic Adventure
- Sonic Adventure DX
- List of dead characters from Sonic the Hedgehog
- List of characters from Sonic the Hedgehog
Notes
- ^ Iespana.com. "Origin of Tikal's name". Retrieved November 29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ^ Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.com. "Tikal's profile in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle". Retrieved March 12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ ^ Concept-Mobius.com. "Possibility that SEGA put Tikal in Sonic Adventure 2/Battle for fans and theory that she went back to the Master Emerald". Retrieved March 12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ^ Absolute Anime.com. "Tikal's profile in Sonic X and her 2-player attacks". Retrieved March 13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Geocities.com. "Tikal is cut off from the Episode #27 dub". Retrieved March 13.
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References
- Sonic Ultimate.com. "Information about Tikal". Retrieved November 29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Panhistoria.com. "Tikal's profile from the Sonic Adventure strategy guide". Retrieved March 12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Sonic HQ.com. "Tikal's profile in the Archie comic book". Retrieved December 1.
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External links
