As part of Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary celebrations, Sega has been running a series of featurettes called Sonic Rings. Each installment features an interview with a popular YouTuber, discussing their thoughts and their history with the Sonic franchise. The latest episode is a very special one indeed, as it features a virtual YouTuber affiliated with Hololive.
For those of you who have somehow missed the popular new trend of virtual YouTubers (or VTubers), these are online entertainers who communicate through virtual avatars. Hololive is a talent agency specializing in VTubers, and Inugami Korone is a particularly popular representative of the group.
Korone began her journey with the Sonic franchise with the original Sonic the Hedgehog game on the Sega Genesis, released in 1991. However, it was only in January this year that she first began playing the game. “I’ve known Sonic for some time, but it was when, during my livestreaming, some of the listeners told me that Sonic games are really fun.” It seems that she instantly became a fan, calling it a “god-tier” game, proving just how timeless the classic Sonic games are! It’s also wonderful to see Sega embracing newer fans of the series as well as those who have been invested for the past three decades.
She also shared her favorite aspects of Sonic himself. “First, his cool looks. And the way he talks. And his free-spirited way. And the way that, although he is free and wild, he is so kind and brave that he can’t walk away from people who are in trouble. Oh, I love the way he can be a bit childish, too!”
Korone says that blue has become her favorite color since becoming a Sonic fan, and Sonic Adventure is a particular favorite of hers from the franchise. As well as Sonic himself, Korone is also a big fan of the character Knuckles.
Believe it or not, this is not Sega’s first foray into the world of VTubing. Earlier this year, the publisher introduced an official Sonic the Hedgehog VTuber, performed by voice actor Jun’ichi Kanemaru (who has voiced Sonic in Japan since 1998’s Sonic Adventure).
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Written by Reece Heather
A lifelong Nintendo fan and a longtime editor at Zelda Universe, Reece will forever be grateful that he somehow dodged the Naughty List of Christmas 1998, when Santa delivered the life-changing gift of a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Mario Kart 64. When he's not playing games, Reece is usually reading Punisher comics, delving helplessly into the weirdest depths of anime and manga, or spending time with his cocker spaniel Gracie -- the goodest girl ever!
