I remember when I made this edit as a jab at the IDW comic and got someone to shriek out on how “dark” Forces was. My whole point was “Amy is written as if she were Sally” which I view as bad character writing. That someone who responded ranted several paragraphs how it made total sense for Amy to go from Sonic’s fangirl to a military tactician in the span of one game.
I was not trying to make the point of “put Sally in the comics” but pointing out how Amy was written exactly how anyone else would write Sally. But whatev’s, I got a laugh and that’s all that matters.
Isn't it funny how when Knuckles was made the commander of the Resistance, which was bonkers because Knuckles has no leadership material at all, Sally fans didn't say a thing at all.
But the moment Amy, the lead female of the franchise, takes on the mantle, that's when they come out about how this character took away from the chipmunk princess.
Amy has always been a character with a tendency to take charge because of a little thing called having a strong personality that makes her impose authority. It isn't just that "one game" where she leads Cream and Big where we see it, but also titles like Sonic Adventure and Sonic Riders Zero gravity where just with mere words she can make larger characters like E-102 (demanding to know what they want to do to the bird and making the robot retreat a little) Storm the Albatross (making him fix the mess he caused by helping her find Sonic and the others) yield and do as she says. Even other comics like the second issue of Megadrive shows how she can coordinate Tails and Knuckles to work as a team to take out a robot after Sonic went solo to try and hog all the glory for himself.
In the context of Forces/IDW, Amy leads others for the sake of helping civilians, not for upholding a monarchy. She comes from the same place the civilians do, was once a victim of Eggman too and is the character that can best understand and feel empathy for their distress because she was once on their shoes before she became a heroine, and can inspire them to fight back because she is living proof of the potential anyone has to be a hero. IMO, Amy actually developed into a leader, where Sally was leader from day one by design.
As for her going tactical, there were characters from whom she could picked up and learned from, like Rouge the bat, who is also part of the Resistance. I don't think it's that hard to believe that Amy wouldn't learn a thing or two to better contribute to the greater good. Now if the issue is that she is a child in a commanding position, that's IMO a nitpick since this is a franchise where a group of kids/teens are always saving the world, even when there exists military organizations like GUN, or the army of anthros from Forces who even have their own fleet.
Remember all those times Amy and Sally coordinated a plan in the Archie Comics?
Or when she lead Big and Cream in Sonic Heroes?
Or how Amy's compassionate behavior motivates her to do what's right and rise up to the occasion?
Or Amy's "go-getter" attitude towards goals she faces? Or her unyielding dedication and loyalty to her friends?
Or how she's not only trying to gain Sonic's attention, but one-up him at the same time to impress him and is not afraid to surpass him some regards? Knowing that self-improvement comes in many forms and being a great, yet openly flawed and open to emotions, hero is one of them?
Or the fact that Sonic's "death" at the hands of Infinite, while traumatizing to her, would serve as another factor for her to gather the confidence to fight back against Eggman? Or even the fact Amy never gave up hope that he still might be out there? ("Sometimes I still dream Sonic is with us." - Amy Rose)
Or, biggest of ALL, how these all show she's a better character than most fans give her credit for and calling her a stalker is equivalent of calling Shadow just an edgy character? Just degrading and somehow ignores all character in favor a joke that was never funny?
Yeah... me neither. Let's all instantly label Amy as your average stalker, fangirl because she's outspoken about her crush and one true love. Why can't she be your generic strong female, who is apparently shy about her crush since it would make her "complex"?!
All good points but too bad Sega’s method of “character development” is just changing how they write a character in every game without showing how they got to that point.
No. That’s too logical. Let’s just make Knuckles the leader of a military force for no adequate reason. Then let’s give it to Amy because obviously she’s a genius that can handle strategic planning, manage logistics for supplies and troop coordination. Sure, we don’t have any evidence in prior games that she has the required skill sets. But hey, Sega wants her to be written that way and damn anyone that’s critical of this sudden change of character.
Times like these I’m glad I left the franchise because I couldn’t handle having to explain that every 5 minutes.
I can get that. The continuity of this franchise is... something else.
Ironically enough, when the characters are poorly written its consistent in such an annoying way.
Plus, Shadow has been the same for the last 10 years. Stoic jerk that hates everyone.
I don't think criticism of this should be rejected. But one can make sense of it, as much as one can see that it's not good writing.
The fans shouldn't have to explain it, there should be a grounding within universe.
@anxiousmuffinstuff
More or less. I think a problem is just because a character exemplifies certain traits, doesn't mean others can too.
I remember when Sonic Boom was first announced loads of people were making jokes about Amy Rose taking the Sally Acorn DNA so to speak.
And yeah, you don't need to rewrite certain characters to fit certain roles. You can either explain WHY they are doing this, why they can't or why another character is better suited for this role.
Amy, if they tried to explain it better could've been the leader if we saw what started the Resistance. Maybe she tried and failed multiple times? Either accepting the role or passing it onto say Rouge or Knuckles.
@anxiousmuffinstuff
I see what you mean. It's less of a factor of gender and moreso a lack of consistency. And just because one character has a certain trait, doesn't mean others can't.
Then again, letting female characters shine is an unfortunate thing with Sonic, Tails and Eggman always being the main focus.
Just my opinion but my displeasure over Amy becoming a leader is blurs between her and Sally. I’ll say again, I like BOTH characters, but think they could improve Amy without just copying Sally’s traits. If they are to be similar positions there should be a clear difference between them. Let me offer an example: Both characters have to run a charity.
With Sally she’d try her best but views it as a responsibility as a leader. She can’t turn the task down because of her status. Not say to say Sally wouldn’t enjoy it but again it’s more responsibility than charity. She’d make sure the goal of the charity is achieved rather than the gesture.
With Amy it’s genuine charity to her. She does it because she likes helping people. It’s the gesture that means more than the goal. It makes sense given in several games she portrayed as the emotional support character.
To me it would make more sense if she was a nurse or medical officer during the Resistance then post-war (which is still weird to describe for Sonic) she was in charge of shelters, food supply, and other items. I know IDW described that as part of her job but she’s basically the head of the entire Restoration, including military operations, which doesn’t suite her.
Sally is definitely someone that holds her head high for others, and is hard on herself for failure. She has a responsibility and expects more out of herself.
Amy on the otherhand, is very underdeveloped in how she would be a leader of more people than just a small team, as you pointed out @nobleseven20.
But to be honest, it would be OOC if she wasn't on the frontlines here and then. She's got a lot of compassion in her, but she's still got the spirit of a fighter after all the adventures she's been on. She's emotional, but not to the point of only sitting on the sidelines.
Plus, Sonic Adventure 2 shows she hates being left behind while everyone else does something. Either she would be content in a medical field, or she goes off to fight. Or both. She's Amy Rose.
Sonic Forces really should've just included a story mode from Amy and Knuckles' point of view, as Eggman slowly takes over the world.
Exactly. While again, I don’t think Amy is a good pick for a strategist for listed reasons that doesn’t mean she can’t pull her weight. She wouldn’t want to be stuck behind a desk (something I’m glad they did address in IDW) and would rather be out on the field. She’d be out there helping people in person because that’s who she is and we love her for it.
And with that I believe we’ve finished this TED talks.
