Sonic The Hedgehog's powers and abilities
Superhuman Speed
Sonic's greatest strength is his super speed, an innate talent that members of the hedgehog species possess. Sonic, however, has proven himself in a class of its own with his speed, having been credited as "the fastest thing alive" and even the fastest being in the universe. He has the ability to instantly accelerate to the speed of sound and run at speeds far greater than Mach 1, which is at the blistering speed of about 768 mph and can run backward just as well as he can forwards. Due to such speed, he can scale vertical surfaces and ceilings, run over water, outspeed lasers, and even cause the ground to explode in his wake. Even then, Sonic can take his speed even further. By revving up in one place, he can take off at turbo speeds in an instant. He can also envelope himself in a blue energy field that lets him accelerate beyond the sound barrier on both the ground and in midair for a short time, allowing him to not only smash straight through enemies and obstacles like a living projectile but also fly immense distances through midair. Using certain techniques, he can even achieve light-speed momentarily.
It's unknown what Sonic's unaided top speed is. In Sonic Battle, it is stated he can move several times the speed of sound and when facing Ultimate Emerl, he went at least ten rounds with him in less than thirty seconds. It has also often been stated that Sonic can move at supersonic speed (which ranges from 915-3,840 mph), and he has once been called the "the world's fastest, hypersonic hedgehog" (which ranges from 3,840-7,680 mph). There are as well records stating that Sonic can move faster than the speed of light, although their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. However, E-123 Omega himself calculated that Sonic's speed could potentially exceed light speed and Sonic has boasted that light speed is "small-time" to him.
Sonic's demonstrated complete mastery of his speed in any environment and can use it for both high-speed offense and defense. Not only can he run at maximum tilt in straight lines, but also in full tight circles and through sharp turns with full control over his momentum. As far as stamina goes, Sonic's is seemingly limitless as he is never winded from running. His speed also allows him to perform several impressive feats: he can heal himself by vibrating his body, launch shockwaves by spinning rapidly, leap in midair, launch stunning waves with fast kicks, increase the force of his blows by striking with increased momentum, and create barriers of super speed. He can also spin in circles or rotate his extremities at super-speed to create winds strong enough to attack or blow away opponents, similar to aerokinesis.
Sonic possesses astounding kineticism, precision and reaction time to match his speed. He has profound acrobatic skills and agility, along with enhanced reflexes that let him avoid any incoming obstacles with precise and delicate movements. As seen in his first meeting with Silver, Sonic can even detect attacks beyond his field of vision due to his sharp reflexes. When launched into the air, he can also pull off several tricks before landing.
Body Control
Sonic's core offensive maneuver is the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Sonic can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed and hit with enough force to pierce colossal boulders. Highly adept in its usage, Sonic can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both ground- and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, Homing Attack and the super-charged Focused Homing Attack.
It appears that Sonic can control the strength and durability of his otherwise soft quills at will. While he is in Spinball form, they appear to be extremely hard like buzzsaw blades; as demonstrated during the Neo Metal Sonic incident, his quills (and body) are durable enough to slice through battleships without even moving at the speed of sound. In addition, Sonic's quills can sense nearby dangers, which they warn him about by creating a tingling sensation. Sonic has also demonstrated the ability to transfer his speed throughout various parts of his body, allowing him to immediately set off from stationary positions and even channel it into objects to speed up their movements and make them pierce through solid objects as he does while running. He can also create an effect reminiscent of a time halt, even though it is unknown what it is derived from.
Superhuman Strength
Sonic possesses enhanced strength, though he's been noted to lack overall raw power by comparison. He can push and lift things several times bigger and heavier than himself, run with extra weight slowing down and his attacks can smash through metal and rock, and damage foes countless times his size. However, it is debatable whether the latter's power comes from his speed, strength, or a combination of both. Sonic's strength particularly lies in his legs; with a single kick, he can topple the Egg Golem, knockback several Egg Gunners at once and send Badniks flying. This doesn't mean that Sonic's arms aren't strong either; he has enough strength to tear robots apart with his hands and punch through a collapsed wall. Even with a little extra weight, Sonic is capable of leaping up to several hundred meters with his incredible jumping skills.
Superhuman Durability
Sonic has several times demonstrated extreme resilience to damage. He can survive getting caught in the crossfire from all angles by Eggman's robots (which only knocked him out cold briefly), withstand the force of a massive explosion and a Hyper-go-on-based black hole unscathed, being pummeled with swords, and smash through several robots with his fist without discomfort, and take a ruthless pummeling from the Time Eater. Additionally, Sonic has more than once survived impacts from falls at extreme heights, bordering at the edge of space, only to shake it off when landing, and has even withstood atmospheric entry.
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant
Despite not having undergone any known training, Sonic's years of battles have made him a skilled and powerful fighter. He has defeated giant robots, demons, and god-like beings on his own, gone up against and bested those with far more combat experience, and even beaten people who are his equal. It has also been noted that Sonic is steadily growing stronger; during the Time Eater incident, Sonic could beat the Egg Emperor/Perfect Chaos on his own where he previously required additional power. Sonic even told Infinite upon holding his own against the latter compared to the previous time they fought that he becomes more powerful every second. It is safe to say that Sonic is far more powerful than he lets on, but his overconfidence and reluctance to go all out usually keeps him from fighting at full strength. His victories over Emerl at the Gizoid's maximum potential and Perfect Chaos in his base form are prime examples of Sonic's true power. Regardless of his blocks, Sonic ranks amongst the most powerful characters in the series.
Even without his Spin Attack, Sonic is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. He mostly relies on his fast footwork since the majority of his power lies in his legs, though he has been known to use his fists and arms as well, albeit in a rather straightforward manner. His fighting style is mostly derived from breakdancing moves that utilize Sonic's legs to their fullest, allowing him wide-ranged and swift kicks. He has also been known to use flying forward kicks, split kicks, and scissor kicks. What Sonic lacks in strength for combat, he makes up for it in speed which he uses to deliver lightning-fast strikes in a short time. He has also learned the martial art of Linshao Kung Fu from Shuifon, though he is yet to be seen using it.
Indomitable Will
Sonic possesses an unbreakable and incorruptible spirit; in situations where most others would give up and where he is severely outnumbered and outgunned, Sonic never loses faith in himself and never surrenders. This trait enables him to keep on fighting when utterly exhausted or after taking an abnormal amount of damage. His will even lets him withstand mind-controlling powers, like the corruptive influence of Dark Gaia and the Overmind's psychic powers, though he did have some protection in the latter case. Even when possessed by the Ifrit, Sonic was arguably able to occasionally regain control.
Weapon Mastery
Sonic is shown to excel in swordsmanship. Even as a rookie swordsman, Sonic could beat a dragon and after receiving formal training, he could best master swordsmen like the Knights of the Round Table. In addition to using advanced techniques, Sonic can apply his speed to his swordplay for quick and swift slashes, and become a buzzsaw by spinning with his sword, enabling him to slice clean through enemies.
Vehicular Mastery
Sonic has extraordinary skills in operating vehicles. He has excellent skills when it comes to piloting planes like the Tornado, driving and racing at high speeds in cars like the Speed Star, and water bike surfing on vessels like the Wave Cyclone. He is also experienced in a variation of sports such as boarding and surfing (he is skilled enough to keep from bailing) and other recreational activities like grinding. Sonic also appears to be an excellent gunner, capable of using the Tornado and Tornado-1's onboard weaponry with immense accuracy.
Sonic has proven himself as a world-class Extreme Gear rider. He is said to move faster than he can run on an Extreme Gear and can go head-to-head with legendary Wind Masters like Jet the Hawk. Sonic seemingly has a knack for Extreme Gear riding, quickly grasping the controls on his first try and later developing advanced techniques despite being self-taught. After the second World Grand Prix, Sonic can be considered the best Extreme Gear rider in the world, having beat Metal Sonic in a race, who at that point was an "unbeatable" rider with the skills of the world's finest Extreme Gear riders at his disposal.
Chaos Control
Sonic has also demonstrated the ability to harness chaos energy for his own use; with a Chaos Emerald, Sonic can perform Chaos Powers, such as Chaos Control, and occasionally gain a boost in power too.
