Surge the Tenrec

"We burn it all down! Sonic! Eggman! Every idiot that follows either of them! We end it all! No more heroes! Villains! Nothing! If we don't get a past, they don't get a future!" — Surge the Tenrec, Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #3

Surge the Tenrec is a character in IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog series.

She is a villainous anthropomorphic tenrec created by Dr. Starline, and the companion of Kitsunami the Fennec. She was made for the intended purpose of destroying Sonic the Hedgehog and replacing him as the hero of the world.

Concept and creation

According to writer Ian Flynn, Surge is inspired by the infamous Ashura glitch from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, just like the redesign of Scourge the Hedgehog. According to Flynn, this is because just like Scourge, Surge was made as an exploration of Sonic in an inverted way. Her appearance was conceptualized by artists Evan Stanley and Mauro Fonseca, with Fonseca taking the lead in finishing the design. Fonseca took inspiration for Surge's design from the glitch, Japanese delinquents, Android 18 from the Dragon Ball franchise, and possibly the prototype version of Blaze the Cat. Her tall, upright ponytail was inspired by Sango Morimoto's depiction of Amy in the Sonic the Hedgehog serialized manga published by Shogakukan in the Shogaku Ninensei magazine. Surge's electrokinesis was designed with Tails' dislike of thunder in mind.

As attested by Evan Stanley, while Surge's design is not based on an exact type of tenrec, she looks more like a lowland streaked tenrec.

Surge and Kit were originally pitched for IDW Publishing's Sonic comics by Ian Flynn in 2017 before the first issue was even released. They were meant to debut alongside Dr. Starline as part of a trio of characters based on glitches present in the early Sonic the Hedgehog video games. Although the pitch was rejected at the time, due to the staff thinking it was too early, the characters would eventually be accepted in 2021. Notably, Surge was originally pitched as an android hedgehog, but was changed to a cyborg tenrec at a later date by request of Sega.

Appearance

• Surge the Tenrec, from Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.

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Surge is an anthropomorphic tenrec of average height, being about as tall as Sonic the Hedgehog. She possesses mostly bright green fur with a patch of black fur on her face and eyelids and angular blue-green eyes. She has a peach muzzle with a medium-long black nose, upturned sideburns on each side of her head, peach-skinned arms, and several spiky quills that she keeps in a ponytail by a black hairband with six silver studs on top of her head, leaving her quills turned forward. She also has a tiny nub tail split in two, shark teeth, and tall, vertical, flat ears on top of her head.

For attire, she wears two silver earrings on each of her ears, a black shirt with torn-off sleeves, white gloves that possess visible lining with black cuffs that possess six silver studs, a silver ring on each of her index and ring fingers, and yellow, baggy pants with black stripes down the sides that are held up by a black belt with a round, silver belt buckle. Her shoes have yellow flares with double spikes to make them appear that give them a ripped appearance resembling lighting bolts while the back of the shoes is white. Two white straps can be found on the yellow section of the shoes, which also have black toes, black soles with two metal plates embedded, and silver studs on the edges.

During the Sweepstakes competition, Surge wore a yellow jacket, similar to her pants, a black bodysuit, the same as her black shirt, yellow shoes with white stripes and yellow shades over head and eyes.

History

Past

Both Surge and Kit have been in development for a long time as part of Dr. Starline's Operation: Remaster. Originally a regular person, Starline somehow acquired Surge and modified her by implementing cybernetic enhancements using Power Cores and the bio-data of Sonic, Shadow and Tails, as well as giving her physical toughness using the Metal Virus and a new personality and memories using the codes he got from Belle. Surge in particular was designed for the purpose of destroying Sonic and replacing him as the hero of the world. Surge was then subjected to hypnotic sessions where Starline imprinted her with a fake, yet intense hatred for Sonic. Afterward, Surge and Kit were subjected to hundreds of tests, and when they got fed up, Starline would blot out their memories with hypnosis, which left both Surge and Kit with lasting psychological trauma. In the end, Surge was left without awareness of her origins, believing only that Starline gave her the powers she had so he could destroy Sonic and change the world.

Imposter Syndrome and Trial by Fire

Surge and Kit were eventually put to the test by Dr. Starline. After "clearing" an obstacle course, however, Surge got into a heated argument with Starline over how they were wasting time with tests when she believed they were ready for action. In response, Starline reset her and Kit's memory with his hypnotic glove. After they regained consciousness, Surge and Kit were sent to the Forest Ridge Zone Campground by Starline. There, they would start a forest fire that could kill Amy and her friends in order to demoralize Sonic. After Surge used her powers to ignite the dried-up flora, she and Kit would walk through the fire they had caused. A few days later, the pair came to Central City for a test to assess their finesse by causing chaos without getting caught. There, Surge caused havoc in the city with her abilities without being seen. Regrouping with Starline at Tails' Lab, Surge got ready to bust down the entrance to the lab when Starline could not open it, but Starline did not want to make a notable scene and had them withdraw. Returning to Starline Base Sigma, Surge learned that the fire she and Kit started had been handled without casualties. Regardless, Starline wanted to put her and Kit through one final test that would let him try out his anti-Eggman algorithm. Surge, however, grew impatient and wanted to fight Sonic. However, she and Kit soon began questioning their motivations and why she hated Sonic so much, prompting Starline to hypnotize them again. Surge recovered rather quickly however and demanded an explanation, forcing Starline to administer a stronger hypnosis that subdued her. When Surge and Kit then woke up, Starline convinced them that they wanted to take part in his final test while he wanted them to move on with his plans. With Surge believing Starline's lie, she listened to Starline's plan for their final test.

Traveling to Egg Base Alpha, Surge was instructed by Starline to escort Kit to the comms tower and ensure that no alerts would be broadcasted onto the Eggnet. Although displeased that she would be babysitting her support unit, she was (somewhat) persuaded by Starline that this was the plan she wanted. Afterward, the trio headed into the base, with Surge and Kit heading to the comms tower. Though Kit suggested a detour when Antons appeared, Surge went ahead and destroyed them, displeased with her role. Kit tried to remind her of Starline's plan, but Surge insisted on doing her own thing and that Kit followed her. Regardless, the two headed towards the comms tower as planned. Once there, Surge opted to just destroy the tower when she thought Kit's plan was too slow. As they argued, however, an Egg Breaker showed up. Agreeing to Kit's plan in the end, Surge distracted the Badniks while Kit went to work. Letting her anger fuel her, Surge ferociously attacked the Egg Beater, only to get smashed into a wall by its mace when she let her guard down. As Kit came to her rescue though, Surge noticed to her and Kit's surprise that the attack had hardly injured her. Afterward, she finished the Egg Breaker. Antons then surrounded the duo, only to begin applauding them. Starline subsequently announced that the base and its Badniks were his now and told Surge and Kit to join him in the control room. There, Surge kept Kit silent and assured Starline that everything was fine when he noticed their bruises. After being dismissed, however, Surge told Kit in private that she had realized that Starline had done something to them that they could not recall. With Surge set on sorting this out by taking a look at Starline's video logs and getting revenge on Starline, Surge asked for Kit's help, who eagerly offered it.

Eventually, Surge and Kit managed to break into Dr. Starline's video logs. From them, they discovered how Starline had modified them and erased their memories of their past personas. Afterward, Surge wanted to know who they were before Starline modified them, but Kit could not find any information about that in the database, as Starline considered it irrelevant. When Starline then showed up in person, Surge demanded answers from him. Starline, however, instead intended to hypnotize her into submission again. Fortunately, Kit came to her aid. When Kit got paralyzed, however, Surge attacked Starline until the doctor got caught by Kit's water tentacles. Surge then stole Starline's hypnosis gauntlet and put him to sleep with it. As Kit then asked about what they would do now, Surge announced that they would end every hero and villain out there, present and future: if they could not have a past, they will make sure none of them get a future. While onboard with the idea, Kit suggested that they should use Starline's plan to gather all their targets in one place and then eliminate them all at once. Knowing Starline would be set up for a fall this way, Surge agreed. As such, when Starline awoke, Surge made him believe that he himself had told them the circumstances that led him to create them while assuring the doctor that she did not hold any grudges against him. With that out of the way, she then asked for further details on his plan. Overjoyed, Starline revealed his intent to invade Eggman's newest capital: Eggperial City.

Surge later arrived at Eggperial City with Kit and Starline, where she continued to feign her allegiance to the latter. After fighting their way through the city's Badniks, Starline split off from Surge and Kit, who were to occupy Eggman and his forces while he uploaded his override program. Though Surge still had issues with Starline, she enjoyed making as much destruction as possible. When Kit had asked her if it was okay that they were using Starline's plan against him, Surge assured him that all they were doing was justified and the only person he should be loyal to is her. Surge and Kit continued to tear through the Badniks easily until Surge got ambushed by Metal Sonic, though she liked the new challenge. Despite putting up quite a fight, Surge got overwhelmed by Metal Sonic until Kit came to her rescue by restraining Metal Sonic with his water coils before trapping him in a water bubble that Surge proceeded to electrocute, defeating the robot. As a final taunt, Surge told Metal Sonic that he will never be Sonic because she will replace him. Also, with Kit fine and happy to help, she determined that they would get along just fine. After Starline had then uploaded and broadcasted his override program to the Badniks of the world, Surge and Kit witnessed the Coconuts around them fall under Starline's control. The pair soon saw Starline be carried by Egg Pawns to Eggman's main headquarters; when Surge asked if it was everything he hoped for, Starline stated that it was a bittersweet victory. Soon, Surge and Kit watched Badniks from around the world arrive at Eggperial City. Surge told Kit that after they get rid of Starline and the others, he would have to reprogram all of the Badniks to self-destruct but also thought of leaving some for herself. She then explained, should it come down to it, she would fight Sonic alone while Kit kept Tails from distracting her. Once all of this had been taken care of, Surge plotted for herself and Kit to hunt down all of Sonic's allies and topple the cities that celebrated them together.

Battle for the Empire

Surge and Kit soon got word from Orbot that Sonic and Tails had entered the city. Sticking to their plan, Surge took Sonic away while Kit engaged Tails. Isolating Sonic from his friends, Surge told Sonic of how much she hated him due to his insistence on not killing his enemies in hopes that they would turn over a new leaf. However, due to the continued antics of people like Dr. Eggman and Dr. Starline, she was made without having a choice in the matter. Furthermore, she did not understand Sonic's resolve to keep fighting such enemies but not to kill them, nor did she understand why the world loved him for that. As such, she told Sonic that she would end all of it, believing it was what they all deserved. She and Sonic proceeded to fight a vicious battle, which kept both parties on their toes. During this, Sonic expressed his hopes that Surge was having fun, which angered her as they were supposed to be fighting to the death. Sonic proceeded to explain that he had been in similar situations with people who were wronged by the world and wanted to destroy it before. Surge insisted that this was who she was, and the hedgehog understood this; however, as he did not know her story, he was not in much of a position to judge and preferred to give Surge a second chance to bounce back. Surge believed this to be naivety, but Sonic explained that he is a person that lives for the moment while enjoying its thrills and adventures, and wished for everyone to have the same freedom he has; if he ended Surge's life, she would not have the opportunity to do so. However, seeing that she probably did not have much of a life in this world before being modified, Surge still saw herself as an outcast. As such, she agreed that she had the freedom to do whatever wanted. However, Sonic made it clear that if she chose to harm anybody and try to take their freedom, he would stop her. As their fight continued, it became apparent to Surge that Sonic would not give up. Surge thus tried to end Sonic, only for him to trip her and be left dangling from the edge of a giant chasm. When Sonic tried to help her get up, however, she zapped him as a final hit. Debris from up above then came crashing down, forcing Surge to fall into the chasm.

She survived the fall and broke free from the junk she was buried in just before it was crushed. She then resolved to find an edge or more power so she could take on Sonic again.

Overpowered

Crawling up the garbage chute, Surge would find herself in a storage room, where she found Cubot. Looking through the boxes, Surge found Eggman's prototype Dynamo Cage. With it, it significantly boosted her already powerful electrokinesis. Eggman discovered her and ordered his Egg Pawns to destroy her. This would fail as the Dynamo gave her the ability to absorb energy. Deeming Sonic more of a problem, Surge left the Eggperial City. Upon doing so, Surge discovered that the Dynamo Cage also boosted the mental conditioning Starline forced upon her, causing Surge to hallucinate the now-deceased Doctor Starline. Arguing with it momentarily, Surge rushed off to find Sonic.

Attacking Central City, Surge was met with Whisper the Wolf, who attempted to fend her off. This would fail as the Dynamo granted Surge the ability to absorb and steal the Wisps that powered Whisper's Variable Wispon. Whisper could only watch as four of her five Wisp allies were taken away. Sonic would draw Surge's attention with Tails pulling Whisper to the side. Surge would do battle against Sonic and Tails, shooting Tails out of the sky with a Spin Dash and mocking Sonic for a leg injury he had. She was temporarily placed on the backfoot as Sonic gained access to the Cyan Laser power until she stole Whisper's Cyan Wisp and absorbed it. Surge was fed up with Sonic's 'holier-than-thou grandstanding' and chased him into a hardware store, once again insulting his ideals. She tripped over a pile of nuts and bolts and as she was getting back up, Sonic placed a bucket on her head to slow her down. Surge pursued him into the basement where she activated the Pink Spikes ability but was ambushed by Tails who placed jumper cables onto the back of the Dynamo Cage. This resulted in numerous appliances turning on at once. She told the two that this wouldn't stop her and overloaded herself, blowing up the appliances around them but also rendering her unconscious.

Surge later reawakened in Starline Base Sigma. Kitsunami brought her there after she had fallen unconscious. Just as Kit was explaining what he found, the hallucination of Doctor Starline reappeared and told her that nowhere was safe for her. She fell off of the bed in fear and backed up into a corner while the hallucination ridiculed her because she was back in Starline Base Sigma and claimed she would always be his because he shaped her mind and built her body. She broke down into tears until Kit hugged her, apologizing for leaving her. She calmed down and accepted his apology, asking that he did not do it again and promised that they would make the heroes pay. Later, Surge had Kit redirect the power for the base into her, charging up the Dynamo Cage. Once all the power the base can produce was in Surge, she told Kit to be ready for a fight with Sonic and this would be their final stand. Soon, Surge saw that Eggman was in the base and tried to sneak up on him, but the Dynamo Cage's energy signature gave her away and he attacked her. She was easily able to throw off the doctor's attacks and took the Chaos Drive that was powering his Eggwalker. Eggman, taunting her, attempted to flee, but was unable to escape and just before Surge got physical with Eggman, Metal Sonic comes to his aid. Just as she recomposed herself, Sonic and Tails appeared and told her to give up the Dynamo Cage. Panicking, she refused and retreated into the rafters. Unaware that Sonic and Eggman had not yet joined forces, the thought of them working together mortified Surge all the same. She sat in a fetal position, despairingly thinking Sonic and Eggman would find other ways to hurt her and Kit no matter how strong she became. Surge eventually made it back to Kit, who had finished setting up their trap for the intruders. Despite her doubts and the new situation, she resolved to go forward with the plan she and Kit made.

Once the four intruders made it into the room Surge and Kit wanted, they revealed themselves. Sonic, now aware of what Starline had done to them, appealed to them to hand over the Dynamo Cage peacefully, but they declined, with Surge stating it was not up to him. Surge proceeded to use her entire arsenal against Sonic and Metal Sonic while Kit fought Tails. As she began to be overwhelmed, she noticed Eggman trying to leave and, sensing an opportunity to take Metal out, disengaged to attack the doctor. When Metal flew in to protect Eggman, Surge grabbed Metal's leg and hit Sonic with the robot. Metal Sonic then used his Black Shield with Surge's hand inside, but Surge utilized the Dynamo Cage to drain Metal Sonic of his power, deactivating him. Surge then went back to fighting Sonic, flooding the floor of the room after breaking test tubes. Surge then tried to electrocute Sonic in the water, but he was pulled out by Eggman just in time. Sonic tried again to reason with Surge, but she was only interested in killing him, not his pity or friendship. Sonic insisted she had no reason to want him dead when Starline was not around to make her do so and begged her to be free of the platypus' influence. Surge paused, but with a resigned smile, said she could not and sent Sonic falling into the water. Tails was unable to stop Surge as she pinned Sonic down by his shoulders and electrocuted him nearly to death, railing that he did not understand that she was made to live in his shadow and could never be free as long as he lived. At that moment, the Dynamo Cage overloaded, causing the containers that held all its power and the Wisps to explode. Burnt out and with all her power gone, Surge fainted, with Sonic holding her as Tails helped him up. Eggman, desiring Surge for his own ends, instructed Metal Sonic to take her and the Dynamo Cage, but Kit intervened and pinned down everyone in the while using his hydro-coil tails to bring Surge to him. He then destroyed the room and took Surge with him to parts unknown.

Second Chances

Surge and Kit stayed in Starline Base Sigma despite it having no power and them running low on food. She told Kit they needed to leave, but Kit did not know where to go since Eggman was against them and they couldn't fit into normal society. Surge yelled at him to figure it out. Surge then fell out of her bed when the base started to rumble. They ran out and assumed Eggman was back for them. The two started to destroy the machines leveling the base and before she could fight some Badniks, Rough and Tumble appeared to defend their "tech". Surge easily manhandled them and threatened to tear off Rough's tail, calling them Eggman goons. Tumble said they didn't work for Eggman; Clutch then appeared said the tech and the goons belonged to him. Surge told Kit to hold the goons and Clutch apologized, saying he thought Starline's base was vacant. He went on to explain Starline was a frequent customer of his and he provided many resources to him. Surge realized, and Clutch confirmed, he knew who Surge was and what she is. Clutch offered them to work together against Sonic, but Surge wanted to know more. Clutch explained who he was and what his business was. He offered to tell everything he knew about her and Kit in exchange for helping him take down the Restoration. Surge agreed and Kit asked how they could get close to Restoration HQ. Surge told him she had a plan.

Surge and Kit went to Restoration HQ peacefully with Kit and asked to see Amy. She announced her and Kit wanted to turn their lives around. Amy believed her and during a lunch with her and Kit, Sonic arrived. Shocked to see them, Amy updated Sonic and Surge said he made it sound real simple for her to change her life. Surge said their last fight was a close call and it caused her and Kit to "re-prioritize" and come here to start over. Sonic was still skeptical, but welcomed them to the Restoration. Surge and Kit then went on a tour of the Restoration with Sonic and Amy. In the depot, they met Silver and Blaze where Sonic introduced Surge by saying she tried to destroy her. Surge learned that Silver and Blaze, and others, tried to destroy Sonic in the past and now they are friends as well. Surge figured that made her an honorary Restoration member like Silver and Blaze. The two said they aren't affiliated and they just like to help out. Amy told her the movement is by Volunteers and people can come and go as they please, meaning they can leave if they don't like it. Surge teased Amy was trying to get rid of her, but Amy said she is saying nobody will force her to do anything here. Surge took that fact to heart.

They then went to the machine shop, which Surge said would be more to Kit's liking. Belle then saw Surge, which scared her. Kit whispered to Surge they were going to get that a lot, which Surge wanted. Surge then noticed the Variable Wispon she broke before. Belle protected it and said she rebuilt since then and was going to return it to Whisper. Sonic thought they should tag along so they can introduce them to the Diamond Cutters. Amy was hesitant to do that, but Surge thought it was a good idea. When they meet them, the Diamond Cutters were unamused to see them. Surge dogged Sonic to say something and Sonic said they should give them a chance to join if they wanted to. Surge reminded them they were there and didn't need to speak for them. The Diamond Cutters were cautiously optimistic for them to join, except Whisper, who outright refused. Surge was amused by Whisper's stance and swiped the Variable Wispon from Belle, handing it to Whisper. Surge told her she was the first person with any sense in the Restoration and knew she wanted to take her out right then, which Surge respected. Surge told her she might join the group just so the wolf can point her Wispon at her. Whisper reluctantly let Surge have the offer, but she would be watching her.

Later, Surge admitted to Sonic that the Restoration was impressive and it would be a shame if someone destroyed it. Sonic said it would be a shame for what happened to the idiot who did that. Surge pointed out him and Amy aren't here all the time, but Amy said the Diamond Cutters are and security has been increased. Duo then went to them and wanted to help Surge and Kit find a place to settle down. They followed him to a room, which Surge didn't find too impressive. Duo then revealed himself as Mimic and explained Clutch told him to make contact with them. Surge asked if the Restoration had no idea they were infiltrators and Mimic said they didn't, complimenting her on her performance. Mimic explained they needed to keep up the act until Clutch sends the order. They put their hands together and Surge said she was looking forward to working with him.

Phantom Riders

On the morning of the race, Mimic, now disguised as Duo, wakes up Surge and Kit. After dealing with the fallout of waking the duo up, Mimic tells the pair that Clutch has assigned them a mission; to click the button on the remote and mess up the hero's gear. Surge is unamused by the sneaky nature of the plan and would rather do something bolder. Clutch then walks in and reminds her how they were nothing until he found them, leaving Surge but no choice but to follow through with the assignment. Later in the race Surge would press the button causing Team Sonic to be disqualified.

Surge would hit the Phantom Rider with her Extreme Gear. Kit tries to tell Surge to stand down, but she continues by introducing herself to him and complimenting his moves during the race. She mentions how he looks like a guy who can appreciate a good thrashing. Surge punches him in the face, causing a portion of Sonic's face to be revealed. The Phantom Rider kicks her away and escapes. Surge is annoyed, wanting to have fought him. Kit tells her to stop, mentioning that Clutch hired them to stay in the race, not fight. Surge agrees reluctantly. Later on, Surge and Kit would find the crowd cheering for them for getting rid of the Phantom Rider. Surge and Kit look happy to be called heroes.

In Misty Spire Surge is once again being cheered on by the audience for her performance and begins taunting the other races in search of a real fight. Soon Nite announces to the racers to stop the Phantom Rider. Surge, Kit, and the Babylon Rogues give chase, with Surge and Jet arguing over who will be the one to take down the Phantom Rider, Whisper chases after Surge and attacks her with her Variable Wispon, only for Kit to intercept which causes a brawl. Soon the Phantom Rider would be revealed to be Sonic but the rock tower falls over, separating Sonic from the rest of them as they are forced to flee. Later on, Kit asks Surge if she is angry, to which she replies that it's complicated because of the situation has gotten ever since the Clean Sweepstakes began. A little girl comes up to Surge, praising and admiring the tenrec as well as her performance against the Phantom Rider in both rounds. The girl's mother arrives to take her away, apologizing to Surge, and telling her daughter they must leave the tenrec alone as she is very busy. The girl waves goodbye, saying she will be spiky and punch bad guys too. Surge waves back, then tells Kit she does not think she can keep doing this since she believes they do not deserve it. Despite not understanding the situation either, Kit states how being cheered for by the crowd causes oneself and the world around them to light up, and that he would do anything to see that again. Surge tells Kit that they are going to do the "hero" thing right and earn it.

Surge and Kit walk up to Clutch announcing they quit. Clutch bursts out laughing, causing Surge to insist that they are serious. After composing himself, Clutch explains to them that the fame Surge and Kit are experiencing does not belong to them, and that, depending on his needs, he can make them monsters just as easily as he made them heroes. He tells them that they still get glory, fame, and the opportunity to be violent now and then so long as they maintain appearances. Clutch also states that he has a "hedgehog problem," and orders Surge to destroy the Phantom Rider the next time she faces him. Later, on the deck of the Battleship, Surge, enraged over being told what she can do, uses her powers to shoot large amounts of electricity into the sky. On the deck of the Restoration shuttle, Surge laments the fact that no matter what she and Kit do, someone is always controlling them, be it Starline or Clutch. Kit comforts her with a hug, stating that he has a plan.

The final race of Clean Sweepstakes begins when suddenly Phantom Rider appears, when Surge and Kit blast through the crowed when Surge tries to run into him, but he does it when suddenly Surge jumps from her Hang-On and knocks him off the Eggstreme Gear after trying to taunt her while Kit grapes her using his Hydro Pack tails. Nite announces a halt in the race, saying that everyone is going after the Phantom Rider with Surge and Kit who Surge manages to grab on to his Eggstreme Gear and is stopped by Tangle who grabs her with her tail when Surge until she zaps her and tells her to not get in her way while the Phantom Rider continues to taunt her saying their fights aren't it. The Phantom Rider launches at her while Surges also blast towards him and Surges gets knocked by the collision when after she laughs at him saying she got the device turning the Phantom Rider back to Sonic while Kit ask Surge is she's okay and she replies saying she's fine and did not ask any stupid questions. Sonic then asks her what the game, and Surge shouts while saying that she is following order and asks her boss if he is happy, that she "destroyed" the Phantom Rider, exposing Clean Sweep Inc. as a criminal organization. Later on, after Nite broadcasted the crimes of Clean Sweep and exposed Clutch Surge explains this to the other racers and soon after Surge informs Lanolin that Sonic left and watch's the Diamond Cutters along with the Babylon Rouges. After Surge asks Mimic what he's going to do, and he decides to stay undercover, and help the Diamond Cutters when Kit says how they could've taken care of him there and now when Surge reminds him that they're following his plan which Surge says the next step Clutch.

Soon, Surge and Kit arrive to the shuttle and join the fight, with the former reminding Clutch that they quit. While they charge at each other, Clutch angrily orders his guards to fight, only for them to quit as well, leaving the opossum to fend for himself. The opossum gets on top of a nearby cannon, causing Surge to taunt him over the lack of controls available. Clutch is able to open fire via a remote controller hidden in his pocket, although Surge and Kit are pulled away from the blast by Sonic aboard his Eggstreme Gear. Despite sharing the same enemy, Surge refuses Sonic's help, claiming that it is her and Kit's fight. Their arguing is interrupted by a blast from Clutch's cannon that knocks the three of them to the ground. While Clutch gloats and plans to escape using the Eggstreme Gear, it suddenly transforms into a battle robot with a monitor that has Dr. Eggman's face on it. Now in full control of the Eggstreme Gear, he charges at Clutch and grabs him, introducing himself to the opossum and admonishing him for his mockery and use of the Eggman Empire's property for his own gain. Eggman attempts to blow Clutch up with missiles, only for Sonic to intervene, remarking that this was not part of the deal. As they continue fighting, Sonic demands that Clutch apologize and fix his mess, tackling him to the ground while Eggman grabs Sonic. Surge then charges up and releases a massive blast of electricity known as Over Charge on the three of them, which manages to knock Clutch out cold but also wear Surge herself out. However, Eggman reveals he built the Eggstreme Gear to be resistant to Surge's powers and picks up the unconscious Clutch. Sonic, still recovering from the blast, asks what Eggman is planning, to which he answers that it is just business and nothing for Sonic to worry about before flying away with Clutch. Before she and Kit depart on their Extreme Gear, Surge reminds Sonic that they still are not friends and urges him to survive so she can finish him off in a fair fight.

Hero's Calling

In downtown Westopolis, Surge and Kit are running down a street trying to save a train from spiraling out of control when Surge says how she thought the driver was going at a fun speed when the driver yells saying how the brakes are out when Surge tells Kit to uses his tails from his Hydro Pack to grab the train and slow it down. Kit obeys but the train manages to pull him as well and Surge talking to herself saying how he had one job when suddenly she hears a toot and realizes the train is heading towards a marching Chao marching band and Surge rushes downhill saying how the delicate approach is boring anyway. Soon she hits the car to tilt it to avoid the Chao while Kit pulls it and holding civilians. Surge then gloats about their victory saying theirs's no need for applause when an angry citizen says how he might have broken his wrist because of her. In response Surge ask if he wants a broken neck when the citizen responds saying how she could've crippled everyone in there when Surge says how he could've jumped and save himself.

Another citizen tells her to not mind him and thanks them for their efforts when they leave to go to the doctor. The other citizen talks about Surge's speed while the other says how she's still no Sonic the Hedgehog causing Surge to grow angry. Later on, Surge is bouncing a ball when Kit walks in and notices how she is in the same place he left her in and ask what's wrong and in response Surge says nothing. Kit then asks if she's sick, has a headache or tummy ache and Surge responds with no. Then Kit asks if she's mad at him to Surge responds telling him to calm down when Kit says how she looks mad at him with Surge saying she isn't but is annoying her to Kit saying he's sorry.

Surge then says how she's been thinking, and when Kit asks her what it is, Surge says he's not going to like it. Kit reassures her, saying he will, and Surge says how Starline was right. When Kit asks in what regard, Surge explains that Starline was right about the whole "Sonic Cycle" thing and how it's an endless repeat of Eggman causing trouble and Sonic stopping him. She further goes on to say how Sonic keeps letting it happen and nothing will never change, mentioning what happened to Restoration HQ and how they could've walked out and saved themselves. Surge then says how they're not bad people, but they're just lame, stupid and weak, noting that they can't be angry at the world when it did nothing to them. Kit agrees and asks about Sonic and Tails when Surge says how she's going to end Sonic the first chance she gets and says how Kit can end Tails and asks Surge then asks if he still wants him gone when Kit responds saying how he's a liar and how he hates him and tells him he can as a treat. Surge then says otherwise they will ruin Eggman's plans and soak up the hero worship and love them for loving themselves.

Kit then asks what if they finish Eggman off too, and Surge says how she did not think that far and will cross that bridge when they come to it. Kit thinks to himself when Surge interrupts and sees him smiling saying how he likes the plan and Surge say how new heroes are taking over whether they like it or not.

Game appearances

Sonic Dash

In Sonic Dash, Surge appears as one of the playable characters. In this game, she can be unlocked after obtaining 50 of her Character Cards.

On 13 September 2024, Surge was re-released as "Valhalla Surge", a variant character of Surge dressed in a viking outfit.

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle

On 21 November 2023, Surge was added to Sonic Forces: Speed Battle as part of the 4.22.0 update. During Surge's 'Challenger Mode' events she can be encountered on track as a bot-controlled rival. She has the following gameplay characteristics:

On 26 September 2024, Surge was re-released as "Valhalla Surge", a variant character of Surge dressed in a viking outfit as a part of the version 4.31.0 update. This character has the following gameplay characteristics:

Sonic Dash+ / Sonic Prime Dash

In Sonic Dash+ and Sonic Prime Dash, Surge appears as one of the playable characters. In these games, she can be unlocked by obtaining 500 of her Character Tokens.

On 10 October 2024, Surge was re-released as "Valhalla Surge", a variant character of Surge dressed in a viking outfit.

Personality and traits

"Look, I get you brainy-types like to think of all the angles. But me and that faker boy are simple creatures. I hit him fast, I hit him hard, and I keep hitting until he doesn't move anymore." — Surge the Tenrec, Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1

Originally, her personality was unknown before being hypnotized by Starline.

Surge possesses Sonic's indomitable and free spirit, albeit in a twisted and sinister way. She is a roguish speedster with an arrogant, cocky, and hot-tempered disposition, taking great pride in her prowess and bragging at any given opportunity. She is also fearless and bold, rarely showing any form of worry or concern, even in situations that are troublesome or possibly beyond her capabilities. When push comes to shove, however, she tends to give in to anger, causing her to become a more volatile force.

Believing force to be the answer to everything, Surge is convinced that she can defeat any opponent and overcome any obstacle getting in her way with pure strength and speed. She is likewise brutal, somewhat bloodthirsty, and highly aggressive, expressing great eagerness to fight and cause chaos and destruction. When working with Dr. Starline, she would persistently demand to go on missions and even grab him by the collar, threatening him when unable to get her way. Surge prefers open conflict over covert plans, no matter how effective the latter might be. Notably, she would willingly abandon a plan focusing on stealth in favor of an open assault, assured that she would be able to defeat any attention she would attract, even while in enemy territory. She is likewise fiercely independent and irreverent to authority, much like Sonic, meaning she prefers to do things her own way. As such, she is perfectly willing to abandon a well-thought-out plan in favor of following her own whims. Unlike Sonic, however, she shows little to no concern for any negative consequences her roguish behavior may have on herself or others. Despite this, she is willing to listen to others' ideas when she admits that she does not really have much of a plan of her own to proceed with, which makes her more open to suggestions from Kit.

Like Sonic, Surge shows a great deal of attitude when facing off against foes, namely by taunting and mocking them. However, this is out of mean-spirited arrogance and malice as opposed to the carefree playfulness Sonic demonstrates. She is likewise brash, careless, and impatient, which are qualities that stem from her explosive temperament and sense of superiority, unlike Sonic, whose same qualities stem from his positive attitude and confidence. As such, she is prone to facing everything head-on, making her extremely reckless and dependent on support from Kit (despite what she may believe). Her temperament is most likely influenced by the psychological trauma caused by excessive exposure to hypnosis. She also hates being deceived and will seek out terrible retribution against those who have wronged her, although this is more out of personal vengeance than a sense of justice. Furthermore, Surge is rather petty, zapping Sonic at the end of her first fight with him just to get the last hit despite his attempt to save her from falling.

For all her roughness, Surge has a slightly vulnerable side to her; upon discovering that her current persona was fabricated, she despaired and even shed tears of sadness. However, this sadness would soon pave way for anger and hatred at everyone and drive her to destroy everything, convinced that if she cannot have a past, then others should not be able to have a future, showing herself to be very spiteful. When the Dynamo Cage caused her to hallucinate Starline talking down to her, she became scared and cried over reliving the trauma Starline caused her, only to stop after being comforted by Kit. Surge also has developed a tendency to doubt herself when plans do not go her way, internally fearing that the world will never stop trying to hurt her and Kit. Surge has come to the conclusion that the world has abandoned her, or that nothing good had happened in her life since she ended up serving Dr. Starline, which has intensified her goal to destroy everything in her path as part of her revenge on Sonic, it wasn’t until during the Sweepstakes challenge when she and Kit got applause for stopping the Phantom Rider and began to realize the true meaning of being a hero.

Despite her punkish attitude and overall simple-mindedness, Surge does have her moments of insight. She was able to deduce that her own thoughts did not add up to her own understandings and that Starline had something to do with them by realizing that he was in the center of them all.

Powers and abilities

Having been modified by Dr. Starline with cybernetic enhancements, Surge possesses a multitude of powers derived from Power Cores, the bio data of Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Neo Metal Sonic, and physical resilience derived from the Metal Virus.

As a result of her cybernetic enhancements, combined with electromagnetic propulsion, Surge can move at super speeds, having claimed to be as fast as light. Her speed is great enough that she can create a sonic boom and keep up with Sonic. Due to the cellular upgrades provided by the Metal Virus, she also possesses tremendous durability, having withstood an otherwise lethal impact from the Egg Breaker with nothing more than superficial bruises. She is also able to perform the Spin Attack, a technique where she curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs herself at her targets. With it, Surge can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed, and perform moves like the Spin Dash.

As an offset of her electromagnetic propulsion, Surge has the ability to generate electricity of varying intensity and project it as small lightning bolts or sparks. Notably, she can generate enough electricity to ignite flora and cause various electricity-powered devices to overload. Furthermore, by spinning like a top, she can increase the power of the electricity she generates. She can as well surround herself with an aura of electricity to attack her enemies. In terms of physical ability, Surge is extraordinarily powerful, having been able to challenge and clash with powerful fighters such as Sonic, and Metal Sonic even if at a disadvantage, and defeat Super Badniks with Kit's help. She's also extremely agile, navigating Starline's obstacle courses and performing acrobatic leaps during her battle with Sonic.

Surge can even charge herself up to unleash a massive bolt of electricity that can be targeted to multiple people at once known as Over Charge.

Equipment

Upon obtaining the Dynamo Cage, Surge gained even more power. This manifested as shields, and significantly boosted strength. She also gained much greater control over electricity, allowing her to create large electromagnetic fields, magnetically levitate multiple large objects at once, and even travel as a bolt of lightning as if she were teleporting or flying. Another power added was the ability to absorb Wisps and gain their powers. When this happens, Surge produces a glow in the color of the absorbed Wisp. When the Dynamo Cage was starting to overload, multiple Wisp colors were shown at the same time. Using these powers, Surge has generated a barrier of cubes around herself using Blue Cube, along with making cube platforms, conjured energy buzz saws to her hands using Pink Spike, float with Green Hover, blasted at high speeds with Orange Rocket, and fired laser beams from her eyes using Cyan Laser.

Weaknesses

As a part of Dr. Starline's precautions to keep Surge's bravado on a leash, Surge has been made highly susceptible to hypnosis in case she goes out of control. As such, she is quick to respond to Starline's commands and lose some of her most recent memories when exposed to Starline's hypnotic devices. However, her memories cannot be completely erased. In addition, over time, she has begun developing a resistance to this effect.

After gaining the Dynamo Cage, due to its amplification of her brain functions, Surge has begun to hallucinate apparitions of Doctor Starline, which criticize her actions and commonly distract her from the task at hand.

Relationships

Friends/allies

• Kitsunami the Fennec (partner and best friend)

Neutral

• Conductor's wife
• Ivy (fan)
• Mimic the Octopus
• Rough the Skunk
• Tumble the Skunk

Enemies

• Amy Rose
• Ashe
• Babylon Rogues
  • Jet the Hawk
  • Storm the Albatross
  • Wave the Swallow
• Blaze the Cat
• Clutch the Opossum
• Dr. Starline (arch-nemesis)
• Eggman Empire
  • Cubot
  • Dr. Eggman
  • Metal Sonic
  • Orbot
• Miles "Tails" Prower
• Nite the Owl
• Omochao
• Restoration
  • Belle the Tinkerer
  • Chief Mechanic
  • Lanolin the Sheep
• Silver the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog (arch-rival)
• Tangle the Lemur
• Whisper the Wolf
• Wisps

Quotes

"You thought you could touch me? Pathetic!"

—Surge's first line of dialogue, Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1

"Sucks to be them. 'Cuz I aim to misbehave."

—Surge the Tenrec, Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1

"Oh, I know who you are. It's all I know, really, and that's the problem. I am your fault. Starline? Eggman? Sure, they're part of this and they'll get theirs, but it really comes down to you. If you had just taken them out, I wouldn't have been made! Or is that against your precious "moral code," you could've just rolled over and quit! But no! You keep on fighting! You keep on giving idiots the freedom to repeat their awful mistakes! And it just keeps on going and going and going! And the whole world loves you for it. So I'm ending it. All of it. You. The docs. The world. It's what you all deserve."

—Surge's introductory monologue towards Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog #50

"If I volunteered to work with Starline, I obviously didn't have anything good going in my life. If he kidnapped me, nobody tried to find me."

—Surge rejecting Sonic's offer to become friends, Sonic the Hedgehog #50

"Ain't it obvious? I'm chilling with your bestie. She was telling me this crazy story about a forest fire."

—Surge when Sonic finds her and Kit lunching with Amy, Sonic the Hedgehog #67

"...WE'RE HEROES!"

—Surge when she sees that the audience are clapping after she punched Phantom Rider, Sonic the Hedgehog #70

"All right Drippy. We're gonna do this "hero" thing right. We're gonna earn it."

—Surge the Tenrec, Sonic the Hedgehog #71

Trivia

• Surge is the second character to be designed off of the "Ashura" glitch and act as an evil counterpart to Sonic, following Scourge the Hedgehog's redesign in the Archie Comics.
  • Coincidentally, Surge and Scourge have many similarities, being dark, vulgar reflections of Sonic that bear green fur.
• Surge is the first female exclusive antagonist from the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.
• Surge and Kit's names together reference the word "circuit" possibly referencing their cybernetic enhanced nature.
• The idea that Surge and Kit's powers were based on Sonic and Tails' aquaphobia and astraphobia respectively was not intended and is purely a coincidence when Ian Flynn pitched the characters. This detail was made official in Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #2 where the notes states that Dr. Starline took Tails' astraphobia in mind when designing Surge.
• Surge bears the same color scheme and powers as Marvel Comics villian Electro.
• Along with Tangle and Whisper, Surge is one of the first comic-exclusive characters to appear in a Sonic game, with these being Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
  • According to Ian Flynn, this is because Sega fully owns the characters from the IDW comic series, thus making it possible to use them in games.
  • The pose she performs in her artwork made for these games is based on one of the poses she performs in her posing sheet.
• Surge's personality was likely based on how Starline sees Sonic due to being his version of Sonic: a volatile punk with an unchecked ego.
• Tenrecs as a species are very similar to hedgehogs, despite not actually being related. They're so similar, a tenrec can easily be mistaken for a hedgehog.