Why Silver is Perfectly Flawed

Ah yes, Silver and Blaze. The curse of 06 caused Sega to completely forget about some of their best characters, which is a real shame... Hope we see either of them in a future game at some point.

I really like Silver--he really is the most relatable character.

Silver gets way too much hate when I think he's one of the better characters.

I like how silver and blaze balance each other out. Blaze keeps silver out of trouble and silver makes sure blaze actually talks to people

I do like how espio took a different approach than blaze. Instead of recalling how someone else acts, he pulls directly from himself, which given the lesson, is more effective. He's already dealing with imposter syndrome, but thing is, the chaotix aren't mentioned to much in any future. So for him to struggle with the same thing silver does is naturally more comforting. It shows he can deal with it, regardless of his imposter syndrome, as even those not remembered as that important, despite silver knowing their importance due to learning about the past, they're still living creature's, with fears and worries all the same as him. They're the heroes he feels he's a part of, if at all, so to hear from one of them how they deal with anxiety too, and hiw he can rely on them to help with it, it's more assuring to him than shadow or knuckles saying it.

One trait of Silver’s in the Archie continuity that enthralled me was his use of a stoic, businesslike façade. I remember first reading 30 Years Later and being very confused-I knew that the Silver in the games was naïve and emotional, so this change in characterization threw me for a loop. Upon closer inspection, I realized that he was attempting to project a sense of calm as a ‘correction’ of his excitable, overeager nature (this façade proves very fragile-the lightest of questioning has him breaking composure). At first, I believed he was doing this out of practicality-he needs to seem competent and confident so heroes like Sonic will work with him and take him seriously, despite his lack of information and contrasting tendency to make outrageous accusations. But your analysis suggests that Silver’s behavior is also due to his uncertainty and insecurity, something that didn’t occur to me but now completely makes sense. I feel that the running gag of Silver pointing out how much Sonic owes him during IDW’s Metal Virus arc is particularly illuminating-his ability to have Sonic the Hedgehog be indebted to him must be a great source of pride. Even if by accident, I feel that his portrayal in Forces fits with this idea of a façade-Silver tends to speak lines that sound cool and intelligent (“Fear is a luxury we don’t have.”, “If we want the people to rally, we have to show them strength doesn’t come from numbers!”, “Does anyone but you believe your lies?!”) but are either contradictory or contribute nothing to the conversation at large. This could easily come off as just poor writing, but another scene suggests otherwise; when Knuckles brags about Operation: Big Wave, his plan to attack Eggman’s metropolis, Silver says “Who cares what it’s called? What’s important is to have a well-thought-out strategy.” If Silver is acutely aware of Knuckles’ bluster, then it stands to reason that he’d be aware of his own as well. When you think about it, it’s hard not to see why Silver would choose to speak in such a manner; in the absence of Sonic and Shadow, Silver would be the most powerful member of the resistance, and thus would feel responsible for replacing the Blur Blur as the world’s beacon of hope. However, he lacks both Sonic’s confidence and the charisma of a proper leader. Thus, without the tools to naturally be inspiring, he feels the need to spout shallow drivel that he hopes comes off as inspiring instead of stupid. The conflict between Silver and Mimic/Duo in the more recent IDW issues is emblematic of something I hadn’t yet realized was so important to Silver as a character; his relationship with control. Silver’s abilities naturally allow him control over his physical environment, but in every other way he seems to lack it. He’s been manipulated by malevolent individuals multiple times in the past-individuals that would manipulate his actions and thus seize agency from himself. Silver struggles with keeping his impulsivity in check, particularly when it comes to rashly passing judgment on others and accusing them of crimes. While Sonic is portrayed as a free spirit, and Shadow as someone calm and controlled (like how Silver sometimes portrays himself) that has dealt with their past, Silver often seems anxious and even panicked in comparison, as well as being a slave to his mythologized ‘good future’. His naivety and lack of awareness bites him more than once, and he seems to exclusively be a follower instead of a leader. The scene in which Duo feigns injury by Silver’s hands seems to highlight this. Silver manages to track down the infiltrator and attempts to intimidate him through use of his psychokinesis. This serves as an evolution of Silver’s façade; Silver realizes that he cannot command through his presence, and instead uses his immense power to show the control he has over the situation. Note that instead of just picking him up, Silver lifts him using a chair, as if to say, “Hey, you’re not immobilized. Why don’t you try to escape? Oh wait, you can’t. Despite being able to move, you are still trapped.” Despite the honestly impressive threat, Silver underestimates Duo, who purposely falls out of his seat and injures himself, showing that he is the one with control over the situation. This incident causes Silver to lose his place on the Diamond Cutters, robbing him of his power within the Restoration and eliminating one of Duo’s main threats. Resolving this issue of control seems to be the most logical development for Silver’s character in the future, and I’m very excited to see exactly how it happens.

He's such a cool character. And having flaws for a character in general is what makes them unique. I really hope we see more of him again soon

I love Silver He desurves better then Sega gives him

i've always loved silver. of all the characters, he feels the most genuine and realistic to me

Silver has honestly surprised me by how deep his IDW stories are. He may fail a lot, be naive, bullheaded, and gung-ho, but he learns, grows, is optimistic, and always tries to do the right thing. And that is very admirable. We all share worries and anxieties, but when you have friends like he does, we have no need to deal with those feelings alone.

This is probably my favorite analysis of Silver's character I've seen so far, and my favorite video of yours! This character is my favorite, and means a lot to me due to how relatable he is. You perfectly encapsulated how strong and compelling his journey is and why so many hold him near and dear to their hearts.

Silver is madly underated but his debut game and return in Sonic Rivals onwards gave the wrong impression of him to fans of the series. The IDW comics have done a lot to redeem him.

Silver is my favorite Sonic character, always has been, always will be

I love Silver, he's so cute and lovable in many ways and is currently my third favorite character from this franchise beside Sonic and Shadow, I hope that a game about him gets made soon. I also hope that Silver becomes the character who will make an appearence in the mid-credits scene of the upcoming Sonic 3 movie so Silver can be included into the SCU (Sonic Cinematic Universe) by Paramount also next making a Sonic 4 movie that would be a loose adaption of Sonic 06 and have that studio NOT include into it the unliked parts of that game's story plot.

Silver is basically Future Trunks' fursona and I'm all for it. Both are young and naive and are desperate to catch up to the heros from the past. Also both are the only ones brave enough to be optimistic in a broken world filled with nothing but hopelessness.

This is the first analysis I've seen that tackles Silver's anxiety, particularly his portrayal in IDW. I love the attention you brought to it and his friends' response to it. It's oddly reassuring to see someone as capable/powerful as Silver struggle with doubt and anxiety as much as anyone else might. He might make a mistake here and there, but he's trying his best and his efforts often ARE enough. Sometimes it just takes some outside perspective to see that. Thanks for the analysis! It doubles as a nice pick-me-up too, which is an awesome thing to start the day with. 😊

I remember seeing silver in the back of an Archie sonic comic book and looking him up I saw the opening of his story and thought he was cool He is by far my favorite sonic character I might even go as far to say he’s my favorite character ever I’ve been dealing with an intense anxiety disorder since age seven and I’ve always liked him for his powers colors and just his style ig lol I noticed his anxiety in 06 but after idw sonic launched I identify with him a lot

Silver is my absolute favorite Sonic character and I recently got back into the IDW comics—pretty much everything said in this video makes so much sense and makes me like Silver even more😊 amazing analysis👍

I really can't stand the IDW comics, but I love Silver and Blaze (and Omega). It's nice to know they're being treated with respect and the care they deserve. Silver is a great character. Although my favorite version is definitely Archie.

I think you really summed up Silver perfectly here. His flaws and personal struggles make him more relatable than Sonic and Shadow. Silver has immense power, and will gladly show it off, but not just flaunt it. The stoic mask he wore in 06, and later in the Rivals games, continues to break the more time he spends with the cast. He may not see it himself, but he is as much a hero as any one of them. His failures and learned to grow as a hero is such a great story, and is why I want him to have a big role in the games again. And I am very happy that IDW is re-exploring his friendship with Blaze. Silver is my favorite character and I always love seeing him.