Antons are based on a terrestrial ant. They possess blue robotic armor with an upstanding ant-like upper body and two thin arms. Their heads on the other hand are large with wide eyes, two yellow antennae, and gray mandibles. They are capable of moving around thanks to a single thick yellow wheel on their bottom and two small engines with exhaust pipes on the sides.
Game appearances
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Antons,[1] (アントン[2],Anton?) also referred to as Robot Ants,[3] appear as enemies and are encountered in Palmtree Panic. In gameplay, the Antons simply roll back and forth along the ground within their designated area, never leaving the platform upon which they move. While they can hurt a playable character through physical contact, they possess no offensive attacks and can easily be avoided and destroyed. When they are seen broken down due to age in the Bad Future pf Palmtree Panic Zone or sometimes in the present, these Badniks move considerably slower and have a depressed look on their faces. Regardless, they can be easily defeated by using the Spin Jump, Spin Attack, or Spin Dash. Also, like every Badnik in the game, the Antons are powered by Little Planet flower seeds which will pop out of them when they are defeated.
In gameplay, Antons move back and forth one after the other within their designated area. Should they make contact with the playable character, they will catch them and carry them on their their back, only to self-detonate after driving a short distance, with the blast dealing damage to the playable character in the process. The only way to destroy a Anton is to hit it with the Flying Kick. In addition, hitting a leading Anton into its group with the Flying Kick will defeat them all in one stroke. Hitting a Anton with the Homing Attack or any other move will result in the Anton, after receiving a blow, leaning slightly forward, moving faster, and grabbing the playable character. Also, upon their destruction they release their Animals.
In Sonic Superstars, Antons reappear as enemies that are exclusively encountered in Egg Fortress Zone. Like in Sonic Lost World, they move in single file groups, though they spawn from holes throughout the Zone and do not have arms. They can also be summoned by the Fang's mech during Trip's story.
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Antons are a part of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army, although they only made a few appearances during the comic's run. Depending on the artist, the Antons' design would differ between their appearances.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, Dr. Eggman disappeared while his Antons and the rest of his Badnik army remained. Without a leader however, the Antons were directionless and no longer a unified threat.[4] Even so, they would still randomly attack anyone they came across[5] (although such incidents were more accidental than aggression-based[4]). Eventually, the Antons came under the control of Neo Metal Sonic, who made them and their fellow Badniks more cohesive.[4][6]
A group of Antons soon after attacked Sonic and Espio in a mountainous region, only to end up being destroyed by the two heroes. More Antons would not long after try to attack Windmill Village, but Sonic and Team Chaotix were able to stop them.[7]
A patrol of Antons stationed in Egg Base Alpha later encountered Starline's creations Surge and Kitsunami, before being destroyed by the former. Following the duo's victory over the Egg Breaker, more Antons would surround them, only to begin applauding them, having fallen under Starline's commands via his override program.[8] Not long after, a few Antons stationed in Eggperial City attempted to stop Surge and Kit when they began wrecking havoc around the city, only to be destroyed by the duo.[9]
Sonic the Hedgehog X Angry Birds
In the Angry Birds x Fearless: Year of Shadow promotional comic, the Antons were one of the many Badniks that appeared as part of Dr. Eggman's Badnik army during his invasion of the Angry Birds world. Despite this, the Antons and the rest of the Badniks would be defeated by both the birds and Shadow working together to stop Eggman's evil scheme.
