Dragonfly

For other uses, see Dragonfly (disambiguation).

The Dragonfly^[1] (トンバー^[2], Tonbar^?) is an enemy that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, dragonfly-based Badnik model created by Dr. Eggman with spikes and flight capabilities.

Appearance

Based off the real-world dragonfly, the Dragonflies are robotic insects with light blue armor. When first introduced, each Dragonfly had two pairs of transparent wings, an ellipsoid thorax with orange stripes, no head, two black eyes, a small mouth, and a long yellow and blue segmented abdomen with spikes.

Over the course of the series, the Dragonflies have undergone slight design changes. In Sonic Generations, the Dragonflies were redesigned with a shorter abdomen and larger, blue eyes. In Sonic Lost World, they were given a darker color scheme, a longer abdomen, their own head, and cyan eyes with no pupils. Finally, in Sonic Mania, they were colored pink and their bodies had six segments instead of seven, though the spiked segment on the end were larger than before. In Sonic Mania Plus' Encore Mode, Dragonflies look the same as they do during the game's normal campaign, except that their heads are red instead of pink.

Game appearances

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

The Dragonflies first appeared in Sonic & Knuckles and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, where they are encountered in Mushroom Hill Zone. In gameplay, they repeatedly fly up and down until the player interrupts them. They are also very tricky to avoid, as touching a Dragonfly anywhere else than on its head will damage the player. Only a Spin Jump or a Glide to the head will safely destroy a Dragonfly. Also, upon its destruction, the Dragonfly will release an Animal.

Sonic Rivals 2

In Sonic Rivals 2, the Dragonfly appears as an unlockable card after getting the high score in Neon Palace Zone Act 3. The card will also unlock the Chao Detector for that Zone.

Sonic Generations

In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, Dragonflies from somewhere across spacetime appear as enemies in both Acts of Mushroom Hill. In gameplay, their attack patterns and strategy remain the same as in Sonic & Knuckles, and their loud buzzing easily indicates their presence. Beside that, the player can defeat the Dragonflies with the Spin Jump or Homing Attack.

Sonic Lost World

In the Wii U and PC version of Sonic Lost World, the Dragonflies are found in Silent Forest Zone 2, as well as its Ring Race version. During the events of the game, the Dragonflies and the other Badniks got hijacked by the Deadly Six.

In gameplay, the Dragonflies retain a familiar attack pattern where they fly up and down in one place. To defeat a Dragonfly, the player has to use the Focused Homing Attack on its head. Upon their destruction, the Dragonfly will release an Animal.

Sonic Mania

In Sonic Mania, and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Dragonflies are enemies found in both Acts of Press Garden Zone. In gameplay, they repeatedly fly up and down until the player interrupts them. They are also very tricky to avoid, as touching a Dragonfly anywhere else than on its head will damage the player. However, they can be destroyed easily by attacking their heads with a Spin Attack-related move. Upon their destruction, they will release an Animal and award the player with 100 points.

Other game appearances

Sonic Jam

In Sonic Jam for the Game.com, Dragonflies reappear as enemies in Mushroom Hill Zone, functioning exactly as they did in their debut.

Powers and abilities

Dragonflies are capable of flight and are equipped with spikes on their abdomen which they can skewer their foes with.

Variants

Big Dragonfly

Main article: Big Dragonfly

The Big Dragonfly is a giant variant of the Dragonflies that appears exclusively in the Wii U/PC version of Sonic Lost World.

In other media

Books and comics

Archie Comics

Main article: Dragonfly (Archie)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Dragonfly is a mass-produced model in the Badnik Horde. They have been deployed at a number of locations, most notably Angel Island.

Trivia

• The Dragonfly's Japanese name, "Tonbar", comes from the Japanese word for dragonfly: tonbo. This can also be interpreted as tonbo and bar, because it is made up of a bar of segments.

Gallery

Artwork

Sprites

Models

Screenshots

Gallery
Sonic 3 & Knuckles Sonic 3 & Knuckles Sonic Rivals 2 Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS) Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS) Sonic Lost World (Wii U)

References