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Note: (This review keeps spoilers vague and to a minimum, but is not spoiler-free)

The English translation of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Blade of Courage came into my world like a cannon fire through my office wall. I started getting excited messages of “Did you see?” all at once, and with good reason - Everyone knew how much I’d wanted this. I hate missing out on something good, and every time the topic had come up, my response had been the same: “I hope they translate it so I can have it too.”

With it finally in my grasp, there was just one question left for me: “Was the translation worth the wait?” (It was!)

Sonic the Hedgehog: the Blade of Courage

Written & Illustrated by: Yuki Imada
Translated by: Tuttle-Mori Agency
Letters by: Brandon Bovia

Chapters 1 & 2 are out now, with new chapters releasing every 3 weeks!

Chapter 1

Like Sonic himself, the story wastes no time getting to the action, immediately introducing us to our new protagonist. “Yuta the Slowpoke” is an elementary school boy whose slow pace earns him scorn from his classmates and chronically gets him into trouble.

Yuta’s adventure starts as he is taken hostage by a reckless bank robber and swept up in a dangerous high-speed chase with the police… which also catches Sonic’s attention!

Sonic’s introduction is simple - He playfully challenges the bandit to a race, and then gets so swept up in the game he can’t even remember the reason he’s there, other than to have a good time simply… much to Yuta’s annoyance!

Charming and cheeky, Imada’s characterization of Sonic hits the mark, which isn’t an easy task considering Sonic is sharing the spotlight in this story. He falls neatly into his uncharacteristic role as a companion supporting Yuta’s journey, rather than a whirlwind dragging the poor kid along for the ride.

“The world’s fastest hedgehog” teaming up with “the slowest kid in the world” is such a fun concept to play with, and the characters truly shine in these roles. Despite his young age, Yuta is mature and thoughtful, while Sonic is quite playful and a little irresponsible, causing their personalities to clash somewhat, but also allowing for them to eventually cover each other’s weak spots when they work together.

Shortly after Yuta’s rescue, we’re given a glimpse into the endearing reason he has a reputation for being so slow - He’s frightened by the thought of someone having a bad day because he didn’t take a moment to help them! Aww. He’s really just a sweet kid, often to his own detriment. I’m honestly a sucker for characters like this, ones who go out of their way to make sure other people have a happy ending, knowing full well that it doesn’t guarantee their own happiness too. Knowing that they truly deserve their kindness repaid makes it all the more satisfying when it gets to that point, and it really hooks me on a character.

Sonic belatedly notices that Yuta is wearing the hilt of a sword entrusted to him by his grandfather and boisterously announces that he’s been looking for both Yuta and “The Blade of Courage,” a legendary sword that saved a kingdom from disaster long ago. It’s a classic “chosen one” trope, which might not resonate with some people, but I find it simplifies things and gets the main story moving.

The rest of the first chapter displays the dynamic between Sonic’s speedy confidence and Yuta’s careful observational skills as they work together to stop an out-of-control train from crashing into the station.

This is one of my favorite moments in the chapter; the action is beautifully illustrated, and Sonic’s sincere words explaining to a discouraged Yuta that helping others, even when he’s in danger himself, is the definition of courage, and then convincing Yuta to have a little more faith in himself made me unexpectedly emotional.

It was a great start to the story, and I found myself eager to start the next chapter!

Chapter 2

The second chapter focuses on establishing what looks to be the larger plot, which, as Sonic explains to Yuta, is simply that “the world’s in trouble”.

When prompted for more detail, Sonic elaborates (with a cute illustration) that an evil scientist is turning people into crystals, and Sonic believes that, together with Yuta and his Blade of Courage, they can stop him.

The next day, Yuta arrives late to class once again despite Sonic’s “help”. I really like how Sonic showed off his more “fun” pace as he recklessly dragged Yuta through the city, but in the end, when Yuta continues to go at his own pace, Sonic isn’t bothered or annoyed, but accepting.

Yuta is again caught up in a struggle as his classroom is attacked by a giant robot, which turns his classmates and teacher into crystal, just like Sonic warned the night before.

In order to defeat this new threat, Yuta teams up with Sonic, motivated by the hedgehog’s heartfelt assurance that the two of them working together can achieve more than they could alone. It’s a rather epic fight, showing off Sonic’s persistence and abilities while Yuta continues to struggle to find his courage, but rises to the challenge with encouragement from Sonic. Both characters are expressive and energetic as the action picks up, and I really enjoy the shift to a more serious tone.

After the battle, Yuta decides to partner up with Sonic, resolving to return everybody to normal and stop the villain responsible for turning them into crystal, properly starting their journey together and wrapping up their introductory chapters.

Thoughts

I was a little unsure about the premise at first, but the execution has been flawless so far. It’s a really endearing story, and I’m already incredibly attached to Yuta and Sonic as a pair.

Yuta is kindhearted but not too soft and easily steps up to fill his role as the main character alongside Sonic. I found him quite relatable and was genuinely rooting for him the whole time. I’m excited to see his growth in the coming chapters!

I also liked how Yuta isn’t overshadowed by Sonic in any way. He gets the recognition and admiration he deserves for his bravery and is allowed to breathe as the story’s hero, without Sonic as competition.

Sonic’s personality is very entertaining. He’s fun-loving, forgetful, a little rude, and his carefree attitude clashes slightly with Yuta’s more serious demeanor, providing humorous friction in between the action as the two get used to one another. He’s depicted as a lot more random and cartoonish than I’m used to seeing in other modern Sonic media; though it’s pretty standard for what I expect from a manga targeting a younger age group, I found it incredibly charming. (If I read this as a kid, I would have 100% developed a crush on Sonic.)

Despite this, he’s not depicted as stupid or ignorant and can lock down and be serious when he needs to be. While he doesn’t seem to be a fan of explaining details, he does a wonderful job bringing out Yuta’s courage with sincere words of encouragement.

The art is clear and expressive, and I had no problems following along in busier scenes. The action scenes were lively and exciting, without dragging anything out. I really enjoyed the fight and chase scenes! The human designs work comfortably well with the Sonic style, which was one of my biggest concerns.

I can’t speak to the quality of the translation, as I cannot read Japanese to compare, but the dialogue was a clear, good flow while being full of personality. I didn't have any problems understanding what was going on.

Keep in mind

This story seems geared towards a young audience, so the dialogue is simple, and the plot so far is uncomplicated. Much of the humor is in the form of Sonic being random or forgetful. The story doesn’t take itself seriously and makes for good light reading.

While Sonic is one of the main characters, the story is about Yuta and is shown mostly from his perspective. If you’re looking for Sonic’s next grand adventure, you’re not going to find it here– this is Yuta’s adventure.

Overall, it’s a strong start to an incredibly fun story, and I look forward to future chapters. Imada nails it with energetic art and thoughtful characterization. He delivers an authentic and unique Sonic the Hedgehog experience that I’m grateful is now available to read in English!

The first two chapters are available for purchase on the IDW app in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, with a new chapter every three weeks!