Sonic the Hedgehog protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog, a blue hedgehog able to run at supersonic speeds, and recurring villain Dr. Eggman, an evil scientist whose ambition is to conquer the world. Among Sonic's many allies, the most well-known include: Miles "Tails" Prower, a twin-tailed, highly intelligent yellow fox who is Sonic's sidekick and best friend; Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog who is Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend and a hero in her own right; Knuckles the Echidna, a coolheaded red echidna who is the guardian of the Master Emerald; Shadow the Hedgehog, an anti-heroic doppelgänger of Sonic with a dark past; and Metal Sonic, a
Sonic the Hedgehog player to control him in a limited fashion. This game also introduced Sonic's "spin dash" maneuver, an ability which allows Sonic to burst forwards quickly from a complete standstill, unlike the previous game, where Sonic could only gain speed with momentum. "Sonic 2" was followed in 1993 by an arcade game, "SegaSonic the Hedgehog", featuring new characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. The next console game, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", was released in 1994. The game introduced a temporary shield maneuver, often called the "insta-shield", added new shield types to the series, and allowed Tails to be