The Flash versus Sonic the Hedgehog is a battle that's debated constantly, sometimes rivaling the ongoing Goku vs. Superman battle. Fans often wonder who is faster, Sonic or Flash. Whether it's Barry Allen or Wally West, The Flash is the fastest speedster in the DC universe.
Of course, Sonic the Hedgehog is the fastest being in his video game universe and he would make other speedsters jealous. The Blue Blur has demonstrated some incredible feats over his many appearances, so the race between the two speedsters is still neck and neck. Whether Sonic or the Flash would be faster ultimately comes down to a game of inches.
Updated on November 13, 2022 by Scoot Allan: The release of Sonic Frontiers, mixed with fans' anticipation for the upcoming The Flash film, reignited the ongoing debate of Sonic vs. The Flash. Each speedster has a few impressive feats, abilities, and enhancements that could give them the win in the right situation.
Why The Flash Would Win
The Speed Force
Barry Allen is technically the second Flash of the DC universe, and he is a spectacular speedster. His successor Wally West actually discovered the existence of the Speed Force, a realm of energy that connects and powers a number of DC speedsters. It gave him a few new abilities, including the ability to create some of The Flash's greatest costumes out of pure Speed Force energy.
What makes Barry Allen's connection to the Speed Force unique is the fact that he generates it by running. This allows him to do incredible things through manipulation of the Speed Force, including drawing energy to increase his speed. While his successor has a deeper connection, Barry Allen's experience with the Speed Force would make him hard to beat.
Time Travel
Although many speedsters time travel at some point in their career, no one has ever done it quite like Barry Allen. As one of the fastest speedsters in the DC multiverse, The Flash has effectively used time travel to save the day in the comics as well as animated and live-action adaptations.
Barry Allen traveled back in time during the Flashpoint event to save his mother. However, that one action created a cascade effect that completely altered the timeline. The Flash could travel back in Sonic's timeline and create incredibly dangerous ripple effects in time to take the win.
Molecular Vibration
Sonic's speed and his various feats are only useful if he could find a way to beat Flash's ability to phase through solid surfaces. By moving his molecules at super speed, Flash is capable of running through objects without damaging them or himself.
The Flash is able to phase through enemy punches or move his enemies through objects to trap them. Wally West's initial control of the molecular vibration ability was limited, and he destroyed everything he tried to phase through. That showed that The Flash's phasing ability could be deadly if weaponized against his enemies.
Dimensional Travel
If he is willing to cut loose, The Flash can break through more than just the sound barrier. He can speed across time, though he has also been known to cross dimensional barriers and become a multiversal hero as well.
By breaking through the Speed Force barrier, The Flash can travel to different realities. He could recruit other versions of the Flash like Jay Garrick to assist in a fight with Sonic or trap his speedy rival in another dimension altogether. It's not something Flash often uses offensively, but when he does it's devastating.
Speed Mind
One of Barry Allen's greatest assets is his "speed mind" ability. Introduced during the New 52 era, this ability allows Flash to direct the Speed Force energy directly into his brain to operate at a higher pace. Barry Allen is capable of thinking within less than an attosecond, which is an absurdly short amount of time.
By using his speed-mind ability, Flash is capable of working through a number of possible outcomes before ever making a movie. He can avoid any costly mistake or figure out a battle plan quicker than anyone else alive. None of The Flash's fastest villains could compete with this ability, and Sonic might not fare well either.
Why Sonic Would Win
Naturally Fast
Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the fastest cartoon characters of all time. While some characters enhance their speed with technology or other-dimensional energy, Sonic is naturally fast. Every version of the Blue Blur is fully capable of outpacing almost everyone he encounters.
Sonic's speed has continually improved in video games as well, making him faster with each and every entry. Sonic's speed is unique in his universe, as no one else can catch up with him. Only characters like Shadow the Hedgehog or a robotic duplicate have even come close to matching his natural speed.
Chaos Emeralds
Sonic the Hedgehog has searched for the Chaos Emeralds in almost every game, and he usually acquires the iconic items within each level. The Chaos Emeralds are superempowered stones that give Sonic enhanced abilities.
While characters like Shadow the Hedgehog have shown a higher proficiency with the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic has used them quite a few times as well. He can warp space and time with the Chaos Control ability or use a Chaos Emerald to make himself even faster and stronger. Having access to more powers than just pure speed could give him the leg up he needs to defeat the Flash.
Power-Ups
In every game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, some form of power-up has been used by Sonic or other characters. They are seeded throughout each mission to help his quest, and they take many different forms.
Power-Ups like the Wisps from Sonic Colors allowed Sonic to augment himself in various ways. Sonic was capable of boosting his own physical attributes, including his speed. He was also able to use power-ups to give himself various kinds of shields. All of these enhancements could prove useful in a fight against DC's fastest speedster.
Hand-To-Hand Combat
One thing that surprises even Sonic the Hedgehog's closest friends is the fact that he is an incredible hand-to-hand combatant, and he is capable of fighting against a number of enemies at the same time. He is even able to beat characters like the master combatant Emerl without the advantage of his speed.
While most of his fighting moves were rooted in his love of break-dancing, Sonic actually learned Linshao Kung Fu in Sonic Unleashed. The Flash has always been more of a brawler who uses his speed to his advantage, which might not fully work against someone like Sonic the Hedgehog.
Multiple Super Forms
Sonic the Hedgehog's trump card that he often employs against his final bosses in the modern era is his ability to transform. He has a number of powerful forms that he can utilize in battle thanks to items like the Chaos Emeralds. He has taken on powerful new forms like Super Sonic and Hyper Sonic through the use of the enhanced Super Emeralds.
Sonic has used mystical items in his various games to turn into dangerous Dark Spine Sonic and Excalibur Sonic forms. Each new form is extremely powerful or versatile and is fully capable of dishing out incredible amounts of damage. While these forms sometimes come with a time limit, Sonic could still take advantage of the extra power in a battle with someone like the Flash.