Warning: Spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog: Skrapnik Island #2!The tales and games of Sonic the Hedgehog are often portrayed as colorful fun romps for children of all ages, but a fight between two of the franchise's robotic characters really stretches the kid-friendly nature of a story about a laid-back and fast-talking hedgehog.
this robotic version of Sonic's buddy Knuckles never gained consciousness and was reprogrammed by another Skrapnik, E-117 Sigma, to guard an abandoned egg carrier instead. However, much like his organic counterpart, Mecha Knuckles is a bit nonsensical in his duties and very combative with anyone who threatens it.
It’s this behavior and overzealous nature of Mecha Knuckles that leads to a battle between him and Mecha Sonic in IDW Publishing’s Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island #2, by Daniel Barnes and Jack Lawrence. However, the fight between the two robots quickly turns brutal, and as with many robot fights, it gets a lot more vicious than the franchise's fights would usually be allowed to be with organic combatants. The bots lose pieces of their faces and do real damage to one another, with Mecha Sonic ultimately grinding off the back of Mecha Knuckles’ head. Most Sonic the Hedgehog comics that have been put out by IDW are rated from ages 9 to 12, and the Blue Blur’s adventures on Skrapnik Island are no different. However, the brawl between bots takes the opportunity to exploit a loophole in the rating system.
Robots Do Not Count as People
Due to the fact that the Skrapniks are not technically living creatures —even less so for Mecha Knuckles who is specifically stated as not having gained consciousness— they can be treated differently by the writers. Obviously, a brutal fight between two organic characters, like the real Sonic and Knuckles, would be far too horrific if it was portrayed in the same manner. However, because robots can be repaired, it's easier for comics to get around the rules for what’s acceptable under the age ratings. This is why many classic cartoons like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles often faced off against hordes of robots instead of using their sharp weaponry against flesh and blood enemies.
In a sense, no one is really getting hurt, so it's okay. In modern times there are no consistent rules for age ratings, and each publisher enforces their own restrictions and caveats for their own publications. Thus, IDW is well within their rights to have two robots brutalize each other on the pages of a comic book, whether they be sentient or otherwise. Also, robot death is a well-known exception to rating systems across comic books and media for many of the reasons listed above, which means that Sonic or his robot-counterpart are not alone in this exception.
In fairness, the fight is amazingly drawn and beautifully executed, and there is probably not much of a chance of parents complaining. However, this fight between Mecha Sonic and Mecha Knuckles is definitely rated "R" for robots, which fall under different urles from most other characters in Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Skrapnik Island #2 is on sale now from IDW Publishing.
