Guardian Units of Nations
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The Guardian Units of Nations,[1] often abbriviated to GUN or G.U.N, is a fictional organization featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series.
Its status within the Sonic the Hedgehog canon (aside from its Sonic X incarnation) is that of a worldwide military/emergency law enforcement organization, similar to NATO.
The origin of the name likely stems from the Japanese word for 'army' which is simply 'gun' or 'guntai'. It is similarly likely the full title of the organization - Guardian Units of Nations - is a backronym. Though the name is pronounced "gun" in most games they are in, it was pronounced "gee u en" in Sonic the Hedgehog.
It may also be made from the general term for a firearm, gun.
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[edit] Game appearances
[edit] Sonic Adventure 2
In Sonic Adventure 2, released in 2001 for the Sega Dreamcast, the G.U.N organization was introduced.
They are sent to capture Sonic the Hedgehog after he is suspected to have stolen a Chaos Emerald and attacked G.U.N forces while escaping, when in reality he was mistaken for Shadow the Hedgehog. G.U.N's Prison Island base also plays a large role in the game; Dr. Eggman first goes there to release Shadow, and it is also where Sonic is imprisoned after his capture, and where G.U.N keep three Chaos Emeralds that are eventually stolen by Rouge the Bat.
The game also reveals that G.U.N were responsible for attacking the Space Colony ARK 50 years prior to the game, after being ordered by the government to end Gerald Robotnik's "Project Shadow", a research project to create an immortal "ultimate lifeform". G.U.N killed or imprisoned all that knew about the project, notably killing Gerald's granddaughter Maria Robotnik. The result of the project, Shadow the Hedgehog, managed to flee the ARK in a capsule, but was found on Earth and put in stasis on Prison Island by G.U.N.
The organization was never specifically called "G.U.N" by the characters, who instead referred to them as "the government" or "the military". The word "G.U.N" is instead just seen on G.U.N's technology and boxes that are spread around the game.
[edit] Shadow the Hedgehog
G.U.N reappeared in Shadow the Hedgehog released in 2005 for various consoles. Their role in this game is to repel the invasion of Earth by the forces of the alien Black Arms. It is also strongly hinted during the game and FMV sequences that G.U.N's mission is the investigation (and possible destruction) of Shadow the Hedgehog, depending on the player's moral choices within the game. Their attempts at doing this are caused by the commander of G.U.N due to his personal hatred of Shadow, and in the game, it turns out that shadow is even eviler than he thought. GUN's role in Sonic Adventure 2 was also expanded in Shadow the Hedgehog, where one of the levels is set in a flashback, and lets the player control Shadow during G.U.N's attack on the ARK.
[edit] Sonic Rush
In the Huge Crisis Zone of Sonic Rush, the robotic enemies look very similar to G.U.N's Hunter and Hawk robots from Sonic Adventure 2, and unlike Eggman's robots, they do not release animals when defeated.
[edit] Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
G.U.N has a small role in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game.
[edit] Sonic Rivals
Among the 150 collectable cards in Sonic Rivals, 7 are GUN-related pictures. These cards are "The Commander", "Big Foot", "Flying Dog", "Hot Shot", "Gun Wing", "Hornet-6" and "Shield Hunter".
[edit] Notable members
[edit] Commander
G.U.N's Commander (also known as the General) appeared in Shadow the Hedgehog. He appears in several cutscenes in the game where he is seen ordering his troops against the Black Arms and Shadow. He also controls the Diablon robot, one of the final bosses of the game (though it is not seen if he is inside it or controls it remotely).
The Commander grew up with his family on the Space Colony ARK, and was a good friend of Maria Robotnik. However, he saw Shadow being created by Black Doom and Gerald, and his family and Maria were later killed in G.U.N's attack. He harbors a deep personal hatred towards Shadow the Hedgehog, blaming him for their death, and sends his forces to destroy him throughout the game. The Commander appears to suffer from heterochromia, as he has one blue and one amber eye.
Once he speaks to Shadow before the "Cosmic Fall" stage, he realizes that Shadow isn't evil at all and regrets attempting to kill him. After Shadow defeats Devil Doom and destroys the Black Comet, the President states how ironic it was that people treated Gerald like he was evil, and he ended up saving them all in the end. The Commander and the President realize they were wrong about Gerald's intentions and that he was truly a good hearted person. They decide they will help create peace for the world in honor of Gerald. In the Expert Mode, it is revealed that Commander had become a grandfather one week before the events of the game.
[edit] Rouge the Bat
Rouge the Bat has been a GUN agent for a very long time, and seems to have been working for GUN at least since Sonic Adventure 2. She is one of the most valuable agents of the organization, and she is apparently highly ranked, as she often takes orders from the President himself. Her status seems to be that of a NOC espionage agent. She is also Topaz's partner in Sonic X.
[edit] Shadow the Hedgehog
Like Rouge, Shadow the Hedgehog has also became a GUN agent. In Sonic the Hedgehog Shadow was sent on a mission to rescue Rouge from Dr. Eggman's base, while she was trying to retrieve the mysterious "Scepter of Darkness" but was captured instead.
[edit] Topaz
Topaz only appears in the Sonic X anime and associated comic book, in which she is a GUN Tac Team agent and the human partner of Rouge the Bat. Though at first the regimental Topaz disapproves of the scheming Rouge, the two become friends fast. Their main assignments involve striking at Dr. Eggman and retrieving the Chaos Emeralds, as well as serving as envoys between Sonic and his friends and the government.
Topaz also seems to have romantic inclination towards Chris Thorndyke's butler, Mr. Tanaka. The two have worked together on several occasions, and when Topaz lost in a tournament over the red Chaos Emerald, Tanaka gave her a necklace, a sign of a growing relationship between them.
Topaz's last appearance in the anime was when Sonic and his friends were returning home. She said farewell to her partner Rouge, who gave her a ring as a goodbye gift. This is quite unusual, as Rouge usually covets any jewel she comes across. It is uncertain whether Topaz will return to the series or not.
Topaz's field outfit is very similar to that of the character Janet Marshall from Virtua Cop 2 and Virtua Cop 3.
[edit] Captain Westwood
Captain Westwood is Topaz's commanding officer in the Sonic X comic book. Captain Westwood hates Topaz and Rouge because they always get better assignments than him. He attempts on numerous occasions to make them look incompetent so that the President won't trust them again. He is sometimes referred to as "Cowboy", and bears a strong resemblance to Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil series.
[edit] Commander Brass
Commander Hugo Brass appears in Archie Comic's Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, he is a member of Station Square's Corporate Military (GUN), and serves as the President's military advisior.
In a scrapped story idea from the comics dubbed "Fall of Empire", Commander Brass would have staged a military coup against the Station Square Congress and the President while King Acorn and his wife were in the city during their tour of Mobius.
[edit] G.U.N army
[edit] Troops
The G.U.N army consists of both human soldiers and a large variety of robots that are just as complicated and powerful as those of Dr. Eggman, though with a more "serious" appearance.
The soldiers are armed with typical handheld firearms and first appeared in a cutscene in Sonic Adventure 2. They reappeared as common enemies in Shadow the Hedgehog, where they mostly wear black and blue, but they also have camouflage clothes.
The robots come in a variety of appearances and uses:
- 01 Beetle, hovering saucer-shaped one-eyed floating robots that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog. They are often unarmed, but can come with guns or bombs.
- 01 Wing, Beetles that can move around in the air. They also appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, and can be armed with various weaponry.
- 02 Hunter, tall white humanoid robots with guns implemented into their right arms that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Rush. According to an eyecatcher information card from Sonic X, a Hunter is 3,5 meters tall, 2,5 meters wide, and weighs 2,5 tons.[2]
- 03 Rhino, blocky tank-like robots that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Rush. They usually attack by attempting to ram into their target, but some are equipped with guns.
- 04 Hawk, large blocky flying robots with turbines that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Rush. They can be armed with various weaponry, or ram enemies.
- 05 Hornet, flying eye-like robots with several appendages that hold thick homing missiles. They appear in Sonic Adventure 2.
- Artificial Chaos, robotic versions of Chaos from Sonic Adventure that were made by Gerald Robotnik to protect the ARK. They appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog.
- R7, bulky green humanoid robots with red markings seen in Shadow the Hedgehog. It can only use semi-automatic rifles.
- LZ-1, robots very similar to R7, except they are heavily armored, camouflage-colored, and can use any weapon. They also only appear in Shadow the Hedgehog.
[edit] Vehicles
G.U.N use vehicles very similar to ones used by modern military forces in real life.
In Sonic Adventure 2, the player encounters Blue Eagle and Vulkan Fighter jet fighters that attacks the player with bombing runs and hovering in place while firing machine guns, respectively. A large transport helicopter similar to Russian Mil Mi-24 Hind also appeared in the Hero Story's opening cutscene. It has the identification code "Sigma Alpha 2", a reference to Sonic Adventure 2. In Shadow the Hedgehog, the "Westopolis" and "Central City" stages features green military helicopters that could be destroyed, or in one case held onto for transport.
The final portion of Sonic Adventure 2's "City Escape" stage also features a huge semi-trailer truck used bu G.U.N to chase Sonic throughout the stages. It eventually crashes into a building. Several stages of Shadow the Hedgehog contain G.U.N jeeps, armoured personnel carriers and motorcycles that the player could hop into and drive. A green tank can also be seen in a cutscene where Black Doom threatens the Earth.
The "Metal Harbor" and "Weapons Bed" levels set outside Prison Island in Sonic Adventure 2 features large aircraft carriers where G.U.N keeps Blue Eagle planes, and huge warships can be seen outside the "GUN Fortress" in Shadow the Hedgehog.
A common sight throughout G.U.N's forces are bipedal walkers.
Both Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog features walkers from the F-6 Big Foot series, large ones that are armed with gatling guns and have the ability to hover in the air with jets. The first one seen was the Spider Troops F-6t Big Foot that was Sonic's first boss in Sonic Adventure 2, F-6 and F-6r variants appeared as the strongest standard G.U.N enemies in Shadow the Hedgehog. The "r" and "t" variants are armed with homing missile launchers on their "shoulders" along with the gatling gun. According to Sonic X, the F-6t is 3.4 meters tall, 4.8 meters wide, and weighs 9.2 tons.[3]
Nearly identical to the F-6t was the Scorpion Troops B-3x Hot Shot, that appeared as Shadow's first boss in Sonic Adventure 2. It is armed with a laser cannon in its torso along with the gatling gun and missiles. According to Sonic X, the Hot Shot is 3.4 meters tall, 4.8 meters wide, and weighs 9.6 tons.[4] Shadow the Hedgehog featured the small one-man walkersJII-G and CV-4. The prior can jump to extreme heights, while the latter was armed with two machine gun turrets but had a small jump height. They both have some hovering capabilities that lets them fall down slowly, and they can both be used by the player.
The R-1/A Flying Dog also appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 as a flying mech identical in equipment to Hot Shot, with the exception of not needing to land, as it completely lacked legs. It is fought as a boss as Rouge. According to Sonic X, it is 3.6 meters in both tallness and wideness, and weighs 5.4 tons.[5]
In Shadow the Hedgehog, the Mantis Platoon HD1 Heavy Dog and LZ-12R Blue Falcon appeared as bosses. They were both large, disc-like machines armed with several homing missile launchers all around its body, along with a Particle Beam Cannon, a weapon that fires blue energy waves in all directions. The Heavy Dog was also armed with floating mines, was a part of the attack on the ARK and is fought after Shadow's "The Doom" flashback stage. The Blue Falcon could instead drop bombs, and was assigned to protect the Eclipse Cannon in the games' current time. The latter is likely named after Captain Falcon's car in F-Zero of the same name, possibly since Sega happened to help develop F-Zero GX and F-Zero AX.
The mecha U78-X/D Diablon appears in Shadow the Hedgehog as one of the possible final bosses. It is a humanoid robot, fully equipped with a powerful energy shield, a jetpack, a strong laser gun and its most powerful feature; the Antimatter Cannon, which after some necessary charging up creates an explosion of energy causing destruction within a large radius. Diablon is controlled by GUN's Commander, and is accompanied by Sonic when fought by Shadow. Its serial number and name are displayed on its wrists. It can be confronted in the GUN Fortress, Final Haunt and Black Comet stages.
G.U.N also has several gigantic flying fortresses similar to the ones of Eggman. They appear in Shadow the Hedgehog, where the "Air Fleet" stages takes place on and inside one of them. Sonic X also featured the G.U.N Fort, an overhauled Egg Fort 1, equipped with arsenal of missiles and lasers.
G.U.N have also made Mobile Rockets, small rockets that is held onto by one person, and used to travel to high areas. They appear in Sonic Adventure (though not designed to be G.U.N's at the time, as they did not appear in the game), Sonic Adventure 2, and Shadow the Hedgehog. In the latter, it also comes with a parachute for controlled descent.
[edit] Bases
[edit] GUN Fortress
GUN's headquarters appears in Shadow the Hedgehog and is considered the most secure shelter on Earth. The President is taken there for safety when the Black Arms attack Central City. The underground fortress is heavily guarded by three mother computers, armed security cameras, and an inmeasurable number of GUN troops and mechs. It is located in a mountain near the sea, as seen on the platform where the goal ring is located.
[edit] Prison Island
[edit] In other media
[edit] Sonic X
In Sonic X anime and Sonic X comic, GUN is a military branch of the United States government. They took Eggman's technology and, with a few tweaks, created their own robots. They also took Eggman's Eggfort and turned it into their attack vehicle.
[edit] Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)
The Archie-published Sonic the Hedgehog comic book features GUN as an elite military unit of Overlanders, a subspecies of humans. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters first encountered them when both teams went to Pyro Island, the lair of Zan the Dragon. Working together, they were able to seemingly kill the formidable beast.
[edit] Voice acting
- Commander (Shadow the Hedgehog)- Marc Thompson (US)
- GUN soldiers, Blue Falcon, Heavy Dog (Shadow the Hedgehog) - Andrew Rannells (US)
- GUN communicator (Sonic the Hedgehog) - David Willis (US)
- Topaz (Sonic X) - Kayzie Rogers (US)
[edit] References
In addition to information taken from the Sonic the Hedgehog games themselves, content from the instruction booklets of the U.S. and Japanese versions of the games were also used as references for this article.
- ^ The meaning of the abbreviation is confirmed in the manual for Shadow the Hedgehog and the official Shadow the Hedgehog website.
- ^ Laser Hunter information card from Sonic X
- ^ Big Foot information card from Sonic X
- ^ Hot Shot information card from Sonic X
- ^ Flying Dog information card from Sonic X
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| Heroes | Sonic · Tails · Knuckles · Amy · Cream · Silver · Blaze |
| Dark/Neutral | Shadow · Rouge · E-123 Omega · Chaos |
| Villains | Doctor Eggman (Doctor Ivo Robotnik) · Metal Sonic |
| Groups/Species | Echidnas · Badniks · Chaotix · E-Series · Chao · Flicky · G.U.N. · Babylon Rogues |
| Miscellaneous | Other characters · Other villains · List of all game characters |
