The main antagonist of the series and Sonic’s arch nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, more widely known as Dr. Eggman, is an iconic video game villain. With an astounding IQ of 300, the major antagonist is constantly out to destroy the world and create the Eggman Empire and his "utopia" Eggmanland in its place. The vile doctor has committed many atrocious acts, from imprisoning innocent animals and enslaving aliens to nearly destroying the entire world. He's also attempted harnessing ancient beings to do his bidding, even trying to control all of spacetime.

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Though he is mostly the overarching villain Sonic battles numerous times in the games, the mad doctor has seen several occasions when he's not the primary villain. Eggman is a playable character with his own skill set and abilities in a handful of titles, including one mainline.​​​​​​ Players have had the chance to pit the evil doctor against Sonic in racing and sports games, and have even seen him try to kill the blue hedgehog.

Updated May 11, 2024by Nadia Mullings:Having debuted on the Sega Genesis, it's no understatement that Dr. Eggman is one of video gaming's most recognizable villains. Being around for over 30 years, the mad scientist has appeared in many different ways across the franchise, with Sonic Frontiers offering players a deeper look at the character's emotional side.

As well as being a main character in various Sonic television series, he recently crossed over into the world of cinema. Now, Dr. Eggman is set to return in the highly anticipated movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, despite his apparent death at the end of the second film.

9 Sonic Advance 3

Eggman Assists In The Final Fight

In the final Sonic Advance game, there is both a Good and Bad ending. Eggman’s role may be minor, but it's possible to play him in the Good ending. After obtaining all seven Chaos Emeralds, Gemerl betrays Dr. Eggman and takes the Emeralds for himself, transforming into "Ultimate Gemerl."

To face this mad robot, Sonic must ally with Eggman to take it down. This game relies on forming a Tag Team with another playable character. Though Super Sonic has his own abilities, players must utilize Eggman. This targets Gemerl's weak spot and allows players to damage and thus defeat it.

8 Sonic Drift Series

The Very First Entries In The Sonic Racing Franchise

These games were released for the Sega Game Gear, a portable device originally released in 1990. Unlike the iconic Game Boy, Game Gear games were in full color. The original Sonic Drift wasn’t released outside of Japan until it was included in Sonic Adventure DX as an unlockable. Sonic Drift 2, however, saw a global release in 1995.

Both games see Sonic, with friends and foes, compete in several Grand Prix. Sonic sports the speediest vehicle albeit with poor handling. Eggman, however, races in his Egg Typhoon. Though this takes a while to reach max speed, once it does, he can rival Sonic. He also has better handling than the hedgehog. Each playable character also has a unique move. Eggman's is “Drop Mine” which leaves a debilitating hazard on the track.

7 Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Eggman Allies With Sonic, But It Doesn't Last Long

The first RPG Sonic title starts with Eggman having seemingly been defeated by his arch-nemesis, accompanied by GUN forces. However, Eggman has a relatively small role in this game, in which he eventually joins Sonic’s forces when the Marauders threaten to invade their world.

Though only in two chapters of the game, Eggman is a "Shifter" character, meaning he has moderate ability in both direct combat and support. In Chapter Six, Sonic and his allies prepare to travel into the Twilight Cage. Thus, Eggman’s role ends as he opts to stay behind, to help them "return safely." However, as seen at the game’s end, the villainous doctor betrayed them, and even had the time to build his long-anticipated Empire in their absence.

6 Sonic R

Everybody's Super Sonic Racing, Even Eggman

This radical racing game sees Eggman compete against his rivals as he attempts to find the Chaos Emeralds. The game was developed for the Sega Saturn but was available on PC a year after its release. The 2004 PC version was incorporated into the Sonic Gems Collection for the PS2 and Nintendo GameCube.

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Dr. Eggman, alongside other playable characters, can be unlocked and added to the roster once certain requirements are met. In the doctor’s case, players must come in first place on the track “Radiant Emerald.” Racing in his iconic Egg Mobile, Eggman is immune to all water hazards and can send missiles at his opponents, causing them to slow down.

5 Sonic The Fighters (2012 Remaster)

A Classic Arcade Game Sees Eggman Able To Fight Sonic

The original Sonic the Fighters was released in 1996. It is an arcade game, and sports similar gameplay to Sega's other titles Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers. The original version was featured in the Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PS2 in 2005. Eggman is strictly a boss in the original game, and unfortunately for the doctor, his real name was misspelled in the English release's intro. He’s laughably called “Dr. Robotonic!”

This remaster, for the PS3 and Xbox 360, featured three additions to the character roster. Alongside Metal Sonic and the obscure Honey the Cat, Eggman is able to fight in the tournaments in his E-Mech. Though the E-Mech doesn’t have a unique special ability, it’s a powerful weapon in one-on-one combat against another.

4 Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Games Series

Eggman Can Try His Hand At Numerous Sporting Events

These games are set in both the real world and locations from across the Mario and Sonic universes. In the franchise, players can participate in a huge range of both summer and winter sporting events, from the likes of Archery, Pole Vault, and Football to Snowboard Cross, Ski Jumping, and Figure Skating. Certain events even come with a twist, in the form of “Dream Events.” These include skiing through Seaside Hill from Sonic Heroes, and Trampolining inside Space Colony ARK from Sonic Adventure 2 to name a few.

The vile doctor has remained a staple of this spin-off franchise, appearing as a “Skill Type” or “Technique” Character. This means he will perform well in certain events such as Long Jump due to a higher skill level. Players can form their four-character team, meaning Eggman can team up with his nemesis, or work against him. Eggman also serves as a major villain in the DS versions of the Vancouver 2010, London 2012, and Tokyo 2020 Olympics where he works with Bowser.

3 Sonic Riders Series

Thrilling High-Speed Action Which Even Defies Gravity

The three titles that make up the Sonic Riders series all feature the cruel doctor as a playable character. In the series’ first two installments, Eggman serves as a Power type. Unfortunately for him, he is rather limited compared to the other racers in terms of gear. In Zero Gravity, for example, Eggman’s “Extreme Gear” is limited to either Bike or Wheel type.

The first two games primarily focus on Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles competing against the lesser-known Jet, Wave, and Storm, the so-called “Babylon Rogues.” However, Sonic Free Riders features these two teams competing not just against each other, but also against Team Rose and Team Dark. The four teams have entered King Doc's Grand Prix. Of course, "King Doc" is Eggman in disguise; he was trying to capture the racer's data for his robot's programming. Eggman becomes playable after the main story is completed.

2 Sonic Racing Series

Eggman Clashes With Both Sonic And Other Sega Characters

In all the above titles players can race Eggman against Sonic and his friends, or in the case of the All-Stars games, against other Sega characters such as NiGHTS, Vyse, and Ryo Hazuki. The doctor retains his ability to fire missiles at other racers as first seen in Sonic Drift.

In Team Sonic Racing, Eggman works alongside Metal Sonic and the Zeti, Zavok. Together they form “Team Eggman.” Since this game features a similar “Team Mechanic” as seen in Sonic Heroes, each member of the team is a different character type. As a "Technique" type, Eggman doesn't slow down on rough terrain and has high acceleration.

1 Sonic Adventure 2

Eggman Lives Through The Story And Learns Of His Grandfather's Evil Plot

This is the only mainline game featuring the mad scientist as a major playable character. Central to the "Dark Story," Dr. Eggman teams up with Rouge and the "Ultimate Lifeform," Shadow the Hedgehog, to steal the seven Chaos Emeralds and activate a world-destroying weapon. When Sonic tries to stop Eggman, he's almost killed by him after getting caught in his trap and sent plummeting to the earth. Eventually, Eggman teams up with his adversary once he realizes they’ve played into the trap his grandfather set 50 years ago.

Similar to E-102 Gamma’s play style from the preceding game Sonic Adventure, Eggman pilots a mech through his five personal levels. Locking onto multiple targets yields a higher score, and thus a higher rank overall. This is, so far, a more definitive and exciting gaming experience playing as the mad doctor, as players get to control the villains in the Dark Story: an unusual yet thrilling experience.

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