Neo Metal Sonic

Neo Metal Sonic (ネオメタルソニック, Neo Metaru Sonikku?) is a transformation that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is one of Metal Sonic's transformations which he once used to disguise himself as Dr. Eggman and copy the data of his foes in order to make himself more powerful. Neo Metal Sonic shares some distinctive traits with his base form, such as black eyes with red irises, a similar torso with a rocket engine in the center, and the primary blue color with red shoes. However, Neo Metal Sonic features several differences in design: his head has five long quills as opposed to his regular three, with white stripes on each one and markings around his eyes. The interior of his ears is now red instead of their usual yellow, while his hand plates became white. Additionally, his nose is longer in size and the bolts on his muzzle and shoes now have spiked ends. He also possesses more pronounced body armor, with black and curved shoulder pads, larger gauntlets and leg armor with pointy silver kneecaps that have white outlines, a plate covering his pelvis and elf-like shoes. He also sports a spiky belt with a black cape that protrudes out of the back of his waist. Prior to Sonic Heroes, Metal Sonic assumed this form as he sought to defeat Sonic on his own and conquer the world himself, as he held the "key to destroy the world." To this end, he betrayed Dr. Eggman, took control of the Eggman Empire and began seeking out the data needed for him to transform into Metal Overlord. To achieve this, Neo Metal needed to copy the lifeform data of other beings. Using his shapeshifting abilities to pass as the real Sonic, Neo Metal would also kidnap Froggy and Chocola in order to obtain their data on Chaos as well. When four teams began their adventures, Neo Metal Sonic would cross paths with the groups on various occasions in the guise of Dr. Eggman and get the lifeform data he needed from them. By the time Team Dark and Team Sonic defeated the Egg Albatross, Neo Metal Sonic had successfully copied Shadow's data and that of all the teams, and when Team Rose defeated Neo Metal Sonic in the Egg Emperor, he had copied Chaos' data as well, making him release Froggy and Chocola from captivity. With all the data he needed, Neo Metal Sonic revealed himself to the heroes and destroyed the Final Fortress' tower before using the debris to transform into Metal Madness, and later Metal Overlord. However, he was later defeated by Team Sonic and reverted to Neo Metal Sonic, and then back to his original form with Sonic promising him a rematch at any time. Neo Metal Sonic is, like his normal form, able to scan the life data of other life forms, allowing him to copy and replicate others' attributes and abilities flawlessly. Due to his actions throughout Sonic Heroes, it can be assumed that he possessed the abilities of all the teams, plus those of Chaos himself, at the climax of the story. Neo Metal Sonic has the power to shapeshift, allowing him to change his appearance and body structure. When shapeshifting, he turns into a puddle of liquid metal and then emerges in a new form. This allows him not only to perfectly imitate the appearance of organic creatures, but also the appearance of robots as well, such as fake Dr. Eggman robot copies, though Tails could tell it was not an Eggman robot. He can also safely contain creatures such as Froggy and Chocola inside of himself until he had copied Chaos' data. As demonstrated when he first revealed himself to the heroes, Neo Metal Sonic can create lightning bolts from his hands, launch them into the sky and then bring it back down with enough power to blow up the Final Fortress' largest tower. He can also manipulate outside elements through unknown means to rebuild himself, such as when he used the debris from the Final Fortress' tower to rebuild himself into Metal Madness. Neo Metal Sonic possesses virtually limitless potential through data replication, granting him effectively limitless adaptability. On his own, Neo Metal Sonic was able to fight Sonic to a standstill, and eventually overpower him. Neo Metal Sonic is able to scan the bio-data of other life forms, allowing him to copy and replicate others' skills and abilities flawlessly, also he takes on the personality of the person he is copying. On his own, he is also surprisingly durable, being able to take a barrage of attack from Sonic and emerge from them almost undamaged. He also possesses limitless stamina and the ability to fly via the rocket engine on his back.