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Espio has so much untapped sonic potential
He is, arguably, the single most “normal” teenager in sonic canon vice via like his day to day problems and priorities.
Like even in the og archie comics where shit was notriously crazy all the time especially for Knuckles and his friends, Espio’s role was like. the Guy Whose Friends Are All Always Going Through Some Shit But He Is Basically Fine.
Like he’s not the one who finds a kid dead from LSD overdose. That’s the 6 year old bee’s problem. Espio just like. Gets the group text about it.
Like of the “main” 20+ sonic characters you can easily put Espio in the top 3 for edgy designs. And like Espio’s worst problems all come from being 16 and having brothers who are 18 and 6 respectively.
Like darkest canonical interpretations just come down to
-dead former mentor figure (think like. tails if sonic died, but like years later)
-child living through and suffering under realistic financial strain (sad. Really weird vibe for a sonic character tbh. Still not really that comparable to like. Shadow.)
And like. This is the same series where reality sometimes canonically gets thanos snapped and everyone’s lives get reset and genocides get forgotten. You can dig some fucked up experiences for like basically every sonic characters vice via Archie Comics being insane
And like. Im pretty sure this has only ever been played straight? Like of course he’s edgy he looks edgy. Isn’t Charmy annoying?
Idk i just think the fact Espio canonically knows like. Knuckles and Sonic and Shadow is like unexplored comedy gold. He’s like the shitty poser teen who BUYS the shadow the hedgehog posters to feel cool.
He and Vector talk and act like peers on the same page 99% of the time but Vector romantically pursues women unambiguous old enough to firmly see Espio as a child. That is so fucking funny. You’re 16 and your friday night is fucking ruined because your best bro is going out with some adult woman who treats you like you are 12 and a BABY so now you’re stuck babysitting YOUR baby brother ALONE, if not also your bro’s girl’s kid. Meanwhile the group chat is blowing up because all your COOL friends just broke into Eggman’s lab and are making really funny tiktoks without you