Jreal313

Gamer, Streamer, and Graphic Designer. StH fan and comic book reader
|Business inquiries: [email protected]|

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

I miss this kind of stuff in my Sonic comics. #SonicTheHedgehog #Fight4Freedom #ArchieSonic4Ever #rally4Sally

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

So current SoA is the problem and not SoA of the 90s and early 2000s

[ARK Eclipse cAnon @Eclipse_cAnon]

SEGA LEAK.

Just seen this. Sega of America instructs writers and freelancers (even when following source material sent straight from Japan!) to alter Amy's personality to obfuscate her romantic desires.

They know this upsets fans and dont have to do it, yet choose to anyways.

[Sally4All @all_4sally]

I feel like Sally Acorn has a lot of misconceptions surrounding her, and I want to take a moment to address them. (Warning: This will be a long!)

Part 1: Ownership Myth

Right out of the gate, let’s start with the biggest myth: People still believe Sally and the Freedom Fighters are owned by Ken Penders.

They aren't. Sally is 100% owned by SEGA. The lawsuit that affected Archie Comics did not take Sally away. Proof of this is pinned to my main profile, courtesy of Alex Hedgefox.

Sally appeared in the Archie reboot long after the lawsuit. Plus, she was recently data-mined for Sonic Blitz, which proves SEGA can still use her. (Or at least she can be considered).

She even got a cameo in a recent official SEGA livestream! SEGA can use her whenever they want. This ownership applies to anyone who appeared in Sonic SatAM and AoStH (and likely Sonic Underground and Sonic X too).

Part 2: The Amy Rose Rivalry Myth

Another huge misconception is that Sally and Amy Rose hate each other. They don't.

At no point in the comics did the writers imply mutual hatred. They didn't always see eye-to-eye, but they were never enemies. Loving the same guy doesn't hinder their friendship.

Amy wants Sonic to be happy and had been supportive of Sonic dating Sally, and Sally never had an issue with Amy's feelings for him.

Sally actually would have been fine if Sonic returned Amy's feelings. In fact, that concept was almost explored! Archie had plans at one point for Sonic to end up with Amy, while Sally would end up with Monkey Khan. Still, in the end, Sally and Amy are friends.

Part 3: The "Abusive" Slap Myth

Let’s talk about the infamous slap from Archie Sonic #134. This one moment severely hurt Sally’s reputation. I agree the scene was terrible and completely out of character. But context matters. Sally had spent a year thinking Sonic was dead. She was terrified of losing him again, and her emotions boiled over. Still, the scene did massive damage. Some Sonamy fans used it to write Sally as an evil manipulative villain in fanfics. Conversely, some Sonally fans did the same to Amy by making her a crazy stalker. Neither side is completely innocent. The bottom line? Sally loved Sonic deeply. She openly regretted the slap, apologized, and admitted she was wrong. It might be best to move on from it.

Part 4: The "Mary-Sue" & "Girl Boss" Myth

I often see people call Sally a "Mary-Sue" or a "Girl Boss." She isn’t either. Sally has major flaws. While Sonic SatAM let her do a lot, she never solved everything alone. She constantly needed her team. Her plans failed, and she made foolish mistakes that got people captured.

Her "bossy" moments aren't her trying to be better than everyone else. She is actually masking her own insecurities.

Think of Rebecca Cunningham from TaleSpin (if you know that old Disney show). She acts like she knows everything, but it's just a mask to hide her faults. That is exactly who Sally is, and it makes her a deeply compelling character. Sally is a product of the 90s Girl Power thing, and shares this with girls like Sonya Blade. But even then, it wasn't too crazy. The girls were simply shown to be as cool as the guys.

The worst Sally has ever done is mistreat Fiona and blow off Mina due to her own paranoia. The story took her side too much there, but it proves she is a flawed, realistic character.

Part 5: The "Naked" Design Double Standard

Another weird complaint is that Sally being "naked" in her classic design is inappropriate. She is a cartoon animal. Nothing about her original design is inherently sexual. She has a huge head on a tiny body, making her look cute and goofy. Even her original pink design showed this off. Compare Sally to Marvel's Black Cat or DC's Wonder Woman. Sally is incredibly tame. Even Rouge the Bat makes Sally look tame.

Plenty of cartoon characters pull off the "naked" look without being sexualized: Cleo from Heathcliff, Fifi La Fume from Animaniacs, or modern characters like Clawroline (Kirby) and Ribbit (Digital Circus). Yes, Sally stands out because Amy and Blaze wear clothes. But why is it okay for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to be naked while Sally faces a double standard? Barby Koala pulls off the exact same look!

Here's something I've heard. When Sally got clothes in the reboot, it wasn't a SEGA mandate. Writer Ian Flynn just did it because he thought it was what SEGA wanted.

Part 6: Sally’s Sexuality

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Sally's sexuality. Art is subjective and head canons are fine, but let’s look at the actual text. Personally, I believe Sally is straight. I have never seen official proof otherwise. Many fans believe she is sapphic and ship her with Nicole.

I disagree. I only ever saw them as sisters. Shipping Sally and Nicole feels like shipping Sonic and Tails to me, it just feels off. People use the "Spark of Life" arc as proof of romance. To me, that was just one best friend risking her life for another. It's like Bayonetta 2 where Bayonetta rescues Jeanne from hell. It's pure friendship, not romance. Right after that arc, Sally is back to giving Sonic loving eyes.

Yes, Ian Flynn has made comments about it, but Ian says a lot of things that don't hold up. He once claimed Amy couldn't go Super, and Sonic Origins Plus proved him wrong. He doesn't dictate absolute canon, and original creator Ben Hurst never alluded to Sally being sapphic. If you view Sally as sapphic as a headcanon, that is totally fine. Fandoms are supposed to be fun. I’ve had my own wild headcanons before! I used to wonder what if Amy liked Sally instead of Sonic? I even liked the head canon that Rouge and Topaz were dating in Sonic X.

But in the end, that is fanfiction territory. It’s just like asking: "What if Sonic joined the NBA?" or "What if Tails became a player and dated five girls?" or "What if Sally became best friends with Krystal from Star Fox and teamed up in a contest against Spider-Man and Amy Rose?" Enjoy your head canons, but don't attack others over them. All of you. Let’s keep the drama out of the fandom.

Part 7: Squirrel or Chipmunk?

This has always been confusing for people. Many people believed Sally was a squirrel due to not only her last name, but her being based on the character Ricky, who is a squirrel.

I believe Ben Hurst intended for Sally to be a fox, especially given her father's design in the show. In the comics, King Acorn ended up looking more like a squirrel while her mother Alicia resembled a chipmunk.

The comics later established Sally as a hybrid, but as seen with other Mobian Couples of different species, their kids never exhibit the traits of both parents. It's one or the other.

In the end, Sally was officially classified as a Chipmunk. So hopefully this puts an end to that debate.

Part 8: The "Hated in Japan" Myth

Lastly, let’s bust the massive misconception that Sally Acorn is hated in Japan. She is absolutely not the bane of SEGA of Japan’s existence.

If SEGA of Japan hated Sally, they wouldn't have let the Archie Comics run as long as it did. In fact, they were highly protective of her. When writer Ken Penders wanted to kill her off, SEGA stepped in to save her.

They were also totally fine with Sally being the mascot for SEGA World Sydney. Funnily enough, props of that exact Sydney park was proudly highlighted in that official SEGA livestream. SEGA also willingly included Sally in Sonic Mega Collection via the Archie Comics bonus section.

In fact, let’s look at Sonic Spinball, a game that featured Sally. It is readily available to play right now on the SEGA Genesis catalog for Nintendo Switch Online. It was prioritized over Sonic 1 and 3. They even acknowledged it during the 90s phase of the anniversary. If Japan hated Sally, they would not allow Sonic Spinball to stay in the spotlight. Instead, they keep keeping it alive. Ironically, Sally’s finalized, iconic design was actually drawn by a Japanese artist named Ken Kinoshita! Kinoshita worked heavily on legendary Disney projects such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Sally has literal Japanese roots in her artistic DNA.

Sally has plenty of fans in Japan. The whole "Japanese Purist" argument completely falls apart when you look at the love she gets over there. Just look at recent years! Sonic Forces writer Eitaro Toyoda has openly spoken about remembering Sally fondly. Official Japanese staff have affectionately called her "Sally-chan," and an official Sonic mascot suit performer even loved a custom Sally plush given to them by a fan.

Furthermore, Japanese fan artists on Pixiv and Twitter constantly upload incredible artwork of her.

The only real pushback that I can think of came from Yuji Naka. On the flip side, Sonic's other co-creator, Naoto Ohshima, has openly stated he is a fan of Sonic SatAM and the Freedom Fighters. He has even endorsed the fan-made Team Sea3on project!

Conclusion

So yeah, those are the biggest misconceptions about Sally Acorn. She isn't locked in legal limbo, she isn't a heartless bully, she isn't a flawless Mary-Sue, and Japan doesn't hate her. She’s a flawed yet iconic character who deserves her respect .If there's anything you disagree with, feel free to drop a reply! I'm always open to polite interpretations. Thanks for reading the thread! 😎📷

~MR

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

@tanpukunokami You're welcome back anytime 😊 . Come to Michigan where all you need is your hand as the map

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

When extreme sports were fun https://t.co/165ir4TLxp

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

When extreme sports were fun https://t.co/PLN5sWczqh

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

When extreme sports were fun https://t.co/GLzYNa4k7B

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Racing for life https://t.co/zDBh5N0rT7

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Racing for life https://t.co/2KgYj78IIh

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Racing for life https://t.co/UNyPYGZLLi

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Sunday Hunts https://t.co/CQof9NgDQR

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Save Reach or die trying https://t.co/jbzmVajEvC

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Save Reach or die trying https://t.co/jdKnhnpjV6

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Happy belated 6th affiliate anniversary https://t.co/p1XMo6eTM0

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

@SamuraiShibaJP Yup lol

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

@AlexDav08618432 @OverEHill England has never beaten the USA in the world cup

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

Happy belated 6th affiliate anniversary https://t.co/CDXn8kCY0j

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

@Sam_Setth @TrollFootball @PhilipObinna12 Funny how it was the Brits who name the sport soccer 1st

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

@TrollFootball And yet beans on toast were the ones to name it soccer 1st

[Jreal313 @JReal313]

@turbotailz86 @SonicDramaDaily Wait wasn't bluesy suppose to be the safe place

[Sally4All @all_4sally]

If you’re a content creator who does stuff involving Sally Acorn or any of the Freedom Fighters (or even Underground, X or Fleetway) then keep this in mind.

If you know any, spread the word. This could be interesting.

Just promise you’ll do Sally justice if you do catch a break. This is for the old and new fans after all.

~MR