.....and that's pretty much it. Shadow would be fine, but only if he dies in the end like was supposed to. Cream is adorable, but she has no reason to be there. I would not touch Trunks wannabe the Hedgehog with a 20 foot pole. the rest of the characters feel like filler to me.
He never really played a major role in the games, he was just a background character. He could have had a chance to shine (he was playable in Sonic Adventure for Dreamcast), but he fell by the wayside before he ever had that chance.
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Sega have retired big the cat for good. Good riddance?