Sonic Adventure 2/Characters

Sonic Adventure 2, and it's GameCube port, Sonic Adventure 2:Battle, have the most playable characters out of almost every Sonic game. There are only 6 distinct characters available for Single Player story mode, however through the use of cheat devices such as the Action Replay, the multitude of Multiplayer-only characters can be used in single player levels. =Single Player=

Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic is, as usual, the main character and hero of Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic is a Speed type character, and is in direct competition with Shadow. He is imprisoned at the start of the game, as the military unit GUN mistook him for Shadow. Sonic is out to stop Eggman's plans and save the Earth from being conquered by him.
 * In Multiplayer mode, Sonic has three moves: Speed up at 20 rings, the attack Sonic Wind at 40 rings, and Time Stop at 60 rings.

Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles starts out arguing with Rouge, who is attempting to steal the Master Emerald. Eggman appears and tries to take it away, and the only way Knuckles can stop him is to destroy it. Shards of the Master Emerald fly everywhere, and some even make their way into space. Knuckles aids Sonic a number of times, including helping him by gathering keys. Knuckles is the treasure hunting member of the Hero Side, and is competing with Rouge to collect the shards of the Master Emerald.
 * In Multiplayer mode, Knuckles has three moves: Hammer Punch at 20 rings, the attack Thunder Arrow at 40 rings, and Power Flash at 60 rings.

Miles "Tails" Prower
Tails is Sonic's eternal sidekick and the shooting member of the Hero Side. Tails hears of Sonic's incarceration and sets out to find the truth. He meets up with Amy and frees Sonic. Tails is in direct competition with Dr. Eggman, as both are in mechs. Tails' mech is his Tornado airplane, which can convert into the walking mode.
 * In Multiplayer mode, Tails has three moves: Laser Missile at 20 rings, the attack Rocket Launcher at 40 rings, and Power Laser at 60 rings.

Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the hedgehog was an attempt by Eggman's ancestor, Gerald Robotnik, at creating the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow uses hovering shoes and at high speeds rockets activate. He is almost as fast as Sonic and in direct competition with him. he is the Dark Side's Speed character. Shadow's relationship with Maria Robotnik aboard the space colony where he was created, ARK, had a profound impact on him and sets him into motion aiding Eggman.
 * In Multiplayer mode, Shadow has three moves: Speed up at 20 rings, the attack Chaos Spear at 40 rings, and Chaos Control at 60 rings.

Rouge the Bat
Rouge is a jewel thief and also a government agent sent to spy on Eggman. Rouge has her sights set on the Master Emerald, but it gets destroyed. Her next target is the Chaos Emeralds, though this almost gets her killed. Rouge helps Shadow and Eggman by collecting the Emeralds for them, in exchange for a radar to help find the Master Emerald pieces.
 * In Multiplayer mode, Rouge has three moves: Hip Drop at 20 rings, the attack Black Wave at 40 rings, and Charm Ray at 60 rings.

Dr. Eggman
Eggman is out, once again, to conquer the world. He first hears of Shadow, and sets him free. Shadow takes Eggman to the space Colony ARK, where a weapon created by his grandfather Gerald, called the Eclipse Cannon, is located. Eggman even goes so far as to destroy part of the Moon. Eggman is very proud of his grandfather's legacy, though he seems distraught at the idea that his grandfather might have a vengeance.
 * In Multiplayer mode, Eggman has three moves: Laser Missile at 20 rings, the attack Rocket Launcher at 40 rings, and Power Laser at 60 rings.

=Multiplayer= In Multiplayer mode, two characters can compete in either Shooting, Racing, or Treasure hunting. Additionally, there is a Kart Racing minigame. Two players can play in the ordinary modes. In the Dreamcast Version, the characters must be unlocked, while they all come available from the start in Sonic Adventure 2:Battle on the GameCube. There are also alternate costumes for the main characters that give them different power up abilities available as well.

Hero Side
Interestingly, most Hero Side alternate characters are female. Chao are asexual and thus have no gender.

Amy Rose
Amy is Sonic's number one fan and self-proclaimed "Girlfriend". While she plays a major role in Sonic Adventure 2's storyline, she is not playable except in Multiplayer. She is, as usual, taken hostage by Eggman at one point. Her words have a significant effect on Shadow, who realizes what Maria's true wish was. Unlike Sonic and Shadow, she cannot spindash, and most of her fighting is done with a mallet. She is the slowest Speed character, but gets moves more often to make up for it.
 * Amy has three moves: Speed Up at 10 rings, the attack Storming Heart at 20 rings, and Amy Flash at 30 rings.

Tikal the Echidna
Tikal was an Echidna from Knuckles' tribe who first appeared in Sonic Adventure 1. She was the self-appointed guardian of the Master Emerald and the Chao, a race of watery creatures. When her father led the rest of her tribe in an attack on the shrine to steal the Emeralds, the entire group was wiped out by Chaos, who protected the Emeralds and the Chao. To seal Chaos away, Tikal locked herself in the Master Emerald with him. When it was broken again in Sonic Adventure 2, both were once again released. She is a pacifist and a Treasure Hunting character, albeit the weakest.
 * Tikal has three moves: Wrath of Gaia at 20 rings, the attack Heaven's Justice at 40 rings, and Captive Light at 60 rings. Every attack is preceded by a plea to stop.

Neutral Chao
This is a mech shaped like a Neutral Chao, piloted by two Neutral Chao. No one knows how they learned to do this, but somehow it's possible.

Dark Side
Like the Hero Side, all alternate Dark Side characters have no gender, but most are generally considered to be masculine.

Metal Sonic
Metal Sonic was the first of a long line of Sonic-like robots and artificially created beings, the most recent being Shadow. Metal Sonic follows Eggman's every order, and is incidentally one of the longest standing and most popular characters in the series, despite the fact that he has never spoken. Like Amy, he can't spin dash, but instead has a "Black Diamond" move that will protect him from all attacks. He is the fastest racer.
 * Metal Sonic has no special moves.

Chaos 0
Chaos was the guardian of the Master Emerald, the Chaos Emeralds, and the Chao, all of which were located on Angel Island. When Tikal's tribe attacked the shrine to steal the Emeralds, Chaos absorbed the Emeralds' power, becoming Perfect Chaos, and destroyed the entire Tribe of Echidnas that inhabited the island. Chaos' shape changes as he absorbs Chaos Emeralds, and this is his natural state without any Emeralds, hence the name Chaos 0. Chaos also served as the ultimate enemy in Sonic Adventure 1. He and Tikal were freed when the Master Emerald was destroyed.
 * Chaos 0 has three moves: Chaos Impact at 20 rings, the attack Chaos Strike at 40 rings, and Chaos Bind at 60 rings.

Dark Chao
This is a mech shaped like a Dark Chao, and is piloted by a Dark Chao. No one really knows how it learned to do this, but somehow it did. This character only appears in Sonic Adventure 2:Battle, the GameCube port, and replaces Big the Cat.

Big the Cat
Big is a fat and slow-witted cat who lives in the jungles of Mystic Ruins. Big learned how to pilot Eggman's mech and steals it. Big is only available in the Dreamcast version.