Guardian Units of Nations

The Guardian Units of Nations,^[1] often abbreviated to GUN or G.U.N., is a fictional organization featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Its status within the Sonic the Hedgehog canon (aside from its Sonic X incarnation) is that of a worldwide military/emergency law enforcement federation, somewhat similar to NATO. Though it may be made from the general English term for a firearm, "gun," its origin could also stem from the Japanese word for 'army' which is simply 'gun' or 'guntai'. It is also likely the full title of the organization - Guardian Units of Nations - is a backronym. Though the acronym "G.U.N." was pronounced like a word in Shadow the Hedgehog, it was only spelled out in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Contents 1 Game appearances 1.1 Sonic Adventure 2 1.2 Shadow the Hedgehog 1.3 Sonic Rush 1.4 Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) 1.5 Sonic Rivals 1.6 Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity 2 Notable members 2.1 The Commander 2.2 Rouge the Bat 2.3 Shadow the Hedgehog 2.4 E-123 Omega 2.5 In Comics/Cartoons 2.5.1 Topaz 2.5.2 Captain Westwood 2.5.3 Commander Brass 3 G.U.N. army 3.1 Troops 3.2 Vehicles 4 Bases 4.1 G.U.N. Fortress 4.2 Prison Island 5 In other media 5.1 Sonic X 5.2 Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie) 6 Voice acting 7 References

Game appearances

Sonic Adventure 2

In Sonic Adventure 2, released in 2001 for the Sega Dreamcast, the G.U.N. organization was introduced. It is sent to capture Sonic the Hedgehog after he is suspected to have stolen a Chaos Emerald and attacked G.U.N. forces while escaping, when in reality he was mistaken for Shadow the Hedgehog. The G.U.N. Federation's Prison Island base also plays a large role in the game; Dr. Eggman first goes there to release Shadow, and it is also where Sonic is imprisoned after his capture, and where G.U.N. keeps three Chaos Emeralds that are eventually stolen by Rouge the Bat. Three mechanical G.U.N. walkers can be fought by the player as bosses. The game also reveals that G.U.N. was responsible for attacking the Space Colony ARK fifty years prior to the game, after being ordered by the government to end Gerald Robotnik's "Project Shadow," a research project to create an immortal "ultimate lifeform." The G.U.N. military killed or imprisoned all that knew about the project, notably killing Gerald's granddaughter Maria Robotnik. The result of the project, Shadow the Hedgehog, managed to flee the ARK in a capsule, but was found on Earth and put in stasis on Prison Island by the G.U.N. Federation. The organization was never specifically called "G.U.N." by the characters during this game, rather it was referred to as "the government" or "the military." The "G.U.N." acronym and logo are instead just seen on military technology and boxes that are spread around the game.

Shadow the Hedgehog

The G.U.N. Federation reappeared in Shadow the Hedgehog released in 2005 for various consoles. Its role in this game is to repel the invasion of Earth by the forces of the alien Black Arms. During the game and FMV sequences, the G.U.N. Commander, due to his own personal hatred of Shadow, orders his troops to attack Shadow the Hedgehog, even if Shadow tries to help G.U.N. In the game, it turns out that Gerald actually intended all of his creations, the Eclipse cannon, Shadow, perhaps even the artificial Chaos, to protect earth from the Black Arms, but because of the intervention of G.U.N. he never got the chance to do so. The organization's role in Sonic Adventure 2 was also expanded in Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic Rush

In the Huge Crisis Zone of Sonic Rush, the robotic enemies resemble the G.U.N. military's Hunter and Hawk robots from Sonic Adventure 2, and unlike Eggman's robots, they do not release animals when defeated.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

G.U.N. has a small role in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game. The role is small since the focus of game is more about Iblis and Soleanna, but shows that Shadow had been employed by G.U.N. after the Black Comet was destroyed in Shadow The Hedgehog.

Sonic Rivals

Among the 150 collectable cards in Sonic Rivals, 8 are G.U.N.-related pictures. These cards are "The Commander", "Big Foot", "Flying Dog", "The president", "Hot Shot", "Gun Wing", "Hornet-6" and "Shield Hunter".

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

G.U.N. is refered in the initial CG sequence of the game, where it is said that they had knowledge of what's going on, and are doing everything they can to understand the situation. Although it is not known if G.U.N. has a bigger part in game's story until now.

Notable members

The Commander

The G.U.N. Federation's highest ranking officer^[2] is the Commander (also known as the General), who appeared in Shadow the Hedgehog. Described as having a "heart of stone," he has complete confidence and an iron will.^[2] He appears in several cutscenes in the game where he is seen ordering his troops against the Black Arms and Shadow. He also controls the Diablon robot, one of the final bosses of the game (though it is not seen if he is inside it or controls it remotely).^[3] The Commander grew up with his family on the Space Colony ARK, and was a good friend of Maria Robotnik. However, he saw Shadow being created by Black Doom and Gerald, and his family and Maria were later killed in the G.U.N. military's attack. He harbors a deep personal hatred towards Shadow the Hedgehog, blaming him for their death, and sends his forces to destroy him throughout the game.^[3] The Commander appears to have heterochromia, as he has one blue and one amber eye. After Shadow defeats Devil Doom and destroys the Black Comet, the President states how ironic it was that people treated Gerald like he was evil, and he ended up saving them all in the end. The Commander and the President realize they were wrong about Gerald's intentions and that he was truly a good hearted person. They decide they will help create peace for the world in honor of Gerald. In the Expert Mode, it is revealed that Commander had become a grandfather one week before the events of the game and invited Shadow over as part of his apology to the hedgehog.^[3]

Rouge the Bat

Main article: Rouge the Bat

Rouge the Bat has been a G.U.N. agent for some time, and seems to have been working for it at least since Sonic Adventure 2. She is one of the most valuable agents of the organization, and she is apparently highly ranked, as she often takes orders from the President himself. Her status seems to be that of an non-official cover (NOC) espionage agent. She is also Topaz's partner in Sonic X.

Shadow the Hedgehog

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog

Like Rouge, Shadow the Hedgehog has also become a G.U.N. agent. In Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow was sent on a mission to rescue Rouge from Dr. Eggman's base in White Acropolis, where she had been captured while searching for the Sceptor of Darkness. It is unknown what his ranking and status are, though he is assumed to be, like Rouge, a very valuable agent, being sent on several important, if dangerous, missions. He seems to often be assigned to accompany Rouge or, if she is gone missing in action, locate her.

E-123 Omega

Main article: E-123 Omega

In Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge contacts G.U.N. and says that she would like to meet up with Omega after she returns from the future. Omega's relationship with G.U.N. is unknown, although he does care whenever they are destroyed, as per Iron Jungle in Shadow the Hedgehog, where he scolds Shadow ("Reassess target priorities") every time he destroys a G.U.N. robot, and his friendships with Rouge and Shadow, who are both G.U.N. members, indicate he knows of G.U.N.'s existence.

In Comics/Cartoons

Topaz

Topaz only appears in the Sonic X anime and associated comic book, in which she is a G.U.N. Tac Team agent and the human partner of Rouge the Bat. Though at first the regimental Topaz disapproves of the scheming Rouge, the two become friends fast. Their main assignments involve striking at Dr. Eggman and retrieving the Chaos Emeralds, as well as serving as envoys between Sonic and his friends and the government. Topaz also seems to have romantic inclination towards Chris Thorndyke's butler, Mr. Tanaka. The two have worked together on several occasions, and when Topaz lost in a tournament over the red Chaos Emerald, Tanaka gave her a necklace, a sign of a growing relationship between them. Topaz's field outfit is very similar to that of the character Janet Marshall from Sega's arcade games Virtua Cop 2 and Virtua Cop 3.

Captain Westwood

Captain Westwood is Topaz's commanding officer in the Sonic X comic book. Captain Westwood hates Topaz and Rouge because they always get better assignments than him. He attempts on numerous occasions to make them look incompetent so that the President would not trust them again. He is sometimes referred to as "Cowboy," and bears a strong resemblance to Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil series.

Commander Brass

Commander Hugo Brass appears in Archie Comic's Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, he is a member of Station Square's Corporate Military (G.U.N.), and serves as the President's military advisior.

G.U.N. army

Troops

The G.U.N. army consists of both human soldiers and a large variety of robots that are just as complicated as those of Dr. Eggman, though with a more "serious" appearance. The soldiers are armed with typical handheld firearms and first appeared in a cutscene in Sonic Adventure 2. They reappeared as common enemies in Shadow the Hedgehog, where they mostly wear black and blue, but they also have camouflage clothes. The robots come in a variety of appearances and uses:

• 01 Beetle, hovering saucer-shaped one-eyed floating robots that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog. They are sometimes unarmed, but can be armed with guns or bombs.
• 01 Wing, Beetles that can move around in the air. They also appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, and can be armed with various weaponry.
• 02 Hunter, tall white humanoid robots with guns implemented into their right arms that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Rush. According to an eyecatcher information card from Sonic X, a Hunter is 3.5 meters tall, 2.5 meters wide, and weighs 2.5 tons.^[4]
• 03 Rhino, blocky tank-like robots that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Rush. They usually attack by attempting to ram into their target, but some are equipped with guns.
• 04 Hawk, large blocky flying robots with turbines that appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Rush. They can be armed with various weaponry, or ram enemies.
• 05 Hornet, flying eye-like robots with several appendages that hold thick homing missiles or lasers. They appear in Sonic Adventure 2.
• Artificial Chaos, robotic versions of Chaos from Sonic Adventure that were made by Gerald Robotnik to protect the ARK. They appear in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog. They are only used to guard the ARK and may not be under the direct control of G.U.N. leadership.
• R7, bulky green humanoid robots with red markings seen in Shadow the Hedgehog. It can only use semi-automatic rifles.
• LZ-1, robots very similar to R7, except they are heavily armored, camouflage-colored, and can use any weapon. They also only appear in Shadow the Hedgehog.

It is revealed by flashbacks of Shadow's past and the initial re-opening of the ARK that many of these designs are at least 50 years old.

Vehicles

G.U.N. uses vehicles very similar to ones used by modern military forces in real life. In Sonic Adventure 2, the player encounters Blue Eagle and Vulkan Fighter jet fighters that attack the player with bombing runs and hovering in place while firing machine guns, respectively. They closely resemble the Russian Sukhoi Su-34 "Fullback" strike fighter aircraft in appearance, with the side-by-side cockpit seating and an enlarged tailsting, but behave more in function like the similar Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker fighter aircraft, the Soviet (and G.U.N., evidently) equivalent of the U.S. Navy's F-14 Tomcat. A large transport helicopter similar to Russian Mil Mi-24 Hind also appeared in the Hero Story's opening cutscene. It has the identification code "Sigma Alpha 2", a reference to Sonic Adventure 2. In Shadow the Hedgehog, the "Westopolis" and "Central City" stages feature green military helicopters that can be destroyed, or in one case held onto for transport. The final portion of Sonic Adventure 2's "City Escape" stage also features a ridiculously huge semi-trailer truck with G.U.N. markings chasing Sonic throughout the stage. It eventually crashes into a tunnel too small for it to fit through. It obviously resembles the 1955 Peterbilt 281 truck from the movie Duel. Several stages of Shadow the Hedgehog contain G.U.N. jeeps, armoured personnel carriers and motorcycles that the player could hop into and drive. A green tank can also be seen in a cutscene where Black Doom threatens the Earth. The "Metal Harbor" and "Weapons Bed" levels set outside Prison Island in Sonic Adventure 2 feature large aircraft carriers where G.U.N. keeps Blue Eagle planes. Huge warships can be seen outside the "G.U.N. Fortress" in Shadow the Hedgehog as well. A common sight throughout G.U.N. forces are bipedal walkers. Both Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog feature walkers from the F-6 Big Foot series, large ones that are armed with gatling guns and have the ability to hover in the air with jets. The first one seen was the Spider Troops F-6t Big Foot that was Sonic's first boss in Sonic Adventure 2, F-6 and F-6r variants appeared as the strongest standard G.U.N. enemies in Shadow the Hedgehog, and took significantly more damage than the Sonic Adventure 2 equivalents. The "r" and "t" variants are armed with homing missile launchers on their "shoulders" along with the gatling gun. According to Sonic X, the F-6t is 3.4 meters tall, 4.8 meters wide, and weighs 9.2 tons.^[5] Nearly identical to the F-6t was the Scorpion Troops B-3x Hot Shot, that appeared as Shadow's first boss in Sonic Adventure 2. It is armed with a laser cannon in its torso along with the gatling gun and missiles. According to Sonic X, the Hot Shot is 3.4 meters tall, 4.8 meters wide, and weighs 9.6 tons.^[6] Shadow the Hedgehog featured the small one-man walkers JII-G and CV-4. The prior can jump to extreme heights, while the latter was armed with two machine gun turrets but had a small jump height. They both have some hovering capabilities that lets them fall down slowly, and they can both be used by the player. The R-1/A Flying Dog also appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 as a flying mech identical in equipment to Hot Shot, with the exception of not needing to land as it completely lacked legs. It is fought as a boss by Rouge. According to Sonic X, it is 3.6 meters in both height and width, and weighs 5.4 tons.^[7] In Shadow the Hedgehog, the Mantis Platoon HD1 Heavy Dog and LZ-12R Blue Falcon appeared as bosses. They were both large, disc-like machines armed with several homing missile launchers all around its body, along with a Particle Beam Cannon, a weapon that fires blue energy waves in all directions. The Heavy Dog was also armed with floating mines, was a part of the attack on the ARK and is fought after Shadow's "The Doom" flashback stage. The Blue Falcon could instead drop bombs, and was assigned to protect the Eclipse Cannon in the games' current time. The latter is likely named after Captain Falcon's car in F-Zero of the same name, possibly since Sega happened to help develop F-Zero GX and F-Zero AX. The mecha U78-X/D Diablon appears in Shadow the Hedgehog as one of the possible final bosses. It is a partly-incomplete experimental humanoid robot, fully equipped with a powerful energy shield, a jetpack, a strong laser gun and its most powerful feature; the Antimatter Cannon, which — after some necessary charging up — creates an explosion of energy causing destruction within a large radius. Diablon is controlled by the G.U.N. Commander, and is accompanied by Sonic when fought by Shadow. Its serial number and name are displayed on its wrists. It can be confronted in the G.U.N. Fortress, Final Haunt and Black Comet stages. G.U.N. also has several gigantic flying fortresses similar to the ones of Eggman. They appear in Shadow the Hedgehog, where the "Air Fleet" stages takes place on and inside one of them. Sonic X also featured the G.U.N. Fort, an overhauled Egg Fort 1, equipped with arsenal of missiles and lasers. G.U.N. have also made Mobile Rockets, small rockets that are held onto by one person, and used to travel to high areas. Though they appear in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, they were not explained to belong to G.U.N. until Shadow the Hedgehog. In the latter, it also comes with a parachute for controlled descent.

Bases

G.U.N. Fortress

The G.U.N. Federation's headquarters appears in Shadow the Hedgehog and is considered the most secure shelter on Earth. The President is taken there for safety when the Black Arms attack Central City. The underground fortress is heavily guarded by three mother computers, armed security cameras, and an immeasurable number of G.U.N. troops and mechs. It is located in a mountain near the sea, as seen on the platform where the goal ring is located.

Prison Island

In other media

Sonic X

In Sonic X anime and Sonic X comic, G.U.N. is a military branch of the United States government. It took Gerald Robotnik's technology and, with a few tweaks, created its own robots. It also took Eggman's Eggfort and turned it into its attack vehicle.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)

The Archie-published Sonic the Hedgehog comic book features G.U.N. as an elite military unit of Station Square, a city of humans. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters first encountered G.U.N. when both teams went to a dragon lair located on an island. Working together, they were able to seemingly kill the formidable beast living there.

Voice acting

• Commander (Shadow the Hedgehog) - Marc Thompson (US)
• G.U.N. soldiers, Blue Falcon, Heavy Dog (Shadow the Hedgehog) - Andrew Rannells (US)
• G.U.N. communicator (Sonic the Hedgehog) - David Willis (US)
• Topaz (Sonic X) - Kayzie Rogers (US)

References