First introduced in 2006, Silver the Hedgehog is a time-traveling anthropomorphic hedgehog that’s been sent from the future to stop the apocalypse. The usual Sonic side character affair. Though Silver’s appeared in a range of Sonic spin-offs and crossover titles over the last decade or so, he’s never really had his chance to take the spotlight, and a Sonic Frontiers spin-off could change that.

RELATED: Every Time Sonic the Hedgehog Has Worn Other Video Game Costumes

A Brief History of Silver the Hedgehog

Silver the Hedgehog first appeared in the infamous Sonic the Hedgehog reboot from 2006. Widely considered to be one of the worst video games of all time, Sonic ‘06 is detested by fans for its vast collection of technical issues, its odd plot, strange character choices, and awful voice acting. Silver is introduced in his own episode during Sonic ‘06’s main campaign. In this episode, Silver is sent back in time to stop the apocalypse, triggered by a being known only as the “Iblis Trigger.” Alongside Blaze the Cat, Silver discovers that the trigger is actually Sonic.

Despite debuting in one of the worst games ever made, Silver the Hedgehog actually became a fan-favorite character, and he continued to appear over the next decade in a variety of spinoffs and crossover games. Silver appeared in both Sonic Rivals titles on the PSP, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, and the recent Team Sonic Racing, all being playable appearances. In every playable iteration of Silver, his psychic powers are always on show, whether it’s confusing opponents in Sonic Rivals or flying through the air on a psychic wave in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.

Silver the Hedgehog Would Make a Great Spinoff Protagonist

Based on the gameplay trailers released so far, it seems as though Sonic Frontiers is really focusing on combat this time around. While Sonic’s traversal abilities are still present in full force, Sonic Frontiers seems to be giving the blue hedgehog a range of new combat abilities, some of which incorporate classic move sets from his previous games, and some of which are brand new to this game.

If Sonic Frontiers ends up being a hit, then that paves the way for potential spin-offs in the near future. Silver the Hedgehog would be the perfect protagonist for a Sonic Frontiers spin-off. As the two hedgehogs share a lot of the same traversal abilities, a Sonic Frontiers spin-off starring Silver wouldn’t need to change how its movement systems worked. A Silver-led Sonic Frontiers spin-off could also retain a lot of the same general combat mechanics, but use Silver’s unique psychic abilities to make the combat stand out. Story-wise, it wouldn’t take much to bring Silver back to the canon, as Sonic Team would just need to say that he’s back once again to stop an impending apocalypse in the future.

Sonic Frontiers will launch on November 8 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Could Make Good Use of Sonic Frontiers’ Titanic Bosses