Babylon Rogues

File:Babylon Rogues.jpg

Left to right: Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross and Wave the Swallow

The Babylon Rogues are a fictitious group of avian thieves in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games. The known members of the group consists of Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow and Storm the Albatross. Their only playable appearances to date are Sonic Riders and its sequel, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. However, they make small cameo appearances in Sonic Rivals as collectable cards and Sonic and the Secret Rings in the gallery. All three also appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as stickers.

Debut

Jet and his two companions, Wave and Storm, first appeared in Sonic Riders. In Sonic Riders, the group is hired by Dr. Eggman to compete in his airboard-racing tournament, the "EX World Grand Prix", against Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna. All members have flames tattooed on their wrists and they reside on a large airship. It is said in Sonic Riders that the Babylonians are descendants of genies, but in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity the Babylonians are revealed to be descendants of aliens.

History of the Babylon Rogues

According to history, the Babylon Rogues were an order of technologically advanced thieves that existed possibly for centuries. They once resided on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (A.K.A. “The Divine Wings", a floating island (the name "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" was changed to "Babylon Garden" in the English version of the game). All of the original Babylon Rogues were genies, but legend has it that the Babylonians angered the gods, and as punishment, the Hanging Gardens were buried beneath the desert sands.

The Babylon Rogues were said to have excelled in the usage of "Extreme Gear" (a fictional term describing advanced means of transportation in the Sonic universe), which they used to travel all around the world in their endless pursuit of treasure. A Babylonian artifact called the "Magic Carpet" was said to be the first Extreme Gear ever created, had been found to be sealed away in the Babylonian Fortress.

Following the traditions of their ancestors, the Babylon Rogues became a triad of thieves that went on down through the years. Passed down through their ranks was a power cube capable of restoring the Hanging Gardens to the skies. Eventually, it came to Jet and his group, who set their sights on recovering the legendary treasure of the original Rogues.

In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, it is said that the ancient Babylonians are descendents of aliens. As they were crashing into Earth, they released the 5 Arks of the Cosmos which crashed into the planet, leaving behind a streak like a shooting star. Every time the ancient Babylonians saw shooting stars, they made wishes to go back to their home planet. Amy claims in the ending of the game that it could be the reason people began wishing on shooting stars.

Sonic the Hedgehog (comic)

The Babylon Rogues appear in the Archie-published Sonic the Hedgehog comic book in issues #163 and #164. They appear in a backup story that is an adaptation of Sonic Riders like the previous Sonic Rush adaptation. Their part begins when Jet is riding his Extreme Gear while being chased by robots after stealing something to boost his Gear from Eggman. He is captured and Eggman is intrigued by his speed. He offers Jet the chance to live if he is able to defeat Sonic. Jet agrees if he can bring along some friends—Wave and Storm. They enter Knothole and activate the security system to lure Sonic to them. When he arrives they attack him with Jet using speed, Wave using her technical gear skills, and Storm using brute strength. Despite Sonic's speed, being outnumbered and attacked by enemies using Extreme Gear proved too much for him to handle.

Sonic was sent home to Tails' house and explained how he had got beaten up. Knuckles jokes around with Sonic for a minute, before Tails comes in holding their brand new Extreme Gear. As the Babylon Rogues are going to enter Knothole City, Sonic and friends come to stop them. Naturally, the Rogues are quite miffed at Team Sonic's use of Extreme Gear. After a few healthy insults, they began to race. Storm fought Knuckles, to which Storm admitted that Knuckles was as strong as himself. Tails fought Wave, who made fun of the young fox's airboard. Finally, Jet and Sonic faced off, speed against speed.

Members

Jet the Hawk

Jet the Hawk
'Sonic the Hedgehog' character
First game	Sonic Riders (2006)

Jet the Hawk (ジェット・ザ・ホーク, Jetto za Hōku) is a green anthropomorphic hawk, the leader of the Babylon Rogues, and is often nicknamed the "Legendary Wind Master" due to his mastery of Extreme Gear. Jet is 14 years old and stands at the same height as Sonic and Shadow (100 cm). He weighs 33 kilograms - two kilograms fewer than Sonic or Shadow. He is also shown as very narcissistic and also dislikes anyone faster or more confident than himself.

He's Sonic's most potent rival in Sonic Riders, and he uses a Type-J board that allows him to reach high speeds. Jet also possesses a mysterious "Babylonian Control Box", passed down from his ancestors, that is said to awaken the fabled Babylon Garden. Only the power of the Chaos Emeralds can activate its mythical power.

Jet advances to the finals of the EX World Grand Prix and unfairly wins after Wave detonates an explosive placed on the bottom of Sonic's board near the end of the race. Again, he races against Sonic after Doctor Eggman steals the control box in order to steal the ancient treasure of Babylon. This time, he is defeated fairly. Sonic, who retrieved the box from Eggman, willingly hands it to Jet, as he is not intending to use it.

At the doors of the Babylonian Fortress, Jet, Wave, and Storm awaken and are confronted by the Babylon Guardian, a large purple genie, and only succeed in defeating it with the help of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. They discover the fabled Babylonian Treasure to be the ancient Extreme Gear Magic Carpet.

Jet and Sonic finally decide to be more friendly to each other. Jet concedes to the fact that Sonic is faster than him. However, this doesn't make him want to beat Sonic any less than in the beginning. Jet appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Wave the Swallow
'Sonic the Hedgehog' character
First game	Sonic Riders (2006)

Wave the Swallow

Wave the Swallow (ウェーブ・ザ・スワロー, Uēbu za Suwarō) is a purple anthropomorphic swallow, the Babylon Rogues' resident technical genius, and a bit of a trash-talker. She is 18 years old, and is 110 cm tall (3'7"). She's the daughter of the tech expert of the Rogues' previous generation, and her knowledge of Extreme Gear far surpasses that of Tails and Dr. Eggman. Because of this knowledge, she is brimming with self-confidence; and as a result she "gives advice understandable to herself but not to others", However, she still considers Tails and Eggman to be worthy mechanical opponents.

In the EX World Grand Prix, she beats Amy Rose at Red Canyon, but is knocked out of the tournament by Tails at Green Cave. Wave uses a Type-W airboard, which is specially designed to fly well, and the red jewel she wears around her neck is actually a small computer capable of playing back media files via holographic projection.

Wave is something of a voice of reason amongst the Rogues, often reminding Jet and Storm of their responsibilities. Wave has something of a rivalry with Tails, in which she scorns the way he made Sonic's Extreme Gear, calls him "Shorty" a number of times, and also "a twerp" in one of her mission reports, though this diminishes by the end of the game. She also has a strained relationship with Storm, with one such instance being criticizing his skills on Extreme Gear. In a cutscene before Sky Road, she angers Knuckles by calling him a "Red Mutt".

Wave often refuses to admit when someone has talent, as noted in some of her mission reports. She either says that she will continue to deny a person's skill or flat-out denies that they have any skill at all. She also says in the opening of White Cave, that if she doesn't take charge, nothing will ever get done.

The Japanese manual for Sonic Riders hints that something of a rivalry exists between her and Rouge the Bat. In addition, her profile at "Sonic Channel" states that she likes treasure and mechanical knowledge, and dislikes thick headed people as well as stupid people.

Storm the Albatross
'Sonic the Hedgehog' character
First game	Sonic Riders (2006)

Storm the Albatross

Storm the Albatross (ストーム・ザ・アルバトロス, Sutōmu za Arubatorosu) is a hulking, anthropomorphic albatross and Jet's right hand man. Standing at a height of 140 cm (4' 7") and weighing 80 kg (176.3 lbs), Storm is an imposing sight and powerful force, capable of destroying just about anything. He is 19 years old. Despite being committed to his duties, Storm has a quick temper and his clumsiness constantly succeeds in embarrassing himself and the other Rogues. He also tends to stutter whenever he becomes excited or when he's in distress. He is a rival of Knuckles the Echidna. He also makes a brief appence in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a collectable sticker.

During the EX World Grand Prix, Storm loses to Knuckles at the location "Egg Factory". This defeat is compounded by the fact that just before the match they both tried to fight each other (even though they both end up hitting one of Eggman's race robots during the struggle). Later, under orders from Jet, Storm discovers a page of Dr. Eggman's diary stating that Eggman had deceived the Rogues into believing the treasure within the Babylonian Fortress was a gem.

Storm uses Type-S Extreme Gear, which is capable of keeping balance when smashing through obstacles. However, he seems to be the least skilled of the Rogues, partly due to the fact that Knuckles easily knocks him off his board in the introduction; in the Babylon Rogues story, he falls off his board when first meeting Jet and Wave.

Storm is very loyal to Jet, and believes his loyalty is greater than anyone else's. Because of this, he is always ready for an assignment. He also tends to become destructive when Jet is angry. Storm's profile on "Sonic Channel" actually lists Jet as one of his "favorite things". He dislikes new rivals to the Rogues.

Theme song

The theme of the Babylon Rogues is "Catch Me If You Can", introduced in Sonic Riders. It is performed by Runblebee, with techno-rock influences.

• Sonic Riders - "Catch Me If You Can" - Runblebee
• Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity - "Catch Me If You Can" (remake) - Runblebee

References

• Sonic Riders game and manual.

External links

• Jet the Hawk Concept: "Mobius" (REAL Character Profile)
• Wave the Swallow Concept: "Mobius" (REAL Character Profile)
• Storm the Albatross Concept: "Mobius" (REAL Character Profile)
• Sonic City Jet the Hawk
• Sonic City Wave the Swallow
• Sonic City Storm the Albatross