Burrobot

It has been requested that additional images be uploaded for this article. Remove this notice only after the additional image(s) have been added.

Not to be confused with Burrowbot.

Burrobot
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis) artwork
Franchise	Sonic the Hedgehog
First appearance	Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis) (1991)
Latest appearance	Sonic Prime - "It Takes One to No Place" (2022)
Variant of	Badnik
Variants Burrowbot Grounder
Relatives Madmole Minimole Mogu Mole
Notable members Customized Burrobot Giant Burrobot

“Surrender... or you'll feel the drill of Burrobot!”

—Burrobot, Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 7

The Burrobot is a mole-based Badnik enemy which appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. They first appear in Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Burrobots are equipped with nose-based drills that enable them to burrow through the ground. A Burrobot can launch a surprise attack from below by emerging in front of their opponents from underground.

History

Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)

In Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic encounters Burrobots in Labyrinth Zone and Scrap Brain Zone Act 3.

In gameplay, Burrobots appear either alone or in groups, usually hiding beneath the floor and waiting to pop out to attack Sonic when he gets close to them. Their noses can be seen poking out of the ground so it is easy to spot where they will pop out of to attack the player. Otherwise, they roll slowly along the ground and can climb up higher ledges almost instantaneously. As they jump out of the ground, the player can use a well-timed Spin Jump to defeat them, when they roll along the floor, they can be taken out with a Spin Attack. Defeating a Burrowbot releases an Animal and rewards the player with 100 points.

Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)

In Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Game Gear, Burrobots return as enemies, but only in Labyrinth Zone. Otherwise, they have the same attack pattern as their 16-bit counterparts; they jump out of the floor when Sonic approaches, roll slowly along the ground, and can climb higher ledges in an instant. However, Burrobots, along with the other Badniks in the game, do not have Animals inside of them. Regardless, upon their destruction, they reward the player with 100 points.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I

Sonic encountering a Burrobot in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Burrobots return as enemies, where they received a more modernized design. They are only encountered in Lost Labyrinth Zone.

In gameplay, the Burrobots behave much like they did in the original Sonic the Hedgehog: they pop out of the ground when the playable character approaches, and when on the ground, they move along it slowly. They can also climb up onto higher ledges in a near instant. Regardless, they are destroyed when hit once by any of the playable characters' attacks. Also, upon their destruction, they release an Animal and reward the player with 100 points.

Sonic Lost World

Sonic Lost World screenshot

In the Wii U version and PC version of Sonic Lost World, Burrobots have their original design. During the game, it turns out that the Badniks, including the Burrobots, were hijacked by the Deadly Six.

In this game, Burrobots appear in the wide-spaced sections of Frozen Factory Zone 1, waiting for Sonic to approach. When they pop out of the ground to attack the player, they often end up getting stuck in the ground with their drill nose. The Burrobots also appear in the underground section of Silent Forest Zone 4 where they will chase the player while they are using the Yellow Drill. However again, this Badnik can get stuck on floating stone circles should it collide with it. The player can defeat it by ramming into its non-drill spots with the Yellow Drill.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

In the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Burrobots make a cameo appearance as walls during the Golf Plus event on Hole 9, where they use their sprite appearance from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. If the playable character's golf ball hits a Burrobot wall here, it will disappear and the golf ball itself will land safely on the lawn without falling onto unfavorable terrain.

Appearances in other media

Animation

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

Three Burrobots in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "The Robots' Robot"

In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Burrobots appear in only one episode, "The Robots' Robot." Here, in an effort to distract Sonic, Dr. Robotnik deployed three Burrobots from his Egg-O-Matic onto a frozen lake. The Burrobots charged at Sonic, but before they could reach Sonic, he used his Triple Spin to cut out the section of the ice they were on, causing it to sink into the lake with the Burrobots on it.

Publications

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic

A Burrobot appears briefly in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic manga. At the beginning of the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 3 story, Sonic Rampage!!, a Burrobot and Moto Bug were sent by Dr. Eggman to beat down Sonic, but despite the their fierce nature, they got easily defeated.

Sonic the Comic

In the Sonic the Comic series and its spin-offs published by Fleetway Editions, the Burrobots appear as the first generation of Badniks in Dr. Robotnik's army. Because of the different artists, the Burrobots differing appearances throughout the stories. However, as Robotnik would design new Badnik models for digging, the Burrobots would be replaced by newer robot models.

In Dr. Robotnik's early days, some Burrobots and an army of Badniks tried to defend Robotnik's Neutrino Accelerator from Sonic the Hedgehog, only to get torn apart by the blue blur. This is shown in the Sonic the Comic #1 story "Enter: Sonic."

One time, Shorty's friend Hopper was even turned into a Burrobot. However, he was freed soon after when Shorty, having been transformed into a Cybernik, turned against Robotnik and freed him. This story is told in the Sonic the Comic #45 story "Enter the Cybernik, Part 1" and the Sonic the Comic #46 story "Enter the Cybernik, Part 2."

In the Sonic the Comic #55 story "The Great Escape!, Part 1," Tails disguised himself as a Burrobot (using its parts) so that he and the Freedom Fighters could sneak into a Badnik Processing Plant.

A Burrobot in Sonic the Comic #89

In the Sonic the Comic #89 story "A New Hope," while Sonic was stuck in the Special Zone, a Burrobot and other Badniks cornered the weakened Freedom Fighters, only to lose when Shortfuse joined the fight.

Archie Comics

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Burrobot made many early appearances as members of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik Horde. During the Sonic Quest miniseries, Dr. Robotnik even released a pair of giant Burrobots on Angel Island which were eventually destroyed by Knuckles and the other Chaotix.

Sonic X (comics)

In the Sonic X #11 story "No Thanks for the Memories! Part Two," Burrobots appeared in a virtual reality version of the Labyrinth Zone, where Sonic and his allies were surprise attacked by two Burrobots drilling out of the ground in front of them. One of them managed to wound Rouge using its drill part. However, Knuckles destroyed a Burrobot while Sonic dealt with the Burrobot, freeing the two Rockys trapped inside of them.

IDW Publishing

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, the Burrobots are a Badnik line created by Dr. Eggman in another dimension set in the recent past. They are featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special story "Dr. Eggman's Birthday." Here, a Burrobot, along with many other Badniks, worked together to give Dr. Eggman a nice birthday by trying to destroy Sonic for him. However, they were ordered to return to base by Eggman before they could commence their attack. Back there, the Burrobot and other Badniks were scolded by Eggman for their carelessness.

Merchandise

Tomy made a Burrobot figurine as part of a Sonic & Knuckles set, which included twenty other figurines of characters and Badniks.

General information

Physical appearance

Burrobots are seemingly loosely based on the European Mole. They have a blue body consisting of a round torso and a large head with round black eyes, gray disks for ear pieces and a large gray cone-shaped drill bit for a nose. On their head they wear a yellow hard hat. Their chest is gray, their shoulders are yellow and round, and their two arms are gray with three sharp fingers on each hand. As legs, they have tracked wheels on each side, which runs between two wheels; one is small and one is bigger. The Sonic X comic series uses this design as a basis, but instead give the Burrobots a blue face, red shoulders, a gray body and arms, and a red cap-like design on their heads.

In Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Burrobots have an entirely different design appearing to be based on that of Buzz Bombers in the same television show. Here, a Burrobot's design consists of a light green ellipsoid body and round head, with three pairs of gray legs protruding from their sides and a fin with a dark green stripe on their rear. On their head they have a par of gray curved horns, an orange pointy visor for eyes, a drill-shaped nose, and a mouth with sharp teeth.

Burrobots in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I are more detailed. The ear pieces have red bottom placed screws and their tracked feet have a elastic bands between their wheels. In Sonic Lost World, they wear yellow goggles while digging.

Personality

While built to function as work drones, Burrobots have a degree of sentience and personality traits. One specific instance of this is in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series by IDW Publishing, in which they fawn over Dr. Eggman and celebrate his birthday on their own volition.

Profiles

• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I website: "This Badnik prefers underground areas which are well suited for his unique talents. Be on the lookout as Burrobots have a habit of jumping out of the ground!"

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	モグリン Mogurin	A combination of "mogura" and "moguri," the Japanese words for "mole" and "diver," respectively

Trivia

• In both the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog and 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog, some of the Burrobot's exterior armor appears red instead of yellow like in the artwork, this being due to palette issues. The upgraded appearance of the Burrobots in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I uses artwork colors with detailed mechanic parts being colored red.
• A Burrobot-like Badnik was considered to be enemy for the scrapped stage, R2, in Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
• The Burrobots' attack pattern in Silent Forest is a reference to a stock artworkMedia:Sonic Labyrinth Zone art.jpg from Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis.
  • Likewise, their method of attack, diving into Sonic drill nose first from the underground in Frozen Factory, is from an unused sprite from their debut game.