Let’s be real for a second. Most kart racers are just trying to be Mario Kart. They copy the items, they copy the drift mechanics, and they hope you don’t notice the lack of soul. But back in 2010, Sumo Digital did something weirdly ambitious. They didn't just throw Sonic in a car; they raided the dusty, mothballed archives of Sega’s history. When you look at sonic sega all stars racing all characters, you aren't just looking at a roster. You’re looking at a museum of a company that, at one point, was the coolest kid on the block.
It’s easy to forget how diverse this lineup actually was. Most people remember Sonic, obviously. Tails? Sure. Amy Rose? Expected. But then you’ve got a giant banana-loving monkey, a guy from a rhythm game that involves maracas, and two kids from a graffiti-tagging simulator. It’s chaotic. It shouldn't work, but it does because every character feels like they actually belong to their specific piece of Sega lore rather than being a generic skin.
The Hedgehog Heavyweights and the Usual Suspects
Sonic is the face of the franchise. Duh. In this game, he’s driving the Speed Star, which is basically a high-tech sports car that looks like it belongs in Ridge Racer. But the weird thing about sonic sega all stars racing all characters is that the "main" cast isn't always the most interesting to play. Sonic's All-Star Move involves him turning into Super Sonic and just obliterating everyone in his path. It’s effective, but a bit predictable.
Shadow the Hedgehog is here too, riding a motorcycle because... well, because it's Shadow. He’s got the Dark Rider. Then you have Amy Rose in her Pink Cabriolet and Dr. Eggman in the Egg Monster. It’s a solid foundation. But if you’re only playing as the hedgehogs, you’re missing the point of what Sumo Digital built. The real magic is in the deep cuts. Tails, for example, flies the Whirlwind SSS. It’s a plane. In a car race. The game just leans into the absurdity of a fox in a plane racing a giant egg in a multi-legged walker.
The Forgotten Legends of the Dreamcast Era
This is where the roster gets spicy. If you grew up with a Dreamcast, seeing Beat from Jet Set Radio is a religious experience. He’s not on skates here; he’s in the Deathtrap, a customized vehicle that looks like it was pulled straight out of Tokyo-to. His All-Star move is pure nostalgia, featuring the iconic cel-shaded graffiti style that made the original game a cult classic.
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Then there’s B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi.
Honestly, B.D. Joe is the soul of this game. He’s driving his actual taxi. It hops, it drifts, and his All-Star move—the Crazy Dash—makes the background music kick into high gear while he smashes through opponents. It feels right. It doesn't feel like a cameo; it feels like a homecoming.
We also have to talk about Ulala from Space Channel 5. She’s in the Galaxy 5, and her move involves a dance-off. It’s bizarre. It’s Sega. It’s exactly what was missing from later entries like Team Sonic Racing, which unfortunately ditched the non-Sonic characters and lost that "all-stars" flavor in the process.
The Weirdest Picks in Sonic Sega All Stars Racing All Characters
- AiAi from Super Monkey Ball: He’s in a banana-shaped car. What else do you need?
- Amigo from Samba de Amigo: He drives a maraca-themed vehicle called the Sun Buggy. It’s bright, loud, and slightly distracting.
- Billy Hatcher: The kid who rolls giant eggs. He drives the Egg Driver. If you remember the GameCube era, this was a massive nod to a game that most people have totally forgotten.
- Zobio and Zobiko: These are the zombies from House of the Dead: EX. They drive a hearse. In a racing game. For kids. It’s dark, it’s funny, and it’s peak Sega.
The Technical Nuance of the Roster
Each character isn't just a visual swap. There’s a distinct weight to how they handle. If you pick Big the Cat—who is driving a tiny green bike called the Green Hopper—you’re going to feel the difference in acceleration versus someone like Metal Sonic. Big is a tank. He’s hard to get moving, but once he’s at top speed, he’s a literal wall.
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The All-Star moves are the great equalizer. In Mario Kart, you get a Bullet Bill or a Blue Shell. In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, you get a character-specific transformation. For instance, Alex Kidd—the original Sega mascot before Sonic showed up—gets into his Peticopter and starts dropping fireballs. It’s a mechanic that rewards players who are struggling, but it does so with a flair that is uniquely tied to the character’s history.
Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue is perhaps the most "meta" inclusion. He drives his classic motorcycle, but his All-Star move sees him hopping into a forklift. Yes, a forklift. It’s a direct reference to the infamous crate-moving job in the first Shenmue game. It’s a joke that only hardcore Sega fans would get, yet it’s perfectly functional as a power-up. This level of detail is why fans still argue that this game has more personality than its sequels.
Why Some Characters Were Left Behind
There’s always drama with rosters. Why isn't Segata Sanshiro here? Where’s Vyse from Skies of Arcadia? (He eventually showed up in the sequel, Transformed). The reality of sonic sega all stars racing all characters is that it was limited by the licensing and the development budget of the time.
Sumo Digital had to balance characters that kids knew (Sonic, Tails) with characters that the 30-year-old developers loved (Opa-Opa from Fantasy Zone). Opa-Opa is literally a living sentient spaceship. He doesn't even drive a car; he just hovers. This creates a weird hitbox dynamic where some characters feel "floatier" than others. It’s not perfectly balanced—some All-Star moves are objectively better than others—but that’s part of the charm. It’s a party game, not a frame-perfect competitive eSport.
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Platform Exclusives and the Console Wars
Depending on where you played this, your version of sonic sega all stars racing all characters looked a little different. This was back when console-exclusive characters were a huge selling point.
- Xbox 360: You got Banjo and Kazooie. This was huge because it felt like a weird bridge between Sega and Nintendo-adjacent history (even though Rare was owned by Microsoft by then). You also got to race as your own Avatar.
- Wii: You could race as your Mii. It was fine, but a bit bland compared to a bear and a bird.
- PC: Eventually, we saw the inclusion of the TF2 Heavy, Pyro, and Spy in the sequel, but the first game kept it fairly tight to the Sega brand.
The absence of these characters on the PlayStation 3 version was a point of contention for years. PS3 players felt a bit snubbed, as they didn't get a specific "hero" character to call their own, though the core Sega roster was more than enough to keep things interesting.
How to Maximize Your Roster Experience
If you’re dusting off an old copy or playing via backwards compatibility, don't just stick to Sonic. The game rewards experimentation. The handling of the bikes (like Shadow or Ryo) is fundamentally different from the cars (like Beat or Eggman). Bikes have a tighter turn radius but are easier to knock around.
To unlock the full list of sonic sega all stars racing all characters, you need to earn "Sega Miles." This was a brilliant progression system. You don't just "get" the characters; you earn them by playing the game, which feels like a lost art in the modern era of DLC and microtransactions. You spend your miles in the in-game shop to buy the characters you want.
Start with B.D. Joe. His taxi is one of the most balanced vehicles in the game for beginners. Once you get the hang of the drifting—which is much more "slidey" than Mario Kart—move on to someone like Jacky Bryant and Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter. They share a car, and their All-Star move is a martial arts display that clears the track. It’s flashy, effective, and perfectly captures the arcade energy that Sega used to dominate.
Actionable Steps for the Ultimate Race
- Master the Drift: Unlike other racers, you can hold a drift for a long time to build up three levels of boost. Watch the sparks. Blue is good, purple is better, red is "see ya later."
- Focus on Missions: Don't just do the Grand Prix. The Mission Mode is the fastest way to grind Sega Miles to unlock the rest of the roster.
- Learn the Short-Cuts: Each track is themed after a Sega franchise. The Curien Mansion (House of the Dead) tracks have tricky paths that only smaller vehicles can navigate easily.
- Time Your All-Stars: Don't use your All-Star move the second you get it. Wait for a straightaway or a crowded section of the track to maximize the carnage.
The roster in this game serves as a time capsule. It represents a moment when Sega was proud of its weird, eclectic history. Whether you’re playing as a monkey in a ball or a guy in a forklift, the game reminds you that racing doesn't always have to be serious. Sometimes, it just needs to be fast and a little bit ridiculous.