Sonic vs. Flash: Who Is Faster & Who Would Win in a Race?

Fictional speedsters are some of the most popular characters in TV shows, comic books, movies, and video games. Two characters that fit those descriptions are Sonic, the “Blue Blur,” and the Flash, the “Scarlet Speedster.” Both of these characters are incredibly fast and can reach speeds that are beyond imagination. But who would win in a race between Sonic the Hedgehog and the Flash?

Flash is faster than Sonic and would be able to win in a race against him. Not only is Flash a lot faster than Sonic, but he also has a more versatile power set and physical abilities. The Scarlet Speedster also, over the long history of the character’s existence, amassed truly mindblowing feats. Sonic has nothing to throw at him, and even though slower, it’s not by much.

It is difficult to compare speedsters from different fictional universes, as both Sonic and the Flash come from entirely different worlds that aren’t remotely close to one another. Of course, there are more superhuman feats in the world of the Flash than in Sonic’s cartoonish world. Now, with that said, let’s look at why the Flash would win in a race versus Sonic. 

Source of Speed

Sonic may require the use of his special shoes to be able to run very fast, but he was always naturally fast. He was born with the innate speed that allowed him to run at crazy speeds, but he needed special shoes that could help him learn how to use his speed. When he used his shoes, he broke the sound barrier, and he turned blue as his quills fused and gave him that iconic look.

Barry Allen was born a regular human being with no special powers whatsoever. However, it was when he was struck by a bolt of lightning and doused with chemicals that he gained the ability to tap into the Speed Force, which is a cosmic energy source that allows conduits to move fast by expending the energy coming from the Speed Force. Barry unknowingly created the Speed Force, the power source for all speedsters from the past, present, and future. All the Speed Force conduits would lose their powers without the Speed Force.

The thing about the Flash is that he gets his powers from a special cosmic energy source. On the other hand, Sonic was fast before getting his new shoes and training with them. So, even without the shoes, the Flash was already fast, albeit not as fast as he currently is.

Sonic 1, Flash 0

Raw speed

There’s no doubt that Sonic is incredibly fast and can run at speeds that allow him to circle entire cities in a matter of seconds. He is so fast that he can use his speed to grab hold of water and throw it like a ball before the laws of physics could kick in and tell him that what he did was impossible. Sonic could also move at speeds on par or even greater than light. And that means that his maximum raw speed output borders on lightspeed.

Barry Allen may not be the fastest man to carry the name of the Flash, but he still is one of the fastest speedsters in the world of fiction. The Flash can easily circle the entire globe in a matter of seconds and reach the speed of light with minimal effort. He has beaten Superman in races time and time again. On top of that, the Flash reached a speed that’s 13 trillion times the speed of light when he saved everyone in a city after a nuclear bomb was detonated.

Sonic might be able to move faster than the speed of light. But the thing about the Flash is that he can move at speeds well beyond the speed of light. That’s why he gets the point here.

Sonic 1, Flash 1

Speed feats

Sonic’s speed feats vary from source to source, but the fact is that he has exceeded lightspeed quite a few times. One of his best feats was when he outran an entire black hole. If you know the laws of physics, black holes are so strong that their gravitational pull can absorb light. But Sonic could outrun the pull of a black hole, proving that he was faster than the speed of light.

While it might be true that saving everyone in a city after the detonation of a nuclear bomb is very impressive, one other aspect that makes the Flash so unimaginably fast is that he can even run himself out of existence. In the comic ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ storyline, the Flash ran so hard that he could erase himself from existence to prevent the events that would have destroyed the entire universe.

Outrunning a black hole is impressive, but saving an entire universe by running yourself out of existence is on an entirely different level.

Sonic 1, Flash 2

Speed abilities

Many people tend to view Sonic the Hedgehog as a character who is simply a one-trick pony due to the belief that the only thing he can do is run. But that isn’t even true because Sonic has a lot of different skills in his arsenal, as he is great at using his speed in close-combat situations. After all, he is a trained fighter. Sonic has also shown creativity in using speed, including using his speed to turn water into a ball and use it as a weapon.

When the Flash got his powers, he didn’t have a manual or a mentor to teach him how to use his speed. But he was creative enough to learn that there were a lot of uses for the speed that the Speed Force gave him. The Flash could phase through solid objects by vibrating his molecules so fast that they allowed his body to pass through entire walls. Barry Allen can even travel through time by running so fast that he can break the laws of time and space.

This isn’t even close because the Flash can break the laws of time and space with his speed. That means that he has more special abilities associated with his speed.

Sonic 1, Flash 3

Speed power-ups

Sonic constantly gains increases in his powers and abilities whenever he collects Chaos Emeralds. As such, he gains enhanced abilities whenever he collects these emeralds, which means that Sonic’s limits aren’t completely defined by what he can currently do. Chaos Emeralds constantly give him new abilities that make him stronger and faster. The thing is that he has taken on new forms, such as Hyper Sonic and Super Sonic, which are forms that allow him to become a lot faster than his normal state.

The Flash’s speed is a product of his connection to the Speed Force, which means he gets stronger whenever his connection to the Speed Force strengthens. We’ve seen this when Wally West, the third character to carry the mantle of the Flash, was absorbed by the Speed Force and was able to strengthen his connection with it. Barry Allen hasn’t shown the same kind of power-up, but we all know he can become stronger by improving his connection and knowledge of the Speed Force.

While the Flash’s base form is much stronger and faster, Sonic has access to multiple forms, making him one of the strongest speedsters in the world of fiction.

Sonic 2, Flash 3

Sonic vs. Flash: The bottom line

Strictly speaking, the Flash should be able to handle Sonic in a foot race at any given moment because his raw speed and speed feats are so much more impressive. But Sonic can make the race challenging because he has access to power-ups that the Flash doesn’t have. On top of that, the Sonic’s source of speed is innate. Nevertheless, the Flash should be able to win this race more times than not.

Who do you think would win in this battle? Let us know in the comments!