Vector the Crocodile

Vector the Crocodile (ベクター・ザ・クロコダイル, Bekutā za Kurokodairu) is a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. His name comes from a "vector", this being a reference to his ability to air dash in 8 directions.

Characteristics
Official profiles call Vector the "head honcho" of and the brains behind the Chaotix Detective Agency. Divided between being katdaddy" and "easy-going," his rough speech and outward appearance mask his clear reasoning and ability to resolve cases. For the right price he'll take on most jobs, unless they involve doing something immoral. Vector has a strong sense of justice and kindness, despite his argumentativeness. He often does unpaid work due to his charitable nature, leaving the agency constantly short on money. Vector hates having to work for the landlord; buti he enjoys performing in a band, and his trademark is a set of headphones. He is physically strong and his powerful jaws are a formidable weapon.

Appearances
Vector was first slated to appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog sound test, but it was cut to make room for the "SEGA" jingle, and he appeared in Knuckles' Chaotix. The Japanese manual states that after an island rises from the ocean depths, Vector travels there as he interpreted the islands sudden appearance from out of nowhere as a miracle from God. Vector is a playable character that can do mid-air dashes and climb on walls.

In Sonic Heroes, Vector is the "power" character, meaning that he can destroy enemies and obstacles with ease by biting them and throwing his partners with his mouth. He can also punch the ground, float above fans with a bubblegum, and spit music, fire and exploding bubblegum at enemies.

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Vector is a partner character on the "Cosmic Fall" stage. Vector is looking for the main computer room on the Space Colony ARK, and the player can choose to help him as the "hero" mission (His most well-known speech here is "Find the computer room!"). Vector then helps the player with the following boss battle, either against Eggman or Black Doom. After Black Doom is defeated, he reveals that Shadow is just a failed experiment, and Shadow slowly walks away as Vector desperately tries to comfort him. That ending is however only a possibility, and not canon to the storyline.

Vector is playable in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games as a power type character, unlike the other two Chaotix who are referees. Dan Green, who voices Knuckles the Echidna (as of the 2005 video game, Shadow the Hedgehog), provides his voice.

Vector appears in Sonic Rivals 2, issuing Espio with the task of solving the case of the Chao disappearances.

Vector makes a cameo appearance in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood being hired by G.U.N to find clues about Knuckles dissapearence.

Vector is playable in Sonic X: Unlimted Fighters (PSP/PS2/Xbox) with Charmy and Espio the Chameleon. they Voice (Dan Green). He hiting Dr. Eggman.

In the Comics
In Sonic the Comic Vector is the scientifically intelligent leader of the Chaotix crew and a close friend to the Omni-Viewer, with links to the Equionix Research Center. He acts as the basic straight man of the group and takes out enemies with his powerful jaws.

The Sonic the Hedgehog Archie comics depicted Vector as Knuckles' oldest friend and the first member of the Chaotix. In typical Knuckles continuity, they got into a fight upon their first meeting but soon became friends. Vector continued to support Knuckles as Mighty, Charmy, Espio, and Ray joined the group. However, upon Julie-Su's joining, Vector distrusted her due to having previously been attacked by her while she worked for the Dark Legion. Later, following Knuckles' death, they reconciled and have since maintained a good relationship. As is the case with the rest of the Chaotix, Vector was captured by Dr. Robotnik and transported to the Egg Grape Chamber. Thanks to the efforts of Knuckles and other escapees, he and the others were soon rescued, and Vector gained a measure of revenge by helping defeat Robotnik's first attack on New Mobotropolis.

Personality
Vector is the head honcho of the Chaotix Detective Agency, and will take almost any job so long as the pay is right. He has a rough demeanor, and at times he is even downright rude, but deep down he's actually quite a kind soul, and has been known to occasionally do cases for free (such as finding children's lost toys). He often acts very goofy and childish. As stated in the Japanese Chaotix manual, he is, surprisingly, also quite religious.

Abilities
Like most Sonic characters, Vector can curl up into a ball (Moreso a wheel) to jump on enemies, in a move known as the "spin jump". He is also known to be quite powerful, as he was the power team member in Sonic Heroes. He has some super speed, as seen in Chaotix, although he isn't as fast as Sonic or Shadow or even Espio. Vector can use bubbles blown up with bubblegum to slowly descend and is able to slam his body on the ground to cause massive damage. In Sonic Heroes, he can also hold and throw Espio and Charmy using his mouth, spit musical notes, fire exploding bubblegum, and can use his sharp teeth to bite through hard obstacles. He can also sing somewhat well, which he does during the Team Chaotix' Team Blast, "Chaotix Recital" though it could be argued that his singing is so bad that it destroyed the robots. He also was included in their theme "Team Chaotix", where he is mentioned and says "Brain damage!".

Weaknesses
He can be rather clumsy quite often, and he's not exactly the best straightforward thinker, despite his current intelligence. He's also known to be very obnoxious.

Friends/Allies

 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Charmy Bee
 * Blaze the Cat
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Mighty the Armadillo
 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Rouge the Bat
 * Cream the Rabbit
 * Cosmo the Seedrian
 * Marine the Raccoon
 * Tikal the Echidna
 * Vanilla the Rabbit
 * Doctor Bob Bobble
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Heavy and Bomb
 * Amy Rose
 * Big the Cat

Enemies

 * Dr. Eggman
 * Black Arms
 * Metal Sonic
 * Metarex (Sonic X exclusive)
 * Dark Legion (Archie exclusive)
 * Mammoth Mogul (Archie exclusive)
 * Ixis Naugus (Archie exclusive)
 * Destructix (Archie exclusive)
 * The Bulk

Sonic X
In the anime Sonic X, Vector and the rest of the Chaotix play a very minor role in Season 2, only appearing in one episode. They were hired by Vanilla the Rabbit to find her daughter, Cream the Rabbit. After finding Cream at the Thorndykes' residence, they start to believe that Sonic kidnapped her, which couldn't be more wrong. After a failed sneak attack from Espio, Vector and Charmy get in a fight with Tails, Amy, Cream, and Ella (WTF). When Sonic comes in to see the fight, Vector calls him "Sonic the Kidnapper", but the fight ends when Vanilla arrives with Sonic. Vector is thanked by Vanilla for finding Cream and he gets confused when she thanks Sonic for taking care of Cream.

They play a much larger role in Season 3, where Vector and the Chaotix take supplies from Chris Thorndyke's parents to the Blue Typhoon, the warship that Tails built that Chris is aboard. When they arrived, they were attacked numerous times on the thought that they were evil Metarex aliens. After a understanding between Vector and others, they deliver Chris' stuff and Vector plans to catch Cream and bring her to their homeplanet. However, he captures Cosmo the Seedrian as well, and they end up back at the Blue Typhoon. Vector and the others soon leave without Cream. However, they get lost on the way back and meet up with the Typhoon's crew some time later.

The second time, they help Tails impress Cosmo, a girl Tails likes, as repayment for him fixing their ship, (Vector tried to render Knuckles unconscious and disguise him as a Metarex, with Espio holding him up invisible, for Tails to protect Cosmo from, which fails) and later appear to help fight the Metarex. (WTF) Vector also seems to be in love with Vanilla the Rabbit.

Comics
In the Sonic the Hedgehog Archie Comic, Vector is a crazy punk who likes having things his way and listening to loud music. So loud are his "tunes" that he once single handily stopped the Dark Legion army in its tracks by turning his music volume up to its highest setting and pointing it at the enemy. Vector and Knuckles met some time after Knuckles' father left to join the Brotherhood of Guardians, and after a few tussles, the two became fast friends. Vector also somewhat disliked Knuckles' girlfriend Julie-Su for some time after her first appearance, but they later came to mutually respect each other. Together with Espio, he is one of the only Chaotix members featured in Mobius: 25 Years Later, where he has a son named Argyle.

In Fleetway's Sonic the Comic, he is the intelligent leader of the Chaotix crew and a close friend to the Omni-Viewer, with links to the Equionix Research Center. He acts as the basic straight man of the group and takes out enemies with his powerful jaws.

In the Archie Sonic X comic, Vector and the Chaotix appear in issue #10, when they help Vanilla the Rabbit find her daughter, Cream. They later disappeared without a trace. It's possible that they might appear in future issues.

Voices

 * Video games, Sonic X - Kenta Miyake (Japan)
 * Sonic Heroes - Marc Biagi (US)
 * Sonic X (Episode 39) - Jimmy Zoppi (US/JP)
 * Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic X (Episodes 59+) - Carter Cathcart (US/JP). This is a controversial among fans, as many find Cathcart's voice very annoying and out of character, as opposed to the gruffer, New Yorker-accented voice Marc Biagi provided for the character.
 * Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - present - Dan Green (US) (He also does the voice for Knuckles)
 * Sonic X - Unlimited Fighters (PSP/XBOX/PS2) - present - Dan Green (US) ( He also does the voice for Espio the Chameleon)

Trivia

 * Vector's appearance has changed a lot since Knuckles Chaotix. In Chaotix, Vector was slightly taller and much skinnier. In his new design, he is considerably broader, especially in the chest.
 * In Shadow the Hedgehog, Vector has a jump sound that's notably different from every other character's. This game has also made him famous for the line "Find the computer room!"