Tornado

The name "Tornado" refers to any number of aircraft used by Sonic & Tails. Usually, however, it refers to a biplane. The Tornado first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and has appeared in almost every Sonic game since.

History
As explained earlier, the Tornado made its first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The original Tornado was a red biplane with white stripes. It was said to belong to Sonic, because his name was on the sides of the plane. The Tornado made its return (now equipped with a jet engine) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, where Tails used it to transport Sonic to Angel Island in the opening sequence.

During the events of Sonic Adventure, Tails was flying the Tornado when it crashed, prompting him to build the Tornado 2. However, the original Tornado was rebuilt some time later. In Sonic Adventure 2, Tails built a Tornado 3, which could transform into a walker called the Cyclone. In Sonic X, Tails – along with Dr. Chuck Thorndyke – converted the Tornado 2 into a two-seater jet called the X Tornado. However, it was converted back to its original form after the Sonic crew returned to Mobius.

In Sonic Unleashed, the original Tornado makes a return. However, it may have been a copy because Tails referred to it as "My Tornado 1". The Tornado 1 also re-appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 4. A ground-based variant known as the Tornado Racer was Tails' vehicle in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.

Tornado 1
The original Tornado. In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it was painted red with white stripes and had Sonic's name on the sides. Beginning in Sonic Adventure, it was painted red with yellow stripes, and in addition to Sonic's name, it had Tails' "twin tails" emblem on the wings & tail. However, it got its classic paintjob back in Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Tornado 2
A variant of the original Tornado. Tails built this one in Sonic Adventure. The Tornado 2 is painted blue with yellow stripes and has Tails' "twin tails" emblem on it. Aside from the paint, there’s one important difference with the Tornado 2: Its wings can unfold into an "X" shape, at which point it becomes a jet plane. It uses a Chaos Emerald for power.

Tornado 3
Introduced in Sonic Adventure 2. Unlike the first two, this one is a monoplane, and it sports an interesting feature: It can transform into a walking mech called the Cyclone. This served as Tails' main mode of transport.

X Tornado
Only seen in Sonic X. After barely escaping unharmed from a confrontation with one of Robotnik's robots, Tails decided that it was best to upgrade the Tornado 2. With help from Dr. Chuck Thorndyke, he transformed it into the X Tornado, a two-seated jet aircraft with an "X" shaped wing arrangement. Among other things, it can use the power of the Chaos Emeralds to go even faster with its twin jet engines.

Tornado Racer
Unlike the other versions of the Tornado, the Tornado Racer can barely hover off of the ground. Instead, it's meant to be driven like a car. It's painted orange, just like Tails himself.

Other variants & appearances
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BearfootTruck's Universe
The Tornado 1 & 2 both exist in BearfootTruck's universe. They are mostly the same as in the official universe. However, in this universe, both planes are two-seater aircraft, whereas they're single-seaters in the official canon. Each version of the Tornado is armed with two Browning .50-caliber machine guns on the wings, plus a Browning AN/M2 .30-caliber machine gun on a rear observer's mount. They can also be armed with bombs, rockets or other equipment. Also, the Tornado 2 is capable of operating without a Chaos Emerald.

Sonic & Tails found the original Tornado during the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where it wasn't much more than a rotting hulk of metal. However, Tails proved his worth by fixing up the plane, which impressed Sonic. The Blue Blur did the paintjob. In this universe, the Tornado got its name because when Sonic first saw the rotting plane, he thought it looked like it had been hit by a tornado. When first fixed up, the Tornado 1 only had the rear machine gun.

In "And Down Will Come Sonic – Cradle And All", Tails uses the Tornado 2 to fly to Azure Lake Zone so he can get some Mobian Dragonflowers to cure Sonic's poisoning. When heading back, he is attacked by three stealthbots. In the ensuing dogfight, he shoots down one stealthbot with the 50-cals. Then, he banks hard and causes another stealthbot to get shot down by a missile from another stealthbot. Finally, when all seems lost, Tails pulls up, stalls the plane and shoots down the last stealthbot while plummeting towards the ground. However, he gets it restarted and gets back home alive. Throughout the entire battle, the Tornado 2 has only taken minor damage from laser fire.

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