There are so many Sonic references in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, but this meta joke might be our favorite

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
(Image credit: Netflix)

This article contains light spoilers for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off so proceed with caution if you haven’t seen the Netflix anime series yet.

Scott Pilgrim loves Sonic the Hedgehog, at least that’s what we gleaned from Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. The new Netflix anime show sees the beloved Toronto bassist mentioning his love for the blue hedgehog in most of the episodes he appears in. 

There are some great ones as the season goes on, including in the season finale when Ramona Flowers becomes 'super Ramona', which both Scotts say is just like Sonic the Hedgehog 3. However, we’ve got to admit our favorite comes in the show’s opening episode. When Scott meets Ramona at a party, his icebreaker is about Sonic, but it has a delightfully meta twist. 

"You know Sonic the Hedgehog," he begins, "You probably know this but in the early '90s there were two different Sonic cartoons airing at the same time. One was dark and dramatic, and the other was a hilarious comedy about chili dogs, and the same guy played Sonic in both shows. Isn’t that wild? The same guy playing two different versions of the same guy?" I don’t know about you, but we can almost feel the side-eye to the audience when Michael Cera says that line…

The original Scott Pilgrim comics featured loads of references to the game too, including on the title page of Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, which looks just like the title screen for Sonic the Hedgehog 2. And as fans of the blue speedster ourselves, we’ve got to admit we love all of these nods. 

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is available to stream on Netflix now. For more, check out our breakdown of the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off cameos, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off episode 8 post-credits scene and what we know about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off season 2

You can also check out our round up of the best new Netflix anime and the best anime series.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.