As we come to the end of the year, we look back and see this was actually a good 30th anniversary for Amy Rose. She's getting retconned into having a bigger role in the Classic era than she originally did. The appearances she did make are being acknowledged. With Superstars, she got to be playable in a Classic sidescroller from the start. She got to star in her own comic. Frontiers DLC once again made her playable in a mainline Modern game. Then, she was playable from the start in Dream Team. In what's considered to be a "boys franchise" on paper, she's been getting more and more merchandise. And the kicker was the year starting out with the Murder of Sonic. The closest she's gotten to being the game's star, the setting was her birthday party and she got the final blow on the boss. The game really got to showcase the range of her personality and emotions.
Think back 25 years ago to Sonic Adventure. She's constantly getting ignored, was surprised at her own strength, and she vowed she'd "make that Sonic respect me". Look to now and after slightly backing off of directly chasing Sonic, she gets invited on adventures, Sonic considers her part of the crew, and she can give Sonic a hug without him running away. Guys...Amy won. And over the course this year I think she quietly slipped into being my second favorite character.
Though that reminds me that this is another character's 30th anniversary and the picture there is a lot less rosy. Metal Sonic didn't get much this year. He was the main antagonist in Amy's comic and that was mostly it. There was a curious absence in the Fast Friends Forever bios. Metal Sonic also suffered a bit of dehumanization. Coinciding with named Chao characters like Cheese being referred to as "they" now (which is fair considering Chao have always been officially genderless), official material has recently been calling Metal Sonic "it". Puts the Egg Memo in new light. But this year's absence really showcases the weird state Metal Sonic is in. And it's not a villain thing since next year is the 30th for Knuckles and Fang and we know Fang is getting his own comic miniseries.