Angel Island

Angel Island (エンジェルアイランド Enjeru Airando?) is a location that appears in the anime series Sonic X and its comic series published by Archie Comics. It is an island from Sonic's world[note 1] that floats through the skies, suspended by the mystical powers of the Master Emerald; without it, the island will plummet from the sky. It is also the location of its world's Planet Egg.[1] The valuable contents of the island have made the island a target for several parties, such as Dr. Eggman. Protecting Angel Island and its magical gemstone is Knuckles the Echidna, the last known survivor of the Echidna race.

Due to Chaos Control, Angel Island was sent to Earth for a while before it was returned to its home world. Following the Metarex wars, the island was left grounded until the Master Emerald could recover from recent usages.

Past
Angel Island came into being generations ago, where it was a part of the Mystic Ruins. When the ancient Knuckles Clan, an echidna clan led by Pachacamac yearned for the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds, which rested at a shrine on the outskirts of their settlement, he planned to seize the Emeralds to obtain ultimate power for his clan. When this time came, Pachamac's daughter, Tikal, stood between them, and begged her people to abandon their greedy warmongering. When the clan continued onward regardless, trampling over the local Chao, this angered the Emeralds' guardian, Chaos, who appeared and wiped out the echidnas as Perfect Chaos. Tikal prayed to the Master Emerald to calm Chaos down when its rage became uncontrollable. In response, the gem absorbed both of them into itself.[2][3][4] In the aftermath, a large fragment of the surrounding land had broken off and floated into the sky, becoming Angel Island. The remaining Knuckles Clan members would then take residence there to safeguard the Master Emerald. Generations later, the only echidna left on Angel Island to uphold this duty would be Knuckles the Echidna.[5]

Chaos Emerald Saga
Angel Island was eventually left unoccupied when Knuckles got sent to Earth by Chaos Control. While traveling the Earth, Knuckles desperately searched for a way to get back to Angel Island and his duty.[5] As fate would have it, Angel Island got transported to Earth, along with the Master Emerald, by a massive Chaos Control caused by the fight betweenSuper Sonic and the E-99 Eggsterminator.

Chaos Saga
With Angel Island now on Earth, Knuckles returned there to continue his mission to protect the Master Emerald. Six months after its arrival on Earth however, Angel Island fell into the sea near Mystic Ruins when Dr. Eggman shattered the Master Emerald in order to release Chaos from within it. With the Master Emerald's fragments scattered everywhere, Knuckles was forced to leave the island in order to recover them.[2] During this time, Angel Island was made off-limit to the general public.[7]Knuckles eventually succeeded with his mission and Angel Island returned to the skies.

Shadow Saga
Rogue and Topaz soon after came to Angel Island to acquire Master Emerald to use it as bait for Dr. Eggman. Despite Knuckles' attempts, the pair got away with both the Master Emerald and a Chaos Emerald that had landed on the island. Knuckles would eventually reclaim the Master Emerald and get it back to Angel Island.[9]

Homebound Saga
When it was revealed that the presence from everything from Sonic's world was threatening to freeze time, Angel Island and all else not native to Earth were sent back to their home world using a machine Tails and Chuck Thorndyke created.

Metarex Saga
Six months after returning home, Angel Island came under attack by the Metarex Carrer, an emissary of the Metarex seeking the Planet Egg, the life source of Sonic's planet, on the island. Despite their efforts, Sonic, Knuckles and their allies were unable to stop the Metarex Carrer from taking the Planet Egg. Soon after, Chris arrived from Earth through the Master Emerald and met his friends upon his arrival. Angel Island subsequently fell into the sea when Sonic and his allies took the Master Emerald to use it as a power source to battle the Metarex.[1][11] After reclaiming their Planet Egg and stopping the Metarex however, Angel Island was unable to return to the sky as the Master Emerald's power had been used up. As such, Knuckles would watch over its shards on the island until its power would return.

Archie Comics
The ancestral home of the Knuckles Clan, Angel Island hosted once both the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds which were guarded for generations by the Knuckles Clan. One day, a neighboring tribe attacked Angel Island and the Knuckles Clan decided to use the power of the Emeralds against the invaders. However, they were destroyed by their own fear and anger when they tried to control the Emeralds.[13]

After Angel Island was brought to the Earth during a battle between Sonic and Dr. Eggman, multiple Chao emerged from the Master Emerald on the island to stop Perfect Chaos from destroying Station Square. When it was time for them to return with a calmed Chaos, Cheese was offered to come with them, but he chose to stay with Cream.[14]

As Angel Island rested over the Sapphire Sea, Sonic would visit to seek adventure with Knuckles, but got turned down.[15]Knuckles soon after saw Sonic and his allies go for a dive from Angel Island, only to go save them when Eggman attacked them.[16] Some stray missiles later hit Angel Island, prompting Knuckles to go investigate.[17]

When Eggman's evil Chao horde was unleashed, Tikal returned to Angel Island with Chaos and an army of Chao to save the day.[13] Later bored from the peace, Sonic came to Angel Island to have some fun with Knuckles, but was ignored.[18]Sonic soon returned to Angel Island to hide from the mobs after Eggman (posing as Santa Claus) demanded Sonic to be handed over, until he made a plan to expose the doctor.[19] Coming to Angel Island later was a Rouge-duplicate made by Eggman, who took out Knuckles and stole the Master Emerald after tricking the echidna. Knuckles brought the Master Emerald back soon after.[20]

Later, Eggman arrived on Angel Island with Sonic and co. in hot pursuit, where his Greenbots pulled Chaos out of the Master Emerald despite the heroes' attempt to stop them. Turning Chaos into Chaosbot with the Chaos Emeralds and his robots, Eggman left Angel Island with his new servant, leaving the heroes stranded. However, Chris and Chuck brought the Tornado 2 for them to pursue Eggman in. Once Chaos was freed, it returned to Angel Island.