Piko Piko Hammer

The Piko Piko Hammer (ピコピコハンマー PikoPiko Hanmā?), also called the Love Hammer, is Amy Rose's signature weapon. It is a large yellow and red hammer that Amy uses as a melee weapon in combat, to execute better movements and perform special techniques.

Concept and creation
The Piko Piko Hammer was originally based on a popular Japanese children's toy of the same name. The phrase "piko-piko" is an onomatopoeia for the chirping sound that these hammers make when struck (which can also be heard in several games when Amy attacks).

The Piko Piko Hammer made its first appearance in Sonic the Fighters, in which Amy used it as a part of her combat moves. She was given the hammer as a weapon in order to strengthen her tomboyish nature (note that this is also the reason why she is a playable character in the game). As a result, she does not punch.

Appearance
The Piko Piko Hammer's design mostly resembles that of a sledgehammer or amallet. Originally, the Piko Piko Hammer had a red center head with flexible yellow ends and a pink handle attached to the head. In Sonic Adventure, the Piko Piko Hammer received an updated design, which included a larger head in the shape of a red cylinder with raised rectangular sections on the midsection of the head, solid yellow dishes on the ends, and a brown handle attached to the head.

As of Sonic Adventure, the Piko Piko Hammer has maintained a rather consistent design, though the raised rectangular sections on the midsection of the head have since then been removed from it and the dishes on the ends has become flatter. Its primary design in Sonic Adventure has however appeared in a few games since then. Also, in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Heroes, the head of the Piko Piko Hammer has the opposite color scheme, having red ends with a yellow center instead of yellow ends with a red center.

The size of the Piko Piko Hammer varies. In most cases, the Piko Piko Hammer is slightly bigger than Amy's head, while in some other games it can be much larger, such as in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing where the Piko Piko Hammer is much larger than the Pink Cabriolet when Amy uses it as a part of her All-Star Move.

Traits
Despite its colorful and innocent appearance, the Piko Piko Hammer is a very powerful melee weapon, being durable enough to repeatedly smash through metal and yet graceful enough to be used in a variety of moves at high speed. Even powerful characters such as Sonicare filled with dread when Amy threatens them with the Piko Piko Hammer, hinting at the amount of power and danger that this weapon possesses in Amy's hands. When Amy is not using it, the Piko Piko Hammer is hid away in a hiding spotthat remains unknown to this day, but she can pull it out of nowhere whenever she needs it on a moment's notice.[1]

Usage
The Piko Piko Hammer is mainly used for melee combat by Amy, either using it to knock foes away and far into the air, or crush them with devastating force with a downward swing. It is also a vital part of her Hammer Attack techniques and other combat moves. By spinning the Piko Piko Hammer around, Amy can turn herself into a top that mows down everything in her path, and can even stir up whirlwinds and send opponents flying. If Amy slams it into the ground with enough force, the Piko Piko Hammer can generate huge shock waves.

Aside from combat, the Piko Piko Hammer is also used by Amy to improve upon her own movements. By hammering into the ground, Amy can give herself extra high jumps, and by spinning the Piko Piko Hammer around like a propeller, she is briefly able to hover in midair. In some games, the hammer can be used to hit Springs, causing her to catapult quite a bit further.

When not using it directly, Amy is able to strike fear into other characters by displaying strength and fury with her Piko Piko Hammer.

Variants
Throughout the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Piko Piko Hammers other than Amy's regular hammer have appeared. These Piko Piko Hammers differs between each in appearance, and can possess traits unique to them.

In Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, Amy can obtain an Level Up Item called the Long Hammer, which is an upgraded version of her regular Piko Piko Hammer. This Piko Piko Hammer increases the radius of Amy's attacks.

In Sonic Advance 3, when selecting Amy as a playable character, her partner will obtain a uniquely stylized Piko Piko Hammer, allowing him or her to use the Hammer Attack.

In some games, Amy is shown to possess a Piko Piko Hammer much larger than her regular one. In Sonic Advance 3, Amy can use this Piko Piko Hammer as a part of her Big Hammer Attack when having Knuckles the Echidna as her leader or sidekick, allowing her to attack with much more power. This Piko Piko Hammer reappeared during the credits of Sonic's story in Sonic Rush when Amy was chasing after Sonic.

Sonic X
The Piko Piko Hammer appeared as Amy Rose's signature weapon in the anime Sonic X and thecomic series of the same name published by Archie Comics. It features the same design it had in Sonic Adventure. Like in the games, the Piko Piko Hammer is Amy's personal weapon that she is able to inexplicably pull out of thin air. Additionally, it appears Amy has an inexhaustible supply of Piko Piko Hammers, seeing that she was able to conjure up another Piko Piko Hammer out of nowhere by just by waving her hand after she had thrown her first one into Dr. Eggman's Grand Egg Imperial.[2]

In the comics, it is suggested that Amy has some sort of connection to her Piko Piko Hammers. In Sonic X #10, when Amy, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Rouge were trapped in a virtual reality of the original Sonic the Hedgehog by Dr. Eggman, Amy said that she could not "feel" her hammer while she was within the illusion.