Dark Chao are small creatures with pudding-like bodies. In general, Dark Chao have round, waterdrop-like heads with large eyes but no noses, round torsos smaller than their heads, smooth feet with no legs, and arms with no visible hands. Neither their arms or feet have digits. They also have a short tail.
While Dark Chao can have various looks and features depending on their skill alignment, they all have white eyes with blue sclera, normal Dark Chao have slightly zig-zagged point on the top of their heads and the mood indicator above their heads is a spiky dot. The most basic form of Dark Chao have black skin with magenta and violet tips on their hands and feet, and their wings resemble bat or devil wings. They also have a light pink mark in the shape of a crescent moon on top of their chests (similar to Knuckles). Lastly, they possess (usually) wide smiles with sharp teeth and thin tails with triangular points, akin to the typical devil's tail.
Characteristics and culture[]
The Dark Chao are bad Chao children on the Dark side who are violent and like to play pranks. They like dark and mysterious places.[1] In particular, a mistreated Dark Chao may repeatedly stomp on the ground and throw a tantrum, leading to them stomping around aimlessly or in rare cases, attempting to attack their caretaker with kicks, punches and chops.
In terms of biology, all Dark Chao are by default genderless.[3][4]
Dark Chao can usually only speak one word, which is their own species' name. However, they have a very distinct form of communication: their emotion-dot. This dot floats above a Dark Chao's head and will change shape depending on what they think or feel: It becomes a heart when the Dark Chao is happy, a question mark when the Dark Chao is confused, an exclamation point when the Dark Chao is alarmed, and a swirl when the Dark Chao is unhappy.
Powers and abilities[]
As Chao, Dark Chao can absorb and learn skills and traits from other life-forms, adapting their shapes as they do. Like all Chao, they are also capable of flight. Additionally, they possess the power to increase the rewards granted to the person they have bonded with.
Game appearances[]
Sonic Adventure 2[]
The Dark Chao made their first appearance in Sonic Adventure 2 and its enhanced port, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, as a form that the player can raise a Chao towards. When doing so for the first time, the Dark Garden is unlocked. In these games, one can evolve a Chao into a Dark Chao by: feeding it Dark Fruit, caring it with Shadow, Rouge and/or Dr. Eggman, abusing it with Sonic, Tails and/or Knuckles, or leaving it in the Dark Garden. A child Chao that is about to evolve into a Dark Chao will have some of its visual traits. Once they undergo their first evolution, the Chao will become a Dark Chao.
One can evolve a Dark Chao into a type of Chaos Chao called a "Devil Chao". To get this kind of Chao, a Chao must be a Dark Chao that has already gone through at least two reincarnations. Once the Chao is on its third (or later) life, they will have to receive at least one of all the small Animals before the Chao has evolved to the second stage of its current life. They will then evolve into a Devil Chao.
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut[]
In Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, the player can raise Chao into Dark Chao. In this game, one can evolve a Chao into a Dark Chao by feeding them Dark Fruit. Once they undergo their first evolution, the Chao will be a Dark Chao.
One can evolve a Dark Chao into a type of Chaos Chao called a "Devil Chao". To get this kind of Chao, a Chao must be a Dark Chao that has already gone through two reincarnations. Once the Chao is on its third life, they will have to receive at least one of all the small Animals before the Chao has evolved to the second stage of its third life. They will then evolve into a Devil Chao.
In Sonic Heroes, the Dark Chao appears in some of the Special Stages. In these levels, they will appear in a hot air balloon, from which they will drop bombs in the playable characters' path.
Sonic Rivals[]
In Sonic Rivals, the basic Dark Chao appears on two of the collectible cards in the game. The first card, which is the 96th one in the game, depicts a 3D artwork of the Dark Chao, and the second one, which is the 95th one in the game, depicts the 2D artwork of the Dark Chao from Sonic Adventure 2. There is also the 105th collectible card in the game, which depicts a Devil Chao, which is just called the "Dark Chao" here.
In Team Sonic Racing, a Dark Chao is a part of the team of Chao (which include Omochao, a Hero Chao, and a Neutral Chao) on Team Rose that drive the Chao Pod. In addition, several Dark Chao appear among the audience in the background of many of the racing tracks.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds[]
The Dark Chao is set to appear as an item in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Upon using it, it grants items to all racers. If a racer already has an item, they will be given a new one.
Other game appearances[]
Mario & Sonic series[]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games[]
In both the Wii version and Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, the Dark Chao appear as non-playable characters. They primarily appear among the audience in the background of several events.
In the Wii version of the game, the Dark Chao appear exclusively among the audience in the background of various events.
In the Nintendo DS version of the game, the Dark Chao appear in the background of various events, as a part of the audience. In the game's Adventure Tours mode, various variants of Dark Chao also appear as interactable characters that host events and set challenges for the playable characters.
In the Wii version of the game, the Dark Chao appear in several events as a part of the audience seen in the background. They also make an appearance in London Party, where they will sometimes move a player's '?' space on their sticker sheet.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, the Dark Chao repeat their previous roles by appearing amongst the audience seen in the background during different events. A Badge of a Dark Chao can also be obtained from the badge machine.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[]
In the Wii U version of the game, Dark Chao make an appearance as a part of Dr. Eggman's float which occasionally appears on Copacabana Beach.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, the Dark Chao once again appear amongst the audience in the background of certain events.
Sonic Jump Fever[]
In Sonic Jump Fever, the Dark Chao, its Devil Chao variant, and a Shadow-based variant can be collected by the player and be used during levels, where they will grant the playable character a special ability.
In Sonic Runners, the standard Dark Chao make a few appearances throughout the game's story. In addition, the standard Dark Chao appears as a Normal Power Typebuddy which boosts the score for destroying enemies. The game also features a Devil Chao buddy, which is called "Dark Chaos" here. This Chao is a S Rare Power Type buddy that boosts the score for destroying enemies.
Sonic Runners Adventure[]
In Sonic Runners Adventure, the standard Dark Chao appears as a buddy that increases the chances of defeating a missed enemy on the screen by 25% and can deflect the Iron Ball Eggmobile's Yellow Balls. The game also includes the Devil Chao variant (here called the "Dark Chaos"), which is featured as a buddy that increases the chances of defeating an enemy or destroying an obstacle instead of getting damage by 50% and can deflect the Iron Ball Eggmobile's Yellow Balls.
Sonic Forces: Speed Battle[]
In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, a Devil Chao variant of the Dark Chao is used to illustrate Metal Sonic's Steal power-up. Also, when utilizing this power-up, a Devil Chao will briefly appear above the one targeted by the Steal.
In Sonic Speed Simulator, Dark Chao are collectible pets of the "Epic" rarity. Five of them can be obtained by destroying 100 Force Field Generators in Lost Valley as part of the Release Shadow event. In gameplay, Dark Chao can be equipped to the playable character, allowing them to fly by the side of the playable character as they move around. In addition, when equipped, Dark Chao will grant additional Experience Points whenever the playable character obtains a Chaos Orb and additional Rings whenever they pick up a single Ring. The player can as well level up Dark Chao for a cost of Rings and/or Red Star Rings at the Upgrade Machine, with level 25 being the maximum level. Leveling up a Dark Chao will improve its reward-granting attributes. Additionally, the player can evolve a Dark Chao by collecting five of them, leveling all of them up to maximum, and bringing them to the Fusion Machine. Evolving a Dark Chao will result in a singular evolved Chao at level one.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Dark Chao were a type of Chao inhabiting various regions of Mobius, most notably Chao Gardens. Chao could be turned into Dark Chao if they were raised by a non-virtuous person.
Following the Super Genesis Wave, Dark Chao became nearly indistinguishable from their game counterparts.
In the Sonic X comic series published by Archie Comics, the Dark Chao were a unique breed of Chao created by Dr. Eggman who had the ability to turn into their dark forms when exposed to a radio signal. Eggman tried using an army of wild Dark Chao to take over the world, but they got converted back to their docile states by Sonic and several of his allies.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, a Dark Chao in particular belonged to Clutch the Opossum from the White Park Grand Chateau. At the latest White Park Chao Racing Circuit, Clutch's Shadow Chao competed in the qualification race. During the race, they knocked Cheese into a water pool along the race track to slow them down. Despite this, Cheese managed to reach the finish line in time to qualify for the next round. As Clutch celebrated his victory, his Shadow Chao shot Cheese a malicious glare.[5] Clutch's Shadow Chao later competed in another race that would qualify them for the semi-finals. During the race, they tried to attack Cheese, but they managed to evade them. Clutch's Shadow Chao subsequently fell off a cliff on the racing course and into the water below. Due to having failed Clutch, Clutch locked them in a cage in his suite, along with the other Chao who had failed him. However, the Shadow Chao, along with the other Chao, was later found by Shadow, who was sickened by Clutch's treatment of them, but could not open the cage at the time without hurting them. He showed the cage to the visiting Amy, Cream and Rouge, who decided to free all of Clutch's Chao.[6]
When Clutch unleashed the Badniks in his suite upon Cream and her friends, Cream asked Clutch's Shadow Chao and the other Chao in the cage to help her friends defeat the Badniks. Clutch's Shadow Chao agreed to this, and made a truce with Cheese. Once the Chao were released by Belle, they proceeded to help Cream's friends destroy the Badniks. Afterward, they participated in the evacuation of the chateau before an avalanche could hit it. Once that crisis had passed, Clutch's Shadow Chao and their associates came to Tails' Workshop where they would have a picnic, finally free and happy. Meanwhile, Clutch's Shadow Chao seemed to form an attachment to Shadow[7] who fed him an apple from a distance.
↑Evan Stanley (@spiritsonic) on Tumblr. Tumblr (15 October 2020). Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. "Evan Stanley: ...SEGA asked that it be changed to they/them for Cheese and any other Chao. They are indeed genderless, and it’s now official policy to use gender-neutral pronouns to match!"
↑Sonic Channel(Japanese). Characters: Chao. Sega. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved on 30 April 2021.
