Why does Sonic pursue golden rings?

When Sonic first emerged, there was absolutely no back story to the character. He was simply a thing that did whatever the buttons you mashed dictated. In this way, Sonic is a proxy for the game player. read more

Your primary defense against these things is the possession of golden rings (or "lives," which simply abstract the ring possession a bit further). Having rings allows you to keep playing the game in spite of having erred through it. The rings represent small redemptions, in a way here. read more

Most of it isn’t canon to the Sonic franchise as a whole, sure some aspects of that affects the lore by a little bit, with Sonic having a mother, brother AND sister, with the 3 siblings defeating enemies with the power of song™ and friendship™, hoping to find their mother in the end, yadda yadda yadda. read more

), also known as Gold Rings, are the most distinct items in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Rings serve as a unique health system in gameplay throughout most of the series; in most cases, as long as the players hold even one Ring, it will protect them from losing a life upon taking damage. read more