 Japanese title card · “Wild Sonic! Strategic Capture Operation” | |
| Series | Sonic X (ソニックX), TMS Entertainment |
| Season | Season 1 (2003–2004) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 24 · no. 24 of 78 |
| English title | “How to Catch a Hedgehog” (4Kids) |
| Japanese title | 暴走ソニック！捕獲大作戦 (Bōsō Sonikku! Hokaku Daisakusen, “Wild Sonic! Strategic Capture Operation”) |
| First aired (Japan) | 14 September 2003 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 13 March 2004 · Fox Box (Fox) |
| Directed by | Makoto Moriwaki |
| Written by | Masahiko Shiraishi |
| Storyboard | Kōji Hōri |
| Previous episode | Emerald Anniversary (S01E23) |
| Next episode | A Dastardly Deed (S01E25) |
Non-stop SonicComedy
How to Catch a Hedgehog is episode 24 of Season 1 of Sonic X and the 24th of the anime’s 78 episodes. In Japan it is called “Wild Sonic! Strategic Capture Operation” (暴走ソニック！捕獲大作戦). It premiered on TV Tokyo on 14 September 2003, and the 4Kids English version followed on Fox Box (Fox) on 13 March 2004. It was directed by Makoto Moriwaki and written by Masahiko Shiraishi.
Synopsis
Eggman’s giant bird robot, E-88 Lightning Bird, snatches Amy from a farm, and Sonic destroys it with a Ring from Tails and catches her as she falls. Neither of them notices a tiny chip drop out of the wreck and lodge in Sonic’s ear. The next time he sets off for a run, he can’t stop – so he heads for the empty badlands, where there is nothing to flatten.
For two days his friends try everything. Sam Speed gives chase until his car runs out of fuel, Chuck fires a helium bomb from a rocket launcher to float Sonic off the ground, and Knuckles pops the balloon with a rock, but nothing will make the blue blur stop.
Chris and Chuck work out that the robot is to blame, so the gang steers Sonic back to the farm. When the Lightning Bird strikes again and shocks Amy, Sonic kicks it to pieces, the chip falls out, and he finally comes to a halt in a haystack – where Amy helps with the last bit of hay in his ear.
Key Moments
- Sonic is stuck running non-stop for two days.
- Chuck, Knuckles and Sam Speed all try to stop him.
- Saving Amy again frees Sonic from the circuit.
Trivia
- Director Makoto Moriwaki also directed “The Dam Scam”.
- On home video: Japanese DVD/VHS volume 6 (Victor Entertainment, 17 December 2003); 4Kids/FUNimation volume 6, Countdown to Chaos (12 April 2005); the Chaos Emerald Chaos DVD set (2008); and Discotek’s Sonic X Collection 1 (2016) and complete-series Blu-rays.
Watch the Episode
The full 4Kids English episode, uploaded by TMS Entertainment’s official “Anime! on TMS” YouTube channel (checked 6 November 2026).
Part of our Sonic X Season 1 guide. See the Sonic X series page for the cast, theme songs and home video.
Sources: titles, credits and air dates from Wikipedia’s list of Sonic X episodes and Sonic Wiki Zone, cross-checked with each other and with Luke’s original Sonic Scene episode table; synopsis written for Sonic Scene from the episode, Wikipedia’s summary and Sonic Wiki Zone’s plot notes; title card and screenshots via Sonic Wiki Zone, copied to our media library.