- "Team Hooligan" redirects here.
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The Hooligans are a bounty hunter/mercenary group consisting of Nack the Weasel, Bean the Dynamite Duck and Bark the Polar Bear. The group has been employed on occasion by Dr. Eggman to perform tasks for him, particularly when his Egg Army and Badnik Horde are otherwise occupied.
History[]
Causing Trouble on Two Worlds[]
As a result of of an unknown phenomenon, Bean and Bark were separated from Nack and ended up in the Sol Zone, eventually joining up with a group of pirates led by the fearsome Captain Metal. Eventually they clashed with Team Rose yet again, expressing ignorance as to Nack's whereabouts. The duo ended up aiding Team Rose in their quest to recover the final Sol Emerald before the natives of the Prime Zone were returned home by Blaze. (StH #225, #229, #247, #251, SU: #55, SU: #56)
Reunited with Nack, the group were hired by Dr. Eggman to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds due to the strain on his empire caused by The Shattered World Crisis. In the course of their quest, they ran afoul of Knuckles the Echidna and his allies the Chaotix, the latter trio having been hired by Sally Acorn for the same task they were assigned. After a brief battle that was halted after the two teams realized that neither of them had the Emerald they were seeking, the Hooligans set out on their own again. They later tracked down the Emerald in Aquatic Mine, where they ran into the heroes yet again, this time accompanied by the spirit known as Light Gaia. Another fight was put on hold by the arrival of Dark Gaia Titan, and the Hooligans took advantage of the distraction to escape with the Emerald and Light Gaia and trap their rivals in the slowly flooding mine. (SU: #63, #64, #65)
The Hooligans' victory proved brief, as the Chaotix and Knuckles managed to escape the mine and catch up to them, with the Titan in pursuit. After losing Light Gaia-now known as Chip-and the Emerald, the Hooligans were sent on a wild goose chase thanks to Espio the Chameleon's sabotage of their Emerald sensor. Forced to return to Dr. Eggman empty-handed, the trio were informed that they would be making up for their failure by entering the Chaos Emerald Championship without being paid. However, Eggman subsequently contacted them while they were making their way through BINGO Highway with instructions to sabotage Casino Park's defenses in the event that they were unable to win the tournament's Emerald prize, something that Nack insisted upon being paid for. Despite learning that several old foes-Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose, Espio the Chameleon, and Knuckles-would be competing, the trio determined to try winning the tournament. Nack and Bean managed to pass the first round, but Bark lost his bout to Knuckles, and it was only Eggman's orders that kept Nack and Bean from moving directly to the course of sabotage. (SU: #66, StH: #268, #269)
Contrary to Breezie's assurances, the tournament bracket wasn't rigged in the Hooligans' favor, and Nack and Bean ended up facing each other in a match. Bean eventually surrendered on Nack's orders, allowing Nack to move on to the semifinals and face Knuckles. However, Nack was subsequently defeated himself, and set out to avenge his defeat while the rest of his team prepared to carry out Eggman's orders. The Hooligans succeeded in their task of sabotaging the defenses, allowing Metal Sonic to make a bid for the Emerald, but this was thwarted by the efforts of the heroes and Honey the Cat. (StH: #270, #271)
Soon, the Hooligans were assigned by Eggman to rob Castle Acorn and steal the seven Chaos Emeralds within its vaults. Eggman also had the Witchcarters and Metal Sonic back up the Hooligans during their mission. They managed to infiltrate Castle Acorn, and Bark knocked out King Acorn, allowing Bean to safely blow up the vault containing the Chaos Emeralds and Gaia Keys. After giving the chest containing the artifacts to Metal Sonic, they and the Wicthcarters stalled Gemerl, and nearly destroyed him until Cream the Rabbit, Cheese the Chao, and Big the Cat rescued the Gizoid. The Hooligans and Witchcarters then retreated. (StH: #283, #284, #285)
Background Information[]
- Team Hooligan is formed based on the team style of the game Sonic Heroes:
- Speed: Nack
- Flight: Bean (despite not actually being seen to fly under his own power)
- Power: Bark
- The members of the Hooligans are not known to be allies in the game universe: the only game that all three appeared in was Sonic the Fighters, and they appeared as individual competitors in a tournament rather than as allies.