Infinite

"That day, I gave up my own unsightly face. And I let go of the old me, the one that was so weak, so that I could become stronger. And then, at last... I obtained the power. The power to make all yield to my will. I... was... REBORN!"

- Infinite abandoning his old self. "You may call me... "Infinite"... in the brief moments that remain to you."

- Infinite introducing himself to Sonic the Hedgehog.

Infinite is the main antagonist of the 2017 platform video game Sonic Forces. He is an anthropomorphic power-hungry jackal who used to be called the Ultimate Mercenary. After his encounter with and defeat at the hands of Shadow the Hedgehog, Infinite became obsessed with the desire to prove him wrong about being weak. He wants nothing more than to be the strongest, until he is never defeated again.

He was voiced by Takashi Kondo in the Japanese version, and by Liam O'Brien in the English version, who also voiced Caius Ballad in Final Fantasy XIII-2, as well as Nephrite in the Viz Media dubs of Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal.

Origin
Infinite was originally the leader of a mercenary team named "Jackal Squad". One day, the squad saw Eggman in his base with Cubot and Orbot and decided to steal his tech and sell it. When they attacked, Eggman was helpless and started raging, calling on his Egg Pawns to attack the mercenaries. Infinite still manages to successfully get through all of the Egg Pawns and to Eggman; however, just when he is ready to deal a final blow on Eggman, he misses and instead grabs the newly discovered Phantom Ruby. This distracts Infinite and allows Eggman to knock him out, though Eggman later gives Infinite the chance to join him in destroying the world (upon seeing a vision of a world in chaos that was granted to Infinite by the ruby). While his teammates try to stop him, Infinite decides to join Eggman.

Later, Eggman hires Infinite and the rest of Jackal Squad to defend his base when it is assaulted by Shadow the Hedgehog. Infinite attempts to attack Shadow out of vengeance for annihilating the rest of his squad, but Shadow effortlessly defeats him, calling him weak and worthless before teleporting away. Enraged and devastated by both his loss and Shadow's words, Infinite was driven to gain more power, eventually fusing with the finalized Phantom Ruby Prototype.

Sonic Forces
Infinite assisted Dr. Eggman and his robots in an attack on a large urban center. After Sonic the Hedgehog fought off Eggman's forces, Infinite engaged the hedgehog and defeated and captured him.

Infinite later provided Dr. Eggman with a new power that allowed the Eggman Empire to conquer 99% of the world. He was later appointed the leader of the Eggman Empire's military and worked alongside the other members of it to enforce Eggman's rule.

Personality
Infinite is extremely overconfident and arrogant, the powers he recieves from the Phantom Ruby make him confident in himself, stating himself to be the most powerful creature on earth. He harasses weaker, less powerful people like the Rookie, who he abuses multiple times throughout the game, at the start he offers to spare the Rookie's life if he/she shows fear.

But he does not only insult the Rookie but also other stronger individuals like Sonic, who he calls a "filthy rat". Even before Infinite obtained the Phantom Ruby that made him powerful and mighty, he was already sadistic and obsessed with power, in his first meeting with Eggman, he even wanted to kill Eggman, only to be interested in destroying the world when Eggman gave him the offer to join him in his goal. Despite his extreme arrogance, Infinite is cold and calm at almost all times. Even when he loses, something he absolutely hates doing, he simply gets shocked and starts talking to himself, but does not lose his temper.

Allies

 * Jackal Squad
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Orbot
 * Cubot
 * Replicas
 * Replica Chaos
 * Replica Metal Sonic
 * Replica Shadow
 * Replica Zavok

Enemies

 * Modern Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Classic Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Avatar
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Amy Rose
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Team Dark
 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Rouge the Bat
 * E-123 Omega
 * Chaotix
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Charmy Bee

Quotes
"Fine, I will teach you fear, then pain. And then...well, at least the fear and pain will end."

- Infinite to the player's avatar.

"I've been looking forward to finishing you and your annoying friends. I trust your all ready for oblivion? If your not...oh well."

- Infinite starting his final showdown with Sonic.

"Is there no end to these annoying insects? I will burn your resistance to ashes and you along with it."

- Infinite preparing to finish off the Resistance army.

"Make peace with your fate. Because your lives are now over."

- Infinite about to kill the Resistance members.

"And the Resistance will yield to the Phantom Ruby's power. All will submit."

- Infinite to Dr. Eggman.

"Ah, and Still Mare wonderful, A not-so tall, dark, and brooding guest has arrived. I've been waiting for you, Shadow."

- Infinite meeting Shadow again.

"(cackling maniacally) Ah, I suppose you would think so. Ohohoh yes. I am Infinite. You say you do not know me, and yet, I remember you so very well. To you, it was simply another in a long list of Eggman bases you tore down without a second thought."

- Infinite thinking Shadow doesn't know him.

"This wasn't part of my agenda, but i'm always happy to crush a hero. It keeps the rabble in line. Shows them that there is no hope."

- Infinite facing Silver the Hedgehog.

"Seeing is believing."

- Reply to Silver if anyone believes his lies before finishing him off.

"Well, look who's back from the dead. The little blue savior. But what's that I smell? You reek of fear. Glad to see I left an impression."

- Infinite encountering Sonic for the second time.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. (to Shadow) You... You destroyed my squad. I'll show you why they call me the ultimate Mercenary! Take THIS!!"

- Ready to ambush Shadow.

"More ants to crush. I wonder if this world can offer me a real challenge. And as if to answer, the world sends me a trembling child."

- Infinte to the players avatar.

"And with that, the disposal of the Phantom Ruby prototypes is complete."

- destroying the Phantom Ruby prototypes.

"Pathetic little hedgehog. Even with the Phantom Ruby weakened, I still have enough power to smash you into blue jelly. I'll show you how out classed you really are!"

- Infinite encountering Sonic for the Third time.

"There is no reason to resist. Your savior is no more. I can taste you terror, child. All that anxiety and doubt...it's delicious. Give in to your fear, flee, screaming, and I'll let you live."

- Infinite attacking a town.

"No, wait! I can still fight!"

- Infinite's last words after Sonic and the Avatar defeated him.

"I'm shaking... Me!? Me... Afraid...!? Urgh. Pathetic!? Me... he's calling ME weak!? No! I am not weak! I'm...I'm not. I'm not weak! I AM NOT WEEEEAAAAAAK! URRRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

- Infinite's villainous breakdown after he loses in his battle against Shadow, prior to his transformation.

Trivia

 * It is unknown what Infinite's real name was prior to his transformation by the Phantom Ruby.
 * Infinite's face is never seen in the game itself nor the "Episode Shadow" prequel. However, it is shown in the prequel comics.
 * Following his boss battle, Infinite fades away and vanishes, against his own will. It is unknown whether Eggman forcefully teleported him away or if the Phantom Ruby deemed him unworthy and possibly erased him from existence, allowing Eggman to harness its power for his Death Egg Robot.
 * Infinite is one of the most evil villains in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise alongside Mephiles the Dark, Black Doom, and Erazor Djinn.
 * It is pretty strange that Infinite is not attacking Shadow directly in the main game since he hates him well before he meets Sonic. It's also unexplained why Shadow is one of the counterfeit villains Infinite produces if he hates Shadow.
 * Infinite is one of the very few antagonists in the franchise who works with Dr. Eggman without betraying him for his own personal agenda.
 * Because of the "edgy" (a term used for something that is overly dark) nature of Infinite's character, a lot of people have made fun of the character, even to the point of it becoming a bit of a meme.
 * In addition to this, Infinite is often compared to certain Sonic "OCs" (Original Characters), where they are portrayed as powerful beings with a dark history/nature, mainly due to his design as well.