Sonic Rivals- Emerl the Gizoid

Emerl's Customization Theme- [link]
Emerls' Final Battle Theme- [link]

Long ago, The Fourth Great Civilization (who we now know as the Nocturnus Clan) created the ultimate fighting robot, one that could copy their opponent's abilities and use them for themselves. These robots were called the Gizoids, and Emerl was the most powerful of their line. However, the Nocturne's efforts were in vain, as they were teleported into the Twilight Cage soon after. But one thing was left behind... Emerl.
Fast forwarding to the present day, Dr. Eggman encounters the Gizoid and believes it to be a lost project of his grandfather, Gerald. His efforts to bend it to his will are in vain, and frustrated, he throws it away. Later, Emerl winds up on the beach and is found by none other than Sonic the Hedgehog.
Emerl bonded quite quickly with Sonic and his friends, learning new skills and powering up his systems by training with them. He also learned more about his past, and began to understand the meanings of friendship and his purpose on the planet. Of course, Eggman was still up to no good, and created the Final Egg Blaster as a means to threaten Sonic's World. Emerl stepped up and defeated the Doctor... or so he thought, for the whole thing was a cover up to show the Gizoid ultimate power, breaking the seal and turning him into a weapon of mass destruction. Sonic was forced to fight his once-close friend, and once successful, Emerl regained consciousness... only to explode and prevent the destruction of the world.
However... Emerl's core programming seems to have lived on in the form of Gemerl, who was built by Dr. Eggman and reprogrammed by Tails. After the events of Sonic Adventure 3, Gemerl seems to have taken on Emerl's original personality; so perhaps the robot's fate is a bittersweet one.

I believe this is going to be the last entry in my Sonic Rivals series, as we seem to have run out of characters to feature. However, with the Deadly Six appearing as bosses not to far into the future... perhaps that could be yet another inclusion.

Credit to Greg the Lion on The Spriter's Resource and the game Sonic Battle for the Emerl Skill Menu. Emerl is copyrighted by Sonic Team
See the version of this drawing without the background here: [link]