Sonic the Hedgehog is Mickey Mouse done right. That is what he is, fundamentally. He's an embodiment of chaos as free as the wind, yet he's just a guy that loves adventure. He's known for his impatient yet cool and aloof attitude, hyperactive with his speed yet laid back and easygoing at the same time. He's tailor-made to be a fun cartoon mascot whose mere presence is the inciting incident of the most epic adventures you've ever experienced.

He's the kind of character who just having him around makes him interesting because it's cool and fun to just see Sonic do things. He makes life exciting just by being himself. That's what Sonic is supposed to be. So all these critics here that say that the true Sonic, with the wind stuff going on, "isn't enough of a character" or whatever just feels so... backwards. Blind, even. I mean, the best example is the OVA. That version of Sonic is a direct adaptation of his classic game-canon characterization, he is 100% "as free as the wind" and the OVA portrays those core aspects of Sonic in a great and very interesting way.

Even the wind haters love OVA Sonic. So, it was never about the wind. What they hate is when the story glorifies Sonic too much rather than just letting him exist. When they focus too much on hyping up the idea of Sonic that we don't see who Sonic is as a person. Genuine coolness doesn't "try" to be cool, actions speak louder than words. When Sonic is simply allowed to just "be Sonic", everything clicks. Try too hard, and you've lost the plot.

Sonic is simply "Cool Mickey", and that kind of idea just works... When you let it.