Topic: Sonic (classic) characters - pros and cons

Now that Sonic Origins have added Knuckles to Sonic CD and Amy Rose to Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, my questions for all Sonic fans are two:

1) Is the speed different for each character in Sonic Origins and Sonic Mania? I ask because I'm not really sure.

2) What do you think the pros and cons of the following characters are and who is your favourite and why?

Sonic (Sonic Origins and Sonic Mania)

Tails (Sonic Origins and Sonic Mania)

Knuckles (Sonic Origins and Sonic Mania)

Amy (Sonic Origins)

Ray (Sonic Mania)

Mighty (Sonic Mania)

I think that the most balanced characters are Sonic and Tails. Sonic can use shield abilities and is the only character with an additional airborne move. Sonic is one of the most fun characters to play because of that. On the other hand, Tails is able to fly in any direction without running up. Is Tails the "best" character because of that? I think that he might be.

Knuckles is a great character and I enjoy gliding and climbing but I don't like that his jump is capped. He might be heavier but is it fair in gameplay terms that his jump is lower? I don't think so.

Amy. I still haven't played as Amy in Sonic Origins.

Ray. I've been playing as Ray for a short time. Ray is fun to use because of his realistic flying ability but is that useful? I prefer Ray over Mighty, though.

Mighty. Thanks to his tough shell, Mighty is very useful in most levels, being safe in many occasions but his special ability is not especially useful or fun.

My ranking would be: Tails, Sonic, Knuckles, Ray and Mighty (I haven't played as Amy yet).