Special Stage Key

The Special Stage Key (スペシャルステージキー Supesharusutējikī?), also called the Special Key, is an item found in stages of Sonic Heroes and Sonic Advance 3. It is a golden, sparkling key, that by collecting it, allows entrance to the Special Stage.

Sonic Heroes
In Sonic Heroes, these keys can be found and collected in a similar way as the Chao Key from Sonic Adventure 2, but instead of being in a box, it is usually contained in a metallic cage (The cage can be broken with one attack from the power formation character). To keep this key, the leading character must not be hurt (doesn't disappear if the leading character had aShield) throughout the rest of the stage or lose a life (e.g. falling into a bottomless pit.) After completing the stage, the team is taken to the Special Stage.

Sonic Advance 3
A similar key item called the "Special Key" appears in Sonic Advance 3, which can be found in certain areas in an act of a zone, when the player has found all ten Chao from the each zone. The player can collect the key, clear the act (instead, the player can exit out of the stage by going to the pause menu and exit from the act from there) and then go to the locked Special Spring on the hub world to enter the Special Stage. Whether the player passes/fails to complete the Special Stage, the player has to go back to one of the zone's acts and get another Special Key.