Goal Ring

The Goal Ring(ゴールリング Gōruringu?) is a variant of the Giant Ring. Like its name indicates, a Goal Ring signifies the player must touch it to successfully complete(or end) the level. Its first appearance is in Sonic Adventure 2 and introduces the ranking system before transition to the next or final stage. Since its debut, it has become the modern replacement of the Goal Signpost; appearing in nearly every 3D Sonic game and gained an official, distinct look starting in Sonic Unleashed.

Ranking System
After the Goal Ring is passed to finish a level, the ranking system appears in the form of a brief list. It displays the time, the number of Rings collected, and the current score before it adds to the total amount. The player will receive a letter-based grade determining his or her rank. In Sonic Adventure 2, the highest rank is A while the lowest is E. After this, the ranking system did occasionally fluctuate between certain games. In Sonic and the Black Knight, stars represented the ranking system. In the Sonic Riders series, X is the highest rank while C is the lowest. Sonic Rush introduced the letter S to be the highest rank and transcended to Sonic Colors, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic 06, and Sonic Generations. To date, the letter D remains to be the lowest rank a player can get.