Shadow the Hedgehog
Encyclopedia
is a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Shadow is an artificially-created life form. His trademark hover shoes propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic, and with a Chaos Emerald he has the ability to distort time and space using "Chaos Control." Often referred to as being the "Ultimate Life Form," he is a black and crimson male hedgehog
that debuted in Sonic Adventure 2
. He resembles Sonic
in many ways, such as the ability to travel at incredible speeds. He is Sonic's rival and is the antithesis of Sonic himself in all aspects of his life. He has been featured in a variety of media, including his own self-titled game
. Shadow works together with either Sonic's group or Dr. Eggman
, depending on what suits his own needs.
, Constantine
, and the Terminator
series.
, where it is explained that he was created fifty years prior to the game's events, by Professor Gerald Robotnik. Professor Gerald Robotnik had been charged with the task of researching a path to immortality, something that he does in the hopes that he could cure his granddaughter, Maria, of the terminal illness
"NIDS" (Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome). He created Shadow as "The Ultimate Life Form", a first step towards achieving that goal, but the government deemed Project Shadow a threat, and dispatched G.U.N. troopers to the space colony
ARK. G.U.N. destroyed the research, shut down the ARK, and killed all those present, including Maria. Before she died, she ejected Shadow towards Earth in an escape pod, telling him to give people "a chance to be happy". Gerald, driven insane by her death, designed a program that would cause the research station Space Colony ARK to crash into Earth once all seven Chaos Emeralds were placed inside it. Back on Earth, he modified Shadow's mind so that he would carry out Gerald's plan if he was ever released.
Fifty years later, Shadow was released from suspended animation
by Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, grandson of Gerald Robotnik, who sought after Shadow after learning from Gerald's diary that he was the ultimate life form his grandfather had created. Dr. Eggman hoped to use Shadow to conquer the world. Shadow, having sworn revenge on the humans who caused the death of Maria (due to Gerald's plan), tricked Eggman, along with Rouge the Bat
, into helping him collect all seven Chaos Emeralds. The trio placed them in the ARK, nearly allowing it to crash into Earth. Amy Rose
managed to trigger Shadow's true memory of Maria and her wish, and the ARK was placed back into orbit using his skill, Chaos Control, using up the last of his energy and sending him falling to Earth, seemingly dead.
In Sonic Heroes
, Rouge discovered Shadow in a stasis tube in Eggman's secret base. Suffering from amnesia
and unable to remember anything except his name and brief images of Maria's death, Shadow joined forces with Rouge and E-123 Omega in order to track down Eggman. After defeating the final Eggman robot, Rouge stumbled into a room full of what appeared to be Shadow clones, and deduced that Shadow was also a clone. Omega then walked in and stated that the original Shadow must be alive for clones to exist, and began to search for him. They then went on to fight Metal Sonic with the others.
In Sonic Battle
, Rouge saves Shadow while they are investigating Dr. Eggman's secret base. Believing that he is a weapon, he insists the people of Earth must destroy him, but it is revealed that he ultimately has the heart and soul of Maria Robotnik and so is not the enemy of humanity. In one of Gerald Robotnik's journal entries, he mentions that "Project Shadow" was put on hold because of Project Gizoid.
In Shadow the Hedgehog
, Shadow, still with no memory of his past, meets a malevolent race of aliens called the Black Arms and Black Doom, their leader, who seems to know Shadow. Throughout the game, Shadow has constant flashbacks of his past. Black Doom also baits Shadow with the knowledge of his past, while Eggman tells him that he is simply an android created by himself to mimic the real Shadow. In the final story, Black Doom reveals to him that while working on his immortality project, Gerald Robotnik contacted Black Doom and made a deal with him. If Black Doom helped him with his research, Gerald would deliver the seven Chaos Emeralds to him in fifty years' time. Using his own blood, Black Doom helped Gerald create Shadow, an immortal life form that would both help with Gerald's research and collect the Chaos Emeralds for Black Doom in the future. However, once Gerald learned of Black Doom's plot to take over the world, he created the Eclipse Cannon as a means to destroy the Black Comet (the Black Arms' home), and left it up to Shadow to stop the Black Arms. While fighting Black Doom, Shadow learned from Eggman that he in fact was not an android, but the original Shadow, whom Eggman had rescued with one of his robots after Shadow fell from space (Sonic Adventure 2). He destroys both Black Doom and the Black Arms, and vows to leave behind his past. While the game features several alternate endings and certain routes leading to those endings, this ending is generally accepted to be the true outcome of events.
In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog video game, Shadow, now an agent of G.U.N., works with Rouge and Omega after confronting Mephiles the Dark, a manipulative darkness spirit created when a time-travel project went haywire. One of Mephiles' goals is to interfere with Shadow's future, but along with Silver and Sonic, Shadow super transforms and manages to defeat Solaris for good, and Mephiles (as part of Solaris) with it. But due to the time paradox caused by Sonic and Princess Elise, Shadow, (along with everyone else), doesn't remember this.
Shadow appears in Sonic Rivals
as a playable character alongside Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, and Metal Sonic, where he locates and uncovers the truth about Dr. Eggman. He also appears in the sequel, Sonic Rivals 2
. He is an unlockable character in the game Sonic Riders
, as Speed type character, with his trademark shoes, and also appears in the sequel, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
. Shadow also appeared in the game Sonic and the Secret Rings
, being the first unlockable character for the Party Mode and also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
as an assist trophy and a sticker. Shadow's other appearance was in Sega Superstars Tennis
and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
as a playable character.
He also appears in the recently released Sega racing game, "Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
". In the game, he rides a modified black and red G.U.N. motorcycle called Dark Rider, with the symbol from his own game on the sides and jet boosters on the sides of the back wheel. His All-Star move involves him turning into Super Shadow and using Chaos Spear to attack his foes while speeding across the track.
He also appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
where he is categorized as a "speed" character, rivaling Sonic.
Shadow appears in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
, the Sonic RPG by Bioware. In the game, Shadow is searching for his friend, E-123 Omega, who has gone missing after Omega began to try to find any of the notorious Dr. Eggman's robots so he could destroy them.
Shadow appears in Sonic and the Black Knight
, portrayed as Lancelot
, one of the Knights of the Round Table. He is the first of the knights encountered in the game, and the closest to Sonic in terms of gameplay.
In Sonic Free Riders
he is a playable character in normal race mode and in story mode along with Team Dark.
Shadow has appeared in Sonic Generations
. In the game, he is not a playable character, but a rival boss to Sonic in the game. He challenges Modern Sonic to a battle for a Chaos Emerald. In the battle, Sonic and Shadow were racing to get two power cores (three in hard mode) and unleash their super attack on their opponent. If Shadow gets the cores, he will unleash multiple Chaos Spears at Sonic, which Sonic can dodge using quick step. Ultimately, Shadow was defeated by Sonic yet again. He is also seen in the Center of Time alongside all of Sonic's friends, who were supporting the two Sonics to defeat the final enemy, the Time Eater, and restore the Sonic universe. After the Time Eater's defeat, Shadow decides to stay at Sonic's birthday party.
. Once he has set himself to a goal, he will do whatever it takes to accomplish it, regardless of any danger. After the trauma of the death of his only friend, Maria Robotnik, Shadow strives to fulfill his purpose and keep the promise he made to her, despite his general loathing of mankind. Although his relationship with Sonic seems to have developed from antagonistic to friendly rivalry, animosity from not understanding their different mindsets continues.
However, Shadow shares a lot in common with Sonic. Although Sonic's speed is described as "second to none," Shadow can skate at speeds fast enough to rival the speeds of Sonic's running. He can also perform spin attacks common to Sonic, which are a variation on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Additionally, with the power of a Chaos Emerald, Shadow can warp time and space with Chaos Control. Shadow is also able to use a variety of other Chaos powers, such as "Chaos Spear" and "Chaos Blast".
By harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow is able to use super transformation to transform into Super Shadow. He is bestowed with the new abilities of flight and near invulnerability, like Super Sonic, and his normal abilities of speed and his Chaos powers are greatly enhanced.
Sonic X
voiced by his game voice actor in Japan and by Jason Griffith
(who also voices Sonic) in the English version. Although his character has little difference from the games, the series is the first to introduce Shadow's ability to increase the powers he draws from the Chaos Emeralds when he removes the rings on his wrists, but he loses power after a short time. Shadow is only featured briefly in the opening sequence during the series, but does not appear until Episodes 33 through 38, which are based on Sonic Adventure 2
. However, it was Chris Thorndyke who reminded Shadow of his true promise from Maria, instead of Amy Rose like in the games. Afterward, he makes short appearances in flashbacks, but he makes his real return in Season 3 episode 60, “Trick Sand” (dubbed 'Shadow's Rebirth'in Japanese). During this season, Shadow had no clear memory of his mysterious past. Only a fragment of his memory returns when he meets Molly, who reminds him of Maria. At the end of the season, he sacrifices himself again to warp away the explosive seed of the dead Metarex. However, at the end of the show, his shadow can be seen by the grave he made for Molly where he has placed a flower, so it appears that he is still alive after all, although in Japan, he is still alive and he is seen near Molly's tomb. So far, this is Shadow's only appearance in a Sonic TV series.
Shadow also appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog
comic series. His origin is similar to that in the games in that he was created by Gerald Robotnik to stand against the threat of Black Doom and the Black Arms. He debuted in an adaptation of the game Sonic Adventure 2, with a few changes to accommodate the Archie version of Mobius/Earth. However, instead of the events of Sonic Heroes
and Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow later reappears explaining he was rescued by the alien race called the Bem to combat the Xorda.
Shadow often works alone to achieve his goal, which is to discover the truth about his mysterious history. He has at times allied with Sonic and the Freedom Fighters to fight greater evils, like the Xorda, and he has been known to work either for or against Dr. Robotnik depending on the circumstances. Often, he will side with whomever he believes will bring him closer to the truth. This search has led him to interact with various other characters, including the robot Isaac, Brotherhood of Guardians member Locke, and various versions of Metal Sonic. Hope is one of the few living beings to show compassion towards him besides Maria, and also bears a striking resemblance to her (enough so that he nearly mistook Hope for Maria at one point). After discovering and resolving to fulfill his creator's wish to protect Mobius from the return of the Black Arms, Shadow joined the Guardian Units of Nations, or G.U.N.
Shadow's abilities in the comics are similar to those in the games, but this version can directly access the "Chaos Force" and does not require a Chaos Emerald for any of his Chaos powers. The Chaos Force (also referred to as "The Power of Chaos") is a mystical energy field that serves as a wellspring for all Chaos powers of which Shadow is the first known to be able to harness outside of the Brotherhood of Guardians. When he removes the "inhibitor rings" from his wrists, his Chaos powers are greatly enhanced.
In Sonic Universe
, the first four issues are a sub-series that explores more of Shadow's multi-dimensional encounters and newest stories.
s based on Shadow that first appeared in Sonic Heroes, though it was never actually stated to be such. Instead, one Team Dark cutscene showed a broken Shadow robot, and another one showed an entire room of androids in stasis, which affected the story in a way, making several characters believe Shadow was a robot, though this is impossible since Shadow was the only Shadow in the room where Rouge found him in, which is the room where the cloning was taking place. The Shadow Androids reappeared in Shadow the Hedgehog as somewhat strong enemy robots on the single-player mode's "Iron Jungle" and "Lava Shelter" stages, along with the "Iron Jungle" boss. These androids can counter Shadow's Homing Attacks, or lock-on to Shadow and toss rockets at him, which they seem to use more often than the Homing Attack. At the last Team Dark cutscene of Sonic Heroes, when Rouge finds the multiple Shadow Androids, she suspects that Shadow is an android, but Omega says that the real Shadow exists, as there is no way anyone could make Shadow Androids without the real Shadow, who was with them the whole time. While Shadow is facing Black Doom in his Devil Doom form, Eggman says that he used a robot to rescue Shadow as or after he fell from the Space Colony ARK in Sonic Adventure 2, meaning that while Shadow was in a stasis tube, Eggman was making Shadow Clones.
In the multi-player mode of Shadow the Hedgehog, there are six special Shadow Androids. Four of these robots are silver with green, pink, orange, or blue stripes, each wielding either an alien-like machine gun or a bazooka. However, there are two androids who look a lot like Shadow, except one has gold stripes. All of these androids claim to be the "real Shadow", and claim that the others are fakes.
himself in an official Japanese Sonic character poll. Many game reviewers, like GameSpot have called Shadow a "clone" of Sonic. Game Revolution
described his character as a "quintessential anti-Sonic." GameDaily
included him in a top 25 list of video game anti-heroes, stating that while he sometimes fights for good, he also enjoys using firearms. Yahoo! Games
listed Shadow on its April 2010 unranked list of the top nine "Sour Game Characters", calling him "a wise-cracking, free-wheeling free agent." And he was voted 25th out of the top 50 video game characters of all time in Guinness World Records
2011 Gamers' Edition.
In a 1UP.com feature about "How Sega Can Save Sonic the Hedgehog," Jeremy Parish wrote that of the "tagalongs" that the series must ditch, Shadow's character was the most in need of it. In 2009 Levi Buchanan, an editor at IGN, referred to Shadow as an unnecessary "would-be mascot" along with a few other characters new to the Sonic Universe; Hilary Goldstein, Editor-in-Chief of IGN's Xbox team mentioned the mechanics of Shadow's solo game
, specifically the use of firearms, as part of the central problem nowadays with Sonic games, being there is less emphasis on both speed and the original hedgehog.
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
that debuted in Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
. He resembles Sonic
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
in many ways, such as the ability to travel at incredible speeds. He is Sonic's rival and is the antithesis of Sonic himself in all aspects of his life. He has been featured in a variety of media, including his own self-titled game
Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)
Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 video game developed by Sega Studio USA, the former United States division of Sega's Sonic Team. Featuring the titular fictional character Shadow the Hedgehog from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game was revealed at the March 2005 Walk of Game inauguration of...
. Shadow works together with either Sonic's group or Dr. Eggman
Doctor Eggman
, also known by his alias , is a fictional video game character, the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series created by Sega. Dr. Eggman is a rotund, mad scientist with an IQ of 300 who plans to conquer the world in order to build his Eggman Empire and is the archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog...
, depending on what suits his own needs.
Concept and creation
The character of Shadow was conceived by Takashi Iizuka, director of Sonic Adventure 2, the game in which Shadow was first introduced. The character was first shown to the public in a game trailer; however, his name was not revealed. GameSpot described what little was shown as an "evil version of Sonic himself - similar in appearance, but with darker skin, more angled eyes, and a fearsome snarl instead of Sonic's trademark grin." Takashi Iizuka said that they maintained the mystery around the character of Shadow the Hedgehog and had wanted to feature him in his own game since he was introduced. After feeling that it would be inappropriate to give Sonic's character a gun as fans had requested in mailings, Yuji Naka believed that by focusing on Shadow for his own game, they could use his different identity from Sonic to build upon the Sonic brand. The character was featured as a guest announcer and performed other promotional work for the game's release during a wrestling show set up by the Japanese league, Pancrase, in December 2005. Shadow's design was influenced by films such as UnderworldUnderworld (2003 film)
Underworld is a 2003 action-horror film about the secret history of Vampires and Lycans . It is the first installment in the Underworld series. The main plot revolves around Selene , a vampire who is a Death Dealer hunting Lycans...
, Constantine
Constantine (film)
Constantine is a 2005 American action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou...
, and the Terminator
Terminator (franchise)
The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race....
series.
Appearances in video games
Shadow's debut was in the game Sonic Adventure 2Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
, where it is explained that he was created fifty years prior to the game's events, by Professor Gerald Robotnik. Professor Gerald Robotnik had been charged with the task of researching a path to immortality, something that he does in the hopes that he could cure his granddaughter, Maria, of the terminal illness
Terminal illness
Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...
"NIDS" (Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome). He created Shadow as "The Ultimate Life Form", a first step towards achieving that goal, but the government deemed Project Shadow a threat, and dispatched G.U.N. troopers to the space colony
Space colony
Space colony may refer to:* Space colonization, any colony outside of the planet Earth* Space habitat, a free-floating extraterrestrial colony specifically-Fiction:* Space colony , fictional space colonies in the Gundam anime series...
ARK. G.U.N. destroyed the research, shut down the ARK, and killed all those present, including Maria. Before she died, she ejected Shadow towards Earth in an escape pod, telling him to give people "a chance to be happy". Gerald, driven insane by her death, designed a program that would cause the research station Space Colony ARK to crash into Earth once all seven Chaos Emeralds were placed inside it. Back on Earth, he modified Shadow's mind so that he would carry out Gerald's plan if he was ever released.
Fifty years later, Shadow was released from suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
by Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, grandson of Gerald Robotnik, who sought after Shadow after learning from Gerald's diary that he was the ultimate life form his grandfather had created. Dr. Eggman hoped to use Shadow to conquer the world. Shadow, having sworn revenge on the humans who caused the death of Maria (due to Gerald's plan), tricked Eggman, along with Rouge the Bat
Rouge the Bat
is a character in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, who is a determined treasure hunter and part-time government agent who plans to make all the gems and treasures of the world hers. Her main jewel obsessions are the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds...
, into helping him collect all seven Chaos Emeralds. The trio placed them in the ARK, nearly allowing it to crash into Earth. Amy Rose
Amy Rose
, known earlier as Rosy the Rascal, is a video game character who appears in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games developed by Sega's Sonic Team, debuting in Sonic CD as the third recurring protagonist. Amy Rose was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino and based on one of Kenji Terada's...
managed to trigger Shadow's true memory of Maria and her wish, and the ARK was placed back into orbit using his skill, Chaos Control, using up the last of his energy and sending him falling to Earth, seemingly dead.
In Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
is a 2004 platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in...
, Rouge discovered Shadow in a stasis tube in Eggman's secret base. Suffering from amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
and unable to remember anything except his name and brief images of Maria's death, Shadow joined forces with Rouge and E-123 Omega in order to track down Eggman. After defeating the final Eggman robot, Rouge stumbled into a room full of what appeared to be Shadow clones, and deduced that Shadow was also a clone. Omega then walked in and stated that the original Shadow must be alive for clones to exist, and began to search for him. They then went on to fight Metal Sonic with the others.
In Sonic Battle
Sonic Battle
Sonic Battle is a fighting game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega and THQ for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being Sonic the Fighters...
, Rouge saves Shadow while they are investigating Dr. Eggman's secret base. Believing that he is a weapon, he insists the people of Earth must destroy him, but it is revealed that he ultimately has the heart and soul of Maria Robotnik and so is not the enemy of humanity. In one of Gerald Robotnik's journal entries, he mentions that "Project Shadow" was put on hold because of Project Gizoid.
In Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)
Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 video game developed by Sega Studio USA, the former United States division of Sega's Sonic Team. Featuring the titular fictional character Shadow the Hedgehog from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game was revealed at the March 2005 Walk of Game inauguration of...
, Shadow, still with no memory of his past, meets a malevolent race of aliens called the Black Arms and Black Doom, their leader, who seems to know Shadow. Throughout the game, Shadow has constant flashbacks of his past. Black Doom also baits Shadow with the knowledge of his past, while Eggman tells him that he is simply an android created by himself to mimic the real Shadow. In the final story, Black Doom reveals to him that while working on his immortality project, Gerald Robotnik contacted Black Doom and made a deal with him. If Black Doom helped him with his research, Gerald would deliver the seven Chaos Emeralds to him in fifty years' time. Using his own blood, Black Doom helped Gerald create Shadow, an immortal life form that would both help with Gerald's research and collect the Chaos Emeralds for Black Doom in the future. However, once Gerald learned of Black Doom's plot to take over the world, he created the Eclipse Cannon as a means to destroy the Black Comet (the Black Arms' home), and left it up to Shadow to stop the Black Arms. While fighting Black Doom, Shadow learned from Eggman that he in fact was not an android, but the original Shadow, whom Eggman had rescued with one of his robots after Shadow fell from space (Sonic Adventure 2). He destroys both Black Doom and the Black Arms, and vows to leave behind his past. While the game features several alternate endings and certain routes leading to those endings, this ending is generally accepted to be the true outcome of events.
In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog video game, Shadow, now an agent of G.U.N., works with Rouge and Omega after confronting Mephiles the Dark, a manipulative darkness spirit created when a time-travel project went haywire. One of Mephiles' goals is to interfere with Shadow's future, but along with Silver and Sonic, Shadow super transforms and manages to defeat Solaris for good, and Mephiles (as part of Solaris) with it. But due to the time paradox caused by Sonic and Princess Elise, Shadow, (along with everyone else), doesn't remember this.
Shadow appears in Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals is a game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series in late 2006. It is the first Sonic game developed by a Canadian company, Backbone Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation Portable...
as a playable character alongside Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, and Metal Sonic, where he locates and uncovers the truth about Dr. Eggman. He also appears in the sequel, Sonic Rivals 2
Sonic Rivals 2
Sonic Rivals 2 is the sequel to Sonic Rivals. The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, exclusively for the PlayStation Portable handheld videogame console. Sonic Rivals 2 was released on November 13, 2007 in North America...
. He is an unlockable character in the game Sonic Riders
Sonic Riders
is a video game spin-off produced by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with NowPro, for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. It is the fourth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, preceded by Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic R.The game was released to start...
, as Speed type character, with his trademark shoes, and also appears in the sequel, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity released in Japan as , is a hoverboard racing video game published by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with NowPro. It is the fifth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, following Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic R and its predecessor, Sonic Riders...
. Shadow also appeared in the game Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings
is a video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released exclusively for the Wii on February 20, 2007 in North America; March 2 in Europe; and March 15 in Japan. It is the first Sonic game for the console, released in place of an...
, being the first unlockable character for the Party Mode and also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
as an assist trophy and a sticker. Shadow's other appearance was in Sega Superstars Tennis
Sega Superstars Tennis
Sega Superstars Tennis is a tennis video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. The game was released on March 17, 2008 in Europe, on March 18, 2008 in North America, and on March 27, 2008 in Australia. The game includes 16 playable characters and 10 courts from Sega franchises...
and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, known in Japan as , is a sports video game developed by the Sega Sports R&D Department of Sega Japan. It was published by Nintendo for Japan and by Sega for North America, Europe and all other regions. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic...
as a playable character.
He also appears in the recently released Sega racing game, "Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a racing game in the Sega Superstars series produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows, featuring characters from many Sega franchises. It is being published by Sega and developed by Sumo Digital...
". In the game, he rides a modified black and red G.U.N. motorcycle called Dark Rider, with the symbol from his own game on the sides and jet boosters on the sides of the back wheel. His All-Star move involves him turning into Super Shadow and using Chaos Spear to attack his foes while speeding across the track.
He also appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
is a 2009 sports video game developed by Sega. It was published by Nintendo for Japan and by Sega for North America and Europe. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee through exclusive license International Sports Multimedia...
where he is categorized as a "speed" character, rivaling Sonic.
Shadow appears in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a Nintendo DS console role-playing game based on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and developed by Canadian RPG developer BioWare as their first handheld video game project...
, the Sonic RPG by Bioware. In the game, Shadow is searching for his friend, E-123 Omega, who has gone missing after Omega began to try to find any of the notorious Dr. Eggman's robots so he could destroy them.
Shadow appears in Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic and the Black Knight
is a title within the Sonic the Hedgehog series, released exclusively on Wii as the second entry in the Sonic Storybook series, following on from Sonic and the Secret Rings. The game is directed by Tetsu Katano, who was the lead programmer of the Sonic Adventure titles and Sonic Heroes...
, portrayed as Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
, one of the Knights of the Round Table. He is the first of the knights encountered in the game, and the closest to Sonic in terms of gameplay.
In Sonic Free Riders
Sonic Free Riders
is a motion controlled racing video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is the third installment in the Sonic Riders series, following Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. The game utilizes Microsoft's Kinect peripheral...
he is a playable character in normal race mode and in story mode along with Team Dark.
Shadow has appeared in Sonic Generations
Sonic Generations
is a 2011 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by Sonic Team for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 3DS...
. In the game, he is not a playable character, but a rival boss to Sonic in the game. He challenges Modern Sonic to a battle for a Chaos Emerald. In the battle, Sonic and Shadow were racing to get two power cores (three in hard mode) and unleash their super attack on their opponent. If Shadow gets the cores, he will unleash multiple Chaos Spears at Sonic, which Sonic can dodge using quick step. Ultimately, Shadow was defeated by Sonic yet again. He is also seen in the Center of Time alongside all of Sonic's friends, who were supporting the two Sonics to defeat the final enemy, the Time Eater, and restore the Sonic universe. After the Time Eater's defeat, Shadow decides to stay at Sonic's birthday party.
Characteristics
According to official profiles, Shadow was created 50 years ago by Prof. Gerald Robotnik as the Ultimate Life Form, which is ageless and immortal. Sharp witted and seemingly always on the edge, Shadow is described as the dark incarnation of Sonic the HedgehogSonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
. Once he has set himself to a goal, he will do whatever it takes to accomplish it, regardless of any danger. After the trauma of the death of his only friend, Maria Robotnik, Shadow strives to fulfill his purpose and keep the promise he made to her, despite his general loathing of mankind. Although his relationship with Sonic seems to have developed from antagonistic to friendly rivalry, animosity from not understanding their different mindsets continues.
However, Shadow shares a lot in common with Sonic. Although Sonic's speed is described as "second to none," Shadow can skate at speeds fast enough to rival the speeds of Sonic's running. He can also perform spin attacks common to Sonic, which are a variation on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Additionally, with the power of a Chaos Emerald, Shadow can warp time and space with Chaos Control. Shadow is also able to use a variety of other Chaos powers, such as "Chaos Spear" and "Chaos Blast".
By harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow is able to use super transformation to transform into Super Shadow. He is bestowed with the new abilities of flight and near invulnerability, like Super Sonic, and his normal abilities of speed and his Chaos powers are greatly enhanced.
Sonic X
Shadow also appears on the animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Sonic X
Sonic X
is an anime series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It was produced in Japan by TMS Entertainment with the partnership of Sega and was created by Sonic Team and Sonic Project. In the United States, 4Kids currently owns and manages copyright and branding of the series.- Series 1 ...
voiced by his game voice actor in Japan and by Jason Griffith
Jason Anthony Griffith
Jason Anthony Griffith is an American actor and voice actor who has worked on several animated TV series, and was the voice of SEGA mascot Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as Shadow the Hedgehog and Jet the Hawk, in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, where he is credited as Jason Griffith and...
(who also voices Sonic) in the English version. Although his character has little difference from the games, the series is the first to introduce Shadow's ability to increase the powers he draws from the Chaos Emeralds when he removes the rings on his wrists, but he loses power after a short time. Shadow is only featured briefly in the opening sequence during the series, but does not appear until Episodes 33 through 38, which are based on Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
. However, it was Chris Thorndyke who reminded Shadow of his true promise from Maria, instead of Amy Rose like in the games. Afterward, he makes short appearances in flashbacks, but he makes his real return in Season 3 episode 60, “Trick Sand” (dubbed 'Shadow's Rebirth'in Japanese). During this season, Shadow had no clear memory of his mysterious past. Only a fragment of his memory returns when he meets Molly, who reminds him of Maria. At the end of the season, he sacrifices himself again to warp away the explosive seed of the dead Metarex. However, at the end of the show, his shadow can be seen by the grave he made for Molly where he has placed a flower, so it appears that he is still alive after all, although in Japan, he is still alive and he is seen near Molly's tomb. So far, this is Shadow's only appearance in a Sonic TV series.
Sonic the Hedgehog (comic)
Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)
Sonic the Hedgehog is an ongoing series of American comic books published by Archie Comics, featuring Sega's mascot video game character of the same name. The comic book series debuted in the United States as a 4 part mini-series published between November 1992 and February 1993...
comic series. His origin is similar to that in the games in that he was created by Gerald Robotnik to stand against the threat of Black Doom and the Black Arms. He debuted in an adaptation of the game Sonic Adventure 2, with a few changes to accommodate the Archie version of Mobius/Earth. However, instead of the events of Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
is a 2004 platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in...
and Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow later reappears explaining he was rescued by the alien race called the Bem to combat the Xorda.
Shadow often works alone to achieve his goal, which is to discover the truth about his mysterious history. He has at times allied with Sonic and the Freedom Fighters to fight greater evils, like the Xorda, and he has been known to work either for or against Dr. Robotnik depending on the circumstances. Often, he will side with whomever he believes will bring him closer to the truth. This search has led him to interact with various other characters, including the robot Isaac, Brotherhood of Guardians member Locke, and various versions of Metal Sonic. Hope is one of the few living beings to show compassion towards him besides Maria, and also bears a striking resemblance to her (enough so that he nearly mistook Hope for Maria at one point). After discovering and resolving to fulfill his creator's wish to protect Mobius from the return of the Black Arms, Shadow joined the Guardian Units of Nations, or G.U.N.
Shadow's abilities in the comics are similar to those in the games, but this version can directly access the "Chaos Force" and does not require a Chaos Emerald for any of his Chaos powers. The Chaos Force (also referred to as "The Power of Chaos") is a mystical energy field that serves as a wellspring for all Chaos powers of which Shadow is the first known to be able to harness outside of the Brotherhood of Guardians. When he removes the "inhibitor rings" from his wrists, his Chaos powers are greatly enhanced.
In Sonic Universe
Sonic Universe
Sonic Universe is a comic book series set within Archie Comics's Sonic the Hedgehog continuity, designed to expand the horizon of that fictional universe. Sonic Universe deals with various characters throughout the fictional universe, including Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna and many more...
, the first four issues are a sub-series that explores more of Shadow's multi-dimensional encounters and newest stories.
Shadow Androids
Shadow Androids are robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s based on Shadow that first appeared in Sonic Heroes, though it was never actually stated to be such. Instead, one Team Dark cutscene showed a broken Shadow robot, and another one showed an entire room of androids in stasis, which affected the story in a way, making several characters believe Shadow was a robot, though this is impossible since Shadow was the only Shadow in the room where Rouge found him in, which is the room where the cloning was taking place. The Shadow Androids reappeared in Shadow the Hedgehog as somewhat strong enemy robots on the single-player mode's "Iron Jungle" and "Lava Shelter" stages, along with the "Iron Jungle" boss. These androids can counter Shadow's Homing Attacks, or lock-on to Shadow and toss rockets at him, which they seem to use more often than the Homing Attack. At the last Team Dark cutscene of Sonic Heroes, when Rouge finds the multiple Shadow Androids, she suspects that Shadow is an android, but Omega says that the real Shadow exists, as there is no way anyone could make Shadow Androids without the real Shadow, who was with them the whole time. While Shadow is facing Black Doom in his Devil Doom form, Eggman says that he used a robot to rescue Shadow as or after he fell from the Space Colony ARK in Sonic Adventure 2, meaning that while Shadow was in a stasis tube, Eggman was making Shadow Clones.
In the multi-player mode of Shadow the Hedgehog, there are six special Shadow Androids. Four of these robots are silver with green, pink, orange, or blue stripes, each wielding either an alien-like machine gun or a bazooka. However, there are two androids who look a lot like Shadow, except one has gold stripes. All of these androids claim to be the "real Shadow", and claim that the others are fakes.
Reception
Reception of the Shadow the Hedgehog character is largely mixed by fans of the Sonic franchise and by game reviewers. Shadow was ranked as the second most popular Sonic character—only beaten by Sonic the HedgehogSonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
himself in an official Japanese Sonic character poll. Many game reviewers, like GameSpot have called Shadow a "clone" of Sonic. Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
described his character as a "quintessential anti-Sonic." GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
included him in a top 25 list of video game anti-heroes, stating that while he sometimes fights for good, he also enjoys using firearms. Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Games is the section of the Yahoo! website in which Yahoo! users can play games either with other users or by themselves. The games on the website are typically Java applets or quick Flash games, but there are others which require a download. Many of the games that require a download...
listed Shadow on its April 2010 unranked list of the top nine "Sour Game Characters", calling him "a wise-cracking, free-wheeling free agent." And he was voted 25th out of the top 50 video game characters of all time in Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
2011 Gamers' Edition.
In a 1UP.com feature about "How Sega Can Save Sonic the Hedgehog," Jeremy Parish wrote that of the "tagalongs" that the series must ditch, Shadow's character was the most in need of it. In 2009 Levi Buchanan, an editor at IGN, referred to Shadow as an unnecessary "would-be mascot" along with a few other characters new to the Sonic Universe; Hilary Goldstein, Editor-in-Chief of IGN's Xbox team mentioned the mechanics of Shadow's solo game
Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)
Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 video game developed by Sega Studio USA, the former United States division of Sega's Sonic Team. Featuring the titular fictional character Shadow the Hedgehog from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game was revealed at the March 2005 Walk of Game inauguration of...
, specifically the use of firearms, as part of the central problem nowadays with Sonic games, being there is less emphasis on both speed and the original hedgehog.
External links
- Sonic Central official character profiles
- Shadow at Sonic Channel
- Shadow's official Sonic-City profile