Shadow the Hedgehog


 * ''This article is about the character. For the video game of the same name, see Shadow the Hedgehog (Video Game)

Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ) is an anti hero and the arch rival of Sonic the Hedgehog. Created as "The Ultimate Life Form" by Professor Gerald Robotnik. Shadow is indestructible, however that doesn't mean that he does not feel pain. Shadow is ageless as well. Since his debut, Shadow has appeared in a multitude of games, television shows, and comic books. His past was almost a complete mystery until the game Shadow the Hedgehog revealed the events surrounding his creation. In contrast to Sonic, Shadow is typically portrayed as a tortured anti-hero, or a renegade who can just as easily serve the forces of evil as those of good. However, he does what he needs to do to accomplish what he knows to be right. So overall, Shadow could be considered a die-hard hero. According to an official poll, Shadow is the second most popular character in the series, second only to Sonic himself.

Fighting for a Friend
Shadow debuted in the game Sonic Adventure 2 as one of three playable "dark" or "villainous" characters, alongside Rouge the Bat (who also debuted in this game) and Doctor Eggman. Dr. Eggman set Shadow free from a G.U.N. base on Prison Island, where he had spent 50 years in suspended animation. In exchange, Shadow agreed to aid the doctor in his plans to take over the world; holding his true intentions as wishing to get revenge for the death of his friend, Maria Robotnik. To achieve this, Shadow revealed the Eclipse Cannon to Dr. Eggman, blowing up half of the moon in demonstration. In a twist of fate, Shadow ultimately aided Sonic when realizing Maria's true wish with the help of Amy Rose, which was to save humanity. In Last story, Eggman inserts the final Chaos Emerald, only to initiate a destabilization program on the ARK. Gerald Robotnik then revealed that he had made this function to have revenge for Maria, and that the ARK would destroy the Earth. Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles had reached the Central Core, where they reactivated the Biolizard. Notably, a scene from Gerald Robotnik's diary appeared. After Shadow defeated it, Knuckles used the Master Emerald to stop the Chaos emeralds. But the Biolizard, being the prototype of Project Shadow, used Chaos Control to fuse with the ARK, continuing its fall. Then, as Super Sonic and Super Shadow, they destroyed the Biolizard (the Ultimate Life form prototype), having become a monster code-named Finalhazard, and using their pooled energies, executed an enhanced Chaos Control which stopped the fall. Afterward, Shadow fell to the earth and was presumed dead.

Team Dark
In Sonic Heroes, Rouge discovers Shadow in a stasis tube located in the deepest part of one of Dr. Eggman's bases. As she activates the capsule, E-123 Omega begins to attack the newly awakened Shadow, believing him to be an android. Shadow discovers that he has amnesia and cannot remember anything before his release (aside from his name and brief images of Maria Robotnik's death). He joins forces with Rouge and the robot E-123 Omega to form Team Dark and find Eggman. It is later revealed that Eggman had made robotic android versions of Shadow, and the question is raised as to whether or not Shadow himself is one of these androids. Ultimately, when Metal Sonic transformed into Metal Madness, Shadow worked with everyone else to help defeat it. Shadow is last seen with Omega and the defeated Metal Sonic.

To Rectify Past Mistakes
In Sonic Battle, Rouge saves Shadow while they are investigating Dr. Eggman's secret base and takes him back to her home (Shadow seems to now remember Maria and his fight against the Final Hazard so it is possible this game takes place after Shadow the Hedgehog). Shadow talks about how the people of Earth must destroy him and Emerl if they ever want peace, still believing that he is a weapon. It is revealed, however, that he ultimately has the heart and soul of Maria Robotnik, implying he could not be 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.

Recovering Memories
In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is revealed to be the dual creation of the alien overlord Black Doom and Professor Gerald Robotnik. Gerald could not finish the project on his own, so he contacted the Black Comet and used Black Doom's blood, and presumably his DNA to create Shadow. Shadow eventually gathers all the Chaos Emeralds and confronts Devil Doom (Black Doom's powered up form) as Super Shadow. He then destroys the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon. In the end, he puts the past behind him and chooses to move forward. Also, in the last battle of the game, Eggman confesses to Shadow that one of his robots found and saved him after the incident in Sonic Adventure 2, meaning he is the real Shadow and not a Shadow Android as was previously believed.

Agent Shadow's First Mission
In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game, Shadow is a playable character and even has his own storyline which weaves with those of Sonic and new character Silver the Hedgehog. In this role, Shadow encounters the new villain Mephiles the Dark when the Scepter of Darkness falls and shatters.(Mephiles was sealed inside the Scepter of Darkness and was released when it shatters.) Shadow is sent to the future and is revealed to have become the enemy of mankind, due to their fear of his power. It is also been revealed that Shadow is sealed away by the reprogrammed Omega sometime during this event. Eventually, Mephiles gains hold of the seven Chaos Emeralds and merges with Iblis, becoming Solaris. Shadow turns into Super Shadow and joins with Super Silver and Super Sonic to defeat Solaris. The events of the game are then reset and do not occur, possibly leaving his future open.

Allies and Rivals
Shadow appears in Sonic Rivals as a playable character alongside Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, and Metal Sonic. Summoned to a strange land by Dr. Eggman via a cryptic transmission asking for his aid, Shadow is able to successfully locate Dr. Eggman, but once he mentions the cryptic message, Dr. Eggman denies it. The mystery continues to unfold itself as Rouge warns him of an impending danger and upon stumbling across a secret about Dr. Eggman, her transmission is cut off short. Shadow continues his quest to uncover the truth about Dr. Eggman. Shadow also appears on four of the 150 collectible cards in the game. Shadow also appears in the sequel to Sonic Rivals, Sonic Rivals 2. He is confronted by Metal Sonic and Eggman (through a speaker in Metal Sonic) tells him that he needs help. Before he can ask questions he and Metal Sonic find Espio and Silver. Curious as to why Silver has returned to the present he begins to follow Silver while Metal Sonic follows Espio. Eventually Shadow forgets to ask the Doctor why he is helping him and just continues to work with Metal Sonic. Shadow discovers that Eggman Nega is trying to release the Ifrit with the seven Chaos Emeralds. He enters the Chaos Inferno Zone to press the switch to seal the Ifrit in its own dimension, but he and Metal Sonic are trapped in the process. Metal Sonic tears himself open to reveal a Chaos Emerald, and Shadow Chaos Controls them back to their own dimension.

Search For Omega Chronicles
Shadow appears in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. He is searching for Omega, who disappeared looking for Eggman's robots. At first, he only joins Sonic's team to help find Omega, but if he finds out that Omega was attacked by the Nocturnus, he joins the party to help defeat them. In combat, Shadow deals medium attack power and has medium armor and is as quick as Sonic, allowing him three attacks per round.

The Ultimate Knight
Shadow appears in Sonic and the Black Knight as Sir Lancelot. He is the most loyal to the King at first and said to be the most skilled of the Knights of the Round Table. After Sonic faces him in a duel and wins (he is the first Knight to be fought and the second Boss in the game), he takes his sword. Despite being Shadow's parallel, Lancelot still shows the ability to use Chaos Control with his swordplay. This is most prominent in the optional refight with Lancelot, where he uses Chaos Blast, Chaos Control, and Chaos Spear.

For more see Sir Lancelot

Minor Appearences
Shadow is an unlockable character in the game Sonic Riders after beating the Hero Story Mode. He is a Speed type character, with his default Gear: Darkness, which he uses to skate like his default shoes. His Level 1 Attack is "Energy Ball", which temporally stuns a nearby opponent, the Level 2 attack is "Back Kick" which makes an opponent lose his/her balance temporally, and the Level 3 attack is "Chaos Control" which freezes a nearby opponent, so he can easily pass them. He now appears in the sequel Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity as a speed character, and his default gear is called Black Shot.

Shadow also appeared in the game Sonic and the Secret Rings, being the first unlockable character for the Party Mode (next ones being Cream, Silver and Blaze) by obtaining 30 Fire Souls.

Shadow also appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as a speed character along with Sonic, Yoshi and Princess Daisy.

Shadow is an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros Brawl, found after Sonic becomes a playable character. Shadow activates Chaos Control when he is used, slowing down the user's opponents. Shadow is a playable character in Sega Superstars Tennis.

Shadow has been confirmed to be appearing in the upcoming Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games and in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing.

Shadow, as well as Knuckles were set to be in the 2008 game Sonic Unleashed but were scrapped later in the project.

Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)
Shadow appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, published by Archie Comics. His backstory is similar to that of the games, having been created by Gerald Robotnik by means of Black Doom's blood. After the events of the Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation, Shadow was rescued by the Bem aliens in order to help fight the Xorda, and became integral in defending against the Xorda Attack on Mobius.

Shadow served Eggman for a time, and was an occasional ally of the Freedom Fighters, before eventually joining G.U.N. His relationship with Sonic the Hedgehog is less terse in this continuity. The two have willingly helped each other on several occasions, and Rouge has suggested that the only reason Shadow doesn't admit that Sonic is his friend is because it would be "far too scandalous".

Personality
Shadow's outer appearance is quite unique compared to the other characters. He prefers to work alone and distances himself from essentially everyone, with few exceptions. Though soft-spoken and reserved, he never bluffs; if he makes a threat, he has every intention of carrying it out. This is seen in Shadow the Hedgehog, when Shadow warns Sonic in one of the storylines that if he were to try to stop him, the hedgehog would inevitably destroy his blue counterpart. Shadow views Sonic as his rival and equal in all aspects of his life, but still sees him as annoying and foolish as he can be. Like Knuckles used to be with Sonic, Shadow has a rivalry with Sonic due to their animosity with each other in terms of how they view their own methods of justice and morality, but will work together despite certain problems they have with one another, and readily come to the others aid. Shadow is known to treat others in a very callous manner, and in combat, he displays a natural "killer instinct" that Sonic lacks. As shown in Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow sometimes displays an unusually rough manner of speech as opposed to the rest of the characters (though Sonic, Knuckles, and Espio are also heard swearing at times during the game). He will often use words such as "damn" and "hell" throughout the game in reference to his failure or anger. Alongside his dark demeanor, he can be smug, stubborn, and somewhat sarcastic. In the 2006 video game, he (at least as Super Shadow) is shown to be quite cocky, as he states that their battle against Solaris may actually be "a fair fight". Though Shadow is not heartless, he does care about Omega and Rouge deeply. He also seems deeply disturbed at the possibility of being created as a weapon of mass destruction, as in one of the possible endings of Shadow the Hedgehog, he shows some form of sadness when he remembers that he was created to be a WMD. On a related note, Shadow initially proposes that they destroy Emerl due to it being a WMD, which implies that he may not like the idea of being a WMD himself.

On occasion, Shadow appears to have some degree of mental instability. This can be seen when he would often hallucinate Maria's face or through his numerous threatening speeches. He appears to improve with amnesia, but this tendency returns in the Shadow the Hedgehog game, where in the various possibilities he often pursues his foes with disturbing determination, chuckles to himself madly, believes himself to be an android, and destroys city blocks and even an entire city itself in his rage. Although he usually either destroys or saves something at the end of these storylines, there is one where he completely admits he is good for nothing but destruction, and regrets his entire existence. Vector tries to "cheer him up" in his own special way, but inevitably fails. Shadow could be suffering from a mild form of schizophrenia and a moderate depression.He also might be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Professor Gerald Robotnik
Shadow was created by the renowned scientist Prof. Gerald Robotnik, with the use of Black Doom's DNA. Gerald made many attempts to create the Ultimate Life Form before Black Doom and his children, the Black Arms came to Earth. Unfortunately, the closest he came was the Biolizard. But then Black Doom came and offered his help to Gerald, but only on one condition: If Black Doom helps Gerald, Gerald must promise to deliver the seven Chaos Emeralds. Gerald promised him this, and Black Doom gave some of his DNA to the DNA Gerald already had, and the result: Shadow the Hedgehog. Gerald seems to be one of few people who Shadow felt happy around and the professor might have even been like a surrogate father to him.

Doctor Eggman/Doctor Ivo Robotnik
Shadow's approach to Eggman is different from most characters in the Sonic series. Shadow sees Eggman as the supergenius he has proven to be, instead of the megalomaniac that Sonic and the others see him as. This can be backed up by the fact that Shadow almost always calls Eggman by his title "the Doctor", as opposed to his alias Eggman. Eggman has shown similar respect by referring to Shadow's powers as "spectacular", and by how he sometimes applauds Shadow, as seen in Shadow the Hedgehog, when in a storyline he says "excellent job, Shadow." However, even though they have some manner of respect toward each other, they, in contrast, also have some manner of dislike toward each other. This can be backed up in Sonic the Hedgehog when Eggman refers to Rouge as "My dear Rouge", and refers to Shadow by flatly saying his name. In the same game, when Shadow busts through the ceiling of his base, Eggman says: "Wouldn't the door have been easier? So....What do you want now?", although he probably said that in that disgusted manner because Shadow smashed through Eggman's ceiling. In Shadow the Hedgehog, Eggman tells Shadow: "You will obey me, or there will be dire consequences". In a possible storyline in Shadow the Hedgehog, he even kills Eggman. This evidence suggests that even though Shadow and Eggman have some respect for each other, they don't like each other much. The reason Shadow respects Eggman is probably because he is Gerald's grandson, making Eggman part of his family, and vice-versa.

Black Doom
The relationship between Shadow and Black Doom may have been brief, but has played a significant role in Shadow's life. Shadow was made from Black Doom's blood, in a deal between the alien and Professor Gerald; this, technically, makes Black Doom Shadow's biological father.That is what gives Shadow his black and red fur. Black Doom, at first, tried to get Shadow on his side by playing on what remained of Shadow's painful memories of losing Maria. Regardless of the path taken during gameplay, Shadow in the end {in his super form) fights and defeats Black Doom (who transformed into Devil Doom) and then destroys the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon in the Last Story. Still, throughout the events of Shadow the Hedgehog Black Doom threatens Shadow and demands extreme loyalty and respect, even when choosing the Dark path; in gameplay, Doom acts with no compassion whatsoever. He also doesn't tolerate any kind of mistake or failure, no matter how difficult the task on Shadow's part may be. Black Doom was also Shadow's archenemy, similar to what Eggman is to Sonic.

Maria Robotnik
Prof. Gerald's granddaughter Maria Robotnik by far is the one person that made Shadow the happiest. She was like a sister to him, and they shared the same dream: to visit Earth. Unfortunately, G.U.N. thought that Project Shadow deemed too big a threat to the world. As a result, they eliminated everything they could in relation to the project, including the people. Sadly, Maria was shot and killed by G.U.N. during the raid on the ARK. Her last parting words were "Bring hope to humanity." Shadow still stays strong to keep his promise to her and still mourns her death, although at the end of Shadow the Hedgehog he implies that he is putting his past behind him.

Sonic the Hedgehog
Shadow's arch rival is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. They become enemies when meeting in Sonic Adventure 2, but later become allies. Although their relationship goes back to rivalry, it seems to be more of a friendly rivalry, as shown in the first level of the Shadow the Hedgehog game, where Sonic meets up with Shadow and greets him in a friendly manner, making it more like Sonic and Knuckles' rivalry, though a bit more violent (in a possible ending of Shadow the Hedgehog, he go so far as to threaten to kill Sonic if he tries to stop Shadow from taking over the world). Shadow even shows a little bit of sadness when he dies in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game. He also, on one occasion, saved Sonic from Silver in order to allow the former Iblis Trigger to go save Princess Elise from Eggman. Shadow seems to have great respect for Sonic, going as far as suggesting that he might be the true ultimate life form (though he did so jokingly).

Rouge the Bat
Shadow has a close relationship to Rouge the Bat, she is probably the closest friend he has had since the death of Maria.The two always look out for each other, as seen in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Battle, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic 06, and other game titles. Near the end of the Dark Side story mode in Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow discovers Rouge is a spy for the GUN organization, however he still refuses to reveal this to Eggman, opting instead to allow the plan to go the way she chose to manipulate it. In Sonic 06, Rouge says that if the whole world were to turn against Shadow, Rouge would still fight by his side, and in Shadow the Hedgehog, after Shadow defeats Black Doom and destroys the Black Comet, Rouge wonders if Shadow is okay.

E-123 Omega
Shadow has a very close relationship with Omega who, other than Rouge and Maria, may be Shadow's closest friend. This relationship is first shown when Shadow looks out for Omega in Sonic Heroes half way into the game. This was also shown in Shadow the Hedgehog when Shadow willingly helped Omega in Iron Jungle and Lava Shelter. In Sonic the Hedgehog, both Shadow and Rouge were somewhat saddened by Omega being reprogrammed to hunt down Shadow in the future, due to Shadow being seen as too strong of a lifeform causing humanity to fear him.

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow joins Sonic's team to find Omega, he clearly shows anger if you refuse to rescue him and states that if he doesn't find Omega, then he'll "be very upset". This is possible proof that he doesn't like his closest friends hurt. This is also shown when you find Omega in Metropolis and Shadow orders Eggman to be quiet after saying not to bother checking if Omega's okay. When Tails says that robots are coming, he says "Good. I need to smash something." Again, this is shown when Tails realizes he can fix Omega, Shadow simply orders him to "do it." Shadow and Omega pair up for two POW moves. One is Focus Field, which involves Omega opening fire on a foe with his gatling guns, then Shadow following up with a Chaos Blast. Team Dark partner up for Metal Storm in which Shadow sends Omega into the air with Chaos Control. Rouge follows up by kicking Omega, who then collides into the target like a torpedo.

G.U.N. Commander
The Commander and Shadow didn't get along at first as the Commander blamed Shadow for the death of his family, but after the events of Shadow the Hedgehog the Commander invited Shadow over; this is presumably the time that Shadow became a G.U.N. agent.

Metal Sonic
Shadow, along with Rouge, Omega, and the rest of the teams from Sonic Heroes were distracting Metal Sonic, in his Metal Madness form, so that Team Sonic could tranform into their Super state. Sometime later Shadow and Metal Sonic are forced to work together when Doctor Eggman calls for Shadow's assistance in Sonic Rivals 2. Although they are together for a brief amount of time, Shadow does seem concerned about Metal Sonic multiple times, despite the fact that Metal Sonic is a robot with the inability to speak. Shadow constantly asks him if he's alright and at the end of the game when Metal Sonic tears himself open to retrieve the Chaos Emerald within his body, Shadow tells him to stop, for he fears Metal Sonic will destroy himself. Feeling a possible connection due to his friendship with Omega may be the reasoning for his concern. He also may think that he was doing this on his own intention as he only needs Eggman to speak for him. Shadow does show some deep concern for him as he even talked to Metal Sonic himself instead of Eggman.

Silver the Hedgehog
Shadow and Silver were enemies at first and became partners later on in the game Sonic the Hedgehog 2006. They were both allies when they worked together after their fight. After using Chaos Control, they go back 10 years ago to witness the Solaris Project's accident. The two work together then later split up to go after their own targets. After they finish, the two meet up outside the Aquatic Base. They then use Chaos Control and leave to go back to the present. They meet up once again during Solaris' Resurrection. In Sonic Rivals 1&amp;2 they are rivals. It doesn't seem that Shadow remembers anything about their last journey seeing how the time was erased.

Blaze the Cat and Marine the Raccoon
Shadow teamed up with Blaze and Marine in Sonic Universe. They worked together to battle against Metal Sonic. Shadow seems to like Blaze more than Marine. And Shadow seems to dislike Marine and he sees her as annoying and foolish. After Metal Sonic is blown up by Marine thanks to quick thinking of Blaze, Shadow and Marine have a little talk and Shadow isn't very happy to hear that Marine lied to him about building a boat. Marine then slowly backs off because of the fear she showed when Shadow was ticked. Blaze then tells him to be patient with her and gives him the Chaos Emerald that Sonic gave her the second time they met so Shadow can leave Southern Island. Shadow and Blaze then shake on it and he then warps out using Chaos Control. Many modern games have included both Shadow and Blaze, but had never shown them interacting with each other, but a future Sonic game with such an event happening has yet to appear.

Chaotix
Shadow has had several altercations with the detective agency, the first being a confrontation in Sonic Heroes that escalated into a brawl, with their differences then seemingly set aside later when they joined forces against an evolved Metal Sonic. The Chaotix resumed their role as allies in Shadow the Hedgehog, with each member participating as a partner in the hero missions of various levels. Individually, Vector perceives Shadow as a friend as demonstrated in one of the endings of Shadow the Hedgehog when the crocodile attempted to console him when he concluded himself to being nothing more than a living weapon of mass destruction, though Shadow apparently didn't want to hear it. While Espio has shown his capacity of friendship for the black hedgehog, Charmy has exercised a more enthusiastic relationship with Shadow, demonstrating how much he respects and looks up to him while often stating how "cool" Shadow is. All the Chaotix voices are present in supporting Shadow during the Last Story as well as Expert Mode and the group have been shown assisting the black hedgehog during the third season of the anime series Sonic X by giving him a free ride to the battle against Dark Oak in outer space.

Amy Rose
Amy Rose and Shadow have an oddly friendly-termed relationship. They seem to manage to be respectful to one another (though this could simply be because Amy is pleased by Shadow's efforts in helping save the world and the fact that Shadow is never rude to girls). In Sonic Adventure 2, they only interact twice, but each is rather significant. Amy first meets Shadow when she mistakes him for Sonic and hugs him from behind and Shadow just remains unfazed and calm. Amy demands his name when she realizes he is not Sonic, but he simply looks on quietly. It is a mystery if Shadow would've replied her if not for Eggman taking Amy into his own matters. Later in the game aboard the ARK, Amy meets Shadow again and this times does her part in helping by begging Shadow to save the world. At first, Shadow simply replies, strangely in a none-threatening and calm way, that it is pointless, but then Amy points out that despite people sometimes being selfish, they were still inwardly good and that saving them was right. Because of this, Shadow suddenly has a flashback of Maria begging Shadow to make people happy. When Shadow comes to his senses he goes off to fight the Biolizard telling Amy that he has to keep his promise to Maria and her. Amy was also the only one to see Shadow's tear after he remembered that Maria wanted him to save the people that live on our earth(Sonic adventure 2), making her the only person to see him cry (with the exception of Chris Thorndyke). Amy and Maria have the same insight of things, thus this might be one reason why Shadow is 'nice' to her. Amy has also done nothing to earn Shadow's dislike or hate, which may be why he's respectful to her upon meeting.

Friends/Allies

 * Rouge the Bat (Best Friend)
 * E-123 Omega (Close friend and partner)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog (Ally and Arch-rival)
 * Amy Rose (Ally and likely good friend.)
 * Silver the Hedgehog (Ally and Rival)
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Christopher Thorndyke (Sonic X)
 * Charmy Bee (possibly his number one fan)
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Blaze the Cat (Sonic Universe)
 * Marine the Raccoon (Sonic Universe)
 * Emerl (Sonic Battle)
 * Shade the Echidna (Sonic Chronicles)
 * Maria Robotnik (best friend before her death)
 * Metal Sonic (Sonic Rivals 2)
 * Doctor Eggman (Depending on Shadow's Goal)
 * E-102 Gamma (Sonic Universe)
 * Gerald Robotnik (Creator, deceased)
 * Molly (Sonic X)
 * Cosmo the Seedrian (Sonic X, former enemy)

Rivals

 * Sonic the Hedgehog (Arch-rival)
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Scourge the Hedgehog (Archie, also an enemy)
 * Metal Sonic
 * Emerl
 * Rouge the Bat (Sonic Rivals 2)
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Luigi (Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games)

Enemies

 * Dr. Eggman (Depending on Shadow's Goal)
 * Metal Sonic (Except in Sonic Rivals 2)
 * Black Doom
 * Mephiles the Dark
 * Ix
 * Scourge the Hedgehog (Archie comics)
 * Biolizard)
 * Cosmo the Seedrian (Sonic X exclusive)

Abilities
Basic traits between Shadow and Sonic are virtually identical. Like Sonic, Shadow is highly acrobatic, capable of gracefully leaping over many obstacles in his way. He can also perform Sonic's trademark 'Spin Attack', which is a variation on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Also, with his Hover Shoes, Shadow can hoverskate at speeds fast enough to rival the speeds Sonic can run, although games have differed on who is faster (most games put them as equals while Sonic Battle's battle cards claimed Shadow is faster and the character profiles of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and Sonic Rivals claimed Sonic is faster).

Additionally, Shadow is ageless. Also, although he is not nearly as strong as power characters like Knuckles, with effort he can overturn objects too large for him to lift, such as trucks or peeled away asphalt.

He can also, like Sonic(who prefers to use his speed rather than these abilities), use different "Chaos powers," that have varying effects and names. Shadow's trademark move is Chaos Control, which allows him to warp time and space. Shadow uses it mainly to transport matter and/or to slow or stop time. The move actually allows the user to manipulate time and space to warp across "space" or move through or across "time". Sonic, Black Doom, Metal Sonic (as seen as Metal Overlord during Sonic Heroes), Biolizard, and Silver can also use Chaos Control, though the move originally appeared with Shadow and he makes the most extensive use of it. Although nearly all cutscenes and bios in manuals and websites often claim Shadow needs a Chaos Emerald to perform the technique, he has used it a few times during gameplay as well as a cutscene without a known Emerald in his possession. Shadow is also able to shape Chaos Control into a variety of offensive and defensive attacks, such as "Chaos Spear". As described in Shadow's game, all of his Chaos powers increase in correlation to the addition of a greater number of Chaos Emeralds, until reaching full power with all 7 Emeralds. It is currently unknown as to what extent Chaos Control can be used, as Shadow has never been seen using it on another object without warping himself along with it, but it has been shown that he can take objects and people into the warp with him, and all examples of this suggest he must be touching an object to bring it with him (such as transporting the Black Comet off Earth). When saving Rouge from Prison Island, he was seen touching her. Aside from its final usage in Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow has used Chaos Control with 3 Emeralds at most, using Chaos Control to save Rouge from Prison Island, and they ended up on the ARK afterwards. It is assumed that 3 Emeralds is enough to warp Shadow (and anything on his person) into space. It is seen that in the series of Sonic X he is holding four Chaos Emeralds and is not touching or holding Chris or Rouge to teleport them to the Space colony ARK. At the end of Sonic Adventure 2 and in Sonic X, Super Shadow is able to warp the entire ARK to somewhere in deep space.

Another form of attack that first appeared in the Shadow the Hedgehog game is an attack called "Chaos Blast" that is induced when Shadow commits acts of evil, filling his red gauge. While the Chaos Spear can attack single or multiple targets, the Chaos Blast is literally a shockwave of energy that eliminates anything and everything in a circular radius range. When this attack can be formed, his eyes and the streaks on his body begin to glow red.

As shown in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and Sonic X, Shadow is able to unleash more of his power if he takes off the rings on his wrists. Sonic X was the first to present this idea, which at first made it seem to be exclusive to the anime, as during the Sonic Adventure 2 adaption, Shadow loses his rings when trying to stop the ARK from crashing to earth. In the game, Sonic enters the ARK with one of Shadow's rings, but he is never shown actually losing them. In the anime, this increase in power comes at the expense of reducing his stamina, causing Shadow to become exhausted after a relatively short time engaged in combat as seen in episodes 60, 61, and 63 of the series. (Also in episode 73 in the Japanese version) However in the video game series, he shows no sign of fatigue. The increase in his power from taking off his rings shows a drastic change in the final cutscene of his story in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, after he plows through what appears to be hundreds of copies of Mephiles. This ability was also demonstrated in recent issues of the Archie comic as mentioned below, wherein Shadow removed the rings in order to call up his full power when he engaged the newly-reborn Enerjak in combat. These are called "inhibitor rings" in the Archie Comics.

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow has shown that he can also use a wide range of firearms, semi-automatics, heavy assault, and close-combat weapons. He can also improvise with debris, and drive a wide range of vehicles, as shown in Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Riders, and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). This proves a great distinction between him and Sonic because, in the same game, Sonic says that he would never be caught dead using a gun and that he prefers running over using a vehicle.

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 power are greatly enhanced.

The following is a list of POW moves Shadow has in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood:


 * Chaos Spear: Shadow hurls two bolts of raw Chaos energy at an enemy. These lightning bolts, while armor piercing, may either hit a single enemy, or tail off and hit an adjacent enemy.
 * Chaos Rift: Shadow opens a rift in time and space, then launches it at a foe in an attempt to banish it. If the foe remains, the foe may become distracted
 * Chaos Blast: Shadow delivers a concentrated beam of chaos energy that may weaken affected targets.
 * Atomic Strike: Shadow and Sonic rapidly spinball around the opposing team, creating an electrical field around them and damaging everyone inside.
 * Focus Field: Shadow hits a foe with a Chaos Blast as Omega simultaneously fires with his machine guns, in a dual attack which can leave the foe vulnerable.
 * Metal Storm: Shadow lifts Omega using Chaos Control, and Rouge tornado-kicks the robot into a foe, with a chance to stun them.

Sonic X
Shadow also appears on the anime Sonic X, in the Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation from episodes 33 to 38. His appearance was very faithful to that of the games, with a few differences (for example, it was Chris Thorndyke who reminded Shadow of his true promise from Maria, not Amy Rose). As in the game, he appeared to die in the battle against Biolizard, but eventually reappeared in episode 60, "The Return of Shadow". Also as in the games, Shadow seems to be stricken by amnesia following his return, and while he has an image of Maria in his mind he cannot seem to work out who she really was.

In season 3, following his return, Shadow encounters a girl named Molly who reminds him of Maria. In the Japanese and French versions of the series, Molly is killed and Shadow constructs a grave for her, but in the English dub her death is cut out making it seem like she escaped.

Shadow's violent tendencies seem to have been toned down somewhat (at least for the 4Kids dub), but are still present: for example, he attempts to kill Cosmo after discovering that she was a Metarex spy (albeit an unwilling one); Tails attempts to stop him, and is brutally beaten by Shadow as a result.

The battle: Sonic versus Shadow
Ever since Shadow's introduction, nearly every Sonic continuity featuring him has had the most cliché scene in Sonic history: the recurring and unfinished battle between Sonic and Shadow. Because of their differences and morals, the two are constantly getting into crossroads, which then devolve into outright fisticuffs. And sometimes it's a test of pure speed between the two hedgehogs. However, they finish the battle tied, one victorious, or something serves to interrupt the battle before its end, thus putting the fans in suspense as to who is the more powerful of the two. The battle has appeared in the games, comics, and TV series. It occurs in practically every game featuring Shadow up until Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (where Sonic actually defeated Shadow in a two part battle, and Shadow is surprised at his defeat ("You... You've been practicing."). It appeared in Archie's Sonic comics and Sonic X, the latter even featuring a battle between Sonic and Shadow's powered-up selves, Super Sonic and Super Shadow. In the game Shadow the Hedgehog, on the other hand, Shadow's the one to defeat Sonic in the Dark Story.

Shadow Androids
Shadow Androids are robots 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. 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. If you do Neutral Dark or Neutral Hero it reveals that Shadow is an Android. 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. 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 androids.

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. They also resemble Metal Sonic. The other two look more like Shadow, but on one of them, the stripes are yellowish-orange instead of red. These two, like the real Shadow, start off without weapons but can carry any other weapon they collect and have limited ammo while the other four androids can only use their built-in weapons which have unlimited ammo. The androids can activate Dark Shadow and all of its normal effects and attacks, just like the real Shadow. Hero Shadow does not seem to be available as there are no good deeds for the player to do to fill the Hero gauge other than killing Black Arms aliens and Chaos Control (the in-level version) would be useless in multi-player mode. All of these androids claim to be the "Real Shadow", and claim that the others are fakes.

Friends

 * Rouge the Bat (Best Friend)
 * E-123 Omega (Best Friend)
 * Dr. Eggman (when need be)
 * Blaze the Cat
 * Marine the Raccoon
 * Sonic the Hedgehog (also arch-rival)
 * Samba de Amigo (Sega Superstars Tennis)
 * Aiai (Sega Superstars Tennis)
 * Nights (Sega Superstars Tennis)
 * Eggman Nega (when need be)
 * Vector
 * Charmy Bee
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Espio
 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Maria Robotnik
 * Gerald Robotnik

Rivals

 * Sonic the Hedgehog (arch-rival)
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Jet the Hawk
 * Eggman Nega
 * Doctor Eggman
 * Mario
 * Luigi

Enemies

 * Doctor Eggman (not anytime)
 * Dr. Eggman Nega
 * Solaris
 * Black Doom (great enemy) (biological father)
 * Black Arms (siblings)

Voice actors

 * Japanese Games - Kōji Yusa (2001 - present)
 * Japanese Sonic X - Kōji Yusa (2001 - present)
 * American Games - David Humphrey (2001 - 2005), Jason Griffith (2005 - present)
 * American Sonic X - Jason Griffith (2003 - present)

Memorable Quotes
"Get out of my sight, android!" Shadow after winning a fight in 2-player mode in the game Shadow the Hedgehog

"I will show you REAL speed!" Shadow before starting a race in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2

"Hmph. Not even a challenge." Shadow after getting an "A" rank in Sonic 2006

"Maria- this is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you . . ." Shadow in his dying moments in Sonic Adventure 2

"I promise you...revenge!" Shadow after picking him in multiplayer in Sonic Adventure 2.

"Before this is over, I'll show you the true power of CHAOS CONTROL!" at the second boss against Shadow in Sonic Adventure 2.

"Get out, you ugly prototype!" Shadow after stopping the Biolizard, Sonic Adventure 2

"HERE I COME YOU CREEP!" Shadow in Super form, when switching to him during the fight against Finalhazard, Sonic Adventure 2

"I must destroy all the evil the Professor has created!" After defeating FinalHazard as Shadow, Sonic Adventure 2

"This is the end of you, and the end of my cursed past!" Super Shadow after defeating Devil Doom, Shadow the Hedgehog

"BEHOLD THE ULTIMATE POWER!" after filling up the hero meter, Shadow the Hedgehog

"DEATH TO ALL WHO OPPOSE ME!" after filling up the dark meter, Shadow the Hedgehog

"Perfect as always!" Shadow after getting an "A" rank in Sonic Heroes.

"With the power of these Emeralds... I'm going to destroy this damn planet!" Shadow the Hedgehog, GUN Fortress Pure Dark Ending.

"With the power of these Emeralds... Black Doom and his army are finished!" Shadow the Hedgehog, Black Doom's lair Pure Hero Ending

"If the world chooses to become my enemy, I'll fight like I always have." before confronting Mephiles, Sonic 2006

"Did I not tell you I was the Ultimate Knight!" After winning a match in Sonic & the Black Knight multiplayer.

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate lifeform!"

"I'll show you my ultimate power." Shadow starting battle in Sonic Battle.

"Hmph, Perfect." Said after getting a A in Shadow the hedgehog.

"You might look like me but I know you're just a fake." Shadow beginning a multiplayer match as player 1 in Shadow the hedgehog.

"Let's just see which one is the fake then." Said while beginning a multiplayer match in Shadow the hedgehog as player 2.

"Damn! Not here!"/"This can't be..."/"I can't...die here..." after being defeated in Shadow the Hedgehog.

"Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog." From the final cutscene of Shadow the Hedgehog.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Said to the Commander as well as Mephiles in Shadow The Hedgehog and Sonic 06, respectively.

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog. A research experiment, gone deadly wrong. I've caused so much destruction, I should have never been created. This is who I am." - Shadow The Hedgehog.

"Just...WHO are you?!" After being paralyzed by Black Doom.

"Damn it! What does this all mean?" - Shadow The Hedgehog.

"Your going straight to hell!" - Shadow The Hedgehog.

"This can't be happening!" - Shadow The Hedgehog.

"Damn you! No! It's Not True!" - Shadow The Hedgehog.

"Where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald!?" - Shadow The Hedgehog

"Hah! There's no strength in numbers!" Shadow after taking out multiple enemies, Sonic 2006

"Chaos...CONTROL!"

"I have to go now. I have to keep my promise to Maria...and you." -Sonic Adventure 2, to Amy on the ARK

"Ultimate victory!" Shadow after getting an "A" in Sonic Adventure 2.

"Let me show you my real power." Starting a speed race in 2p mode in Sonic Adventure 2

"You're too slow." After gaining the lead in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

"Hmph, I'm the coolest." During the first fight with Shadow in Sonic Adventure 2

"CHAOS PUNISHMENT!" When using Soul Surge as Lancelot in Sonic & the Black Knight

Associated songs
The video games have featured several theme songs for the character. Shadow's themes consisted primarily of the techno and industrial genres in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes, but have shown an increasing preference towards the hard rock genre in more recent games.


 * Sonic Adventure 2: "Throw it All Away" - Everett Bradley. (A short instrumental version appeared in Sonic and the Black Knight when Sir Lancelot appears)
 * Sonic Heroes: "This Machine" - Julien-K. (This was a team theme shared with Rouge and Omega.)
 * Shadow the Hedgehog featured multiple themes:
 * "I Am... All of Me" - Crush 40
 * "Almost Dead" - Powerman 5000
 * "Waking Up" - Julien-K
 * "Chosen One" - A2
 * "All Hail Shadow" - Magna-Fi
 * "Never Turn Back" - Crush 40
 * Sonic the Hedgehog: "All Hail Shadow" (Remix) - Crush 40 (This appears in Sonic and the Black Knight when the Medal of Lancelot is equipped)


 * In addition, there are several vocal level themes associated with Shadow's character in Sonic Adventure 2:
 * White Jungle: "Rhythm and Balance" - Everett Bradley
 * Final Chase: "The Supernatural" - Everett Bradley
 * Biolizard: "Supporting Me" - Everett Bradley
 * Radical Highway: "Vengeance is Mine" Jun Senoue; in Shadow the Hedgehog(game) there is a similar song that plays in 2 player mode.
 * Also, a special remix of "TRIPOD BABY" performed by m-flo was released as a promotional song for Shadow the Hedgehog.

Reception
Shadow was ranked as the 2nd favorite Sonic character only beaten by Sonic the Hedgehog himself in the official Sonic character poll. Game Revolution described his character as a "quintessential anti-Sonic." 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.

Gallery
For more images, see: Shadow the Hedgehog/Artwork.

Trivia

 * The scene before Circus Park in Shadow the Hedgehog shows Shadow saying the line, "Where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald?" The line is used often in YouTube Poops.
 * Shadow is believed to be based on Sonic because of his likeness to Super Sonic (where fans believed that Prof. Gerald based Shadow off of an ancient depiction of Super Sonic fighting Perfect Chaos) this may be why Shadow and Sonic themselves call the other "Faker" as an insult in his first appearance for that reason, it also explains why Shadow's quills point upwards as though he is super.
 * Ironically, despite having possibly the most detailed backstory of any character in the series, Shadow is often seen as a "mysterious" character, though this is probably due to his secluded persona.
 * Shadow's super form is Super Shadow, although he was commonly labeled as Hyper Shadow due to a misprint in a game guide.
 * In the Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 storyline, following the release of the Flames of Disaster in Silver's time, Shadow was blamed and imprisoned in stasis again. However, with Solaris gone, this fate is possibly null now. Furthermore, the credibility of this claim can be called into question, since the only person stating this was Mephiles, who may have said this in order to trick Shadow into working with him or Omega into questioning his current path of action.
 * In Shadow the Hedgehog, the president has a picture of Sonic and Shadow standing near the White House on his desk, however, Shadow had only appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes, and they have never gone near the White House for a picture. Though it is possible that this happened between the events of Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * Shadow and Knuckles were originally confirmed to appear in Sonic Unleashed as optional, playable characters, but for reasons unknown, were scrapped. Knuckles had no mention in the game, but Shadow did. In the Brenda Blurb Side-Quest beginning in Chun-Nan, one of the questions Brenda asks is: "What creature was revealed from the Earth when Eggman broke it?", or something similar. One of the three answers is "Shadow the Hedgehog". Another mention is made in Empire City on a street sign in the Xbox 360 version.
 * Shadow was originally meant to be a one-time character, hence his 'death' scene at the end of Sonic Adventure 2. However, due to his popularity, he was brought back for Sonic Heroes. This has led to minor controversy from fans as they believe that Shadow's apparent death made a great ending and bringing him back so soon weakened the impact of it.
 * Like most of the Sonic characters, Shadow can take considerable physical punishment, enough that he was shot at point-blank range by Mephiles into a stalactite and still manages to remain conscious, even standing up and continuing to fight afterwards. He also has a very high tolerance to pain. These facts are probably due to characters' strong will, as well as the experimentation of which he is the result.
 * Shadow is the only member of Team Dark to appear in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.
 * Shadow is left-handed, as revealed in Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). In Sonic and the Black Knight, Lancelot wields his sword right-handed. Either Lancelot is canonically right-handed (possible, since though he resemlbes Shadow they are distinct characters), or this is because of the Wii's right hand controls, similar to what Nintendo used for the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
 * Shadow is considered to be the most violent and mature character in the Sonic continuities due to the fact that he has driven several vehicles, uses vulgar language and guns(in Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)).
 * If Shadow is created from Black Doom's blood, so that means, that Shadow possibly has green blood (Black Arms have green blood). However in episode 73 of Sonic X he is seen with a red cut on his left eye leaving his blood color up for debate.
 * Shadow is said to not eat or drink. However, in episode 72 0f the Japanese version of Sonic X, he is seen with an orange beverage.
 * "The Shadow" from Space Channel 5 bears a strong resemblence to Shadow the Hedgehog. Both have a similar color scheme (black and red) and the same name.
 * In the Japanese commercial for Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is seen dancing.
 * In a cutscene in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 when Sonic is dead Silver says that they should stop Solaris, but then Shadow says "That would have been possible, if only he was alive" which is quite odd for Shadow to say as it also shows that he has some respect for Sonic and sometimes considers him as an equal and sometimes better or not as good as him.
 * Shadow can be Eggman's chronological cousin, that might mean that Omega can be Shadow's nephew.
 * In one of the cutscenes of Sonic 06, Shadow seemed to be scared of Mephiles. This marks the only time which Shadow had shown fear for someone.
 * Shadow shows a sense of manners to girls. He has never been foul to any female character except, perhaps, Marine the Raccoon. Shadow is also practically the only male character who did not consider Amy rather careless or a waste of time (like Silver did when he asked himself what on earth he was doing with her and Sonic, Knuckles and Tails who find Amy rather a distraction).
 * Many people think Shadow can use Chaos Control just because he was made from Black Doom's blood, but in actuality he can do so and many other chaos based attack because he was infused with Chaos Emerald energy during his creation.
 * When Shadow gains first place in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity he will say that his opponents are "too slow", this is also one of Sonic's taunts in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
 * It is said that Shadow and Amy are "close" or "good" friends, meaning that Shadow must remember his encounter with her to some extent.