Shadow the Hedgehog

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Lifeform!"

- Shadow the Hedgehog


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

Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ) is the arch-rival of Sonic the Hedgehog. He was created as the "Ultimate Lifeform" by Professor Gerald Robotnik using the DNA of Black Doom. Shadow is immortal, and does not age. 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 an anti-hero, or a renegade who can just as easily serve the forces of evil as those of good. According to an official poll, Shadow is the second most popular character in the series, second only to Sonic himself.

Concept and Creation
After the success of Sonic Adventure, it was only natural to assume that a sequel would be produced. Hoping that the game would be what Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was for the Mega Drive, a portion of the team responsible for the first Adventure title was sent off to work at SEGA of America it was led by director Takashi Iizuka, while Yuji Naka remained back in Japan to work on other properties, including Phantasy Star Online. With the team in place, brainstorming soon began on what form Sonic Adventure 2 would take.

Early on, it was decided that one of the main themes of the game would be the dichotomy between good and evil, and to help explore that the creators came up with new characters that would both assist Dr. Eggman and challenge the established cast of heroes. Though Yuji Uekawa was tasked drawing the final design of the character, it was Iizuka who came up with the idea to use a dark, anti-hero figure who was similar to Sonic in shape but not in personality.

When being designed, his original name was Terios, which translates to "reflection of," more than likely to play off the hero/villain dynamic within the game. Shadow's concept was also a female character until the concept of a female character which was later turned into Blaze the Cat.

Once Sonic Adventure 2 was announced, the identity and nature of Shadow was a heavily guarded secret, his existence teased at the end of the first trailer for the game. Indeed, the push to build hype for the new character put other characters on the backburner, Tails not even being announced for the game until a few months later.

Death
In the end of Sonic Adventure 2 player's get to see Shadow's death scene. There was a huge fanbase for Shadow to appear in more games being disappointed for his death. This let Takashi Iizuka put Shadow as a playable character in Sonic Heroes and even star in his own game, Shadow the Hedgehog by saying this:

"The Shadow character idea was something that we all had in our minds in the dev team when we were creating the first Sonic Adventure. When creating that game we had the intention of creating a rival character for Sonic Adventure 2 and we didn’t really talk about it that much but we were all thinking about it. When we were working on Sonic Adventure 2 we all did a bit of brainstorming and we brought this to the table and prepared the storyline for the Dark side and the Hero side. As you know in the story Shadow was only meant to appear in that single title. But because of the reaction of the fans we decided to bring him back in Sonic Heroes and eventually you saw him in his own title."

Fighting for a Friend
Shadow debuted in the game Sonic Adventure 2 as one of three playable "dark" 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 approximately 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, as he thought she wanted (It's strongly implied that his belief that Maria's final wish was revenge against humanity stemmed from Gerald Robotnik modifying Shadow's memories between Maria's death and Shadow's encapsulation). 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 the Last Story, Eggman inserted the final Chaos Emerald, only to initiate a destabilization program on the ARK. Professor Gerald Robotnik then revealed that he had made this function to have revenge for Maria, and that the ARK would destroy the Earth. Sonic, Eggman, Rouge, Tails, and Knuckles took a shortcut to the Cannon's Core so they could stop Prof. Gerald's mad plan. Amy then helped Shadow realize Maria's true wish. Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles had reached the Central Core, where they reactivated the Biolizard. Notably, a scene from Gerald Robotnik's diary appeared again. After Shadow defeated the Biolizard, 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 Lifeform prototype), having become a monster -codenamed FinalHazard- and using their pooled energies, executed an enhanced Chaos Control which stopped the fall, and warped the ARK. Afterward, Shadow fell to the Earth and was presumed dead.

In the game there are many unlockable costumes for Shadow.

Formation of Team Dark
In Sonic Heroes, Rouge discovers Shadow in a stasis tube located in the deepest part of one of Dr. Eggman's bases, after he was believed to be dead. As she activates the capsule, and E-123 Omega begins to attack the newly awakened Shadow, believing him to be a creation of Eggman. Rouge steps in to break them up, quickly ending the skirmish. 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 Overlord, Shadow worked with everyone else to help defeat him. Shadow is last seen with Omega holding the defeated Metal Sonic.

A Dark Fighter
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 FinalHazard 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".

Learning and Leaving the Past Behind
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 (after 10 minutes of fighting Devil Doom), Eggman confesses to Shadow that one of his robots found and saved him after the incident in Sonic Adventure 2, meaning he is the actual Shadow and not a Shadow Android as he previously believed.

Dealing With The Devil
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 shattered). Shadow is sent to the future and is revealed to have become the enemy of mankind, due to their fear of his power. It has 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.

Aiding The Doctor
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.

An Uncanny Partnership
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.

The Search For Omega
Shadow appears in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. He is searching for Omega, who disappeared looking for Eggman's robots. The first fight against Shadow takes place in Mystic Ruins, though depending on the player's choice of dialogue, Sonic may not have to fight him. If, however, the player chooses the more hostile dialogue options, Sonic will have to fight him. The second encounter happens when the team reaches Blue Ridge Zone. At the start of the battle, Shadow states that while he can't outrun Sonic, he can outfight him. After suffering damage at the hands of Sonic and his team, Shadow flees from the scene. Sonic is the only one fast enough to catch him, so once Sonic catches up the two have a showdown without the rest of the group. When Sonic ultimately wins, Shadow remarks that Sonic "has been practicing."

At first, Shadow only joins Sonic's team to help find Omega, but if he finds out that Omega was attacked by the Nocturnus, he remains with the party to help defeat them. If Shadow happens to be included in Sonic's team when they are about to face Commander Raxos, Shadow states that he can see many ways out this situation for himself but not for the others, possibly meaning he could simply use Chaos Control to escape leaving the others to their fate. In combat, Shadow deals medium attack power and has medium armor and is as quick as Sonic, allowing him three attacks per round.

When Omega joins the team they can work together to use "Focus Field." When Rouge is in the party, the three can use "Metal Storm," which sends Omega through the air like a missile at the enemy. Shadow can team up with Sonic to use a move called "Atomic Strike" in which the two hedgehogs use spin-dashes to circle around all of the enemies to create an electrical field.

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 rematch with Lancelot, where he uses Chaos Blast, Chaos Control, and Chaos Spear. When in combat against Lancelot's stronger potential, the player (Sonic) must not only land many hits, but time them closely or risk fierce damage. In addition, Lancelot can use a move called "Chaos Punishment" where he uses a series of Chaos Controls and slashes at every enemy nearby.

Winner Takes All
Shadow has most recently appeared in Sonic Free Riders with Rouge The Bat. The two enter the competition late as "Team Dark" but are one member short. They quickly decide to use a seemingly random robot as their third member and face off against the Babylon Rogues, Team Rose, and Team Sonic. In Team Dark's Story; they win the competition and intend to sneak off with the treasure and cash prize. But they are informed by Omochao that the jewels they had taken were fake and - much to their dismay - they would have to attend the closing ceremonies to receive the actual treasures. (Note: This is the only time Shadow has appeared in a game with the intent on making money, rather than his usual ulterior motives. Though it says in the booklet that Shadow joined to see if his extreme gear skills were better than Sonic's.)

A Second Chance to Settle the Score

 * For more information, see Final Rush (Sonic Generations).

Shadow appears as a rival boss in the game Sonic Generations. Like all the other characters in the game, Shadow is sucked into the White Space by the Time Eater. After completing all acts in the Dreamcast era, Shadow can be found in the City Escape hub. When found, he is waiting for Sonic, stating that he neither knows nor cares where they are, as long as he gets a chance to finish their rivalry. He is fought in Final Rush. He has an unique rival battle where the two have to race each other on a looped pathway to and gain power cores to unleash special attacks. The battle is won when one depletes the others ring count whilst using a special attack.

Shadow appears later on in the Center of Time, motivating both Sonics alongside Rouge and the all the other characters after their initial defeat. After the Time Eater is defeated, Shadow shows up at Sonic's birthday party along with all the other characters.

Other Appearances
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 temporarily stuns a nearby opponent, the Level 2 attack is "Back Kick" which makes an opponent lose his/her balance temporarily, 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. In both games he is unlocked by completing the Hero Story.

Shadow appears in Sonic and the Secret Rings, being the first unlockable character for the Party Mode by obtaining 30 Fire Souls. However he has no role in the game's story.

Shadow also appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as a speed character along with Sonic, Yoshi and Princess Daisy. He also appears in the game's sequel, Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games. Shadow helps Mario and Sonic make a deal with Rouge and open a gate in Sparkleton with Chaos Spear after they beat him in a Dream Ski Cross Racing match during the DS Adventure Tour. He later goes on to help defeat Bowser and Dr. Eggman.

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 unlockable playable character in Sega Superstars Tennis.

Shadow is a playable character in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. His All-Star Move turns him into Super Shadow, which allows him to fly along the track at high speeds and launch Chaos Spear.

Shadow is also in the DS version of Sonic Colors as a non-playable character, making sure Sonic would be able to take on Eggman.

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 black 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. 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). Alongside his dark demeanor, he can be smug, stubborn, and somewhat sarcastic. He is shown to be highly arrogant and self absorbed; in the 2006 video game, he (as Super Shadow) states that their battle against Solaris may actually be "a fair fight." Shadow constantly refers to himself as the Ultimate Lifeform and thus belittles characters as well as insulting their lack of strength. Based on this, he shares a competitive ego that is close to Sonic's. He is also constantly serious, even when not on a mission, and he has little to no regard for silliness.

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. In these instances, he also 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 (PTSD). Shadow also has a strong sense of identity, as evidenced when he states to Rouge after being told that he isn't the Ultimate Lifeform due to a lab report that even if his memories were fake, he is still Shadow the Hedgehog. Similarly in Sonic Heroes, during the Egg Fleet level where he mentions that even without his memories, he is still the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog. Because of this strong sense of identity, he is possesses a strong will, making him very rarely susceptible to being manipulated by other forces. This is especially evident with his encounters with Mephiles the Dark, where, even after learning of the possibility that he was sealed away for all of eternity due to humanity fearing his potential and feeling he was responsible for Iblis's ruin of the world, Shadow still refuses to aid Mephiles in his plans, and states that "he determines his own destiny."

In Sonic Free Riders Shadow appears not only for the thirst of power, instead the thirst for riches being tempted by the cash prize at the 2nd EX World Grand Prix. Shadow seemingly goes for the prize money and has a lack of concern for the E-1000 B robot when he said that he was tired. Shadow, along with Rouge, even force him to compete so that they can get the prize money. Throughout the game he shows a lot of greed. Thus, in the end of the game, when no one gets the prize money, everyone cheered themselves up being thankful that they had fun except for Shadow and Rouge who were disappointed that they could not get any prize. It could be shown that Shadow has a knack for competition should something of interest occur, though the prize was one of the few things to stir it up so far. However, as noted above, the instruction booklet for the same game mentioned that one of the reasons why he joined was to see whether his extreme gear was better than Sonic's, indicating that at least part of his reasons for joining was for the sake of competition, eclipsed by the prize money.

However, Shadow isn't a madman, as seen in the Sonic Heroes opening scene for Team Dark. When Omega begins his attack, Shadow could have easily fled and left Rouge, but instead he defends her against Omega despite having absolutely no memory of her. Also, after Sonic has completed one of Shadow's missions in the DS version of Sonic Colors, Shadow admits the purpose of his mission was to ensure that Sonic was physically fit enough to continue his journey towards Doctor Eggman. Even with his lack of trust towards humans, Shadow would team up with them to fight for the greater good. He was also shown to be legitimately shocked and horrified when he learned that his gaining the Chaos Emeralds to restore his memories were actually manipulated by Black Doom in order to wipe out humanity. Likewise when the GUN Commander finally confronts him, Shadow, still having little memory of the events of his past, agrees to face judgement if he was indeed responsible for the ARK massacre 50 years ago.

Shadow is highly intelligent when it comes to technology. In the 2006 video game, he was able to read the computer (as did Rouge) and identify that Omega was in standby mode. He seems to progress through Digital Circuit and Mad Matrix using his computer intellect. He is able to tell Egg Albatross, Egg Emperor and Metal Madness inside and out.

Shadow is rarely seen smiling, unlike some of the other characters except Chaos, Mephiles and Shade. The only instances he is seen smiling are in Sonic Adventure 2, before battling Sonic as a boss in Sonic Heroes, in some of the dark endings in Shadow the Hedgehog, and in some episodes of Sonic X (in those dark endings of Shadow the Hedgehog, and in Sonic X he was also seen laughing). So some may suggest that he does not have much of a sense of humor or happiness, or he doesn't like others see him acting in such a manner. On a related note, Shadow brushes off any kindness or sympathy that is sent his way. This is shown in Sonic Heroes when Rouge showed concern for Shadow when he saw a broken android. Shadow curtly brushed her concern away. Also in Shadow the Hedgehog after Sonic suggested some, "friendly competition" Shadow turned his back to Sonic and said, "Don't waste my time." Once might assume that Shadow just doesn't know how to respond to kindness and therefore shoves it away, or he prefers not to let others see his emotions, preferring to be alone.

Despite Shadow being considered neutral in terms of alignment, he is considered a hero by the most part with his overall motivation which is dedicating his life to protecting mankind. He has also been selfless, such as nearly giving his life at the end of Sonic Adventure 2 to save Earth. In recent games, he is slightly more warm hearted than he used to be. Even with his significant disliking with Sonic as well as humans, he has become more trusting with humans and more tolerant with Sonic. Also seeing that, he seems to despise evil above everything else, especially the Black Arms. Regardless, Shadow is still neutral because he prefers working alone.

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 Lifeform 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. This is further proved when Gerald calls him "My Son".

Doctor Eggman
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. It can also be noted that Eggman could be thought of as Shadow's 'son', since Shadow looks at the Professor as his father, and the Professor looks at Shadow as his son.

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.

Maria Robotnik
Professor 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 "Sayonara, Shadow The Hedgehog," after begging him to '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. After Maria's death Shadow has never opened up to anyone possibly due to fear of losing another friend.

Sonic the Hedgehog
Shadow's arch rival is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. They became 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. However, Shadow seems to find Sonic's friendly personality annoying at times, as when he met him in Eggman's Iron Jungle he says "Not you again." Their relationship is more violent than Sonic and Knuckles', though (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 Sonic 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. Though they frequently butt heads due to their own views on justice and morality, Sonic and Shadow nonetheless share a mutual respect and will readily come to each other's aid.

In Sonic Battle, Shadow shows a dislike towards Sonic's personality by telling Emerl, "You remind me a of a... spiky, smug little..." which meant that he was talking about Sonic.

While he doesn't exactly hate Sonic, Shadow is rather put off by his flippant behavior and overall immaturity.

In Sonic Generations it should be noted that although most protagonists were invited to Sonic's surprise birthday party, even Rouge the Bat, Shadow was not there. It seems most likely that Tails invited him, but he did not show up for his own reasons. It may possibly be because he doesn't feel Sonic is a close friend, like Omega. However, Shadow is sent by the Time Eater into the "white realm" with Sonic's friends. Shadow seems to be glad that Sonic appears and quite eager to battle him, in reference to their rivalry. It would appear that Shadow has become closer to Sonic at this point, for he encourages him to fight the Time Eater and remains at his party at the end of the game when he could have easily left.

Miles "Tails" Prower
Shadow and Tails were at first enemies in Sonic Adventure 2 because Shadow was impersonating Sonic and got him thrown in jail at Prison Island. Towards the end of the game they became allies when they had to save the planet from the Space Colony Ark. For the most part Tails and Shadow have remained allies, but like Sonic have turned into rivals because of their goals.

Such times they have been rivals are in Sonic Heroes, Sonic Battle, and Sonic Rivals 2. In Sonic Heroes, they fought very briefly because Shadow and Rouge had provoked Team Sonic into fighting them. In Sonic Battle, Shadow and Tails fought at the end of Tails' Story because Tails resisted giving up Emerl to Shadow. Shadow threatened Tails that he would have to give Emerl up or else they would fight for him, Tails admitted that he admires Shadow's spirit but would not give up in a fight. When Tails won the fight, Shadow warned him that he would be back again to get Emerl, but Rouge showed up and told Shadow to go back to Night Babylon. In Sonic Rivals 2, Shadow and Metal Sonic confronted Tails and Sonic because they were all going after Eggman.

Shadow and Tails also get along very well together. In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Tails and Shadow work very well together and support each others ideas. Shadow is actually the second most helpful member of Tails' Team in Metropolis, helping Tails with numerous of mechanical ideas with Eggman. He is also very helpful if the player is looking for Omega often giving tips to tell of where Omega would have gone if he had gotten the chance.

Rouge the Bat
Shadow has a companionship with Rouge the Bat that is based mainly on partnership during the games. The two are teammates in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes, and often work together during mission stages, but do not spend time in the other's presence outside of duty alliance. This marks them as occasional teammates when it comes down to appreciation, respect, and consideration over the term of, 'best friends,' since Shadow has not shared the closeness of opening up to neither Omega or Rouge the way 'best friends' do, let alone accompanying them as casual company due to his independent and distant nature, unlike how Sonic interacts with his companions.

In Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow saved her life when she was trapped in Security Hall, though when Rouge questioned him about his actions later aboard the ARK, he told her he only returned for the Chaos Emeralds that she had acquired. Although, Rouge teased that this wasn't "the whole story." Their conversation was then interrupted by Dr. Eggman.

In Sonic Heroes, when they find a broken Shadow Android, Rouge looks over to Shadow with pity and asks, "Shadow....?" in a sympathetic mannerism, while he simply dismisses the situation.

In Sonic Battle, Rouge implies that she may hold a certain level of attraction towards Shadow and lets him stay with her at Club Rouge when he is injured during a fight at the Gimme Shelter. Also, while Shadow is dreaming, an image of Rouge appears and he whispers, "Ally." After he regains consciousness, Rouge seems somewhat hurt and offended when he doesn't thank her for helping him.

In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Shadow shows he is protective of Rouge's well-being. Once, when catching her from a fall after she was momentarily knocked out by one of Dr. Eggman's robots. And again, when he jumps in front of her after a fake Chaos Emerald explodes. When E-123 Omega reveals to Shadow that he is the one who traps him in the future; Rouge tells Shadow, "Even if you believe the entire world will be against you, know that I will always remain by your side... Remember that..." Shadow pauses, then strongly replies, "I will." (Although, this event was erased along with the rest of the events within the game after the "future was reversed.")

In Sonic Rivals, after Shadow saves Rouge from Eggman Nega, Rouge tries to coerce him into going treasure hunting with her and suggests the two "take a peek" into their own future using Eggman Nega's device. Shadow declines and the story ends with Rouge still trying to convince Shadow to join her in hunting for the remaining cards.

In Sonic Rivals 2, their encounter was less than friendly from their previous ones to separate the fact their overall relationship seems to be more partner-focused when they ally for the occasion rather than best-friend designated. Shadow is consistently trying to stop Rouge and Knuckles from reaching the Chaos Emeralds at all costs, and seeks to manipulate the Chaos-finding device from Rouge. Rouge asks Shadow on what's going on, saying that Shadow can trust her, and Shadow tells her about the Ifrit. When Rouge mentions her client, Shadow demands to know who her client is, but Rouge refuses against him, leading him to yell after for her to, "get back here." When Shadow catches up to her, Rouge still refuses to tell him about her client as Shadow mildly threatens her, and then she trips him over and replies that he was being 'clumsy,' and he growls, "Why you...!" and they battle each other.

In Sonic Free Riders, both Shadow and Rouge appear as Team Dark along with E-10000B. Their main focus during the game is winning the treasure and prize money. Unlike in previous games, Shadow seems perfectly content with helping Rouge obtain the treasure she covets.

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. The bond between the two may have been strengthened by the fact that Shadow is the Ultimate Lifeform and that Omega is considered the Ultimate Robot and share a common importance to the world.

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". He also states that "he was also my friend" which is the first time Shadow openly calls someone his friend (although he notably only says this after questioning by Sonic, not willingly). 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.

Amy Rose
In Sonic Adventure 2, they interact twice, but each time seems to gain an odd reaction from Shadow. Amy first meets Shadow when she mistakes him for Sonic and hugs him from behind, while Shadow remains still after having been briefly caught off by her launch, and meanwhile, does not shake her off or retort to violence. When Amy senses the lack of a reaction, she releases him, causing him to glance back at her. Amy demands his name when she realizes that he is not Sonic, but he continues to glare at her quietly. After Amy notices Dr. Eggman, she also realizes the mistake she's made, and runs off screaming. During this, Shadow simply tilts his head when she is out of range as Dr. Eggman tells the team that he'll take care of Amy.

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 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, determinedly and softly 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 Earth (Sonic Adventure 2), making her the only person to see him cry in Sonic Adventure 2.

During Sonic Battle, Amy shows excitement and concern upon hearing Shadow's survival through Rouge, but quickly becomes angry when Rouge will not tell her why he's there.

During Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow can choose to assist Amy in helping find Cream and have her fight alongside the player during the stage and in the boss battle, but this time, there is no reward in return. Also, at the end of Shadow The Hedgehog, Amy shows an odd amount of faith and admiration for Shadow, regardless of him being Sonic's arch-rival. When Rouge mutters to herself, "I hope he's okay up there," Amy comforts her with her hands clasped and a cheerful smile on her face, "I'm sure he's fine, Rouge! After all, he is Shadow!" which further displays her positive outlook on the black hedgehog and her general optimism.

G.U.N. Commander
The Commander and Shadow didn't get along at first. This is because the Commander blamed Shadow for the death of his family and Maria, 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 transform 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 but became partners later in 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 & 2 they are rivals. Shadow does not trust Silver's intentions and speculations about Dr. Eggman's identity, but when he discovered that Silver was right, the two seem to share a trusted bond. In Sonic Rivals 2, they are almost rivaling with each other mostly because Silver did not want Shadow getting in his way. It doesn't seem that Shadow remembers anything about their last journey seeing how the time was erased.

Team 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. However, Shadow seemed constantly annoyed with Vector as he repeatedly reminded him to find the computer room. Espio has shown his capacity of friendship for the black hedgehog and the two proved to make a good team when they confronted Dr. Eggman, and when he tries to lie and manipulate Shadow. Espio tells Shadow not to fall for the doctor's tricks and to defeat him first. 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.

Friends/Allies

 * Rouge the Bat (Current best friend)
 * E-123 Omega (Close Friend)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog (Ally and rival)
 * Amy Rose
 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Charmy Bee (looks up to Shadow)
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Maria Robotnik (Best friend before her death)
 * Metal Sonic (Sonic Rivals 2 only)
 * Doctor Eggman (depending on Shadow's goal)
 * Gerald Robotnik (creator, deceased)
 * G.U.N.

Family

 * Black Doom (biological father, arch-enemy)
 * Gerald Robotnik (surrogate/second father)
 * Maria Robotnik
 * Eggman

Rivals

 * Sonic the Hedgehog (arch-rival)

Enemies

 * Doctor Eggman (depending on Shadow's goal)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog (depending on Shadow's goal)
 * Biolizard/Finalhazard
 * G.U.N. Commander (depending on Shadow's goal)
 * Black Doom
 * Black Arms
 * Mephiles the Dark

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. Also, like Sonic, he can perform the basic Homing Attack, allowing him to jump and home in on an enemy to get over large gaps he can't normally reach. 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 hover-skate at speeds fast enough to rival the speeds Sonic can run, although games have differed on who is faster. Many times Shadow is said to be using his Air Shoes or his Chaos Powers to go fast instead of his actual speed. In Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic said "Wow, he's fast, wait it's not his Speed, he's using the Chaos Emerald to warp" implying Shadow used Chaos Control to make it look like he was going fast. In Sonic Battle Shadow was faster than Sonic, but his Battle Card said "He uses the power of his Air Shoes to move fast", again implying that Shadow is not truly fast but is fast because of his Air Shoes. (most games put them as equals but the character profiles of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and Sonic Rivals claimed Sonic is faster). In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow admitted that he wasn't faster than Sonic as he mentioned that while he couldn't outrun him (which could put Sonic at the same speed or faster than Shadow), he could outfight him. In Sonic Generations, Shadow appears to be performing a Chaos Boost during the Sonic and Shadow fight which is most likely a variant of Chaos Control to a weaker prolonged version. Rather than skating like usual, Shadow uses the fire from his Air Shoes to propel himself forward, floating in a stance like Tails when he is Propellar Dashing or Boosting while in Boost Mode (this is possibly an easter egg for Tails). This is another time Shadow uses his Air Shoes to move faster. In the 3DS version, E-123 Omega considers Shadow's abilities to be equal to Sonic's, although equal doesn't nessesarily mean identical as while Sonic favors speed, Shadow favors his "Chaos Powers" more (see below).

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 buses or peeled away asphalt. Shadow's upgrades from Sonic Adventure 2 are: He can also use different "Chaos Powers," that have varying effects and names. Shadow's trademark move is Chaos Control, which allows him to manipulate time so that he can move at normal speed while other objects are shown to be stopped or moving at an abnormal speed. The move actually allows the user to manipulate time and space to warp across "space" or manipulate time or move through or across with two users. 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 appeared to use it a few times during gameplay 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 Rift".
 * Air Shoes: Allowing Shadow to travel along a path of rings at light speed.
 * Mystic Melody: Play at the ancient shrines to open up new paths or shortcuts.
 * Ancient Light: Allows Shadow to attack enemies in a row quickly.
 * Flame Ring: Allows Shadow to somersault in a fiery fashion, allowing him to destroy metal containers.

As described in Shadow the Hedgehog, all of his Chaos powers increase in greatly in power with 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). 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 afterward. 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 (with the help of Super Sonic) 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 excessive acts of evil. 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 his entire 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, probably because of the mere dashing around he did in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). 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.

POW Moves
In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Shadow's POW moves involves offensive attacks based on various Chaos Powers with the extra effect of weakening the opponents stats or leave the opponent distracted. These are:


 * Chaos Spear (カオススピア): 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 (カオスリフト): 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 (カオスブラスト): Shadow concentrates his usual Chaos Blast into a sphere of energy within his hand, and delivers it in concentrated beam of chaos energy that may weaken affected targets.
 * Atomic Strike (Atom Strike アトムストライク): Shadow and Sonic rapidly spinball around the opposing team, creating an electrical field around them and damaging everyone inside.
 * Focus Field (Focus Shot フォーカスショット): 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 (メタルストーム): Shadow lifts Omega using Chaos Control, and Rouge tornado-kicks the robot into a foe, with a chance to stun them. Chaos Control allows Shadow to stop time, whether it be to attack in an instant or escape danger.

Super transformation
Like Sonic and Silver, by harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow is able to use super transformation to transform into Super Shadow. In this form, he is bestowed with the new abilities of flight and near invulnerability. Also, like other super transformations, his normal abilities regarding speed, strength and power are greatly enhanced as well, and his skills with Chaos Powers are increased to their full limit.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)
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".

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 have died 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 when the Metarex fire lasers at her plane and Shadow constructs a grave for her, but in the English dub her death is cut out. Instead they say that she left the planet.

At the end of season 3, Shadow had become Super Shadow and teamed up with Super Sonic to defeat the Metarex-like planet. After Cosmo had fused with the planet, Shadow punched Sonic in the stomach rendering him unconscious. Shadow then used Chaos Control to send the detonating planet far away. It then burst into millions of Planet Egg and Shadow was never seen in the series again. In the Japanese version, his shadow is seen over Molly's grave. He also places a pink flower on the grave.

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. But as everyone still trusted Cosmo even after learning she's a spy, Shadow attempts to leave, but is stopped by Chris, trying to convince him that they can join forces with Sonic and co. to defeat the Metarex, but Shadow refuses the offer, still not trusting Cosmo. Shortly, Bokkun arrives telling both Shadow and Chris that Doctor Eggman has been kidnapped by the Metarex as well as Decoe and Bocue after realizing he was spying on them.

The Battle: Sonic vs. Shadow
Ever since Shadow's introduction, nearly every Sonic continuity featuring him has had 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 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, Shadow's the one to defeat Sonic in the Dark Story. In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, later on, Sonic actually defeats Shadow in a two part battle, and Shadow is surprised at his defeat. ("You... You've been practicing.").

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 the Neutral Dark or Neutral Hero stories, 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 is available, but is almost useless, as it simply flies you around the stage (usually through loops and tunnels). All of these androids claim to be the "Real Shadow", and claim that the others are fakes.

Memorable Quotes

 * "I am Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Lifeform!"
 * "Shadow The Hedgehog… Why does that name haunt me…? It's the only thing I can remember… and that… gruesome image…" - Shadow, apparently suffering from amnesia.
 * "Dammit!" - Shadow after getting hurt in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "If the world chooses to become my enemy....I will fight like I always have!" - Shadow before confronting Mephiles, Sonic 2006.
 * "Never underestimate my true power!" - quote when starting a race in Sonic Free Riders.
 * "Maria- this is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you . . ." - Shadow before his "death" in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "I promise you... revenge!" - Shadow promising Maria revenge on the humans.
 * "This is the end of you, and the end of my cursed past!" - Super Shadow after defeating Devil Doom in Shadow The Hedgehog.
 * "With the power of these Emeralds... I'm going to destroy this damn planet!" - Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic and Diablon finished Pure Dark Ending.
 * "Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog." - From the final cutscene of Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "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 gloomily in the Hero Ending in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "CHAOS...BLAST!"
 * "CHAOS...CONTROL!"
 * "CHAOS...SPEAR!"
 * "I have to go now. I have to keep my promise to Maria...and you." - Sonic Adventure 2, to Amy on the ARK.
 * "Before this is over... I'll show you the true power of CHAOS CONTROL!" -Sonic Adventure 2, just before his second fight with Sonic.
 * "Sonic, why does that name bother me so much?"
 * "How pathetic." - Shadow facing the police in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "You're going straight to hell!" - Shadow confronting Dr. Eggman in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "I will release you from the chains of your past." - As Super Shadow when fighting Solaris in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
 * "Time to unleash the Ultimate Power!" - When fighting Solaris as Super Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
 * "Sonic, I think I know what the "Ultimate Lifeform" is! I think it's... you!" - Shadow to Sonic, after fighting the Finalhazard for more than 4 minutes. (Japanese version).
 * "I determine my own destiny." - Shadow before he fights Mephiles.
 * "Where's that Damn fourth Chaos Emerald?" - Shadow running through the Carnival Park in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "Don't touch it!" Shadow screaming to Rouge when she was going to grab a fake chaos emerald of Mephiles in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
 * "You may have created me, doctor, but I will now lead this empire and androids will rule!" Shadow accepting that he's an android and taking control over Eggman's robots in the Neutral Hero ending of Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "With the power of these Emeralds... I'm going to conquer the universe!" Shadow the Hedgehog, Black Doom's Lair Semi-Pure Dark Ending.
 * "Goodbye, Doctor!" Based in the Semi Dark, Neutral Dark and Neutral Hero Endings in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I and only I know what is best! No one can tell me what to do! This is WHO I AM!" Based on the Semi-Dark Ending in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "You best try your hardest, or else you'll get hurt." Shadow before he fights Emerl in Emerl's Story.
 * "Then, I will destroy you, too...." Shadow talking to Sonic in Sonic Battle when Sonic refuses to turn over Emerl in Sonic's Story.
 * "Hmph. Fine." - Shadow being selected in the Mario & Sonic series.
 * "It's do or die, Sonic the Hedgehog" Shadow when he defeats Sonic and Diablon.
 * "Game over, Sonic" Shadow when he defeats Sonic and Diablon.
 * "You've got this, Sonic." - Shadow cheering Sonic to keep going in Sonic Generations.
 * "Is that so? Well then...it'll be a date to DIE for!" Shadow to Team Sonic in Sonic Heroes.
 * "I'll take it from here!" Shadow when taking the lead of Team Dark in Sonic Heroes.
 * "Who am I, and why can't I remember anything?" Shadow at the start of Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "Arrgh! Behold the ultimate power!"  Shadow after gaining Chaos Control in Shadow the Hedgehog (game)
 * "RRGH! Death to ALL who oppose me!"  Shadow after gaining Chaos Blast in Shadow the Hedgehog

Theme songs
The video games have featured several theme songs for the character. Shadow's themes consisted primarily of the techno and industrial genres often with synthed-out vocals that are barely audible 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 in the event called "Sir Lancelot Appears.") Also, the song Live and Learn seems to also be his theme, but shared with Sonic, since it is the final boss theme when Super Sonic and Super Shadow are used. An instrumental also played in the game, Shadow The Hedgehog when Shadow was turning into Super Shadow in the final story. A short version of this song also appears when standing in front of Shadow in the Sonic Generations hub world.
 * 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 a remix is used in 2 Player Mode.
 * Also, a special remix of Tripod Baby performed by m-flo was released as a promotional song for Shadow.
 * A song called Broken by Sins of a Divine Mother was going to be the Neutral- Hero theme of Shadow but was replaced by Chosen One because SEGA could not contact the band leader.

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

 * Shadow's name was originally supposed to be "Terios" translating "reflection of" referring to Shadow being the reflection of Sonic.
 * Though the design of Shadow the Hedgehog was meant to be a secret until such time SEGA decided to reveal it in all its glory, details of the character were leaked when ReSaurus announced they were making figures of Shadow and Rouge, much as they had for the first Adventure title. Ironically, the company went out of business before they could release these figures to the masses.
 * In the games, when Shadow performs Chaos Control he usually shouts or exclaims "Chaos Control", but in Sonic X he states in a normal voice "Chaos Control Now" instead.
 * Shadow and Knuckles were originally confirmed to appear in Sonic Unleashed as optional, playable characters, alongside Tails and Amy as the game was still slated to be Sonic Adventure 3 at that point. When the concept for Sonic Adventure 3 was dumped for Sonic Unleashed instead, the characters involvement was also changed. Tails and Amy remained in the story of the game, 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 planet 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 exclusively in the Xbox 360/PS3 version.
 * Shadow is believed to be based on Sonic. Which can't be true considering that Shadow was created 50 years before Sonic Adventure 2 events, making him 35 years older than Sonic.Although it's more likely Gerald found a ancient mural like the one on Angel Island depicting Super Sonic fighting his own grandson Eggman and based Shadow off of Super Sonic this is supported by the fact that alot of his research experiments are based of Echinda Ruins and artifacts such as the Artificial Chaos and the core of the Eclipse Canon.
 * Prima's Official Game Guides for Sonic Adventure 2 called Shadow's Super form "Hyper Shadow" (despite how Sega and Sonic Team have referred to it as canonically being "Super Shadow"). Prima also said in their Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) guides that there are rumors that Rouge has feelings for both Shadow and Knuckles.
 * In Shadow the Hedgehog, the President has a picture of Sonic and Shadow standing near the White House on his desk. However, Shadow has never been near the White House between his debut and the game. Although, this may have occurred off-screen between the events of Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * 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. Sega decided to have Shadow notice a wrecked robot resembling him, as well as Rouge finding a series of androids in capsules similar to the one she released Shadow from, making some people wonder if the Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2 is truly dead and the one from Sonic Heroes is just a copy. However, it was all cleared up in Shadow the Hedgehog in the ending, Eggman revealed that his robots saved him from the fatal fall back in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "The Shadow" from Space Channel 5 bears a strong resemblance 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 his Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games picture, Shadow has no tail.
 * Shadow crosses his arms in the left-handed manner, leads with his left, and throughout the game Shadow the Hedgehog, uses all weapons with his left hand and punches with his left hand first in his double punch-to-somersault kick combo. However, even though he's left handed, he's shown wielding a gun in his right hand on his box art and in a cutscene where he watches Sonic pass out from being too beat up (Shadow is wielding a gun in his right hand), holding his racket in his right hand in SEGA Superstars Tennis and holding his sword in his right hand in Sonic & the Black Knight (both as Lancelot and in multiplayer, where you can play as Shadow himself). He is likely left handed but the use of his right hand may be for technical purposes (mainly the Wii's right handed controls). However, Shadow is still considered left-handed due to his self-titled game, Shadow the Hedgehog. He could be possibly mirroring Sonic, who is right-handed. Though to simply put it, Shadow can be considered ambidextrous, being dominant with both hands, but prefers to lead with his left hand for technical reasons.
 * In the 2006 game Shadow always leads with his right for his attacks during cutscenes and game play.
 * Shadow has been proven to be very strong because in Shadow the Hedgehog, he is able to overturn heavy objects with ease whilst holding a weapon in the other hand. He is also able to destroy walls as well as carry some heavy objects without effort.
 * The only thing on Shadow's body that ages is his hover shoes; the paint appears to be flaking off. However, in all of his 2D artwork the paint is intact.
 * In Sonic Riders and Zero Gravity, Shadow will reach high speeds without the use of his jet shoes after gaining the Attack Mode power-up.
 * Normally Shadow is seen with red eyes, but in his Sonic Chronicles artwork and pictures his eyes are more of an orange color, but this may be because the artwork in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood was made by someone other than the usual Sonic Team artist.
 * Shadow's skin color is usually tanner in his 2D artwork than his 3D artwork.
 * In the game Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow is missing one of the quills on his head (center of the back). This is also present in Sonic X.
 * In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow seems to be able to use psychokinetic powers, as seen in one of his POW moves (Metal Storm) as well as in one of Knuckles' POW moves (Knuckles Express). This power has not been seen in any other continuity. It is possible that this ability is a variation of Chaos Control.
 * The most common Chaos Emerald Shadow is depicted with is the Green Emerald. For instance, in Sonic Adventure 2, he uses the Green Emerald to perform Chaos Control on his first confrontation with Sonic. Another example is that in Shadow the Hedgehog, the Green Emerald is the first one he collects.
 * In the 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, Shadow placed 25th in the "Top 50 Video Game Characters of All Time." Sonic placed tenth, while Mario placed first.
 * Shadow's chest fur has been mistakenly colored yellow in the Archie Comics. It has been changed to the correct color in subsequent comics.
 * Shadow has alot of similarities to "Vincent Valentine" from Final Fantasy VII. Both characters have lost a female-friend character (Lucretia for Vincent, Maria for Shadow), both wear red and black, both characters are affiliated with guns, weapons, and military.
 * Shadow's Brawl Trophy is almost identical to his Sonic'06 artwork.