Commander

"I will avenge those whose blood has spilled!"

- G.U.N. Commander

The Commander (司令官 Shireikan) (also known as the General) is a human military leader who made his debut in Shadow the Hedgehog and made another appearance in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. He is the G.U.N. Federation's highest ranking commander and also one of the most respected. During his childhood his family were aboard the Space Colony ARK and he befriended Maria Robotnik and witnessed the creation of Shadow the Hedgehog. After the ARK was invaded by G.U.N., the Commander blamed Shadow for his family's death and carried a grudge for fifty years. He finally discovered the truth about Shadow and Gerald Robotnik, the latter of which he considered insane. He now leads G.U.N. in homage to Professor Gerald and even tried to make amends with Shadow. He appeared in the first ever issue of Sonic Universe and was named as Abraham Tower, though this name is not considered official for the game version of the character.

Early Life
The Commander grew up with his family on the Space Colony ARK, and was a good friend of Maria Robotnik. One day while playing with her, the Commander saw Shadow being created by Black Doom and Gerald Robotnik, terrified at the sight of Shadow. His family and Maria were later killed in the GUN military's attack. He harbored a deep personal hatred toward Shadow the Hedgehog for this, blaming him for their deaths.

Shadow the Hedgehog
During Shadow the Hedgehog in one of the cutscenes that appears in every story, the Commander follows the events of the Black Arms attack on Earth from GUN Fortress. After being informed of how bad Westopolis has been attacked and that rumours say Shadow is involved, he will order his troops to be deployed and hunt down the Black Arms and Shadow, informing the messenger that Shadow is designated as the enemy and shall be captured, dead or alive.

Possible Events
There are various events that happen in Shadow the Hedgehog due to the story going whichever way the player chooses. Almost all the Commander's scenes seem to link together when put in the right order.

If the player chooses to go to Death Ruins, a cutscene will appear beforehand of the Commander being informed of Shadow and the Black Arms being forced into the forest in the level. He will authorise use of all tactical weapons in Sector B once he learns of Shadow and the Black Arms all being in the one place, saying that he wants both dead and failure is not an option. He then says to himself that the hedgehog will be exposed for the evil he is.

Should the player then complete the level The ARK whether by the normal or hero mission, they will go against Blue Falcon and the Commander will be heard responding to the pilot and ordering him to take Shadow out. After Blue Falcon is defeated, the Commander will hear the rants of Black Doom declaring humans pathetic and say the line "Damn you!" from his station.

Should the player choose to play the Air Fleet level, the Commander will arrive at the White House to escort the President to his ship. While the President sees himself as a failure for not protecting his nation, the Commander tries to motivate him, saying they will continue to fight the aliens, rally to restore themselves and that the President must keep his people united. While thinking on the Commander's words, the President looks at a photograph of Sonic and Shadow. The Commander urges him to go to his transport with the GUN soldiers, and when he leaves, the Commander looks at the picture and declares, "The black creatures will feel their own bloody hell!" before following him.

If the player goes to GUN Fortress, the Commander will support the President and put him in his own chair, asking if he's alright. The President will ask about what happened to the residents of Central City and the Commander will inform him everyone has been evactuated to the safe zone due to orders being issued yesterday. The alarm then goes off and a GUN captain that serves as the Commander's messenger will then come in and inform him that over a thousand aliens are heading for the base after breaking their outer perimeter, and that Shadow had been spotted with the Black Arms. Enraged, the Commander takes control of the situation and orders everyone to prepare for battle and mobilize Diablon, despite the Captain's protests that it was incomplete. The Commander then grabs his pistol and says after fifty years, justice will finally be served. He and Sonic will then go against Shadow if the dark mission on GUN Fortress is taken, declaring Shadow the one who destroyed the ARK and killed everyone on it. Despite his best efforts, the Commander will be defeated.

Should the player go to the level Cosmic Fall, as Shadow thinks over all he has learned in the game, the Commander will come up to him with a pistol, declaring him the one responsible for killing his family and Maria. He will explain that Maria was like a sister to him and the only family he knew, and that Shadow was responsible for her death. He will go on further to explain that he witnessed Gerald and Black Doom create Shadow, dubbing the Ultimate Lifeform a horrifying evil creature. Due to Shadow's lost memories, he doesn't remember any of this, the Commander thinks it a trick though. He says that because of Shadow, everyone he knew and loved was killed when the ARK was destroyed. He declares justice to be served and fires on Shadow, but the hedgehog moves faster than the bullet and goes behind the Commander, saying if what he says is true, he will accept his fate. The Commander then realises Shadow doesn't remember anything at all, and as the hedgehog walks off, intending to uncover the truth about his past, the Commander stares at his gun and collapses on to the ground.

If the player completes the dark mission of Black Comet, they will face off against Sonic and Diablon, the Commander declaring Shadow the one who destroyed the ARK and killed everyone on it. He will inevitably be defeated.

If the player completes the dark mission of Final Haunt, the Commander will fight alongside Sonic using Diablon, but will say nothing during the opening cutscene. He will inevitably be defeated.

True Ending
In the final story of Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow confronts Black Doom on the Black Comet and after learning part of the truth about himself thinks back upon all he'd learned, the Commander's vows of vengeance echoing in his head among other things.

Then the Commander and the President see a message of Professor Gerald to Shadow being broadcast to G.U.N. and the Black Comet by Team Chaotix on the ARK. The message was recorded before G.U.N.'s raid and Gerald explained how everything was his fault for making contact with the comet, and the Commander watched him go on with the President. Gerald revealed Shadow's past and that he and the Eclipse Cannon were made to put a stop to the Black Arms attempts to destroy the planet by decimating the Black Comet. After Shadow defeats Devil Doom and destroys the Black Comet, the President states how ironic it was that people treated Gerald like he was evil, and he ended up saving them all in the end. The Commander and the President realize they were wrong about Gerald's intentions and that he was truly a good hearted person. The President declared they would pay homage to Gerald by working for a brighter future, and the Commander thought it an excellent idea.

In the Expert Mode of Space Gadget, it is revealed that the Commander had become a grandfather one week after the events of the game and invited Shadow over as part of his apology to the hedgehog. It is assumed that this was when Shadow became an agent of G.U.N..

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
The Commander made another appearance in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood with a new design. He has a short role and only briefly appears in the first two chapters. After G.U.N. had spent much time tracking the Marauders and their exploits, Rouge the Bat provided the means for Tails to meet with the Commander in Central City under her escort and Tails brought along Sonic and Amy Rose, though while the Commander was glad to see Sonic, he did not pay much attention to Amy, telling her to have a glass of milk and sit down while she was in the middle of speaking. Assuming they were already briefed, the Commander got straight to it. He informed them though they didn't know why the Marauders wanted the Chaos Emeralds and that now they had all seven they were likely to go after the Master Emerald next. With G.U.N. troops guarding Angel Island, Tails's mission was to take his friends to find the person with the greatest intel in the Marauders: Knuckles the Echidna. With the information he knew, they could very well stop the Marauders. The Commander then got them started on where to start searching by providing them with the locations of four of Dr. Eggman's old hideouts in Green Hill Zone and Central City found by Team Chaotix and G.U.N.'s own satellites. These bases were currently being occupied by the Marauders and were likely where Knuckles was being held, so the Commander ordered the trio and Rouge (as their G.U.N. contact) to investigate the four hideouts and find Knuckles. The Commander wished them good luck and ordered them to go. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood The Commander: Tails probably briefed you on the situation, so let us begin. We don't know why the Marauders wanted the Emeralds, but now they have them, they're likely to go after the Master Emerald next. Amy Rose: What about Knuckles? The Commander: Knuckles is the only one who has seen the Marauders up close. He knows more about them than anyone in the world. I believe that to stop the Marauders, you need to extract your friend Knuckles and learn everything you can about them. Tails: But Knuckles could be anywhere! We have no idea where to look! The Commander: Ah yes. Where to look. We have just the thing. As you know, we've been tracking the Marauders for some time. For a while, we had no luck. But recently, our satellites noticed some activity at Green Hill Zone and Central City. Rouge the Bat: Recognize those places? Tails: Those are Eggman's old hideouts. Amy: Could the Marauders be working for Eggman? The Commander: We don't jump to conclusions here. We have to work with the facts. Unfortunately, we can't tell which, if any, of these hideouts is the one where they're keeping Knuckles. We're not taking chances. We've posted soldiers in Mystic Ruins to watch over Angel Island. Vector the Crocodile and Team Chaotix have volunteered to scout for further clues. They're on the channel now. Vector the Crocodile: Yo, Sonic. It's about time you came back. The Commander: They have been instrumental in pinning down these four locations. Now it's up to you to explore them for signs of Knuckles. Sonic, you and your team will go to each of the hideouts and investigate. Rouge will go with you as your contact with GUN. Sonic the Hedgehog: So, instead of GUN troops, you're giving us ROUGE? The Commander: I can't spare troops, son. The Marauders are a major threat, and I can't leave the land unsecured. Besdies, rescuing the echidna takes the kind of small-unit tactics you and your team are known for. Rouge: I'm better than any boneheaded GUN troops, anyway. I promise, with Rouge around, you won't miss those soldiers a bit. The Commander: Good. Our satellites have picked up activity at two locations in Green Hill Zone and two places inside Central City. We'll mark them on your map. Visit each one, and you should find the echidna. Good luck, team. Now go. For the rest of the game, you will not see him again and a G.U.N. soldier will say he's busy.

Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)
In the comics, the Commander is given the name Abraham Tower, which was meant for an unused character of Ian Flynn's. In the comics his species is changed from human to Overlander and his backstory has been changed accordingly, showing him to be a veteran of the Great War. Years after it he joined G.U.N. and became its chief commander, becoming Shadow the Hedgehog's superior and arranging for the formation of Team Dark. Little is known about his history so far.

Personality
The Commander is described as having a "heart of stone", an unshakable resolve, complete confidence and an iron will. This is something of a misnomer, as he is in fact passionate, though it has mainly been shown through his want for vengeance at those he cared for being killed. During Shadow the Hedgehog he is determined and willing to sacrifice anything to stop Shadow and the Black Arms, but mainly the former. In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, his personality is changed to merely a basic military leader, stoic, wanting to get straight to the mission, dealing only with facts and ordering civilians around like soldiers. He does seem to show appreciation for those who do good work and confidence in those with a good repuation.

Quotes

 * "Shadow? Deploy the troops, NOW! And if you see Shadow with the black aliens...then kill them all!" - When giving an order to GUN Soldier
 * "I gave you an order soldier! He's evil and he's the enemy!" - The Commander convincing one of his soldiers that Shadow is evil.
 * "You can't hide from me, Shadow! This time, you're MINE!" - When he found out that Shadow was near the area.
 * "The Black Creatures will feel there own bloody Hell!" - The Commander before leaving with the president in the escape pod.
 * "Don't worry, sir. Orders were issued yesterday and everyone has been evacuated to the safe zone." - The Commander ensuring the President that the people of Central City were safe.
 * "Finally, justice is served!" - The Commander talking to Shadow when he attempted to kill him.
 * "You mean to tell me that you REALLY don't remember a thing!?" - The Commander when Shadow admits that he knows nothing about what happened to Maria.
 * "Mobilize Diablon!" - Giving the order to prepare Diablon.
 * "Charge complete, now it's time to end this!" - When his antimatter cannon is fully charged in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "Antimatter cannon, FIRE!" - When firing his antimatter cannon in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "Energy charge commencing, just you wait Shadow!" - When beginning to recharge his antimatter cannon in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "I...have...failed..." - When Diablon breaks down.
 * "Hold still you devil!"- In the boss fight Sonic and Diablon
 * "Excellent idea, Mr. President."- After Shadow defeated Black Doom.

Trivia

 * Since the Commander was at a young age of six or seven when Shadow was made fifty years ago, it is safe to assume he is in his late fifties.
 * The Commander may be the only recurring character of the series with no name. However, in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series he is given the name "Abraham Tower".
 * He is the only character with heterochromia, resulting in him having one green eye and one brown eye. However, in Sonic Chronicles, both his eyes were black.
 * It's possible he also hated Shadow also out of jealousy of his close friendship with Maria.
 * Confusingly, the G.U.N. Commander called Maria the only family he knew, but he later claimed that his family was also killed on the ARK.
 * In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, the Commander's design was used again for another member of G.U.N. encountered in chapter four of the game.
 * His preferred weapon appears to be the Heckler & Koch USP Tactical, which is used by all GUN soldiers in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * The Commander and Shadow share a near identical history and as such, their initial personalities are quite alike: Both out for vengeance for losing what they had at any price.