Shadowbot

Shadowbots were the primary army and workforce of Robo Robotnik upon coming to Mobius Prime when he replaced the recently deceased Dr. Ivo Robotnik (his Mobius Prime counterpart). Shadowbots were much taller and slightly more effective than the previous Robotnik's SWATbot models, though were still no match for Sonic the Hedgehog or the Freedom Fighters. Shadowbots were the main force behind Robo-Robotnik's retaking of Robotropolis and securing his empire on Mobius. However, the Shadowbot model was abandoned after they were all but destroyed along with Robotropolis by Station Square's nuclear strike. Someof the surviving models were merged with the Eggman Empire's updated SWATbot army, though still proved largely ineffective.

Early Models
Early versions of the Shadowbot known as Shadow SWATbots were seen when Robo Robotnik first arrived in Mobius Prime, chasing after Cyborg Sonic. These early models were outclassed by Robotnik Prime's regular SWATbot models, and Robo Robotnik was forced to retreat. (StH: #19)

Retaking Mobotropolis
Following his arrival in Mobius Prime, Robo-Robotnik brought along a large group of Shadowbots to help him regain the territories lost by the original Dr. Ivo Robotnik following his death. After luring the Knothole Freedom Fighters to his space station, Robo-Robotnik used the Delta and Gamma Shadowbot models to defend his space station, though these still proved largely ineffective against Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. Meanwhile, a large contingent of Delta and Gamma models of Shadowbots were used to attack the citizens of Mobotropolis, rounding up the captives of roboticization while also securing the city for Robo-Robotnik's return. The Gamma-type Shadowbots, much taller than their Delta-type counterparts, proved to be very successful in capturing civillians as they could simply pick them up and carry them off to be roboticized. With the Knothole Freedom Fighters on board the space station, and the Acorn Kingdom Army completely unprepared for the surprise attack, the Shadowbots quickly recaptured the city. (StH: #75)

Although Robo-Robotnik's body was destroyed along with his space station, his computer consciousness was transported into the Dr. Eggman style body, which lay a half mile beneath the city of the rechristened Robotropolis. From there, the Shadowbots made a sweep of the city to look for any more Mobians who had not been successfully evacuated to Knothole. When Sonic and the Freedom Fighters re-entered the city in order to plant a computer virus in the city's computer systems, the Shadowbot defence force proved useless against Sonic's abilities. With help from Snively, the computer virus was planted and Dr. Eggman was unable to download the location of Knothole into his memories. Downloading the computer virus instead, Dr. Eggman grew sick each time he attempted to download Knothole's location, using his Shadowbots to help him move around or help him lay down. Shadowbots continued to be used to patrol the city. (StH: #76)

Military Might
A group of Delta-classed Shadowbots in hover chairs tracked down and pursued Sonic and the Freedom Fighters during their attempt to get out of Robotropolis and make it back to Knothole. These Shadowbots were destroyed quickly however by Dulcy Dragon, enabling the Freedom Fighters to escape. (StH: #77)

Unable to download the location of Knothole, Dr. Eggman instead discovered a file regarding the Hidden City of the Ancients and the legend of the water beast Chaos. Upon discovering this file, Dr. Eggman had a group of Delta-model Shadowbots accompany him to obtain emerald shards from the Master Emerald to feed Chaos. Despite the Echidna Security Team's efforts to defend the city, and although the Master Emerald's chamber was protected by a force field, the Shadowbots were able to break through the shield and shatter the Master Emerald, causing Angel Island to descend and fall into the ocean. (StH: #79)

When Prince Elias snuck into Robotropolis to find a cure for his ailing mother's health, Shadowbots discovered him during his attempted return back to Knothole. Shadowbots managed to captured and imprison him. When King Max lead the Acorn Kingdom Army to Robotropolis in order to rescue Elias, Shadowbots attempted to defend the city, though the might of the Acorn Kingdom's army proved too much, and Elias was successfully rescued. (StH: #88)

Other Roles and Destruction
Following the return of the Megapolis Overlanders from outer space, Shadowbots were used to defend them from the attacking Monkey Khan as well as escort them safely to the city. The constant presence of the Shadowbots within the city were explained by Dr. Eggman, who called them "Protector Bots", as the city's protectors from would-be Mobian attackers. This was widely accepted by the Overlanders, particularly after they chased off a psychotic Kodos. Shadowbots continued to patrol the city at all times, ensuring curfew was enforced and making security sweeps of the city. (StH: #92, #94, #95)



For months, the Shadowbots remained one of the main robots of Dr. Eggman's army, though mostly remained confined to Robotropolis. However, when the numerous Robians in Robotropolis had their free will restored by the Sword of Acorns and were subsequently rescued from Robotropolis, the Shadowbots took on the role of labourers as well. Some of these jobs included burning oil or simple construction duties. The Shadowbots became all but extinct when Robotropolis was nuked by Station Square, with only a few being converted into Updated SWATbots. (StH: #100, #110, #133)

A group of Shadowbot-based SWATbots remained in operation on Angel Island months later following Sonic's return from space. Controlled by A.D.A.M., this force was originally to be used in a surprise attack on Knuckles when the latter planned to liberate Angel Island by himself. At the last minute, Knuckles abandoned the plan, and the Shadowbots remained unused for this mission, though A.D.A.M. assured Eggman that Knuckles was likely to attempt it again later. (StH: #136])

Personality
Shadowbots displayed even less personality than Robotnik Prime's SWATbots. Shadowbots typically said only one line of dialogue: "Surrender all hope and prepare to be roboticized in the name of Doctor Robotnik". On occasion however, they did show signs of personality, such as when they replied to Eggman saying "You don't have to tell us twice, Dr. Robotnik" with regards to carrying out an order. (StH: #77, #100, #110)

However, Shadowbots are not completely incapable of emotion, as evidenced when the lone survivor of Dulcy's attack ran away in fear. (StH: #77)

Variant Models
When Robo-Robotnik first began openly re-establishing the empire left behind by the late Dr. Ivo Robotnik, there were two main variants of the Shadowbot: Delta and Gamma. Delta models were roughly the same size as the original SWATbots, while the Gamma variant was significantly taller, towering over Mobians and Overlanders. Gamma-type Shadowbots had laser blasters on the palms of their hands, while the smaller Delta-type often used Opti-Burst lasers from their eye sections. Delta-type Shadowbots also were seen using hover chairs to fly around for faster mobility. (StH: #74, #75, #77, #95)

On one occassion, a Delta-type Shadowbot was seen using the hover pod with leg units attached. (StH: #100)

Following Sonic's return from outer space, Shadowbots were almost always referred to as SWATbots, even in cases where they remained almost entirely Shadowbot in design. This was the case for the Shadowbots on Angel Island which were to be used in a sneak attack against Knuckles. Most of the existing Shadowbot models however had been slightly altered or obgraded to work alongside their variant SWATbot counterparts. (StH: #133, #136)