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 a fictional, anthropomorphic black hedgehog from the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the arch-rival of Sonic the Hedgehog. He was created as the "Ultimate Lifeform" by Professor Gerald Robotnik, using the DNA and blood 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 antihero, 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.

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 for the Dreamcast 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, the character's original name was "Terios," which translates to "reflection of," more than likely to play off of the hero/villain dynamic within the game. Shadow was originally conceived as a female character, a concept that was later used for 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 back burner; Tails was not even announced for the game until a few months later.

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

"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 to himself his true intentions as wishing to get revenge for the death of his friend, Maria Robotnik, as he thought she wanted; it is 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, who later destroyed half of the moon in a demonstration to the populace. Beforehand, he also stole the green Chaos Emerald from a bank, unknowingly also framing Sonic the Hedgehog for the deed. He later participated in the second heist alongside Dr. Eggman and Rouge the Bat against Prison Island, where he would plant explosives throughout the island as part of their getaway, although his resemblance to Sonic also resulted in Amy Rose mistaking him for the latter. However, because Tails came to Amy's rescue from Dr. Eggman, he was forced to act fast due to the unexpected delay. In addition, after Rouge ended up getting caught and stranded in the containment area while recovering the four Chaos Emeralds, Shadow, largely because he realized that his plans of avenging Maria would be for naught if Rouge perished in the explosion, rushed to get to Rouge and by extension the Chaos Emeralds.

After meeting Sonic for a second time, Shadow also believed that Sonic was trying to copy him. They fought to a stalemate before Shadow was forced to leave to rescue Rouge (which Sonic also learning from Eggman via Shadow's radio that the island was about to blow up), and just barely arrived at Rouge's location and used Chaos Control to warp himself, Rouge, the four Chaos Emeralds, and presumably Eggman out at the last possible second. After the demonstration, needing the final Chaos Emerald to fulfill their plans, Shadow pursued Tails' plane at a canyon. Although he was unable to stop them, he nonetheless reported to Eggman that they are headed his way. When Eggman discovered the presence of two apparent emerald readings, and thus deduced Tails' plan of placing a fake Chaos Emerald into the cannon, Shadow departed, apparently to confront Sonic and Tails to stop them for interfering, although Eggman stopped him, wanting to deal with them personally. After Sonic was seemingly killed by Dr. Eggman via a rigged escape capsule, Shadow, witnessing the explosion, guessed that Sonic was only an ordinary hedgehog. Afterwards, Shadow stumbled upon Rouge's plan to steal the Chaos Emeralds, and deduced that she was in fact a spy for the President of the United Federations, although Rouge then unveiled a report from Gerald Robotnik regarding the Biolizard, claiming, it, not Shadow, was the actual Shadow. However, Shadow was forced to depart after Eggman mentioned an anonymous figure (Sonic) heading towards the Eclipse Cannon, although not before stating that he's still Shadow despite his memories possibly being fake, and that "the fake emerald is good enough for [Rouge]." He then discovers Sonic at the area. Shadow, impressed at Sonic's capability of using Chaos Control despite using a fake Chaos Emerald, nonetheless stated that he cannot allow him to live before fighting on a collapsing bridgeway. 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 the Professor's mad plan. Amy Rose then helped Shadow realize Maria's true wish. In a twist of fate, Shadow ultimately aided Sonic when realizing, with Amy's help, Maria's true wish, which was to save humanity. 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, Sonic and Shadow, in their super forms, destroyed the Biolizard. The Ultimate Lifeform prototype became a monster, codenamed FinalHazard. Using their pooled energies, Shadow and Sonic 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. In large part because of his amnesia, he also doesn't remember Sonic when they encountered each other, and thus believed him to be copying him. When confronting the Egg Fleet, Rouge's remark about their being close to the edge of outer space unlocked a part of Shadow's memories. 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. Shadow himself also briefly bore witness to a broken Shadow Android earlier, shortly after Team Dark destroyed the Egg Albatross. When rendezvousing with Rouge shortly afterwards, Shadow remarked that some things "never change" when Rouge considered stealing the Master Emerald again due to Knuckles' presence. 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 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. However, Gerald Robotnik's journal entries in this game contradicts truths found in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog.

Learning and Leaving the Past Behind
In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is revealed to be the dual creation of the evil 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 of the Chaos Emeralds and as Super Shadow, he confronts Devil Doom, Black Doom's powered-up form. He then destroys the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon. In the end, Shadow puts the past behind him and chooses to move forward. Also, in the last battle of the game, after ten minutes of fighting Devil Doom, Eggman confesses to Shadow that he sent one of his robots to save him after the incident in Sonic Adventure 2, which reveals that 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 intertwines with those of Sonic and a 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 subsequently released with the relic's destruction. 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 Eggman, but once he mentions the cryptic message, Eggman denies it. The mystery continues to unfold itself as Rouge warns him of an impending danger and upon stumbling across a secret about Eggman, her transmission is cut 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 via a speaker in Metal Sonic, and 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, Shadow 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 Shadow. 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 when 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 (Lancelot is the first Knight to be fought and the second Boss in the game), his sword is taken. 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 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 away 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. This is the only time Shadow has appeared in a game with the intent on making money, rather than his usual ulterior motives. However, it says in the game manual that Shadow joined to see if his extreme gear skills were better than Sonic's.

The Ultimate Racer
Shadow, like other really famous Sonic characters, appears in the All-Stars Racing sub-series of the Sega Superstars games along with notable SEGA all-stars. In Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, Shadow drives the Dark Rider, a modified G.U.N motorcycle with the Black Arms insignia on the fuel tank. Shadow drives this in order to beat Sonic, but this game does not have a story, so this is a possible reason why he races it. His All-Star Move turns him into Super Shadow and has him flying through the track while launching exploding Chaos Spears at everyone that gets into his line of fire.

The Ultimate Racer Transformed
Shadow, like other all-stars such as Sonic, or Amigo appear in the game's sequel, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, but he doesn't drive his G.U.N chopper. Due to racing requirements to only drive cars, ATVs or trucks, he decides to drive an experimental G.U.N vehicle (as evidenced by the insignia on its hood) that has tank treads instead of wheels. For transformations, it transforms into an armored military speedboat and a jet, for water and air racing respectively. He is unlocked with 35 stars in the World Tour. He also has 2 stickers in the game, one can be unlocked by winning a race with him, and the other can be unlocked sending a certain amount of challenges

Settling the Score Again

 * For more information, see Final Rush.

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 a 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 other's 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 temporarily lose his or her balance, and the Level 3 attack is "Chaos Control," which freezes a nearby opponent so that Shadow can easily pass them. He 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 thirty 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, Princess Daisy, and Metal Sonic. 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 also an unlockable playable character in Sega Superstars Tennis. He can also be found in the DS version of Sonic Colors as a non-playable character, making sure Sonic would be able to take on Eggman. He also discovers that Dr. Eggman's "giant wisp" had escaped.

Personality
Shadow is a loner, to put it bluntly. He is rarely seen with others for an extended period of time, and distances himself from essentially everyone. He is, for the most part soft-spoken, and only says what he needs to before a fight. If he makes a threat, he has every intention of carrying it out. Shadow constantly refers to himself as the Ultimate Lifeform and thus belittles others as well as insulting their lack of strength. He has a ruthless edge in combat that all other characters in the series lack, and displays a natural "killer instinct". At times, Shadow is the most violent and merciless character in the series.

Alongside Shadow's dark demeanor, he can be smug, stubborn, and sarcastic. He treats others in a very callous manner, throwing in his opinion no matter how cold-hearted it is and not caring for whatever the response is. He is shown to be highly arrogant and self absorbed; one of many examples is in the 2006 video game, he (as Super Shadow) states that their battle against Solaris may actually be "a fair fight." He is also consistently serious, even when not on a mission, and he has no regard for silliness.

On occasion, Shadow appears to have some degree of mental instability. This can be seen when he would often have hallucinations about 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. The canon ending of Shadow the Hedgehog showed Shadow willing to destroy anything in his way to get to Black Doom.

Shadow possesses a strong sense of identity, as evidenced when after falsely being told that he isn't the Ultimate Lifeform due to a lab report, he states to Rouge that even if his memories were fake, he is still Shadow the Hedgehog. Similarly in Sonic Heroes, during the Egg Fleet level, he mentions that even without his memories, he is still the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog. Because of this, he possesses a strong will, making him 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."

Shadow is not without sentimental emotions and has shown a small sense of compassion, as seen in the Sonic Heroes opening scene for Team Dark. When Omega begins his attack, Shadow could have easily fled and left Rouge. Instead, he defends her against Omega, despite having absolutely no memory of her. He was also shown to be legitimately shocked when he learned that his goal of 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 with his own memories of Shadow's nightmarish creation, Shadow agrees to face judgement if he was indeed responsible for the ARK massacre 50 years ago.

It can be said that Shadow has a sarcastic sense of humor despite his often times serious persona. He dislikes silliness and has shown great agitation towards Sonic because of it. 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". Later in the game, Vector tried to cheer him up, but Shadow ignored it.

Despite Shadow being considered neutral in terms of alignment, he is considered an anti-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. Regardless, Shadow is still neutral, because he does whatever is necessary to get what he wants.

Physical Abilities
Basic traits between Shadow and Sonic are virtually identical. As such, Shadow possesses many of the same skills and abilities as Sonic has, along with greater raw power than Sonic, making Shadow one of the most powerful characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Due to Shadow's natural high speeds, Shadow is highly acrobatic, agile, and an experienced athlete, capable of gracefully leaping over many obstacles that comes in his way and performing various forms of nimble movements. He has as well radical reaction time to match his movements, being able to react to danger in a split second.

Although he is nowhere nearly as strong as characters like Knuckles the Echidna, Shadow possesses enormous amounts of physical strength, capable of lifting objects many times his weight and size, such as trucks and large slabs of rock/concrete and overturn them with effort.

Like most other characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Shadow is able to run at super speeds. With his Hover Shoes, Shadow can hover-skate at supersonic speeds, even nearing that of hypersonic speeds, and is fast enough to nearly equal the speeds that Sonic can run at, making him one of the fastest characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. While most games places Sonic and Shadow as equals in speed, character profiles in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Rivals claim that Sonic is faster. Also, in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow personally admitted that he was not faster than Sonic, which could put Sonic at the same speed or at a faster speed than Shadow. While it is unknown how fast Shadow actually is without using his Hover Shoes, it has been hinted that Shadow can still move at speeds rivaling that of Sonic's, but he simply prefers not to. His hover shoes also grant him flight to some extent for a short period of time.

Shadow also possesses incredibly high physical durability and is capable of surviving things that would normally be fatal to others, even by the standards in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, making him nearly indestructible. As seen in Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is completely bulletproof while becoming Dark Shadow, being able to brush off all the gun shots from G.U.N. Soldiers as if they were not even there. He can take a lot of major punishment in battle before he starts to wear down. The most prominent testament to Shadow's durability, however, was during the events following Sonic Adventure 2, where Shadow fell down to Earth and through re-entry in the atmosphere, going at speeds reaching six million feet per second, and still survived long enough for one of Dr. Eggman's robots to rescue him. However, he did still receive some injury, as evidenced by the amnesia he got from his fall towards the Earth. Even after receiving major damage, Shadow displays a remarkably fast recovery rate from damage, allowing him to quickly re-enter a battle after just a few moments. Because of his possession of Black Doom's blood, Shadow is also immune to the paralysis gas that was being leaked upon the Black Comet's descent onto Earth.

As shown in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Shadow is able to release tremendous amounts of Chaos Energy if he takes off the rings that are on his wrists. This gives Shadow a drastic increase in overall power as seen at the ending of his story in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), where he is able to plow through what appears to be hundreds of perfect copies of Mephiles the Dark, who can be regarded as one of more powerful foes the series. While most media state that Shadow's increase in power through this method comes at the expense of reducing his stamina, causing him to become exhausted after its use, Shadow shows no sign of fatigue in the video game series when restoring to this method.

Additionally, being the end-product of Project Shadow, which was meant to create an immortal life-form, Shadow does not physically age. Also, given that Project Shadow was partially to develop cures for various kinds of illnesses, Shadow may also be completely immune to disease.

Chaos Powers
Shadow is able to naturally perform different forms of Chaos Powers, where he is able to manifest Chaos Energy as a physical force to create auras of Chaos Energy or manipulate it to create an array of different Chaos Energy-related supernatural powers and abilities, such as Chaos Spear and Chaos Rift.

Like most other characters, Shadow is able to tap into the incredible powers of the Chaos Emeralds and utilize their energies to empower himself and his Chaos Powers, or create a wide variety of other Chaos Powers. Shadow can specifically harness both positive and negative Chaos Energy from the Chaos Emeralds depending on his state of mind.

Shadow's trademark move and most frequently used Chaos Power is Chaos Control, allowing him to bend space and time around him at will, such as slowing down time or teleporting various distances. Shadow is perhaps the most adept user of Chaos Control in the series, since he makes the most extensive use of it and can be considered a master of this technique. Although nearly all cutscenes and biographies in manuals and websites often claim Shadow needs a Chaos Emerald to perform the technique, Shadow has appeared to use Chaos Control without a known Chaos Emerald in his possession. Shadow is also able to shape Chaos Control into a variety of offensive and defensive attacks, and can even use it delicately enough to distort space in small centralized areas, such as around his fists. It is currently unknown as to what extent Shadow can specifically use Chaos Control, as he has never been seen using it on another object without warping himself along with it, but it has been shown that he can warp objects and people 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 of Earth. Aside from its final usage in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow has used Chaos Control with three Emeralds at most, using Chaos Control to save Rouge from Prison Island.

As described in Shadow the Hedgehog, all of Shadow's Chaos powers increase greatly in power with the addition of a greater number of Chaos Emeralds, until reaching full power with all seven Emeralds.

Weaponry and Vehicle Skills
In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow has shown that he can also skillfully 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 submit to using a gun and that he prefers running over using a vehicle.

Combat Skills
In combat, Shadow is a dangerous and fierce force to be reckoned with, and is not to be underestimated. Extremely powerful, Shadow has never been seen holding back his immense strength, making him a powerful and deadly fighter with a distinct killer instinct and has been able to take down some of the most fearsome foes seen in the Sonic the Hedgehog series on his own, such as Black Doom. To best put his skills in perspective, as seen in some of the scenarios in Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is only person so far who has been able to utterly defeat Sonic in combat.

Fighting Style
Shadow's fighting style focuses on direct, brutal, unrestrained and powerful hand-to-hand combat, with heavy reliance on his Chaos Powers. In line with his nature and potent abilities, Shadow has adopted a fighting style where he fights his opponents using powerful blows, such as karate chops and roundhouse kicks, to which of his attacks have a significant amount of force behind them. With the speeds Shadow can move at, he can disable the opponent through the force of his blows alone, while leaving them at the mercy at his incoming attacks.

As seen in Sonic Battle and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow's fighting style revolves around making heavy use of his Chaos Power, especially Chaos Control. Using Chaos Control, Shadow can teleport up in front or behind his opponents in battle to launch surprise attacks, or to distort space around his fists and feet to increase the damage he deals to his opponent when striking them, with the latter often resulting in significant forces being release and blowing the opponent away a certain distance away, such as seen with his Chaos Nightmare technique. To give himself the advantage over his opponents, Shadow will use more powerful Chaos attacks involving Chaos Energy, such as energy bolts or even intense explosions.

Techniques and Moves
Like Sonic, Shadow's basic combat moves revolves around the various forms of the Spin Attack, which is a variation on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. The Homing Attack allows Shadow to jump and home in on an enemy to get over large gaps he cannot normally reach, the Spin Jump lets him curl into a ball attack opponent by landing on them, and the Spin Dash lets him shoot himself forward as an acceleration roll at high speeds to break barriers or mow down enemies. For more direct combat, Shadow can use his Chaos Attack to deal a barrage of Chaos Energy-fueled strikes to his opponents, and his Spin Kick lets him create a small tornado that can suck enemies in and damage them.

Many of Shadow's signature techniques are Chaos Powers. Shadow's trademark move is Chaos Control, which allows him to manipulate time and space to either warp across space or slow down time. His second most used Chaos Power is his Chaos Spear technique, where he throws bolts of Chaos Energy at his opponent. His most powerful and potent technique, however, is the Chaos Blast, which is literally a shockwave of Chaos Energy that eliminates anything and everything in a circular radius range. Shadow can, however, only use this attack when he is immersed in Chaos Energy.

Another special Chaos Power Shadow uses is his Chaos Boost technique. When using the Chaos Boost, Shadow covers himself in Chaos Energy. While in Chaos Boost form, Shadow gains more destructive power and is immune to some enemy attacks. It also enables Shadow to utilize more Chaos Powers, such as Chaos Blast, Chaos Snap, and Chaos Lance. In Sonic Generations, Shadow can also use the Chaos Boost to give himself a boost of speed, which is similar in function to the Sonic Boost. Rather than skating like usual, Shadow uses the fire from his Air Shoes to propel himself forward.

Miscellaneous Skills
As seen in Sonic Free Riders, Shadow has proven himself to be an expert Extreme Gear rider, as seen in the tournament where he was able to put up quite a fight and even defeat some of the world's best Extreme Gear riders. When riding on an Extreme Gear, Shadow is skillful enough to ride on rails, execute complex tricks while in midair, and even perform his Chaos Powers and combat moves with ease.

Super Shadow
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. During his first use of this transformation, Shadow found it difficult to stay in this form, due to his inexperience, but has since mastered it.

Hero Shadow
In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is able to transform into Hero Shadow with the use of positive Chaos Energy, whenever his mind is fueled by thoughts of justice. In this state, Shadow is temporarily invincible and can perform a large scale use of Chaos Control. This form, however, only last for a few moments.

Dark Shadow
In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is able to transform into Dark Shadow with the use of negative Chaos Energy, whenever his mind is fueled by thoughts of evil. In this state, Shadow is temporarily invincible and can perform Chaos Blast. This form, however, only last for a few moments.

Professor Gerald Robotnik
Shadow was created by the renowned scientist Professor Gerald Robotnik, using Black Doom's DNA. Gerald had 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. Black Doom, however, approached Gerald and offered his help, but only on one condition; if Black Doom helped Gerald, the professor must promise to deliver the seven Chaos Emeralds to him. Gerald agreed to these terms, and Black Doom gave some of his DNA, which was added to the samples that Gerald had already obtained. The result of this experiment was Shadow the Hedgehog. Gerald seems to be one of few people whom Shadow felt happy around, and the professor might have acted as a surrogate father to him. This is further proved when Gerald refers to the hedgehog as his "son." Despite this, however, when defeating the FinalHazard, Shadow states that he promises to "destroy all evil that the professor had created," implying that while he might still respect Gerald Robotnik, he nonetheless feels that any bad things that Gerald Robotnik had done after going insane must be stopped.

Doctor Eggman
Shadow's approach to Eggman is different from most characters in the Sonic series. Shadow sees Eggman as the super-genius he has proven to be, rather than 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 of "Eggman." Eggman has shown similar respect by referring to Shadow's powers as "spectacular", and by how he sometimes applauds Shadow. This is seen in Shadow the Hedgehog during a cut scene where Eggman remarks, "Excellent job, Shadow."

Even though Shadow and Eggman display a level of respect toward each other, they also show a dislike toward one another. This can be backed up in Sonic the Hedgehog when Eggman refers to Rouge as his "dear Rouge", and just flatly states Shadow's name. In the same game, when Shadow breaks through the ceiling of his base, Eggman responds with, "wouldn't the door have been easier? So....What do you want now?" The disgusted tone may refer to Shadow having just smashed the ceiling. In Shadow the Hedgehog, Eggman tells Shadow, "You will obey me, or there will be dire consequences". In three possible storylines in Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow even kills Eggman. Even though Shadow and Eggman have some respect for each other, they still do not regard each other as anything more than an acquaintance.

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. It is that DNA sample which 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 his super form, fights and defeats Black Doom, who transformed into Devil Doom. Shadow then destroys the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon in the last story. However, 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, is by far 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, GUN deemed Project Shadow to be too big a threat to the world. As a result, they eliminated everything they could in relation to the project, including the people. 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 mourned 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 became bitter arch-rivals. Shadow and Sonic's rivalry can be fierce enough to the point of trying to kill each other, and at other times an intense competition. In any case, one always wants to outdo the other.

When they first met, Shadow believed Sonic to have been copying him, with a mutual belief from Sonic. He later retained this belief in Sonic Heroes, largely because of his amnesia.

Shadow and Sonic frequently fight due to their own views on justice and morality, and how to act on them. Each does not care what the other thinks of those views. In a sense, the two hedgehogs are polar opposites in every way except their appearance. Almost every time they meet, they fight ferociously. Neither is ever willing to accept defeat from one another.

Despite their fierce arch-rivalry, Shadow and Sonic have helped each other from time to time. Shadow checked if Sonic was ready to defeat Eggman in Sonic Colors. He also saved Sonic from Silver in the 2006 Sonic title, and motivated Sonic to defeat the Time Eater and the Eggmen in Sonic Generations. Afterwards, Shadow attended at Sonic's birthday party, and was the only character present to not wave goodbye to Classic Sonic and Classic Tails.

Miles "Tails" Prower
Shadow and Tails first met in Sonic Adventure 2. Shadow was mistaken for Sonic, and the military captured Sonic and imprisoned him on Prison Island. Shadow, Tails, and everyone else later became allies when they had to save the planet from being destroyed by a collision with the Space Colony ARK. In Sonic Heroes, they fought very briefly because Shadow and Rouge had provoked Team Sonic into fighting them.

While Tails cannot match Shadow's power and experience in a fight, his machines have hindered Shadow before. The main creation that hindered Shadow was the fake Chaos Emerald in ''Sonic Adventure 2. ''Sonic used the fake Chaos Emerald to activate Chaos Control to escape the exploding capsule that Dr. Eggman tried to destroy him in. Soon after, Sonic used the fake Chaos Emerald to sabotage the Eclipse Cannon and prevent it from firing.

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 they 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." Shadow has not shared the closeness of opening up to neither Omega or Rouge the way best friends would do, let alone accompanying them as casual company due to his independent and distant nature, unlike how Sonic interacts with his companions. However, Shadow was implied to have at least heard of her before their formal meeting onboard the Space Colony ARK, as Shadow responds, "Now I know who you are! You're that government spy, Rouge the Bat, aren't you!" when stumbling upon her true intentions at the controls of the Eclipse Cannon.

In Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow saved her life when Rouge was trapped in Security Hall, though when she 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." However, 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...!" The conversation then devolves into a fight between the two.

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 Maria, may be Shadow's closest friend. This relationship is first shown when Shadow looks out for Omega in Sonic Heroes halfway 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 the player refuses 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 proof that he doesn't like seeing his closest friends being hurt. This is also shown when the player finds 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, Shadow responds with, "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, Shadow and Amy Rose 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-guard by her touch. He also does not shake her off or resort 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 Shadow continues to glare at her quietly. After Amy notices Dr. Eggman, she also realizes the mistake she has 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 time 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, 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 the Rabbit 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 to their organization; 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. Another possibility is that since Gerald Robotnik created him, and Eggman, Gerald's grandson, created Metal Sonic, he felt it was right. 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, the two travel back ten years to witness the Solaris Project's accident. The two work together then later split up to go after their own targets, Silver sealing Iblis inside Elise and Shadow sealing Mephiles inside the Scepter of Darkness. After they finish, Shadow and Silver 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 the Sonic Rivals games, Shadow and Silver are rivals. Shadow does not trust Silver's intentions and speculations about Dr. Eggman's identity, but after he discovered that Silver was right, the two seem to share a trusted bond. In Sonic Rivals 2, they are at odds, mostly because Silver did not want Shadow getting in his way. It doesn't seem that Shadow remembers anything about their last journey in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, 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. When Eggman tries to lie and manipulate Shadow, Espio tells the hedgehog 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 (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 (creator)
 * Maria Robotnik
 * Eggman
 * Eggman Nega (Sonic Rivals, Sonic Rivals 2)
 * Biolizard

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 [Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) only]
 * Shadow Androids
 * Eggman Nega (Sonic Rivals 1 and 2)

Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog
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 tense 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. 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 Eggs 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 Bocoe 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 in arguments which quickly turn into outright deathmatches. Sometimes it's a test of pure speed between the two hedgehogs. However, they usually finish the battle tied, 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.

This recurring 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 defeats Sonic in the Dark Story. In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Sonic actually defeats Shadow in a two-part battle; Shadow is surprised at his defeat and comments, "You...you've been practicing". In Sonic Generations, Sonic wins against Shadow and gains a Chaos Emerald.

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 cut scene 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 the player performs the Neutral Dark or Neutral Hero stories, it reveals that Shadow is an android.

At the last Team Dark cut scene 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. Also, Shadow was the only one in his area, and because E-123 Omega was guarding this "Shadow Android", it made it very likely that "Shadow Android" was actually Shadow. This is confirmed in Shadow the Hedgehog. While Shadow is facing Black Doom in his Devil Doom form, Eggman says that he used a robot to rescue Shadow 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 multiplayer 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 ammunition 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", as well as 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 suffering from amnesia.
 * "Hmm.  Look how pathetic they are!  I don't have time for these humans." - Witnessing the arrival of the Black Arms.
 * "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 in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
 * "Witness the true speed!" - When starting a race in Sonic Free Riders.
 * "No doubt!" - When being questioned as the true ultimate life form by Rouge.
 * "I have to go now!  I have to keep my promise to Maria...and you."  -After having been reminded of his true purpose through Amy.
 * "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.
 * "I've heard enough. You're boring me to death, Black Doom! You're going DOWN!" - Shadow confronting Black Doom in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "This is the end of you, and the end of my cursed past." - Super Shadow after defeating Devil Doom in Shadow The Hedgehog.
 * "Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog." - From the final cut scene of Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "CHAOS...BLAST!"
 * "CHAOS...CONTROL!"
 * "CHAOS...SPEAR!"
 * "Ultimate victory!" - Getting an A rank in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "Hmph, too easy for me!" - Getting a B rank in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "That wasn't so hard!" - Getting a C rank in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "Maybe I didn't try hard enough." - Getting a D rank in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "I guess I'm not at full power here." - Getting an E rank in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "Before this is over... I'll show you the true power of CHAOS CONTROL!" -Sonic Adventure 2, just before his second fight with Sonic.
 * "Anyone who gets in my way is my enemy." - Said after completing the Westopolis Dark Mission in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "How pathetic." - Shadow facing the police in Sonic Adventure 2.
 * "You're going straight to hell!" - Shadow confronting Dr. Eggman in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "Ha! There's no strength in numbers!" - Shadow after destroying enemies in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
 * "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).
 * "I determine my own destiny." - Shadow before he fights Mephiles.
 * "Where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald?" - Shadow running through Circus Park in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "Don't touch it!" - Shadow yelling to Rouge when she was going to grab a fake Chaos Emerald in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)..
 * "Goodbye, Doctor!" - Shadow killing Dr. Eggman in the Semi Dark, Neutral Dark and Neutral Hero Endings 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.
 * "Just watch this!"  After acheiving a high score in Sonic Heroes.
 * "You'll regret this, Doctor. Even if I'm not real, I'm still the ultimate lifeform, Shadow The Hedgehog!" - Before attacking the Egg Fleet in Sonic Heroes
 * "Who am I, and why can't I remember anything?" - Shadow at the start of Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "RRGH! BEHOLD THE ULTIMATE POWER!" - Shadow while using Chaos Control in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "RRGH! DEATH TO ALL WHO OPPOSE ME!" - Shadow while using Chaos Blast in Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * "I'm Shadow...Shadow the Hedgehog. I was created to bring order and justice to the humans. With the power of the Chaos Emeralds, I'm going to destroy this damn planet! This is WHO I AM! Hahahahaha..." Shadow after beating Sonic and Diablon in Shadow the Hedgehog's Pure Dark ending.
 * "Don't bother to try and deceive me. I know who I am!" - Shadow at the beginning of his first fight against Mephiles.
 * "You're finally here, Sonic. I don't know where we are, nor do I care. This is where I finish you, Sonic. - Shadow when approached by Sonic for a fight in Sonic Generations.
 * "Back again, Sonic? Guess you never learn your lesson." - Shadow when approached by Sonic for a fight again in Sonic Generations.
 * "Get lost." - Shadow after boosting in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed.
 * "Someone needs to be taught his place." - Shadow during his All-Star Move in Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed.
 * "What's wrong? Tired of being so weak?" - Shadow during his All-Star Move in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed.
 * Hmph. Is that all you've got?" - Shadow after winning in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed.

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 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 second favorite Sonic character, beaten only by Sonic the Hedgehog himself, in the official Sonic character poll. Out of the thousands of votes that were tallied, Sonic only won by ten. However, many game reviewers, such as GameSpot, have called Shadow a "clone" of Sonic. 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

 * Though the design of Shadow the Hedgehog was meant to be a secret until such time SEGA decided to reveal the finalized version, 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."
 * Shadow often uses the green Chaos Emerald to use Chaos Control.
 * Shadow and Knuckles were originally confirmed to appear in Sonic Unleashed as optional, playable characters alongside Tails and Amy when 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 along the lines of "What creature was revealed from the planet when Eggman broke it?" 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 presumably has green blood, as Black Doom said Shadow was created from a sample of his blood, which is green. However, members of the Black Arms only have green Blood in other releases of the game, as in the Japanese version of Shadow the Hedgehog, the Black Arms have red blood.
 * Prima's Official Game Guides for Sonic Adventure 2 referred to 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 Knuckles and Shadow.
 * In Shadow the Hedgehog, the President has a picture of Sonic and Shadow standing near the White House on his desk.
 * In the Japanese commercial for Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is seen dancing.
 * In his Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games artwork, Shadow appears to be missing his 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, he's also shown wielding a gun in his right hand on his box art in Shadow the Hedgehog, and in a cut scene where he watches Sonic pass out from being beaten. Shadow is also shown holding his racket in his right hand in SEGA Superstars Tennis, and holds his sword in his right hand in Sonic & the Black Knight, both as Lancelot and in multiplayer mode, where the player can take control of 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. Throughout the games, though, Shadow demonstrates ambidexterity, with a left-side dominance.
 * In the Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Shadow always leads with his right for his attacks during cutscenes and gameplay, despite being left-handed.
 * Shadow has been proven to be very strong because in Shadow the Hedgehog, he is able to overturn heavy objects with ease while holding a weapon in the other hand. He is also able to destroy walls as well as carry some heavy objects without effort.
 * 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.
 * Shadow's skin color is usually tanner in his 2D artwork than his 3D artwork.
 * In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow seems to be able to use psychokinetic powers, as seen in some of his POW moves such as Metal Storm. This power has not been seen in any other continuity. It is possible that this ability is a variation of Chaos Control.
 * 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.
 * 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's Brawl Trophy is almost identical to his Sonic 06 artwork.
 * In Sonic Generations, the player may rewarded (Determinant) with the fourth Chaos Emerald for defeating Shadow (third if Perfect Chaos is fought first). Coincidentally, in his own game, Shadow mentions the fourth Chaos Emerald in a line, "Where's the damn fourth Chaos Emerald!?" which has since gained internet popularity.
 * Shadows quills heavily resemble those of Hyper Sonic and Super Sonic in the Sonic Adventure games.
 * Shadow is known by some fans to have a famous quote, "Where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald?"