Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog character
File:Shadow rivals.png Shadow the Hedgehog is a rival of Sonic the Hedgehog.
First game	Sonic Adventure 2
Created by	Sonic Team

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

Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Shadou za Hejiihoggu) is a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, created by Sonic Team, designed by Yuji Uekawa and owned by Sega.

Shadow is a black, male, anthropomorphic hedgehog. He is one of Sonic the Hedgehog's rivals and is considered to be an anti-hero, and was created by Gerald Robotnik. Created as the Ultimate Life form, Shadow is ageless and immortal.

Since his debut, Shadow has appeared in a multitude of games, television shows, and comic books. His past is almost a complete mystery until the game Shadow the Hedgehog reveals the events surrounding his creation and his being captured by the government. In contrast to Sonic, Shadow is typically portrayed as a tortured anti-hero, or a renegade who can just as easily serve the forces of evil as those of good. According to an official poll, he is the second most popular character in the series, second only to Sonic himself.

History

Major Appearances

In Sonic Battle, Rouge saves Shadow's life 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. In one of Gerald Robotnik's journal entries, he mentions that "Project Shadow" was put on hold because of Project Gizoid.

File:SuperShadowCG.png

Super Shadow as seen in Shadow the Hedgehog.

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is revealed to be the dual creation of the alien overlord Black Doom and Professor Gerald. Gerald could not finish the project on his own, so he contacted the Black Comet and used Black Doom's DNA to create Shadow. Shadow eventually gathers all the Chaos Emeralds and confronts Doom as Super Shadow. He then destroys the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon. In the end, he puts the past behind and chooses to move forward. Also in the last battle of the game, Eggman confesses to Shadow that he saved him in Sonic Adventure 2 before he fell to Earth, meaning he is the real Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2, and not a Shadow Android as was believed.

In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game, Shadow is a playable character and has his own storyline which weaves with those of Sonic and new character Silver the Hedgehog. After the events of Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow has apparently become a GUN agent. In this role, Shadow encounters the new villain Mephiles the Dark due to the incident that happened ten years ago. Shadow is sent to the future and is revealed to have been sealed away by the reprogrammed Omega sometime after the release of Iblis. Ultimately, Mephiles gains hold of the seven Chaos Emeralds and merges into 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, leaving his future open.

Shadow appears in Sonic Rivals as a playable character alongside Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, and Metal Sonic. Summoned to a strange land by Dr. Eggman via a cryptic transmission asking for his aid, Shadow is able to successfully locate Dr. Eggman, but once he mentions the cryptic message, Dr. Eggman denies it. The mystery continues to unfold itself as Rouge warns him of an impending danger and upon stumbling across a secret about Dr. Eggman, her transmission is cut off short. Shadow continues his quest to uncover the truth about Dr. Eggman. Shadow also appears on four of the 150 collectible cards in the game.

Shadow will be appearing in the sequel to Sonic Rivals, Sonic Rivals 2.

Minor 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 temporally stuns a nearby opponent, the Level 2 attack is "Back Kick" which makes an opponent lose his/her balance temporally, and the Level 3 attack is "Chaos Control" which freezes a nearby opponent, so he can easily pass them. It is very likely for him to appear in the sequel Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.

Shadow also appeared in the game Sonic and The Secret Rings[4], being the first unlockable character for the Party Mode (next ones being Cream, Silver and Blaze) by obtaining 30 Fire Souls.

Shadow has been confirmed to appear in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.

Personality

Shadow is a "lone wolf" who distances himself from Sonic and his friends. He is overall the exact opposite of Sonic. Where as Sonic is witty and fun-loving, Shadow always remains serious and no-nonsense.

Shadow is arguably one of the most developed characters in the series, willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants or achieve what he believes is right. He will destroy anyone (ranging Sonic to Eggman) or anything that gets in his way--even if this involves the destruction of an entire planet or himself. This nature seems to cause him to treat enemies more like obstacles to be swept aside than any actual foe.

Despite his violent tendencies, Shadow has shown that he is capable of compassion, as depicted in episode 68 of the Sonic X series as well as when Shadow stepped in between Sonic and Silver in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game. He has also been shown to be extremely loyal to his creator and Maria, following their instructions without questioning morals.

In the anime series Sonic X, Shadow is slightly less aggressive, but still retains his violent nature. For example, Shadow attempted to kill Cosmo because he thought she was a Metarex spy. Tails then tried to protect Cosmo, which resulted in Shadow giving him a severe beating. The series tones down Shadow's dark and aggressive attitude to make the show acceptable for younger viewers.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books, Shadow used to be depicted as being very aggressive and violent towards others, but has recently become more gentle.

Relationships

As a major figure in opposing the various threats that rise to threaten his homeworld, Shadow has found himself working alongside numerous allies that he many times battle against depending on circumstance.

Professor Gerald Robotnik

50 years ago, the head scientist on Space Colony Ark Professor Gerald Robotnik, Dr. Eggman's grandfather, created Shadow with the use of Black Doom's DNA. Shadow has a great deal of respect for the professor and is known to be quite loyal to the original purpose Gerald established for him before going mad. After discovering Gerald's madness, Shadow disavowed Gerald's new insane goals. Instead Shadow prefers to remember the professor for what he was before his final days of derangement.

Maria Robotnik

Soon after being created, Shadow became close friends with the Professor's granddaughter, Maria Robotnik, whom he seems to have treated like a sister. However, Maria was shot trying to escape with Shadow from the Space Colony ARK during GUN's siege of the station. After her death, Maria's sacrifice to save Shadow both continuously haunted and motivated him, until he finally decided to let go of his past at the end of Shadow the Hedgehog and lead his own life.

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. 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 ultimately fights and defeats Black Doom (who transformed into Devil Doom) and then destroys the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon in the Last Story. It is unknown if Black Doom is still alive since he plummeted to Earth, a scenario Shadow managed to survive in Sonic Adventure 2. Throughout the events of the Shadow the Hedgehog Black Doom threatens Shadow and demands extreme loyalty and respect, even when choosing the Dark path in gameplay. He also doesn't tolerate any kind of mistake or failure, no matter how difficult the task on Shadow's part. Black Doom is also Shadow's archenemy, similar to what Eggman is to Sonic.

Mephiles the Dark

During Sonic the Hedgehog Shadow gains a new enemy named Mephiles the Dark. During the game, Mephiles sends Shadow and Rouge into the future upon his release and resurrection. He then attempts to gain Shadow's allegiance by revealing the truth that humanity would turn against Shadow and imprison him. This attempt was merely a play of opportunity since in reality Mephilis actually hated Shadow for imprisoning him in the Scepter of Darkness 10 years ago, an event that Shadow had not yet experienced since he had not traveled back in time yet. Regardless, Mephiles attempts to win him over proves unsuccessful, Shadow making Mephiles an absolute enemy when Shadow learned of Mephiles's true intentions. In the end, when Mephiles asked Shadow why he would fight for a world that will become his enemy, Shadow responded "If the world decides to become my enemy, then I will fight like I always have." Although Mephiles was erased from existence when Solaris's flame was blown out in the past, Mephiles was arguably Shadow's deadliest enemy, more so than Black Doom in some cases; specifically because Mephiles reincarnated himself in Shadow's image and forcibly became a worthy adversary instead of a character that might just be an obstacle that gets in his way like Eggman.

Doctor Eggman

Shadow's approach to Dr. Eggman is quite different to that of other characters, apart from Rouge the Bat. His relation to the Doctor is neither that of a staunch enemy nor an ally, choosing instead to form alliances with or against him depending on the circumstances. While Eggman has helped Shadow on multiple occasions, each time was just a means to use the black hedgehog in his own plans. Although Shadow appears to show little regard for whether Dr. Eggman's schemes succeed or not, clashes do occur when they get in each other's way. Despite this, they display a certain amount of respect for each other's abilities, one notable aspect being that Shadow always refers to Eggman by his title of "Doctor."

Rouge the Bat

Shadow also has a close relationship with Rouge the Bat, her being probably the closest thing he has to an actual friend since the death of Maria. Rouge also shows a lot of respect for the black hedgehog and is often seen worrying about his safety throughout the series. Shadow can be very protective of her and has grown to deeply trust her to a certain degree. A few times she also becomes a "damsel-in-distress", usually causing Shadow to end up saving her. Rouge has also returned the favor a couple times, such as when she takes Shadow to her place to rest when he is weakened. Despite their closeness, Shadow remains mysterious and sometimes sarcastic to her, mostly causing her to be either concerned or annoyed.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Shadow's biggest rival is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog, the main protagonist of the game series. When the two first meet in Sonic Adventure 2, they immediately became enemies, but over time their relationship developed into a friendly rivalry. They frequently fight for different reasons, and Shadow finds Sonic to be very irritating for his carefree attitude, but they are still often forced to work together. However, whilst not being 'friends' as such, Sonic and Shadow could be said to have a mutual respect for each other, as 'friendly rivals.' Sonic has assisted Shadow in multiple events during Shadow the Hedgehog and Shadow returning the favor such as when he saves Sonic from Silver during the Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Amy Rose

Shadow has a short but somewhat significant encounter with Amy Rose in the Last Story of Sonic Adventure 2. When the Space Colony ARK is nearing its collision course with Earth, Amy pleads to Shadow to help save the world. At first he refuses, but Amy's persistent words eventually trigger the once-dormant memory of Maria's real wish: to give people a chance to be happy. There was no interaction between the two until Shadow the Hedgehog where Shadow is able to assist Amy in finding Cream and Cheese, whom had gotten lost in the Cryptic Castle. Later, Amy is seen and heard cheering Shadow on during and after the events of Last Way and the final battle against Devil Doom. Note- In Sonic X it's Chris, rather than Amy, who reminds Shadow of Maria's true wish. But in both regards, Amy is the only one to ever witness Shadow shedding a tear.

The Chaotix

Shadow gets acquainted with The Chaotix during Sonic Heroes when Rouge engages them in combat. Later, the Chaotix proves to be allies as Shadow works with each of them in his name-stated video game Shadow the Hedgehog as well as in the anime Sonic X.

Silver the Hedgehog

Silver the Hedgehog first crossed paths with Shadow in the Sonic the Hedgehog game during an attempt to kill Sonic. Shadow intervened on the assassination, taking over the fight and allowing Sonic to pursue Eggman. During their confrontation, Silver witnessed and learned to harness Chaos Control from Shadow's example. Afterward, Shadow and Silver travel back in time to learn the truth of Mephiles the Dark, inevitably, writing the history that they were meant to with Shadow imprisoning Mephiles in the Sceptor of Darkness and Silver meeting Elise during Iblis's sealing. While the events of the game are erased with Solaris's destruction, the events never coming to pass, Silver still returns from the future in Sonic Rivals and becomes a rival of Shadow and Sonic.

Abilities

Basic traits between Shadow and Sonic are virtually identical. Like Sonic, Shadow is highly acrobatic, capable of gracefully leaping over many obstacles in his way. His Spin Attacks are variations on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Also, due to his Air Shoes and powerful body, he can "skate" at speeds high enough to rival, or equal, Sonic's (Mach 1). However, there are some differences between these two hedgehogs. First of all, Shadow's body does not age and he cannot be killed. Shadow also has impressive physical strength, as seen in Shadow the Hedgehog; Shadow can flip over cars, buses, and slabs of pavement with one hand.

He can also use different "Chaos powers," that have varying effects and names. Shadow's trademark move is Chaos Control, which allows him to warp time and space. Shadow uses it mainly to transport matter and/or to slow or stop time. The move actually allows the user to manipulate time and space to warp across "space" or move through or across "time". Sonic, Black Doom and Silver can also use Chaos Control, though the move originally appeared with Shadow and he makes the most extensive use of it. Although cutscenes and bios in manuals and websites often claim Shadow needs a Chaos Emerald to perform the technique, he has used it several times during gameplay without a visible Emerald such as in Sonic Rivals. Shadow is also able to shape Chaos Control into a variety of offensive and defensive attacks, such as "Chaos Spear".

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

As shown in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and Sonic X, Shadow is able to unleash more of his power if he takes off the rings on his wrists. Sonic X was the first to present this idea, which at first made it seem to be exclusive to the anime, as during the Sonic Adventure 2 adaption, Shadow loses his rings when trying to stop the ARK from crashing to earth. In the game, Sonic enters the ARK with one of Shadow's rings. In the anime, this increase in power comes at the expense of reducing his stamina, causing Shadow to become exhausted after a relatively short time engaged in combat as seen in episodes 60, 61, and 63 of the series. However in the video game series, he shows no sign of fatigue. The increase in his power from taking off his rings shows a drastic change in the final cutscene of his story in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, after he plows through many clones of Mephiles.

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

By harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow is able to use super transformation to transform into Super Shadow. He is bestowed with the new abilities of flight and near invulnerability, like Super Sonic, and his normal abilities of speed and power are greatly enhanced.

Other appearances

Sonic X

File:Shadow-SonicX38.jpg

Shadow, as seen in an episode of the anime Sonic X.

Shadow also appears on the anime Sonic X. Episodes 33 through 38 are based on Sonic Adventure 2, with quite a few differences from the game. For one, it was Chris Thorndyke who reminded Shadow of his true promise from Maria, not Amy Rose. Afterwards, he makes short appearances in flashbacks, but he makes his true return in episode 60, “The Return of Shadow”. In Japan he is voiced by his game voice actor, but in the dub he is voiced by Jason Griffith, who also does the voice of Sonic.

In Season 3, Shadow had no clear memory of his mysterious past, although in one episode, he seems to have an image of Maria in his mind. However, he cannot seem to work out who she really was. In that same episode, Dr. Eggman visits people of a planet the Metarex are warring with, including one orange-haired female teenager by the name of Molly. Shadow and Rouge meet her, and at the end of the French/Japanese version of the episode, Molly was killed by the Metarex. Shadow erects a makeshift grave for her, and Rouge notes that she was similar to Maria. In the English dub Molly is seen flying off into the sky and instead of a grave, Shadow says that he will miss her and he is worried about her being all alone out in space.

Later, Shadow receives a faint memory of Maria as he is holding the white Chaos Emerald in his hands. In the last episode of the third season, as Shadow is in his Super form, Shadow performs Chaos Control to save everyone from an exploding planet, possibly sacrificing himself in the process. In the Japanese/French version of the last episode, Shadow is seen at Molly's grave, where he seems to have put a pink flower on it. But in the English version of Sonic X, Shadow's whereabouts are unknown.

The anime also makes reference to the fact that Shadow may be associated with a folklore hero named "Black Wind", possibly in reference to "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui from the classic Chinese novel "The Water Margin."

Shadow was mentioned briefly in issue #18 of the Sonic X comic series, although he has yet to make an actual appearance. However, since it has been stated by Ian Flynn that the Sonic X comic series may not cover the Metarex Saga, Shadow appearing seems unlikely.

Sonic the Hedgehog

File:Sonic146.jpg

Shadow, as seen on the cover of issue #146.

Shadow also appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, and his origin is identical to that in the games in that he was created by Gerald Robotnik to stand against the threat of Black Doom and the Black Arms. He debuted in an adaptation of the game Sonic Adventure 2, with a few changes to accommodate the Archie version of Mobius/Earth. The comic skips over the events of the game, and Shadow reappears with an explanation of how he survived his apparent death: an alien race, the Bem, rescued him so he could combat their enemy, the alien Xorda, buying the Bem time to escape. However, Shadow could not defeat the Xorda (even in his super form) and plummeted toward Mobius. He survived the fall and was found by Sonic, who brought him before King Acorn so that he could warn him of the impending threat of the Xorda, allowing the House of Acorn to amass an army of allies to stand against the Quantum Dial weapon.

Shadow often works alone to achieve his goal, which is to discover the truth about his mysterious history. He has at times allied with Sonic and the Freedom Fighters to fight greater evils, like the Xorda, and he has been known to work either for or against Dr. Robotnik depending on the circumstances (once even threatening to kill him). Often, he will side with whomever he believes will bring him closer to the truth. This search has led him to interact with various other characters, including the robot Isaac, Brotherhood of Guardians member Locke, and various versions of Metal Sonic. Shadow also has some connection with the being or beings responsible for the creation of Croctobot, the robot created from a fusion of Crocbot and Octobot. In addition to Sonic, Shadow has also established a rivalry with Scourge the Hedgehog, an evil version of Sonic from another dimension and forme leader of the Anti-Freedom Fighters. He has also sworn to protect Hope Kintobor at all costs, viewing it as atoning for Maria's death since Hope is one of the few living beings to show compassion towards him besides Maria, and also bears a striking resemblance to her (enough so that he nearly mistook Hope for Maria at one point).

His threats to kill Dr. Robotnik were cut short when the villain revealed his blood-connection to the late Maria and hinted he could help uncover Shadow's past. Shadow allied himself with Dr. Eggman in hopes of the doctor making good on his promise. However, he later found himself captured by A.D.A.M., who wished to use him and Tails to collect every Chaos Emerald in the universe by use of his Chaos Control. Upon gaining freedom, Shadow helped Tails teleport all the Chaos Emeralds into the Zone of Silence. He later confronted Dr. Robotnik and his nephew, Snively Kintobor, demanding Professor Gerald's diary and stealing the disk containing it, only for the data be damaged by the robots pursuing him. Sonic saves him from the attackers, and later on NICOLE says she can wire into the disk and let Shadow uncover the secrets of his past. Inside the diary Shadow finds out that his creator had made a deal with Black Doom to create the greatest weapon (Shadow), but the professor changed his mind and defied Black Doom. He created Shadow with the intent to protect Mobius. Afterwards, he joined Knuckles the Echidna in taking down Snively's Egg Lobster, which the Overlander used in pursuit of Shadow to seek vengeance for being snatched bald.

Having gained the answers he sought, it is clear that Shadow will now be protecting Mobius, though he doesn't seem interested in joining either the Freedom Fighters or the Chaotix. He was not among those drawn in by Rouge the Bat's auction of the Master Emerald-unlike Freedom Fighters Sonic, Sally Acorn, Bunnie Rabbot, and Antoine D'Coolette as well as criminals Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, Nack the Weasel, Bean the Dynamite, and Bark the Polar Bear-and was absent during a Robotnik attack that resulted in the destruction of Knothole. Some time after learning about his past, Shadow would come to the aid of New Mobotropolis to help them fight against a foe whom even he would find challenging: Enerjak, Knuckles' arch-nemesis reborn through the power of the Master Emerald.

All of Shadow's Chaos powers in the comic book series come from the greatest power in the universe, the Chaos Force (also referred to as "The Power of Chaos"), a mystical energy field that serves as a wellspring for all Chaos powers. Knuckles states at one point that Shadow must have direct access to this energy, even without an Emerald, as displayed when Shadow sub-consciously halted a squadron of 'Metal Sonic Troopers' using Chaos Control in the absence of an Emerald.

Possible Future

In the second version of the comic's Mobius: 25 Years Later "possible future" storyline, Shadow becomes King of Mobius and the husband of Sally Acorn. Because of this, Sonic and Sally's children Sonia and Manik, from another possible future, never exist. In this future, Shadow rules the planet with an iron fist, with a futuristic Knuckles serving as his chief enforcer. In addition, he has an alliance with Lien-Da, Grand Master of the Dark Legion, despite the disapproval of her ancestor Dimitri, who considers her pact with Shadow to be as bad as his own previous alliance with Dr. Finitevus. After King Sonic (from another possible future) and Lara-Su return from their excursions to the past and join forces, Shadow orders their imprisonment, along with a number of other enemies such as Rotor and Tails. Due to his Chaos-derived reality warping abilities, Shadow was fully aware that history had been altered, and so was determined to keep anyone from acting on it. However, his reign came to an end when he was defeated by none other than Lara-Su, who used Chaos Control to freeze him in time, an attack so powerful that she joked that she didn't think her great-great-great-great-great grandchildren would have to worry about him.

Sonic the Comic

Shadow first appeared in the unofficial continuation of STC (Sonic the Comic-Online!) as an inert Chaos being. Dr. Zachary used Sonic's DNA to complete the experiment conducted against the Echidna Empire's "greatest enemies" (implied to be the Drakon Empire). This version of Shadow is a much more powerful foe, even destroying the entire universe of the Special Zone with Chaos energy, which caused an invasion of bugs in Mobius. He is totally loyal to Robotnik, as he sees him as the only link to Prof. Kintobor, his creator and friend. He hates Sonic for allowing Kintobor to become Robotnik, and gladly follows Zachary's lead.

He was last seen battling Super Sonic atop the Death Carrier. Low on Chaos energy, he announced that he was the Ultimate Life, and that only his decision mattered. He saved Robotnik from death, by using the last of his energy to teleport him away.

Shadow Androids

Shadow Androids are robots based on Shadow that first appeared in Sonic Heroes, though it was never actually stated to be such. Instead, one Team Dark cutscene showed a broken Shadow robot, and another one showed an entire room of Androids in stasis, which affected the story in a way, making several characters believe Shadow was a robot. The Shadow Androids reappeared in Shadow the Hedgehog as somewhat strong enemy robots on the single-player mode's "Iron Jungle" and "Lava Shelter" stages, along with the "Iron Jungle" boss. These androids can counter Shadow's Homing Attacks by jumping, attack using Homing Attack themselves, or lock-on to Shadow and toss rockets at him, which they seem to use more often than the Homing Attack. At the last Team Dark cutscene, Rouge does , in fact, believe that Shadow is an android, but Omega says that the real Shadow exists, as there is no way anyone could make Shadow androids without the real Shadow. While Shadow is facing Black Doom in his Devil Doom form, Eggman says that he told a robot to rescue Shadow as he fell from the Space Colony Ark in Sonic Adventure 2, meaning that while Shadow was in a stasis tube, Eggman was making Shadow androids.

In the multi-player mode of Shadow the Hedgehog, there are six special Shadow Androids. Four of these robots are silver with green, pink, orange, or blue stripes, each wielding either an alien-like machine gun or a bazooka. The other two androids look more like Shadow, but on one of them, the stripes are yellowish-orange instead of red. These two androids, like the real Shadow, start off without weapons but can carry any other weapon they collect and have limited ammo while the other four androids can only use their built-in weapons which have unlimited ammo. The androids can activate Dark Shadow and all of its normal effects and attacks, just like the real Shadow. Hero Shadow does not seem to be available as there are no good deeds for the player to do to fill the Hero gauge and Chaos Control (the in-level version) would be useless in multi-player mode. All of these androids claim to be the "real Shadow", and claim that the others are fakes.

Voice actors

• In Japan, he is voiced by Kouji Yusa.
• Before Shadow the Hedgehog, he was voiced by David Humphrey.
• In Sonic X, and the games from Shadow the Hedgehog to Sonic and the Secret Rings, Shadow's voice actor is Jason Griffith, who also voices Sonic and Jet the Hawk.

Associated songs

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

• Sonic Adventure 2: "Throw it All Away" - Everett Bradley.
• Sonic Heroes: "This Machine" - Julien-K. This was a team theme shared with Rouge and Omega. Many consider this as his theme, and the lyrics are from his point of view and mostly refer to him.
• 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

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

Also, a special remix of "TRIPOD BABY" performed by m-flo was released as a promotional song for Shadow the Hedgehog.

References & notes

1. ^ AbsoluteAnime.com. "Information on Shadow's personality". Retrieved May 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. ^ Sonic HQ.com. "Rouge's report on Shadow". Retrieved April 5. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• Sonic Central official character profiles
• Shadow at Sonic Channel
• Shadow the Hedgehog - Concept: "Mobius" (REAL Character Profile)