The Project Shadow Lore Has Changed FOREVER

[@chaomix]

What do you think about how SXSG handled the Project Shadow lore?

[@Musicial_News]

Hi first to comment

[@Miibricktree2]

Amazingly. They really showed the project shadow lore to a new generation (heh) and made it coherent and well thought out

[@teaoftraffic]

they COOKED

[@SonicTheHedgehogX15]

Peak

[@Scorbunzx]

I’m glad the pre-order book is a collectible in game so it’s preserved in digital form. [wish it wasn’t in cursive though]

[@ettiSurreal]

"How could it be that Shadow didn't know about his Black Arms lineage until the end of Shadow The Hedgehog, if he apparently already knew about it back on The Ark?" Maybe because the main plot point of the game in question is that Shadow has amnesia?

[@VictoryReviews]

Exactly

[@MerandaYt]

Yes

[@krazyivan9733]

a so-called project shadow loremaster forgets that Shadow gets amnesia, lolol.

[@waterbat95]

5:40 Respectfully, I think you forgot a crucial detail: In Sonic Heroes and Shadow 05, Shadow's arcs revolve around him having amnesia. Throughout Shadow 05, he remembers bits and pieces of his past, but he doesn't know about his Black Arms DNA until The Last Way. Since we didn't see all of the details of his past in Shadow 05 and he was gradually remembering some things throughout, it's possible that he didn't remember his discussion with Maria about the Black Arms until after the aforementioned game's events.

[@KyndlingStoneCB]

Yes but his memories would still have started to return and he would’ve been like “that’s right! Black Arms!”

[@waterbat95]

@KyndlingStoneCB In the beginning of Shadow 05, he has no idea who Black Doom is. Merely seeing him didn't bring his memory back about it, and he didn't remember about his ties to them before The Last Way and was thus shocked by Black Doom's explanation. Hence why I think he didn't remember his discussion with Maria in episode 2 of Dark Beginnings until after the conclusion of Shadow 05. Also: he was remembering things out of order (for example, remembering Maria's death before remembering Lost Impact). As I tried to explain above, Shadow 05 didn't show everything from his past, so it's possible that he still remembers things about it gradually even after the game.

[@odinmandu2184]

I was quite literally about to make a comment about this

[@nguyenhoangnam8609]

His theory also could not account for Maria. If Black Doom seek to manipulate his memory so Shadow can join him, why not alter Maria's encouragement of Shadow to be a good person?

[@MintyKuro]

@@nguyenhoangnam8609 Black Doom could have actually done a "For all the people that live on that planet... KILL THEM"

[@ThessaTheCat]

5:25 I've never interpreted this scene as Shadow learning of his Black Arms lineage for the first time. He has amnesia throughout the whole game and basically reacts exactly like this to pretty much everything lol. I personally believe Shadow pre-amnesia already knew about his Black Arms history. Professor Gerald in SXSG certainly doesn't dance around the subject either, which says to me that he wasn't really trying to keep it a secret from him.

[@jadeninjaproductions7007]

you can even apply this argument to explain why shadow didn't remember Emerl in battle despite having encountered him on the ark. since that game came out in the same era of shadow having amnesia, and taking place dubiously in the series between heroes and shadow 2005. even despite that, these can still be black doom using these memories to break shadow down before trying to take over his mind.

[@matthewwilliams8267]

​@@jadeninjaproductions7007 and to add, remember Shadow's FIRST encounter with Emerl- he's very adamant on destroying then and there. If Shadow never interacted or even knew Emerl existed until Battle, why would he have such a reaction in the first section of the whole game?

[@jadeninjaproductions7007]

@@matthewwilliams8267 that’s a good point, I did not remember that.

[@matthewwilliams8267]

@@jadeninjaproductions7007 i went back and watched it- shadow ignores Sonic, tries to get Emerl's attention, surmised it had formed a Link, and needs to be destroyed, then fights both Sonic and Emerl until he realizes Sonic was the one Emerl has a Link with, so he leaves to go find more info in Gerald's lab.

[@jadeninjaproductions7007]

Ok I just found the intro to shadow’s story. it takes place before his confrontation with sonic and Emerl where he actually does in fact not know Emerl. He gets a weird premonition from a disembodied voice telling him “a tragedy is about to repeat itself” and he meets a deactivate Emerl and gets lore dumped by rouge.

[@K2niarDneK]

With respect, there's a lot of misinformation and incorrect assumptions in this video, and I'm only a few minutes in. -> Shadow fighting Emerl does not contradict anything in Sonic Battle. Human scientists would not be able to subdue the Gizoid, especially if it had a Chaos Emerald installed. Gerald's Journal in SxSG also stated that the Artificial Chaos rampage shown in Shadow '05, which was stopped _by Shadow,_ was directly caused by the damage the Gizoid did when it went rogue. Shadow *had* to have been awake when Emerl went rogue, and is therefore likely the main reason the scientists were able to subdue him. -> Small thing, that's a Black Arms larva, not an embryo. -> Shadow 50 years ago knowing he was part Black Arms does not contradict anything in Shadow '05. Shadow had amnesia all throughout Heroes and Shadow '05 due to "dying" in SA2, where the details of his creation weren't relevant. He only knew fragments of the most important people in his life, but few specific details. Shadow didn't know who the Black Arms _were_ until Black Doom exposited it to him throughout the story. He wouldn't have remembered a specific moment of his life learning a specific detail about his creation. -> Rouge and Omega were not sent by GUN to investigate anything related to the Black Arms. They were sent do gather intelligence on Eggman's current/future plans. Rouge shows Commander Tower schematics on the Time Eater at the end of Episode 3 of Dark Beginnings. -> The final "flashback" in Dark Beginnings was not actually a flashback. That was a dream of what his life _could've been_ had GUN not ruined everything. SxSG re-contextualizes Shadow 'moving on' from his past as him 'not thinking about it anymore so it can't hurt him'. He is not being haunted by his past, he's haunted by a future he and Maria were never able to live.

[@Havik61]

Well put. Thanks to that journal we know that Shadow was already awake before Emerl's rampage, there's no way he would not get involved in a incident that destroyed most of the Ark. Gerald saying that the scientists "somehow" stopped him means that Gerald would not know if Shadow was involved or not. And I'm really confused how he could forget that Shadow's story in Heros and in 05 were based around him having amnesia.

[@rosaline7549]

​@@Havik61 It's like he was watching/playing the game with his eyes and ears closed.. misinformation after misinformation It's absolutely crazy he's supposed to know so much about the lore yet completely misunderstanding it.

[@PhillipRubio578]

@@rosaline7549 You tend to notice that with a lot of videos like this which is why whenever anyone posts a "lore" video I tell others to take it with a grain of salt

[@kyuboxincubox7556]

Dang dude, you saved me 30 minutes of wasting my time listening to some literally who yap and be wrong. Thanks and cheers.

[@JaidynReiman]

Another point about Note 1: The journal entry for the Gizoid going on a rampage and being subdued is after Shadow was created and after Shadow grew close to Maria. It is immediately followed by the events of Lost Impact. The journal blatantly says that Shadow was created before Gizoid, but it doesn't mention Shadow in that entry. I think this is an inconsistency caused by how the Sonic Battle journal was written. This journal tries to keep everything from the past journals and add new information. As a result of this, this journal CANNOT have it be mentioned that Shadow stopped the Gizoid, because the original journal never implied Shadow had been finished yet. The entry about the Artificial Chaos was inserted into this journal and didn't exist in the original one, and yeah, its clearly a reference to Lost Impact. However, its immediately after Sonic Battle Entry #6, which is also after Shadow's creation. The implication here is its intended to line up with Dark Beginnings (despite the fact that Dark Beginnings has odd contradictions with the main game anyway...) In the original entries, Entry #5 says Shadow is not yet complete. Shadow isn't mentioned again until Entry #8. Its fairly easy to explain away why Gerald doesn't mention Shadow--in Dark Beginnings, Gerald appears to be unconscious. Shadow defeats Gizoid, then runs off to stop the Artificial Chaos. Gerald wakes up after Gizoid was defeated and is able to witness Shadow quelling the Artificial Chaos. He may have penned the Gizoid being subdued before he saw the aftermath of the Artificial Chaos being quelled.

[@SRHunt85]

I chalked up Shadow not knowing things like the Black Arms DNA to Shadow’s amnesia. It’s possible he remembered some things but not all. Shadow could’ve had the conversation with Maria about the Black Arms, and then by Shadow’s solo game, he hasn’t fully recovered from his amnesia and there are gaps in his memory. Shadow didn’t even remember who Maria was in the opening cutscene.

[@Blazemall]

Can you see all of me, walk into my mystery, step inside and hold on for dear life. Do you remember me, capture you or set you free. I am all, I am all of me

[@DaYapGuy]

I. I. I AM. HERE WE GO BUDDY HERE WE GO BUDDY HERE WE GO BUDDY HERE WE GO BUDDY HERE WE GO !!

[@L.T.H.7032]

Go ahead and try to see through me, do it if you dare

[@Rammy_Latin]

1 step forward 2 steps back I'm here

[@uxlultraxlegend]

One step forward two steps back

[@joshuamu9273]

Do it do it do it do it DO IT!

[@manuelinacio4038]

7:18 I don't think he was being haunted by his past here. He was imagining what his life could have been if Maria hadn't died, then he snapped out of it and continued the mission.

[@F0re5tMan]

Yes that's exactly what it was.

[@sconroweo]

100%. The biggest hint is that they are outdoors in a field of flowers. Obviously, that couldn't have happened in the past.

[@d-o-k-i]

@@sconroweo Yeah, that. Shadow and Maria never got to go to earth together (and this actually mirrors a similar scene in Sonic X that clearly was a 'what if' and not something that actually ever happened).

[@Hutch2Much]

gerald’s journal is by far the most depressing thing this series has ever put out. you can feel gerald’s slow descent into madness and depression, interspersed with maria’s optimism. it’s absolutely heartbreaking

[@greenapple9477]

I preordered a physical copy just so I can read that. Before reading that, I just thought Gerald was mostly a lunatic. But the journal really put things in his perspective, and I felt really bad for all three of them by the time I finished. Maria always had hope that she will be cured and get to go back to earth, never saw her baby sister again, her family hated Gerald for keeping her away even though he was trying his best to cure her. And it all was really getting to Gerald. It really showed just how much of a tragedy it truly was.

[@F0re5tMan]

I call BS on the fight with Emerl not happening. It was said Emerl getting released as he did caused the Artificial Chaos to go on a rampage. Plus, in Gerald Robotnik's Journal, there's an entry where Gerald mentions the researchers "somehow subdued the Gizoid"; that same entry also mentions that he not only absorbed enough weapon data to go berserk, BUT he ALSO had one CHAOS EMERALD installed (even though the actual name is redacted, a sentence states "if it were to have all seven installed, it might destroy the whole planet", so we can easily infer it was indeed a Chaos Emerald), therefore it would be IMPOSSIBLE for the researchers to subdue Emerl on their own. The only other option is Shadow. Only he would be powerful enough and capable enough to subdue Emerl. So the fight they had DID happen.

[@mr.mtfvsgaming3767]

This 👆

[@1d3r]

I think so too.

[@deadpoolwade-de7jm]

This is something i agree on

[@deadpoolwade-de7jm]

This is something i agree on but then again if shadow was capable of taking on emerl then why couldn't he fight back against the gun solders i do agree with what your saying but then its just kinda weird at the same if you get what im saying

[@kinoleogeo7998]

@@deadpoolwade-de7jm I assume that Shadow didn’t want to fight the GUN soldiers because A) he’s not the type to kill them in front of Maria, B) Shadow was probably hoping that Gerald could reason things with them so he wouldn’t be separated from Maria, then tried to escape with her when the plan fell apart. Finally, he was forced to watch Maria die as she stalled long enough to send him out of the arc. It’s not a matter of could Shadow fight back, but why he didn’t. He hoped he wouldn’t have to fight back against the human’s Maria wished for Shadow to protect before he got his memories scrambled.

[@DemonikPrizm]

Rouge and Omega weren't there because they thought the Black Arms returned. They were there to steal information on the Time Eater from Eggman and Shadow just happened to go to the same base as them. Also Black Doom wasn't brought back by the Time Eater. He was already still alive as shown in the post-credits scene of the animation. He's just using the anomaly to his advantage... which was also explained in the game.

[@CaptBlock]

Shadow likely knew of the Shuttle team Sonic used in SA2, as it seems to be the same base. That also brings up the question as to why he didn't use the space transporter that we see Rouge use in SA2.

[@MintyKuro]

@@CaptBlock I'd assume it's not working anymore, seeing as the rest of the station seems to be almost entirely shut down.

[@CaptBlock]

@@MintyKuro That would make sense

[@AsterBTT]

There's a ton of misinformation and clear failures of understanding before you even hit the ten minute mark; Gerald's journal never implies Shadow couldn't have been involved with Emerl, somehow forgetting about Shadow's amnesia in Heroes and 05, implying that Rouge and Omega were also searching for Black Arms when its made abundantly clear by Rouge that she's actually researching the Time Eater, and a flagrant misrepresentation of the ending of Dark Beginnings as a memory and not Shadow thinking of, in his actual words, "that future". If you're going to proclaim yourself "the resident Project Shadow lore master" you've GOT to back it up.

[@1DAR26]

Word!

[@estrelaplatinada6506]

Its ironic forgetting something related to amnesia lol

[@KB-di1xv]

Very confused on why you're so adamant that those flashback scenes aren't real. Not only is it less narratively satisfying, since it would mean those comforting conversations with Maria about Shadow's identity just didn't happen, but also the only real evidence you have is that Shadow isn't mentioned in the one journal entry which was only the same for consistencies sake, and Shadow not remembering something in the game where he has amnesia. Additionally, Black Doom wasn’t brought back by the Time Eater, since in both the end of Dark Begginings and the start of Shadow Generations he's shown to be alive before the Time Eater's interference

[@ThePlatinumVault]

Yeah I thought the game made it clear that it wasn't simply memories and more like something that's actually happening.. if you play with your eyes open

[@erickrafaelfloreslara8501]

I think its more likely that Shadow had a hand in stopping Emerl, cause how are a bunch of normal human researchers supposed to stop a rampaging Gizoid? I think Shadow might have served as a distraction fighting Emerl while the researchers figured out a way to stop his rampage. Also, Black Doom didnt return because of the Time eater, we can see in the post credit scene in Dark Beginings that he was already regrowing himself aboard the Arc.

[@sarcasm-aplenty]

Yes, I agree. There is so much misinformation in this video, I can't sit through it all.

[@uhh_no]

0:15 man that transition was smooth asf

[@mechajay3358]

Ikr

[@VoidRox0]

5:36 its because he didnt have his memories

[@Miles-xh4ky]

Finally someone who actually played shadow 05

[@RaiginAnimator]

Exactly…. That’s what I was thinking

[@rynobehnke8289]

Even Black Doom was surprised that Shadow didn't know. Like it be more likely that Gerald actually did delete the Black Arms memories when he turned Shadow into the instrument of his revenge on Prison Island over him having never known about this part of his origin 50 years ago.

[@DarkShadow8754]

@@Miles-xh4ky Legit, it's so obvious to find who didn't play this game when they somehow don't realise Shadow had amnesia. Shadow literally only talks about his memories and finding out "the truth" in the majority of the playthrough, even when idle within a level he just keeps wondering about his past (if you have no partners active) lmao.

[@orealz]

Can you explain? Shadow lost his memory after sa2, Shadow learned of his lineage in 05 so he would've already known

[@RadarTheManedWolf]

In relation to the second episode flashback in Dark Beginnings… I’m fairly certain that one is an intact, unaltered memory. Yes, there is the transition from the end of Ep. 1 to the start of Ep. 2, but I don’t think that’s much of a story element, I think that’s just video editing piecing the three parts together since they were released separately. And Shadow knowing about the Death Leech and him being made from Black Arms DNA back on the ARK doesn’t seem to contradict Shadow 05 either, at least to me. I think that’s fair game because of Shadow’s heavy amnesia, he just simply forgot and found out again at the end of Shadow 05 by Black Doom. Really goes to show how much Shadow’s mind was altered by Gerald before the professor’s execution. That’s just where my thinking goes in all of this… Edit 1: From what I could tell, it’s hard to tell if Abraham was born on the ARK or not. In the White Space dialogue with Maria in-game, Maria speaks to Shadow that Abe’s parents convinced her parents to go join her grandfather on the ARK, with Maria commenting that if they brought their son into space, it must be okay for her. So this would mean Abe was already born on Earth before he and his parents went up to space to join the researchers on the ARK’s first days? Unless we get confirmation that Abe’s parents were expecting him during this time and did have him on the ARK. Edit 2: The Perfect Chaos mural was found in the Lost World, beneath the Mystic Ruins. Gerald did not encounter the mural in Hidden Palace on Angel Island. He even states in his journal that stepping foot on the island already felt taboo to him because of it being sacred ground, so he didn’t go past the Altar of Emerald, but he still observed his surroundings, the Altar, and the Master Emerald.

[@BlueBands539]

Yeah I completely agree with this. I don't believe it's a retcon at all. The amnesia honestly helped Black Doom out in getting him to goad Shadow into getting the emeralds back in Shadow's game. If it weren't for that, I feel like the Black Arms wouldn't have been able to get onto the Earth in the first place. G.U.N would have probably been ready for them.

[@KingRynoD.LeonhartTMB]

Yeah, that's my thought too. Throughout Shadow the Hedgehog he's learning the details of his creation bit by bit. He doesn't even remember who Maria is at the beginning of the game so it makes sense he also doesn't remember being made from Black Doom's DNA

[@jessesanabria2462]

@@BlueBands539 yeah plus even Black Doom is confused at first as to why Shadow didn’t remember Gerald or why Shadow didn’t even know about Black Doom himself. I mean Black Doom does talk to him giving orders on what to do expecting Shadow to know who he is already and obey him.

[@ReSoule]

For Edit 1, The Ark and its team were in space before Maria was born. So there was plenty of time for two scientists to find love in space. And I'm in the impression that the scientists are all stuck in the Ark for long periods of time. So we can deduce from that that Abe was born on the ark. And Abe's parents used Abe himself as an example of how the Ark can be seen as a child-friendly environment for Maria.

[@JaidynReiman]

While it is unclear if Abe was born aboard the Ark or not based on most evidence, its very clear in Gerald's Journal. Gerald describes Abe's birth as the Ark's "happy accident". So that right there makes it clear enough. Later in the journal, it implies Maria has been aboard the Ark for a significant period of time. I would have to assume she was on the Ark for years by that point. Because some researchers begin to believe she had been born there. My assumption is these must have been newer researchers added to the roster, as obviously older ones would have to be aware she was brought to the Ark later in life.

[@AndrewWukusick]

4:32 I don't think Black Doom returned because of the Time Eater, I think some remnants of that larvae were able to hide on the Ark & slowly evolve enough for him to return. There was something Doom said in the game that makes it sound like he was already in the return process, and the Time Eater's appearance was just as much of a surprise moment for him as it was Shadow, stating that the event is speeding up his return to full strength.

[@rossjones8656]

I think it was something along the lines of, "This time rift has quicken my plans" or something like that.

[@Starrmonster02]

And plus he’s the immortal lifeform he might’ve sealed his consciousness or essence inside of that larva and 50 years later he grew back to black doom

[@JaidynReiman]

@@rossjones8656 Yeah, I recall that line now. Black Doom clearly says that the time rift quickened his plans, not that its what allowed him to come back.

[@rossjones8656]

@JaidynReiman yeah and at the end of dark beginnings we see doom pre time eater there.

[@Modern_Blue_Hedgehog]

Fun Fact: The barcode on the back of Geralds journal reads "THEY DONT KNOW"

[@adambailey9272]

When your talking about how Shadow didn't know about his black arms lineage. In Shadow the hedgehog he loses his memories. So what I believe is that shadow used to know he was apart of the black arms but when he lost his memories he frogot.

[@Tharja-iBW]

About the T person at the start of the Journal. There is 1 person who is mentioned in the Journal that we never get to see, Maria's sister that Maria never got to meet. At the end of the note at the start of the Journal T says this: "It's a pity (That the journal is damaged) I would have liked to have greater insight into Gerald's and Maria's lives too." Now I get why someone would want to learn more about Gerald, he was the head scientist to Project Shadow, however why do they want to know about Maria too? and why specifically their lives? T is Maria's sister trying to find answers as to why her sister went missing. Also I highly doubt Topaz is T, Topaz is a GUN soldier, T is part of the archival and requisitions department of GUN

[@JoMaTo1]

Also Topaz would be like over 50 years old

[@FamusJamus]

Plus the daughter of an archaeologist becoming an archivist just makes sense if we assume the same pattern of Eggman and his robotics dad. She might have inherited some of the Robotnik genius too, being skilled with ciphers and hidden messages like the GUN barcode.

[@Davanthall]

Also Ian revealed on his podcast that original characters from Sonic X are like...HELLLLLLA off limits for legal reasons apparently. Not sure what those legal issues are, Ian's not able to get into detail, but like yeah Topaz has like zero possibility of being brought over to the main canon.

[@JaidynReiman]

Allegedly the Japanese version calls her "Tori". I do think its likely this is either Maria's sister, or perhaps more likely, Maria's niece. As for Sonic X... yeah, in the game artwork from Sonic X is labeled as "Sonic Animation" or "Shadow Animation". So there's clearly big licensing issues involved there, they can't use that crap. That being said, this doesn't negate the possibility of it being a loose reference to Agent Topaz. Based on the Japanese version, though, that's probably not really what they're doing.

[@d-o-k-i]

@@Davanthall That's honestly really sad, since some of the important ones (namely Cosmo) were actually designed by Sonic Team, and they still seem to view Sonic X fondly. That said, the way the Soap shoes are popping up more and more recently gives me hope that something could theoretically be worked out, if SEGA had the motivation to make it work. But that is a HUGE 'if' and licensing for these things can be really complex - the fact we got any nods to Sonic X in a game at all is incredible. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that OMG

[@cadeshanley218]

28:10 My headcanon states that Rouge silently promises Professor Gerald and Maria to look after Shadow for them. As the Tails to Shadow's Sonic. "Shadow? Even if you believe everyone is against you, know that I'll always remain by your side. Remember that."

[@JaidynReiman]

Rouge even does a direct callback to that line in this game. Its impressive how Rouge is so important to this game, even though she barely appears lol. She calls Shadow in the very first cutscene of the game. Omega throughout the journey is constantly trying to regain contact with Rouge, and even shows genuine care for her, despite him saying she's "a valuable asset". He finally managed to re-establish contact with Rouge. Then after Chaos Island, Rouge appears in a cutscene again, and from that point on she remains outside Chaos Island (once I realized Rouge hadn't appeared yet before Chaos Island I figured she'd be standing outside of that portal). Then Shadow ends the story by following Rouge back to Sonic's White Space. I do like how Rouge mentions Gerald and Maria as well. Big also says he spoke with Maria, so the implication is that the characters do travel around and speak with other characters. Rouge very much could have spoke with Maria and Gerald while Shadow was busy doing something else.

[@mythosinfinite6736]

I've seen it two times now, in terms of addressing Shadow not knowing something he knew while on the Arc as a retcon. I think there's a simpler solution you've forgotten. Shadow lost his memory starting with Sonic Heroes. He's obviously not going to know things from his past in Sonic Battle and Shadow 05. Shadow 05 is _all about_ the fact that he can't remember anything.

[@SqueakerBunny]

All of this can be explained by the fact that Shadow had amnesia, he never actually recovered all his memories. So of course he wouldn't recognize the Gizoid in Sonic Battle and would be surprised by the reveal that he is part Black Arms in his own game.

[@matthewwilliams8267]

Actually, Shadow _DOES_ recognize Emerl in Battle. It's literally his first appearance in the game- he immediately reacts to it with "we need to destroy it", before using commands to try to shut it down bc it "seems unresponsive", then realises it choose Sonic as it's new Master, leaving it to Sonic while he searches for more info.

[@JaidynReiman]

@@matthewwilliams8267 I've read that apparently, Shadow's story in that game shows him not knowing what the Gizoid is when his story begins (which starts with a flashback to before Sonic's story begins). That being said, the theory that Shadow doesn't remember everything after his amnesia is very likely in all honesty. He probably remembered the Gizoid only sometime after he met Emerl.

[@UltimaShadowX]

It would have been really cool if Abraham Tower was in the White Space, but overall I really loved what they did story-wise.

[@JaidynReiman]

I think it was a missed opportunity, but they wanted to include other characters instead. Big wasn't really a great addition and Orbot and Cubot are weird, but it makes more sense including them than a one-off character like Abraham Tower. It sucks, but he's still reference quite a bit in the game. Maria directly mentions him, and he's mentioned in Gerald's journal. Shadow also indirectly references him at the start when he says GUN sent him to investigate something aboard the ARK.

[@DpleDualies]

@@JaidynReiman Honestly I get Orbot and Cubot, they were abandoned in space when Eggman went for the Time Eater, so after erasing space and time, they had to go SOMEWHERE I suppose you could say the same about Big but still doesn't really make sense

[@comicfan1324]

The fact they revealed maria has a baby sister changes everything. What if shadow encounters her years later? After all she would likely be in her early 50s so it’s believable that she could still be alive and active

[@JaidynReiman]

Yeah I think there's a reason why Maria's sister was mentioned.

[@sirteppe]

I really hope that we will see her and have a chance to talk with Shadow!

[@MantledMimi]

7:20 These aren’t memories. That’s him thinking about what could’ve been. They’re on earth.

[@sarcasm-aplenty]

Shadow didn't know about the black arms thing in Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 because he had amnesia. It's not a retcon for that knowledge to have been known to him in the past. It's consistent with Abe's attitude towards him and in the extended scenes + gerald journal, gerald says he inserted knowledge into shadow, which could've included knowledge of the black arms. In the manga, shadow literally shares his blood with Maria in an attempt to cure her, if it's green or something he would've known before the amnesia. Gerald, revealed in Sonic Battle, worked on Emerl and gave him a soul based on Maria's that means Emerl was on the ark for a time. Gerald journal entries also mention how Emerl got out of control one day which lines up with the memories. He didn't witness shadow subdue Emerl so in the journal he says something close to "somehow the scientists subdued him".

[@blissfulrain]

It actually makes more sense for Shadow to have fought Emerl than not. Following the journal Shadow was awakened before Emerl went on a rampage. It's very likely he helped the scientists with Emerl just like he did with the Arteficial Chaos later. Also by Gerald's wording, "somehow", he doesn't actually know how Emerl was defeated. It's also worth all of the other memories in the nightmare were actual events so it would be weird if only one was completely fabricated.

[@FowaJCT]

Couldn't Shadow not recognize the Black Arms and Emerl simply because he lost his memories in SA2/Heroes?

[@johnnygyro2295]

That's what I thought, too.

[@jessesanabria2462]

It is. Shadow just simply didn't remember that he already knew since having amnesia. It's practically all new info to him for that reason. Plus Maria knowing about the black arms is clear in the Shadow05 last story. Where she is on a video with Gerald talking about how to defeat the Black arms and Black Doom.

[@Howardpower679]

5:40 brother did you forget that shadow memories got changed by gerald? And after sa2 he got amnesia?????

[@JaidynReiman]

It was never made clear if Shadow's memories were changed by Gerald or not. Its probably the most likely theory, though. In Gerald's entries before he went completely insane, he mentions he was well aware that Maria's final wish was "bring hope to humanity". My only guess is that some of the soldiers in the area who shot her had heard her say this. (I'm pretty sure Maria being shot wasn't intentional, it was just an accidental result of the harsh sudden shutting down of the colony and the fact that Maria was trying to escape with Shadow. Their aggressiveness is still what got Maria killed, though, which they then covered up. Abe survived the massacre after all, not everyone died.) Gerald was aware of Maria's final wish, but he went insane and decided to end everything. He had to have known Shadow was there at the end with Maria, and somehow Shadow was captured and locked away. Likely, I think, the soldiers traced the trajectory of Shadow's capsule and found him on Earth, or they grabbed the capsule before it hit earth. Gerald had to have someone put everything into motion so Shadow would do his bidding. He already injected knowledge into Shadow upon creating him, so its by no means impossible Gerald could alter Shadow's memories later.

[@luizmiguel5484]

One of the things I was able to interpret while talking to a friend about Gerald's notes is that he says that "Maria's parents had another daughter who did not show signs of Maria's illness and that despite the happiness in the conversations, the subtext was glaring" which made us think that Maria's parents basically gave up on her and simply preferred to have another daughter, which if true is quite harsh and cruel to her, which adds another layer to Gerald's motivation since on every page he highlights how much he cares about Maria, Gerald's first granddaughter meant the world to him, this is very good information and I liked the information put in Gerald's journal

[@Sedow1231]

Man that’s cruel, you think they will ever make Shadow meet the sister? I don’t think so tho

[@JaidynReiman]

This isn't accurate at all if you actually read the journal entries. Yes, they had another daughter, but Gerald makes it clear later on that they're still angry with Gerald for keeping Maria away from them. They either want Gerald to cure her or let her live out the rest of life with them. They want their daughter back. Them having another daughter doesn't mean they don't also want Maria back.

[@gtcproductions4097]

11:27 They DID include Sonic X artwork in the game.

[@JaidynReiman]

Yes, but they can't use the name "Sonic X". They don't have the rights to that. Instead they say "Animation".

[@willowpop15]

you forgot that after SA2 shadow had amnesia for sonic heroes and shadow 05, which explains why he didn’t know he was related to the black arms until later

[@CNightmare072]

My theory on the binary at 24:50 is that it's less important WHAT it says, but more WHEN it was written. Since this is in a very broken code in-between established entries from other games, my theory is that THIS is the point in time Gerald was transported into White Space in Shadow Generations. This would explain his ominous responses, demeanor & dialogue as you talk to him in White Space between levels. I also don't think Gerald & Maria were brought into White Space from the same point in time, but that's another conversation.

[@stickdudethesticktopian]

29:27 wait this random eagle has a name?!

[@YTCyan]

Nah, it’s an inside joke with another creator, SaltyDKDan

[@LotteYansson]

You can easily explain Shadow not knowing his Black Arms DNA while being told about it on the Ark. Remember, he had amnesia in Shadow The Hedgehog. I doubt that memory is Black Doom manipulating him, otherwise I doubt Maria would've reassured him that he's more than his heritage.

[@AlphaRaptor08]

Now that in know the whole story this makes me feel so bad for Gerald. The fact he just wanted to heal his broken family the lore reveals. That fact that he felt bad for sealing away the biolizard and couldn’t even tell Maria what he had done to a once innocent and harmless animal. He’s truly the most tragic Sonic character. Can’t wait for a in depth review of SonicXShadow generations Chaomix.

[@spongebobfan78]

12:14 Would be funny if Eggman is the son of the archeologist but was interested on the same field as his roboticist uncle.

[@JustAPrinnyDood]

Imagine if THAT was the cause of the rift between them.

[@SSL_2004]

I strongly disagree with your instinct to chalk up all of the flashbacks in Dark Beginnings to "false memories" A: There's absolutely no evidence that the second flashback isn't accurate. The first was directly shown to be a nightmare scenario created by Black Doom, the second was presented as a normal flashback and it's not even clear if Shadow is experiencing it. It could very well be non-diegetic for the sake of exposing this information to the viewer (a purpose it would serve very poorly if it never actually happened). There's no reason to even claim it is because the explanation is obvious. Shadow didn't remember ANYTHING in Shadow 05. Why would he remember that he's a product of Black Doom? B: While the Emerl fight did take play stirring Black Doom"s nightmare sequence, again the purpose of that scene was mostly to exposit Shadows history to the audience. None of the other events that happened were actually fake, they were all alluding to real things that did. Why would they include a Shadow vs Emerl fight that never happened, that would just serve to confuse the viewer when a large part of this prologue's purpose in the first place is to softly educate people on Shadow's past. We know it's not a retcon either way because the entry in question is still in Gerald's journal in Shadow Generations, and still mentions that "somehow" the researchers subdued Emerl, but considering Gerald what's flat on the floor during this fight I think it's more likely that he's just wrong. He didn't actually witness the fight, which explains the "somehow." Gerald literally doesn't know what happened, he just assumed. In all honesty it makes vastly more sense that Shadow is the one that subdued Emerl. I see no feasible way that any human, even a group of them, especially untrained researchers, could do so. Under this lens it's not exactly a retcon, but rather Simmons Gerald himself as an unreliable narrator in this particular circumstance. C: Black Doom was not revived due to the Time Eater, he revived himself through the larva on board the Ark (further proof that that memory is real), would you can see clearly in the final scene of the combined prologue. The Time Eater stuff happening at the same time was a coincidence that Black Doom took advantage of to revive his forces more quickly by tapping into the time anomaly to pull the Black Arms from across time. Ngl, some of this video had me questioning if you even properly watched the prologue or played the game 💀. I don't mean that sound harsh, I'm sure you did, but clearly not intricately enough.

[@Cruddy129]

I thought Black Doom just revived and came back before the Time Eater ever appeared? The game gave us Black Doom's Eye in the opening stage - and this is before the time eater arrived, from that point onward, its believed that the time eater had nothing to do with Black Doom coming back

[@DaSheepKiller]

That’s true, Black Doom’s return had nothing to do with the Time Eater. It’s revealed in Shadow Generations that Black Doom can take over the body of any of the Black Arms (he planned on doing that to Shadow), so we can assume that the larva seen in Dark Beginnings remained on the Ark and stayed hidden for all those years, then Black Doom was able to revive himself by taking over its body. Or maybe he really did just not die, but I think this is a good explanation for how he survived and why he was on the Ark.

[@TheAmazingMoose-Man]

5:36 did we forget the whole point of ‘Shadow the Hedgehog’ game was for him to remember his past. He forgot his memory so it makes sense he wouldn’t remember back in the old game, yet still know it a long time ago.

[@dragonclaw4159]

Didn't have amnesia in shadow the hedgehog? Couldn't that be a reason why he knew about his black arms heritage?

[@Caleb-u9m]

I think that shadow 05 shadow has his amnesia going on a little, so he didnt remember that he was black arms

[@H1mo_GS]

5:36 he had amnesia… that’s how

[@avant_vii]

I definitely believe Shadow fought Emerl but didn't remember in Sonic Battle due to his amnesia.

[@Blahblahblah28504]

So Maria helped design Shadow's shoes and accessories. She's definitely a Robotnik alright.

[@theevildalek5425]

I’m gonna have to disagree with most of your Dark Beginnings explanations. I do think Shadow & Emerl’s fight did happen and that Shadow did know in the past that he was created from Black Arms DNA. I do think that was Ian Flynn’s intention & works fine in the past Project Shadow lore. Reasons being: 1). Shadow had amnesia & only knew what he was told & remembered during Shadow The Hedgehog. Him remembering more & us seeing more of his memories is logical & fair 2). Emerl was given to GUN by Gerald to buy more time to finish Project Shadow. This would imply that Shadow was already a thing as the project would have started off to create The Ultimate Life Form, with the first attempt being the Biolizard. And, we learn in Shadow Generations that Shadow was named by Maria for a specific reason, not by Gerald picking the name from just the project title. Shadow’s purpose as The Ultimate Life Form was not yet complete as Gerald was designing Shadow as the Ultimate Life Form, not for strength & power, but to find a cure for Maria. This did not happen, so by Gerald’s logic (even though to GUN, Shadow was ready as the Ultimate Life Form in a strength & power sense) Project Shadow was not complete 3). The ending of Dark Beginning’s shows Black Doom aboard The Ark. The reason being is that Black Doom grew from the Black Arms Larva that was on The Ark in that flashback scene. If that part of the scene is what happened, than the entire scene is what happened

[@philipthewolf8972]

So… does anyone else think Maria’s sister is meant to be the pink haired lady from tailstube? Maria’s father was probably the archeologist son Gerald had and the pink haired lady looks a lot like an explorer

[@BBWahoo]

SA3 lore drop

[@JaidynReiman]

No. Remember, Maria's sister would be over 50 years old now. It could be Maria's niece, but sister? Unlikely.

[@Artista_Frustrado]

wait which TailsTube episode had a random Pink Haired lady? also Maria & her Sister would be about as old as Eggman

[@EthanLR]

A funny thought is that Abraham whistle blew Gerald's dealings with Black Doom, and when GUN were contacted they were like "THERE'S A KID ON THE ARK!?"

[@SockoNChips]

6:42 Correction, Rouge and Omega had no idea about the black arms return until shadow showed up and explained. Rouge and Omega were hired by G.U.N. to go to the Eggman base to get information on the Time Eater

[@henriquebrener8294]

I hope there is a story in the idw comics or in the games where Shadow gets to meet Maria’s sister. She is likely around the same age as eggman, or even younger

[@mhossein6413]

You know that there is a read button on Shadow Generations to read the journal in typed form?

[@Raguler]

17:25 CLASSIC BIOLIZARD

[@rellrxse27]

Lmao

[@uninspiredghost]

5:42 He lost his memory after adventure two...

[@KidEDarus]

I 100% Shadow Generations, my god so much to process when seeing the story unfold and reading Professor Gerald's Journal. It is such a tragedy to see what has happen to Shadow's family. They really wanted everyone know who Shadow is. Loved it. I hope SEGA and Sonic Team can make more stories like this from here and there.

[@soceity5818]

4:36 black doom is NOT back because of the time eater, he was already back, and then the time eater came

[@GoldPrince2468]

“You got this, Sonic!” [because I just watched my loved ones die again, had to save our friends AGAIN, and I don’t know how long I can keep up my stoicism.] - Shadow in OG Sonic Generations.

[@Vantoxify]

I love that we get to see a calm and loving side of Gerald before going insane. It adds to his descent into madness and makes everything about him more eerie. Not going to lie, I hope we go even further into the Robotnik family and where they are now.

[@jolo6051]

Even the best of men can be driven to absolute insanity if given the right push. Yet for Gerald Robotnik, it took several large pushes over many years and for Shadow, no push has been too great for him yet.

[@mllscreen8894]

Dude. WHAT IF. Topaz the G.U.N. Soldier who could’ve been the one to sign the Journal. Was also Maria’s younger sister?

[@GokaiSanyu]

3:53 I think you were looking a bit too deeply into this part. This was mostly just a transitional device between first and second episode footage.

[@Neoxon619]

Didn’t Shadow have amnesia in his solo game? That would explain why he knew about his lineage 50 years ago.

[@CodeStew]

T is very unlikely to be Topaz sadly. Ian Flynn has stated in his podcast several times that Sonic X characters are off limits for whatever reason(Likely IP ownership politics). T is probably an unnannounced character. Like a certain pink haired woman from the first Tailstube for example or the unknown sibling of Maria.

[@SnaksiXD]

I personally like that the ending of Shadow 05 was retconned for the benefit of Shadow Gens without taking away from the older game's ending. Shadow didn't set the past behind him. He was in so much pain and carried a baggage that he couldn't bear the burden of and attempted to forget everything, just like how he did before. As a certain content creator whose name starts with P and ends in ariah said, Shadow was afraid of facing a past he tries to keep at bay. You could say it's quite "Fearless" of Shadow to finally confront it all. Also, doesn't Black Doom directly state that the Time Eater has only accelerated his return? As in, he is still around, only slowly recovering from his demise. The Black Arms are a hivemind after all.

[@SSL_2004]

It wasn't retconned. A character can have multiple motivations for something. Shadow threw away his past because he wanted to take his agency back, AND because he didn't want to think about it.

[@Reset2150676]

@@SSL_2004 ^

[@MintyKuro]

I think in Shadow 05 he didn't really put it behind him so much as decide he was going to move on. His only real purpose in life was still Maria's wish (hence Gerald in Gens saying that he needs other things to live for than just that) and it still weighed on him, he just wasn't going to let it consume him like he was, and will instead decide who he was for himself. Gens, however, is him finally doing better than just moving on. It's giving him closure.

[@JaidynReiman]

Rouge clearly says that Shadow put his past behind him, and now its "staring him in the face". She even says "cherish your time with them, but remember that you've moved on." That's basically what happens here. It hasn't retconned the ending of Shadow the Hedgehog at all. He has moved on, that doesn't mean he can't still cherish his memories of them. It just means he won't be burdened by the past anymore.

[@MintyKuro]

@@JaidynReiman I forgot she used that phrasing in that line, which makes my comment very poorly phrased lol. When I said he didn't put it behind him, I meant that he still carried that trauma with him while moving on. It wasn't exactly resolved, he just decided he was going to try to not let it hold him back.

[@Mystic-Aidan]

I think the funniest edition in SXSG is how in the journal, it mentions that Gerald used a lot of model guns to link with Emerl. I guess a love for firearms runs in the family.

[@castform7]

The Gerald journal entries were also all I could've ever asked for. I find it so neat that they connect old entries we knew about along with new entries that bring context to different parts of Project Shadow's history and it all comes together cohesively. Plus, while I'm not a fan of the Rivals duology, I do enjoy the fact they got the Ifrit entry in there since that creature was discovered by Gerald. Gives this journal a sense of completeness even if there are hundreds of entries we'll probably never see.

[@Dog1167]

What is an ifrit?

[@castform7]

@Dog1167 The Ifrit is the main threat of Sonic Rivals 2. A powerful being that Eggman Nega planned to use to destroy the world after stealing its page in Gerald's research from Eggman.

[@dr.ivorobotnik8910]

Did you notice that intro scene of Shadow Generations and in the flashback scene of Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ark is shown open ? But the first time it open was in Sonic Adventure 2 when Dr.Eggman use the Eclipse Cannon. It's one of the most incoherent things in the Sonic franchise that I have seen no one talked about

[@redi.c.e.6046]

5:44 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ You do realise Shadow, yknow, _forgot everything and has no memories_ after sonic heroes, right? Not like it’s, idk _the whole impetus for the plot_ of STH in the first place or anything, but it’s a pretty hard thing to forget about him.

[@mechajay3358]

1:02 [Insert Steam Hams Meme Here]

[@jesusochoa5350]

Did you forget Shadow had amnesia for like 3 games?

[@MyWeirdFox]

5:27 lemme know if I'm wrong but couldn't it be possible he just kinda forgot he knew about his black arms lineage before hand? I mean for a majority of this game all hes been doing is trying to remember who he was or is.

[@SuperLooper01]

I love the detail that Shadow was thinking what life could've been, 7:18 and when he got that chance in 27:55 he had to do stop his greed and selfishness. He knew he could've had what he always wanted, and that makes that cutscene so much more powerful.

[@shadamyandsonamylover]

I usually love your lore dives… but I think you just missed a really crucial aspect of Shadow’s past that has led to this video being disappointing. Everyone’s already pointed it out - Shadow has amnesia. I would love to see a new video going over this info or Gerald’s journal!

[@WebstersYouTube]

Really enjoyed this. It's possible for Shadow to know his heritage in the flashback, but not at the end of Shadow 05, because he was still an amnesiac in 05.

[@mushroomdude123]

The fact that some of those pages are word for word lines from Battle, Rivals 2, and SA2 is so cool. It makes me realize just how widespread of an impact Gerald had.

[@sirkjohno0129]

28:17 honestly, this feels on brand for Shadow. Though he holds too much pride to ever truly admit it, he knows how powerful Sonic truly is, powerful enough to defeat even Shadow in base form. 2 Sonics with all the Chaos Emeralds squaring off against 2 Eggmans? Shadow of all people knows it's just another day at the office. Considering that he'd only just defeated him again a little while before, and having just gone through his own trials with time and Black Doom, I too would be like "Hey, I've done my bit, now do yours, you blue fuckwit".

[@lf222]

Little detail people miss in this that i find very interesting: the ring gerald finds that leads him to angel island. the same ring is mentioned all the way back in sonic 3's manual, sonic picks it up and its carved with ancient writing that reminds him of the story of the island.

[@MintyKuro]

Oh you're right! The Japanese manual story had that bit in it! There's some serious love for lore. Having the officially translated story (and the screensaver) is like the only good side to growing up with that port.

[@Pearl_Blossom]

5:30 the entire premise of Shadow the Hedgehog (2005 game) is that Shadow has amnesia, he also had it in Heroes and there was no Black Doom present to remind him of his Black Arms DNA. The Shadow Generations scene with the larva isn't a contradiction, Shadow knew back then and then forgot when he fell to Earth from the Ark

[@enlongjones2394]

The Gerald Journal pack-in with the game was such a good idea. It’s cool to see the old entries alongside new information. And ending with the final entry we saw in SA2 was great. Very chilling.

[@Roquagacha25]

So here's a question? Could Maria and possibly Gerald still be alive? The only reason why im saying this is because time can be altered, for an example in Sonic Generations Sonic was able to teach his younger self how to do the homing attack. Of course he cant use in the classic games but he can use it in Sonic Forces. And Gerald was able to piece together what was going on Shadow's adventure in Shadow Generations. Its just a thought, Maria also says "I'll see you again." but normally if you know that you won't see them again then wouldn't you just say the second line?? Let me know what yall think?

[@lilbasenji1]

I am so happy that you made a video about the information found in Gerald’s journal and explained some of the information I couldn’t understand (mainly anything that was added to Shadow’s story in Sonic Battle and after Shadow’s game). Thanks for that by the way. As a biologist I am really happy that the biolizard’s species has been unidentified (since it has been a big mystery to me why it didn’t look like a lizard despite the name). I was also extremely interested in how much information we got about the Robotnic family and how Gerald was working so hard in hopes to bring them back together as well as everything he made he hoped to be use in a nonviolent way or was thinking of loophole to the requests that were given to him. Also I am praying that Maria’s younger sister makes an appearance in future Sonic games. I can totally see Shadow hanging out with her children or even her grandkids reminiscing about his time with Maria. Although you totally forgot about Shadow having amnesia after Adventure 2. Also I think that the shorts were not altered memories, but nightmares induced by Black Doom.

[@shadowdragon-whatif]

5:27 he did Not amnesia?

[@aliaubreyswink6767]

26:07 Wow I never noticed he changed his voice here from a man scared of what he might do to a man letting his evil thoughts take control so eerie.

[@AsukaFangirlJassy]

NO WAY THE SALTYDKDAN REFERANCE AT THE END LETS GOOOO!!

[@JustAPrinnyDood]

In entry 670 you can see Gerald's sign at losing his mind where he accidently writes "my son and Maria's parents" before just leaving it as "Maria's parents." Afterwards gets confused on what entries he's on and his hand writing becomes progressively worse

[@somedude3820]

I believe considering the order of the journal entries and the fight shown in Dark Beginnings that Gerald was knocked unconscious by Emerl and didn't see the full fight. Shadow knew about his Black Arms heritage in SA2 and prior, but it wasn't relevant to his plan to destroy the world. In Heroes and Shadow 05, he had amnesia and didn't remember.

[@mechajay3358]

Reading Gerald's journals is pretty sad that he did everything for the good of humanity and to save Maria, yet all that lead to him going insane after what GUN did. But its nice we got a complete backstory on Shadow's past.

[@floofboots]

I just realized that Geralds research into chaos control at 21:21 led to the creation of the switches that stop time in the final level of SA2.

[@jkrunch2166]

Alternatively, I think the scene with Maria and the black arms larva did occur, and he didn't remember his origins in Shadow the Hedgehog because of his general amnesia after SA2

[@DakotaJonesMusic]

5:45 it's not a retcon. He could have known about his origin in the past, but he was still suffering from amnesia and trying to recall his memories by the time Black Doom dropped the bombshell in the 2005 game.

[@julialugo629]

Shadow didn't remember he was made of black arms DNA because he had amnesia. Remembering his past was the whole point of the game Shadow the Hedgehog. How could you forget that? 🤨

[@ChaddyFantome]

Well the thing about Shadow not knowing he is part Black Arms, is he lost his memory after SA2. Black Doom in ShtH is even surprised when he notices Shadow's memory is messed with. Thematically, i do think it's neat that Gerald was motivated by wanting to keep his family together since it's something Shadow doesn't get to do, just as Gerald didn't.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

Shadow knowing he is Black Arms isn't a hallucination. Remember, in Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow had amnesia. Of course he wouldn't know he's partially Black Arms. You can say, "Well, then why wasn't it mentioned in SA2?" The answer to that is: What would that have had to do with anything? It was irrelevant to SA2's story.

[@That1One-Guy]

5:32 reminder that in that game shadow has amnesia

[@InkerRopes]

25:07 When Gerald starts talking here, I keep hearing Mr. Small from The Amazing world of Gumball.

[@EthanLR]

15:11 if you enter read mode in Shadow Generations you see the cut off words. plus in that mode blocked out words has particular number of blocks which FTCR theorises is romanji characters

[@CedDrawsNear]

So was Maria's wish for everyone to be happy really her own, or did Shadow plant that idea into her through time travel?

[@SPEEDYDIM2]

Ah shadow the only sonic character that can have over an hour of chaomix videos dedicated to his lore

[@enlongjones2394]

One of my favorite bits of lore is the confirmation that Gerald intentionally made the ARK look like his face as a half-joke.