Shard: The Redemption of Metal Sonic

[@Distant_Dubstep]

Shard is such a tragic character for only reasons outside of his own fault. Both real world and in universe reasons too

[@B-rex395]

I feel that. Sega and their stupid mandates really screwed the poor guy.

[@BRANMiiNO_Animations]

damn bro...

[@Kodiak_Smiles]

i know i should take him and his story seriously but his names is to similar to *shart* and i cant stop giggling like an idiot

[@darkninja2992]

I still miss shard, hate that p*nders screwed him and other characters over

[@Mariocat99]

He kind of reminds me of Deadpool

[@spennyspectacular353]

Why are all the most compelling and well-written Sonic characters robots? Gamma, Emerl, and Shard all are so cool to me. Omega's also a consistently awesome character.

[@Makorze]

Omega is kinda funny. He knows killing is bad, however giving people PTSD from the sheer amount of firepower he has is acceptable.

[@johngulster7787]

And gamma.

[@redactedoktor]

@@Makorze Killing is bad, but there’s no moral limit to the amount of explosions and destruction possible as long as it’s not fatal!

[@SADmemer.]

Robot superior…flesh inferior

[@EchidnaSharp]

sage also (kind of)

[@Yozzoy]

One other cool thing to note too is that Post Reboot Gemeral is given a lot of Shards personality, so I like to think that the Ian and the crew wanted to explore more concepts with him as a stand in for Shard.

[@angrybrony]

yeah well it sucked seeing him as a gemerl fan.

[@yocapo32]

@@angrybrony I mean, it's not like Gemerl ever _had_ a personality to begin with besides "Murder everything" and "Possibly Emerl again, maybe?".

[@CalebVela682]

​​​@@yocapo32 At least in IDW they finally gave Gemerl an actual personality and did him justice

[@bigs5078]

Fun fact: Shard was *originally* intended to be Gemerl, but SEGA was being weird about which characters could and couldn't be used at the time, do they used Shard instead. His colour scheme is in turn a dual reference to Gemerl and Metal 3.0.

[@Kronos_Knight]

There is a fan comic that goes over this exact situation kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWqwaHR7prVngqs

[@DewMan31]

Its interesting how both Metal Sonic and Shadow differ as foils to Sonic. I think whats really cool is how Shard works as a foil to Metal Sonic, considering how the metal doppelganger has only ever been someone else's foil. Its a shame that Shard likely wont ever come back. He became such a well written character by the end.

[@RaphielShiraha64]

gemerl pretty much replaced shard in regards to the comics.

[@mutanttepig4759]

Yeah Shard essentially became Metal Sonic's version of shadow in a very weird way.

[@certifiednobody]

I love the theory that Shard was reincarnated in the Reboot universe as Gemerl, due to their similar colors and backstories.

[@bigs5078]

Chauvel's comic was heartwarming.

[@AlphaZeroX96]

Gemerl was from Sonic Advance 3. He wasn't made for the comics.

[@certifiednobody]

@@AlphaZeroX96 Yeah I know

[@AlphaZeroX96]

@@certifiednobody Why do people treat him like a IDW character then? It doesn't make sense.

[@amagicalbeing7427]

​@@AlphaZeroX96 because he was given a personality there and is just more fleshed out

[@alexfraser8352]

I really hate the fact that he essentially dies the moment he's about to tell nicole how he feels. He shuts down & then immediately gets erased from existence. Shard X Nicole would've been the cutest couple ever 😢

[@bensoncheung2801]

42nd 👍

[@jurassicarkjordanisgreat1778]

We were robbed. It reminds me alot of Masterchief and Cortana in halo.

[@IdentifiantE.S]

Yes that’s really sad 🥲

[@JosiahDavis-kr5fd]

@somethingwithaz8237 Yes. I wonder what EXACTLY is stopping them from coming back...?

[@BobThePenguin.]

@@JosiahDavis-kr5fd copyright.

[@WithFearGaming]

Man, that's the saddest story I've heard since Shadow's Origin Story. Would've loved to see Shard adapted to the anime, or even a game. Could've been a fan favorite

[@Unknowntraveler302]

The kill everyone or the gets killed off instantly metal was getting pretty boring so I’m pretty glad I found this

[@hannahpestell18]

Cant lie I teared up a little bit at the end there. Shard meant a lot to me as a kid and his search for connections but feeling unable to was something that resonated with me so much. I mourn never being able to see him again but I hope that videos like this show people how wonderful he became by the end.

[@DarktoLight561]

I mean, he is a robot, for all we know he could have been repaired for a few years

[@hannahpestell18]

@@DarktoLight561 obviously it's hard to say with the cancellation. But with the implication that everything that allowed him to have a soul was within the power gem, And them saying they didn't really have a concrete story plan for him it did feel very final. Even if they rebuilt the body it wouldn't be the same person

[@DarktoLight561]

@@hannahpestell18 Hopefully they can bring him back how he originally was

[@valmid5069]

If it helps; he still appears in Sonic Archie Online (similar spinoff continuation as much as Sonic The Comic Online)

[@DarktoLight561]

Wait really? YES!

[@kingbash6466]

Love the irony that despite Shard looking less like Sonic (being a clear homage to Metal Sonic v3.0 from Rivals), he ends up resembling him more personality wise.

[@mikedanielespeja6128]

And it HURTS

[@kanemccarthy1979]

I always thought he was an homage to Bass from Mega Man lol

[@MegaManXegesis]

Yeah, I'm curious about the writing process, since he shares so many similarities with Bass, visually and otherwise. It almost seems like they saw the Rivals look, and got inspired to write a fanfiction ending to Bass's incomplete budding-antihero arc through Shard, who was already very similar, but were cut tragically short due to external factors, just like Bass's arc was. But that's just conjecture. A COMICS CONJECTURE. THANKS FOR WATCHING.

[@scottsantacruz313]

Shard was the Metal Sonic I wanted so badly to happen as a child, A Metal Sonic who breaks the traditional mold and sees the light, Shard was taken before his time, and is gravely missed.

[@cfruge444]

< Shard was the Metal Sonic I wanted so badly to happen as a child, A Metal Sonic who breaks the traditional mold and sees the light Mecha Sonic Mark II: *exists*

[@estrelaplatinada6506]

​@@cfruge444???

[@anonbefallen4807]

This is literally my all-time favorite character from the Archie books. Thankyou so much for covering this guy!

[@neoluna1172]

mood

[@pestilynce]

Damn, makes me wish I had read this back in the day. This story really tugs at the emotions. What an amazing character.

[@Lindsay-nx5sv]

I'm glad they got the name Metal Sonic squared away eventually early in the series, because the only true Mecha-Sonic is the Robotized Sonic from Archie issue 39.

[@anonbefallen4807]

​@@Lindsay-nx5svlmfao

[@thatonezekrom8725]

One thing I love about shard from seeing this video was how expressive he is, how his eyes and mouth weren't just static plates of metal, it makes him more of the artificial life form he is (also, I can't help but think of anime metabee when I see shard, despite being aware of the latter far longer than the former)

[@thatonezekrom8725]

on the topic of thinking about robots from a more obscure franchise, IDW's Mecha Sonic (at first glace, I've only barely start at the beginning of the entire comic) gives me MASSIVE Rokusho vibes Both characters have their similarities: tattered cloak, gentle personality, maybe even being guardians as well I'm wondering if the writers and designers of the IDW comics took direct inspiration from the Medabots franchise when creating Mecha Sonic's character. If that's the case, then I think this is a second time Medabots had a part in the IDW comics, the other time I believe it was a cameo during development of one of the panels of a comic before Scrapnik Island where tails had a collection of figurines of robots, including the likes of Undertale's Mettaton and the already previously mentioned Medabot's Metabee ... sadly I think they ended up being obscured by a speech bubble in the completed panel

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

I do think that Shard did continue into the reboot, Gemerl speaks like him in archie and even does a lot of taunts with double meaning to Metal Sonic. Intentional or not, Archie gemerl was effectively the reboots version of shard.

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

@SOME GUY AND... WHATEVER Similar but Gemerl felt like a recast where as Surge felt like a full blown passing of the torch, since she looks to have her own story arcs on top of carrying on some of Scourges.

[@rocky-my5ck]

Everytime I get to issue 50, I alway get sad, because it's a great story, but it was done to deal with characters sega didn't want anymore. I'll always miss you, shard...

[@NightFuryLover31]

Shard is my favorite Archie character. His growth as a his own person is amazing. Something random into something we never expected and love. It hit hard when Shard tried to voice Sonic's own advice for Metal in his final issue, "There's more to life." And while it's never stated, a lot of fans, myself included, feel like Shard could have been reborn in the reboot as Gemerl. Not only having the same color schemes, but also Gemerl's personality is similar. My favorite headcanon, if they existed in the same universe, is Shard and Belle becoming siblings. Even Evan Stanley had mentioned this idea once. That made me so happy.

[@Glitchedpixel5]

I need him back bro... It's not fair😭

[@chi-wind8593]

Shard. Man,I have not seen this character in awhile. I love his character development over the course of the comic.

[@justarandomdude797]

and here I was thinking that Shard got rejected from Mecha March Madness. You just saved him for a 40 min. video on him. Great work as always :) (I'm still waiting for the 1 hour long Metal Sonic analysis )

[@AlphaZeroX96]

It's flawed honestly.

[@staticmix1493]

Shard and Nicole are just adorable and I wish there was more time of them hanging out

[@shardsoftime0952]

They were so cute, and are two great characters anyway

[@staticmix1493]

@@shardsoftime0952 I know right, underrated in my opinion

[@raequizzle9713]

Part of the reason I like Gemerl in both the Archie and IDW comics so much is because he felt like a spiritual successor to Shard, one of Archie Sonic’s greatest characters. I appreciate this review reminding me of this gem of a character, well done Nick 👏🏽

[@AlphaZeroX96]

Gemerl was from Advance 3, not IDW.

[@esteban8471]

​@@AlphaZeroX96I think they meant to say the way Gemerl is portrayed in IDW reminds them of Shard.

[@AlphaZeroX96]

@@esteban8471 Ah.

[@SolidSneakers]

Funny enough I was just looking back into Shard about a month ago and realized that at a certain point he was one of the few badniks built by the original Robotnik still running around. They had that weird plotline where Robotnik had died just to be replaced by a self-roboticized Robotnik from a reality where he managed to defeat the freedom fighters and then tried to invade the prime reality because he literally had nothing better to do. The first time around he showed up as a one-time villain where he sent out a bunch of his SWATbots to attack Sonic's world but it was actually the original Robotnik who sent out his own SWATbots to fend off the attack. This showed us that for whatever reason despite not being able to defeat his version of Sonic, Prime Robotnik was capable of building robots that were superior to ones built by a Robotnik who won. That's why I thought it was pretty interesting when you consider the fact that the current Eggman wasn't even dealing with his own robot when it came to Shard but rather his predecessor's, even when he sent his own Metal Sonic to deal with him Shard still had the upper hand forcing the newer model to self-destruct as a last resort. Now I 100% doubt it was intentional but I still thought it was a pretty neat reference.

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

God, that whole "double Robotnik" thing was crazy. Robotnik dies, is replaced with a roboticised Robotnik from another dimension, who gets blown up but downloads his personality into a new body (so Archie can introduce the modern Eggman design) which eventually gets de-roboticised and turned into a human by aliens.

[@greenlightning6803]

That whole thing sure was screwy really thinking about it

[@redactedoktor]

@@minimalbstolerance8113 Kinda in love with it actually. It’s so crazy.

[@_aWiseMan]

Honestly egg man has always been weird in that way. The fact that idw specifically uses inferior models of the egg empower suit. And is shown far stronger than he seems also give sthe idea he never is really trying that hard. Even when he is he knows he can do better. It's why he's always confident

[@SqueakerBunny]

I never liked Archie, but Shard is that one thing that i will forever miss, as you said he was special, and knowing that we might never get something close to him every again its really heartbreaking

[@tepin2115]

Yeah, Archie's storylines weren't for everyone. Though, I also like how Shadow's character was also fleshed out. At one point, he even tried to convince Metal Sonic to turn in his Evil Badnik card, but it was all moot. He's more open about what he thinks and reacts to Maria's ghost, unlike the Sonic X anime, games and the Sonic Boom series version of him (the game exceptions are Sonic The Hedgehog '06. I think that was one of his best versions and also in Sonic Rivals 2, where he's willing to partner with Metal Sonic). Also loved that they included the SATAM series characters. Sally always seemed like a better love interest than anime-like "cutesy and nice, but gets angry at the drop of a hat" Amy. If she ever becomes a main character in a game, they had better improve on her personality.

[@SqueakerBunny]

@tepin2115 One of my biggest problems with Archie is exactly the SatAm characters. I never liked any of them, and I always felt like they dragged Sonic down, especially Sally. I don't know, I always felt like if you put the game Sonic into that world, Robotnik would lose in like 2 hours.

[@sonicrunn3r895]

Shard is probably my favourite incarnation of Metal. He's so damn fun and I miss him so much. His personality kinda lived on for a bit post-reboot in Gemeral, but sadly his archetype is sorely missed in IDW.

[@ftthecartoon]

Shard is my favorite Archie Character. He's so cool and has a great story.

[@ThatIdiotOmega]

32:42 Fun fact: this final page of Shards final issue leads directly to the Worlds Collide arc, which was an official crossover with the Mega Man series that also rebooted the entire Sonic comic in universe.

[@jocosejpeg]

Seeing the notification for this vid was a bit of a personal jumpscare because I was JUST thinking about how Shard is basically the "Good Ending" outcome for game canon's Metal the other day. Instead of having his suppressed identity crisis build up and eventually boil over as seen in Heroes and Free Riders, Shard was grounded early on and became just like "the real Sonic" in his own way: through his heroics. Metal Sonic has always been my favourite Sonic character by far, even if he's rather overplayed nowadays. Shard was such a fascinating departure from the tried-and-true murder machine that I was on board with the character from day 1, and the fact that he had a multitude of meaningful interactions with my second-favourite Sonic character (Nicole) just made me love him even more. I'm so glad to see you finally cover this lovable leaden lad. Keep up the good work, Nick!!

[@wakeangel2001]

I kid of love that Shard existed mostly because of a translation error where "Metal" got mixed with "Mecha" for a time. I choose to believe that Gemerl, the Gizoid, is kind of Shard's spiritual successor. Aside from the similar color scheme he is also a self aware and evolving robot that used to be a bad guy. I just wish that Gemerl had more of that Sonic style snark that Shard was so famous for. Mecha Sonic's original "death" in the volcano also felt like a reference to Hyper Metal Sonic from the Sonic the Hedgehog OVA, who also sacrificed himself to save 2 people from a lava flow, which Skrapnik Island ALSO referenced only to subvert. I kind of love after seeing 2 robotic Sonics meet a tragic end after their redemption we almost get it a THIRD time only for SONIC HIMSELF to reject it and tell that Skrapnik that his story isn't ending here. As good a scene that it was on it's own, for well informed fans of 3 decades like me it hit with WAY more power.

[@baval5]

37:03 this scene is a lot more interesting when you know that Shard almost got through to Metal Sonic and its only Robotniks hard coded soft reboot system that prevents Metal from ever being anything more than a "one note jerk".

[@AmyStrikesBack]

Shard's redesign looks so squishable and more carismatic, he looks out of murder drones and i love it

[@kirbyfan4]

Shart

[@ragewireloki6213]

Shard and N would be best friends.

[@galaxycamerata]

Something I feel is worth mentioning is that in the post-Worlds Collide Sonic comics, we saw the return of Gemerl - a different black and yellow robot with pre-established Sega ties - with a strangely familiar snarky attitude as he squares off with Metal Sonic and explicitly calls out that they're both "Ability stealer(s) with an identity crisis". I feel like after they were forced to reboot the universe, they were going to use Gemerl as their "mandate-friendly" stand-in for Shard when it came to potentially re-tooling any plans they had for that plot line. As for your points about the "canon" Metal Sonic and how he'll likely remain unchanging, I feel like more recently they've been delving into the idea of Metal Sonic reaching an existential epiphany. He's silent, violent, and subservient, but there's still a lot going on behind those red and black lenses. He isn't just programmed to follow Eggman's orders, he genuinely CARES about him. He feels an air of pride being praised, he refuses to take control of the empire, instead just manning it until he can find where the Doctor vanished to, and when he does find where Eggman went, he seems to be apologizing for not finding him sooner and failing to maintain a firm grasp on the planet in his absence. And later on, after he hears a loud explosion in the Doctor's last known direction, he shows genuine fear at the idea that Eggman could be hurt again and chooses to check on him instead of continuing to fight Sonic, only sparing a glare of contempt after Sonic mocks him for being worried. And most tellingly, during the Metal Virus arc, he begins to realize exactly what's been weighing him down all this time; Inadequacy. After seeing the Metal Virus just slip off his claws while it clings to Sonic, he realizes that there are fundamental differences that reinforce in his mind that he will never be Sonic despite being built to surpass him. And so from there, there's potential to explore his character after that realization. And if Frontiers and Eggman's own character growth between that and the IDW comics is any indication, it's possible that he could eventually see himself not just as "Metal Sonic, the strongest creation of Dr. Eggman and antithesis to Sonic", but "Metal Sonic, the eldest son of Ivo Robotnik." He may never become a good guy again, but he may start accepting his life for what it is and find some sense of peace in it.

[@tastethepainbow]

Oh, double upload! Anyways, yeah, Shard was one of the best parts of Pre-Reboot Archie. Glad it seems like that they're trying the concept of a good Sonic robot again with Mecha Sonic in IDW.

[@NovusDundus]

Looks like they had the potential to make Shard a kind of a "Shadow" to Metal

[@TrueBladeSoul]

Hell if sega was determined that there could only be one metal sonic then Shard could have been changed to Proto metal sonic the prototype version

[@thedarkest9]

I actually love the 87-88 Metal Sonic design. It’s a bit clunky, but his cone spines look sharp and distinguishes him from his fleshy counterpart. His joints have a mechanical look with hinges for his elbows and his ankles being huge to compensate for the speeds he would run at. And while the mouth is a bit odd, his screen eyes a expressive and distinct. He looks like he can not only out pace the blue blur, but also best him in strength.

[@shardsoftime0952]

Same

[@AutobotSonicTheTelltaleGamer]

I've waited YEARS for you to cover Shard! As you can tell by my PFP, he's my favorite character in not just the Archie Comics, but the entire franchise as well! It really made me love Metal Sonic, and I wish more than anything, Shard got a proper ending. I really wish got to have a proper friendship/rivalry with Sonic like Knuckles and Shadow, become friends with Tails and Amy, and even properly fall in love with Nicole. At the very least, Shard DOES live on in Ghosts of the Future, a fan comic by current IDW Sonic writer/artist Evan Stanley! I would love to see you cover that comic if you can!

[@shardsoftime0952]

Me too, he is AMAZING. When i think of metal sonic, archie sonic issue 86 is the first thing i think about, then OVA

[@AlphaZeroX96]

He's not canon.

[@ragewireloki6213]

⁠@@AlphaZeroX96You know that there is more than 1 canon right? Comic canon, game canon. Its all different. Yes, Shard isn’t canon to the games but doesn’t mean he is completely non-canon. Also denouncing a character just because he isn’t canon is kinda disrespectful to both the character and the writer, because it isn’t canon, to the canon you like, therefore it must suck. That is a horrible mindset. It practically says fanmade stuff sucks because it isn’t canon.

[@AlphaZeroX96]

@@ragewireloki6213 I wasn't saying they suck.

[@valmid5069]

*Shard is a greatly underrated character, thanks for an interesting biotopic on him! Can't wait for more content*

[@dragoncross42]

Glad to see a video going over Shard and his journey from his time as an evil robot to being remade into a hero all the way to his end. I loved the idea of Shard changing his ways and growing pass his programing, thanks for the double videos today, they were awesome to watch~!!!

[@smugsneasel]

I remember when they functionally replaced him with Gemerl in the rebooted universe, and thought "I love Gemerl being a mainstay...but it's just not the same."

[@bigs5078]

Surprised you didn't mention post-SGW Gemerl, considering he was a dead ringer for Shard.

[@NegaHumanX]

It seems like Shard does a better job of being a copy of Sonic with his more others focused personality. I could see Sonic acting just like him if he was forced to avoid his friends and work behind the scenes. Staying cocky and having fun, but also needing those deeper connections and reaching out to those he can. I like the idea of a "light mirror" as a "what if" character which can show us different sides of the mains we wouldn't normally be able to see. Like an alternate universe character but existing in the same universe and having impact on the mainline stories.

[@Bravice]

40 minute video essay on my favorite Archie Sonic character of all time? Hell yeah I'mma spend an afternoon on this!

[@anonbefallen4807]

I don't know how you do it man, you take things I've been feeling in my heart of hearts ever since I was a little kid, and put them into words I couldn't have even began to muster. Thank you for this retrospective on Shard, perhaps the single best clone of a clone in history.

[@fromashesreborn.]

he is literally my overall favourite character. i love him so much im so glad you made a video on him.

[@AlphaZeroX96]

How? He's not even canon to the games.

[@fromashesreborn.]

@@AlphaZeroX96 okay? im allowed to like comic characters more than the ones that appear in game. stfu.

[@amagicalbeing7427]

​@@AlphaZeroX96 dude just because something isn't from the games doesnt mean you cant like aspects of other canons

[@kingluno4983]

Shard is HANDS DOWN my favorite Archie Sonic character if not my favorite sonic character of all time! So glad we finally got a video on him from you!

[@HotFootBunny]

Finally a Video About Shard, Hes definitely My favorite metal Sonic, Big fan of his story and i hope he some how come back sense His story Could of Been pretty good if it finish imo (instead of just being killed)

[@Richforce1]

So much left unsaid in that book, and as the years start to pass it'll slowly forgotten bit by bit, but at least we'll have our memories.

[@Rabbitearsblog]

I'll never forget Archie Sonic...

[@electricsoul3355]

I remember having the sonic Archie encyclopedia (and I still do) and seeing this awsome metal sonic in the book as a kid. Then one fateful day in the library, I actually found the first comic he ever appeared in (well, as 3.0 metal sonic) I had a blast reading the comic and he still remains one of my favorite sonic characters of all time to this day.

[@CJs_Will]

Metal sonic is an amazingly written character, especially in IDW, especially when he tries to infect himself with the metal virus. Shard was strange to me at first, but i ended up really enjoying his character as his time in the Archie series developed.

[@dragonborn7955]

Metal Sonic having great character development in IDW? No he doesn't, he's just a robot that kills. ONE short story isn't enough.

[@CJs_Will]

@@dragonborn7955 bro, the way he goes back to doctor eggman, and the way he has so many chances to betray his creator but stays by his side. The only time he ever helps sonic is when he is explicitly asked to by eggman, really shows his loyalty. Robots can be written well.

[@CometX-ing]

@@CJs_Will I wouldn’t call that well written unless IDW actually does something with it. Because at the moment he’s JUST a really strong Badnik and not his own character. Metal Sonic works best when he has his own autonomy, which the IDW version barely has.

[@CJs_Will]

@@CometX-ing i just like his loyalty, how he isn’t like the other robots whose programming is magically changed by the power of friendship, and instead stays true to how he was originally designed.

[@CometX-ing]

@@CJs_Will Metal Sonic’s loyalty coming from his programming is what cheapens it. The fact that it’s not a conscious decision to stay evil means its not really loyalty to Eggman that causes him to want to protect him, its just his coding. Which isn’t really compelling or interesting, its just standard function of a robot to obey its master.

[@Jungle9825]

I would've loved it if Shard's fight with Metal served as the foundation of a Neo Metal storyline. Metal would've taken Shard's words to heart but in the worst way possible and become more dangerous than Eggman.

[@Shxnon]

I was hoping you’d ever make a Shard video for Mecha Madness but it finally happened!! I’m so happy Shard finally gets the recognition he deserves

[@JeremyMaldonadoSTK]

Thank you for reviewing this man and bringing him to the light, he truly deserved so much better :c

[@scorchingemblem7873]

Shard has been my absolute favorite Archie Sonic character ever since I learned of his existence. I've always adored alternate takes on villainous characters that turn them into heroes.

[@silversomething501]

Shard has been one of my favorite characters forever! I'm so glad you made a video about him!

[@Kleist_Polaris]

One of my faves, in a sea of metals, mechas and silver hedgehogs shard always stood out as the one who listened to sonic and defied eggman as their own bot. Spoilers for Evans fan story, her mecha pulled a lot of inspo and a great character buildup

[@lianaverwood9810]

One thing about *MetalSonic's Comic appearance* is that it's _Archie Comics' take_ on *the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Animated Movie,* where Metal Sonic (or _Hyper Metal Sonic,_ as the Dubbed version of it refers to him as) is programmed to believe that he's *the Real Sonic the Hedgehog* - and ends with it *getting a Magma Burial* helping Tails escape the floe, _just like Archie MetalSonic!_ Both were *all but completely Superior Mechanical Doppelgangers of Sonic,* and both managed to _override their Core Programming_ to become Heroes, even *if only for a few minutes...*

[@shadic971]

I went into this thinking it would be just another goofy robot Sonic, now I'm right next to nick waiting in any possible update or mention on the character

[@ElijahW2003]

YES!!!!!!!! I remembering discovering him as a kid and him instantly becoming my favorite comics character. I was soooooo sad that he never came back lmao, I miss him.

[@MothFable]

15:28 the KZbinr lowart has a good video (8 hours long but it has somewhat shorter parts) that goes over the entirety of Archie currently up until the very end of Archie sonic. I grew up reading scattered bits of the comic and it helped immensely. Plus it’s a fun video.

[@PK-starstorm1995]

Shard was one of my favorite characters. Glad to see him finally get his time in the sun ❤

[@tsw9918]

I rmr reading the final Shard fight, was heartbreaking to see him go. Feel like there were lots of character dynamics that were left unexplored with him. Forever gutted that Shard/Sonic's dynamic was never flushed out further and definitely upset that Nicole/Shard wasn't explored either, felt like they had great chemistry

[@WalkerSunriseChannel]

Shard post-face-turn quickly became one of the my favorite things from the Archie-verse and hoping to see more of him was one of the last things that kept me reading during the “end times” so to speak of the comic’s run. His search to find his own meaning and value to life, his Sonic-like cockiness and very prominent sense of pride in being both the original and the superior when faced with other Metal Sonics, he seemed like he had some great potential before the canon reboot apparently wiped him out of existence.

[@Cyber_Horse_Studios87]

Firstly, Amazing job on this video! Secondly, shard is an example of why I think Eggman should build more Metal Sonic’s with power gem cores. It makes it them far more powerful in the long run. Both shard and Metal Sonic 3.7 (whom I like to call “Seven”), the Metal Sonic shard faced off with demonstrated their powerful abilities thanks to their gems. It also makes me wish that Eggman would try and install a chaos emerald into a Metal Sonic. It would both give it power, AND in theory allow a Metal Sonic to control the chaos emeralds and go super. Something that only Mecha Sonic from Sonic 3 has been able to achieve.

[@BlackFlash09]

I've been meaning to write a story where the Chaotix seek out the Chaos Rings, which would be able to repair Shard's Power Gem.

[@misterzygarde6431]

Twas a shame he didn’t carry over to the reboot. Maybe they could’ve had him be Metal Sonic 3.0 from Rivals 2

[@jaredtherock5692]

That Metalsonic/hidrocity joke killed me. Great video!!

[@WillenChan]

XDDD

[@whichcache2517]

I would argue that there’s a good reason for why he looks the way he does in his 3rd appearance. As he stated, he repaired himself, and thus played a significant part in why he looks so different from his other appearances. It showcases how even though he wants to defeat Sonic as part of his core programming, he still had the autonomy to choose, which is further illustrated when he’s touched by Tails’ defense of Sonic and decides to sacrifice himself. Shard, in essence, is a Metal Sonic that breaks the mold that he was given, which is illustrated by all his off-model designs from what Metal Sonic traditionally looks like. Hence why he’s ultimately defeated by a Metal Sonic who stuck with his mold (and is the most faithful in terms of design to Metal Sonic), but surpassed his original in terms of ability.

[@DrSheldonCrane444]

I would love to hear your thoughts about the Archie Sonic and Mega Man crossover series that took place during the infamous lawsuit and the team had to adopt a new story for the mainline Archie continuity. They’re a really under appreciated series and needs to see more light. It also sparks an interest in wondering if Sega and Capcom will collaborate again and make an official Sonic and Mega Man game. Hopefully, it will be a console game and not a stupid mobile game or app. Happy thoughts!

[@pestilynce]

Oh wow!! TWO Videos!! What a wonderful day! Thank you for putting in so much work and for putting these out!

[@endrylgoes2892]

When I got to the sonic fandom I always liked seeing cool fanart of this character, even tho I never got the context behind him, and now it's a bit sad considering that for him... The stars will no more shine, and in the dust he will be left aside. Get it? because he head through StarDust SpeedWay Zone

[@endrylgoes2892]

........ Just read the text buble in 4:02

[@DTwMeteora]

Amazing video! Shard is in my top 3 favorite Sonic characters. Is one of those special occasions where you get a unique spin on a known concept. That captivates the readers and the fans at the same. He resonated with me so much, because of his amazing design inspired by Mega Man. And his unique spin, and mix of ideas from metal sonic's appearances up until that point (I always found it so cool, that his sacrifice in issue #87 was similar to metal's sacrifice in the OVA) It's unfortunate that we never saw him again. And I do hope some of his legacy still carries on in some way in the future. I haven't caught up to IDW since the end of the metal virus, but I really loved the inclusion of gemerl, which reminded me of Shard in some ways. And now that you mentioned scrapnik island, I'm very intrigued to read that story! While I get much of the backlash the Archie run gets nowadays. Characters like Shard, and the many stories that the team behind the comic made once the comic had a different management. Are the reason why I always saw the immediate dissmissal of Archie as a bit close minded and in bad faith. It's not that you are not allowed to critize it and that you are obliged to like it (after all, it had a troubled history behind the scenes, and it is a tough sell for those not invested in the american canon that sparked in the 90's). But I do find that much of the distain the comic has nowadays, does diminish some of the value the readers found in it. And that they still hold on to, years after the cancellation. It was definitely a product of its time, and I really wish the great parts of the comic that did stand out to the readers like you and me, get the appreciation they deserve nowadays. Can't wait for you coverage of the rest of the Archie run :D

[@RyuseiiTheCrimsonKing]

I didn't know anything about Shard before this video, but after listening to you he's become one of my favorite Sonic characters. His story remind me a lot of Zero from Megaman, and they both had a very similar end. Both of them dying as Heroes.

[@AfroRyan]

A simple way to kind of "reboot" the character would be to have Tails build his own robot Sonic. He is a mechanical genius after all, and Sonic is his hero, so it seems in-character. I'd personally set him up with a shard of something more "canon," like the master emerald or phantom ruby or something. The phantom ruby's multi-dimensional powers would be a good excuse to have him have Shard's personality, but due to the dimensional crossover, he could just forget his past as his programming tries to "match" the new dimension. I'd go so far as to have his first word be "amazing" or something similar to finish his Nicole sentence, but then have him snap out of it and be confused as his memory is rewritten to match the current dimension. That avoids copyright issues but is enough to be an obvious nod to fans. I know the real sticking point for Shard was supposedly the "original rock do no steal" power gem, so replacing it with a shard of the phantom ruby would probably be fine...anyway, I miss him.

[@ralonnetaph6450]

idk much about this character, but 2 minutes in and hearing that his canon arm is 100% shooting Megaman shennangans at people is perfection, because he also has the color scheming of a Megaman character called Bass, who was a mirror to Megaman based on surpassing him in the same style but then also kinda ditched Wily and started doing his own anti-hero thing. He's basically what came before Zero but after Protoman. And considering this version of Sonic has also had full on crossovers with Megman I think, it stands to reason that the color scheme was 100% meant to elicit that feeling of Bass.

[@mhollis1989]

TLDR on Naugus He's a recurring villain and chaos wizard made when three other mages accidentally fused themselves into him, before everything got rebooted. He made a deal with the then king while they were both exiled to another dimension to make him king. Ever since he's been scheming to take the crown, until he actually did, with the help of Geoffrey via a coup. That timeline ended with him still fighting to retain his throne. Edit for notes on Eggman. The original Robotnik gave Shard the power gem. This is an interdimensional robotic doppelganger took his place and was turned flesh by meddling ant aliens.

[@thestarlightalchemist7333]

I had actually attempted to reboot Shard into an IDW-aligned character, but the crazy backstory I came up with for him ended up morphing into an actual fully fleshed out (literally) OC, Tallix the Hedgehog.

[@ragewireloki6213]

I know this is an old comment. But mind telling me what Talix was like?

[@CosmicCrimson]

@@ragewireloki6213 I second this greatly.

[@EpsilonZolton]

LETS GO THE SHARD VIDEO! my favorite sonic character Ok if IDW ever decides to go the direction of Shard however unintentionally i think they already have some setup for him. What im talking about is in the 2020 Annual short Reflections we see Metal try and use the metal virus on themself in an attempt to see if they are the real sonic but they hesitate to do so. Also just anytime i see IDW Metal try and resist programing only to fall back onto it for example in issue 52 Sonic actually teases Metal about their programing mid fight as protecting Eggman is a higher priority then killing Sonic and Metal has to fly off to check up on Eggman. I dont think it will ever happen but i really want Shard back sadly i think Belle is taking up the slot for good team robot along side Gemerl Sporting the black and gold color scheme. Also with scrapnik Mecha taking up the robotic redemtion arc like you mentioned maybe we could get a Shard like character out of them but idk.

[@lazerwolf952]

I kinda liked the redesign for metal sonic. And it makes sense that his appearance would change. Eggman (or Robotnik in this case) would constantly try to improve where the previous model failed, so that it could defeat sonic. And upgrades would lead to new designs.

[@0festiva0]

I have been waiting 3000 years for this video

[@stix7168]

I think it would be so cool to have shard feature in a fan game or some other fan story

[@mistersp3753]

9:51 I always appreciate a good Hydrossity referece. That What's in a Name episode is still one of my favorites. By the way, it's pronounced 'Matthasnocuts'.

[@RaphielShiraha64]

If i remember right it was confirmed to be hydro city not hydrossity awhile go.

[@MrJapanUnderground]

I remember when the black and yellow Shard first showed up. I was addicted to more of that character. But, when his end came, I was devastated.

[@hoseinbmr3449]

Finally a great video covering ma boi Shard 👍 i love his design and i love how much depth his character has not only he is my favorite Archie character , he is also my second favorite character of the hole franchise ( only second to Tails ) i guess this is where i would say i wish he came back BUT NO because his death is actually one of my reasons of loving him, he was born as a villain but died as a hero what i wish for is if only he didnt die as soon as he did, there was a lot of interactions i wanted for him to do , i wanted him to have more friendly rivalry with sonic to see this enemies become friends, its a shame we never saw Shard interacting with Shadow because in that continuity Shadow really wants metal sonic to be more than just a tool and Shard is exactly what he wanted, i really wanted him to be introduced to the rest of the freedom fighters and have a few missions with them to show them that he has really changed and actually become a friend of them so that when he dies it would hit harder. and also shardXnicole is my favorite sonic ship of all time, i mean come on 2 artificial beings slowly learn the meaning of life in their own way and then they would learn the meaning of love together? i love it. there are more than a few sonic moments that made me sad but sonic universe issue 50 was the only one that literally made me cry and because of that it is my favorite sonic comic of all time RIP Shard the MetalSonic 😢

[@triledink]

Man. I hope in the future if there ever gonna be a animated series based on the comics in the future that someone remembers Shard. He really is a unique character, I hate the though of him getting forgotten to time. His story deserves to be told to more people.

[@GrayvyFellow]

Honestly Shard has for me been a top 10 Sonic character in my books. To be bold for a moment, probably my favourite out of the characters we might sadly never see again. In a way how I see his story its a smart subversion of the doppelganger and a near beautiful redemption story that I WISH was fully fleshed out.

[@TheZiiFamily]

Now i know about them And now i want him back He need all the fan art and fan stories!!!

[@FireSonic225]

That Hydro City joke got me, lol

[@Destiny_Of_Koi]

Honestly, Shard is one of my favorite characters in Archie. He's what I always wanted in Metal Sonic, a villain turned good after finding a purpose in life. I thought that's what they would do with him after Heroes but he's still working with Eggman. Hopefully that dream can come true someday.

[@benogle4951]

They have to bring him back eventually, I don't know how but I need to see him back. Excellent video about an awesome robot

[@broomthegodofdestruction561]

There’s a line I read once that I believe needs to be said, “metal sonic may be a reflection of sonic, but shard is a reflection of him.”

[@MageSkeleton]

Shard would actually make for an amazing movie experience. Shard has everything and more.

[@shardsoftime0952]

Sonic OVA

[@realjordantrs]

I never really read any of the Archie Sonic comics, yet watching and listening to you describe how Shard's story end, it genuinely made me really sad. Like unironically, I almost cried, and I don't really funny understand why. I guess I just really love characters who get to redeem themselves, so knowing he wasn't going to come out of that fight intact just, it hurt, even though I never had much of an interest in the comics.

[@Estaguy24]

Fun fact: Metal Sonic in the JP and EU cover has a mouth, although smaller and more confusing than the US version because his mouth can be interpreted as the metal shading of his muzzle but you can see it if you zoom in enough

[@bulbasaurplush]

I didnt know about the character but i fell i love with him thanks to this video and then got my heart broken

[@scrumblycat]

Shard will always be my favorite Archie sonic character. He was such a good character, even if his story was cut short. I wish we could have seen more of him, but if he actually died after his fight with Metal, it's a decent ending.

[@FleshWeaver]

I would love to see a well done sonic hero's comic arc were they use the scrapyard mecha sonic, spike, and the old Cyclops visor metal Sonic as an additional team of three. Maybe the scrap yard one was able to use some energy from an emerald or something like he did on the knuckle side of Sonic 3 to try and send energy into Spike's damaged power core to jump start it. And they wind up sort of acting as a voice for all the turned good robots that they don't want whatever cruel Utopia metal Sonic is trying to bring them. Also the idea of the Cyclops visor Sonic dragging Spike behind him to show it to the scrap yard mecha sonic is funny.

[@axelsonicsson7160]

"His story like his final words would go unfinished" where are these tears coming from?.....

[@Freaky-Raine]

He's the most accurate Sonic. He acts like him, his speed, rizz, etc.

[@shade2006]

im genuinely amazed that you did an entire video on shard, even knowing youve done a few different character analysises Shard honestly didnt EVEN need to be so unique, but in a way, he also did, and im glad he was able to start being his own character instead of "just another fake sonic"

[@DaMemeManDan]

Hell yes! Two videos within HOURS of each other!

[@tahutoa]

8:47 even when _I_ was a kid in the 2000s and early 2010s, Metal Sonic appearing in something was a big deal to me. Shard was for me the spiritual successor to the OVA's ending. And that was big.

[@Dot.jfluffybunnies]

YES FINALLY YOU MADE A VIDEO OUT OF HIM!!!

[@thatguyyoumightfindatthest9807]

I really do hate that IGN and other sources haven't done anything with Shard. Perhaps the most underrated character in the Sonic Universe, perhaps one day we might look up, whether it be a new game or comic series, and maybe, just maybe, we'll catch a glimpse of that black and gold, with a smile on his silver mouth guard and a wave