Shadow the Hedgehog: The Power of Redemption (Video Essay)

In this video I examine the character of Shadow the Hedgehog and analyze his highs and lows throughout the series to do my best to give this characters amazing story justice.
Twitter: / itsnickforshort

[@freyaljones7368]

Shadow was meant to be a tragic hero not some vegeta knockoff

[@antg2183]

@SharinganSakura not really, Vegeta’s tragic when you realize that he was Frieza’s slave but then you realize he’s not really tragic because 1.) the Saiyans were still warmongering dickheads, whether they were under Frieza or not they would’ve been galactic assholes, 2.) Vegeta wasn’t even truly a slave, he basically did whatever the hell he wanted under Frieza, sure if he got outta hand, Frieza would’ve killed him (which happens in Namek) but Vegeta only really got outta hand because HE wanted to be the slave master and 3.) I already said the Saiyans were dickheads but Vegeta was the king of dickheads. It didn’t matter if you were his ally or enemy or civilian, he took enjoyment in killing basically anyone he came across. Vegeta wasn’t truly tragic.

[@fucin]

Shadows just a part of a japanese trope that Vegeta also exemplifies the japanese like to pair serious and hardened characters with the do good always bright eyed ones Shadow is a lancer trope so Vegeta to Sonics Goku, Sasuke to Sonics Naruto, Yuno to Sonics Asta, Kaiba to Sonics Yugi, Vergil to Sonics Dante hell even anime inspired western shit has this trope, Shadow would be the Zuko to Sonics Aang except Shadow is a lancer who is much stronger than Sonic is while the usual guys are always chasing their leaders strength the big scoop here is that the pattern the lancer trope usually follows is they get a lot less edgy and a lot more caring when they find a gf and have kids, see Vegeta, Zuko, Vergil and Sasuke so Shadows best next arc would be getting a waifu or adopting a kid but I hear SEGA has mandates that dont allow Sonic characters to have any character development so thats bust

[@Ang3LofSp4rK]

@Astro8 99 I disagree, partly. IDW Shadow's definitely a Vegeta-esque character, and so is BOOM (but that's an intentional spin-off and Shadow isn't the only char who got changed around). 2010+ Game Shadow still feels like Shadow to me, in that he's more along the lines of "quiet/serious, more pragmatic than optimistic" than Vegeta's whole loud-hot-headed-arrogant shabang. TSR's the only case really of Shadow being openly arrogant but IMHO that doesn't count 'cause everyone in that game is acting like an arrogant prick; even Blaze is talking shit. XD

[@lerona.martyr3811]

@@fucin getting a waifu (rouge) and adopting a kid (omega)? hmmmmm

[@lerona.martyr3811]

@@Ang3LofSp4rK only in the english translation hes like that iirc. Everyone is pretty faithful in the japanese version

[@thegoldenb7280]

He might seem all hard and edgy on the outside but on the inside he’s a softy and has a caring heart.

[@crazydaysifinity359]

Agreed

[@hamzapaxton7673]

Pro tip: watch movies at Flixzone. Been using it for watching a lot of movies recently.

[@nolanconner1850]

@Hamza Paxton Yea, have been watching on Flixzone} for since november myself :)

[@horizon8618]

You mean a tsundere

[@bella_daze3092]

I AGREE

[@ChillKnuxFan201]

I like that you said he's the redemption character. To be honest, one issue I had a problem with Shadow is that he's very similar to Knuckles. To me, they're both misunderstood. When we first saw Knuckles, we thought he was a bad guy. In Sonic 3, he jumped Sonic, stole his chaos emeralds that Sonic put a lot of work to get, and was always one step ahead of him and laughed at him every time. Knuckles was a jerk, as he put work into making Sonic look like a joke. But Sonic & Knuckles showed us that he wasn't evil after all, he was just trying to his job. Knuckles to me is just a misunderstood character but Shadow is very similar. The message that SA2 was, people make mistakes, but no one believes that they're the bad guy. What Shadow did was evil, but he didn't think he was doing the wrong thing. So he realized that, and tried to make things right. The difference is Knuckles knows he's doing a good deed, as he's trying to protect the Master Emerald, he was just tricked. I heard many times that "Knuckles used to be an anti-hero", but if anything, he was more of an anti-villain, but ultimately a good guy. Shadow on the other hand is more ambivalent to what is good and evil, and that's why he's an anti-villain. Making Knuckles as the misunderstood character, and Shadow as the redemption character would make them both stand out, in that regard.

[@Supersak67]

While they both comparable to sonic and are both complex but knuckles is naive and gullible and honors his echidna tribe whith shadow he has more similarities towards sonic than knuckles but whats complex about him is that it's hard to understand his motivations as his motivations depend more on the reason he was created to me shadow is a hero but if you look at in another way shadow could also be more in the grey area shadow dosnt entend good or bad but to fulfil his purpose and if Maria had wished for shadow to cause destruction and havoc and revenge ne would've done it others could also argue that shadow is just doing on what he thinks is right as he isn't an ordinary creature he dosnt really understand his true purpose or what is right or wrong

[@wayverleesoulsong]

“Call me anything you want” Me: Alright, I’m gonna call you a king because you justify Shadow instead of trampling on him

[@BlueJack222]

Thank you for acknowledging that shadow was good in forces because a lot of people said that shadow was just being edgy and angst in that game

[@hugoflores1093]

Even as someone who has a lot of problems with Forces i gotta admit, Shadow was really well handeld, straight to work and no non-sense

[@lordcooler1687]

I will say shadow was ok on forces. I am glade that forces didn't make him brood and go "im the best". Not the best as 06 but still good here

[@dojostudios6330]

@@lordcooler1687 Fun Fact: Sonic Forces was the first time Shadow canonically smiled in the games

[@imagiguard]

Personally, I think he'd be a great mentor character. Specifically, in a future after Sonic; be it Silver's time, earlier, or even later. I've read that his creator wanted him to be sealed once again, only to be released hundreds of years in the future. However, I want him to be more active in the future years, maybe even forming a squad of "Chaos Guardians" (or at least, that's what I have in mind). And in the same vein, his immortality is surprisingly unexplored in the storytelling department. It has only ever been used to support him being "ultimate". However, immortality and being an active protector of the world may add some additional internal conflict, as they have some pretty nasty side effects. On another note, I'd recommend you to watch the original (though sometimes not really) Japanese dubs of the games. Windii Gitlord has done an amazing job translating them, and they both contain some extra details and fix some plot holes.

[@marcdimartino9118]

In Sonic Battle, towards the end of the game, Shadow actuals does become something of a mentor to Emerl, and I think it works really well.

[@Mepphy99]

Oh yes Shadow being a Silver in the future Is something i would love to see Especially After Sonic 06

[@shadowofsephiran]

Beautiful vid. It’s atrocious that Sega has rejected or simply forgotten the deep, tragic hero character Shadow used to be. His growth throughout SA2 was why he was so loved they had to bring him back, and then that’s supported by the other amazing character moments he has in the Archie comics and Sonic 06. With Sonic Heroes, I agree the plot isn’t ideal, but the thing is Shadow’s characterisation is still good, because what’s the first thing he does even though he’s a completely blank slate and remembers nothing? He rescues Rouge from danger. That means it was his instinct to save someone from danger, showing that he has a kind heart deep within. While yes I agree there is the whole plot hole of why Rouge or anyone else doesn’t just tell Shadow his past, I have heard an interpretation of this. With how smart and strategic Rouge is, she was perhaps just kind of doing some observation, watching for what Shadow would do and trying to figure out his deal, that’s why she didn’t tell him anything. She drags him in on their mission because they all have the common goal of ‘find and get revenge on Eggman’ and she does this to keep an eye on him, gradually growing to care for him more as she sees his reaction to the Shadow clones, but she also can’t be sure if he’s the real one because of the implications of the clones. As for why she continues to not tell him anything beyond Heroes I guess it’s just because the longer you kind of go without telling someone something it just kind of keeps going on, she just keeps stalling and stalling telling him and then well, the events of Shadow 05 happen. Its not like a huge amount of time passes between Heroes and Shadow 05 after all I think it’s only like a few months or something? It’s not ideal but it kinda works. It’s not official or anything but that’s how I like to view it. Forces Shadow is alright I suppose. Shadow is pretty good throughout the main story of Forces, he’s just all business and logic, which reminds me of how he was in 06, just practical and to the point, his goal is to take down the enemy, although not at the cost of friends or allies and he’s not supposed to be too rude to said friends and allies, if anything he can just be a little curt or frank, like how he is with Rouge when she asks if he’s curious about the sceptre she has and he’s just like ‘My mission was to rescue you nothing more’. Rouge even acknowledges this with her response saying that with him it’s always business. That’s how he’s meant to be, but IDW takes it too far where they make Shadow’s practicality and ego take over everything else and he’s just excessively rude and angsty to everyone as a result. He’s supposed to be all about business yes, BUT he will jump to protect his friends or even help others in danger at a moment’s notice. I feel Forces Shadow did alright at harkening back to that I suppose, but I didn’t love how he was in the actual Episode Shadow, he got over his whole ego phase he didn’t need to go calling Infinite pathetic, but other than that I guess he was mostly pretty good. I think I just personally don’t love his voice it sounds too villainous. There is one aspect of Shadow 05 that I think not enough people talk about and actually has way more merit behind it then people think. Shadow’s whole alien origin with the Black Arms. People dismiss it as bizarre and stupid and while it definitely has a bit of confusion around it, the concept of Black Doom intending for Shadow to help him conquer earth and be the key for doing so, is actually very interesting. Shadow is only turned away from this because Gerald and Maria ultimately told him the importance of kindness and the value of humanity, and Maria’s pure heart and love for everything rubbed off on Shadow and he fulfils his promise to her to protect and help the people of the world she loved. But in doing this Shadow essentially had to turn on his own species, his own blood, and wipe them out in the name of protecting the world he promised to protect. This is what the Shadow Falls saga of the Archie comics addresses and I think it doesn’t get nearly enough attention. It again plays on Shadow’s tragic hero thing. Shadow grapples with his guilt over the fact that he essentially caused his own kind to be extinct because he’s technically Black Arms as well. And then there’s the whole thing where he gets temporarily mind controlled again and fights Rouge and Omega until they eventually bring him back around, which is again emotionally charged because Shadow is being forced to do the opposite of what he’s meant to do, the opposite of what he promised to Maria, so you’re desperate for him to break out of the mind control and remember who he really is. The actual product of the Shadow 05 game that we got was a mess, but I think with some tweaks it honestly could have been good. Here’s my take: I think it would have been better off if Shadow NEVER got amnesia. That’s the route they took but they honestly didn’t need to. And honestly, Shadow not having amnesia at all could work without even fully changing Heroes and Shadow 05 (which are the only things between SA2 and 06 that would need to change at all). Instead it could have gone like this. Rouge finds Shadow at Eggman’s base as she does and is shocked because everyone thought he was dead. Shadow remembers all the events of SA2 but doesn’t remember how he ended up on the base and wants to know why Eggman was keeping him asleep there, that’s why he ends up joining the team of Rouge and Omega even though Rouge mostly drags him into it anyway - this would also make an interesting dynamic between Shadow and Rouge since they kind of left each other on hostile ground in SA2, Shadow had just found out she was a spy and Rouge was questioning if he even was the ultimate lifeform, so them being forced to work together again with this previous baggage could have been interesting and added some tension. Obviously there would need to be some dialogue changes but Shadow doesn’t even speak much in Heroes as it is so honestly the main gist would remain the same - the only thing that might be different is the thing with the Shadow androids which admittedly wouldn’t affect Shadow as much if he didn’t have amnesia because he’d have no reason to wonder that he might be an Android but they were kind of underused and tossed aside anyway to be completely honest. Then when Shadow 05 comes along, we don’t have to deal with any of the stupid amnesia stuff but instead it’s just Black Doom trying to manipulate him to ‘join their cause’ so to speak by revealing to Shadow that he’s one of them, and since Shadow lost his family in Gerald and Maria he would feel some sense of kinship to the black arms. Black Doom could try to convince Shadow that his true purpose was to lead the Black Arms invasion of Earth, since this would actually be the truth in some way, it’s the reason why Black Doom agreed to help make Shadow, he intended for Shadow to be the vanguard of the invasion. This causes inner conflict for Shadow and maybe the game could have been a LINEAR sequence of Shadow sometimes doing good stuff for the heroes and sometimes doing bad stuff for the Black Arms because of being swayed to either side by things they say and do. I personally think that if Shadow was confronted with the fact that he was intended to lead the Black Arms in their invasion of earth he might believe it and might indeed work to that, at least for a little while until his friends help him realise where his true loyalties lie. Shadow has to deal with an inner battle between how Gerald and Maria raised him and the promise he made to them and Black Doom persuading him that his birthright and intended purpose is to help the Black Aliens conquer Earth. It could have even been kinda marketed how the actual game was with the whole morality thing, the whole question of whether Shadow is a hero or villain because throughout the game the player is forced to make Shadow do both good and bad things to reach the eventual final ending, which is where Shadow must face his choice of whether he follows the purpose Black Doom set for him or what Maria and Gerald set for him. This is something that is actually addressed to some extent anyway, Shadow has struggled with wondering whether he was just made to be a weapon or something more - Sonic Battle kind of dives into this. But that could have been a simpler, more structured and most importantly completely cannon version of the Shadow 05 game. There could have even been an exciting climax where Black Doom mind controls Shadow, and instead of breaking out of it so easily like he does in the actual game, he does actually turn on the others and fight them, and it could turn into a pre-boss battle where the player plays as Sonic and a bunch of the others fighting Shadow to eventually bring him back around, Rouge and Omega being key to that because of the friendship they built as a team. Finally Shadow remembers who he really is and chooses his promise to Maria over Black Doom’s intended purpose for him and goes super and fights Black Doom as in the final ending of the game. They could still have even done the whole ‘putting the past behind me’ thing since Shadow would have been plagued by his past a lot through that journey anyway with Black Doom trying to manipulate him about what humanity did to him and Maria and learning the truth of his origin. In the end Shadow could just set all that aside and choose to go forward, as he does. Idk just my thoughts...

[@HeavyRaiden]

Damn reading this was a ride lol. Good comment.

[@littlehivetyrant2383]

You can be a caring hero while blasting edgy rock music on the background. Proved by Shadow "The" Hedgehog

[@emelytorres5715]

Shadow is the definition of anti-heroe

[@shivansh3387]

His portrayal in Sonic X was also like his 06 counterpart which kept his character development after SA2 story unlike in Heroes and his own spinoff

[@ommore5417]

I think Shadow's character has good moments in Sonic heroes, he starts to care for Rogue and Omega while protecting them as well. This is because they formed a friendship. This became all for naught when the shadow game came.

[@bakedbeans5494]

Rouge*.

[@LuisRPG8]

I might be one of the very few people that actually kinda liked Shadow 2005 and Shadow's development between Heroes and that game, sure, I agree like everyone else that they could've not went for that whole gritty and "look, firearms" direction, but seeing trough that, there's legitimate Shadow development there, I still agree we should've had more of Rouge talking to Shadow about his past in Heroes, and I have a lot to talk about the multiple story routes, but I kinda liked how it went. This Shadow is one devoid of his past, a blank slate that could potentially start anew, but his goal was to discover just who he was before, or even what he is considering Eggman's duplicates some sort of knowledge he's supposed to be The Ultimate Life Form, from others like Metal Sonic calling him that, he might as well believe he's a fake made by Eggman, and he's kind of ok with not knowing if he is or not at the end of Heroes, but his past was not deleted, and it turns out there's a fleeting memory haunting him. Shadow '05 starts with Shadow's memories of Maria, GUN's unfriendly relation with him and an affair Gerald made with an alien race to create Proyect Shadow(which has even more weight with the knowledge that part of the proyect was to cure Maria's illness, which should be addressed more, showing the lenghts Gerald could go to do so) all come back to haunt him, GUN is after Shadow for both the events of Adventure 2(both what happened 50 years ago and in the present) and the commander blaming Shadow of Maria's death, Black Doom is convinced that Shadow was made to help him colonize Earth in return of his creation and tries to convince him of humanity's missteps to help him wipe it out, almost attempting to return him to his initial Adventure 2 mindset, incluiding thinking it's Maria's will, Eggman is most known for the "neutral" route(which I wouldn't even consider neutral) in which he ends up convincing Shadow he's one of Eggman's duplicates, with the information Shadow gathered pointing that he should be dead, which backfires in Eggman, but for all we know, he might've actually tought the Shadow in Iron Jungle and Lava Shelter was one of his creations, in other routes he's more inclined to get GUN off his back but also fighting back the invasion as well, and even in some he knows or even straight up tells him he was the one created by Gerald, but gives half truths in attempts to manipulate him or gives him the "you have no past" convo he also did in Heroes, and then we have the Hero routes where Shadow discovers truths about his past, Maria's actual wishes, and the person he became before losing his memories, but, and it's a big but, the biggest issue is that despite requiring getting all endings to get the real one, we know most of them can't lead to the real one, and even with those that are candidates, we don't know which one is the cannon one or even worse the level conbination that actually happened to get there, even narrowing it down to Cosmic Fall and Final Haunt, there's like hundreds of level combinations to those levels' endings, so not only most of the game's story cannonicly didn't happen, we don't know which parts did, and what makes it worse is forcing the player to still do all of them anyways. That said I love the ending of the game, with Team Chaotix(which really need more spotlight) decoding one of Gerald's past messages regarding the Black Arms and Shadow, how he really needed help to finish Proyect Shadow, resorting to a sort of agreement with an alien race, appearing as "selling out the planet for his research" but in reality it now rested in Shadow to get rid of them when the time came (and again, we need more addressing of Maria's illness, it even explains why he was that desperate, at least a cutscene in any game would've been enough) along with many other stuff preety much making him remember and get back to who he was at the end of Adventure 2, Eggman even revealing one of his robots(presumably Omega) managed to save him at the end of Adventure 2, confirming he's the real one(altough it could've not been a random quote during the final boss). All of that, considering both Black Doom and Eggman's attempts at manipulating Shadow with him not falling for them in what we know is cannon (since y'know, he isn't evil and doesn't believe he's made by Eggman) and with GUN's comander also learning the Truth of Shadow's purpose, it kinda makes his story in Sonic '06 even better for me, at this point, he won't let himself be turned against humanity again, he went trough that once as he realized he went trought that before too, we got a Shadow who not only realized he isn't humanity's enemy in Adventure 2, he also went trough amnesia and attempts to be brought back to hating humanity taking advantage of said amnesia, and he's now working for good with the organization that held him captive for several years and then wanted him dead, as they now know he isn't a threat to the planet, but now, even should they think again that he is and turn against him, he won't betray humanity again. Something I really like about Sonic '06 Shadow and maybe even Forces Shadow is that his main character arc was already finished, he now faces new situations already with his character growht, almost as if he became a Flat Character like Sonic, but in his own unique way, at least, until SEGA forgot all about his development, which I wish they realized that Vegeta Sonic is NOT Shadow the Hedgehog (Holy goodness this was waaaayyy longer than I tought it would be, I'm terribly sorry about that)

[@4nthony342]

I agree with you, i tought the same

[@somerandofromoregon]

I absolutely agree with you too! Shadow the Hedgehog was actually a pretty great game. And so was the story imo. A KZbinr named Cazoo did a video on Shadow the Hedgehog’s story. However he also discussed why he personally thought Sonic Heroes’ story was worse than most people remember. It’s a very well done video too. I would recommend it.

[@syweb2]

11:22 It is here that I would like to respectfully disagree with you. I have not seen _any_ of that in his Forces characterization (unless you're talking about the Defense Squad monologue, which I'll admit is the single time he seemed even remotely "fun"). When I played this game, outside of some occasional vague sass when talking to Team Dark, he's just like most of the other characters in this game: just spouting lines as needed, as well as being uncharacteristically rude to Zero/pre-Infinite for no discernible reason. The only other times I've seen him act like that toward anyone was in Shadow 05, which was an Out Of Character mess, and Sonic Adventure 2, when he was putting on a facade of "badness" or whatever back when he encountered Sonic for the second time, and even then, I don't think he ever called any "pathetic". Also, the supposed Sega mandates make this characterization even less likely to be intended, since they apparently intend to make him just Hedgehog Vegeta.

[@ItsNickForShort]

I just rewatched the cutscenes with Shadow and I think you have a point with the dialogue being generically the “Vegeta” character but I’d still argue that his soft smiles in support of the rookie, Knuckles, and Team dark in the final battle show his softer, more fun side and he only has one or two truly out of character lines. Not to mention I think the performance of the current voice actor is makes the generic dialogue surprisingly nuanced and more “Shadow” then the lines are as text.

[@joltexe24]

For a long time, I use to believe shadow was an edgier version of sonic. Recently, I have come to think of him as an introverted hero who will go by any means necessary to accomplish his goals. In a way, they both are very similar in their convictions, but with shadow, because of his history, I feel he is truly more dedicated to helping the greater good, while sonic is dedicated, but looks at it as more of an adventure unless the stakes are dire, ( perfect Chaos, space colony arc incident, etc). One of my favorite scenes featuring Shadow was the true ending of shadow the Hedgehog, where he is bidding farewell to a photograph of Maria, and professor Gerald, and by extension, the Ark, and tossing the photograph away, effectively putting his past behind him, and moving forward with his life

[@Nothavinit00]

Good video but, there were a few hiccups. Sonic 06 didn't discard the past 15 years prior. He joined GUN after his game. After completing ShTH, Expert Mode is unlocked. In Expert mode, he's an agent in training. 06 showed him as a full agent of GUN. 06 is non-canon and was erased, but Generations made a big mistake and plot hole by adding Crisis City. The games that are confirmed canon after 06 are Sonic Rivals 1 and Sonic Rivals 2. Generations was written by those idiots Pontac and Graff, and I'm not surprised at the mistake considering that they didn't actually know anything about the franchise to begin with.

[@KOTEBANAROT]

2:16 yeah that is out of question. Shiro Maekawa did say he was forced to cut out some cutscenes he deemes vital to the story and felt extremely melancholic about it. Games are done on a tight budget; much less an extremely rare instance of a STORY driven kid platformer. For Heroes and ShTH: there are at least two reasons Rouge doesnt tell Shad about his past: 1) she doesnt know if hes the right shadow (even in SA2 she suspects hes a clone of the "real" Shadow (check rouge's report "truth of 50 years ago" that was printed in japanese materials and only translated by the fans)) 2) he could be more useful to her if he's amnesiac. Rouge is a dark character and she always wants an upper hand.

[@thebombsquadtv6151]

I loved him in heroes. I liked his snarky and cocky attitude

[@atlasultima4200]

I HATE that I recently started to see why Shadow is WAY more of a character than I thought, as he's just up my alley. SA2 and 06 are his best stories, without question. And dude, this guy is NOT Vegeta or Sasuke. These two have WAY more differences than you think, so here's a better comparison: Riku from Kingdom Hearts Think about it. These two are on the dark side due to their goals, Shadow's vengeance for Maria due to her death, and Riku willingly using the darkness to save a close friend. And within their first game they appear in, they realized their mistakes and took the path to redemption. Riku's is more stretched out obviously as Shadow's was supposed to be the one game. And honestly, the only game that did Shadow ANY favors after SA2 was 06. You could argue Heroes due to Team Dark, but I'm talking about just Shadow himself in this context. Plus, for an arc after coming back, why not this? In SA2, he was a 'man on a mission' the entire time. Now what happens when he completes his mission and has nothing to fall back on? Instead of the stupid no-memory trope, that's a better story to go for. The aftermath of SA2 was kinda just skimmed over in Shadow the Hedgehog, so why not have the game centered on him trying to see why Maria wanted him to give the humans a second chance, despite GUN's actions that caused her death? Instead of the stupid stuff they gave us, I want to see Shadow interact with the world with Sonic and the crew helping him out, like an RPG style. They can flesh out some human characters and still have him interact with the cast that feels more organic than what we have now. But yeah, he falls into the 'fallen hero' trope where they have seen both sides of the coin and chooses to do good in the end, which I'm a sucker for... when it's done right, of course.

[@MrCwazie]

Amazing video. I really wish Shadow would go back to being more like his old Tragic Hero character (kind of like Batman).

[@Hutch2Much]

it’s actually implied that Rouge DID talk to Shadow about his past, but that’s not what he’s after-he’s after his MEMORIES, and what happened to them

[@Poker2735]

Everyone asks why is shadow so edgy, but never how is shadow?

[@Astroniko003]

:(

[@Poker2735]

@@Astroniko003 the sad truth

[@Astroniko003]

@@Poker2735 Very sad

[@daddyinthestreetsenpaiinth9250]

My boy Shadow deserve a comfy hug

[@melon6444]

As much as I love these videos, I fail to see why people defend Forces Shadow. He's edgy and (like many of the other characters) any positive moments feel flat and interchangeable. The only moment where he felt like Shadow was when he gave that little smile at the end upon seeing the team's victory.

[@SSL_2004]

Agreed, people overhyped Shadow in Forces a lot, and while he's definitely better than he has been in the last 10 years, he's NOTHING to write home about. I think the main reason people say this is because he actually has some conversations with people where he doesn't need to remind them how pathetic they are every 5 seconds. The main examples being his discussion with Rouge in Enemy Territory His discussion with the fake Rouge in Virtual Reality And the brief moment where he's not literally at Sonic's throat after Sunset Heights and spouts exposition about the Phantom Ruby that he couldn't possibly know. These don't seem like actual characterization changes to me though, it more so seems like a symptom of simply not having anything to do in the story. he may not sound like he's walking out of a hot topic before every scene, but there's no real discernible personality in any of these. And the one time he actually is giving something to do in the story, I reiterate, the ONE time. He reverts back to his edgy persona and demeans infinite for how pathetic and weak he is, kicking off one of the most infamous characters in the entire series. At least he's better than TSR… that's not saying much tho…

[@littlestudioplanet7568]

The first Sonic Universe touched on this a bit, but a story focusing on Shadow & Metal Sonic, and how they deal with negativity and being copies of Sonic is a story with so much potential.

[@enderthehedgehog473]

This is why I love Shadow The Hedgehog

[@Mew4U]

Only two cartoon characters have made me cry when they died...Mufasa and Shadow.

[@TehRoastGod]

Shadow the Hedgehog's ending perfectly sets up for his character arc in Sonic 06. Fight me.

[@mild-side357]

Well done. I have thoroughly enjoyed your sonic vids and subbed

[@ItsNickForShort]

Thank you so much! It means a lot I’ll try to keep em coming 👍

[@Zhavyne]

I personally loved the fact that Shadow's game was branched how it was. I know it is narratively frustrating, but I'm a big fan of Marvel's "What If..." and DC's "Elseworlds" series - I really like exploring other scenarios and paths for characters that would simply not work in canon. I'm actually still working on slowly making my way through filling up the whole library; been slowly chipping away at it over the years. I actually always liked the idea that "what if Shadow really did die and this was just a copy" like how the Android endings and Heroes teased, or if he felt guilt over his actions/past and became the lone guardian over the Ark, which was sacred to him. I also liked the implications of what was going to happen with him in the ruined future that Mephiles showed him. His story arc from Adventure 2, Shadow, and 06 was great. I also never considered '06 a reboot, despite it being labeled as such; Shadow's story from the previous games ties in so well into where 06 places him.

[@comicbookking3446]

Wait a minute what was wrong with Shadow's character in Heroes? He decided to forget about his past and live for the future in the end of that game.

[@ItsNickForShort]

Because that’s not really then Shadow we know because he doesn’t have the development from before, that’s my issue with In heroes even if he is entertaining

[@evdestroy5304]

@@ItsNickForShort I mean didn't he forget that development because amnesia? I mean yeah it's unlike him but at least they gave him w reason.

[@somerandofromoregon]

@@evdestroy5304 Yes he did. It was especially the case in his 2005 game which I honestly think had good story telling imo. Yeah, it WAS a bit hard to get used to Shadow in Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog. Especially after his legendary and groundbreaking appearance in SA2, but come on! You try and fall from space onto planet earth and see if YOUR brain isn’t damaged and let’s see if you still act like your same self lol.

[@AFeralTrout420]

No he didn't, nothing suggested that Shadow moved on from his past in that game, Shadow 2005 picked up where Heroes left off and expanded the story to a bigger scale.

[@thomasedwardharrison2879]

Sonic - Superman Shadow - Batman

[@imakecontent2206]

Sonic - Goku Shadow - Vegeta I’ll stop

[@eternallylearning2811]

Wouldn't that make silver wonderwomen

[@imakecontent2206]

Or Dr Fate

[@trashcanconnoisseur2586]

Bro this was a fantastic well informed vid great job

[@ItsNickForShort]

Thanks stepbro!

[@risso2309]

Eh, Flynn's statements about Sega have been...contradictory, and I don't think he really gets Shadow. Otherwise, great video. Shadow is much more than Sonic's angsty rival, he's a hero, and I hope we get to see him that way more in the future. Maybe he'll get another shot at his own game? We can only hope.

[@SSL_2004]

You do realize that Ian Flynn wrote Archie for years right? He KNOWS how to write Shadow, there's physical proof of that, SEGA doesn't.

[@risso2309]

@@SSL_2004 I've read his work on both comic series, and it doesn't prove he KNOWS how to write for Shadow, if anything, it proves he's NEVER understood Shadow as a character, since I'm fairly certain he wouldn't be G.U.N.'s lapdog, willing to fuck over a world just because they told him to collect a gem. So no, he doesn't understand Shadow, I will agree SEGA doesn't understand him either, at least not after '06.

[@praiseosa-ogunbor3510]

@@risso2309 1) shadow guns agent not lapdog 2) shadow ended up apologizing to blaze and gave her back the emerald

[@firelightning5018]

So we are going to pretend that he didn't wrote the Shadow Fall saga (SU 59-62), aka one of the best shadow comics?

[@tatarkhan33]

Sega really fucked up its storytelling in terms of not explaining things that should be explained example is that rouge telled shadow about his backstory in sonic heroes but its not show on screen

[@sonic5993]

I appreciate you having enough nuance to understand the issues with Shadow's character began long before 2010; not many people really understand that.

[@dariusreyes797]

“If the world chooses to become my enemy… I will fight like I always have” that quote alone sat with me after I replayed Sonic 06 and is the full essence of Shadow’s character

[@s3studios597]

I know it's fan work, but having somewhat recently watched Super Mario Bros Z, I honestly feel like that's easily the best characterization of Shadow in years not counting Archie since I haven't read any of that.

[@firelightning5018]

As a Shadow fan, I recommend read archie's Sonic Universe 59-62 (shadow fall saga), he is well written in there. There's also 2 sagas where team dark works with knuckles and are my favorites comics. SU #67-70 and #87-90

[@blakeleyland6481]

After watching your Silver analysis video, I was curious to hear your thoughts about Shadow's characterization. I'm also disappointed with the way SEGA/Sonic Team is handing him now. It's ironic because one of the most well-received characters got worse over the years, while Silver (a poorly received character in his debut) managed to grow and develop properly. Also, I have a few questions to ask you in regards to Shadow as a character... 1.) How would you handle Shadow's relationship with Sonic in future games? SEGA/Sonic Team ruined Shadow by turning him into the "angry rival" character who doesn't care about anyone but himself. For me, there's no reason for them to be rivals anymore. Jet and Metal Sonic are the only real rivals that Sonic needs. 2.) What's your opinion on the infamous Sonadow ship? I often hear fans who support the ship compare their relationship to Rouge and Knuckles (the "rivals become lovers" dynamic). Others who don't ship Sonadow treat it like a joke because they're disgusted by how certain people portray Sonic and Shadow in various fanart or ASMRs. 3.) Would it have been better if Shadow actually stayed dead at the end of his debut game? One could argue that if Shadow's character arc ended the way it did and remained as a "one-hit wonder", he wouldn't have to suffer from poor writing in later games (think of Gamma and his ending during his campaign in Sonic Adventure).

[@ItsNickForShort]

1. Handle him as a Superhero type character, always hunting wrong doers with intimidation but to the innocent is a kind yet stern guy who cuts to the chase 2. Never liked Sonadow I never thought the shop was appealing when both characters either don’t have a reason for romantic pursuits or have better options I think are better choices to get together with. Plus I don’t think they have a strong dynamic to be romantic personally. 3. Definitely like him coming back but they SHOULDVE done it after heroes because the character coming back demands a huge story to to let people really feel the impact of him coming back and show off the character at his fully developed state, and Heroes simple story didn’t allow for that since they were going for simple classic sonic action with its gameplay and locations so the 2 elements didn’t mix but I’m glad he’s back for sure.

[@blakeleyland6481]

@@ItsNickForShort 1. So Shadow would be similar to Batman. I can appreciate that. 2. A majority of Sonadow content is basically cringy, homoerotic tension. At least with Silver, him having a boyfriend in his future would be wholesome. 3. Yeah, I would've preferred that method too. Better to keep the fans in suspense for Shadow's grand return, rather than making him appear again so soon.

[@surrex2727]

For a light hearted person that outro hit me

[@mediamuncher6982]

Izuka said team dark is not a thing.... Yeah pretty dumb.

[@welchrebooted4739]

2000's shadow: A Tragic Silent hero who has a soft spot for the people around him but just isn't very good at showing it. 2010s shadow: A Shitty Vegeta Knockoff without any actual character to make him interesting

[@tabbywarrior]

2017 shadow: pretty great going back to his heart and learning he's not an edgelord?

[@tabbywarrior]

@Astro8 99 that's why forces is great

[@thunderbird7020]

Shadow in 06: I will fight for what’s right, even if betrayed Shadow in Shadow the Hedgehog: This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me (he says while stealing a chaos emeralds from the good guys in the PURE HERO path)

[@anotheryoutubeaccount5259]

What? It's a mistranslation

[@Antonio-is2cn]

Shadow The Hedgehog (game) actually teaches you that you have to make your own decisions and not let others choose for you

[@jerma420]

Ok Fortnight balukas

[@RandomCarfromNFS]

@@jerma420 you don't understand

[@jerma420]

@@RandomCarfromNFS so like fortnight balukas

[@MidnightApex-ml6jc]

@@jerma420 ...

[@jerma420]

@@MidnightApex-ml6jc i dont remember doing this

[@jay-yi9im]

I feel like characters who are worthy of redemption arc are characters who are mislead , easily manipulated, THINKS that they are doing right , or has realize the error of their ways and really want to become better people. Shadow is a prime example the second he realized what Maria REALLY wanted he changed paths real quickly

[@chilleryetcooler]

I think killing off Shadow in the first place in SA2 was a mistake.

[@windandfireproductions5358]

Glad I found someone else who likes shadow in forces He's honestly the only thing I like in the game

[@floofycupkim1197]

If i had to recast shadow. Id pick andrew Francis.who voiced/voices 3 different characters but could help in shadow's character. One of these was the master of shadow. The element. The second one of these is morro who has a similar redemption to shadow. They both were supposed to be taught to protect or have a heart of gold. Both get manipulated by the villain same time of debut. And both kinda "die" after redemption. Also both are known to hold a gem of some sorts. For morro its the realm crystal. For shadow its the chaos emerald. The last of the three that andrew Francis is currently voicing is cole due to the previous voice actor passing.

[@StrikerMadio]

I love these videos and when I saw that this channel only has 3.52k I was shocked!

[@ItsNickForShort]

Thank you so much! Pls share and subscribe! 😭

[@StrikerMadio]

@@ItsNickForShort Of course man!

[@corel7966]

to be fair to the point where shadow's characterization post-SA2 was nothing but brooding, he was written just fine in heroes. other than that great vids. i enjoyed these character analysis stuff with sonic, knuckles, and shadow

[@stefanplays7857]

Actually 06 gave shadow the full moved on shadow after sa2 and shadow the hedgehog games

[@mediamuncher6982]

SA2,Heros,Rivals 1 and 2, are the best shadow.

[@firelightning5018]

No 06?

[@mediamuncher6982]

@@firelightning5018 06 to my bad

[@dvv6026]

Well it turns out that those "SEGA mandates" were purely made by Ian so it could blame anything that goes wrong on SEGA, Sonic Team themselvs confirmed SEGA never did this and a 2nd source (which idr clearly) that Flynn called Bullshit and over, never talk about it again. And even if SEGA did make those, Ian shouldn't have posted them, so he is blamable in both case, as to why he would make him like that, it could be so it follow his current video game persona just like he did make the Archie comics like the game where he killed a lot of character or turned them evil, to eventually rebooting entirely the thing erasing many Characters until the end. And even in IDW, Ian could use the FF team bc he has the right to use them but doesn't. Ian wanted to make the american continuity more like the japan continuity, but ended killing it

[@ItsNickForShort]

The mandates are definitely SEGA as when he left the IDW series for an arc he clarified he has no mandates but SEGA/IDW need to approve the writing he does. His writing in Archie character wise especially in Sonic Universes first arc with Shadow and Blaze shows shadow at his best, Ian really gets the characters he proved that pre and most importantly post genesis wave reboot back at Archie.

[@davidbeer5015]

I will say first: I think you're look at SA2 and 06 are great. That said, and I know others touched on it as well, It felt like just saying it gave us nothing. There was a fair amount of backstory in my opinion, and I read the ending, and thus 06 as Shadown moving on from just fulfilling Maria's promise, or doing what other people say he is/should do. Once he beats Black Doom, his purpose is gone, and he acknowledges that. His last words are "Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog" (Sayonara in Japanese), indicating his moving on, which is a factor in how he is in 06 (regardless of if it was meant as a reboot or not, the thread was still thee) and makes sense of why he might be willing to work alongside G.U.N. after everything. There's no indication of still fulfilling a promise that I recall, but rather "I choose my own destiny" and "I will fight like I always have," both things he landed on in his own game. I'll grant, all the what ifs are..frustrating to get through, but they're great examples of how a person can go down many different paths depending on what they allow to influence them, and each path does contain neat details/events that likely still actually happened and could influence him. Idk. I feel like the game gets overlook or brushed aside a lot, but idk. I felt it had some good stuff in there that continued from Heroes and pointed to how he would be in 06.

[@Name-ou7eo]

Hey quick question how did you make those thumbnails I love the design I would love to know

[@awesomeocelot7475]

Honestly Shadow was of corse great in SA2. But I also think he’s also a really great character in Heroes and 06 (even if nobody mentioning his past in heroes is a bit dumb) and I’m really upset how SEGA mandates how shadow is now (especially in IDW) and how They say team Dark is just a brand now and they aren’t friends.....

[@crustykeycap5670]

12:41 Oh I thought those were jet shoes but they were actually roller skates. That's weird.

[@somehelluvafanboy8357]

Me too lol

[@SSL_2004]

Shadow shoes are called "Air Shoes", and they *are* basically rocket shoes that allow him to glide across the ground in order to reduce friction and increase top speed. Some games like SA2 depict this with fire, others depicted as gusts of air, and some do both depending on the situation, so my best guess is that it's gusts of flammable gas that can be ignited.

[@theblackemperor4670]

Explained like this; it makes me the of Logan

[@N0rlight]

It would cool to hear your opinion about his Archie Counterpart.

[@jalslair1229]

No In sonic forces, he's exactly like the idw shadow!

[@freyaljones7368]

Can I ask you question is sonic meant to be for kids or teens

[@ItsNickForShort]

Personally I think the franchise is for everyone, with games like adventure 2 and unleashed the stories are entertaining and action packed for kids but have great themes, writing, and characters that older people can love too.

[@freyaljones7368]

@@ItsNickForShort it’s called shonen isn’t it the gonre

[@ItsNickForShort]

@@freyaljones7368 it’s story is told like a shonen sorta like Dragon Ball Z but that’s not really it’s genre. It’s more just adventure and platforming.

[@lioneliglesiasart3278]

@@ItsNickForShort I really miss the out Sonic series. If Sega can realize their mistakes by playing it "safe", it would all just be boring as they did before. I, as a humble Sonic fan, wishes that Sega can push their Sonic series even further than before. By the way, sorry for the inconvenience. Lol

[@Panthersman97]

If y’all ever want to know the closest to cannon for Shadow the hedgehog route goes Westopolis Neutral Glyphics Canyon Neutral Prison Island Dark The Doom Hero Iron Jungle Hero Cosmic Fall Dark

[@widerekxxanimations6842]

i cal bullshit on the sonic forces part

[@KindaCringe404]

Yeah... The whole don't show your pathetic face around me again" was a bit annoying. I kinda liked the bit of banter with team dark at the beginning of the enemy territory level though.

[@LuisRPG8]

Yeah, he's still not really back to his former glory, but it's a step on the right direction with stuff like the Team Dark conversations

[@widerekxxanimations6842]

@@LuisRPG8 yeah a little bit better

[@tabbywarrior]

Forces shadow is so much better than any game before

[@turbobist2889]

When a kids franchise has a better written redemption than SMG4.

[@tabbywarrior]

I'm glad he's better in forces than ever

[@nowlwane9623]

I want more shadow and Robotnik backstory. There should be more of a disappointment from shadow when addressing Eggman about the Robotnik name.

[@bakedbeans5494]

Gerald*.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

Sonic 06 is not a reboot. It's a soft reboot. That's why you are just supposed to know the characters already. The reason for its title was because it was meant to be the definitive Sonic experience.

[@sosa26x62]

You should have 10000 subs

[@Bobb11881]

I don't think Rouge didn't tell him _anything_ about his past. When she says she's going after the Master Emerald at the end of Heroes, Shadow says "some things never change," so clearly she told him something. We just don't know how much because it's Sonic Heroes and there's very little story. There were also a few mistranslations, from what I understand. Rouge isn't sure if he's really Shadow or just a robotic clone, so that could potentially justify her being coy. And from what I've heard from people who know Japanese, it's not supposed to be that Shadow doesn't _know_ his past, but that he doesn't _remember_ it. Rouge might have told him everything, but he still wants to remember it for himself. I also understand that the whole "06 is a reboot" thing is just a rumor with no evidence, and it was moreso meant to be a kind of "jumping on point" like in comics.

[@AFeralTrout420]

I do agree with most of your points about how Shadow is treated nowadays but I do have one disagreement: I really don't think Shadows game ruined as character... oh yes I went there. Don't get me wrong, it definitely has flaws on how the story is TOLD but I see it as a necessary step in Shadows character development. If you look back at Sonic Adventure 2 and analyze, what was Shadows reason on why he did a complete 180 and switch to the side of good? Why did he do that? Maria, he only did it for Maria. If you look back on it, she was his only motivation in life. Such as wanting to have the ARK collide with Earth, "Maria, I promise you... REVENGE!" but at the end when Amy reminds him of what SHE actually wanted Shadow to do, then he decides to undo what he's been doing throughout SA2. He only did it for Maria, he says it himself as he falls to Earth. "Maria, this is what YOU wanted, right? This is my promise I made to YOU! so if she actually wanted Shadow to avenge her by causing the Earth to blow up, he would've done that and be totally peachy. Shadow essentially had no agency in SA2 and would only do whatever Maria told him to. I don't really see SA2 Shadows arc as a "redemption" but more of a finding your purpose in life. As he said before to Maria, he doesn't know what his purpose is, well she GAVE him a purpose by giving him her last dying wish. Him fighting the Biolizard, I see it as more of a conflict between Maria and Gerald. Think about it, when Gerald went insane he did program the Biolizard as a failsafe to collide the Ark towards Earth, that was basically Geralds version of Maria giving her promise to Shadow. It's not really just Shadaow protecting the earth, but it's also Maria. Had he not fulfilled his promise to her the world would shatter. And this is one of the problems that his own game addresses, forming his own agency, will and purpose. Or as to quote Shadow from 06. "I determine my own destiny." All of the alternate paths in his game are quite messy I agree BUT if you at all of the ideas and Concepts behind them, there are some really good ideas behind them. They are essentially a bunch of alternate endings/ what-ifs to show Shadows potential on what he COULD turn out to be but ultimately does NOT become. But in all of them we see Shadow being told on who he is by everyone else. - Eggman telling him that he is a robot created by him - Sonic and friends telling him that he is a pure hero and he is supposed to help them - the G.U.N Commander telling him that he is a monster and a failed experiment that does not deserve to live - Gerald telling him that he is a tool for his revenge - Black Doom telling him that he's his creator and master and Shadow is his champion and that his purpose is to serve him - even Maria tells him who to be by giving her wish to him Everyone throughout the alternate paths is people telling Shadow who he is and what he's supposed to be. But he's never gotten to choose for himself before. During the last story when Shadow confronts Black Doom he declares to defeat him by his own will and that he's not doing it for anyone else and he is bound by nothing. Shadow is essentially saying that I will decide for MYSELF on who I am and from this point forward, I am putting the past behind me. During the final battle we have Shadow facing off another dark parallel of himself but only THIS time, they have both chosen their place. -Shadow- now in his peak, super form and instead of humanity's biggest threat, he has now chosen by his own will to be their last hope. -Devil Doom- a monstrous vile abomination, seeking to punish humanity with an eternal fate worse then death. Unlike Shadow, he chooses to see that the humans suffer for their sins, and bringing their end. At the end cutscene, Shadow says goodbye to his past and tosses away a picture of Maria and Gerald, showing that he has truly let go of his trauma and moved on from the past. And also that the Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2 is truly gone now. And I legitimately think this was the best possible thing they could have done with Shadow at this point. The thing is bringing Shadow back after he was supposed to"sacrifice himself" Sonic Adventure 2 kind of undermines his sacrifice right? Well in this case I wouldn't say so. Because now that he is moved on he no longer has to worry about his guilt, his trauma, any of that. He now has his own life to live and not just for Maria and Gerald. We now have this new Shadow who no longer wants to have anything to do with that and he is now free do what HE wants and what HE thinks is right. When it comes to bringing Shadow back, I think it was actually a good idea. He earned his second chance. He had such a tragic life in Sonic Adventure 2. He had his best friend taken away from him, he was demonized, isolated and locked up by the government, then he end up having to save those very people that wronged him when he never even signed up for it himself. In my opinion, Shadow's amnesia arc in Heroes and his own game was NECESSARY for him to wipe the slate clean, start over fresh, and live his own life. As for 06 Shadow, I can definitely agree. This is how you should write Shadow. It shows how far he has truly progressed in the events of his game and how he has truly moved on. But, it proves something else. Did Shadow mention Maria and their promise even once during the events of 06? No, one of the main points of Shadows game was getting over her death. Sometimes it just annoys me how people act like Maria and his promise to her MUST be a part of his life when he spent his whole game letting go of her. 06 proves that Shadow can be his own person without her. I also think Shadow having some edge, or maybe even flaws in his character is also necessary. He may be a hero (or antihero) and wants to do whats right but he's still a serious and determined guy, not some compassionate perfect angel that can do no wrong.

[@nightlydata2181]

I have a huge problem with how ppl completely misunderstand the story and Shadow's character in this game & in 06. NONE of the paths are canon cus NONE of them are WHO SHADOW IS. HE ISN'T the shadow from SA2 cus he HAS NO memory of back then. He DOESN'T fight Black Doom cus of a promise to protect the world which gives HIM NO AGENCY OF HIS OWN. He fights BD cus he is the LAST TRUE remnant of his past WHICH THIS SHADOW is letting go of. He EVEN SAYS IT IN THE GAME! "No one tells me what to do". The game is about how ones experiences can shape them in life & is trying to fix THE ONE PROBLEM Shadow had as a character in SA2. Shadow HAS NO AGENCY OF HIS OWN! He's always been told WHO HE IS OR WHAT TO DO by others & is greatly influenced by them. Shadow in SA2 talks about how he has NO purpose in life & NO DESTINY to speak of, so when Maria is about to die she tries to give him one by making him keep a promise to protect the planet. Gerald uses that & Shadows anger towards the ppl of the planet and alters his memory to make shadow think Maria wanted revenge. But when Shadow remembers what she actually wanted HE FLIPS ON A DIME(funnily enough as much as I hate it Projared's SA2 review does point this out). BLACK DOOM is LITERALLY supposed to be the "Devil" and tries to get him to help enslave the planet, G.U.N. wants to use him for a weapon & Eggman/Sonic & friends tell him to "SAVE THE WORLD". Shadow is made from Super Sonics design, Super Sonic is born from CHAOS POWER, Sonic is a CHAOTIC GOOD character who's ALL about Freedom & living YOUR OWN LIFE, Sonic has a special connection to the CHAOS EMERALDS, Shadow is Sonic CONTROLED BY OTHERS. CHAOS CONTROLED!!!!!!!!!!! STH Shadow HAS NO MEMORY of before HEROES as I said(He's basically been "REBORN"). So he is trying to find out WHO HE IS & his DESTINY. By the end of STH HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE PAST INCLUDING MARIA CUS THIS IS A DIFFERENT SHADOW. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO HE WAS CUS THAT'S IN THE PAST! What matters is who HE CHOOSES to be and what HE CHOOSES to do NOW & NO ONE ELSE cus HE chooses HIS OWN DESTINY & NO. ONE. ELSE! INCLUDING MARIA!!! STH has extra missions when trying to complete the game & in those extra missions when u hit the HINT markers they change from hints to MESSAGES from the G.U.N. General who was trying to kill shadow before & the PRESIDENT. They talk to shadow about how sry they are for before & the PRESIDENT specifically asks if shadow would like to come for DINNER & how his TRAINING IS GOING, TRAINING!! Come to think of it ISN'T SHADOW SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING FOR G.U.N. IN SONIC 06!? WHY WOULD HE DO THAT AFTER EVERYTHING THEY'VE DONE!? CUS HE DOESN'T CARE ANYMORE!! THAT WAS IN THE THE PAST AND THIS SHADOW LET GO OF ALL OF THAT!! Shadow has now CHOSEN HIS own DESTINY HIMSELF and G.U.N. gives him the ability to do that in the most efficient way possible WITH his friends in Team DARK. In SA2 Shadow gains respect for Sonic enough to SAY HIS NAME outright. Because Shadow LOST HIS MEMORY he doesn't have the same connection or respect to everybody in SA2 that he does NOW(He just calls Eggman "The Dr." now) EXCEPT for team DARK, ROUGE & OMEGA!! The way the story elements are placed in the game is unnecessarily confusing & THE ENGLISH LOCALIZATION/DUB IS HORRIBLE but as a fan of your reviews I HATE THAT U COMPLETELY MISUNDERSTAND AND MISREPRESENT THE GAMES STORY JUST SO U CAN SAY IT'S BAD LIKE EVERYONE ELSE

[@AFeralTrout420]

Preach it brother! I've been trying to explain the same thing. I actually think (for the most part) Shadows game actually ENHANCES his character, rather than ruins it.

[@malcolmandrews2779]

Shadow is immortal he can't die.

[@christiancontreras5057]

Grant Wish at 11:11 o’clock alternate moment for a chance even better and turn back last time along with moment and still keeped please

[@Tzarina8472]

In my fanfic, Shadow's first and second appearance happen when a civilian calls the police on Sonic for disturbing the peace. Police know they can't take Sonic down, so they call GUN and they send Shadow. When Sonic sees him, he tries to give the other hedgehog a high five, but Shadow claps him in standard issue handcuffs and has him sit in the back of a police car, declaring through a thinly veiled smirk that Sonic is under arrest. This happens again later, after the same civilian complains that Sonic is stalking her. Shadow sneaks up on Sonic hiding the bushes and they chat for a minute. Shadow even offers to vouch for Sonic to join GUN as a junior member, and if he does well, GUN might even make him Shadow's partner someday. Then he arrests Sonic. Again.

[@ReadilyAvailibleChomper]

He went from “Shadow…please bring joy to the people of this world…let them be who they want to be!” To “I hate puppies and kitten, and love to kick them directly in their ribs until they die. From their, I usually take candy from babies. I also hate all humans and worship the devil.”

[@deslardesslok]

10 MONTHS LATE SQUAD WHERE YOU AT?!!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?

[@yonthepersonwhodraws]

Why you comparing dragon ball z characters with sonic the hedgehog characters...;-;

[@ItsNickForShort]

“Super” Sonic and “Super” Saiyan. Inspiration for the characters is either obvious or outright stated to be true by devs

[@oralpittman8713]

Shadow, I gotta say I know that Maria and even The professor are proud of you because I definitely a.m. and I’m talking about the shadow from sonic heroes sonic adventure two and sonic 06 sorry sonic forces anyways shadow the hedgehog a hero and protector of planet earth and planet Mobius until we see you again sayonara shadow hedgehog

[@toryhendriethjr458]

Shadow:Thank you, but I prefer being a villian though because I know Gun shoot Maria and Black Doom is my biological father.So cant be a hero 90% of time of GUN trying to kill me because am a terroist tryant.

[@BasedVegeta]

12:55 There's nothing wrong with some edginess, dude 🙄

[@CocoKoi321]

sonic x sub paints a greattttttttt light to shadow and adventure 2 story except for the the stupiddddd kid whatever hsi name was in sonic x