The Most Famous Sonic Theory Is Real Now?

[@SonicHubYT]

Thoughts on the project shadow mural theory? What other Sonic theories should we look at?

[@SPEEDYBLUE89YT]

It's pretty cool. Ngl But i can believe its true..!

[@surge_rblx]

do a video with @chaomix

[@Carter-Cuz]

It makes sense

[@marthagutierrez2045]

Why was sonic brown 🦔🤎?

[@sb14andmore50]

​@@SPEEDYBLUE89YTIt was kinda obvious, like, no joke, the shrine at Cannon's Core looked like the same one that was used for the Master Emerald

[@treymtz]

Imagine having your cousin and grandfather killed by your Government. I can see how Eggman became such an anarchist. Honestly it makes sense that he thinks he can rule the world better. And why some iterations have him build theme parks as his utopia. He's off his rocker, but deep down it comes from a misunderstood place.

[@johngddr5288]

Holy shit. Eggman just became a way deeper character to me from this. Holy shit, its so true though. No wonder Eggman hates the government.

[@shredbert]

Dang that's deep

[@tonyhakston536]

Eggman is so far removed from anarchism it's not even funny that you somehow called him an anarchist, I am legitimately concerned for your well being.

[@woah8921]

eggman is NOT an anarchist, if anything he's the opposite, that dudes a fash

[@Sonic-Tonic-]

yeah Eggman's definitely fascist, which is a direct opposite of anarchist ideals which seek to abolish hierarchy completely, whereas Eggman seeks to build an empire and create a highly rigid robotized military, completely subservient to him, which would use innocent cuddly animals to lay waste to the environment around them. gross misunderstanding. sure Eggman's family was also senselessly used and discarded by the government, but Eggman's mission is always self-serving in the end, and he simply seeks to replace the current regime with a more brutal one, with himself on the throne. Robotnik's character personality is based off of Theodore Roosevelt, "speak softly and carry a big stick," as he would say, believing in nationalism and having extensive government control and oversight over common industries and aspects of public businesses. Robotnik takes it a step further into fascism though. of course, this is the usual M.O. of Eggman in the comics and earlier games, they might be straying from that and perhaps softening his ideals more in modern-era games.

[@loquendero-vi5sp]

“I think i’ve discovered what the ultimate life form is… it might be you!”

[@UltimatePhantasm]

glad I'm not the only one who remembers that line

[@NoHandle44]

Where's that from?

[@yay29823]

​@@NoHandle44 it's from SA2

[@shelbybayer200]

​​@@NoHandle44 It's a line you can only get by Doing the Finalhazard fight and Shadow talks to Sonic and says that to Sonic himself

[@sb14andmore50]

@@shelbybayer200 You have to wait a while to hear that though, in that same fight it's hinted that Shadow is losing rings a lot faster than Sonic because he's still new to the Super form

[@phantom_boii]

Some of Biolizards roars sounding like Perfect Chaos’ is another thing that supports Biolizard being based off of Perfect Chaos

[@muanims]

I would agree on it, But then again devil doom also reused Those screams, could be because he used the emeralds to transform too? Idk But Its interesting.

[@usuario15965]

Its inspired,shadows design it completly based of the mural,but the bio lizard isnt all that close to perfect chaos

[@matthewcorrie3324]

@@usuario15965 Yeah but unlike the Super Sonic mural the Perfect Chaos one only shows it's head so Gerald had no Idea what Perfect Chaos' body looks like

[@lpfan4491]

@@muanims No, Doom only used the emeralds to increase the power of chaos control. There is no indication of him using the emeralds for anything else and it is fairly clear from the script itself that he had no idea a superpowered transformation using the emeralds was even a thing.

[@muanims]

@@lpfan4491 Its actually an answer by ian flynn, granted Hes not the one who wrote the game, But he did say that was the explaintion, if you want to fact check It, go search "the bumblekast master list"which has all of the question answered by him to date, go look up black doom questions and you will find It.

[@SoulHero7]

I'm glad that SEGA is starting to care about Sonic's continunity, because now stuff like this is possible, and it's just as cool as the games themselves.

[@ironicpolis7798]

the 2010’s were such a dark era for the fanbase. you couldn’t go anywhere on the internet without sonic fans being made fun of or the series being called awful. im glad sonic team and the general sentiment has improved drastically since then

[@Leostar-Regalius]

and yet we still can't the chao garden

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

They even hired some people to keep track of the lore.

[@giovonniiclayton]

The continuity has been completely ruined 😂

[@bynosaurus4024]

@@giovonniiclaytonif we just cut 90% of the 2010s era it works out pretty okay

[@ghostspider2056]

I’m partially curious whom Gerald got the hedgehog DNA from. I’m half expecting it being an ancestor of Sonic’s.

[@luizaquerubin]

Me too.

[@BTSC_Official]

There’s a whole hedgehog species, but I see what you are saying because sonics specific blood has power

[@chrispilcher2024]

I don't think Shadow has Hedgehog DNA, I personally think Shadow only has Black Arms DNA, he just looks like a Hedgehog because the mural told Gerald that he needed a Hedgehog,

[@Axxidous]

No DNA required. Project Shadow gets its name from being a shadow of a life form. They constructed him based on the image of Shadow like how Biolizard was created as a shadow of an image of a lizard, which some think is based on Perfect Chaos but I don’t think it is. Lizards can regenerate lost limbs, that’s the reason it was chosen. Knowing how and why the Biolizard was made, combined with all of Gerald’s other projects being related to the Echidnas one way or another, is what lead me to formulate the theory that Shadow was inspired by the image of Super Sonic from Hidden Palace. I was a bit worried about that theory due to the alter of the Master Emerald potentially retconning the Hidden Palace existing, and potentially changing the portrayal of Sonic and Knuckles’ fight and Eggman stealing the master emerald. But over time it was clear they decided to preserve the classic portrayal and make them co-exist in one timeline, so the Hidden Palace was probably a temporary location for the Master Emerald.

[@Axxidous]

@@BTSC_OfficialSonic’s blood has no special properties.

[@saulothebebop2581]

Man, I really wish Sonic Team wasn't so afraid to make another deep lore Sonic game since the 2006 dissaster.

[@littenfire3563]

They're dipping their toes into it again like with Sonic Frontiers

[@pizza-pi]

@@littenfire3563 i hope they keep going and give us chao on top of it

[@blackheartaesthetic4432]

Right? Same

[@slikkadalikka]

They're leaning into now. Finally getting what we want

[@cyberninjazero5659]

It's happening now that Ian Flynn is writing the games

[@supernaruto11]

So what you’re saying is… The mural was… ForeSHADOWing?

[@DaRealJohnDaGamer64]

Without a Shadow of a Doubt

[@I_HRT_TallyHall]

ForeSHADOWing Doomsday Zone

[@CardCaptorDeadpool]

@supernaruto11 I checked, but I can't see 4 Shadows. Is it possible you miscounted?

[@Andrew-ww1hz]

@@supernaruto11 Pin worthy comment

[@PokeROMAssist0]

100%. Without a SHADOW of a doubt. It was definitely forSHADOWing

[@C.S24]

Sonic: you see now thats what I called Foreshadowing. Get it.

[@beastyyygaming2013]

Underrated and nice joke

[@tsumetai_kaze]

"What?! Four Shadows? Isn't one already enough?" -Sonic probably

[@heyj64]

Sonic in an alternate universe: "Haha, one!👆"

[@sonicszuetomyt5448]

@@heyj64 *GIMME BACK MY GAMER GURL SONEEEEEEEC!!!*

[@Topdoggie7]

​@@heyj64Damnit, you got me.

[@JonnySpec]

I think Gerald might've interpreted the mural as himself creating Shadow using a chaos emerald.

[@marche800]

I could see that.

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

Or perhaps Shadow presenting him with the Chaos Emeralds. Gotta fill that Cannon, right?

[@marchhare5594]

Right because at the end of the day There’s not way he isn’t seeing himself in that photo

[@TKG785]

Oh, that's so cool!

[@Thanos-cl6cn]

That’s the way I’ve always heard it, hollup so this theory has never been confirmed? I thought it was always true

[@MrX-ok3jq]

Corny, but back in the day I wanted to do a Sonic fan comic, one story would be Gerald hiring Fang's father/grand father to lead him to Angel Island where they would encounter Knuckles predecessor who I had named "Brass" (keeping with corny Sega naming). It would end some what in tragedy and explain to an extent why Knuckles was alone all his life.

[@robertlupa8273]

"Brass the Echidna"... sounds good to me!

[@Kutomi1]

Brass actually sounds like a really cool name and fits the vibe of other Sonic names. Good job. (This is coming from a worldbuilder and beginner writer who loves coming up with names btw)

[@vadim_65rus]

The name fits really well. Brass knuckles and all

[@MrX-ok3jq]

@@vadim_65rus Eeeeeh, you get it.

[@deletedTestimony]

BRASS AND KNUCKLES

[@ninjakuni]

I have a feeling that this theory was the actual intent of the original Sonic Team who worked on the original Genesis games up to SA2

[@zachariahsmith9130]

It wasnt a theory my understanding. It was confirmed years ago.

[@DEVSTUFFWITHRUFF]

I read this in Mr.frogs voice 😂

[@I_HRT_TallyHall]

@@zachariahsmith9130 There’s confirmation in S3&K that this is not what the mural is if you got all 7 Super Emeralds to get the true ending of S3&K

[@zachariahsmith9130]

@Watch10045 there has never been anything that says that. As someone who played these games when they were released, I can confirm that was the intention for SA2. Seems like you got your years mixed up S3&K came out long before SA2. SA2 obviously retconned the mural this making it's intention. People in the west have a hard time understanding that games from the east are not literally. The Japanese language isn't literally, it's largely contextual. They expect you to put the clues together

[@ChonkyTatzelwurm]

My favorite part of mural theory is that there's a chance he based the Ark on depictions of the Death Egg present on Angel Island, and Eggman for sure based the Death Egg on the Ark. Its a self-contained loop of inspiration in history.

[@quillllly]

@@ChonkyTatzelwurm Eggman doesn't know what the ark is when shadow first mentions it though :(

[@GamingTopTen]

Having Shadow's timeline laid out like this makes things make a lot more sense, like how Shadow could forget about Maria's promise after being launched to Earth. The answer? Gerald did work on him *after* Maria died.

[@nossir]

So if Gerald was in Angel Island 50 years ago, who was guarding the Master Emerald? Knuckles wasn't born yet, he's just 18 or something, Knuckles doesn't know about his ancestor, he never talked about his upbringings so it's safe to assume he doesn't know who his parents are, if Perfect Chaos wiped out the entire civilization, then it must've been a relatively recent event prior to those 50 years or so

[@SonicHubYT]

We def need more back story to the echnida lore, it could go pretty deep

[@zonkikle]

Maybe the entire civilization on angel island but knuckles isn't the only echidna with other echidnas in sonic chronicles. Or maybe he's 18 but not in human years ?

[@nossir]

@@zonkikle is Sonic Chronicles canon? I remember reading it somewhere that it wasn't canon. If it's canon, then there might be other echidnas, if it isn't, then it adds more into the confusion If we go with the narrative conveyed by the level design in S3&K: - Hydropolis, despite not being maintained by anyone since they are extint (at least, until knuckles assumed his role), the pipes and slides do not look degraded, those sewer like levers and buttons also work; - Marble garden, despite the unstable terrain, the traps still work fine and do not look corroded; - can't say much about ice cap because i am writing all of this based on memory, idk how accurate i am being, but Hidden Palace looks perfect, despite it being inside of a vulcano - Mushroom hill, being a fungal area filled with mushrooms, those buttons that activate special gates (like the onne knuckles used in the beginning of the act that leads you to Hidden Palace) should be malfunctioning and the gates shoudn't even work, yet they do What am i saying with all this? the extinction of the Echidna race must've been a recent event

[@Starrmonster02]

What if it was Tikal that was guarding the master emerald

[@raphhedg]

@@nossir it is not

[@UltraSonicGEN]

All of this lore is actually addictive to watch, after watching this I kept binge watching shadow the hedgehog lores. 🤓

[@rubioblack]

Okay, let me say this for eight bajilliondieth time in 20 years... In SA2 (for the Dreamcast), if you play the final battle long enough Shadow will say that he believes that Sonic is the Ultimate Lifeform. Making this current fan theory absolutely accurate because Sega all but confirmed it a quarter of a century ago. Shadow is mimicking Sonic, his speed is granted by rocket shoes, his power does not last as long, and Sonic was able to use Control with a single fake Emerald.

[@9001Shadowwolf]

Shadow can later use chaos abilities with zero emeralds. You forget that shadow isn't an imitation of sonic, he's an imitation of SUPER SONIC. I think his shoes are to help him conserve energy because comparing him to sonic he's a candle lit from both ends. Burns twice as bright and twice as fast. Speed wise they're about the same and it probably does shadow in quicker but he's definitely able to put out more power at once.

[@3xeplodng_3agle_studios]

​​@@9001Shadowwolfcorrect. Its not the shoes that give his speed. They give him an edge. That used to be the "big thing" with the air shoes was that they gave him an "edge" over sonic even though in reality, it didn't play out that way. There was an in-game tip or one of his bios from the old games where it said as much about the shoes being intended to "give him an edge". We're also neglecting to mention the inhibitor rings. (Can someone tell where exactly it became a thing that he just loses control and full drains all his power when he takes them off?) Because that's news to me. They're called inhibitors for a reason, not "power regulators" which would imply they keep him from burning out/losing control. "Inhibitor" just implies they keep him from being "too strong". The twin wick candle analogy is a very obviously good one. I'd argue his "quick burn" nature is more related to the fact that he never really received training with his more "unique" power set and only ever focused on his "secret agent" skills- I.e his speed, tactics, and motor skills, as opposed to his *_latent_* chaos powers. He was on ARK and later imprisoned, and had his memories altered, later mostly erased. All his quips about not being at "full power" meanwhile sonic lived free his whole life and spent it adventuring, honing all his skills, fighting eggman. He had plenty of opportunity to experiment with his abilities and improve them as well as learn how to use them to improvise, and it shows almost constantly. Shadow never got that. At least not back then.

[@user-bn4cs6zu6r]

Sonic can use chaos powers without chaos emeralds, it just likely takes him more energy to do so. He constantly uses chaos spears without emerals and has used chaos control without emeralds before (sonic forces). Shadow was based off super Sonic, wich is why he has likely more raw power, but he's also incredibly unstable. Of course, he seems stable compared to the Biolizard, but that's just because of his inhibitors wring. Shadow needs to constantly wear them otherwise he'll just die because his body can't handle his full power. Shadow is incredibly powerful, but nowhere near as perfect as he claims to be.

[@ediakin4993]

​@@user-bn4cs6zu6rSonic doesn't use chaos powers because "What's the fun in an adventure if it's easy?"

[@Bendilin]

Original creator of the mural fan theory here. It's hardly the only thing that I've done over the past 25 years that became canon. Used to make sprite comics alongside Tyson Hesse back in 2001, too. I spent a lot of time analyzing and editing sprites back then.

[@SonicHubYT]

Legend

[@davidgrange8182]

I thought the mural was just supposed to represent some sort of prophecy about a super hedgehog battling a mustache thief trying to steal the master emerald.

[@davidgrange8182]

Which is what happens next in that game.

[@peepeepoopooman99]

it is, but the theory basically suggests that gerald found the mural and based shadow off it

[@WolforNuva]

@@davidgrange8182 Happens the same game if I'm remembering my order of levels correctly. I think Hidden Palace was in Sonic and Knuckles, which also has the finale of Super Sonic fighting against the big Eggman shaped mech that stole the Master Emerald. And yes that was the original purpose of the mural, if the fan theory really has been made canon though then it now also serves as inspiration for Gerald to make Shadow in that form. Should also be noted that there was no writing with the mural, no way to know what the roles of the people depicted were - that's how Knuckles got tricked into thinking that it was the Hedgehog (Sonic) who was the thief instead of Eggman. Gerald though may not have even had the insight to know there was a thief involved, he saw a figure that resembled himself, a super hedgehog and an emerald between them. So many different ways he could have interpreted that image, especially if he believed it depicted himself.

[@lozm4835]

Dramatic irony. We the players know that because we were playing through those events. We had a big scary mustache man to fight in super form. Gerald, who has absolutely no context for events which will go down 50 years later, just sees a prophecy of a mighty hedgehog warrior doing battle with a great evil.

[@zekeram129]

Oh no, it is. Problem is, prophetic murals are vague as fuck. If you had no context, it could easily also be interpreted as a large mustachio'd figure _protecting_ the emerald from a gold-enwreathed thief. This is part of why Knuckles was so trusting of Robotnik when they first met. However, if you're trying to synthesize the ultimate lifeform, it could also be interpreted as "the ancient echidnas are prophecizing the coming of the Ultimate Lifeform, who will be a hedgehog" and then you make your next attempt a hedgehog.

[@BritBox777]

Sonic Theories might make for a fun mini series.

[@Quir-ky]

Might? It will

[@chunlidefeated]

No doubt 🔥

[@krub1124]

i love this sonic theory and for a long time believe that it is THE one, it feels so good to know that its canon because it just makes Shadow's creation make so much more sense and in return makes Sonic even cooler lol

[@CWCvilleCop]

Oh, so that's why Shadow thought Sonic was a "faker". Guess it does make sense afterall...

[@theedwardian]

"Shadow you must avenge me... Please... kill everyone! I beg of you!" -Mara Robitnik

[@CdotSildinX-OFFICIAL]

Sonic background story : 😉 Tails background story : 😢 Knuckles background story : 🤨😐 Shadows background story : 😵‍💫💀😈

[@vito6197]

We don't really have a proper origin story for Sonic aside from the movie version, then again we don't know his real parents or if there are more like him.

[@SonicSelect1991]

Yeah we don’t actually know where Sonic came from or his backstory. Location wise, he came from Christmas Island, but like who was his parents, etc.

[@im_.a-bear5996]

@@SonicSelect1991I know he basically killed his father from running to fast and causing a nuclear reaction, but idk if it’s canon

[@BlockyBeefyDie]

We know that Sonic and Eggman (Who was at the time Dr. Kintober) were best friends. So Dr. Kintober created this hamster wheel for Sonic. Sonic ran so fast in the wheel that it made so much energy that it turned Sonic Orange to Blue, and turned Dr. Kintober into this mad scientist that we know as Dr. Robotnik. Hope this helped!

[@CdotSildinX-OFFICIAL]

Am talking about the 19s where tf yall guys get all that from 😵‍💫💀

[@NoHandle44]

The fact that they can use old ass lore in new content and somehow make it seem planned out from the beginning is freaking unbelievable. 😅

[@think_of_a_storyboard3635]

like five nights at freddys, but actually coherent.

[@DoctorPhileasFragg]

Just like Gamefreak

[@Prada_Giratina]

Shadow being associated with WMD’s just made me realize he was one of the many weapons experiments of the Cold War 😮

[@ThundagaT2]

Thats assuming their version of earth even had a cold war

[@flowerofreckoning6325]

Man, Shadow's backstory is DARK...........just like him, but darker. 😂

[@legionbeast]

A little note. The Biolizard had no involvement with Black Doom and Gerald even notes that it's too large for what they need it for. When it was encapsulated and Gerald was being interrogated, he left an encoded message that, when played back, would awaken the Biolizard and command it to send the ARK on a crash trajectory towards earth. Shadow misremembered what Maria asked of him due to amnesia and his grief, but the Biolizard, or Shadow 1.0 as it's sometimes known, only had base instincts and would only do what Gerald commanded of it. That is why when they go to remove the emeralds from the recreated Temple, Gerald's message replays and the Biolizard is freed from it's encapsulated confinement and sets about trying to destroy the earth since it's what Gerald's final words were. For more in depth information, you need to get S rank on all the missions in Shadow the Hedgehog, at which point all the game dialogue changes and even more lore is expanded upon, such as the proto-chaos machines.

[@AdamSelvig]

1:18 actually shadow wasn’t created to achieve immortality he was created to be the cure of diseases

[@sonicthehedgehog1606]

Immortality is a part of of it

[@sandjgaez257]

That includes immortality. Shadow is an ageless being. But yes, that is a mistake.

[@shady5595]

Both replies are correct

[@utopian4769]

Shadow was created for 3 reasons. 1:An antidote to cure Maria's deadly terminal illness. 2:The president of the UN came to Gerald with the proposition to discover the means to gain immortality. 3:Black Doom collaborated with Gerald during Shadow's creation and planned to use him as a means to obtain the Chaos Emeralds.

[@SpiralVortex]

How was he even going to cure diseases 😂

[@TKG785]

The question remains: Who is the Faker now? Shadow predates Sonic's birth by a few decades. But Shadow is based on a mural that foresaw Sonic centuries prior.

[@Sholver]

Shadow is based off Sonic Sonic isn’t based off Shadow ! So the faker is Shadow :/ still

[@Hammybread]

@@Sholver Shadow is based of super sonic, hence why he can use chaos abilities without an emerald. But emeralds basically just boost his abilities exponentially. His rocket shoes aren't to make him mimic sonic speed, they are to conserve his energy because he would literally burn out(and probably die) if he ran with normal shoes, preserving his power for ability use. He has inhibitor rings too, so he is overtuned but needs devices on his arms to stop him from using all his energy and phasing out of existence due to it.

[@superjd648]

If the fact that Prof. Gerald had set foot on Angel Island is confirmed to be true, this brings up a different question not relating to Shadow. How did Knuckles end up on Angel Island? Unless what remained of the echidna tribe were not near the Master Emerald Shrine, but then wouldn't there be a guardian of the emerald itself before Knuckles? Food for thought.

[@Preteristboy]

I just want there to be an entry where Gerald is chased away by an angry, feral tribe of Echidnas.

[@Tharja-iBW]

It's possible Knuckles was sent forward in time with the Chaos emeralds before perfect Chaos killed all of the Echidnas

[@giuliocoppola6774]

@@Tharja-iBWI mean that would explain why in the first place the master emerald wasn’t guarded because if knuckles was there he would immediately have known that someone was there plus the fact that knuckles isn’t even that older compared to sonic is also a big indicator

[@sb14andmore50]

​@@Tharja-iBWThere's a plot hole with that, it's stated multiple times within different games that Knuckles is the last Echidna(especially Frontiers)it's also clear that Knuckles wasn't born yet because it was established that they were his ancestors(in other words, he wouldn't have known who they are anyways)and before you bring up the Sonic 2 movie, that's it's own continuity, nothing in the movie is canon to the games(except maybe Sonic and Knuckles powers)

[@Tharja-iBW]

@@sb14andmore50 The echidnas would not have survived without inbreeding for thousands of years and eventually only be one left. He never refers to the Echidna clan as "his ancestors" he refers to them as "My people" at least from my memory of the adventure era. We don't know if Knuckles was born yet or not, we only see a small section of the Echidna clan in the Mystic ruins, we don't even get to see the echidna clan on Angel Island. it's not a plothole because Knuckles backstory is unknown.

[@Sonic-Tonic-]

Mario ain't got lore like this

[@DillsTiers]

Marios s ucks

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

I mean, not like this, that's for sure. But the Mario series seems to have it's own deep lore as well

[@uboa8060]

Are we not gonna talk about how Luigi is a figure prophesized by ancient civilizations to bring an end to all worlds and reality, ending existence in its entirety? And that he almost does this, when he fuses with Dimentio and the Chaos Heart to form Super Dimentio? Mario got lore like this

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

@@uboa8060 yeah, depends on what mario canon you follow. Things can get pretty crazy in some media

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

@uboa8060 Uboa Yume Nikki!?!?!!1!?

[@quietjester154]

I discussed this with a friend recently because we were talking about how Shadow was based off of the Ultimate Life-Form Mural in Mystic Ruins, here's the thing though...where were the Echidnas? Gerald and likely a team of scientists landed on the island, at this point, thanks to SA1, we know that pretty much every Echidna is gone and past. Save for Knuckles, who is rather efficient at patrolling the island as we've seen time and time again. He would have KNOWN they were there, but my friend mentioned that this was 50 years ago and Knuckles wouldn't have been around...so like...is there just some large gap of time where there were no echidna on the island, or were they willing to co-operate (doesn't seem likely-) because to even SEE the mural, Gerald would need to have gotten VERY CLOSE to the Master Emerald. Sure his goal wasn't to nab it, but like...I feel like any echidna worth their punch would have been like "Nah, sorry man" I feel like this might just be a simple situation of wait and see, but I also feel like this is a very big gap in logic based on what we know and have learned about the echidnas, and especially Knuckles.

[@beanmchocolate3900]

Exact same abilities and appearance? He's got hot sauce on his head, cuz!

[@LsAdventurer]

*pours hot sauce on head, arms and legs*

[@LocalLesbian-zh3hz]

RED STRIPES? JET BOOTS? /ref

[@friskycalibri2293]

"Well honey, your mascara is on fleek but we gotta get outta here cuz"

[@mattwo7]

11:52 Eggman polluted in the first game to further his goal of finding the chaos emeralds (though in the first game he mostly just said he'd dig up all of South Island if he had to) and later to build his Death Egg (while the pollution was only mentioned in the US and EU manual, it's implied in the gameplay but only the US and EU manual straight up explained _why_ he was doing it. The Japanese manual just mentioned his robots digging for the emeralds again while also burning forests to try to find them. The Death Egg was apparently unrelated to this in the Japanese manual). It's the SatAM and Archie version of Eggman, Dr. Robotnik, who pollutes for pollution's sake.

[@bluephoenix_z3364]

Now that we're learning more about Shadow's origins I hope we get to know more about the other Sonic characters and not just Shadow. For example, Knuckles's family, who are his parents? Who raised him? Who was originally guarding the Master Emerald? Why is he so strong that his strength can be compared to Sonic's speed? Then there's also Silver The Hedgehog. Why is Silver able to control and use chaos energy? Why is he able to go super? Where did his telekinesis come from? Some have theorized he's Shadow's future descendent but that theory was debunked by someone from Sonic Team. Then there's Sonic The Hedgehog. Why is he so fast to the point where he can move in dimensions such as White Space from Generations where time doesn't exist, which is a requirement for one to move. And how is he restoring time and space with his speed alone? Why is he able to also use chaos energy? Shadow even asked Sonic what is he and even Sonic doesn't know but, only that he's a hedgehog that loves adventure. The Edchina tribe even predicted his existence so why is he so strong? There's so much mystery in the Sonic games that it makes me extremely happy we're beginning to explore more of the lore.

[@sonicthehedgehog1606]

Mabey sonic is some or of prophet or god?

[@bluephoenix_z3364]

​​​@@sonicthehedgehog1606 That could be it as well but in my personal opinion I think he's a guardian like knuckles but was created to be a guardian of his world, galaxy, and dimensions by Chaos energy but we do know he was born organically on Christmas Island and not like Shadow artificially, or just popping into existence. So I assume he given this energy while in his mother's womb.

[@Starrmonster02]

@@bluephoenix_z3364I wanna know how did silver met blaze because and what if it was Tikal that was originally guarding the master emerald

[@bluephoenix_z3364]

@@Starrmonster02 Agreed and it very well could have been her guarding it as a spirit since she and Chaos, y'know.

[@nicholassgobero]

Ngl, after seeing The IDW comics and games like colors which feature wisps, i think some people in The Sonic World are Just built with special Powers like that, perhaps The reason some people are born with special abilities might be some sort of cosmic Power that's interfering with evolution, since The master emerald is Native to earth and The chaos Esmeralds aren't, plus The Phantom Ruby and warped quartz exist. Idk maybe some stuff is Just weird in The Sonic universe

[@shadowshade904]

If this theory turns out to be true, I would love to see Sonic and Shadow's reactions to it. I think Sonic would find it absolutely hilarious, especially considering their whole "No YOU'RE the fake!" argument they had

[@ikagura]

While Eggman himself make robots and various contraptions, Geralt was more of an archeologist that had a talent in genetics rather than mechanics.

[@SonicSpeed4807]

Welcome To Sonic Theory, the show where the world's fastest Hedgehog has the world's slowest looooore!

[@PC2000]

Seems reasonable, and a REALLY cool way to reference Sonic 3K in an organic way. Since Ian Flynn is writing all the new Shadow stuff in Sonic X Shadow Generations and is part of the series' lore team now, I'd bet anything it was his idea. One thing he's always been really good at, even back in his days writing the Archie book, was connecting old Sonic stuff with newer stuff in organic ways.

[@SonicHubYT]

I cant think of any other theory that makes sense other than this one lol

[@Aldrius]

I'm... almost positive this Gerald Robotnik journal is from an old Japanese strategy guide. I read this on a Sonic website in like the early-mid 2000s and it's always made sense to me. Chaos mural in the Mystic Ruins led to the design of the Biolizard, S3&K Mural led to the creation of Shadow. Though I think the wing is just another spike.

[@mattwo7]

0:40 Not identical. Oddly _similar_ to _Super_ Sonic though. That said, Terios was just a straight up pallet swap and the script of SA2 was clearly written with his design in mind.... Of course there's also the issue of _Silver_ having similar abilities. Unlike Blaze and Eggman Nega whose origins are confusing, Silver is 100% always from the future, which makes him having similar powers sus AF. There's also one other character who has a golden super form too but that's spoilers for a fairly recent game so I won't mention it here.

[@Memehub_OfficialYT]

0:20 MATPAT WOULD SHREAD A TEAR 🥹

[@supersonicstyle5177]

He be taking notes

[@zebraliongamer3493]

Do you think he’s gotten over his ‘Not Theorising’ or is he still looking for lore?

[@supersonicstyle5177]

@@zebraliongamer3493 idk, but I hope that he returns, I missed that guy

[@RoyalTdaKing]

No you wold

[@ParadigmYT]

​@@supersonicstyle5177he still runs the GT LIVE channel 👍

[@Zippo_Squeeze]

If you read the diary of dr gerald in shadow generations, it's very heavily implied that Black Doom didn't come into the picture until after the Biolizard failed. Shadow Generations really really filled out so much lore through the collectables. I can't believe fans head cannon'd this and I have never once even remotely considered this theory. I never even pieced any of this together. Great video.

[@anonymone453]

It's a good thing Gerald didn't model Shadow after the *other* figure on that mural...

[@marche800]

Eggman definitely would have.

[@solaris7672]

He probably thought HE was the other figure and that the mural was of the mustache man creating an angelic hedgehog using an emerald

[@Diamond-v9]

@@solaris7672OMG I'M GOING TO HEAD ANON THIS IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE LIKE WHAT???

[@extrawavy8664]

💀

[@Sholver]

@@Diamond-v9 The mural is very vague actually so a LOT of interpretation can be made

[@TheLedezmas]

I think this theory is true, because Sonic and Shadow have similar looks and abilities. It’s definitely interesting on how he wears able to create Shadow. Shadow has suffered a few times in the story. I’m sure Sonic X Shadow Generations will expand the story.

[@mjohnson4178]

I'm not sure if it was intentional but Sonic running into Knuckles like an idiot in the opening was funny.🤣🤣

[@jachzones]

One of the best explanations I’ve ever heard. I’m an og 90s Sonic fan too. Been playing Sonic since 1994. Well done

[@IamCanadian3333]

Yeah I've always been a fan of this theory, it does hold a lot of water imo. I wonder if they will confirm another theory that the Space Colony ARK was actually designed or based off of the Death Egg.

[@TheDawn15]

Though it has never been stated in any game (that I am aware of) I am pretty sure Eggman based the Death Egg's design off of the Ark. I mean, it has been orbiting the planet since before Eggman was born. My belief is that the Death Egg is low orbit similar to the International Space Station, but the Ark is clearly orbiting in the same fashion as the moon and even seems to be locked in that orbit. It is also pretty clear to me that Angel Island slowly moves across the sky, seeing as it is in the middle an ocean in Sonic 3, and then at the start of Knuckles' story in SA1 it falls close to the Mystic Ruins. Let's not forgot in the true ending of Sonic 3 Angel island floats high into the stratosphere possibly right on the threshold of the mesosphere,

[@marche800]

It just makes too much sense not to be true. Like we have no other context as to why Gerald would choose to make Shadow an Anthropomorphic hedgehog or why Shadow looks like Super Sonic. SA2 was back when they still made an effort to tie into the classic games too so it tracks that the devs would still have the mural in mind

[@deodlow141]

Makes sense, Grandpa Gerald went mad after the lose of his granddaughter and this began a legacy set on destruction, I believe his family simply misunderstood his grief of his loss for hunger of conquest.

[@LockeRobsta]

I love how there was probably a meeting in the early 2000s where a SEGA employee said "Lets make an Evil Sonic with black quills, that would be rad" and 20 years later people are working that basic design decision into half a century of lore. Amazing.

[@BeeBN]

well he uses chaos energy like super sonic, has the super sonic quills and was on a mural so i buy it

[@buff00n3ry]

Deep within the ARK, there's a replica of the Master Emerald Shrine ie, Hidden Palace

[@brainstormsurge154]

It's likely that the alien DNA was obtained after the creation of the Biolizard. Since the details are vague it could even have been that creating the Biolizard attracted the attention of Black Doom. Because we don't know how Gerald and Black Doom came into contact so it could have been that or just Black Doom initiating contact with the space station on a whim on one of his many visits to Earth since they couldn't enter the atmosphere. Possibly he wanted to either destroy or capture the space station but ended up making the deal with Gerald.

[@JadenYukifan28]

Well, there were many scenarios about that in the game, but during the confrontation between Black Doom and Shadow, it was stated that the former wanted to harvest the humans as food. Though, I also believe that Gerald Robotnik came in contact with Black Doom after the Black Comet had appeared.

[@Artista_Frustrado]

is kinda funny that the Ark got turned into an Anti-Alien weapon and yet all that remains is replicas from multiple alien legacies

[@invokingvajras]

Then you realize that Eggman has probably been through some pretty tough wars. Guess the stress would turn some people into egomaniacal techies.

[@chocolatesensei5648]

With them tapping into angel island lore there’s something I want them to teach us that not only most of you reading but they themselves probably forgot. Why tf were there 2 sets of emeralds? Sonic and tails had the emeralds from sonic 2. But tails had a device that was picking up strong chaos energy when egg man was landing on angel island. And on top of that when knuckles visited the shrine it was said the “super”emeralds lost their glow. They later got restored with Sonic’s set. So maybe this is a case of the earth and namekian dragonballs where there were 2 sets made and one was founded or made for earth

[@cypresshill9268]

The second set isn't canon and neither are the hyper forms they provide

[@GOAT-ganyu]

​​@@cypresshill9268it's canon just super emeralds in other dimension so Sonic can't go hyper Sonic because of it

[@iUsedToBeAMusician]

To add to your theory, this explains why there are those chaos clone robots in the ARK missions. That damn game came out 23 years ago and has been a big part of my life since. How am I just now drawing these connections?

[@heftyrumble]

I pretty confusing detail to me that's in the Journal for Pre-Order, is that the Master Emerald is on the Upper land shrine in Sonic Adventure. I was under the impression that when Perfect Chaos exterminated most of the echidnas, the Master Emerald was moved down to the Sonic 3/Mania shrine. But if Gerald saw the Master Emerald above land, then that means the Master Emerald was moved much later than expected, and for what reason? Was Gerald's discovery what initated it? I guess that would make sense. But then again, if Gerald was close enough to see the Master Emerald, wouldn't he see the current guardian, or the current guardian see him (maybe spying at him, like Knuckles does in the Fang comics) and confront Gerald for being close to the Master Emerald? Make it make sense!!!

[@Zyroes]

My theory regarding the possible guardian is that they might have mistaken Gerald for Ivo (Eggman) and assumed he was there to steal the Master Emerald. They didn't interfere either because they didn't want to disrupt the prophecy or because they thought trying would be pointless because of it.

[@Mecceldorf]

Because Shadow wasn't already Vegeta enough, we may now have textual confirmation his entire life is owed to becoming the legendary super Sonic. And getting owned by an invader. And stealing Knuckle's girlfriend.

[@XXX-st9be]

Girlfriend?

[@Rexinator567]

🤣😭

[@DillsTiers]

Shadow is nothing like vegeta

[@that1guy866]

The biggest mystery on everyones minds is still yet to be revealed, will the Chao Garden make a return??

[@TIN_Tevlev]

they said no like a week ago

[@wub9044]

Or someone at Sega was playing Prototype and thought "Dude, those infection weapon designs look kinda sick lol"

[@silvally5464]

and not to mention Gerald looks a lot like eggman so in the mural he could have thought eggman was him and that it was depicting him creating the ultimate life form

[@ElfPrince1937]

There's definitely some family resemblance between them. Which actually leaves the question of how in the world Maria looks so beautiful compared to the Robotnik men. What, is it just the males in the family who get colossal facial hair?

[@AFeralTrout420]

Do one where the Black Arms, Black Doom, Chaos 0 and the Ancients may be connected. Chaos 0 was confirmed to be related to them but I also noticed Black Doom (and the humanoid Black Arms soldiers such as the Oak and Warrior) has an EERILY similar shape and body features. Could it be possible that Black Doom may have been one of the Ancients but was corrupted or something?

[@z3sleeper588]

With all the generations time travel shenanigans I have a sneaking suspicion that Gerald is actually going to base Shadow off of Sonic traveling to the past or even create a paradox and base him off a time-traveling Shadow.

[@chris2x1x59]

yo nice video your videos are still popping off

[@SonicHubYT]

Yesterday we set a single day record for long form viewership on the channel! The grind continues 📈

[@areaxisthegurkha]

I always thought in the back of my mind that Shadow was the final product of Metal Sonic that Robotnik had been trying to make.

[@Zivin]

06:30 to skip the yap session

[@thedontpanic]

By itself it may not have any massive bearing on the lore, but I noticed something that could make this theory even stronger. The mural depicting what we assume are events of Sonic 3 could be interpreted to also fit with events of Sonic Adventure 2. Think about the climax of both games. In the space above the planet, Super Sonic battles Eggman's mech powered by the Master Emerald. In the space above the planet, Super Sonic and Super Shadow battle the Biolizard pulling the Space Colony Ark (a creation by Gerald that bears a resemblance to Eggman and his own creations) towards the planet, which houses and makes use of the Master Emerald (it was split and then fully assembled on the Ark). Gerald going to Angel Island and possibly seeing that mural would not only lead him to create Shadow based on the appearance of Super Sonic, it would mean he then directly put into motion the recreation of events on the mural he witnessed, even if he was long gone by the time they would occur.

[@LeeFeather]

0:03 Gimme yer rings Buddy😵🥊👀

[@dr.shakib9961]

I always get teary whenever I listen to the Extras Menu music from Sonic Mega Collection.

[@TheSundaySpeedster]

Matpat is proud

[@ElfPrince1937]

I love this, and it honestly makes so much sense--there are literally way too many "coincidences" for it to be just that. I remember once reading a theory that Shadow was a clone of Sonic, which explained their similarities, but given the mural in one of the very first games, it actually makes more sense that Gerald essentially "drew" a hedgehog-shaped template based on ancient illustrations.

[@YophiGames]

Originally, I think the mural was supposed to signify that they were going to do a Super Sonic battle at the end of 3 and Knuckles. Remember, you could only get that ending if you had all the Chaos Emeralds, and then got the Super Emeralds (If you had them both connected. Otherwise, just the chaos emeralds will do). So it was a secret boss battle. Today, Sonic just goes Super. But back then, hinting to the player that there was a secret boss battle with a mural? It was a big deal. But we, being big lore heads, want to dive deeper into that because everything needs a deeper purpose. So, writers can now come up with reasons outside of "We were trying to tell you that there's a secret boss battle." As a writer myself, I know that feedback from readers tends to push you to go deeper into what you write. You learn plot holes or find out what people are most interested in that you might have never noticed, and it builds you to be better. Sega realizes that Shadow's backstory was weak, but it wasn't a big deal if people weren't telling Sega that Shadow is requested. But then Shadow gets ranked above even Tails in the character votes, and people go crazy for him with the reveal in the movie, and people ask about Shadow's whereabouts during Sonic Frontiers, and "You know what? We need to make a Shadow game, but not one that just tries to focus on the edgy swearing." Generations was one of our highest selling games. He already has a sprite and work done in that. Shadow Generations! Let's do it! It's easy money! And make sure the story makes sense here. Pull from the lore of Sonic Adventure 2. That was our highest point in story telling.

[@Ratscallion_exe]

Ok, one item: _Chaos Drives_ "Crystalized Chaos Emerald Energy in small devices" **Appears only in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic '06** "The Chaos Drives were initially designed by Dr. Gerald Robotnik as a means of transferring energy to **living tissue** during Project Shadow" WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN. THAT. POCKET CHAOS ENERGY. WE. BEEN. FEEDING. CHAOs. FOR TWO DECADES????? **ANY** LIVING TISSUE?

[@megaladon149]

So Prof. Gerald pre-ordered his Sonic The Hedgehog?

[@CHAOS80120]

Not to be a party pooper but this was already confirmed as far back as Sonic Battle

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

It’s never been confirmed shadow was based on a mural of sonic. That much is true.

[@joshtalks1611]

I'm happy that finally we are focusing on Sonic's side characters once again. Shadow the hedgehog is one of my favorite characters and I cannot wait until this game is released I got the digital deluxe edition pre ordered. Now I'll wait for Sonic movie 3. Sonic Adventure 2 is my favorite sonic game ever.

[@PsychoPatrick403]

It's just a nod to Super Sonic in the final level "doomsday zone", there even is the meteroites in the background.

[@remote-kid_link_dragmire]

My theory add why Gerald Robotnik chose speed as Shadows power, Sonic did a small time traveling and Gerald witnessed this and made shadow have speed, this also why Gerald gave shadow the light shoes too, to make him faster than the mysterious blue hedgehog, I don't believe sonic interacted with Gerald only that he went back in time fought with a few black arms aliens and went back to his time, but secruity cameras recorded Soinc's speed. This theory is to add to the mural theory and other things Gerald saw and research, not all hedgehogs have super speed so this makes sense on why he is just as fast as sonic but faster thanks to his shoes and using chaos emeralds.😊

[@GOAT-ganyu]

Speed? He uses his jet shoes to be fast like Sonic

[@user-bn4cs6zu6r]

@@GOAT-ganyu I honestly don't like that explanation. Like, if Shadow's jet shoes can make him just as fast (and in some ocasions, faster) than Sonic, then why tf is his speed portrayed as this unachievable goal? I'd rather think that Shadow is already quite fast on his own (not as much as Sonic) and his air shoes reduce the friction between him and the ground, making him able to catch up with Sonic.

[@GOAT-ganyu]

@@user-bn4cs6zu6r never Shadow was faster than Sonic and Shadow has his own speed boost like Sonic (we see it in Sonic adventure, when Sonic fights Shadow) and Shadow made out of chaos energy, so maybe his chaos energy, speed boost and jet shoes combined can be on par with Sonic's speed, btw Shadow without his jet shoes, can't compete with Sonic in speed by no means

[@ALonsdaleiteRebis]

I actually feel a little bad for the sonic team here. A lot of people are going to think that they're pulling from the fan theory, but (and I should preface that I'm a writer. went to college for it and everything) the hallmark of a good story telling is that a good theory is able to draw on enough evidence within the story to reach certain conclusions within the story (think of a time where you were watching something, came up with a theory for what's gonna happen next, and then it happens and you get excited. That's what I'm talking about here). Looking at all the evidence displayed in this video, it really does look like this was probably their plan from the very beginning. Sonic is or is related to some ancient hedgehog being. Shadow is based off of said ancient hedgehog being. That's how they're connected. It was well hidden in the background of other games and given how they've been dropping rather consistent hints between games (well the earlier games) suggests that that was probably their original direction all along. But something (probably the Shadow game) made them divert which would explain why their later Sonic games kinda just started to feel aimless. And here they are, diving back into that plot point with the new Sonic game (since Shadow is a MASSIVE hint if you think about it. There's no way a hedgehog made 50 years before Sonic but looks damn near identical to him is NOT going to have a connection to Sonic in some way shape or form), but since they abandoned the plot point after Shadow the Hedgehog, a lot of people are now going to think that they're drawing from fan theories, when in reality the fans actually just figured out the original direction for Sonic and Shadow's connection long ago but it was just never confirmed.

[@Hibublub]

How the fuck did Gerald look at the shrine and see someone who looks like him and think oh yeah I’ll make this thing

[@a_lost_one]

My headcanon is that that one red and white spinning thing in Carnival Night Zone that you HAVE to get past as Sonic and Tails is a prototype CIA torture device. You know, in THAT one room...

[@nexisvids]

2:50 Wait, self-reproduction? Shadow can do that??

[@Leandro35]

Shadow: "sonic... please hold my hand... I think my water broke....."

[@trumpeterjen]

I think he means regeneration.

[@nicholasharlan6504]

I love this theory because of how seamlessly it fits into the narrative purpose of SA2. Shadow starts out literally standing above Sonic with the power of chaos control. Shadow serves as a catalyst to help Sonic discover he has more potential then even he realizes, and ends with shadow falling to earth, unable to maintain his super form leaving Sonic as the superior being aka the ultimate life form. Shadows my boy and I cannot wait to play this game.

[@KorgCrimson]

Super Sonic in 2 and 3&K had all of his quills standing upright. That included his back quills. Those wings are just his back quills, and the mural absolutely prophesized Doomsday Zone.

[@SoulHero7]

Gerald probably went to the mural years before Sonic ever got there, so it would make sense that he would get the prophecy wrong cause he wouldn't know anything about Sonic. That still leaves the question of how Gerald got the DNA of a Hedgehog Mobian (I'm calling Sonic and his friends Mobians based off of Archie lore until SEGA decides what species name to retcon them into) for his research, because if it was just Black Doom's DNA, Shadow would not look like a hedgehog at all.

[@mythosinfinite6736]

The mural prophesized Doomsday Zone ofc, but the Chaos mural prophesized Chaos. The idea isn't that it predicted Shadow, it's that Gerald saw it and tried to replicate it.

[@smartypantstv6362]

That’s actually really cool that they would introduce time travel elements making you think it’s to appeal to nostalgia and turn around and use it to reveal Shadow’s past stories that weren’t told yet.

[@knowingjordankid]

I honestly think that this theory is true because we know that Sonic and Shadow have to same abilities. I find it very interesting how much stuff Shadow has been in throughout his creation and how it connects to Angel Island. I can’t wait to find out more stuff about Shadows creation in Sonic X Shadow Generations.

[@doomsdayrabbit4398]

One thing to think about. The mural is on Angel Island. What's Black Doom's super form? *Devil* Doom.

[@sb14andmore50]

They don't have the same abilities exactly, Shadow was created with Chaos abilities in mind while Sonic only has super speed, Shadow can use Chaos Spear and Chaos Control while Sonic can only use Sonic wind(Source: SA2 Sonic VS Shadow Final, SA2 multiplayer and Shadow The Hedgehog)Shadow can use Chaos Blast while Sonic doesn't have anything like that(Source: Shadow The Hedgehog)the only reason Shadow would need the Chaos Emeralds at all is to turn Super

[@scratch2086]

“Shadow, if you’re hearing this message it means the worst has happened. Black doom has returned. And he has called you cringe!”

[@SoranotRoxas]

Im digging this Sonic Theory video from you. We need more in the future 👍

[@ImmortalXUchiha]

Amazing breakdown of the theory and now i am even more intrigued what the Sonic x Shadow game and the "The Beginnings" anime episode will give us as new information, if at all.

[@Protector_of_M.E.]

This was a really cool and interesting video. Because the similarities between the arc and angel island and the use of the chaos emeralds I had always just assumed Gerald Robotnik visited angel island was already canon. But I never thought about Shadow being patterned after the hedgehog on the mural or that being what even inspired him to make the ultimate life form a hedgehog. I also never considered the similarities between perfect chaos and biolizard. I thought that was a pretty cool point too. Hopefully Sega will start diving into other character’s backgrounds in this much depth.

[@SonicHubYT]

Thank you!!

[@matygoo1644]

Maybe also he modelled him off the hedgehog image but having seen echidnas who are similar in shape used that too, And that’s shadows red marks

[@idkthidwmfl_lizok]

I've never heard this theory before(yeah, I'm a new fan and all that) and it makes so much sense wth :0

[@GameGodZERO]

Finding a pristine paradise Gerald: Such a beautiful place I must not stay long or harm the environmebt Eggman: It's free real estate

[@cawareyoudoin7379]

This theory I assumed to be true because it's the only thing that makes sense, but it would be nice to have an official confirmation.

[@bitwize]

Hedgehogs are little spiky bois who are actually somewhat poison resistant and can wipe poisons on their quills for further offensive capabilities. They can move pretty fast despite their round bodies and stubby legs. I've always maintained that if you wanted to create the Ultimate Lifeform, a hedgehog would be a pretty good place to start. But yeah, the mural theory is probably true.

[@kharmachaos667]

I wonder how much royalties GUN owes Shadow as he is the last survivor of the Gerald Robotnik Estate. (Eggman would be too far removed)

[@kharmachaos667]

Royalties for the usage of chaos drives, that is.

[@Casual_guy1234]

Robotnik for sure is gonna try and get them via legal loopholes

[@Yuli_Ban]

The "Shadow is based on Super Sonic" has one more major piece of evidence in its hat, and it's been staring at us in the face since 2001 and yet I rarely see anyone bring it up Tell me, when you see Shadow's design, color scheme, and general aesthetic, what _color_ comes to mind? Black? Maybe red? Now, what color _aura_ does Shadow have? Golden. Outside his inhibitor rings, there's nothing "golden" about Shadow (and if that's all it takes to give him a golden spindash/jump aura, then why doesn't Amy have a golden aura? She also has bracelets similar to the inhibitor rings) So what else could it be...?

[@ElfPrince1937]

Taking it a step further, consider the fact that Shadow can literally warp time and space through Chaos Control even in his "basic form," without the need to go full-on Super Shadow. He literally has access to powers that are WAY beyond Sonic's usual capabilities (Chaos Control/Spear/Blast) even before transforming. Heck, even Sonic himself is surprised at his own ability to use Chaos Control using a fake Chaos Emerald in SA2.