The Twisted Secrets of Gerald's Journal Explained

Gerald Robotnik has always been a curious figure. While he's known for some of the greatest creations mankind has ever seen, it feels like there is so much we don't know about him. Thankfully, with the release of Shadow X Sonic Generations we now have the answers to who Gerald was and what exactly he was up to!
#sonicxshadowgenerations #geraldrobotnik #shadowthehedgehog

[@RedX03]

Gerald really went “You want a weapon, fine, but it won’t be yours to use”

[@ccelite3782]

This. This is how wars begin 💀

[@ActiveFanBoy138]

Oppenheimer ahh moment 😅

[@bargoth125]

Peak malicious compliance at work.

[@JosephJohns-xi1qb]

You can feel kind of bad for Gerald, I took note of the sheer amount of hubris he displays throughout it. Being labeled a genius might be the worst thing that ever happened to him.

[@SonicTheory96]

Yep, he really thought he would have a solution for everything which ended up causing him more harm in the end

[@archabolt1446]

@@JosephJohns-xi1qb in some ways it's similar to Shadows predicament, his label the ultimate lifeform. He legitimately tries to be perfect, but it's impossible to be perfect. He is a much more strict/ disaplined than Sonic, he can do anything, but he's being manipulated by the expectations of other flawed beings. Not to say he himself can't mistakes too. Beyond just messing with his memories whether it was Gerald, G.U.N., or black Doom's telepathy causing him halucinations that may cause him to do things he did not intend. The Archie Sonic (universe) shows a period of time where Shadow loses control and is brain washed by the telepathy into working for the black arms while separated from Rouge and Omega. Not sure if it's cannon or not, but the possibility is still there based on the level where Doom Eye messes with Shadow's perception of Reality. If that were the case, G.U.N. may have a very good reason to have him locked away again, as he's powerful and has the potential to be controlled by the enemy. Here's a twist is Maria dead, if she still were was it really G.U.N. that killed her? What if that was Black Doom manipulating him into attacking Earth in SA2, when it was the black arms who killed Maria. More horrifying what if Maria never existed in reality? She was always a hulucination that both Shadow and Gerald were manipulated by from the black arms. That would be very awful and sad. I couldn't imagine what affect that would have there's so many possibilities. It's hard to fully know what's real. Like schizophrenia. Haven't finished Sonic x Shadow generations yet, so I could be missing some lore.

[@world-travelingpikachu9066]

Hearing all this makes me feel so bad for Gerald and especially Maria. All Gerald wanted to do was heal his granddaughter, but things didn't turn out the way he hoped. But on a lighter note, It's absolutely adorable that Maria was the one to design Shadow's famous rocket shoes. AND that they've shared a close bond since day one. Considering that Maria was most likely the first thing Shadow saw when he woke up. I can't help but wonder if he had imprinted on her...

[@angrybrony]

Much like some sort of baby duck.

[@Dairunt1]

I also feel bad for Gerald's family. They seemed to be a happy loving family until the ARK raid devastated them . According to Sonic Frontiers, Eggman might have been emotionally neglected as a kid, probably because of how similar he was becoming to the man who accidentally destroyed their lives. Also, it was amazing to learn about Gerald and his ego, that ended up being his undoing, thinking he could play both the president and an extraterrestrial for fools.

[@bluefox8011]

@@Dairunt1 thinking of it in that way is devious but also absurd. Madman mentality, it runs in the family lol

[@jerryxpgaming4682]

Gerald is hiding the mustache care routine 👀

[@Player_circle]

It's a family secret

[@SonicTheory96]

😂

[@rockinggamerdude]

Well, one would it be possible for a real person to have a mustache like that and too if it is possible then yeah then it must be kept secret

[@ariel_kuznetsova_]

My new head-canon 👍

[@RizingZero]

Pages 1 to 35 hide it 👀👀👀

[@soupman941]

11:03 they got the chaos emerald from south island but couldn't find the other 6 and just decided to leave, so that's why you can only collect 6 chaos emeralds in the first sonic the hedgehog instead of the usual 7

[@stwbmc98]

The Chaos Emeralds are changing hands and locations constantly, even before Eggman started scheming I can’t picture them staying in one place for 50 years

[@megalayla]

Yoooooooooo that's interesting! But how did it end up on West Side Island instead in Sonic 2?

[@Technogeek6487]

@@megalayla The Emeralds are drawn to each other so they most likely went to where the one emerald was located. Interesting to add the emeralds have adverse effects on various animals take Salamanders for example? So what would happen if the emeralds stayed in a location for a very long time? what would it do to the wild life there? The answer to that question is "Sonic The Hedgehog" A being who is unnaturally fast and able to channel chaos energy and unlike Knuckles and Shadow, doesn't have a lore reason as to why? more evidence to this theory is to the one emerald that was on West-side Island. While it is only one emerald, the effects could be seen in Tails who has very limited ability to channel Chaos but is on record known for being able to keep up with Sonic at his lower speeds through his mutation of two tails. Of course this is all Speculation at the moment.

[@kennyholmes5196]

@@Technogeek6487 Small problem with that hypothesis, Tails lives and has his workshop on Cocoa Island, as evidenced by the Tails Adventure game. Tails was simply over on West Side as a bit of an investigation, and just so happened to cross paths with Sonic.

[@Technogeek6487]

@kennyholmes5196 Yeah I'm not sure of the Tails adventure is Canon or not it's why I overlooked it. I know Sky Patrol is now Canon. So was basing this purely off one not being Canon. Now if it is? You're right it does throw a wrench into the theory. Which is a shame because it would unironically make the Fleetwood orgin for Sonic being a blue hedgehog canon.

[@SirSonic900]

I love the fact that Maria helped design Shadow's Air Shoes and his Inhibiter Rings. I will see those things in a new light now. Much like how I'll see Shadow and Gerald in a new light. I even feel sorry for Eggman too. Getting neglected as a child. Perhaps this is what caused him to try to conquer the world, so that he would finally get the respect and attention he so desperately needed as a child.

[@MisterZimbabwe]

I'm not a huge sonic fan, but I did play that open world sonic game and it's funny you mention neglect driving him to being the villain he is because in one of the audio logs he specifically mentions that neglect of himself in favor of Maria was a HUGE deal for himself.

[@SirSonic900]

@MisterZimbabwe Yeah, I remember that. You could tell he was clearly jealous of his cousin.

[@OnePolishMoFo]

I wonder if Maria's sister will ever meet Shadow. She'd be 50ish years old by this point but I like to imagine she looks like an adult Maria. Wouldn't that be a shock for Shadow?

[@yumallah]

What if that Sister is actually Eggman, and he's been trans the whole time? 😂 Sorry, just a thought 😅

[@SkyscannerGuyJr.]

@@yumallahdo you not know what “cousin” means?

[@yumallah]

@@SkyscannerGuyJr. That was a joke.

[@asmaaebrahim7979]

Maybe Maria’s sister will have a teenage daughter I mean shadow deserves a second chance at happiness.enter hope kintbor from Archie comics

[@Comperative-e8b]

​@@yumallahYou are a moron.

[@NessaTheBat1]

I love how Maria got the idea of Shadow's shoes. It's really sweet.

[@EclipseStar-q5e]

Yeah it's cool knowing this I feel really bad for Maria she's didn't deserve to die!

[@Popcultureguy3000]

Makes me wonder if Maria ever got a chance to roller skate or ice skate in the brief time she was well on Earth. Maybe she designed them based on one good memory of having fun or maybe they were designed based on her dreams of doing so, on the day she gets cured?

[@Hilversumborn]

Seems like Maria also inherited the Robotnik IQ.

[@kanekikingstorm2113]

Maria is so gaunt in this image. At 26:26. I cant imagine the fear and the pressure that was sitting on Dr. Geralds heart watching his granddaughter be wrought by illness. Especially with hearing your very co-workers doubt her illness.

[@archabolt1446]

Considering they scrubed everything from the record and shot Maria, is this why Dr. Eggman is the way he is? Did gun shut up the whole family to keep military secrets. Eggman might have turned to creating a robotic army to protect himself from GUN. He decided to turn to conquest as to give him the ability to be part of real world as he can't as a someone the government is trying to suppress. With most of his childhood seemingly neglected he fixates on a few wonderful memories like he probably loved the one time he was taken to an amusement park. So much so he often makes amusement park like structures. Eggman Land!😅

[@Riley-thegreenwolf]

OS true story 😂😂😂😂😂

[@TheKorenji]

Almost checks in with the MugiMikey edgy backstory...

[@redjirachi1]

He might've started with good intentions, once, but his own egomania changed him for the worst

[@archabolt1446]

@@redjirachi1 Sonic is about the least introspective personality. Just the guy who loves adventure and has no cannon orgin story, and is one tracked mind not concerned he doesn't know or could care less about his past or purpose in life. Unless something in Sonic and Shadow says otherwise, still playing. In stark contrast to Shadow. Shadow sure has amnesia a lot, is it just from time sealed away/ his time falling to Earth? Is something or someone manipulating his memories. Was Sonic a related project that someone wiped the memory of.

[@suckmaballligmaass]

eggman was also based on teddy roosevelt

[@redjirachi1]

Gerald strikes me as the good guy version of Eggman. He's a prideful genius and has dealt with forces beyond his control, but he wants to make the world better. Given what his diary implies about his childhood, maybe the reason they went on different paths is that Gerald had a good support group while Ivo was neglected growing up. That could be why he made Sage as a daughter and not another creation

[@eliottdeletraz97]

In a way, Ivo found the affection that he wanted through Sage. Even if she's a robot, she does shows some human emotions unlike the other robots who are just programmed to tell eggman how much of a Great person he is. There are lots of villains that become like that because they are Brocken inside. They are doing all of this to avoid or fill the pain.

[@thiefofjustice4495]

I think Gerald's magnum opus is Project Shadow. But what was Ivo's? Project: Metal? Or Sage?

[@gab4198]

another option is that after maria's and all those deaths in the space colony, eggman's entire family would have been looked at with bad eyes, specialy when gerald himself was blamed for everything and put in prison, that could have made eggman's younger years a lot harder than they should for no reason, specially when eggman was also brilliant and pursued a similar path.

[@burgerwolfbrown735]

Seeing the image of Maria in the wheel chair shows how much work Gerald put into curing her Maria in other photos and in dark beginnings looks completely healthy although I wonder what Maria’s point of view was what was her medication

[@ShadeVortex]

I mean, her disease definitely hasn't 'improved'. Being in low gravity just alleviates some of the affects. And as Maria says in the game itself, she has both good days and bad days. We only ever see her on a good day in the game itself, but that doesn't mean she's healthy. She probably still has days where she can't walk- she talked about how some days she can't move, some days she's blind, etc. It's a very inconsistent disease (kind of like Lyme disease- I have a friend who has it. Coincidentally, both heavily affect the nervous/immune system).

[@burgerwolfbrown735]

@ShadeVortex I only said she looked healthier especially compared to the photo we see in journal I think it shows just how much the low gravity and Gerald's work did for her I do wish your friend all the best

[@morganlogan9955]

Love how he says “perfect in every way” as that is a reference to egg man’s sa2 theme song

[@firdanharbima6997]

Those lyric maker have been in the lore achelon since day fucking one Holy

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

And when he mentions "unlocking the secrets of life."

[@TheKorenji]

And whenever Gerald says "I am" it's also a reference to "I am the Eggman" and "I am all of me" as both Ivo and Shadow descend from him.

[@emarceeqem4715]

Actually that script is verbatim from a cutscene in SA2

[@JakeThehedgehog-m1x]

You know im just glad the writing of games is good enough to the point fans start making theories about the stories of the games it's truly good to see that.

[@thaneros]

Dr Eggman's Dad and especially his uncle need to be explored further.

[@SonicTheory96]

Agreed! But there is so much fun in the mystery of it all as well 😊

[@mahwiiiife408]

Imagine how betrayed Emerl felt being sold out to save Gerald's grand daughter. Though he may just be a machine, he still formed a bond and had ultimate trust in Gerald. Truly Gerald's life was full of tragedy.

[@bagarcia09]

Gerald knew WAY TOO much for his own good. He studied time-manipation. He knew and almost perfected Chaos Control. He uncovered the Gizoid and found the Master Emerald in Angel Island. He studied the Chaos Emeralds and developed the Artificial Chaos. He met the Black Arms. He found out about Ifrit from Rivals 2. What else did he know that we dont know? The Ancients? The End? The origin of the Hedgehogs? Gerald needs to be an important plot device for the next Sonic game.

[@gothicMCRgirl]

It’s always a possibility, especially since the journal was missing a lot of entries. Who knows what else he managed to discover.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

Given that one madness entry, he absolutely knew about the Ancients.

[@pablotomasllodra4423]

@@PosthumanHeresy Or maybe, he discovered Chaos.

[@_veloxity91]

LITERALLY Pandora's Box. You can do so much with Gerald, even after getting this journal there's still so much we don't know.

[@NotAGoodUsername360]

There's no way in hell Gerald wasn't engaging in shenanigans when Shadow's back was turned in Shadow Generations. He saw the way Shadow looked at him and Maria. He's a smart man. This is a man who willingly endangered the world to cure Maria, and tried to destroy it to avenge her. He was worried about time manipulation when he talked to Shadow, but further dialogue with him reveals that Gerald has deduced that time is able to heal from anomalies as long as the deviation is minor. Gerald almost certainly did something to protect Maria, even if it meant creating a time paradox. There are signs he read his own completed journal, since the pages can be found in Balloon Drones seemingly designed to hide them from Shadow. Gerald is planning to cheat fate in a major way, and he probably won't care what the consequences of that will be, since he now believes Shadow and Sonic using Chaos Control together will be able to heal any temporal anomalies he'll cause. And he knows Shadow will help with whatever disaster he might unwittingly unleash, all to save Maria.

[@ghostspider2056]

The biggest difference between Gerald and Eggman is that Gerald has respect for the environment and civilisations while Eggman wants to excavate and take anything valuable if it’ll give him power, no matter who gets hurt or dies.

[@Abner-gu3ve]

True

[@NeroLucifarious]

I would say its not his fault but he did fail to rise above it. No matter what he did Maria's death casted such a shadow he could never escape from it. So one way or another you would notice him, come hell or high water.

[@ghostspider2056]

The Gizoid going on a rampage causing the Artificial Chaos to go wild connects with the Hero Mission "Lost Impact" from Shadow the Hedgehog.

[@EnzoZambrotti]

Now Gerald’s “You’re no Maria” in the Sonic 3 Movie hits even harder. If they had met in the games, I imagine it would go that way too.

[@127armbitter]

It really makes you wonder what is on those missing pages. I love pieces of lore like this. It really gives insight into characters that we don't get to hear much of and really shows us their thoughts and ambitions.

[@cassandramaccarthy3337]

The most haunting lines are "Everything I do from this day forward, I do for her" and "This is ||redacted, but probably Shadow||'s cannon. My gift to him in a battle he never asked for. I'm so sorry." The first because of the haunting truth of it and the latter because of how much Gerald went through, and how much he in turn put Shadow through.

[@Plumbers_Helper]

5:29 This seems to be a call back to Sonic 3, specifically the prologue first mentioned in the Japanese Sonic 3 manual, where Sonic also found a ancient ring with engravings on it: On an island far from where the floating island hit the sea surface, Tails, a two-tailed fox, read a strong Chaos Emerald reaction on the Jewel Reader, a machine he has developed. "Maybe this has something to do with that big wave I saw a few days ago..." he said. Thinking there may be trouble, he decided to consult with Sonic. At the same moment, while relaxing on the beach, Sonic found a small ring washed up on shore. Sonic looked at the ring carefully, and noticed some ancient characters carved on it. The ring reminded Sonic of a legend he once heard about a "mystery island." In an ancient time, the "mystery island" was part of the main continent. A people with an extraordinary culture inhabited it. That civilization had built a peaceful and happy society using the energy of something they called "The Mighty Stone". But at a certain point, a faction of dark-minded elders tried to steal the energy of the stone, and by accident made that energy explode. The civilization was wiped out in a second, erased from history. Time passed, and a god descended from the sky to the newly created "mystery island". The sky god restored part of the civilization to the island, and threw the "Mighty Stone" into the open sky... A ring washed up on the shore - the legend of the "mystery island" - Sonic, feeling his excitement build, made his preparations for another adventure.

[@Faz10do987]

Honestly it’s possible that he did see the mural in hidden palace but who knows

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

7:26 - Judging by the photograph, Dr. Wily and Dr. Tenma were part of Gerald’s crew aboard the Space Colony Ark.

[@SzaraWilk]

One scientist looks like dr. Atomus.

[@vectorphoenix5992]

nice catch. i see it on the far right of the photo

[@ChaosGodEnerjak]

⁠​⁠@@SzaraWilkDidn’t know that was Professor Utonium’s Polish name till I looked it up just now😅

[@Exlayer-pk8hy]

With a group of scientists like this there's no wonder things went south on the ark.

[@Faz10do987]

Definitely a reference

[@liamruiz3196]

The Topaz theory actually makes a lot of sense. Also, glad to see more Sonic X recognition!

[@TheShuuman]

Would love to see Topaz show up in the games and isn't because I want to see how Rouge reacts to that version of Topaz

[@sumireokamura]

So, Gerald almost met Knuckle's grandparents. I guess, he didn't know about Eggman's birth.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

Given that both a lot of pages are missing and the time skip in the journal, it's quite possible that he did.

[@Bucket_Buffoon]

Bro your musical choice is ON POINT this is the easiest listening for this lore I've seen online. TAKE MY LIKE.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

That damn ODST music

[@Bucket_Buffoon]

@@PosthumanHeresy These past few years have taught me the wonderful art of seperating the art from the artist lol

[@Popcultureguy3000]

@@Bucket_BuffoonIt’s a shame that even when you do that, unless the artist is dead like Wagner, that Nazi Opera composer/writer, you’ll have to rent these artists/actors works so as not to support them financially. I know I’m going to be using libraries to rent Neil Gaiman books I don’t already own from now on, and I’m going to avoid the overtly romantic (in a hetero way) books/comics like Stardust, because of how uncomfortable it will make me given what’s come out about him. (Also, I’m fairly certain that the Sandman Universe comics not written by Gaiman aren’t giving him any royalties, so I’m not worried about supporting him through the current John Constantine comic series featuring Dream and the magical Sandman sand grains.)

[@Popcultureguy3000]

@SerbianLifter997 I wasn’t talking about Martin O’ Donnel (Lol, idk who that is!). I just used Wagner because he’s the most famous dead example I can think of. If we’re talking about _recent_ dead writer/artist/celebrities, well Jerry Lewis *BEAT* his family and his surviving children despise him for it, but *_love_* that all his film royalties go to them now, Jimmy Stewart was a notorious racist who shouted at a tv sitcom pilot’s director for trying to cast an African American as a local police chief opposite him, and Ed Piskor was probably a creep who might’ve SA’d a women but he’s dead now and his living family wants us to remember his best qualities as the writer and artists responsible for “Hip Hop Family Tree”, “Red Room”, and “X-Men: Grand Design”.

[@Popcultureguy3000]

@ Aaaaaand he brings up Trump!🤣 I just wanted to empathize with people who struggle with difficult people in the entertainment and publishing industries. Doesn’t matter if I’ve actively listened to the that users comment’s example of if I know exactly where they’re coming from.

[@Preteristboy]

Fun fact: The Japanese version of the opening letter is signed Tory/Tori.

[@SonicTheory96]

Very interesting

[@BrandonScott-mi5pz]

GREAT 👌 SONIC THEORY GERALD DARK TWISTED JOURNAL.

[@SaddieMoon]

😭 I wanted it to be Topaz…

[@joshuahecht6866]

Maybe the name of the agent is Tory Topaz. Maybe Sonic X can be involved in the games because it helped the franchise.

[@SethMoses-md7uw]

@@SonicTheory96 Is that Mike Pollock voicing Gerald in his journal, or is that A.I.?

[@BlackFlash09]

Gerald Robotnik's voice here sounds like a mix of Eggman and Sir Patrick Stewart.

[@BrandonScott-mi5pz]

EXCELLENT SONIC THEORY WORK.

[@genet_the_menace]

im wondering if its an AI based on Stewart. Im only 6 minutes in but based on some of the deliveries and the lack of a laugh I'm getting strong AI vibes.

[@playerback7722]

Star trek vibes

[@nightbrand8016]

Sounds like he had someone read it and then used AI to mimic the sound of Pollock when he was playing Gerald in SxSG

[@DraftyCoast]

Hearing this with Gerald's voice give this journal more depth

[@goombaluigi8681]

I hope Shadow Finds Maria's sister if he gets a new stand alone game

[@SonicTheory96]

I'm hoping she and Shadow meet as well

[@wolfrosefrost5475]

I’m curious if Sage will have a hand in Shadow and Maria’s sister possibly meeting, perhaps being curious about who her father’s relatives are and wanting to learn about them.

[@justiceiria869]

​@@wolfrosefrost5475this takes place during sonic generations, so before sage was created.

[@vectorphoenix5992]

probably runs a city where sonic riders takes place given the technology there.

[@anthonyfloyd2327]

​@@justiceiria869 but she has access to the egg net, either she is alive but still stuck in the computer system or alive with a physical form so if she is alive by any means she can check far back into the past to find files and examine the robotnick blood lines... Maybe even visualize simulations on if Maria is alive rather than dead to see how it might react if Maria had not died.

[@SupremeSR]

Gerald’s last diary entry was the one that was broadcasting in the Final Story of Sonic Adventure 2 word for word. In the game his voice sounds so sinister, like he’s already too far gone. And these emperor entries give so much context while backing SA2 we just didn’t give it much thought.

[@raelogan]

Gerald having a collection of "model guns" and knows how to use them is oddly... terrifying.

[@Total_Malarkey]

After reading through this I think that Gerald may be one of my favorite characters. I really hope that in the future we see more of Eggman’s family.

[@JulianCaesaro]

Dang, tying it all into how Gerald was first introduced with his final words, really makes the canon feel canon! But to be aware that he was going insane, what a crazy thing to go through or to experience. Having intrusive thoughts, hyper-focusing on saving his granddaughter, coming into contact with an alien commander who has a mental link with all of the species of the alien race, getting pressured into making weapons… Then to have it all go wrong and stripped away. 😪 The pressure of being a genius was too much for him. And so, everything has to end up being tragic because that is how the character was made. All things considered, it’s no wonder that Shadow wanted to try to change the past, and cried afterwards

[@TheGrumpiestPanda]

I'm so happy with the direction Sonic has been going with stories and especially the lore in recent games. These are the things I had been hoping to get 10 years ago, but sadly, we all know that the Meta Era disregarded story every chance it got. Getting to see them dive headfirst back into Shadow's origins with not only Gerald and Maria, but the Black Arms as well. Learning of all the thing Gerald developed on the ARK, and getting to skim over his journal, was just fantastic. Not to mention, the extended Robotnik family as well.

[@kdr_roxas]

That along with Frontiers giving us context for Chaos's appearance during Sonic Adventure, we were always told he was a mutated chao but in reality he somehow took on the appearance of his predecessors, along with said predecessors being the reason for Sonic's world even having the Chaos Emeralds to begin with.

[@pinstripecool34]

SO MUCH LORE! Im so happy that Sonic Team is finally giving us some backstory on the Robotnik family tree.

[@movespammerguyteam7colors]

Dam, Gerald discovered a lot of stuff in the past. A master of both archeology and robotic engineering is a weird combination of scientific studies.

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

I liked the detail of Maria giving Shadow his air shoes. I can't help but think it might have been a reference to the original US/Europe Sonic origin story where Sonic was given his sneakers by Eggman before he turned evil.

[@GrouchyRaccoon]

I absolutely love that we're finally getting to see more of Gerald. He perfectly shows what Eggman's genius would accomplish if it wasn't focused on world domination, and that even with the best intentions he still has Eggman's hubris. Playing both GUN and Black Doom, and designing the Eclipse Cannon to be far more overpowered than needed just to specifically deal with the Black Arms when they came for Shadow is exactly the sort of insanity Eggman would have pulled.

[@lunakingsley.7247]

I hope the rival stuff is brought up. I think that made Gerald even more insane. I wish you had brought it up.

[@sleepylmguy9968]

Need some context here. Rival stuff? What stuff exactly?

[@omegashinobi]

Sonic Rivals was a game for the PSP. In it we learned Gerald made contact with the Ifrit, the main antagonist and a counterpart to Iblis.

[@NeroLucifarious]

"I'm a genius" I can feel those words haunt the Professor. All that knowledge and he cant do the one he wanted to do the most.

[@lazyvoid7107]

"You're not the only one curse with knowledge"

[@mike14987]

So that was how the artificial chaos went out of control in that Shadow the Hedgehog mission.

[@ashh1372]

what gets me the most is that gerald crosses out what i assumed to be "my son and his wife," only to replace it with "maria's parents" - as if he no longer feels any connection to them as his son and daughter-in-law, but only as those who gave him maria. in a twisted way, if one would want to read it in bad faith, he calls them as such because he now believes ONLY maria matters, but the context of the full entry proves that's not the case. really hurts. :(

[@mathieutrudelle763]

For the jungle I'm pretty sure it I the Mystic ruins, since most of knuckles ancestors ruins are located there

[@Player_circle]

Yes I think too

[@SonicTheory96]

This could be the case, it's redacted so right now we have no hard evidence

[@Faz10do987]

@@SonicTheory96I mean, the proto chaos is probably why, and I think they are leaving the mural as a theory, but it isn’t debunked

[@SupremeSR]

They should do a whole drama series on Gerald Robotnik… I’d watch that Dark sci-fi fantasy which dish lore.

[@M7Sound]

I genuinely wanted to see Maria's reaction in Generations if you had the option to hand her the completed journal.

[@sweetbusiness7229]

Can’t wait to see Sonic 3’s portrayal of Gerald, it’ll be interesting where they go with him being alive

[@TheZetoBlade]

In one of the journal entries, Gerald states that "the application of his research to Maria was imminent," or something along those lines. Did he ever get a chance to do that or did the Gun raid happen before he had a chance? Maybe he did try but it didn't work. It could be nothing but that part did stand out to me. Also, I'm curious about Maria's sister, is she still out there somewhere? How much of the Robotnik family is still around.

[@SonicTheory96]

It seems like he got close, but never got the chance to try applying any of his research to her cure. Things started spiraling out of control before he could.

[@ShaleLee]

If the Dark Beginning's memories can be trusted to a degree (obviously not completely since they were manipulated), I imagine they tried and failed. There was a scene where Shadow was frustrated at himself for not being a sufficient cure for her.

[@TheZetoBlade]

@@ShaleLee That's a good point, and it's also true that those memories were manipulated to a point. Hmm...Shadows' true history continues to be a mystery it seems.

[@save_zawarudo]

i think in shadow gens theres a scene where he tried but didnt work,maybe it was the first try so maybe he would do better the next attemps,sadly that never happened...

[@SpicyPunkRockerOfficial]

The video I’ve been waiting for. I didn’t realize how tragic of what the Biolizard actually is

[@michaelrhett4958]

Reading this journal in person was so amazing!

[@SH4D0WdaN0V4]

Awesome video, it is truly interesting to see glimpses of the life of Gerald and Maria knowing that they both wanted good for the world, but the beacon of hope was lost and so too was the good in Gerald. Buried beneath a sea of anguish and unimaginable stress (I also couldn't help but notice asphalt and ablution, ODST is goated).

[@TimeSpace123]

It would be interesting if T was Topaz. What would also be interesting is Topaz was Maria’s baby sister or more realistically the daughter of that sister.

[@The_Legendary_Nic]

Really great video and there’s actually one more secret to Gerald’s journal, on the back cover! If you scan the barcode, it will spit out the words ‘they don’t know’ in all lowercase. I have no idea what it means but I figured adding it here might allow you to maybe share what you think it means.

[@SonicTheory96]

Wow thats a great catch. Ill have to look into it!

[@shadeblackwolf1508]

There is also that binary sequence towards the end. don't know what it says, but it's clear binary and from the format i'd say either ascii, or utf8

[@cyclops8238]

​@@shadeblackwolf1508perhaps it's another secret message related to the destruction of Earth.

[@Eldelapalabra]

Gerald representing humankind by wanting to preserve life but then seeing how the world treated him he doesn’t care if Shadow destroys earth

[@YPhilou]

who ever was the Old G.U.N comander he was stressing out Gerald alot

[@PosthumanHeresy]

The President too. Lmao maybe the Sonic universe isn't modern day, but rather like, the 2070s.

[@vectorphoenix5992]

For some reason the Biolizard's growth, mutations and its pain through them by chaos drives as a source along with its regenerative properties sounds exactly like Shin Godzilla.

[@myleswelnetz6700]

Whatever those secrets are, they are being kept under lock and key these days by some of Dr. Eggman’s strongest Badniks, including Metal Sonic, so there is no way to find out without a fight.

[@LagannDriller024]

This was a pretty good video! I love how you went into detail with your own thoughts on each entry Plus you made it seem like Gerald himself was reading it! That was an amazing touch It felt like a documentary I would watch on TV!!!

[@DrRexie]

It's amazing to think that Gerald robotnik was actually a far decent person it makes you think if eggman was actually properly risen by his grandfather would he have been the social reclusive tech genius that become a villain to our blue hedgehog friend

[@kelliefay7625]

Thanks for that the journal was hard for me to read. In my story I made his purgatory assignment that he had to watch, but was not permitted to act. He could notify others to act, but for the most part could not himself. I thought that appropriate since I felt he acted too much on impulse, in my story Shadow goes on a spirit quest to find him, and ask all the questions he didn’t get to, or dared to in White Space.

[@tahamoukhliss8420]

So basically, Topaz may actually be Maria's grandniece.

[@roberthewes3148]

8:38 Kid Eggman: You should model it after your face! Gerald: Hmm…

[@Freedmoon44]

Tbf Gerald is the kind of guy that if given the ressources probably wouldve found a way to resurect Maria somehow if worse were to happen, Shadow IS the answer to all illnesses which in a weird way also includes mortality due to him being made to be immortal. Ofc he gonna have mysteries left in him. Love that Shadow's new game bring attention back to his lore though, his story has always been one of the highest point in Sonic's history

[@UndeadNerdT800]

As a casual Sonic fan This video was very helpful sense I saw the movie.

[@flumperflip2614]

5:56 The censor bleeps on redacted text really change the context for the worse.

[@SonicTheory96]

Some of the bleeps were cracking me up while I was editing lol

[@TheHeroExodus]

Damnit u beat me to it lol

[@Dairunt1]

M A S S I V E Maybe replace the beeps with radio interference next time lol

[@doomsdayrabbit4398]

Just imagine every one of them replaced with "pingas".

[@cheesepizzarat]

LOL

[@LibertarianTerriermon]

A cautionary tale if governments try to play God

[@daydreamerartist1342]

The constant beeping in the journal entry is just funny😂

[@myghostflower]

omgs i like how the last passages are just the entires from sa2 😭😭😭

[@rockinggamerdude]

3:05 the left is Eggman’s father. I can recognize that goofy mustache anywhere

[@SonicTheory96]

Both sons have a similar mustache, but the one on the right has a nose that resembles Eggmans

[@corruptedplayer]

i think its impossible to tell, since they all take from geralds side of the family

[@Reyna_Amaturi]

It is safe to assume that any male born into the Robotnik family will have those genes and those born female are classic-looking anime-beautiful

[@bagarcia09]

The left looks more like Eggman and the one from the right has Maria's blonde color.

[@rockinggamerdude]

Will one of the mustaches look pointier similar to Eggman?

[@sonicguyver7445]

Interesting. I never knew Gerald actually visited Angel Island. Between the photos of the shrine ruins and his study of the emerald, he must have determined the layout somehow channeled and maximized the Chaos Emeralds power. That's why there is a copy of the shrine in the ARKs core. But I was also always fascinated by the Gizoid. Before the Shadow game I had thought the Ultimate Lifeforms was based on the Gizoid. Like a way of recreating its chaos control in a living creature.

[@Diamonddeath]

Is it possible the mysterious pink-haired girl is Maria's younger sister or even niece? The clothing is somewhat Eggman-esque and archaeologist-esque. Also, maybe she's the one who wrote the letter to Abe? If so, would her name start with a T? Maybe as a nod, her name might be Topaz or Tiara?

[@astonmartin1800]

If that's so with the Biolizard and the salamander from Sonic IDW with Chaos energy, I have another theory for you! What if the Ancients from Starfall Islands have been experimenting on regular animals with chaos energy, thus giving birth to the anthropomorphic animals we see today in the franchise!

[@SonicTheory96]

I do like that theory

[@alemage]

If this was true, I would forever picture shadow pointing at sonic saying "You're no more real than me.." while sonic stares with panic and confusion.

[@Cretaceous158]

Reminds me of a theory that the Black Arms are ancients corrupted by the End. That means that possibly Sonic’s ancestor could have been part ancient, possibly having DNA from Supreme’s pilot, who has been compared to Sonic.

[@_veloxity91]

@@Cretaceous158 GOD THAT SOUNDS SO COOL

[@TheDarkMaster312]

the ancients could have made humanity instead

[@yoshivsjoshi]

Amazing video, Shadow is my favourite video game character, I know it might be controversial but I hope Shadow can find a way to save Her and Gerald somehow

[@-shadow-835]

marias parents must have been devastated after her death. they never got the chance to see her again

[@trongtran8951]

When u realized if Maria alive, she would be as same age as Eggman.

[@megalayla]

She'd probably be older, actually. Considering that the only mentions of Gerald's grandkids were Maria and her younger sister, it was likely that Eggman was born after them both.

[@vectorphoenix5992]

according to sonic channel and a post on twitter, Eggman is under 50, thus making maria older than him

[@LimitPro1]

​@@vectorphoenix5992that would make her his older cousin

[@Cretaceous158]

@@vectorphoenix5992according to some CD concept art, Eggman was born in 1931.

[@Hilversumborn]

@@megalaylaOldest: Maria. Middle: Ivo/Eggman. Youngest: Maria’s little sister.

[@sioncrush5336]

The Little nightmares music was a fine choice

[@Dreq458]

21:40 hedgehogs, chao, echidnas, the black arms, sun gazer lizards, ... cats if you count the sol emeralds

[@Faz10do987]

Ancients & scientists

[@TheAbyssLord]

This was such of lore drop, and I just feel bad for shadow. I wonder what shadow would be if Maria and gerald stayed alive.

[@Burning-Twilight]

I imagine he could have been either a protector for the planet in the same capacity Sonic is (just a more serious version though) or he may have become a secret weapon for G.U.N to deploy in only the most desperate or critical situations. Alas we will never know for sure.

[@TheAbyssLord]

@@Burning-Twilight Another thing i want to know, is the Robotnik family still alive during the mainline games of sonic. And if they are, What do they think of eggman with his whole trying to take over the world when he did started a war and all the bullshit he cause. Are they shame in public because of eggmans trying to take over the world?

[@Burning-Twilight]

@@TheAbyssLord it's difficult to say what could it be fell the rest of family. It could be like a similar case for anyone who was family with any controversial political figures or the like, they either went on with their normal day-to-day activities with probably facing some form of discrimination because of that one family member or could be possible they chose to live a secluded life and try to hide any connections with eggman.

[@omicron3012]

So much for "Sonic games are about going fast. They don’t need a complicated story." I find it very interesting how despite being now 24 years old, Sonic adventure 2's story continues to stay relevant and garners a growing audience and fanbase. The dark secrets of Project Shadow and the Ark have fascinated me when I first played SA2 as a child, and I'm happy that more is being added to it. Maybe Sonic didn't need an elaborate story a long time ago, but with the success of Shadow generations and the third movie, it is now a fact that an intricate story can and does work in that franchise. Sega and Sonic team... the fans have been chanting it for years, you laughed it off back then but now, the time is right. Give us a full fledged SA2 remake and MAKE SA3!!!

[@chrisrenshaw6372]

The true villains were gun . They were responsible for Maria’s death and the deaths of the other scientists and it’s basically the reason is to watch shadow hate humanity. Oh Gerald was trying to do was save his granddaughter. But gun was too caught up in their own corruption. Plus, they ordered the execution of Gerald once gun found out that Gerald was more interested in saving his granddaughter instead of funding their questionable operations.

[@eliottdeletraz97]

That's crazy the difference bettween geral and Ivo. Gerald is a scientist who did everything to save his grandaughter and was opposed to war and weaponry. Ivo has a humongous ego and he's doing everything to conquer the world and make his own empire. I'm pretty sure that Ivo has this conquer ideology due to the lack of intention that he has. That's pretty logical. When you are feeling left alone by your family, you just want to make something incredible all by yourself to show to everyone your potentials.

[@friendlyhedgehog3726]

Lol... The entry number when Gerald introduces Black Doom is number 616. I catch that reference.

[@MickeyMouse-ud2xu]

Stitch?

[@doomsdayrabbit4398]

​@@MickeyMouse-ud2xu616 is the "corrected" mark of the beast - Nero Caesar - from the book of Revelation. The 666 comes from writing it as "Neron" instead of "Nero" as was done in Aramaic in that time.

[@jaredtherock5692]

17:20 ahh, Deference For Darkness. Somehow so fitting for Sonic lore

[@PosthumanHeresy]

It's been fifteen years and it still gives me goosebumps.

[@nernerman]

Shadow's backstory is like a mix of Mewtwo's and Solid Snake's. If Gerald would have said "It all started with a bunch of old fools" it would have been awesome

[@PosthumanHeresy]

Meanwhile his parentage is basically "What if Ford Pines and Bill Cipher did mpreg".

[@nernerman]

@@PosthumanHeresy I hate that what you said makes sense.

[@rual9822]

gerald discovering angel island by a engravings on a ring makes my mind immediately go back to knuckles chaotix, which is canon now, considerating how much focus the lore is getting now i wonder if this was intentional or not

[@greensoda123]

44:02 I think the Mystic Ruins would make more sense as its near human civilization and has old echidna buildings from there.

[@asmaaebrahim7979]

If Maria’s sister’s is still alive it’s likely in her she’ll be in her late 40’s or early 50’ so there’s a likely chance they’ll introduced a teenage daughter ….Which I wish they introduce Hope from Archie comics.

[@terribadda2912]

The censor bleeps make it more comical than it really is

[@jolo6051]

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

[@Lucario4thewin]

Gerald Robotnik. Another tale of a person who only wanted to help pushed too far.

[@mechajay3358]

Hiding what little sanity he had after what happened. I really feel bad for what happened to him. He just wanted to use his intelligence to better mankind and save his sickly granddaughter, and his murder at the hands of GUN broke him.

[@padalogu]

something that i didn't notice with these series is that even sonic start to understand the implications of using the caos emeralds for himself just like Gerald write and even start seeing this as a gift from the universe to do the right thing

[@MizoxNG]

ALL OF YOU UNGRATEFUL HUMANS, WHO TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME! WILL FEEL MY LOSS, AND DESPAIR!

[@ghostspider2056]

Maria’s sister would be an old lady by now, if she had any kids or grandkids, I hope it becomes the games equivalent to Hope Kintobor from Archie comics and have a close relationship with Shadow.

[@dioshiba6066]

Weirdly enough the paralell between Eggman and Sage with Gerald and Maria helps draw a connection to Chaos Island which does make me wonder if the theming of what a legacy means is why Chaos Island was chosen as one of Shadow's levels in spite that it has very little to do with him prior to Sonic X Shadow Generations. Not necessarily because of his past, but what he can do moving forward in thd future to honor the legacy.

[@myleswelnetz6700]

He played God by making a deal with the Devil.

[@morganlogan9955]

I remember seeing a version that mentioned the rivals bad guy, perhaps the physical edition? It had the largest and most insane text, but I am unable to read madman cursive.

[@rual9822]

also holy shit you mentioning how some creatures getting contact with chaos emeralds creates different results and using the salamander example, immediately makes me think of trip from sonic superstars, as she transforms into a dragon when using the chaos emeralds, ngl this makes me think that the myth of dragons in the sonic world was something real in the past, and in these occurences of them existing it probably was some reptilian creature who was mutated by the chaos emeralds as well

[@anastasiatanaseraphina810]

This is all fascinating! Heart wrenching ly sad but it answers a lot of questions. Also, who is Maria’s sister? I never knew until now that Maria has a sister. Also, shadows power wings and shoes origins… heartwarming.