Why Shadow Is The BEST Sonic Character And How He Has Been Misrepresented & Ruined

[@thepjshow]

So what are your thought's on Shadow and his character? Do you have similar thought's, or different opinions. Leave your thought's below. Also, are there any suggestions on whose character I should analyse next. It could be a mainstay like Tails or even one off characters like the legend himself, Mephiles.

[@KindaCringe404]

Oh my gosh, I would love a Mephiles analysis. He's such an interesting character and cool villain. I wish we saw more of him. They figured out how to bring back Silver, they could have changed him up a bit. Also, I know that you were only going in-depth on the main games, by there are some smaller titles that get Shadow all right, like Sonic Battle and arguably Sonic Rivals 2. The characters were a little weird in that game because of their "rivalries" but Shadow was pretty good with his interactions with Metal Sonic.

[@thepjshow]

@@KindaCringe404 Yeah, I agree. Mephiles is probably my favourite antagonist. And the way that he manipulates others around him like puppets such as silver and shadow is just great. He gets in peoples heads. He is so used to this that when he couldn't break shadow, he was shocked. I never fully understood all the hate that Mephiles received.

[@henrycroney1785]

@@thepjshow He was the only villain getting things done. Eggman was kidnapping Elise, Iblis is mindless. Mephiles pulled all the strings and unlike other villains, Mephiles achieved his end goal of reuniting with Iblis and destroying time and space. His dynamic with Shadow and their relationship is exactly what Shadow The Hedgehog should have been, an entire game based around Shadow's place in the world and Mephiles to challenge that. He's such a fun villain to watch.

[@thepjshow]

@@henrycroney1785 I know. Mephiles is one of the best villains in the series. I am actually releasing a Mephiles character analysis either tonight or tomorrow explaining why I think he is a great villain.

[@henrycroney1785]

@@thepjshow And now I am most excited. Keep up the good work. Shadow is my personal favourite character and Mephiles isn't far behind him so I'm glad that you're doing them justice.

[@calebporter3735]

Shadow in Lego Dimensions is unironically the best interpretation of his character we've gotten in a while. He still wants to fulfil his promise to Maria, so needs help from the player to plant an entire field of flowers because he believes it's something Maria would have wanted.

[@sonicsucks20]

Shadow in lego was knuckles bitch and a joke.

[@Semudara]

@@sonicsucks20 Maybe? But the tone of the whole thing was very tongue-in-cheek. Plus, Shadow's gun being unceremoniously thrown away was pretty funny.

[@Glitch_Arts]

ok thats so adorable omg

[@GameHunter4529]

That's adorable

[@artistanthony1007]

Man guess I should check cutscenes of that game if Shadow is so nice to do that for his deceased sister, yeah obviously Maria is that to him.

[@heavydonkeykong5190]

Mephiles was the perfect "Final Boss" for Shadow's arc. A dark reflection of his earlier views of how humanity deserves to be destroyed, even reflected in his own character design. He was like the devil on Shadow's shoulder, trying to offer him temptation, which Shadow rejected due to remembering what Gerald created him for, how Maria fueled his dedication to that purpose, and how Rouge's earlier dialogue reminded him that there are still people alive today who support him. Old Shadow might've taken Mephiles up on his offer, but post-character development Shadow knows better.

[@thepjshow]

I don't think I could have put it better myself.

[@AFeralTrout420]

Mephiles could also represent Shadow if he genuinly accepted Black Dooms offer and became just like him

[@aidenparker5955]

​@@thepjshow I get that shadow is supposed to have amnesia in Shadow the hedgehog game but I do agree this game kind of ignores the hold character development from Heros.

[@ReaperKris]

​@@aidenparker5955 And Adventure 2

[@Watchers_Music]

Shadow’s actions as of the start of the Last Story in his game have nothing to do with Maria and Gerald.

[@MagmaPaint]

Shadow handled properly: That punk goth kid in high school that all the parents tell you to stay away from because "he's a bad influence and will grow up to be a criminal" but you get to know him and he's actually a cool guy, a badass, very sweet, has a small but close friend circle, won't tolerate kids getting bullied, and is just dealing with some depression and PTSD in the background. Shadow handled disrespectfully: The embodiment of every single "quiet kid" meme, especially the school shooter variety.

[@Lechgang]

Basically the kid parents hate but is actually a cool guy vs the kid parents hate because they actually have to worry about him.

[@GamingPiratesTwitch]

Quiet kid reality vs Quiet kid stereotype

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

That’s a great example of both. Has a stoic and serious attitude but once you know a little about them, they’re a really good person at their core vs just being what people stereotype them as.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

I assume kids like the main example also exist, they’d relate to Shadow I bet.

[@XLRider2]

@@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168 Only am I now realizing that the main protagonist of one of my stories is literally that guy lol

[@God-xd1wr]

I miss the version of Shadow that said “Are you okay?” And genuinely cared about the well-being of others

[@jamiegioca9448]

I never heard him asking if someone's ok, now that you mention it. I did see him checking on folks to see if they're fine, though

[@TheRibottoStudios]

​@@jamiegioca9448meh I guess that's close to an "are you okay?" Shadow

[@numberjacksoctonauts7138]

Actually, Shadow did ask if someone was okay. In Sonic 06, when he, Sonic and Silver were fighting Solaris and Sonic was low on rings.

[@KhaosKontroller]

Shadow's line in his final cutscene in 06, never fails to give me goosebumps.

[@thepjshow]

Same here. It sums up his character development so well.

[@paperluigi6132]

@G.A.B.E I'd tell you, but telling it doesn't do it justice compared to hearing him say it. Look up the final cutscene of Shadow's story from Sonic 06. Hell, watch a full playthrough of his story so that the context strengthens the line's impact.

[@TurliTheCat]

@@paperluigi6132 just say it so i can get a taste of it before i have the full context

[@charan_618]

“If the world becomes my enemy, I will fight as I always have”

[@imagery5425]

70th like :)

[@Wow-cr2ll]

Shadow's complicated relationship with humanity is what made him so interesting. He's more like Mewtwo than Vegata. If they want to fix Shadow, they need to either make humans an important part of the world again or completely rewrite his character.

[@MagmaPaint]

I vote the former, since having humans around offers better world building, a better explanation for Eggman's role as villain, and raises the stakes in storytelling. And of course, the good old "show what makes and how these characters are heroes, don't just tell us and call it a day". We sort of get that in Colors and Forces (make of that last one what you will), but the stakes don't feel as high in the 2010s games as a whole because the settings of their stories feel so... EMPTY.

[@rickyronny4019]

Y’all act like Vegeta is poorly written. When he’s more heroic and better developed than he has ever been

[@FantomPhoenix]

@@rickyronny4019 Yeah especially nowadays. I don't like every aspect of the dB super manga and if I could make a few changes I would (Like the 1000 tons PIS feat) but lately it's been pretty good, especially when it comes to Vegeta.

[@rickyronny4019]

@@FantomPhoenix exactly

[@hellfoxwolf14]

I say we just slowly take over all the SEGA's from the "shadows" and do it right

[@BradynNewcomer]

Shadow in 2001 to 2009: Mysterious hedgehog who started of distant, but fulfills a promise for a loved one to fight with his friends for a better purpose on earth. Shadow in 2010: Vegeta/Sasuke 2.0

[@sonicsucks20]

Its it coffee immediately confirmed, this doesn't exist

[@Joinha15]

no, just vegeta

[@firelightning5018]

Even Vegeta has character development.

[@tatendamuwori7098]

Sa2 heroes and 06 are the best versions of him in my opinion

[@gachalifeakiegaming3315]

@@tatendamuwori7098 lol not shadow the hedgehog

[@kyodemer2590]

His characterisation in Sonic X was also phenomenal, besides the scenes that were adapted from SA2. The whole arc with the Metarex, his return, meeting Molly and avenging her death, joining the heroes in the last fight. It was wonderful. That WAS shadow

[@yampaamvs]

He was well portrayed in Archie too. Especially the Dark Arms saga of post-SGW.

[@slumprage_777]

Facts

[@RetrogirlChannel]

Sadly they ruined him somewhat by trying to go after Cosmo in that one episode tho. That was so out of nowhere and unnessesary. ( also for the year old reply.)

[@kyodemer2590]

@@RetrogirlChannel Agreed. That was poorly written. But I do believe it could have played into his character with a better delivery. It was misplaced anger, he has amnesia and all he remembers is that he is meant to keep the world safe (remnants of his promise to Maria) and so he’ll do anything to achieve that. What makes him contrast from Sonic as a anti-hero is that he’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means hurting others. And he did stop as soon as he understood he was wrong.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@kyodemer2590 late, but I believe it makes sense per his characterization. Shadow is very pragmatic, almost to a fault. Hence why he went after Cosmo so hard. Shadow's a very honest person as well, but that's the one time he didnt tell the group the truth. Because what was the point? It wouldn't do anything for anyone. Cosmo still had the chip implant, and it wouldn't be able to be removed without serious harm or death. In his POV, better to just get the job done. It explains why he was SOOOOO just...GOING after her too. But he didn't do it out of pure malicious intent either. He wasn't ENJOYING the process. Maybe except when Knuckles got in the way.

[@somedude3820]

I think one of the things that made Shadow such a strong character is that his up until colours ruined every character, Shadow was one of the few characters who's motivations didn't involve Sonic at all. Shadow lived his own life and had his own day to day goals that were completely divorced from Sonic, the only reason the two remained "rivals" is that Shadow was the only supporting character who Sonic never surpassed- whether it be fighting skill or speed.

[@gachalifeakiegaming3315]

I can only remember 3 character being downgraded after colors tails Sonic and knuckles Tails was willing to fight the wisp then sonic pushed him back now he's useless knuckles lost all character except from dumb mid 2010's sonic's attitude is gone and he is now joke guy and is also the only useful hedgehog

[@Mepphy99]

@@gachalifeakiegaming3315 silver does stuff in the story even minimal tho

[@richardfinney6339]

What's stupid about Shadow being Sonic's rival is that they have Metal Sonic, a robot SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to be Sonic's rival, but Sonic Team still goes with the one character who's motivations don't involve Sonic at all.

[@eem2wavy133]

@@richardfinney6339 because metal sonic isn’t really that interesting as a rival

[@freyaljones7368]

@@eem2wavy133 he could be with better writing

[@oroontheheels]

Shadow is just a good boy with PTSD sprinkled with amnesia. When I was actively consuming Sonic media i loooooooved Sonic Heroes, Adventures and 2006 from story point. Sadly people outside fandom really think he is just walking meme of a dark edgelord. When in reality he is so caring and likeable.

[@TorrentialStardust]

My favourite part is in ‘06 when he leaps into the fight between Sonic and Silver to help his friend, immediately dismantles Silver’s attacks, and by doing so tricks him into time travelling so he can help him understand he’s being manipulated, which is something Shadow has struggled with himself. Shadow’s real character is honestly closer to Optimus Prime than Vegeta, I have so much love for it and I also hope things can improve with new writers.

[@sonicmanic2556]

In addition, I'd say that Shadow's real character is also similar to Zero from the Megaman Zero series.

[@maxa3919]

Wow, that's actually a cool comparison I never thought about.

[@inaminute1826]

@@sonicmanic2556 well that was obvious to me🕺

[@ThaVisionaryTeam]

Wow, I can see that haha

[@whynot6266]

I have never thought that Shadow and Optimus Prime would be in the same sentence (because reasons), but anyway, I agree

[@RazuX5]

The fanbase is also to blame for ruining his character mainly overdoing it on memes or dumb terms like “edgy” when most of those people don’t even understand it themselves.

[@henjin4671]

Shadow is an edgey character that makes most anti heroes but his not an edge lord that people clame him to be

[@absolite6]

Outsider misinterpretation is one thing but I still put the blame largely on Sega themselves misunderstanding Shadow's character. I mean, I'm a Kirby fan and it's been a meme that Kirby himself is a nightmarish, cosmic horror for years but we wouldn't like....actually want HAL to make Kirby an edgey, dark monster. That said, regarding the Shadow game, all I'm saying is this is what happens when you listen to 2000s COD kids whose only there for guns, angst and violence. Yeah sorry Sega....ya done goof there. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@yourlocalSonicfan512]

Edgy yeah sure... Emo? Wtf 😅

[@rickyronny4019]

I blame the fanbase imo. They’re at fault too

[@NotMyRealName6]

I'm gonna say it, Vegeta and Shadow suffer from the same problem. Both are constantly misrepresented as edgelords when there's much more to their character than that. Sonic writers keep referring back to Shadow the Hedgehog, and Dragon Ball writers keep referring back to the Android Saga, ignoring character development that came before or since in both cases. In reality, both of them have completely rejected their dark pasts and devoted themselves to protecting those they care for.

[@donathan2933]

that's true

[@ronalddragonofamerica]

Facts

[@ThaVisionaryTeam]

Do you think Sasuke could fit in this comment? They changed up his personality slightly in Boruto for good!

[@NotMyRealName6]

@@ThaVisionaryTeam From what I'm hearing, he's trying to be the one thing he didn't have, a good father. So he counts.

[@donathan2933]

@@ThaVisionaryTeam facts. And ppl still think he’s an edgelord

[@bandicootsauce4569]

I just hope that Shadow's portrayal in the third Sonic movie does the character justice. ...Yeah, he's been confirmed to be in the third movie. Sorry if I spoiled that for any of ya.

[@garbanzomeatball]

Mmmm shadow…… do u play sonic adventure 2… he is in that game and.. well,,, he and amy they……… ha…. I shoudlnt spoil it but…. They do some…….well……

[@tweedlebug123]

@@garbanzomeatball as someone who played Sonic Adventure 2 and still considers it her console video game ever, whatever your implying is absolutely...wrong? strange? incorrect? creepy? Amy talked Shadow out of destroying Earth when he was on the most outwardly destructive (and self-destructive) part of ihs character arc, but that's the extent of his and Amy's interactions. Also, Amy is canonically 12 years old. Let's PLEASE not make sex jokes about her, especially with a character who at least mentally is an adult.

[@garbanzomeatball]

@@tweedlebug123 comicon…?

[@demi-femme4821]

The third movie is probably going to cover the plot of both Adventure games, since the second one is a combination of 2 and 3&K.

[@LannyLeArtist]

I believe they can. They fixed tails and knuckles, so i have high hopes for shadow.

[@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp]

There’s a lot of story potential with Shadow having amnesia. So much for even a prequel game about him. You should also cover Sega’s mandates and how they limit creativity not to mention the inconsistencies they have.

[@thepjshow]

Agreed. It's just another case of lost potential. They got it right in adventure 2 but didn't take full advantage of it later. And, yes, I plan to talk more about the writing of sonic and go into more depth about the Mandates and the consequences of them.

[@PKMN37]

So that's why Sonic and friends seem so basic now. That explains a lot.

[@TheJadeFist]

I would almost love to see something to the effect that Shadow is Sonic's ancestor, giant mutant hedgehog with chaos powers, and he's quite a bit older too. Just for the lols I love to see this.

[@sonicwhite91]

@@TheJadeFist Gerald researched on Angel Island as seen by the chaos enemies on the ARK, so he likely saw the mural of Chaos in lost world in SA1 and interpreted it as the ultimate life form, thus the bio lizard. After that failed he likely saw the Super Sonic mural in Hidden Palace Zone in Sonic 3 & Knuckles and interpreted that as the TRUE ULF, thus making Sonic the inspiration for Shadow and technically the true ultimate life form

[@qwertyiuwg4uwtwthn]

@@thepjshow "The Sega Mandates and there consequences have been disasturious to the mobian race."

[@Spider-Man-257]

I do think Shadow's character can be revive in Sonic Movie 3, it will show Sega, hey this is how you SHOULD write Shadow, not the way their doing it right now.

[@autobotproductions1244]

They managed to restore honor to Knuckles, so I say saving Shadow is more than possible.

[@sonicfangamer101]

Heck I argue they completely botched his character in the Sonic Boom TV series. In Sonic Boom he's just a bitchy selfish serious hedgehog edgelord in a very forced way. He does not consider the safety of others as shown in SA2 where it's proven that Shadow does care for the safety of others he just doesn't show it because of his traumatic experience with Maria's death. The only times were he does show emotions to others in SA2 is when it reminds him of the best moments he had with his time with Maria aboard ark. The times where he's shown to help others in the Sonic Boom TV series is only because he's doing it for his own benefits and not because of Maria nor the safety of others. The only reason they added Shadow The Hedgehog in Sonic Boom is fan service plain and simple.

[@sonicfangamer101]

Heck even Shadow The Hedgehog's dialouge in one of the cutscenes before the Shadow boss fight in Sonic Boom Rise Of Lyric that I watched on KZbin got his character wrong.

[@Spider-Man-257]

@@sonicfangamer101 Yeah, it just made Shadow very cridgy and not likable as a character, he may look bad ass, but his character as a edge lord isn't.

[@darksonicyt5430]

@@sonicfangamer101 *Oh yeah and there’s also that time where Shadow allowed two different eggman’s in the same world and hid them somewhere so that the universe would be destroyed because Eggman tricked him*

[@KyrinChase]

While I personally like Sonic 06, I understand why people hate it. But, to me, Shadow was at his best in that game. His friendship with Rouge and Omega was great. Characters In-Depth made a great video about Team Dark, they had the strongest sense of camaraderie in Sonic 06. And his last line of his story perfectly encapsulates who he is.

[@lolAvalanche]

Honestly I genuinely think Shadow’s and Silver’s stories were really good. Sonic’s and the last story, not so much, but I honestly don’t really find much issue in the rest.

[@sonicsucks20]

Shadow was blander and more unemotional to Rouge and Omega in 06 tho.

[@SoIstice]

@@lolAvalanche Sonic felt more like a side character in his own game which is really bizarre. He had the best gameplay, but his story barely even connected to the plot at large, with Elise being the only real connection other than the times he crossed over with Shadow and Silver's stories. Silver is pretty much the protagonist, so it makes sense, but it's so weird for a game titled "Sonic The Hedgehog."

[@peepeeboy3201]

@@sonicsucks20 maybe but not a lot

[@bakedbeans5494]

Rouge*.

[@dirkthewrench]

If you knew nothing of Shadow from before 2010 you'd think his favourite word would be "pathetic". Seriously, he says it CONSTANTLY now, "your pathetic friends" "these pathetic humans" "your pathetic robots" "these pathetic tricks won't work" "your pathetic face" (wtf does that even mean?) He also scoffs a lot. He has this *stench* of superiority attached to him now, and I hate it. In the Archie comics the dude actually smiles, he considers others' feelings and apologizes when he's in the wrong, a humble person (after his "villian"/SA2 arc of course)

[@ShadowTheHedgehogCZ]

I only saw some of the Japanese cutscenes from Shadow's game with subtitles. He never calls humans pathetic in the intro. He doesn't say 'damn' in the 4th Chaos Emerald cutscene, he doesn't say "it's like taking a candy from a baby, which is fine by me". I wonder if Shadow ever even used the word "pathetic" in the original version. And if more people knew that Shadow's game doesn't actually have him talk faul as much as they thought, or at all... I think it would change a lot of people's mind on that game, because the dialog was at the center of what they didn't like about it. And the mistranslation of the dialog is the core cause behind why people have such a skewed idea who Shadow is. Shadow was changed by the marketing department of Sega of America, because they thought that just literally translating what he says is not enough. They had to force what they considered "American culture", so people would "understand it". The attempt to correct or remove the Japanese attitude from the characters. "This is how the cast would speak if they were American." And Shadow suffered from Americanization the worst.

[@yampaamvs]

Ikr? Before, he was a bit arrogant but still had shades of self awareness and even maybe some self-esteem issues. Sonic Battle and the semi-hero ending of ShtH are a good example. And I agree. The Archie comics are arguably his best portrayal - so heroic and more down-to-earth and relatable.

[@aligar461]

@@ShadowTheHedgehogCZ If people just looked past the occasional edgy moments in SthH, they’d see Shadow’s character is still there - even in the English version. I disagree that ‘Americanization’ is the main problem. Even if we ignore his titular game, Shadow was portrayed just fine in the English versions of the games pre-2010. Also, have you seen the Japanese version of Sonic X? He’s a lot more cold, uncaring and cruel. Imo, he’s more palatable and likable in the English version. He tends to be bland and unemotional in the Japanese version to the point it’s off putting. And I prefer to watch my animes in subs, so don’t tell me “you just can’t understand the culture.” This extends to his portrayal in SA2 specifically. I’ve seen the Japanese cutscenes. David shows more emotion than Koji and gets the point across in a more relatable way. There’s nothing wrong with a slight change for cultural reasons. The real problem lies with Sega of Japan and their dumb mandates. Because even on Sonic channel, Shadow was portrayed very poorly in his cover story with Sonic for the 30th anniversary. This was an official comic in Japanese, for the Japanese audience - and he was still portrayed as an edgelord jerk. For whatever reason, they’ve revised his character completely now. They took ONE aspect of his character in Shadow the Hedgehog - edgy/angry - and made that his only character.

[@rickyrackey7930]

Sense the mandates are going down. Imagine if he feels bad for what he did and calls himself pathetic.

[@alicesacco9329]

@@aligar461 Yes. I also watched some Japanese things from Sonic. Mostly i watched English, Italian (Sonic has a lovely voice in Italian in recent games and media❤) and Japanese version and although English dialogue are mediocre, Shadow's regression is there in Japanese too. (I watched a good portion of Sonic X in Japanese) Grumpiness, cruelty and anger were hardly Shadow's traits, originally. He was at most gloomy, easy to hurt with the wrong words, but he rarely snapped or had a fit (when it happened it was for a good and understandable reason and it was rare). Even in Sonic X I think there was some poisonous regression starting to take place. He lashed out at Chris (I hate the kid but it was completely out of place) yet in SA2 in the very same contest he stayed cool with Amy. Archie Shadow is in line with early Shadow, just less mysterious and clearly more insecure, compared to the more cheerful and optimistic Sonic.

[@roseqore8073]

thank you for explaining how shadow actually cares for people and isn't some sort of edgelord. it pains me so bad to hear people call him that so often

[@alptugraakan7490]

Some says that shadow is a willain and it makes me mad.

[@marcmcloud_555]

The thing about IDW Shadow is that he acts really in character in the issue where he and Sonic argue about Eggman, When Sonic asks him to forgive he becomes more calm and collected and decides to trust Sonic. But in the metal virus story he just does a completly 180 and acts completly out of character

[@___8241]

To be fair, Shadow hating humanity at the start of Shadow the hedgehog makes some sense. He has amnesia and doesn't remember Maria's promise. Everything else though is on point. Great video.

[@yampaamvs]

It makes perfect sense because he already hated humanity in his debut game, SA2, because of what happened to Maria and Gerald projecting his hatred onto and brainwashing him.

[@miguelanderson4116]

Yeah shadow had amnesia but in the 2010s he was really edgy

[@Lostouille]

​@@miguelanderson4116everyone was edgy in 2010 anyways it was the era of emos 💀💀💀

[@rafagamer5915]

but Shadow helped in save the World in Heroes

[@teriosshadow17]

​@@rafagamer5915And he saved Rouge at the very start of Team Dark story in Heroes and intro of Shadow the Hedgehog contradicts this.

[@MyMyClank]

Glad we’re really starting to have these conversations in fandom. I recently got back into Sonic after losing interest in the 2010s, and I was honestly gutted to discover that my favorite character has been so mischaracterized and so misunderstood for over a decade. I don’t want revisionist history to define Shadow’s legacy. He balanced out Sonic games beautifully.

[@Olivia-dg4fb]

I just got back in to and I'm so sad to see what they've done to him.

[@yampaamvs]

Preach. I never left the fandom. It was very confusing watching Sega slowly mutilate his character and then act like SA2-06 never happened. I stayed hopeful for a long while. But after seeing Prime and understanding the situation with the mandates, I’ve pretty much completely given up on him ever being well portrayed again. Sega sucks.

[@awesomeocelot7475]

I hate those SEGA mandates. The mandates say that team dark aren’t friends anymore but just a brand.....they are supposed to be very close friends. A found family of sorts if you will but just nowadays that’s all changed....he just ignored Rouge in the IDW comics when she warned him to run which SA2,Heroes and 06 shadow would never have done!

[@tfcast1977]

That is what we got from a douch bag that had a head bigger than his Knuckles knock off.

[@Olivia-dg4fb]

THEY WHAT! 06 literally has Rouge telling Shadow she'll always be on his side, and he's greatful for that. How are they not friends now!?!

[@EnclaveSOC-102]

@@Olivia-dg4fb because 06 was retconned, and many concepts from the Archie Comics continuity, like Shadow and Rouge being close friends, were abandoned due to legal constraints which includes Sonic not being allowed to get overly emotional(thanks Penders) and instead we have to get stuck with some constantly happy faced, spikey blue drone that always has to win all because Sega doesn't want to be more innovative and thinks nerfing many of these characters is required to make it better when it doesn't help. At all.

[@GiniLeeRedSquirel]

I love team Dark from Sonic Heroes and their background story: the mystery about clones's Shadow! I like the new outfit's Rouge, first show for Omega and Shadow just following his instinct in this adventure.

[@Olivia-dg4fb]

@@EnclaveSOC-102 fuck ken penders and fuxk who ever decided Shadow can't have friends.

[@aerostrafe1075]

I feel like Shadow oddly peaked in his debut game. Sonic Heroes stayed sort of true to the character to a degree. Shadow the Hedgehog proceeded to murder his character. Sonic 06 fixed it all with a nice bow as that is one of the few things I will give that game. It was the only time in awhile that Shadow was actually Shadow. Now though he has completely fallen off a cliff. I hate him in Sonic Boom the most I think even though I love Sonic Boom as a series. I can't say I feel much attachment to him now though. edit: I will add in that now Shadow doesn't have much to really connect to him at all. He has just fallen in line as Sonic's #2.

[@shinybearevidra]

The only thing likeable about Boom! Shadow is the music that plays in the fight against Sonic.

[@yampaamvs]

I will never understand why everyone hates his portrayal in ShtH. It’s miles better than anything post-Boom. I always enjoyed the exploration of his character in ShtH. Yeah, there’s some campy, edgy stuff. But he’s still himself in how he reacts to situations and how he interacts with most everyone.

[@aerostrafe1075]

@@yampaamvs I can go over a few reasons why. STH regress his character to a strong degree. If we look at him at the end of Heroes you can see that he is more open to talking with everyone and a bit more playful. He tells Rouge at the end of their story after she talks about stealing the master emerald "Some things never change huh?" and has a laugh about it. He tells Sonic that they will buy time so they can use their super powers. He shows sympathy towards metal sonic after it all. If we look at him in STH then he is almost back at square one all over again. He comes off like he finds everyone else to be annoying to be around. He has no issue insulting the others. The straight hero path has him saying taking candy from a baby is fine by him. Shadow at the end of SA2 or Heroes would not say that. A solid hero path shadow would not say that. They took his attitude and turned it into hard edgy for almost no reason outside of him being the "darker" version of Sonic. The constant cursing, use of guns, overly edgy moments, etc. Essay so final thoughts. Post Boom Shadow is really bad too but both are awful to me in their own ways. Least Boom was its own universe so I let some things slide. STH was in the canon verse and butchered my boy. Shadow isn't that bad in modern games aside from being an edgy side/background character 90% of the time but all the sonic characters suffered from post colors basic ass writing.

[@slumprage_777]

@@shinybearevidranah sonic boom was a funny and overall good show

[@shinybearevidra]

@@slumprage_777 if it's thought as a parody I completely agree

[@manimanistatue]

Shadow is the real protagonist of Sonic Adventure 2, that’s the game that made me love his character

[@henjin4671]

@The Proanimator they are both protagonists of the game

[@SoIstice]

@The Proanimator I'd be inclined to agree if Shadow had more than (iirc) four stages in the game. Eggman is closer to the protagonist of the Dark story in SA2. I would say that Shadow is the central character to the game, with everything happening in it because of him.

[@queenshroomyt]

I think the only time I saw modern shadow portrayed correctly was, weirdly enough, the most recent sonic twitter takeover. at one point shadow is talking about how when he was falling to earth, sonic reached out to him despite knowing he’d die too. shadow waved him away so sonic wouldn’t die with him, but he said he would never forget his determination in trying. I felt that.

[@nithinshakthithiruppathi4028]

Seriously?

[@LightningCayo]

Look up the Japanese dub for Shadow’s cutscenes in the games, they make Shadow even better. And the Archie series Shadow.

[@thepjshow]

Yeah, I need to look at all the Japanese scripts. The only one that I have seen was the Adventure 2 story.

[@tonyhakston536]

@@thepjshow have ya fixed that yet?

[@rockmanomegaawakeningofcon3116]

Yeah,Japanese dub makes their roles even serious in the cutscenes

[@JoshDoesAThing108]

What I find interesting with the Japanese dubs is how Shadow uses "boku" when referring to himself. Unless I'm wrong since I'm no expert in Japanese, that can be taken as him being humble about himself, which I find interesting.

[@watershurikenknight5338]

Archie Shadow > IDW Shadow

[@rogaken]

The reason why Shadow sucks was because he was supposed to die in SA2. But he was so popular that they had to keep him alive. And now they don't know what to do with him.

[@liamphibia]

At least in Heroes &, 06 he was portrayed *extremely* well.

[@markharbath31X9]

Even then they still have him surprisingly great character arks in o6 and hero’s (not really shadow the hedgehog 2005)

[@markharbath31X9]

Post o6 they do some stuff like in rivals giving him a story and doing something interesting with metal sonic… not amazing but something. But in the 2010s yeah you can almost basically say they don’t know what to do with him.

[@artistanthony1007]

He had Nigh Invulnerability from Super Shadow so impossible to die if the divine form he was in keeps him from getting killed.

[@LannyLeArtist]

@@liamphibia true

[@pathmaster5269]

In my point of view, the writing of Sonic Heroes spawned Shadow the Hedgehog. Specifically the Team Sonic vs Team Dark battle. Tails and Knuckles were shocked to see Shadow in front of them while Sonic was glad that he was alive (seeing that he saw Shadow fall to his apparent death and could not save him). The sight of Sonic (being an established equal as PJ pointed out) probably triggered something in Shadow as he wondered about him after that battle. Team Sonic could've been a massive help for Team Dark but Rouge and Omega escalated the situation into a battle (with Tails confused and asked Shadow if he remembers them as an in-battle quote). By the time of Shadow the hedgehog and actually a very interesting concept, Shadow may have recovered some pieces of his memory but as they are memories of Maria, Maria's death, Gerald's memory tamper, his battle against Sonic, his battle ALONGSIDE Sonic, his apparent death and the Shadow androids he finds later, these are pieces that he couldn't connect the dots with himself because they were inconsistent so he needed someone to help him to do so. That made him an easy victim to Black Doom.

[@SilverH3dgehogGameing]

You make some really good points here and I do genuinely like his character a bunch in his game (with the exception of a few endings) although sometimes it MAKES SENSE he acts the way he does as depending on what route you are taking ad who you are listening to, as you said he is easily dragged into something he really isn't due to the influences of the characters around him. Take Black Doom for example, tis is the guy who came up to Shadow as he was wondering about his past and claimed he had made a promise with him, he doesn't understand but he offered the truth about his past and that's what Shadow wanted. With that being said- in some of the endings yes, he doesn't, like you said here and he connects some of the dots himself and that leads to him figuring things out. One thing I did really like about this game was in the final ending (the one that's definitely cannon) is the bit where Black Doom tells him straight up what his plan was and that he was in fact a branch of him sharing the same blood with him, in a way telling Shadow "you're my hybrid you're just like me" and that hurts Shadow and sends a shock as MARIA remembered him as a soft, loving hero; which he defies Black Doom and goes by his own words and some of the words of others (like when Eggman confesses to him he's the real Shadow and not one of the androids) Shadow always in these games (pre 2010) did the right thing in the end to protect the planet as Maria wanted and I d really like that about him. I miss Shadow being the way he was, he really is butchered now a days and IDW is trying to fix that the best they can as the mandates make it RELLY hard for them

[@_Tzer]

I also think he may have also been suffering with a bit of mental issues on top of the memory stuff because having one of the few things you remember be someones death.. yeah that is gonna do a toll on your mental state.

[@yampaamvs]

@@SilverH3dgehogGameing It’s refreshing seeing someone actually deconstruct Shadow’s portrayal in ShtH. All I ever see is people shitting on the game but I’ve never had a problem with the exploration of his character there. Quite liked it, actually. And as y’all explained, it made sense post-SA2/Heroes. I miss old Shadow too. At least we still have all those old games and the anime and the Archie comics, where he was himself.

[@AFeralTrout420]

@@yampaamvs I agree as well, there was a video by Pariah and he was one of the very first famous Sonic videos defending Shadows character from his video game. I also think Shadows game does his character fairly well, it's not MASTERFULLY written but it's still pretty decent. The main point of Shadows game was forming his own agency, along with the concept of "nature vs nurture, will vs purpose, freedom to choose, etc. If you look back at SA2 he only saved Earth because Maria wanted him to, so if she legit wanted him to blow up the world to avenge her, he would've done that and been OK with it. Basically he'd only do what Maria told him to do. An unpopular opinion of mine is that Shadows arc in SA2 is either EXTREMELY overrated or heavily misunderstood by the fandom (not saying that its BAD though) His arc wasn't really about redemption but more about finding a purpose, and that's what Maria gave him. In the Last Story he declares to defeat Black Doom by his OWN WILL, and that's what he does. Thus video also provides backup kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIrOq4aEjK6kY7s

[@yampaamvs]

@@AFeralTrout420 Thanks for sharing the video! I’ll definitely check it out when I have more time. I love hearing unpopular opinions cuz it’s refreshing seeing stuff from a different perspective. And yeah, just because it’s the mainstream view, doesn’t mean it’s true, or objectively right, or better, etc. I agree that Shadow was definitely searching for purpose in sa2. He explicitly states it in the flashback scenes. “Maybe, if I go down there, I’ll find the answers.” (And right you will, Shadow) He’d been searching for a purpose since the beginning. That’s another reason I love his character, and even the what-if scenarios, in ShtH. I personally want to believe there’s a redemption side to his arc in sa2 because of 1) how he sheds a tear when remembering Maria’s true wish. He was moved when he realized his true purpose was for good, not evil. He was so full of anger and vengefulness, it (and Gerald’s brainwashing) clouded him from the truth. 2) His capacity for good is hinted at when he reacts to Rouge being in trouble. I really don’t think his train-of-thought in that scene had anything to do with what Maria would want; it was about doing what he knew was the right thing to do. Yes, Maria is his conscience in that scene. But there’s more to him than that. Why should he care about saving a random stranger he just met and knows zip about? He didn’t want someone else dying on his watch when he could do something about it. Which leads me to think…when Shadow had time to stop and think about it…was he really ok with blowing up the planet? Because then there’s 3) how he reacts to Amy Rose. I don’t know if his dialogue towards her is the same in Japanese and English, but his saying he will also keep the promise to Maria AND protect innocent Amy, who showed him kindness + her little speech about the good in the world, is a nice touch that reinforces a redemption arc. (I mean, that was Amy’s whole purpose for being in the game.) And 4) his sounding genuinely concerned for Sonic’s safety during the final battle. It would be pretty pointless and unfounded, after witnessing all of the above, to continue to think his concern is only utilitarian. And anyway, the emotion in his voice suggests otherwise. Regardless, here’s to hoping the 3rd movie will nail his character arc from sa2 just right, and maybe even make it better (a tall order at this point).🤞🏻🙏🏻

[@ShadowLord562]

I'd actually disagree. How I see it is in heroes, which is after SA2, when he said he didn't care, it's him tossing it aside for the moment and won't face it until he has to. Shadow the Hedgehog is basically "Infamous" (the game) where your choices are what gives him his identity. If you ignore the multiple endings and follow the actual story and the true ending, it makes sense why it finally solidifies him to the character he is in 06. In 06, he doesn't have that struggle anymore and his decisions are no longer tied to his former self. He's his own Hedgehog. After that, yeah, they only took the edgy inspiration of Shadow the Hedgehog and that's it.

[@yampaamvs]

Why is this so hard for people to understand? This is all I ever got out of ShtH and I never had a problem with what Sega did with his character there. He’s well portrayed, even in his dark story/tendencies and temptations that he ultimately turns from for the true ending.

[@maverick5169]

Ok but what about Shadow in Sonic-X? Cold, pragmatic but capable of feeling emotions, a hero through and through. When he punches Sonic so that he could give his life again? Great stuff

[@LolaKaldalah]

22:41 "You're weak. And you know what makes you weak ? Your loyalty to your pathetic friends." I really Imagine Rouge flying out of nowhere to slap Shadow in the face after he says that.

[@kamilasachiko204]

Shadow deserves a better writing, i miss the shadow from the old era, i refuse to see him being handled by sega at the current time because of the mandates. Hopefully they could go back the old ways where the characters are written well and not afraid to take risks

[@thepjshow]

I can only hope for the same thing.

[@sonicsucks20]

I will never happened, sega loves sonic to much to make Shadow more explored as a character as much as Sonic now.

[@supersoldier4079]

Shadow is hands down my favorite character. But I agree. The writers I feel always seem to leach edginess out of him which I absolutely hate. Like you said it just feels like it was for marketing purposes. He was a genuine good hero because he did care about people but just wasn't able to express it as well as others. I always felt I could relate to him because I'm pretty introverted as well. I really would have liked to see more interactions between Sonic and Shadow as friends because I really feel as though it would have developed his character brilliantly in the more modern games. Sonic is all about the here and Shadow was constantly seeking to leave the past behind him. This was even emphasized in the final battle against Solaris. Shadow: "I'll release you from the chains of your past." Sonic: "The present day. The here and now that you've stolen. Time to take it back!" These quotes from the two are why I would love to see them become good friends with each other. They were perfect foils to each other's characters. Shadow always looked back but Sonic always sets his sight on what was right in front of them. I love both their characters and I believe that they would develop brilliantly as friends.

[@johncohagen2793]

In one of my bigger upcoming projects, I want to bring back Shadow’s true character alongside with Tails, Knuckles and many others. Plus, I want to create other characters with gripping arcs. In other words, everything after Sonic Generations is getting retconned.

[@Pennsylvania343]

I love that scene with shadow and rouge when rouge tells shadow that his memories may not be real in the Japanese version shadow says "even if my memories aren't real it's all I have" that cuts deep and I wish they would have translated better in the English version because that simple line shows how much pain shadow was really in during the events of adventure 2 he never really got a chance to properly grieve for his friend and that reflected through out the game in the Japanese translation anyway

[@gianniliristis3997]

I enjoy shadow and knuckles equally, they both have great lore and are both very determined at completing the task at hand.

[@maskedman1195]

One thing that I have to say about the line in Sonic 06 where he says that even if humanity turns against him he will still fight for good, that literally happens in the canon ending in shadow the hedgehog which I think is a cool callback and shows that shadow will always fight for good

[@tylerhughes9090]

i totally agree that Shadow is the best Sonic character and thankfully hasn't changed like Tails, always found it werid that in SA2 Sonic was the only one who cried when they thought Shadow died !

[@brandonadam7167]

I'll always love SA2's portrayal of Shadow. He's portrayed as a lost soul that doesn't know what they're true purpose in life is. His SA2 voice really solidies this as it makes him sound more innocent and confused at the world. His personal arc in discovering what his true purpose in life is and doing everything he possibly could to fulfill such purpose is why I love him so much. I also love SA2's portrayal of what the "Ultimate Life Form" truly is. An entity who has immense power, and so uses it to fulfill people's wishes and bring happiness to them. It just adds more weight to Shadow's heroism. The way how Shadow's been written as this egotistical guy who couldn't give less of a shit about anyone is not only an insult to his origin story, but an insult to his title as the Ultimate Life Form.

[@teriosshadow17]

Shadow the Hedgehog has been my favourite Sonic character since his debut SA2. He was cool, collected, conniving and mysterious with tragedy to him. He only wants revenge from Maria's death but once he remembered her final wish, he strived to save the world instead, fulfilling her wish. After Sonic 06, Shadow's character took a huge nosedive in characterization. Ever since Free Riders, Shadow is egotistical, cold and asshole who wants to beat Sonic for no reason and i always found that super off-putting. Sure, Shadow isn't nicest character to be around but he was never asshole for the sake of it. He had reasons for it. His promise to Maria was main priority. And Shadow is actually pretty chill once you get to know him more and while he doesn't always show it, he does genuinely care for his allies. Shadow is no edgelord, but troubled soul.

[@thepjshow]

Couldn't have really said it better myself.

[@sonicsucks20]

Yet he's the edge lord and dark anti hero according to sega and ian flynn

[@rickyrackey7930]

@@sonicsucks20 Ian Flynn was pushed by Sega Mandates

[@oceanman6973]

Honestly, Shadow’s storyline in 06 would have worked wonders as his own title(of course with minor tweaks to thread things together since the other two storylines don’t exist) instead of what we got instead.

[@Valroirr]

This was really well broken down and gotta say I like shadow a while lot more now than used to, that said my favourite character would still be good ol gamma from adventure 1, with a close second being shadow at this point

[@jdboss1487]

11:00 I find it interesting that people used to critique this part calling Mephilis dumb as fuck for trying to convince shadow to join him, but let’s be honest, if this were the shadow from Shadow the Hedgehog, he would have probably joined mephilis and been convinced.

[@superhydra8873]

Maybe it's not what you're talking about, this IS the same exact shadow from STH, he was just written better

[@jdboss1487]

@@superhydra8873 I know they are the same shadow, I'm saying if he had the mindset he did in Shadow The Hedgehog, he would have taken Mephilis' offer, just like he did Black Doomm

[@DemonDethchase]

One thing that always puzzled me about Shadow, who were these kids who wanted to see Sonic with a goddamn gun!? I know I never did. And while I enjoy I Am... All of Me from Shadow The Hedgehog, I cannot watch the opening from the game with a straight face, with him locking and loading against the full moon XD Sega "The kids want Sonic with a gun... eh, we'll give that to Shadow." It really does come across as trying too hard, giving Shadow a gun and I've always wondered why they thought that was a good idea ever since the game came out. I was saying to a friend recently that it doesn't really make sense for him to desire to use them, when you consider that Maria was gunned down by the soldiers from GUN, outside of trying to sharpen his edge. And for trying too hard, don't get me started on that gunshot on the title screen when you press start in Shadow The Hedgehog.

[@dolomit7533]

, .,

[@thepjshow]

That is a very good point. If anything, Shadow should detest the use of guns, similar to Batman. I think it was just a marketing strategy kind of like the werehog. Sega saw that shooters were extremely popular at that time, saw that many fans requested the use of guns, and thought that this would be a way that they could appeal to the fans and the gaming market simultaneously (Though I am a weirdo who actually enjoys playing as the werehog). The funny thing is that the guns aren't even necessary in the gameplay. Shadow still has his homing attack and chaos powers that he builds up, so really they were only added to make shadow edgy.

[@DemonDethchase]

@@thepjshow not sure if you saw it yet but look up on youtube Sonic and Tails R episode 6, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, in more ways than one ;) though just check who show as well when you're at it.

[@thepjshow]

@@DemonDethchase I'll definitely give it a watch. Thanks for the heads up.

[@DemonDethchase]

@@thepjshow no problem, its always a pleasure to put folk onto that radio drama, as it EASILY stands head and shoulders above what we've been getting from the games this past decade under Pontaff.

[@rickyrackey7930]

Just seen Sonic Prime and I’m happy to say that Shadow is back.

[@crichie21]

yeah cause they used those three games pj talked about before he went to how show was misinterpreted

[@rickyrackey7930]

Plus Ian Hamlin sounds badass as hell despite also being the voice of Big the Cat of all characters.

[@alicesacco9329]

Prime Shadow may be way less gloomy (the gloomy one is Sonic there, despite the smily facade) but his being caring yet being afraid to opening up (Early Shadow's trait) is there. You see all the barrier he settled between him and Sonic and he truly opens up with the dropper (If knowing you has taught me anything, there's always another way) only when Sonic feels completely hopeless.

[@mr.irrelevant8826]

This channel is stupidly underrated deserves 100k subs

[@thepjshow]

Thanks for the support. It means a lot. If I ever got to 100k, my mind would be blown. But for now I'm good with doing my best to create content, even with the limitations at hand.

[@diegorabelomusic]

agreed

[@luckyluke2671]

The one thing I don't think you really accounted for is that in the shadow the hedgehog game, he had massive amnesia so he does not remember that entire development arc, without the memories of all that development and learning, its only natural that he would revert back to how he was before he learned those things. Shadow does not care for humanity, he was willing to do destroy it as he was to willing to save it, and that was all because of Maria, and not humanity. Without the memory of Maria, or anything else for that matter, his motivations become unpredictable and you see that play out in the game with the multiple endings. Without having the final revelation that maria actually wanted him to save humanity, he was going to destroy it, so if he forgets about that memory, it makes sense that he would then revert to wanting to destroy it again as seen in the dark path.

[@frostthewolf1443]

I was watching a video analyzing the story of Shadow's game in 2005, and it made me realize that it didn't mishandle Shadow's character by rewriting him. It evolved his character by continuing the arc he had in Heroes, and since he has amnesia, he doesn't know who he is. All the routes of the game are possibilities for who Shadow could become, but none of them are "canon." After he puts his past behind him, he decides he's gonna be who he wants to be, not what anyone wants him to be. His destiny is no longer determined by Gerald, Maria, Eggman, Sonic, or anyone else. Shadow's going to determine his own destiny, do what he thinks he should do, and he even says what would be said when someone knows they'll never see Shadow again. Maria and Sonic said sayonara, knowing(or thinking) they'd never see the hedgehog they once knew. Maria lost Shadow after her death, Sonic and Co. lost Shadow after they thought he died, and Shadow lost the old Shadow he refuses to be. He will be the only Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog.

[@giannizcairo200]

I love too see he's character back how he was in sonic heroes and 06

[@thepjshow]

As would I

[@nman551]

Shadow feels like Levi from aot in adventure and 06. He is introverted yet he cares so damn much about everyone.

[@sonicsucks20]

I wouldn't say he cares about everyone.

[@sour_gamer_1]

Shadow is a Broken Past Hero, who is motivated to keep the promise of a friend that wants him to live his life, and to let people live there lives (Which means that when its need to save others.). Because of this he is distanced and has a playful revival as also shown in sonic hero's against sonic. Or that's what I always saw him as in sonic 06/ hero's... Also sonic 06 (Sonic the hedgehog was my first sonic game...)

[@It_dee_ot]

I'm not the greatest at noticing characters deep stories and who they really and truly are but these videos really do help me see these characters. I still live in my child mind so it's kinda hard to understand deep characters but I can feel them. I've always found something off with the characters in the 2010s and up they didn't act like what they use to and these video essays really help me see that and understand the characters more than what I did before. I truly love these characters because, in a way, they were all I had back then. That end clip that you showed just made me love shadow even more and even understand him a little more.

[@Aeoncalcos91]

Nicely done. You've covered a lot about Shadow here very well. Also, thank you for bringing up the mandates. Those things are hurting the Sonic series more than helping it. As for Shadow: While his game is something of a guilty pleasure, the fact that it's been the only thing that people keep referencing about him is such a bother. (He's actually handled a little bit better in the Japanese script of the game. Just figured I'd point that out.) As for how he is these days, I feel like there's something else that should have been left behind in the mid 2000s regarding Shadow and that is his rivalry with Sonic. Ask yourself this: Does it make sense for Shadow and Sonic to still be butting heads with each other after everything that made them rivals has been resolved? No, no it doesn't. (Especially since Metal Sonic, the ORIGINAL rival to Sonic, exists.) If Sega are just that keen on giving Shadow some kind of rivalry, why not use Infinite for it? The masked jackal actually has a lot in common with Shadow and he could essentially act like a reflection of Shadow's negative traits from 2005 and the 2010's games. Plus, with Infinite losing his whole mercenary squad coupled with his inferiority complex and his powers over the Phantom Ruby after being experimented on by Eggman, he could easily be used as a rival that makes more sense for Shadow to have. This way, Shadow gains a rival that not only works for him and his abilities, but it also can help show people how much he's grown as a developed character.

[@thepjshow]

That is a good point. Sonic and Shadow being rivals now doesn't make too much sense (although it could work in the sense that they are the type of rivals who push each other to become stronger). Infinite could have been reworked to be a rival to Shadow, in a similar vein to mephiles.

[@Aeoncalcos91]

@@thepjshow The thing about Shadowi being a rival pushing Sonic to become stronger could work, but I also feel like other characters such as Knuckles or Jet could do that as well to some extent since most of they've often competed with each other as well. Regarding Infinite, the fact that we don't know what happened to him at the end of Forces certainly raises a lot of questions. We know he's not dead, but that's not a lot to go on. It's a shame too because with more development and better boss fights, he could still be a good rival for Shadow as well as a great addition to Eggman's team. (He makes more sense than Orbot and Cubot or the Deadly Six in my opinion.)

[@louisp_g3670]

Sonic and Shadow were rivals only in SA2. The ironic thing there is Sonic was the guy who got overexcited when Shadow was around. Remind his reaction when Amy mentions Shadow, or when he sees Shadow in the jungle. Shadow didn't even consider him back then.

[@sonicsucks20]

Sonic and Shadow are rivals that makes sense because Shadows a egotistical cocky God complex with fur and matches Sonics main love and joy, speed(with sonic being a similar competitive ego trip), plus morally their differences are to opposed and their egos can't stand each others methods being more right than the others. Hence forth a rivalry that goes on to this day.

[@ny__bandz5396]

I feel like if makes sense that he and sonic are still rivals because at the end of the day, Shadow does what he wants whether that puts him on the “heroes” side or not which makes him an antihero. Whereas Sonic will always be on the “heroes” side. So that can cause them to butt heads sometimes.

[@jdrmanmusiqking]

11:00 Bruh that scene gave me the fuckin chills! Especially the "I determin my OWN destiny!🎶 BA DA DUH DUH DUH 🎶" at the end

[@ApexPredator1000]

Completely onboard with everything you said; Shadow's my favourite too. I guess the only place I differ is that I don't hate the Shadow the Hedgehog game. Granted, it's incredibly flawed and I hate the use of guns & vehicles when Shadow doesn't need them; but unlike the 2010s Shadow, there's still a lot of good moments from, and the timeline for the game itself is so bizarre that I alway felt you could pick & choose what was actually canon since the Last Story (which I think highly of for the character still) is the only thing 100% canon. I like the general premise & plot idea, albeit there's certainly things I would rewrite to give more team dark developments, explore his amnesia more, and make everything a little more consistent. But there's salvagable stuff there unlike current games...

[@thepjshow]

I kinda agree. I do weirdly like the Shadow the hedgehog game, but there are those elements about his character that they didn't get right. It has cool ideas but it just needed to be fleshed out more, or in some cases re-written.

[@ApexPredator1000]

@@thepjshow 100% agree there. I would never like to see, at least what the general premise of it to be erased - I liked exploring his past, I liked the black arms, and I liked the idea of him questioning his loyalties to his purpose, his desires, and his promise; as well as the things you could do with the wider lore etc afterwards (e.g. the Shadow Fall Arc, and Eclipse in the late Archie Comics). I often wished that Sonic X, or a similar show, would've continued and adapted that game so we could get a more accurate & compelling telling of the story - taking what worked, and tweaking or removing what didn't whilst adding more agency & interactions to the rest of the cast. I just get a little twitchy when people critique the game but don't acknowledge the good - I just want to see that story done well. I certainly wouldn't use it as a base for his character - that was a moment of weakness in his past that he's grown from. I hope it doesn't forever stop the team from going back to explore the idea of giving Shadow his own game series again, because at least pre-2010s, he and team dark definitely deserve it

[@SilverH3dgehogGameing]

I would love to see a more fleshed out and explained Shadow the Hedgehog game. I agree they should have focused more on Team Dark in that game due to the events in Heroes and learning more about what's really going through his head would have been cool! Also I personally would like them to have explored the Black Arms a little more'? IT was touched on a little bit on how they work and how Shadow's connection to them was but they maybe could have had a bit more fun with it I suppose. But some of the lines that are stated are neat and cool

[@makkimix9535]

I literally screamed and gave the person next to me a hug in the movie theater when I saw shadow pop up at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie.

[@crichie21]

Hope they fix shadow how they fixed knuckles in sonic 2

[@WaterKirby1994]

Yeah if only Shadow got the characterization that Vegeta got during the 2010s, really it was closer to Hiei from Yuyu Hakusho that SoA mandates & Sonic Team were trying to force Shadow to be. Vegeta's character arc starts getting great at nearly the point of the Majin Buu Saga when his desire to settle his rivalry with Goku has him work for Babidi only to then sacrifice himself in a failed attempt to kill Majin Buu after realizing his mistakes & he dies understanding what he really cares about. Then after returning to life he starts to become a good father & husband as well as an actual hero trying to atone for the crimes of his past. Shadow's forced portrayal in the Virus Arc was literally Hiei rather than Vegeta. Also you're wrong about Shadow's game ruining his character, the problem though is people only see 1st Cutscene & edgier paths of the game. They seem to think the what if stuff where Shadow is being manipulated by several other characters into reactivating various aspects of his personality & reshaping them further are canon. If they look to the actual canon last story ignoring everything else it's a good portrayal of who he is.

[@tigerlowe5002]

Thank you for saying it ! I honestly disagree when people say Shadow's game ruined his character. Sure the game goes over the top with how dark & edgy it is. But I dont hate Shadow there & never thought he's "just an edgy, angry jerk". Did we need the additional story with the aliens ? No. Did we need all the weapons & multiple paths ? Naw. Did his character change there ? Yes. But I blame the game, not the character. Literally every person in every video I see says the same. And I wonder: Did you all forget Shadow has amnesia & doesnt remember a thing ? Who he is ? That he saved Earth before ? Nor even Maria (I noticed only now he never mentions Maria in Heroes) That's also the same guy who hated humans & tried to destroy the entire planet in the beginning when we first saw him ! And he also called others "pathetic" etc in SA2. The only difference is his voice and that there's no unecessary over the top edge in SA2. And in STH it's the same old story, only told differently. Shadow lost his memory. He only remembers his name, Maria's death - but not who she is - and hate for humans. And some other things in Heroes. That line is basically what he said in SA2. But I never took it as "I dont care what happened in the past, what the truth is & move on." But more as "No matter what the truth is. I am Shadow. And I wont let others tell me who or what to be." As said he remembers things in Heroes. What if he remembers more ? He can go his own way, be his own person & still want to find out about his past. Tbh I would not want him to completely abandon & forget it - like Maria's promise. But accept that it's part of him, learn from it & move on. In Battle he also wonders & thinks alot about who he is (and I still dont know when exactly that game takes place) I also think if the story was more like in Sonic X, people would like it alot more & the way he returned. There Shadow also believes & works for Eggman, who only uses him. Same in STH. He is desperate for answers & believes basically everyone, despite saying "noone tells me what to do." Maybe thats another reason why he sticks to Rouge & Omega in Heroes, because he needs help (and also grows to like them) He doesnt know what the truth is, who he can trust & believe (despite what happened in Heroes...) & has no choice but to rely on others (even if he doesnt want to) To me, all the ways Shadow acts in STH make sence. He still has reasons why he acts the way he does. Not like nowadays. NOW he's just "a Vegeta 2.0" It's like you say. People seem to look only at this game - or well, only at the cover & first cutscene & go "ow the edge. Guns, darkness, swearing, aliens, Shadow is a jerk & edgelord." I want to see ONE single video where somebody actually DOES talk about this game other than "nah this is bad & ruined Shadow. Next !" People always only talk about how he's just an angry, angsty jerk there - without any context, WHY he acts this way. There IS always a reason ! And I see nobody (except here) mention the hero paths & good things he does. Shadow's actions depend on who he is with. Black Doom & Eggman manipulate & use him (like the moment Black Doom shows Shadow what happened 50 years ago. "Never forget that gruesome image.") When he's with Maria - and that black star thing, he also says "those heartless humans". He HAS reasons for his actions. In the end, Shadow DOES save the planet. AGAIN ! But I see nobody talk about that ! (And the moment he left his past behind always resonated with me & had a much bigger impact on the than SA2s ending for personal reasons) He tells Maria "I will be there." In some hero paths, he promises to avenge the people who died on the Ark & to protect it & Earth. When the GUN commander confronts Shadow & blames him, Shadow is willing to accept his fate. In one ending he also says he should have never been created ! And do I need to mention the song "Chosen One" ? And he also says sometimes smth like "I dont want to fight. But I need answers." I want somebody to talk about THESE things too ! Shadow can be BOTH a hero and villain ! Depending on who he is with & what he knows. When I think of Shadow, I used to see him like in Sth, Sonic X or 06 & SabK - the Jason Griffith Shadow. Maybe it's because I also have a dark past & see myself in (this version of) Shadow. But I NEVER saw Shadow as edgy, angry, angsty jerk. Just a mysterious, serious, lone wolf who might seem dark & scary at first & not always be nice & happy but has his reasons, who's led astray, hurt, confused & doesnt know who he is (suposed to be) k wants answers & go his own way & does care about others, even if he doesnt show it or can get enough of people at times. So...pretty much like me *shrug* Sorry if this was long. But yep, I am just glad that somebody finally says it. STH Shadow aint that bad as everybody says. Even when I look at STH Shadow & modern Shadow nowadays, I still see 2 different versions of him

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@tigerlowe5002 Shadow was always complex rather than the simple angry edgy hedgy. We would be lucky if we could get Shadow to be Vegeta 2.0 these days. If you watch & read his depictions in Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta has incredible characterization. The Hero paths & Neutral Paths are just as valid in Shadow's game as the Dark paths. Final Haunt's Dark Mission Boss is probably the closest to being the canon path ending. The 2010s were terrible for the Sonic Series with everyone who appeared except for Silver, Blaze, & Cream being reduced to parodies of themselves. Sonic Forces was probably Shadow's best depiction the past dozen years ironically. Sega Mandates are forcing the characters to generally be parodies of themselves. Sonic's been done worse than Shadow, while Tails has been reduced to useless tech support. We can only hope we see a return to form soon for the series rather than a continuation of the 2010s crap. I personally think Sonic Chronicles was the last canon game for the Sonic Series. Shadow is excellently portrayed in that game, as are Tails, Amy, & Knuckles. Sonic is done better than he has been the entire 2010s in Chronicles. To fans of how things were in the 2000s Chronicles was the last game to the stories those games were all leading toward.

[@schakiarligonde1736]

The 2000s story games weren’t very good sonic fans hating the 2010s while pretending the dark age games are good are idiots this is why sonic fans are idiots you think games like sonic 06 are good

[@schakiarligonde1736]

The adventure games didn’t have very good stories

[@schakiarligonde1736]

Who says shadow isn’t an edge lord he literally says I’m the coolest in sa2

[@toastyboi8737]

For the sonic movie 3, we can only hope that they don't take inspiration from that infamous spinoff, and they do shadow some justice, like what they did with knuckles. Edit: Well, the movie hasn't come out yet, but we did get sonic prime, and he was handled beautifully, underutilized (for now), but handled beautifully.

[@crichie21]

yeah no copycat vegeta shadow. his adventure-black knight persona is great. modern and boom shadow is horrible

[@TheRockruffWhoCries]

Shadow: Can you please listen? I am not an edgelord! Sega and some of the fans: He is the edgelord!

[@tmntlorefan7518]

14:31 I know it's a little off topic, but this scene shows why Team Dark are some of my favorite characters ever.

[@SheerSonic]

For Episode Shadow in Sonic Forces, I've always thought how amazing the potential could be. There's one level in the short campaign in which Infinite plunges Shadow into a twisted, alternate reality with hallucinations. Given that Infinite's entire gimmick is getting inside people's heads and messing with them, wouldn't it have been amazing if Infinite sent Shadow back to the ARK? He could've had Shadow re-live Maria's death, prompting Shadow to try to save her again and again, failing each time, with the hallucinations getting more brutal and horrific. Infinite could've had Maria tell Shadow how he'd failed her, how he'd let her die, how she's gone all because of him and that she'd never forgive him. This would clearly affect Shadow a lot mentally. Later, Shadow could break out of this fake reality because he's put these past events behind him. He's forgiven himself and knows he's not responsible for Maria's death. He kept his promise to her and has come to terms with the importance of moving forward rather than letting your mind get eaten away at by your past. This would keep Shadow's character in line with his origins, giving old fans more Adventure era-related content (without just pandering by putting Chaos in marketing with no reason or even boss fight to back it up), and it would certainly make Infinite seem like way more of a threat to be taken seriously, giving the player motivation to put a stop to his psychological warfare. Imagine how he could have mentally toyed with the other characters? So much missed potential. Spider-Man: Far From Home comes to mind with how Mysterio's mind games worked, but Infinite could have tapped into the character's memories and really screwed with their sanity and sense of reality. But instead, Infinite conjures up repeated images of the same four villains and decides that the best way to mess with Shadow would be to send him to Green Hill Zone with some red cubes floating around. The hardest part of accepting the modern Sonic stories isn't even because they're necessarily even bad as a standalone, but it's because we've already seen the potential of what Sonic plots CAN be, and the fact that they're quite frankly not even trying anymore is the hardest pill to swallow. I don't need convoluted plots in a Sonic game - the Genesis games are some of my favorites, and those barely have story to speak of. But if you're going to market a Sonic game with "a dark new evil emerges, discover his mysterious origins in this grand new adventure" then you have to back up those claims with some substance. I'd honestly rather have a disaster of plot holes and messy continuity like Sonic '06, clearly being able to see that they had high hopes for something big and tried their best, rather than what we're getting, which is them not trying at all and lying with marketing to make us think otherwise. That is my Sonic-related rant for the day, thank you for reading lol.

[@thepjshow]

The idea that you postulated with Infinite messing with Shadow's mind with the Ark and Maria was brilliant. It allows for Shadow's character to be challenged, whilst simultaneously allowing for character consistency. I like the idea of infinite using these alternate dimensions and realities as a form of Psychological warfare, as well as physical.

[@SheerSonic]

@@thepjshow Wow, I wasn't expecting a reply on a months-old video! I appreciate you reading my thoughts very much, and I'm glad you liked my idea! :) It's so painful to witness not just poor writing in these newer games, but so many missed opportunities that seem so obvious if you just take more than a wikipedia search to understand your source material. Here's hoping they can get some writers who actually try, assuming that the current ones truly are leaving. All hope is lost if these writers pull a Roger Craig Smith, where they announce they're leaving only to say soon after that they changed their minds and are actually sticking around, hahaha.

[@rickyrackey7930]

@@SheerSonic Remember this is BEFORE Infinite got his powers

[@aTristicionAXA]

Bro it's a kids game 💀

[@edorasmarauder5761]

@@aTristicionAXASo?

[@TheBohobemeister]

Wonderful video! I do have something to add, though. While I agree with some of what you said about the "Shadow the Hedgehog" video game, as someone who has spent so much time playing it in order to get all 326 non-Canon endings (this is what happens when you're a major completionist and do things you don't need to do...) (I also replayed the true ending and Expert Mode a lot which has different dialogue), I believe that the game does some more things right than you give it credit for. At the end of the true ending, Shadow decides to move on from his past to no longer focus on Maria and Gerald Robotnik (hence him looking out at space and then at a picture of them while on the Space Colony ARK and saying "Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog) (and then "Never Turn Back" by Crush 40 plays during the credits). And despite moving on, that doesn't mean he hasn't forgotten the promise he made to Maria, as you showed in Sonic 06. Another thing is that in Expert Mode, some new dialogue from the G.U.N. Commander shows that he has forgiven Shadow and even invites him over to meet his new grandchild (which he's now become a grandfather) (I will say though whether or not Expert Mode is Canon is questionable).

[@angelcornejo1697]

21:29 "I kinda went to wikipedia and I watched some cutscenes". I find this insulting, why did they hire him? SEGA being SEGA

[@opmav-kz4tj]

Honestly not a Sonic Fan because I Havent played any of the games, but seeing this video, Its really sad seeing such complex characters turn into this I have binged three of you videos from eggman, Knuckles and this video and I am devastated on what happened to their development in the games

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

Many people make fun of Shadow calling him edgy and emo in most unflattering ways but the cold, hard fact is that there's a reason why Shadow is so beloved. It would be a inexcusable disservice to reduce such a great character to adjectives like "edgy and emo" when Shadow the Hedgehog is so much more than that and represents how great a Sonic story can be when the writers put in the effort into it. It's a story that captured the hearts of millions kids and was their first real exposure to a proper video game character arc. That arc, that incredibly well told arc and redemption is why millions love Shadow and why he continues to be loved 20 years after his introduction. Truthfully, I can't think of any other video game character who's story is as well known as Shadow. That should be the greatest evidence of his quality as a character.

[@dmlx4209]

Hopefully his character is done right in the movie ❤️🖤

[@aixmcduck9321]

I am so terribly happy that someone else finds ShTH to be a reprehensible abomination that has caused an ocean of sorrow. It is a relief to know there are others who miss the real Shadow.

[@liamphibia]

For how badly misrepresented Shadow the Hedgehog was in his solo game and modern interpretations, We can only put our hope & faith in Jeff Fowler & his team to handle the Ultimate Lifeform with pure respect.

[@raspyfusion]

They had such a brilliant character of Shadow being a tragic hero fated to be destroyed by those he protected one day and turned him into a flanderized edge lord.

[@missmanxee]

I first got introduced to Shadow in the Sonic Heroes game on the classic Xbox console and he has been my absolute favorite anti hero-villain ever since with my favorite voice actor the brilliant Jason Griffiths who gave us a great performance in voicing the character thanks for sharing this great video 👍❤️

[@reshawshid]

I think pretty much all of the story problems in Shadow the Hedgehog could have been eliminated if, in the credits of Sonic Adventure 2, they hadn't just left Dr. Eggman's fleeting thoughts as an anecdote. He could have been made a less flat character by seeing the folly in his ways after what his grandfather did, and ended up working with GUNN to create robots to help defend humanity from any further threat. This naturally works with Heroes, as Eggman's sudden return to evil could be a mystery to all the teams, and help foreshadow what happens in the final story. How does this idea affect Shadow's game, though? Instead of the stupid idea of Shadow deciding to help the black aliens, Eggman could act as the "dark" pathway sidekick, encouraging Shadow to take morally questionable actions, such as plowing right through GUNN and their defenses, to ultimately achieve the same goal as the hero mission. A homing chain shortcut here, breaking through a GUNN checkpoint there, breaking robots for their weapons to make killing aliens easier, etc... In the end it would still see Shadow fulfilling his promise to Maria, eliminating the need for his amnesia (and by extension the the whole "Why didn't Rouge fill him in?" plothole), and keeping him edgy and distinguished from Sonic. It's basically killing three birds with one stone, a more interesting Eggman, a better story for Heroes, and Shadow's game actually has a good, consistent story while still giving the player agency.

[@BlackPrince24]

The problem with your rant about the beginning of Shadow the Hedgehog is that like Heroes and Shadow The Hedgehog states, "He has amnesia" Sure, it regresses his character but also creates a new origin in a way, much like Wolverine. Although, I believe this decision was made to give Shadow a reason to be good, evil or neutral without having his development in SA2 get in the way.

[@MechaKnuckles]

17:48 He went against the promise because amnesia caused him to forget it.

[@AnglesSol]

To be honest Shadow shares similarities with Vegeta in SA2. A character which wants to destroy humanity, goes through an arc in which he respects his rival which he saw as inferior and ends up sacrificing for the sake of humanity. That's just the layout, and you could say that is one of the popular ways of writing the rival character. However, Shadows undergoes that arc for different reasons and goes through other different ones.

[@genericweeb7300]

I'm all up for alternative interpretations of my favourite character. As long as it's done right, in the right context. This is why I'm probably one of the few people who liked him in the Boom cartoons. It's entertaining to see how excessively malicious and threatening he is, in contrast to the show's other recurring villains who are basically just petty crooks. He's meant to be a different Shadow in a different setting, and I'm OK with that. But that is also why its a problem when we're supposed to assume that the same Shadow who joined tournaments for money, challenges Sonic to a duel when they should be teaming up against a time-god, and insult his enemies after beating them mercilessly... ...is the same Shadow that sacrificed himself to save Earth, learned to move past his trauma, rejected his invader heritage, respect others and accept new people into his life, and proudly claimed that he'll keep fighting even if the whole world will one day turn against him.

[@SegaDisneyUniverse]

Somehow, I can imagine Shadow saying this legendary quote: "I am bad. And that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me."😆

[@dio8451]

Vegeta has a lot of development. Shadow's the same, but now he's stuck as a Vegeta who never grew past the namek saga

[@mee091000]

I wouldn't go that far. Shadow is a good guy now for sure.

[@shiestydon]

more like the android saga

[@quesadeeowl7845]

Shadow falls into one of my favorite side character styles. The one mysterious one that had their own ways that might result in a conflict with the main character, but not actually become a villain. Almost like Protoman from the Mega-Man series, the mystery part makes it feel more interesting too

[@zeograndmaster6507]

This video is tipping me over the edge (hahaha) and inspiring me to make an "In defense of Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) video. Because I find all of that completely in character and organic for someone in his situation. Also due to how the game was advertised. I'd love to talk to someone about it, even if this opinion gets me a lot of flak.

[@zeograndmaster6507]

My chief reasoning being. . . No, Shadow did not regress in '05. In my opinion. Because he HAD NOT gotten over his past in the previous games. In Sonic Heroes he came to terms with possibly being an android. Which is all well and good for that moment. But 2005 opens with Shadow actually being tested. Sure, back in Heroes he was ok with possibly being an Android, much like how in Adventure 2 he was ok with the possibility of his memories being false. . . Even though in the end he will immediately act upon the TRUTH if he can remember it. You seem to have glossed over that the FIRST cutscene of 2005 shows Shadow's mental state. He has no memories of his past, and is now being haunted by, in his own words, "that GRUESOME image" of Maria's death. A girl that he hears himself exclaiming the name of, and yet it is a person he cannot remember. He says in that opening cutscene that this is NOT the first time he's had this flashback, and yet it is devoid of any context. You can even see on his face that he is greatly disturbed every time this memory boils into his waking moments. As I myself can attest, those sorts of images are indeed a maddening experience. Even if (somehow) Shadow was 100% ok with not knowing who he is, that recurring memory would naturally stir an unhealthy curiosity in him. At the very least: Who is this girl and why do I keep seeing her horrible demise? And it's pretty true to Adventure 2. . . Shadow acts upon what he knows to be true, and what feels right. 2005 Shadow is Shadow at the lowest point of his life. He doesn't KNOW what's true. He doesn't know how he's supposed to feel. He doesn't KNOW who to turn to. And he's suffering through waking nightmares in gruesome detail. It is entirely unrealistic for Shadow to act as Naive as he was in Heroes or as Reserved as he is in 2006 by the time of 2005, when actually faced with such a dilemma. Such would also explain his foul language in that game. He's horribly frustrated and confused.

[@zeograndmaster6507]

Next reason for '05 being justified is that you SEVERELY undersold the revelation of Shadow's origin. Black Doom. It's not just some obscure footnote for Shadow's character, as the Last Story of 05 drops a MAJOR development on our heads: Black Doom can telepathically control Shadow due to his blood running through Shadow's veins. This is major, and it is also seen IN THE FIRST CUTSCENE of the game. That scene where Shadow calls the humans pathetic and doesn't feel as though he has to help them? That's IMMEDIATELY followed by Black Doom saying his name in his head. Black Doom's pressence is what led Shadow astray. Fittingly, until Shadow learns the truth thanks to the Chaotix and breaks free from Black Doom's telepathic control. Confirmation that such mind games only worked on Shadow because of his lack of memory and resolve. The moment Shadow realized who Maria was, why his creation was in service to humanity, and that Maria wished to protect the planet, Shadow IMMEDIATELY proceeded to bulldoze everything Black Doom tried to throw at him. Much like he did in Adventure 2. Unlike Sonic Heroes, 2005 is the actual return of Shadow's true personality.

[@zeograndmaster6507]

And though you didn't mention it in your video.... I REALLY love Sonic Battle and Shadow's story in it as well. And it goes (pardon the phrase) balls deep into Shadow's origin. Most of that game goes into Gerald Robotnik's lore. And I'm 90% certain that though it was released BEFORE 2005, the games events likely happen AFTER 2005. For the simple fact that Shadow knows who Maria is by the end of Battle but doesn't know who she is by the start of 2005. Shadows chaos powers are also WAY more advanced in Battle than they are in Heroes, employing powers very similar to Chaos Blast. Which makes a lot of sense if the timeline goes: Adventure 2, Heroes, 2005, Battle, 2006 And Battle ends with Shadow fully making peace with his pass, learning that he does indeed have a soul and that Maria will akways be with him. Giving him more proper, intimate closure. And it makes sense as to why he's so reserved, confident, and powerful in 2006. And why (I think) Maria isn't mentioned in 2006.

[@davidbeer5015]

I never thought about Black Doom's influence in the opening, but a neat detail. And makes that even better. My impression was just a lack of connection due to not fully remembering his connection to Maria and his promise, but that is cool. I agree with this and how Shadow's game feels constantly undersold or distorted (even must made my own comment on this) just because of focus on the story paths...which is reasonable, but since we know they are non-canon, might be more reasonable to focus on the canon portions, notably the Last Story and also him going Super once more.

[@zeograndmaster6507]

@@davidbeer5015 Word, that was actually going to be my next point: The game hyped up and advertised for letting the player choose who Shadow is. Was he a hero? Was he a villain? You got to choose. But more than that, the game really let you go into: Is he the real Shadow? Is he a clone? Is he an Android? Will he save the world? Conquer it? Destroy it? And even gameplay wise: Does Shadow even use guns? There are ZERO in game cutscenes where Shadow uses a gun. Not a single one. Shadow is ABLE to use guns, but it's your choice as the player as to whether or not he does so. As a kid me, my brothers, and my friends used to do self imposed challenges like Hero runs, where we don't kill heroic enemies, and refuse to use guns with the exception of the Health Canon so we can heal the heroic "enemies" (and of course the armored black hawks). This is expanded upon in the multiplayer, where you and player 2 can choose between 6 different Shadow Androids that all believe themselves to be the "real" Shadow. The only parts of the game that detail 100% canon events are the opening cutscene and the Last Story. And I was completely fine with that, because on the advertisements for the game was "Hero? Or villain? YOU decide." Getting the TRUE origin of Shadow was just the icing on the cake. But... Unfortunately, most people don't see the game that way, and much like this video points out at face value Shadow looks edgy and way out of character. I get WHY it's seen that eay, but it's kinda sad that 2005 doesn't even get another look like 2006 does these days.

[@KaoticReach1999]

This channel really has given me respect for a franchise I've never had any interest or played (outside Heroes as a kid which I remember liking)

[@manuelinacio4038]

Welcome to the Sonic community. There is a lot of lore and great characters

[@freyaljones7368]

I remember shadow from sa2 and i did cry at his death and its very unfortunate on how the game shadow abs the writers managed to ruin his character i would likd to seee sonjc go back to its shonen routs so everyone can enjoy them as much i i did as a kid

[@thepjshow]

I would love the series to go back to a shonen style of storytelling, as that is where I believe the best sonic stories have been told. Even the comics have that shonen edge and continuity to them that makes them enjoyable to read. Especially the recent metal virus arc in the IDW comics.

[@XTHHedgehog]

I like the interpretation that Pariah has with Shadow in his self titled game, where the final story is the real events, the branching paths are possibilities, and the Shadow in that game isn't the same one personality wise as the one in SA2, and neither is Heroes. He said something along the lines of that the ending of SA2 and Shadow the Hedgehog support this point, since Shadow died protecting Maria's wish and honoring the past in SA2, while he throws away a picture of Maria and Gerald in Shadow. The line "Goodbye forever, Shadow the Hedgehog" seems to refer more literally to the old memories of Shadow if we're going with this line of thinking. Maybe it was Iizuka's intention, maybe not. I do like this explanation a lot though, and would help explain why Shadow works with GUN in 06.😊

[@zjzr08]

To be clear it was said that Shadow in Heroes and StH was the same from SA2 right (from the infamous line from Eggman when you waited for his dialogue at the final boss)?

[@terezqi3073]

I think in Sonic Prime, they really brought back the better representation of Shadow. He’s just an introverted softie who would do anything to save what he knows and cares for, even if he doesn’t outwardly show his affection towards those around him.

[@Wildcatt1999]

When Shadow does appear in Sonic 3, I am PRAYING that they write him like how he was in Adventures 2, Heroes, and 06.

[@crichie21]

Yeah i hope they do since the third movie is mostly based off sonic adventure 2, possibly sonic 06 so yeah i hope they fix him like they did fix knuckles and tails

[@nocturnalchild9075]

Great video, and as another small KZbinr here, it's great to see other ones put out great content.

[@martijnklaassen3536]

They NAILED it with Shadow in Sonic Prime

[@sammcblam2255]

Nicely done video! I’ve never really been into Sonic but after watching this and a few of your other videos even I’m mad about how the characters are being treated.

[@IkinBBfromAnthologyOfTheKiller]

Glad to see we have another sanic fan in the gang and also another meta era(sonic from 2010 and afterwarss) hater :D

[@calidee847]

Aw, man. You got me with the ending cutscene from SA2. Shadow has been my favorite since I discovered his existence. 100% agree with the SA2, Sonic Heroes and 06 parts. For all of the flaws of 06 the characterization was not one of them and Shadow was peak Shadow. Perfection. Mephiles was a FANTASTIC foil for Shadow as he not only mirrors Shadows appearance but also a callback to the darkness Shadow once found himself in. I will defend his own game, just a little. (Quick question though; was there anyone that actually wanted guns in a Sonic game???? I never heard that from anyone ever?) So. The opening cutscene (not the trailer one, the first in-game one) and the final story are the only canon parts of the game. The opening cutscene only makes POTENTIAL sense if you know the ending. Shadow has lost all of his memory except for Maria's death so doesn't immediately step in to protect anything. Due to finding out in the end that the Black Arms DNA allows Black Doom to influence and take control of him, it is possible that the arrogance and contempt towards humanity was Black Doom's influence over Shadow at the time, considering the Black Arms troops were close nearby and Black Doom appears in front of him right after. The ending did at least give Shadow a solid because once he fully knew the whole truth again he immediately knew exactly what to do; honor Maria's wish. Unfortunately, it's unconfirmed, so it's only potential, but it is there nonetheless. I do like the extra lore we got for Shadow. It was pretty cool. And I personally found the vehicles kinda fun. HOWEVER. That's it. I do think it WASN'T NECESSARY. It was a similar arc that Shadow already worked through. The extra lore is nice and I applaud the attempt at the different paths but it was so confusing and convoluted. Very weird writing choices for any non-hero path (plus some questionable choices in the hero paths!) The fluctuations of what your choices resulted in was jarring at times and considering Shadow REMEMBERED MARIA GETTING SHOT(!) the fact that he uses guns can be questionable depending on what path you are doing. Also, Rogue could have just TOLD Shadow his past at any time she was there! I will give the rest of the cast a pass for not realizing Shadow didn't remember them at the time but Rogue did! Having to slog through all the paths just to get extra lore that we could do alright without kinda defeats the purpose of the game, in my opinion. I will say that there is some good in the game, but it is hard to tell because it's hidden underneath the dark tone that tried too hard to be "dark" and not actually told too much more than what we already know. Unfortunately this game led to the stereotype of "Ow the Edge" and then later the writers looked at the surface of the game and went "Oh, so he's like THAT." Look, I have no idea about anything Dragonball, so I can't make a comparison. But the writing for Shadow post the soft reboot in 2010 is absolute garbage. He has ZERO REDEEMING QUALITIES. None. Whatsoever. Why is Shadow so awful? So arrogant? Why is his favorite word "pathetic"?! Why are they still writing him looking down on everyone and everything? Underneath that black fur is the heart of a hero! WHERE DID HE GO? If Shadow was 'overshadowing' 😆😏 Sonic, that is a SONIC problem. You don't drag other characters down just to make one look good! Boom Shadow I despise and simultaneously also don't really care about since Boom is it's own thing. They just put him just because he's popular. Having said all this, I have a small crumb of comfort. At least Shadow is not the only one who is written like garbage now. Everyone else is too, I guess. 😥😟

[@HelluvaOpp]

He used to be a an badass with softness around the edginess, until he was dumbed down into an edge lord wannabe.

[@sonicsucks20]

Shadow was always an edgelord, a fun one.

[@henjin4671]

Shadow is edgey but not an edge lord

[@HelluvaOpp]

@@henjin4671 yes

[@LannyLeArtist]

@@henjin4671 yes

[@D__D-cg3zb]

Wow. You opened my eyes on him as a character, rather than dark cover art.

[@ShyShaymini]

Shadow was always and will always be a mirror to myself (i dont mean his own game xD) I hope someday we get Adventure 1&2 as remakes, those are my FAV Sonic game by a mile!! (Havnt played frontiers yet)

[@hihi-nm3uy]

shadow was designed to look scary, and turn out to really just be someone who's really confused; a red herring by any other name people calling him edgy are actually doing the exact same thing that GUN did in sa2, and humanity did in 06; judging him by superficial aesthetical qualities, and i think that goes to show the brilliance in his physical design

[@rickyrackey7930]

He’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing?

[@hihi-nm3uy]

@@rickyrackey7930 precisely; an introverted and cool personality, thats wrapped behind a powerful, scary looking shell

[@Sly88Frye]

I was 14 when I finished playing Sonic adventure 2 when it first came out on the gamecube, I didn't play the Dreamcast version and it honestly was actually pretty mesmerized in the see how admirably Sonic talked about Shadow at the end. You can clearly tell that Sonic actually felt legitimate loss there and wished things would have been better for shadow. Also to go on about what I said about how much waste and potential there was in Sonic forces, and this is coming from somebody who actually enjoyed Sonic forces but admits that there's a lot of waste of potential in that game, the boss fight against the fake metal Sonic should involve you playing as Classic Sonic cuz that just makes sense, the boss fight against the fake chaos should come next and I believe it should involve the custom hero fighting him as that character is not familiar with him at all and as you fight him the other characters who are trying to help you along the way like knuckles and vector and so on who really need to stop calling the custom hero "rookie" would notice that something is really strange as when your custom hero character is fighting chaos zero it starts to become stronger forms of chaos without any chaos emeralds and the characters that are on the sidelines letting you know what's going on would show this shocked look of confusion that chaos is becoming more powerful without Chaos emeralds which I think would be a good clue that it's not the real chaos although of course they can't tell you right then and there. Then finally when you have modern Sonic fight against the fake shadow of course you kick his ass but then the fake Shadow will do something that may be out of character or maybe even use Chaos control when there's no chaos emerald present or some weird thing and then the real Shadow will come in there and you'll play as the real shadow against the fake shadow. I think that would have been an epic boss fight to start off as modern Sonic and for him to get blindsided by this fake Shadow and then to finish off the fake Shadow as the real shadow. That would have been awesome

[@JustAnotherMike_]

The reason Shadow's arc in 05 isn't a regression or retread of Heroes is in the context of what "Letting go of the past and moving forward means" In Heroes it's an amnesiac coming to terms with the fact he may never have all the answers he wants and deciding to move on and live in the present rather than chase that past In Shadow the Hedgehog, he's regained all his memories. It's about the fact he's fulfilled all his obligations. He's fulfilled his promise to Maria, Gerald's last wish and even the promise to Black Doom. He's been so obsessed with serving the purpose he was made for, a purpose given to him by others. But now that he's fulfilled all those obligations, he's free to decide his own purpose (or determine his own destiny if you will). He chooses for himself to continue to protect the world, defend the innocent and punish those who misuse power. Not because anybody asked him to, but to honor Maria's memory and do what's right So while I have issues with StH's story, namely how it's told, many of the "what if" scenarios fail due to lack of plausibility, and the edgy as all hell ENG translation; I do think the Last Story is executed rather well and ties a much neater bow on Shadow's arc than Heroes 06 will always be my favorite Shadow appearance, but it's only as good as it is because 05 finished his arc and we can see how self-assured, confident and just damn cool he's become

[@scarletfinite8041]

I mostly agree. While I don't think any of the different paths in the Shadow game were executed well, the concept of what the final story was trying to convey actually makes sense for Shadow's character at that point of his story. His character in 06 is heavily based on that.

[@isaiahvilla6691]

Shadow is my favorite character love In the franchise but I just feel like he deserves better If he's gonna appear in future Soinc Flims since the first one was a success I hope the Writers could make him awesome Again

[@thepjshow]

I reckon that the movie writers can write him pretty well. I just hope that they don't overhaul his original character or give in to the edgy stereotype.

[@markharbath31X9]

@@thepjshow well either 2 things can happen either 1 they will make him badass and awesome like sa2 hero’s and o6 and actually give shadow some justice after so damn long or 2 f*ck everything up and let the mandate which I think is only allowed to the comics because lego dimension ignored the mandate entirely (good) because they might have someone there who loves him, but if the movie only looks at his spin off than we will get something bad. I hope to god it’s the first

[@dianathespace637]

It's weird how a lot of people don't know or look away from Shadow's mission in Sonic Colors (DS). He challenges Sonic to see if he and Tails are not putting themselves in danger because he's worried they'll get hurt. It's one of the few "old" Shadow moments we get after 2006 apart from his pep talk at the last boss fight in Generations.

[@gameman5804]

Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) was the game that turned Shadow into a memey Edgelord.

[@thepjshow]

Yeah. There were people who stereotyped him as that just by his name and design before the game, but this game is where Sonic team pretty much acted upon that stereotype, and reinforced it.

[@gachalifeakiegaming3315]

@@thepjshow2005 is before 2006 and it's post 2010's?

[@Supersak67]

@@gachalifeakiegaming3315 sega is so scared to make another game like 06 theyforget all the good thing that were in that game

[@rankrodent2772]

Still a fun game imo

[@Underworlder5]

@@Supersak67 a shame. sonic 06 was a great game in concept, but was too ambitious and rushed to work. at least the music ended up as intended

[@GoGalactic]

As much as people like to compare shadow and vegeta I honestly see more parallels with him and zero. I was inspired by your video to make one of my own that quickly compares their many parallels together!

[@thepjshow]

Honestly, I haven't gotten into the Megaman franchise yet. I did pick up the Legacy collections, so I will get to those at some point (Probably after Witcher 3 or MGS2). I may even do a play through or stream it if people wanna see that. By the way, I checked out your video. Nice job! I didn't know that there was that many parallels between the two.

[@GoGalactic]

@@thepjshow Thanks! and cool, I've subscribed after watching your other character analysis videos so if I catch a whiff of a stream going on you know I'll definitely be there!

[@rickyrackey7930]

@@thepjshow Shadow is more like Piccolo than Vegeta