This article is about the video game character. For the eponymous game, see Shadow the Hedgehog (game). For other uses, see Shadow the Hedgehog (disambiguation).

Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Shadō za Hejjihoggu^?) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Characterized by his sharp wit and strong sense of purpose, Shadow is a recurrent arch-rival of Sonic the Hedgehog, whom he resembles and shares many abilities. His trademark power is Chaos Control, which allows him to warp spacetime with a Chaos Emerald.^[7][8][9]

Created over fifty years ago by Professor Gerald Robotnik as part of Project Shadow onboard the Space Colony ARK, Shadow was conceived to achieve immortality and was infused with the DNA of the alien Black Arms. As the "Ultimate Life Form", he possesses several innate talents, including agelessness and formidable combat skills. After his birth, he formed a deep bond with Maria, Gerald's granddaughter. However, the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) deemed Shadow a threat and raided the ARK, resulting in the capture of Shadow and Gerald, and Maria's death. Driven to madness, Gerald brainwashed Shadow to seek world destruction.

Shadow remained in stasis for decades until he was freed by Doctor Eggman, Gerald's grandson, to assist in his plans for world conquest. Although initially motivated by vengeance, Shadow's true memories were eventually restored by Sonic and his friends. He helped save the world from Gerald's doomsday plans, but lost his memories as a result. When the Black Arms invaded Earth shortly after, Shadow uncovered the truth of his past and thwarted the aliens' agenda. He has since committed himself to protecting the planet on his own terms, often joining forces with Sonic and his friends while facing his own adversaries.

Quick Answers

What is Shadow the Hedgehog's height and weight?

Shadow the Hedgehog is 100 cm (3' 3") tall and weighs 35 kg (77 lb.)

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What is Shadow the Hedgehog's quill color?

Shadow the Hedgehog has white, black, and crimson quills.

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What color are Shadow the Hedgehog's eyes?

Shadow the Hedgehog has red eyes

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What is Shadow the Hedgehog's alignment?

Shadow the Hedgehog is neutral in alignment

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Concept and creation

Shadow was conceived as part of the development of Sonic Adventure 2, which aimed to build on the success of Sonic Adventure. The game's director, Takashi Iizuka, wanted to explore the dichotomy of good and evil, leading to the creation of characters that would challenge the established heroes and assist Doctor Eggman.^[10][2] One of these characters was Shadow, while the other became Rouge the Bat.

The initial idea for Shadow was to create an anti-hero who would contrast sharply with Sonic. Inspired by American comic book anti-heroes such as Spawn, Shadow was envisioned as a character who would match Sonic in coolness.^[1][11] Various early designs of Shadow ranged from having long spines with tufts of fur in front of his eyes to sporting capes, shades, or even a missing eye.

The final design was developed by Shiro Maekawa, who considers himself Shadow's creator and feels a deep personal connection to the character. Maekawa struggled coming up with his personality. One night, while he was brainstorming lines for a scene in which Sonic confronts Shadow for impersonating him, Maekawa came up with Shadow's first line: "Hmph, aren't you [Sonic] the fake one here?".^{[note 1]} To further shape his "subtle" character, Maekawa envisioned Shadow would refer to himself with the more humble Japanese pronoun boku (僕, boku^?) in that language.^[12]

Shadow's original name was "Terios" ("reflection of").^[13][14] Kazuyuki Hoshino, another key figure in Shadow's creation, claimed that the character's red stripes were inspired by Kabuki makeup.^[15] Early concept art included "Vegeta" as a keyword to describe Shadow, drawing a parallel to the Dragon Ball character Vegeta. However, Iizuka has denied this comparison, emphasizing that while Vegeta became a friend and teammate of the heroes, Shadow would always follow his own path and not be a friend of Sonic.^[16][17]

Shadow was initially only intended to appear in Sonic Adventure 2, which ended with his apparent death. During the development of Sonic Heroes, there were internal meetings at Sega regarding whether Shadow (and characters such as E-102 Gamma) should stay dead or return.^[18] However, his popularity among fans led to his return in future games.^[10] Additionally, Sonic Team was interested a spin-off game starring Shadow, which eventually became Shadow the Hedgehog. Iizuka mentioned that they had always intended to maintain the mystery around Shadow and had wanted to feature him in his own game since his introduction.^[19] Shadow's character allowed the developers to introduce elements otherwise considered inappropiate for the series, like weapons.^[20] Sonic series co-creator Yuji Naka also believed that by focusing on Shadow for his own game, they could use his different identity from Sonic to build upon the Sonic brand.^[21]

Appearance

Shadow is a jet black-furred anthropomorphic hedgehog. He has red eyes, a patch of white fur on his chest, a black nose, a tan muzzle, and small, triangular ears with tan canals. He also has six quills on his head, four of which curve upwards while the other two curve downwards, two spines on his back, and a short, pointy tail. He has red stripes on each of his head quills, around the edges of his eyes, and on his arms and legs.

For attire, Shadow wears white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues, and Air Shoes which, like his gloves, have black cuffs and red tongues. Shadow also wears Limiter Rings, one on each of his wrists and ankles.

For a list of Shadow's alternate outfits, see Shadow the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Outfits.

History

This is an abbreviated look at Shadow the Hedgehog's history, focusing primarily on his most recent mainline adventures. For a complete history of Shadow, see Shadow the Hedgehog/History and appearances. For his history in the IDW comics and Sonic Prime, see Shadow the Hedgehog/History and appearances (IDW) and Shadow the Hedgehog/History and appearances (Sonic Prime).

Creation

See also: Project Shadow

Shadow was conceived fifty years ago on the Space Colony ARK. His creation was part of Project Shadow, a top-secret initiative led by Professor Gerald Robotnik and funded by the United Federation. The project's goal was to create the "Ultimate Life Form" as a weapon for the government, although Gerald wanted it to find a cure for Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome (NIDS), a fatal disease his granddaughter Maria was suffering from. The name "Shadow" steemed from the researchers' skepticism of the project's viability, referencing the irony that a shadow cannot be "created".^[22]

Shadow's body was designed by Gerald to address the flaws of Project Shadow's prototype, the Biolizard.^[22] Gerald eventually contacted Black Doom, the leader of the Black Arms, to help in the project. Doom agreed to provide a sample of his blood in exchange for the seven Chaos Emeralds being provided to him by Shadow in fifty years.^[23][24] Although the partnership successfully led to the birth of Shadow, whose capacities far exceeded the Biolizard's, it led to strained relations with the government, which eventually freezed funds for the project.^[25][26] Prior to his birth, Shadow was imbued with a personality similar to Maria's in the hopes that he would not be exploited for war purposes.^[27] Consequently, he formed a close bond with Maria and shared her curiosity about Earth.

The government's skepticism about Shadow ultimately led to G.U.N. raiding the ARK, killing everyone involved in Project Shadow and capturing Gerald. In the commotion, Shadow and Maria attempted to flee in one of the colony's escape pods. However, a G.U.N. soldier fatally shot Maria, who ejected Shadow in a capsule with her final strengths while urging him to protect humanity.^[22][28] Shadow was ultimately found by G.U.N. and held in stasis on Prison Island.^[22] Following these events, Gerald went insane over Maria's death. He implanted false memories within Shadow, causing him to believe that his purpose was to destroy Earth, with the intention of using him to enact revenge on humanity.^[29]

Present

Fifty years later, Shadow was awakened by Doctor Eggman, Gerald's grandson. In gratitude, Shadow pledged his loyalty to the doctor, but secretly intended to fulfill Gerald's reprogramming to destroy the world. He instructed Eggman to gather the seven Chaos Emeralds and use them to power a destructive weapon called the Eclipse Cannon on the ARK. Shadow stole one Emerald in Central City, leading to Sonic's wrongful arrest. Shadow and Eggman were aided by Rouge the Bat, a government spy who infiltrated them to investigate Project Shadow. As the conflict escalated, Shadow and his allies encountered Sonic's team several times, but nevertheless managed to collect all seven Emeralds, triggering a doomsday program in the ARK that sent it in a collision course towards Earth. At the last moment, however, Shadow overcame his brainwashing with the help of Amy Rose, and helped destroy the Biolizard and stop the ARK, saving the world and culminating in his apparent sacrifice.^[30]

Shadow was later discovered to have survived the events on the ARK and was recovered by Eggman. The doctor kept him in stasis in one of his bases and used his data to mass-produce copies known as Shadow Androids. However, during this process, Shadow lost most of his memories.^[31] Shadow was eventually found by Rouge while she was treasure hunting, and the two joined E-123 Omega, a robot who had defected from Eggman, to form Team Dark. Together, they joined other groups and Eggman himself to defeat Metal Sonic, who had taken over the Eggman Empire as Neo Metal Sonic.^[32] At another point, Shadow also encountered Emerl, an ancient weapon of mass destruction, and learned several details about his past.^[33]

Shadow was eventually confronted by Black Doom when the Black Arms invaded Earth. The alien overlord commanded him to bring the seven Chaos Emeralds, which Shadow believed were key to fully uncovering his past. While searching for the Emeralds, he encountered several factions that attempted to persuade him to join their side. Shadow eventually secured all of the Emeralds with the intention of giving them to Doom, who then revealed his agenda to exploit Shadow to conquer the world. A video of Gerald, broadcast worldwide by Team Chaotix, allowed Shadow to discover his true purpose. Using the Emeralds to transform into Super Shadow, he defeated Doom for good and destroyed the Black Arms with the Eclipse Cannon, before finally parting ways with his past.^[34]

Shadow has since devoted himself to protecting the planet on his own terms, encountering multiple adversaries along the way. At one point, he confronted Mephiles the Dark, a creature that emerged from a research initiative called the Solaris Project, who attempted to persuade him to join his side. Shadow, however, resisted these demands and joined Sonic and a time traveller called Silver the Hedgehog to defeat Mephiles, resulting in a time paradox that undid these events.^[35] He also faced Eggman Nega on two occassions, joining Sonic's friends and Eggman himself in thwarting his plans.^[36][37] More recently, when Eggman took over the world during the War to Take Back the Planet, Shadow encountered the doctor's minion, Infinite, and joined Sonic's Resistance to overthrow Eggman's regime.^[38]

When Eggman attempted to conquer spacetime using the Time Eater, not long prior to the War to Take Back the Planet, Black Doom made his return and threatened to conquer the world,^[39] leading to Shadow travelling through various periods of his history to defeat the alien overlord again, facing off against old adversaries such as the Biolizard and Neo Metal Sonic along the way.

Personality

Being Sonic's polar opposite personality-wise,^[5] Shadow is, bluntly put, a brooding loner. He usually acts with a cool and businesslike indifference, only occasionally showing his vulnerable side. He is rarely seen with others for an extended period of time and usually distances himself from essentially everyone. He is usually blunt and does not speak much, but he always knows exactly what to say in combat. However, Shadow never bluffs; if he makes a threat, he has every intention of carrying it out. Tying into this attitude, the Japanese script has his self-pronoun be the more humble "boku", with his pronoun for others switching between either "kimi" or "omae" depending on his mood.

As the most violent and merciless character in the series at times,^[5] Shadow's ruthlessness and aggression leads to enemies never treating him lightly. Alongside his dark and violent demeanor, Shadow can be smug and stubborn. He usually treats others in a very callous manner, throwing in his opinion no matter how cold-hearted it is and not caring for whatever the response is. Shadow is also shown to have a sharp wit; during the Space Colony ARK incident, after being called a faker by Sonic, he replied that the latter was not worth being considered his fake.^[40]

Just like how Shadow's motivations are never simple to understand, he spends as much time grappling with his own inner demons as he does with his rival, Sonic.^[5] In the past, Shadow has had a degree of mental instability, in particular post-traumatic stress disorder. This was demonstrated by his instances of post-traumatic flashbacks to Maria's face prior to and during the events of the Black Arms incident, though it could be argued that the instances of the latter game were simply an effect of his amnesia. On one occasion, at the time of the Space Colony ARK incident, seeing police sirens flashing caused him to intensely flash back to the massacre aboard Space Colony ARK and in particular Maria's death. Even prior to the events of the ARK raid, Shadow demonstrated some degree of self-doubt, most notably expressing frustration over how, despite being created as the Ultimate Lifeform specifically to act as a means to cure various maladies, he is still unable to cure his friend Maria, and also admitted to Maria when she desired living on Earth that he's uncertain whether he even has a place on the planet.^[41] Similarly, largely because of his being created with Black Arms DNA, Shadow during this time also showed signs of self-loathing, to the extent that he even went as far as to view himself as no different in overall nature to the Death Leech in containment before being reassured by Maria that he does ultimately have a heart.^[42] Shadow was soon able to overcome this in the Black Arms and the Emerl incidents, during which he chose to move on from the past yet keep Maria in his heart. In fact, his personal journey since being awoken by Eggman has had him confront the shackles of his past, such as ties, fate, and memories. Since then, it appears as though he is reaching a point where he can "do as his heart desires" in his own way.^[43]

Shadow originally had disdain for humanity, being a misanthrope, but rarely attacked them outright, merely looking at them as a distant observer. During the events of the Space Colony ARK incident, Shadow was planning to destroy the planet both ordered by Gerald Robotnik through brainwashing, and as revenge for the death of his only friend, Maria Robotnik. Shadow eventually moves past his hatred for humanity by remembering his promise to Maria. Later on, Shadow decided to protect humanity and those on earth to honor Maria's dying wish despite their original misgivings. Now, Shadow has moved on from the past and decided to protect humanity on his own accord. He does, however, have some lingering guilt over Maria's death, to the extent that he at least once came close to having intrusive visions of a scenario where Maria didn't die before reminding himself that chance ended a long time ago.^[44]

During the many incidents that Shadow takes part in, he pursues his foes with a relentless, unwavering determination. He will usually go to any length to accomplish something he desires or feels should be a certain way, no matter what the cost. Before the War to Take Back the Planet, it is heavily implied that Shadow ruthlessly massacred an entire mercenary band known as the Jackal Squad not only in an extremely dismissive, nonchalant manner (as he did not even remember the incident a few months later), but also seemed slightly proud, mocking the mercenary defense squad by saying they themselves needed a defense squad. He also demonstrated rather coarse language during the Black Arms incident.

Shadow possesses a strong sense of identity; after falsely being told by Rouge that he was not the Ultimate Lifeform due to a lab report, he stated to her that, even if his memories were fake, he was still Shadow the Hedgehog.^[45] These qualities make him rarely susceptible to being manipulated by others.

In Shadow's own words, he is not interested in peace, nor does he care about what happens to others. In truth, he simply does not like it when foolish people do whatever they please. While this may make it seem like Shadow stands firmly in opposition to villainy, he is actually very indiscriminate about who he faces, as he chooses to stand against anyone who he condemns for being "foolish", be they villains like Dr. Eggman or heroes like Sonic. He similarly does not want thanks for the help he provides when he does something heroic, believing that showing gratitude is a waste of time.^[43] However, the grim and uncaring disposition he puts on is not entirely accurate considering the lengths he goes to save others including even sacrificing his own life. In contrast to his words, Shadow acts in a way that ultimately protects others. Deep down he cares about those around him, only hiding his more caring side to keep himself shielded and distant. Despite his apathetic nature, he does feel sympathy for others, and since reforming himself at the end of the Space Colony ARK incident, he has fought for the greater good, most noticeably to prevent letting other people experience past tragedies, specially the ones that he has been through.^[46] Due to being given a "soul" identical to Maria's, he is afraid of his power and has never used it recklessly or to cause suffering.^[47] Once, he also saw himself as a weapon since he was created as one, thus causing him to believe that he and other weapons would eventually have to be destroyed to achieve world peace.^[48]

Shadow was often depressed about the loss of Maria, which is why he keeps to himself, but his relationship with her is obvious as he goes to great lengths to protect the planet and keep her dream of peace and prosperity alive. He also maintains a strong bond with his teammates, Rouge and Omega, proving that while his attitude makes him seem like a careless person, he does have compassion, more than he otherwise lets on. Still, Shadow brushes off most kindness or sympathy that is sent his way; during the Neo Metal Sonic incident, when Rouge showed concern for Shadow when he saw a broken android of himself, suspecting Team Dark's Shadow might be an android too, Shadow curtly brushed her concern away. During the Black Arms incident, after Sonic suggested some "friendly competition", Shadow bluntly rejected his offer.^[49] At times, however, Shadow is shown to appreciate genuine care; at the climax of the Space Colony ARK incident, after Amy Rose made him remember his promise to Maria, Shadow openly decided to keep his promise to protect the planet both to Maria and her. Another instance is during the aborted Solaris incident, when Rouge told him that she would always be by his side, he acknowledged her.

Despite the fact that Shadow often fights for the greater good, he is considered an anti-hero for the most part due to his morality and means to his desired end goals. He does whatever is necessary to get what he wants or feels is right, though this enthusiasm causes him to take risks and jump into situations without fully thinking them through.^[50] While not necessarily evil, Shadow's cold-hearted, determined personality has sometimes entailed the dangerous purity of turning himself into an enemy of Sonic.^[43] Alongside Rouge, he has also taken prize money and jewels upon winning in the second EX World Grand Prix, and the two disregarded the opening and closing ceremonies for the event, showing up late without a third teammate and, at the end of the EX World Grand Prix, walking off right away with what turned out to be dummy versions of the prize money and gems.^[51] Regardless, Shadow does have his moments of selflessness and heroism; he nearly sacrificed his life at the end of the Space Colony ARK to save the earth, and helped Silver uncover the truth of the Solaris Project after saving Sonic from him in an aborted timeline.

In spite of Shadow's serious and no-nonsense attitude he is occasionally willing to spend time doing leisurely activities or social events like celebrating Amy's birthday at a murder mystery party on the Mirage Express. He even got Amy a present along with participating in the murder mystery event. Shadow has also competed in a variety of racing and sports competitions, having a strong competitive spirit.

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Best described as a grim anti-hero, Shadow has a strong sense of purpose and pursues his goals by any means necessary. He possesses a willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve these goals once he has set his sights on them, including using lethal force. This natural vehemence, however, tends to blind him with anger and make him prone to reckless decisions.^[52][53] It can also cause him to hold grudges, to the point where, if the object of his grudge is in sight, he is blinded to everything else; after being bested by Starline at the White Park Grand Chateau, Shadow decided to chase after him while ignoring not only Rouge and Tails being captured, but also an avalanche that would have injured or even killed everyone else. However, Shadow ultimately worked with Sonic to try to stop the avalanche.^[54] He also does not tend to take others into consideration, and sometimes his desire for revenge overwhelms his own sense of safety. Being an anti-social lone wolf, Shadow is generally not in favor of team-ups either; although he may occasionally cooperate with others, it is typically for his own reasons and does not guarantee that he is willing to follow orders.^[52][55] He also often leaves without saying goodbye or thanks.^[56][57]

Shadow is sharp-witted, brooding, arrogant, and always seems to be on edge. He usually acts with a cool and business-like indifference, preferring to stay quiet and only speak when it is necessary to achieving his goals without opening up to anyone while staying focused on his intended target. When push comes to shove, however, Shadow can quickly become enormously aggressive and extensively ruthless. He also does not tend to hold back against anyone, especially against those who get in his way.^[53] Additionally, he is stubborn and prideful to the point of foolhardiness and never runs away from a fight; while he and Sonic were defending Sunset City from a horde of Zombots, Sonic ran off to burn his Metal Virus infection into remission while advising Shadow to do the same should he get infected, only for Shadow, who considered running to be a coward's tactic (and believed himself to be wholly immune to the Metal Virus), to continue fighting, which sealed his fate upon being infected by the virus.^[58]

Powers and abilities

Said to be Sonic's equal in almost every ability,^[59][60][61] Shadow can easily rival the blue hedgehog's various physical skills.^[62][63][64] His abilities and skills in combat are an extremely powerful force to be reckoned with, and he is a match for even the most powerful foes in the series. He similarly never willingly holds back his immense strength, making him a brutal fighter. On his own, Shadow has been able to take down G.U.N.'s various combat mechs, Dr. Eggman's battle robots, Black Doom and his empowered state, and even deities. To best put his skills into perspective, Shadow was capable of defeating even Sonic while he had Diablon for support, as seen in some of the scenarios during the Black Arms incident. He even managed to best Emerl in combat after the latter had acquired all seven Chaos Emeralds as a power source^[65] (although Emerl quickly surpassed him afterward).

Like many of his associates, Shadow is able to move at super speed. Said to possess "ultimate speed,"^[66] Shadow is able to match the speeds reached by Sonic,^{[62][63][64][67]} who is able to reach light speed. Although Shadow's Air Shoes have been credited as the source of his speed,^[68][69] his powerful body allows him to easily rival Sonic's world class speed as well.^[70] Due to such speed, he can scale vertical surfaces and ceilings, out-speed bullets, and attack faster than the eye can see.^[71] Even then, Shadow can take his speed further; by enveloping himself in an orange energy field, he can accelerate beyond the sound barrier on both the ground and in midair for a short time, allowing him to not only smash straight through enemies and obstacles like a living projectile, but also fly immense distances through midair. Using certain techniques, he can even achieve light-speed momentarily. While there are some inconsistencies about how fast Shadow is compared to Sonic, it is usually stated that they are complete equals.^[59][63] Shadow has demonstrated complete mastery of his speed in any environment. Not only can he run at maximum tilt in straight lines, but also in full tight circles and through sharp turns with full control over his momentum. As far as stamina goes, Shadow's is seemingly limitless as he is never winded from running. His speed also allows him to perform several impressive feats, like spinning in circles or rotating his extremities at super speed to create winds strong enough to attack or blow away/suck in opponents, similar to aerokinesis.

An experienced athlete^[72] that shares Sonic's agility,^[63] Shadow has outstanding acrobatic skills and nimbleness, along with incredible reflexes that let him avoid any incoming obstacles with precise and delicate movements within split-seconds, grind expertly on Grind Rails, dodge bullets,^[71] and perform various strafe movements. When launched into the air, he can also pull off several tricks before landing. Using the Light Speed Dash, he is able to dash across a trail of rings at super speed, further strengthening his maneuverability. Shadow also has superhuman strength, enough to match Sonic in power;^[62] with effort,^[73] he can overturn objects many times his weight and size such as trucks, buses and large slabs of concrete with one hand. In addition, Shadow possesses astounding kineticism, precision and has reaction time to match his speed. Shadow also has an incredible resilience to damage as he can take lots of major punishment before he goes down for the count. Notably, he is completely bulletproof^[74] and even withstood atmospheric entry at the end of the Space Colony ARK incident (the latter which only left him with amnesia^[75]). Even when he takes damage though, he is able to recover rather fast.^[76]

Owning to his "ultimate life form" physiology, Shadow possesses an immortal body, meaning he does not age and cannot be killed.^[64][77][78] Being created as a cure, Shadow has a natural resistance to disease and was able to maintain contact with the Zombot virus for an extended period of time before getting infected. Furthermore, as seen during the Black Arms incident, due to being partly Black Arms, Shadow has a connection to the Black Arms' hive-mind, allowing him to sense his kind's presence and be immune to the Black Arms' body-paralyzing nerve gas.^[79] According to E-123 Omega, since the Black Arms are able to turn their body into weaponry, Shadow should theoretically be able to turn his hand into a gun.^[80]

Shadow also possesses an indomitable will and determination. His absolute refusal to give up in any situation and resolve to see his goals through to the end allows him to keep on persevering even in seemingly impossible situations. His enormous will even let him psychologically resist mind control powers; notably, Shadow was able to regain control of his body from Black Doom despite him being part Black Arms and therefore susceptible to Black Doom's mind control.^[81]

Shadow is naturally able to tap into the arcane powers of nearby Chaos Emeralds, either through physical contact or from a distance,^[82][83] to empower himself and access different chaos powers. According to Shadow himself, he is the only one who knows how to use the Chaos Emeralds' true power.^[84] His trademark ability in the field of chaos powers is Chaos Control, a technique achieved with the Chaos Emeralds that lets him warp time and space for various effects.^[64][85] With this technique giving him control over time and space,^[86] Shadow is able to warp himself and those close by across space instantaneously^[87] over a range further than an island-annihilating explosion or between dimensions, slow down or freeze time entirely,^[87][88] and create areas of distorted space.^[89] Shadow is noticeably adept in using Chaos Control for anything between large-scale usages to small-scaled and delicate chaos powers inside and outside of combat. He can for example use it to either freeze or slow down opponents in time to give himself the speed advantage,^[86] launch surprise attacks by suddenly warping up in front or behind opponents,^[74] distort space around his fists for strikes that can blow opponents away, hide himself away in distorted space, attack foes with spots of distorted space, and even power his own healing abilities and guarding skills. However, Shadow cannot perform Chaos Control if he does not have any Chaos Emeralds to draw power from.^[90]

Beside Chaos Control, Shadow is able to use a number of additional chaos powers. One of these chaos powers include his Chaos Spear technique, in which he throws up to several bolts of Chaos Emerald energy at his opponent that can either paralyze or injure an opponent, depending on its power level. Shadow's most powerful technique, however, is the Chaos Blast, a chaos power where he releases a discharge of Chaos Emerald energy in a massive explosion that eliminates everything within a range of 10-20 yards.^[88]

One of Shadow's main offensive maneuvers is the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Shadow can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed. Highly adept in its usage, Shadow can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both grounded and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, Double Jump, Homing Attack, Air Dash, Somersault, Dark Spin Dash and the Light Speed Attack, which attacks at the speed of light.

Even without his Spin Attack, Shadow is a powerful hand-to-hand combatant. In line with his nature and potent abilities, Shadow uses a fighting style where he utilizes strong blows, such as powerful chops, flying kicks, sideways kicks, high spin kicks, reverse spin kicks, downward dive kicks, or just barrages of punches and kicks. In addition, many of Shadow's stronger hand-to-hand combat moves revolves heavily around his usage of Chaos Control for space distortion effects to knock opponents away and his Air Shoes' exhaust for burning opponents.

Shadow is an effective combat strategist, able to make split second calculations or adjustments to succeed in battle. His strategies can range from creative uses of his environment, manipulating his opponent's shortcomings, and outmaneuvering enemies.

As shown during the second EX World Grand Prix, Shadow is talented with an his Extreme Gear (Darkness and Black Shot). During the tournament, he was able to put up quite a fight and even defeat some of the world's best Extreme Gear riders. When riding on an Extreme Gear, Shadow is skillful enough to ride on Grind Rails, execute complex tricks while in midair, and perform chaos powers and combat moves with ease.

Shadow also has extraordinary skill when it comes to driving or piloting all forms of vehicles. Not only is he one of the best race car drivers in the universe with the Dark Reaper, but he is also able to perfectly operate weaponized buggies, armed motorcycles, modified gliders, hover crafts with machine guns, bipedal mechs and alien devices. Shadow is as well an expert gunner, capable of using weaponry like the G.U.N. Lifts and G.U.N. turrets with perfect accuracy. Also, whereas Sonic dismisses firearms, Shadow is not above using such weaponry, and has demonstrates proficient skills in a very wide range of weapons during the Black Arms incident, such as close combat weapons, guns, cannons, lock-on weapons and lasers. Shadow may also have some knowledge about machinery, having once been able to fiddle with a deactivated Omega and deduce he was in standby mode.^[91] A miscellaneous ability Shadow has demonstrated as well is telekinesis, which is potent enough to let him move an Extreme Gear around with his mind with ease.^[92]

As powerful as he is, Shadow is able to make himself stronger up tapping into an even greater power within himself. This power is so potent that should he remove his Limiter Rings, he becomes a walking dynamo of raw power. Eggman compares the overall output of the resulting energy from the rings' removal to that of a raging furnace in his log.^[93] When unleashing this power, he releases such tremendous amounts of energy that it forms an impenetrable barrier around himself.^[94] While in this state, Shadow gains increased strength and speed,^[95] enough to overpower hundreds of clones of Mephiles the Dark at once.^[94] However, using his full power tires him out more quickly.^[95]

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Shadow is an extremely powerful individual and combatant, capable of going toe-to-toe with and sometimes even overwhelming Sonic in fierce combat. He boasts superb agility and reflexes to match his rocket skate-induced speed, allowing him to act accordingly to even Sonic's split-second movements. Like Sonic, he can perform the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Shadow can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed.^[96] Likewise, although he can only keep up with Sonic's level of super speed using his rocket skates, he is still faster than the average person, enough to chase after a speeding truck.^[97]

In addition, Shadow commands a number of Chaos Powers. He can warp space and time with Chaos Control, which allows him to teleport himself and, with the help of a Chaos Emeralds, he can teleport others instantaneously over wide distances at will. Chaos Control can alternatively be used to stop time temporarily. Shadow can also form spears out of green energy called Chaos Spears that he can either throw at opponents or wield as a solid melee weapon.^{[98][99][96][100]} When Shadow attacked Eggperial City, he was able to manipulate the Giant Fake Chaos Emeralds to create a tower of them and to trap Eggman's central tower.^[101] Shadow has impressive hand-to-hand combat skills as well, being able to utilize a mix of brutal punches and kicks, as he was able to beat up even Neo Metal Sonic, albeit with a surprise attack.^[98]

Equipment

Shadow wears a pair of specialized shoes called Air Shoes. These footwear are the primary source of Shadow's speed,^[68] producing small jet streams that let him hover-skate at speeds supposedly even surpassing Sonic's speed.^[102] Alternatively, Shadow can use his Air Shoes' exhausts to attack opponents with fire, empower his jumps, or achieve midair hovering.

Shadow wears four Limiter Rings, one on each of his wrists and ankles, that limit the amount of power he uses during combat and other situations. By removing them, Shadow is able to utilize his full power.

During the Black Arms incident, Shadow made use of a vast selection of weaponry. This included anything from close combat weapons like Survival Knives and Black Swords; guns like Pistols and Sub-Machine Guns; cannons like Bazookas and Grenade Launchers; lock-ons like 8-Shot RPGs and Worm Shooters; to lasers like Laser Rifles and Refractors.

IDW Publishing

Shadow wears a pair of specialized shoes. These footwear are the primary source of Shadow's speed, producing small jet streams that lets him hover-skate at speeds rivaling Sonic's supersonic running speed.^[103][104] Alternatively, Shadow can use his rocket skates to produce fire to attack opponents with or achieve midair hovering.^[105][106]

Transformations

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Transformations

Super Shadow

Main article: Super Shadow

By harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow can enter a Super State, transforming him into Super Shadow. In this state, all of Shadow's abilities far surpass his normal ones and his chaos powers are increased to their full limit. He is also able to fly and is nearly invulnerable. Initially, Shadow found it difficult to stay in this state due to inexperience,^[107][108] but he has since mastered it. In addition, this transformation consumes a lot of energy, meaning it cannot be maintained for long.

Hero Shadow/Dark Shadow

Main article: Hero Shadow & Dark Shadow

When his mind is fueled by thoughts of justice, Shadow is able to attain an enhanced state known as Hero Shadow.^[109][110] In this state, Shadow is temporarily invincible and can perform a large-scale use of Chaos Control. However, this state only lasts for a short period of time.

When his mind is fueled by thoughts of evil, Shadow is able to attain an enhanced state known as Dark Shadow.^[109][110] In this state, Shadow is temporarily invincible and can perform a large scale-use of Chaos Blast. However, this state only lasts for a short period of time.

Weaknesses

Shadow takes extreme measures to achieve his goals.^[4]

During the time he had amnesia, Shadow was initially a somewhat easy target for manipulation due to his confusion about who he was and his eagerness to learn anything more about his past. Dr. Eggman could deceive him with lies about his past and Black Doom could subtly manipulate him using visions. However, after learning of his true purpose, Shadow is no longer as easily deceived.

Being part of the Black Arms, Shadow is partially an extension of Black Doom, making him vulnerable to mind control exerted by Black Doom himself. However, Shadow can fight this influence through sheer resolve and willpower.

Despite his immortality, Shadow can be knocked down if taken off-guard. Most noticeably, this will leave him unable to walk and speak immediately after the attack.^[111] Though he can still fight later on, this will risk his life if he pushes himself too far,^[112] and it takes him several days to fully recover.

Shadow when his Limiter Rings are taken off, if he uses all his energy, it can lead in into him over-exerting himself allowing him to be defeated easily from exhausting him.^[93]

IDW Publishing

While Shadow has no known physical weaknesses, his rash and headstrong nature has caused him to fall to dire situations before; even though Sonic had told him he could similarly counter his infection with his speed, Shadow, misinterpreting it as meaning to retreat, refused to break away from fighting the Zombots. Also, despite the fact that his immune system is indeed more powerful than many others and cannot leave him sick from any known diseases, it is not immune to everything as he still got infected by the Metal Virus, albeit in a more delayed response compared to other people.^[113]

Relationships

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/Relationships

In other media

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#In other media

Sonic Prime

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/History and appearances (Sonic Prime)

Shadow is a focused, serious and powerful hedgehog known as the Ultimate Life Form. While trying to join in the fight against Eggman, he ends up trapped inside the Void of the Shatterverse, not allowed to visit other worlds. Shadow must try to find a way to help Sonic, but first, he must learn to trust the hedgehog once again.

Paramount

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog (Paramount)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced by Paramount Pictures and its spin-offs, Shadow is an anthropomorphic hedgehog associated with a secret experiment called Project Shadow that took place over fifty years prior to Dr. Robotnik's return from the Mushroom Planet.

IDW Publishing

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/History and appearances (IDW)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, Shadow's past is virtually identical to his game counterpart's, up until after the events of Sonic Forces. After the Eggman War, Shadow focused on finding Dr. Eggman and eliminating him. He eventually found him in Windmill Village, where Sonic defended Eggman, claiming he had lost his memory and was now harmless. After some persuasion, Shadow decided to leave Eggman be. He later took part in the battle for Angel Island and the fight against Neo Metal Sonic. Afterward, during the Metal Virus outbreak, Shadow, along with Team Dark, helped evacuate Sunset City. However, Shadow ended up getting infected with the Metal Virus and turned into a Zombot. Eventually, however, he was restored to normal on Angel Island, where he immediately began pursuing Eggman, but was foiled by Metal Sonic. He later followed a lead on Eggman to White Park Zone, where he got attacked by Dr. Starline. Soon after, Shadow helped Sonic save the White Park Grand Chateau from an avalanche caused by Starline.

CoroCoro

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/History and appearances (CoroCoro)

In the The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog manga series published by CoroCoro Comic, Shadow's past is substantially different. He is an aggressive, and violent, yet stoic hedgehog who after suffering an identity crisis for being a failed cure for Maria. Earth's National Defense Forces, being manipulated by death leeches, raid the Space Colony ARK, disposing of everything including Maria. After heartfelt words from Maria, Shadow gets sent down by an emergency escape pod and teleports into White Space, in which he meets a mysterious creature known as Bug-Eye, who promises to bring Maria back to life as long as Shadow collects the Three Wishing Orbs.

Reception

Shadow was ranked as the second favorite Sonic character, beaten only by Sonic the Hedgehog himself, in the official Sonic character poll.^[114] However, many game reviewers, such as GameSpot, have called Shadow a "clone" of Sonic.^[115] Game Revolution described his character as a "quintessential anti-Sonic."^[116] In a 1UP.com feature about "How Sega Can Save Sonic the Hedgehog," Jeremy Parish wrote that of the "tagalongs" that the series must ditch, Shadow's character was the most in need of it.^[117]

Quotes

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Quotes

Trivia

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/Miscellaneous#Trivia

Gallery

Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog/Gallery

Notes

References

External links

• Shadow the Hedgehog's profile on Sonic Channel
• Shadow the Hedgehog at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Shadow the Hedgehog on Sonic Retro