Shadow the Hedgehog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shadow the Hedgehog |
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| Sonic the Hedgehog character | |
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| First appearance | Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) |
| Created by |
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| Voiced by | English
Kōji Yusa (2001–present) |
| Information | |
| Species | Hedgehog |
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | Space Colony ARK |
| Weight | 35 kg (77 lb) |
| Height | 100 cm (3 ft 3½ in) |
Shadow the Hedgehog is a character appearing in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa and first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearance, Shadow proved so popular among fans that developer Sonic Team decided to include him in Sonic Heroes (2003). Shadow has since featured in numerous entries in the franchise, including the spin-off Shadow the Hedgehog (2005). He also appears in Sonic film and television adaptations, comics, and merchandise.
Within the Sonic franchise's fictional universe, Shadow is an artificial, anthropomorphic black hedgehog created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of series antagonist Doctor Eggman. After witnessing the murder of his best friend Maria, Shadow vows to keep his promise to her that he would protect the world from danger. As an antihero, Shadow has good intentions but will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals, putting him at odds with series protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog. Shadow shares many attributes with Sonic and controls similarly in games, but is distinguished by his use of vehicles and firearms.
The idea for Shadow originated during the development of the original Sonic Adventure, with Iizuka and Maekawa ensuring he would be a subtle, "cool" character players could care about. Although Shadow is one of the series' most popular characters and was named one of the greatest video game characters by Guinness World Records in 2011, he has proven divisive among video game journalists. Some have praised his role in Sonic Adventure 2 and his levels' preservation of the Sonic theme, but others have criticized his dark characterization. The Shadow game sold well, but received generally unfavorable reviews.
Description
Shadow is an anthropomorphic black hedgehog appearing in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series of platform games and its various spin-offs. He first appeared in the 2001 installment Sonic Adventure 2, the final Sonic game released for a Sega Dreamcast. His roles in the games vary. Some, such as the main series games Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes (2003), and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) feature him as a major playable character, and he is the protagonist of the spin-off Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and a downloadable content (DLC) package for Sonic Forces (2017). Others, such as the anniversary game Sonic Generations (2011), limit him to a non-playable role.
In the games, Shadow is depicted as a mysterious, sharp-witted, and brooding antihero. While his ultimate goal is to protect the world from danger, he dislikes humanity, and once he has set a goal, he does whatever it takes to accomplish it. This often causes him to take risks without thinking them through and puts him at odds with series protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog. Although a loner, Shadow collaborates with treasure hunter Rouge the Bat and robot E-123 Omega in games such as Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and Sonic Forces. Shadow allies with Sonic in some games, but also does so with Doctor Eggman in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog.
Shadow shares many similarities with Sonic. Visually, GameSpot's Ben Stahl described Shadow as "an evil version of Sonic himself—similar in appearance, but with darker skin, more angled eyes, and a fearsome snarl instead of Sonic's trademark grin." GamesRadar+'s Justin Leeper said that if Sonic was Superman, then Shadow would be his Batman. The characters control similarly in games, as both share skills and the ability to run at great speeds. Shadow has unique attributes in some games, such as his uses of firearms and vehicles in Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog, respectively. He can also use the Chaos Emeralds to perform "Chaos Control"—allowing him to distort time—and create weapons like spears. Like Sonic, Shadow can transform into a "Super" form giving him special powers.
Development
Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, who respectively served as director and writer of Sonic Adventure 2. According to Iizuka, the idea for Shadow originated during development of the original Sonic Adventure (1998), when Sonic Team intended to introduce a rival for Sonic in a potential sequel. Although they rarely discussed the idea, the staff continually thought about it. Eventually, while work on Sonic Adventure 2 progressed, Sonic Team found use in Shadow when they laid out the game's "good vs. evil" plotlines. Shadow's name at the beginning of development was "Terios" ("reflection of"), referencing his role as Sonic's doppelganger.
Sonic Team tasked Maekawa with developing Shadow, whom they wanted to look just as "cool" as Sonic. Maekawa settled on the design of a black hedgehog, but struggled coming up with his personality. One night, while he brainstormed lines for a scene in which Sonic confronts Shadow for impersonating him, Maekawa came up with Shadow's first line: "Hmph, aren't you the fake one here?" As part of shaping his subtle character, Maekawa envisioned Shadow would refer to himself using the more humble Japanese pronoun boku (僕). Iizuka made sure that Shadow's introduction also brought new events to the game, as he wanted players to care about the character.
Sonic Adventure 2 was intended to be Shadow's only appearance, but his popularity among fans led to him returning in 2003's Sonic Heroes. Additionally, Sonic Team wanted to feature Shadow in a spin-off game. By 2005, Sonic Team was interested in developing a high-speed shooter game. They chose to focus on Shadow—whom they felt would provide "the perfect venue... to try our hand at this genre"—leading to the development of Shadow the Hedgehog. Series co-creator Yuji Naka hoped Shadow would lead to a spin-off series about the character. When developing Shadow's design and world, Sonic Team was influenced by films such as Underworld (2003), Constantine (2005), and those in the Terminator series.
The team abandoned Shadow's shooting gameplay when working on Sonic the Hedgehog in 2006. Instead, director Shun Nakamura emphasized combat to differentiate his gameplay from that of Sonic's; while Sonic was designed for speedy platforming, Shadow was designed for fighting enemies. After Sonic and the Black Knight (2009), Shadow did not appear as a playable character in a Sonic platformer for some time, until the release of Sonic Forces in 2017. Nakamura explained that Sonic Team brought Shadow back for Sonic Forces so it would appeal to fans of the Adventure games, as the character is "extremely popular" among that group. Iizuka has commented that another Shadow-oriented spin-off is a possibility.
In Japan, Kōji Yusa voices Shadow. Shadow's English voice actor has changed several times. David Humphrey was the first to assume the role, but was replaced by Jason Griffith, who voiced Shadow and Sonic in the English dub of the anime series Sonic X (2003–2006), for Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005. Kirk Thornton has voiced Shadow since 2010, starting with Sonic Free Riders.
Character biography
Within the Sonic series' fictional universe, Shadow the Hedgehog is an artificial being created by Professor Gerald Robotnik through genetic engineering as part of an experiment to cure his granddaughter Maria from a deadly illness. While Shadow and Maria formed a strong bond, the government deemed him a threat. Shadow was placed in suspended animation and a military organization, the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.), killed Maria as Shadow tried to protect her. Maria's death traumatized Shadow, who vowed to keep his promise to her that he would protect the world from danger. In Sonic Adventure 2, Gerald's grandson, Doctor Eggman, learns of Shadow and revives him as part of a plan to conquer the world and defeat Sonic the Hedgehog. Shadow agrees to help Eggman and frames Sonic for their evil deeds. However, Shadow eventually allies himself with Sonic to prevent the world's destruction after he remembers the promise he made to Maria. However, he is unable to handle the power of all seven Chaos Emeralds in a Super state as well as Sonic, and plummets to Earth from space after the final boss fight.
Shadow is presumed deceased until Sonic Heroes; Rouge the Bat discovers him alive in Eggman's base during a search. He remembers nothing except his name and Maria's death, and teams up with Rouge and E-123 Omega to find Eggman and learn of his past. In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow, still experiencing amnesia, becomes caught in a three-way war between Eggman, G.U.N., and the Black Arms, an alien army led by Black Doom. Shadow can choose to help G.U.N., Sonic and his friends, Eggman, or the Black Arms. At the end of the game, Shadow recovers from his amnesia and learns the truth about his past, including that Gerald created him using Black Doom's blood and Black Doom uses that to control him, but Shadow stands up to him and ultimately defeats him. After the battle, Shadow chooses to put the past behind him and move on, and in Sonic the Hedgehog is depicted as having joined G.U.N.
In other media
Outside the video game series, Shadow appears in the anime series Sonic X, which adapts the story of the Sonic Adventure games and also appears in the animation Sonic Boom (TV series) and Sonic Prime. The original Japanese cast from the games reprised their roles, while Jason Griffith voiced Shadow in the English dub by 4Kids Entertainment. In the Sonic Boom (2014–2017) spin-off franchise, Shadow appears in the 2014 games Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for the Wii U and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for the Nintendo 3DS, and the episodes "It Takes a Village to Defeat a Hedgehog" and both parts entitled "Eggman: The Video Game", voiced by Kirk Thornton, and usually appears as a rival to Team Sonic. Ian Hanlin voices Shadow in Sonic Prime. After Sonic inadvertently opens the path to the Paradox Prism for Eggman, Shadow has a vague vision of the universe's shatter and tries to prevent it but fails, he manages to escape it using Chaos Control and is trapped in the void between Shatterspaces. Shadow also appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books published by Archie Comics and IDW Publishing, and his likeness has been used in Sonic merchandise. Shadow made his live-action debut in a non-speaking cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of the 2022 film Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
See also
In Spanish: Shadow the Hedgehog para niños
