Why Shadow is Important - A Character Analysis of Shadow the Hedgehog Ahead of Sonic Frontiers
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- #SonicMovie3 #ShadowTheHedgehog #SonicMovie2
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Shadow the hedgehog is Awesome! But which version of the character are we going to get in Sonic Movie 3?
Is anybody else SICK of the "Sonic the Hedgehog's stupid friends" narrative? Well, if ever there was a character in the series who touched the stars only to fall further than anyone could have thought possible, it's my boi Shadow the Hedgehog! Games media and series detractors have been attempting to gaslight us for well over a decade now that Sonic's friends have done nothing but hold the series back. With some "journalists" even going as far as trying to say the Sonic Series itself was NEVER good! Well I'm here to confirm that is complete and total nonsense! And what better way to make my argument than a UA-cam series going into insane detail on why each and every supporting Sonic character is important to the series?!
Miles Tails Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Metal Sonic, Gamma, Rouge the Bat, E123 Omega, Silver, Blaze the Cat, Dr Eggman, and the star of this video, Shadow the Hedgehog, were all important characters. Crucial to the series, and the deeper, Shonen style stories fans are desperate to see make a return!
Of course, there are many more than the ones I've just mentioned, and we will get to ALL of them in time! But for now, let's take a trip to the Space Colony Ark, and check in on everyone's favorite life-form, Shadow the Hedgehog! With Sonic Prime, Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers just around the corner, and Sonic Movie 3 coming too! Let's first go back to a place and time where everything was perfect, bash on some terrible Shadow takes and pray to the Sonic Gods that Paramount accurately reference Sonic Adventure 2 in Sonic Movie 3! Shadow is a character that could be amazing in the movie universe, or absolutely terrible. So let's analyze how that ties in to the games series.
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Sonic Fandom - Maria Robotnik - sonic.fandom.c...
Sonic Fandom - Gerald Robotnik - sonic.fandom.c...
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I have a big personal attachment to Shadow. I was a very quiet when I was a kid. I had very bad social skills and would spend a lot of time alone. I really related to Shadow especially when he formed Team Dark. He still didn't talk a lot but you could tell how much he appreciate them sticking with him. That really helped someone like me. I've gotten a lot better nowadays but I still always find Shadow so relatable. Please, Sonic 3, do him justice. Quiet kids need heroes
Edit (27/08/2024)- I'm very happy right now 😁
if you never fit in and always was quiet then you have a much bigger meaning than you think, you have a mission
I feel the same way👍
Well said!
That is why Shadow is my hero i didn't made any friends i was quiet and didn't talk much i love hanging out with people they treat me like a friend even if i dont talk and make jokes. I make art about Shadow i send a letter to sega how much i love Shadows character this character inspired me there isn't alot of quiet heroes. I hope Shadow does good in sonic 3 his my favorite sonic character of all time.
That's something I relate more with Knuckles, especially because I'm also naive and sometimes short tempered
But one thing I heavily relate with Shadow is that it's not too late to do the right thing, even after so many mistakes made in the past, Shadow's progression from SA2 to 06 really shows his growth and appreciation for Sonic's friends and Team Dark
Oh man Shadow has been one of my favorite characters of all time since I was a kid! Aside from being aesthetically cool (the "Simple and Clean" edit took me out) his story is inspiring. The idea that you ultimately decide for yourself who you are and that past traumas don't have to be your whole identity is powerful.
I think that his SA2 and 06 appearances are the best imo. Great video as always!
Really glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
in the third sonic movie, shadow's initial villainy and eventual redemption should be a given, even if he doesn't befriend sonic and the gang, he'll at least end off on neutral ground with them. I doubt they'll absolutely nail his character, especially if they need to shoehorn some humor into a few of his scenes, but after seeing how they handled knuckles, I find it hard to believe they'll irreparably damage shadow as a character. I imagine we'll probably get something that's a little different, but still very good.
Man Shadow and Knuckles are and will always be my favorite Sonic characters, especially Shadow. Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog were my first Sonic games so of course he became my favorite. Also I was a kid and never paid attention to the story back then so I never realized how poorly his story was in his solo game, but I still grew attached to him since it was my first Sonic experience. Now that I'm older I can see how great his character arc is and I love it, especially his 06 arc so much growth and a fitting end as well. Now it's sad to see that he's just another stereotype it's awful. Actually all the characters are just awful and nothing but stereotypes now. It's crazy to think that Paramount of all companies actually, at least so far, understand what made these characters so great and they're only 2 movies in. After Sonic 2 and how great they portrayed Knuckles, also brilliant how they fixed the Angel Island protector problem by just having him protect the emerald with Sonic and Tails so he can actually be in the stories going forward, I have faith they can give us an amazing portrayal of Shadow in Sonic 3. They might even be able to make it better and the definitive version of Shadow by taking his character from SA2 and embracing the more darker story with the PG 13 rating, just not too far like Shadow's solo game did. I have faith in the movies right now and can't wait to see how they handle Shadow I'm Sonic 3. They better not mess up
Agreed, Shadow was always an internally conflicted personality with a redeemable side. The next movie definitely should draw from that.
I've always liked Shadow. Having characters that contrast the main lead character and earns equal status to said main character has always been my favorite trope like Green Ranger from Power Rangers as an example. Shadow was different. He broke this mold for me. You couldn't be around the 2000s and not have seen the iconic artwork from the SA2 dreamcast cover or any other artwork with Shadow and Sonic together like Yin and Yang. I have always main Shadow on Sonic Battle because he is just genuinely fun to use.
His character roots to his original iteration for me. I didn't mind his "edge lord" phase Sega made him go through during the mid 2000s including the Sonic X anime. That's where it cuts off for me however it's so jarring having to see his recent interactions to a point it's not even the same character I last saw him as. I do have hope that Shadow will be given the respect he long deserves in Sonic 3 like how Knuckles was treated in the Sonic 2 movie. Only time will tell.
I was always a fan of the original Shadow due to his story and character that made gave more layers than what you would normally see from a Sonic character but it is very unfortunate that Sega and Sonic Team want to keep Shadow in this rival bubble where he can't show any emotions outside of be littling others, it is also unfortunate that Ian Flynn and his team confined in the small spaces that Sonic Team left for Shadow's character despite Ian Flynn giving layers to Shadow's personality such as Sonic Universe 1 to 4, Sonic The Hedgehog 171, Sonic Universe 21 to 24.
Shadow the Hedgehog is the equivalent of Batman in the Sonic universe. Quiet yet Compassionate, Strong yet knows when to hold back, Direct but not rude. That is what Shadow us to me.
The movie team very much cares for these characters, and I love what they're doing with them. Shadow's gonna be the real test for Paramount. They've handled the rest of the characters with care, so here's hoping for Shadow!
My personal theory is that they're gonna put a spotlight on the very possible loneliness that Shadow could feel. Make his contrast Sonic's from the first movie, though. Whereas Sonic jumps at the chance to make a real friend, Shadow could push others away because his only other friend was killed in front of him. I think by the end, Sonic could get through to him a little, but they would in no way be friends yet. Rivals who are friendly with each other at best, but not friends. This is supposed to be a cinematic universe, so they'll have the time to flesh out his relationships with everyone.
I think a game that did a really good job in exploring Shadow is Sonic Battle. After encountering Emerl who has a similar past as him as an artificial creation capable of great destructive power. He initially wants to try and destroy it so no creations like him could exist and be a threat to the world, viewing himself merely as a "weapon" and a mistake of history. However he comes to realize that both he and Emerl have a "soul" and the capability to bring hope and happiness to the world, and can live free and happy as Maria and Gerald originally intended.
Although the characterization doesn't fit exactly between Shadow and 06 (since at the end of Shadow he already resolved to throw away his past and live as he wants to), I think it mostly works as a good middle ground between them, exploring a Shadow that has a clear view of his past and who he is, but is still struggling somewhat with what that means and what his place in the world should be. Although flawed in many places, the story progression of Shadow from SA2 to 06 is the most in depth character arc in the series and is suprisingly well done for a mascot platformer!
I hope movie shadow in sonic the Hedgehog 3 is like Sonic Adventure 2 Shadow and is voiced by Keith David.
I fell in love with Shadow the moment I played Adventure 2 and considered him to be my favorite character. But the problem is the stuff Sega has pulled with him in later media to the point where I want nothing to do with him. I dread what they'll do with him in Movie 3 and post. Honestly Surge can replace him and that would be fine.
I’ve commented a similar thought on other videos, but going back and playing the MegaMan Zero series, Zero’s character in those games reminds me of original Shadow’s character a whole bunch. If Sega did a similar story arc with Shadow - having him be in a realistically more dire time, no other heroes around, and at the end a final sacrifice - that could very well show proper respect to his character.
After all, Shadow doesn’t age, so he’ll naturally outlive all of the other characters anyway; so it seems reasonable that he could be in a game or series all on his own as the sole protagonist in a world of long lost heroes- with him being the last of them; and yet showing due respect and remembrance to his former allies along the way.
I hope we get a Shadow the Hedgehog movie
The saving Rouge in SA2 thing doesn't seem like the biggest deal. Even if he didn't care about her, he does want the emeralds. Sure, they'd probably survive, but then they'd have to recover them still. Yeah, he cut it close, but not sure it's the biggest sign of development. Or...reversion perhaps.
If it was just about the emeralds, why did he keep flashing back to Maria. It’s a bit more than just the emeralds, he was feeling something when imagining leaving Rouge to die. Something that made him think of Maria and he couldn’t leave her.
@@AceCardGaming Plus that it seems like he was actually going to just leave until the flashbacks happened. Shadow ain't stupid, so the Emeralds likely really would have survived the explosion, or he would have ran right away.
@@lpfan4491 100% agreed.
@@AceCardGaming Oh, he definitely did think to her, but from an outside perspective, it was a somewhat practical move albeit not a safe one. I did admittedly forget the flashbacks, so it works for the player a bit better.
I think Prime is off to a good start. He's not antagonistic and has only went out of his way to attack Sonic because of what he saw what Sonic would do and did to the original universe, plus Sonic refused to listen to anyone for most of the episodes released so far. He isn't super edgy and is probably a sign of return to form for the character.
I like the idea of the Shadows game, being that the future is undetermined but the choices we make can affect it. It's because Shadow learned this lesson that Mephiles couldn't influence Shadow to betray humanity. it's also in the Shadows game that an important lesson is taught, 'We are all capable of being good or evil and ultimately we have for ourselves who we become". Shadow knows that he is capable of being a powerful villain and can destroy the world and Sonic if wants to at any time yet he chooses to be a Hero for his own reason this time around. Shadow at the end of his game is living for himself and his own reasons, not anyone else's that's why he was able to pull off Chaos Control on the same scale as in the first game except now he didn't need Sonic's help showing how much he's grown over the 3 previous games. 06 hammers that point home loud and clear when Mephiles shows Shadow *A* future where the earth was in ruins and humanity had used Omega to seal Shadow away again yet he flat out refuses and protects Rouge and Omega instead
I loved shadow as a kid since he was the most intriguing character compared to the original sonic. I'm curious on how they're going to do shadow for the sonic movie.
He's misunderstood 🦔 that's been destroyed by later games.
I really want to defend Shadow's 05 game but... Oh man it's really hard for me to counter stuff about the story itself because... Yeah.
There's almost something to saying how his behavior is from the manipulation by black doom and his motivation to seek his past but that just doesn't hold much water does it? Not to mention how mercurially that would portray shadow when I don't think he was ever supposed to be.
I like to compare sonic vs shadow and SpongeBob vs squidward
Sadly its less likely we'll get the ideal Shadow, a Shadoe with as much free form as gency and character progression like 06 and probably the Archie series would end up making him called out for being more a spotlight stealer and worse a attempt to replace Sonic as a more interesting main focus. They dont want Sonic to be out of the main focus as a character or as a narrative, and Shadow alongside Knuckles, Silver, and Blaze would out do his own character prominence if Sega written them in more detail than Sonic. Shadows overall narrative encompassed Sonic and Eggmans and also received negative backlash in the process which scared Sonic Team developers for life which is why they focus on Sonic only nowadays and Shadows the cliche storm he is today.
I rather he be his Sonic X portrayal personally, his character after SA2 and Sonic X are the foundations.
is it bad that i trust the movie to do shadow's character more justice than i trust sega to do his character justice in an actual game? at least the movie gave us a good knuckles characterization. it's better than what knuckles has gotten for the past decade or so
going by, like you said, how they handled Knuckles as well as Tails, I say your trust is justified.
i trust them too! im so excited for 3
They have handled the characters so well. I actually have hope for once he'll be back to how he is.
No. The Sonic movie team has done more justice to this franchise in just 2 years, where as Sega has been fucking it up since 2006 in one way or another.
Shadow's character was good in 06
It should be noted that SA2, Heroes, and 06, were all written by Shiro Maekawa, who got his writing debut fittingly with the first, and has admitted his affection for the story and the character multiple times. This puts into perspective a little why the eponymous game and everything after 06 are such questionable interpretations of the character.
oh that really does make sense...I really hope he can work on future content again or that there is someone who also grasps this deeper writing style because I sure do miss it haha
He's not..that far off in his game. He's someone with amnesia, and the paths are all different possibilites based on what he follows and who influences him. The Dark paths are the most "out of character," which..yeah, they're supposed to be in terms of his actual character, but it lines up with how he'd be based on those he let influence him (eggman, Black Doom). The more Hero paths and the Last Story line up perfectly fine, especially given Last Story -> 06. The narrative of "only Shiro Maekawa understands him and wrote him well" frustrates me given how ShTH actually ends and 06 is the continuation of it that.
@@davidbeer5015 The problems is that none of the pathways are known to be canon in ShTH; leading him to have all these different personalities and it being a huge mess.
@Wuavo yes, none of those paths are canon. Yes, they do lead to potentially different personalities. That doesn’t mean he’s the only one that can write Shadow. In fact, them being non-canon, imo, is what helps that idea. They are “what if” paths. Not what he necessarily *is* but what he *could be*. And they are in line with where he is and what he believes. Being what ifs, that’s kinda part of the point, to potentially end up out of character and see what happens, how that happened. “What would have happened if I made choice x instead of y?” Given personalities are impacted by culture, experience, etc, it makes sense that making these choices and letting certain characters impact him will cause someone to act differently. We have:
Dark: Shadow allows himself to believe Black Doom, being the only one to actually offer Shadow the “truth.” It’s a distorted truth, and it can lead to Shadow a) joining Black Doom, b) taking over the Black Arms himself, or c) remembering the pain and Gerald’s last wish and seek to fulfill what the ARK was going to do in SA2.
Neutral options: trusting himself only and going after the Emeralds for answers. Forces him to cross paths with Eggman. This path amusingly plays with the idea though of him possibly actually being an android clone like Heroes proposed and what he would do with that knowledge.
Hero paths: Shadow influenced by Sonic and friends, leading him to possibly remember Maria and her promise and thus defending humanity, or begin to believe he is at fault and try to atone (semi-hero). The dark ending of the hero path is the oddest detail, but it’s less him straight siding with the Black Arms, to my understanding, and more…he’s just fed up with Sonic’s attitude. Sonic is kinda poking at that one as well, almost sounding like a less “fateful” battle but a fun competition.
All of these have variances on who Shadow is to different degrees, and that’s intentional. The only canon bits we can look at are the opening and Last Story. The opening has Shadow still amnesiac but being haunted by Maria’s death, which could’ve lead to the “pathetic humans” (that possibly plus, as we learn in Last Story, the Doom’s influence through Shadow sharing his blood. Last Story involves Shadow moving on from wondering about his past. It doesn’t matter who he was before, or what others say he is, he’s moving forward on his own path, determining his own fate, which does still involve saving humanity. Regardless of if he actually remembers the past or not, he’s moving forward.
sounds like the next writters hated the character and wanted to destroy him instead of showing afrection
tbh I feel like the sonic movie is gonna bring back the better version of shadow. It seems like the director has a soft spot for him. In an interview he even said that shadow was his favorite and one of the characters he wanted to bring into the movies the most. Doesn't mean I'm not at all worried they won't portray him right, but I do have some faith.
I might actually cry, and watch it if they do it really well since I’m not really into the first two.
Knuckles in recent media is presented as an idiot but in the movie any "dumb things" he does is him not being familiar to the human world. They brought back his glory of being a strong and serious character. I do have high hopes they won't make Shadow into a complete edge lord and I do believe they will do him right
Then maybe Sega will see how much better everyone likes him if it sells a lot of tickets and good Shadow will return to the games.
I feel like the Shadow game was more important for Gerald’s story than Shadow’s. It helped show him as initially a well-meaning scientist tinkering with powers beyond his control, and what his motivations were before they got corrupted by sorrow and revenge. It even heightens his cruelty turn, knowing that he intended the Eclipse Cannon, a weapon that was designed to save humanity from aliens, to instead destroy the planet in its hour of need.
_If the world chooses to become my enemy....I will fight like I always have._
Shadow
Best quote Shadow has ever said.
I essentially grew up in a daycare, and there we had a gamecube donated by the owners son. It came with a copy of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. I didn't play it myself because I was too young and easily anxious, so I watched the older kids play it--that was my first exposure to a Sonic game, and so it was also my first exposure to Shadow--and I LOVED him. I didn't know what it was at the time that drew me to him, but now thst I'm older, I completely understand why he was and still is my favorite.
I've dealt with my own share of trauma and grief, and I'm still working through a lot of it. Seeing Shadow work through it himself... it really spoke to me. He taught me, to put it simply, to not let your past and your trauma define you, but still let it shape and motivate you, to find ways to turn it into something _good_ instead of turning it into something destructive. When i first saw him learn that lesson when i was a little kid at daycare, that stuck with me. When i rewatch cutscenes, that message STILL sticks with me. It's a way of thinking that has gotten me through so much, and I'm happy it was Shadow who was able to teach me.
Sorry for the long ramble, Shadow is just very important to me 😅😅
No worries!
Don't be, all opinions are worth the spotlight
Absolutely fantastic character. My favourite too, I just love him so much. Shadow peaked in SA2, Heroes and 06.
Will Sonic Team achieve this level of storytelling again? We can only hope.
Thank God the Boom franchise failed though!
Their games failed with only fire and ice being the good one. The tv show was a massive success.
@@playerback7722
The cartoon was great, except for how it handled shadow
I'd say his game did him alright... When you untangle that horribly structured story. I beg you check the Japanese dubs.
@Playerback 772 Success might be stressing it because I hear more bad than good. I also hear that it can have funny moments but lacks in everything
@@j.c.2240 I would argue that their depiction of Knuckles also sucked. In my opinion, it is one of the worst cases of him being mischaracterized as a stupid tough guy
Shadow means very much to me. He doesn't speak much, but his friends know him and trust him. I like how he shows respect towards others (in his rivalry with Sonic or acknowledging that Eggman is a scientific doctor - no matter how evil). I like how Rouge cares for him, and in return cares for her on a personal level. Same with Omega.
His promise he gave to Maria - to bring hope to Humanity - is my life's motto.
I also do like Vegeta a lot for what he is and how his character evolved. But Shadow is no Vegeta, and I'm glad they're different.
I honestly don’t like shadow at this time and I hate how he has to basically be a babysitter for a different race that doesn’t care about them that’s exactly why I couldn’t stand sonic adventure two and I didn’t even bother watching this video because I couldn’t stomach it. Sonic should be Anthro only. And kill off egg man while you’re at it
@@TimmyTheTinman then why you’re even here commenting 🤡🤡lmao
@@RDEee-gd7jn At least process what I’m saying or is that too big for you
Well shadow is a Vegeta when you are thinking bare bones, but he’s more like a riku.
@@TimmyTheTinman Damn this is so much more edgy than Shadow, like seriously it just makes you sound like you hate humanity, and can’t stand that he has to come to terms with still believing in humanity, but you sound heartless like Gareld, in his final years don’t be like that, but no sonic should have human characters in it it’s why we can’t get good lore since they don’t put in the same effort they did when they had human, and adult depth they can’t do it as good with anthro characters. Okay with what you said to that person no it’s just a stupid opinion.
Shadow did have a pretty good portrayal as Lancelot in Sonic and the Black Knight. He isn't overly edgy or antagonistic. He only fights Sonic because he is ordered to. Once he finds out that Sonic isn't the villain, he willingly teams up with him. He does everything with dignity and honor.
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welp, more reasons to like Black Knight besides the lore of the game feeling like home to me in some way (I lived in England since the day I was born and Black Knight is based off of a British folklore! hence why it feels like home in a way)
Imagine if it was Forces Shadow who fought Silver in 06, and instead of helping him see Mephiles true intentions, he just beats the shit out of him, calls him "weak" and "pathetic" then just leaves.
Given how his character was described as "Emotionally Damaged", I don't think the writers are far off. What's important is that he NEEDS to be an introvert. Closed off (with a few shell cracks around Rouge who I hope will be in the movie too) and keeps to him self a lot. Then we'll be alright. And for the love of god, JASON GRIFFIN HAS TO VOICE SHADOW ONCE MORE! And, everything you said in this video, I hope happens too.
You mean, David Humphrey
@@mrlocolugo
No.
@@callumcrane241 he’s better than Jason , he doesn’t make him sound like a monotone edge lord. You need hearing aids or something ? 😂😂
@@mrlocolugo There's nothing edgy about his voice. Remember Sonic 06? No edge detected.
@@callumcrane241 so you’re telling me Jason conveys more emotion in that game than Humphrey in Sa2 ..?.
With Ian Flynn now on board on the main games and the movie staff showing that they do care and Jeff Fowler having experience with the franchise and knowing the characters looking how the whole team did Team Sonic justice i have faith Shadow will be as much as a hit as he was in 2001
Just hope SEGA doesn't ruin this one
I hope just like Roger, Kirk Thornton improves his Shadow voice to sound better. He’s a great va, but the recent scripts wanted to make Shadow sound too tryhard.
They could use some elements from MCU Winter Soldier treatment for Shadow in next movie.
Shadow in Adventure 2 you could say is a continuation of Gamma's story in Adventure 1 in a sense that both characters had emotional arcs with themes related to questioning your identity and purpose, something that is appreciated in a media series aimed at children and gives them great role models.
I'm interested to see how Sonic Frontiers will handle the characterisation side of things, what with a new writer in charge and one that has proven to have a basic understanding of the roster.
Both changed by Amy
That's pretty much the default for redeemable sonic antagonist.
They were both made by a creator with awful intentions since Gareld, reprogrammed him in the end.
I’m super happy to see more and more videos like this addressing the atrocious characterization of Shadow in the modern games. I have faith the 3rd movie will get him right, especially if Jeff Fowler directs (or plays a significant role). He has said in interviews that the character is very personal to him as a fan.
People are obviously free to prefer what they want, but I really believe there is a correct answer to this. The Shadow in SA2, Heroes, and ‘06 is objectively THE Shadow. Regardless of what anybody prefers, the fact is that he has already been established a particular way from his introduction. Fundamentally changing a character off screen and saying “oh he’s this way now I decided” isn’t how writing works.
Sega dropped their “two worlds” mandate though, one can only hope…
I don’t need to get into this to long, but all i have to say it’s sad I just hope shadow, can return to his real self they could have had a better thing going in forces, and hell I’d argue SA2, shadow, is the best.
Shadow has been & will always be my boi, even though SEGA keeps wanting to turn him into something he's not.
Shadow means a lot to me, I may have enjoyed Sonic before but Shadow is what truly made me a fan of the series; I was a lonely, shy, and quiet kid (still am) who had trouble making friends (still do), but Shadow made me feel validated as person & hopeful for the future.
Which is why it infuriates me that SEGA keeps wanting to turn him into a cheap Vegeta copy without any of the charm or character. But with the recent Pat Casey & Jeff Fowler interviews, I have major faith in how they'll adapt him.
Here's hoping that SEGA will pull their head out of the ground and actually start fixing things, it seems they've taken the rights steps recently but time will tell if they stay the course.
Edit: Incredible vid btw, forgot to say it because I got a little too caught up in my spiel.
You valids is well founded
I so hope that Shadow's movie iteration follows his sa2 characterization. There's just something so awesome about imagining the current audience getting to experience the same shadow that I did as a kid.
It makes me wonder why Sega missed the opportunity to maybe make a team dark game ? (Though they would likely have butchered it and 06 highlighted the team thankfully)
I enjoyed the vid and great analysis! 👍🏾
Why do people like team dark so much?
@@epicness877 The characters are memorable by themselves & were satisfying when they debuted in Sonic Heroes as a team with a standout story that progressed the events of Adventure 2 / the general significance of Eggman as you learn from: Heroes / Shadow the hedgehog / sonic 06
For its time, it was quite nice & naturally people got invested in the characters with time & Sega is self-aware, hence the support & cameos you see throughout
@@NapBlack i havent heard of the sa2 progression side of things very much, but I guess i can watch the cutscenes
Alright rewatched the heros cutscenes and i dunno, it was alright. Rouge has her sly sensual snark as usual, with a touch of sympathy resonating for Shadow in particular. It was mostly a slap dash for Eggman with a few concepts revealed and touched on for 2 seconds
@epicness877 That's fine. It was new for it's time so naturally, people became invested with the chars as the titles progressed throughout the Adventure-Dark age era.
Shadow's character in Battle was so amazing and i'm glad it gets brought up more nowadays. Another game, although pretty insignificant, was sonic rivals. Where he spends the whole game trying to save rouge and along the way was playfully teasing other characters and it never comes off as him being an asshole. It was a nice change of pace! I don't remember much from rivals 2 besides being partnered up with metal sonic, but I believe he's the same there too!!
@Shadowhulk45 i don't remember much, ig i'll rewatch a cutscene compilation soon 🤷♀️ but i still doubt its no where near as bad as he was in meta era
I think the thing that hurts me most about Shadow as a character is how many people seemed to hate him from the beginning, and straight up refused to see anything good about him; people would complain when he was at his best!
You've heard the complaints I'm talking about!
"Shadow wasn't in the Classic games, so that automatically makes him bad!"
"His backstory is nothing but cringey fan fiction, like it was written by loser weaboos who want to make Sonic a lame Anime!"
"The voice acting is so bad it makes my ears bleed! Wasn't it so much better when Sonic characters didn't talk?"
"His design is so stupid! Just a lame recolour of Sonic, like those cringey fan characters you see on Deviant Art! They should bring back Mighty the Armadillo, since he's nothing like that whatsoever!" (I swear, I once talked to someone who said that! He accused Shadow of being a lazy recolour of Sonic, but praised Mighty's design, and when I pointed out that Mighty was just as much of a recolour as Shadow, they vehemently denied it! It's the classic "Old=Good, New=Bad" mindset!)
"Shadow the Hedgehog? More like Shadow the.... EDGE-HOG! Huh? Huh? Get it? Cos he's Edgy! Edgy the Hedgy, am I right? Man I'm so funny and original!"
"Sega should just get rid of him, along with all of Sonic's stinky friends!"
It's just the same crap we've heard a million times from people who have no idea what they're talking about. Constructive criticism is one thing, but none of this stuff is constructive at all; if anything it's Destructive criticisms! That, I truly believe, is why Shadow is like this nowadays, because Sega are turning him into what all of the Sonic haters and detractors THINK he is and always has been!
Absolutely. People like to crutch on regurgitating whatever they hear + the "old = good, new = bad" (when it isn't ALL that inherently true) argument like you mentioned. Those people make me yawn, and really shouldn't blab about Shadow's character if they haven't done their research or at least tried understanding there's more to him.
@@ashwinghm What's even more irritating is the fact THESE are the people who Sega are ultimately listening to. Almost like they're thinking "Well, the critics must know best!" Most of the time it feels like that simply isn't the case.
I've always said that Sonic games AREN'T just about the gameplay. Many fans grew to like these games through the Adventure series and have a strong liking for the story, the setting, the history and lore, and yes even the expansive cast of characters, not just Sonic! So the way I see it, Sega aren't doing themselves any favours by sweeping so many aspects that the fans love under the rug and just underutilizing them. However I spoke to someone online recently who said " But what's the point in putting so much focus on that stuff? The only ones who are going to like them are the fans! All that will do is drive away the casual gamers!" It's just proof that there are people out there who see Sonic fan's opinions as an afterthought, and it really does feel like Sega think that way too.
It's like, a Sonic fan could suggest to Sega "We as fans really think you need to up your game with the Sonic series. There's more that people like from Sonic than just 2D, Black Eyes, and Green Hill. We'd really like to see a game that has some heart to it, with a compelling story, and well written characters who are not only playable, but actually do something worthwhile in the story, not just shoved to the sidelines to make Sonic look cooler all throughout! Trust us, Sega! You're really not doing your fans any favours when you half arse your stories and flanderize your characters!" However, Sega will likely respond with "NOPE, CAN'T DO IT! TOO DIFFICULT! THIS IS WHAT SONIC IS! YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LIKE IT AND LUMP IT!"
And yet when some whiner goes "Urgh, I hate Sonic's stupid friends, get rid of 'em! I hate sitting through yucky cutscenes, just let me play the game! The old games are a KAJILLION times better than these awful new ones, just go back to the old style! Sonic isn't meant to be a character, he's just a video game sprite! Just a silly cartoon animal, and should Sega should NEVER try to make him anything more than that!" That's when Sega goes "YOU HEARD 'EM BOYS! GET TO IT! MAKE CHANGES, MAKE SONIC INTO.... WHATEVER THEY JUST SAID! THESE PEOPLE CLEARLY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT! THESE PEOPLE WHO DON'T EVEN LIKE SONIC AREN'T HAPPY, GOTTA KEEP 'EM HAPPY!" It's just ridiculous!
@@bowmaj8666 GUH 😦
So, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy! That IS irritating- I only JUST returned to the Sonic franchise after 8+ years of hyper-fixating on other things. Now, I’m watching a lot of videos about what’s been more or less going on. I hadn’t an inkling before that there was much more of a cause to Sonic’s decline in more recent years until, well, basically now.
I feel bad, truly. I really do. As someone who had consumed Sonic media at the most surface level when I was younger, it only makes me realize I would’ve really ENJOYED there being more to explore about certain characters or the lore itself, and that SEGA perhaps listens to certain loud voices too much. I wholly believe it’s good that SEGA considers what fans want, but when the fans and “loud voices” are practically manning the ship, SEGA becomes part of the crew instead.
Shadow is my favorite character in the series. And I hope Sonic 3 gives respect to him as introverted , compassionate, and traumatized hero. I strongly disagree with what Sega has done to him for the past decade. Shadow will always one if not the most human characters. Shadow in 06 is my favorite iteration and I hope he will be like that in the future. And the movie , while it may not be like SA2 directly. I hope that his characterization is like it and not a edgelord. However, only time will tell.
Yeah!
If they make him like boom shadow i will actually cry.
But the second sonic movie fixed tails and knuckles so i have high hops for shadow!
@@LannyLeArtist it's possible. However, since that portrayal and the modern shadow plus the edgelord memes that have been around for the past decade. I hope someone on the development team looks at videos like this to get shadow right.
I would cry too let’s hope they know what they’re doing. :)
I don't want a openly compassionate Shadow, that's not who he is
What I like about Shadow's story throughout almost every game between SA2 and 06 is that a lot of the added details actually make a lot of sense. The amnesia he got after being found by Rouge in Heroes? Gerald has tinkered with his mind before so either Eggman had an easy time tampering with Shadow's memory as well or his mind is just more prone to errors because of the previous alteration. The red and black color scheme? Doesn't make a lot of sense why Gerald would use such sinister colors, especially if the theory that he found the Hidden Palace mural and based Shadow off of Super Sonic is correct. So that's where the DNA of the Black Arms who have that color scheme come in
I’m excited to see Shadow in the third Sonic movie. From what I’ve heard, they wanna make Shadow an emotionally damaged character which to me seems like a step in the right direction
I hope Daniel Craig voices him.
Yep that is a good sign. I’ve heard that they are going to take inspiration from Sonic adventure 2 which is also a good sign.
And personally I think Keanu Reeves should play Shadow, wouldn’t that be cool
@@abigailhedderly4978 I think everyone wants Keanu Reeves to voice Shadow in the third movie lol
If the Sonic movies can redeem Tails and Knuckles to their former glory, I can certainly bet Shadow will get the same kind of treatment. Even if his backstory gets modified a bit to fit the Cinematic Universe.
You immediately had me hooked at "Redemption personified, hope of the people"
I prefer Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure 2 was about wanting revenge on Humanity for what happened on the Ark 50 years ago then did a 180 and turned good and died, Sonic Heroes opened more of Shadow's character, He came back with the most overused plot point of every video game amnesia mostly to give the players the idea if this Shadow is the same Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2 or an Android.
Shadow the Hedgehog (the game) was the wrap up on His character arc, yes the plot is stupid but We learn more of Shadow and why Black Doom was using Him as a puppet or Eggman lied to Him being an Android, Shadow still suffered from amnesia, but it was the final story where We learn that Prof. Gerald Robotnik used DNA from Black Doom to finish Project Shadow, once Shadow breaks out of Black Doom's gas Shadow says this line wrapping up His character arc, "I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I've left the past behind me. No one can tell me what to do now! I will destroy you, Black Doom!!"
That line alone pretty much said that Shadow has come to term on who He is and by Sonic Battle and *cough Sonic 06 cough* His character was fully developed, I prefer if Shadow to be like Proto Man from Mega Man, A lone wolf who will defend Humanity but for Shadow case, it's going to be for a promise He made and only joined G.U.N and help Sonic to keep that promise (which was seen in Sonic IDW issue 36 where Shadow helps Sonic to stop an avalanche as a way of saying "Sorry I should have listened to You, I was a jackass").
However in Sonic Movie 3, Pat Kasey said that Shadow will be emotionally damage making Movie Shadow somewhat like an evil John Wick who joined with Robotnik and Stone to destroy humanity and will be a hard one to join Team Sonic, that Sonic will tell Shadow on how He lost Longclaw or Knuckles losing His people and how they coped with it with Shadow won't cope from His lost from Maria. I hope Jeff Fowler will make Shadow a good character (heck We worked on Shadow the Hedgehog so I think Shadow will be in good hands with Jeff unlike how He was in Sonic Boom)
Man, your summary of SA2 made me a slight emotional mess because, just yes. It perfectly encapsulates everything I love and adore about Shadow and what makes him just such an amazing character. The depth of the fact he was created to basically just be used by others - be it humanity or Black Doom to come later - but he found his own purpose in the relationship he made with Maria, based on the interactions he himself had with her, and decided he wanted to do good to honour her and fulfil his promise. There’s the honest and powerful depiction of his pain and grief shown in his backstories. And then, there’s the rawness of the fact that humanity had literally done nothing but hurt Shadow at this point, only for him to still end up choosing to save them in the end, and continue to protect them at that. It’s why I don’t understand people who say he should have been left dead or he doesn’t have much point anymore. He can still be an amazing character in the aftermath of his SA2 arc, he’s still such a strong character with such potential and you can do so many cool things with him - his arc in Sonic 06 shows that, which is why SEGA need to not shy away so hard from 06 and not ignore the actual good things that did find their way into that game.
And yeah, don’t even get me started about Shadow’s spin-off game and how it essentially repeats Shadow’s arc from SA2 and has him relearning the exact same lessons and just rediscovering his promise to Maria. All I can say is there a reason I did a complete rewrite of Shadow’s game with the change of him never getting amnesia in the first place and turning it into a single cohesive story. Because that game is a mess narrative-wise.
Shadow was such an incredible character and we all remember that. That’s why it sucks so much that his portrayal has taken such a turn. There are a lot of outside factors that affect it sure - ahem the mandates - but a step in the right direction would be to pay attention to what Shadow’s character used to be and adjusting accordingly, and not being afraid to just let characters take a respectable backseat if it means keeping their characterisation accurate rather than shoving things in them for the sake of plot like what was done to Shadow and Tails in Forces. Hopefully with the movies and the long awaited change in game writers, we can get some good characterisation back.
Actually that wasn't what his arc was at all in his own game.
It was about forming his own agency and person (in the Last Story at least which is the only canon ending) something he lacked in SA2. in Sa2 he only saved humanity bc Maria wanted him to. He saus it himself as he falls to Earth "Maria, this what YOU wanted right? This is my promise i made to YOU".
In his own game he decides to let go of his past and he chooses to save the world by his own will.
Now in one of the ALTERNATE endings, that is what happens. He just regains his memory of Maria's promise and goes back to just being an extension of Maria's will like he was in Sa2.
Honestly if they can get Knuckles' Character right in the movie, I have high hopes for them to get Shadow right
Something I loved about Sonic 06 (despite its flaws) is how well depicted the characters were, especially Shadow, since it's one of the few versions of him (alongside SA2 and Heroes) that doesn't act like an Edgelord that's either obssesed with defeating Sonic and/or doesn't care about anything else, but rather someone who beneath his cold demeanor, truly cares for his friends and values his bonds with them.
He makes him generic and indistinguishable from Sonic holding the same idealistic quality of valuing friendship and heroism from just no reason. Shadow's better when his idealistic quality are still hidden by a dark agenda like he's at his very core a dark place kinda guy despite being one of the good guys like Batman or the Punisher.
Yeah I am of a similar mindset, I'm not going to acknowledge any of SEGA's cancerous retcons if it contradicts with the actual events and lore of the games. SEGA you can't pretend Team Dark isn't a thing and Shadow doesn't have friends when you outright show both are indeed the case. IMO the true Shadow is the one from A2 to 06 and I would like to have him back and really focus on him being a agent of GUN. (Its something I really liked about the Archie canon)
I'm not too bothered by Shadow's game however, I figure if I had amnesia and then suddenly out of the blue I regain a memory of me and a young girl running from the military only for said girl to be murdered right in front of me it would throw me off as well. I love the additions to the lore the game has, (explaining why the benevolent Gerald built the Eclipse Canon being one of my favorites) the three way war and giving GUN a perspective character, which not only humanizes GUN a bit, the character development the Commander gets redeems GUN and sets up my favorite Team Dark moments in 06. I really like Shadow's interactions with the Commander and the President in his training after joining GUN. (Which is the story behind the hard mode) It really helps that apparently the Pure Hero path is the canon route, which is also the route where Shadow is in character. Really its the forced morality system that screws over the game from being at least as good as Heroes.
I liked playing Shadow the Hedgehog, then again I played the Gamecube version so I played the version that worked (except for the two crashes and that one script error in one of the hero missions, but I hated that one anyway).
I liked the Modern Shadow and I liked the Boom Shadow as well, but I'm 38 and grew up on Saturday Morning cartoons in the 80's and 90's, which most didn't (He's that one character that's the reason you got episodes that were multiple parts). My issues with the character has to do with Sega themselves keep in mind I said Sega not Sonic Team since Sega tells them what to do and Sega has always gotten in its own way.
I enjoyed Shadow most in SA2 Battle - 06 and also in Forces though the latter makes me wonder why Infinite didn't target him since he's the one that took out his whole squad and traumatized the bastard faster than Goku traumatized Frieza, but no have him obsessed with Sonic for some reason.
I hated what the Metal Virus arc did to him. Him wanting to kill Ivo, I understand (this was seven months after forces), but getting turned into a zombie when he has the easiest way to engage them without endangering himself. That made me think Sega wants Akira Toriyama to notice them though Naka isn't around to do that for them. Let Shadow be Shadow it's why I like him not the stupid meme shit that exists for fans that barely have two braincells.
Shadow being a Vegeta clone is pretty ironic considering how Izuka sated that he doesn't want the Sonic series to be too similar to Dragon Ball, which is why Hyper forms hasn't return.
Indeed. I’ll never understand that for the life of me!
I was first introduced to Shadow in Boom. Gotta say, he was my least favorite Sonic character at the time, even when I decided looked at random cutscenes from other Sonic games.
I can’t remember what piqued my interest (it was probably because I had watched the same type of video but centered on Silver), but I remember watching a video here on UA-cam detailing Shadow’s true character. That was enough for me to start watching his scenes in SA2, Heroes, 06, and, yes, even his own game. Now he’s in my top 3 favorite characters and I forcibly laugh when he shows up in any Boom material anymore just because of how overly edgy he is there (or I just bite my lip and watch it like a train wreck).
It’s amazing how a character can become one’s least favorite to one of one’s favorite just by watching a character analysis 🤔
I didn't even think about how they might portray shadow in the 3rd movie... I hope they do a good faithful job like they did with the other characters. I can't wait to see what they come up with
Jeff Fowler and the rest of the Sonic Movie team need to see this.
I think the movie might be in good hands though. The director has previously worked on the cutscenes for Shadow solo game, Jeff Fowler has a great deal of love for the character!
Shadow is still my favorite Sonic character after all these years.
When I was young I found him to be cooler than Sonic, now he's my fave because he's IMO the most fleshed out character with a compelling arc that I'm still interested to see where it goes.
Shadow the Hedgehog is my favorite character in the entire franchise. Shadow's story progress from his debut to Sonic '06 is one of the most incredible arcs for a character in any media. From a tragic villian to a pragmatic hero, I love Shadow's character. While his portrayal in his titicular game is a bit of a mess, I enjoy the lore elements present in the game such as his connection to the black arms and Gerald's original goal for shadow. The Black Arms are demonic world conquering aliens and shadow could have been just like them, but Shadow proved to be a hero in the end by defeating Black Doom and his army. Even when he tried to destroy the Earth it was more out of vengeance than generic villiany. While he has gone through the ringer with his characterization since the 2010s, I do hope to see the true version of our favorite black and red hedgehog again.
As for how I think Paramount will handle Shadow, I think he's in good hands. Knuckles was done pretty well in the second Sonic film and clearly had taken inspiration from the early to mid-200s portrayal than than the new games (through paying tribute to Boom Knuckles by basing his physique on that version of the character). They truely seem to be paying tribute to the franchise and treating it with care, so I'd imagine that we'll get our favorite introverted hedgehog back in action.
I like it too. I also think Black Doom us very underrated as a villain. Like how he represents the devil on Shadows shoulder (given his design) and how he's a dark reflection to Shadow at the end of the game.
You have Super Shadow who's gone through his troubles but had finally chosen for HIMSELF on who he wants to be and chooses to save the world by his own accord. He stands as humanity's last hope.
Then you have Devil Doom, a vile and horror like abomination with an intense hatred of humanity, desiring to punish them with a fate even worse then death. Representing all of Shadows trauma, grief, guilt, his inner demon and his cursed past.
I don't know if they took knuckles physique from boom because he's always had it
@@dominiclowe3640 Knuckles in Boom is very top heavy and more muscular than his main game counterpart. Movie Knuckles has the the the details of his game counterpart, but is closer to that top heavy design from Sonic Boom. Heck, in the main games Knuckles is the same size as Sonic, while in the film he's a head so taller.
First >:) thx for the long video bro
You are definitely my favorite Sonic channel on UA-cam and I feel like you have a better grasp of the characters than most people do, I'm really grateful that you're taking the time to do this series and look into why people love the various characters in this franchise.
Shadow has always been one of my favorite characters from any media. His story arc and complexities have resonated with me since I was 6 years old.
My first Sonic game was SA2, and at the time I was living in a pretty abusive household away from my friends and the family that had been raising me. So Shadow's anger, grief, and loneliness really spoke to me, and it was amazing to see how he grew from it all in the end. SA2 and Shadow's role in it were the only things that really got me through that time period.
He was my first hero.
It was heartbreaking to see his character devolve into what it is now after his perfect character development in 06, it made me lose interest in the series I used to love, and I haven't played a Sonic game since then.
I honestly cried when I saw his reveal at the end of the second Sonic movie, and I truly hope they do his character justice after all of these years of him being a Vegeta clone.
I’m really glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for sharing your story!
You know you kind of sound like Shadow in SA2.
Comparing my voice to David Humphrey? I can only take as the biggest or complements! 😁
Shadow will always be my favorite character. The shadow back in early 2000s really related to me I remember. I always saw his relationship to Maria much like a sibling bond and with having two younger brothers myself I understood the feeling of revenge. If a government executed my brothers just based upon association I would wanna see it all burn too.
Shadow always has that caring side to him that resembles an older brother type. Sure he’s a lil cold around the edges due to the horrible trauma he has faced, but he’s extremely wise because of said tragedies and it makes him feel more human for that. Idk if this will make any sense since I’m just rambling rn, but the point is that shadow is too much of a complex character for him to be boiled down to just one thing without completely dismantling what he is. He’s many things, he’s caring, he’s damaged, he’s loyal, he uses his actions to mainly talk, he’s stoic I believe. He isn’t some Namek arc Vegeta clone. He’s his own flawed and fleshed out character and I will always see him as that no matter what.
I have very good trust in the writers for the Sonic movies to see the true shadow and do him right in the Sonic 3 movie. I hope that Sega will get ambitious again in the near future and bring back that lovable and complex version of shadow to the fans.
Shadow my favorite character too. Definitely hope they do the movie right usually they do listen to the fans so think the probably do a sonic 3 to be similar to the Shadow of Sonic Adventure 2. Least hope so.
Shadow the Hedgehog is Interesting and Complex Character and He's One of my Favorites in the Franchise,he's Backstory is Dark,Deep,Emotional,Heartbreaking,and Realistic,Game like Sonic Adventure 2 Battle,Sonic Heroes,Shadow the Hedgehog,and Sonic 06 makes the Ultimate Lifeform the Longest Character Exploration in the Entire Franchise and a Full Circle of His Character Development and Representing the Past that has to be Faced so you Could Move Forward and keep the Promise to a Fallen Friend,now I Despise what the Fanbase and Sega are treating Him,both Turned Him into a Heartless Cash Cow with No Personality and too Afraid of takeling a Dark Story,making Him into a Former Shadow and Crack Reflection of His Former Self,I never wanted Shadow to be in Sonic 3 because like the Recent Games they are Baiting Use on a Cash Cow without the Many Characters in the Franchise that can Have the Spotlight or even be Playable and then when they bring back the Character what Else are they are Going to do?Replace Sonic and Friends and turn Him into everything Wrong about the Ultimate Lifeform?I Hope and Pray that Future Game and Sonic 3 are Good and Faithful to the Character but Only Time will Tell.
I seriously hope SEGA/Sonic Team watches your videos Mark. You give great insight as to why these characters matter in universe and why people fell in love with this franchise back in the day.
Also, not gonna lie, I kinda see you writing a Sonic comic at some point in time, in my opinion of course.
Another banger video and a job well done good sir. Give yourself a pat on the back and stay way past cool!👍🏾
I think that SEGA is simply scared of Shadow because they know that if written right he could become more popular than Sonic ever was. Personally, as an introvert, I always found Shadow more fascinating and relatable. At this point, I am STARVED for any kind of interaction between Shadow and the other characters...
excellent video as always. i bet the only people who like modern day shadow are outsiders who make ow the edge/kill la kill jokes everytime he's brought up in a conversation. every character in this franchise has been flanderized into one note single trait mascot personalities for the sake of accessibility and it's disgusting. shadow suffered from it the most, and i honestly don't see it changing with how desperate sonic team is on simplifying and expanding the series for newcomers. way to insult both them and veteran fans. maekawa didn't deserve this happening to such a beloved character.
Shadow loves #Killlakill (#Sonictwittertakeover)
I absolutley love shadow and im quiet and introvert butnits a shame what sega has done too shadow and the mandates thst suround his character amd they make it really hard for shadow too be himself and he has too be written as a vegeta knock off too make him less popular then sonic
This video was perfect
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Seeing how SCU Knuckles completely threw out meathead Knuckles and made him a warrior again? Yeah I think Jeff Fowler and the writers will redeem him even harder
Shadow went from the best to one of the worst Sonic characters imo. I'm afraid of what they might do with him in Sonic 3.
We can only hope that the movie understands Shadow as well as they understood Knuckles. I liked the way the movie married the stoic Knuckles of the old games with what little good remained in his Modern character, and I hope Shadow can meet that same fate.
When it comes to Shadow, people always tend to forget that he is kind of an introvert, he prefers to stay alone and draws energy from it but also deeply care about his close friends and is highly sensitive, but kinda shields himself off from others (maybe also because of his power so he doesn't hurt anyone per accident still).
You really nailed all the things that make Shadow so memorable and lovable!
I just love the depth of his character and especially his found-family-trope for Team Dark, and I also really hope they remove all the stupid mandates so he can finally be his peak self as he was in Sonic 06. Speaking of this game, Shadows Story was fucking amazing and I just find it funny that Mephiles would have had a much better chance to deceive Shadow in other games than in this particular one - like imagine it.
This poor hedgehog suffered enough from an identitiy crisis already and a devil on his shoulder could more than easy turn him around to the dark side for real(I mean to be honest to be told that one of your best friends kills you in the future ordered by the organization that brought you so much pain but decided to help them regardledd for the good in humanity is...harsh to say the least). But in 06 he finally found his identity and has support in his closest friends and allies(Boom Shadow quakes in fear) - and stands strong against the devil himself which shows just his character growth so well I just love it so much.
Also, unpopular opinion or something, but please I loved his 06 model because of his fangs!! I already liked them in the art for his game but please I love to see some fangs they suit him so well imo!
A fantastic video truly I really enjoyed watching it! I found your channel literally yesterday and can't wait to watch all of your past videos! Keep up the good content, I really enjoy listening to you!
I think I might get a bike
Or a gun
You forgot his Sonic Rivals 2 & Sonic Chronicles depictions. I know few people have played through both of them although he was depicted well in them. His entire goal in Chronicles prior to joining Sonic & his friends on their mission was to find & save his friend Omega. Also I'm not sure if you are aware of the theory that Infinite's backstory with Shadow wasn't what actually happened. Episode Shadow was filled with illusions to where you & Shadow can't tell what the reality is & it can go further by suggesting Infinite may believe a false reality that he tries to force onto Shadow.
As for the endings of Shadow's game it makes sense if you consider the Dark Half as what if timelines where Shadow was manipulated by Black Doom & Eggman. Final Haunt Dark: Shadow is convinced that he needs to fight Sonic with every intention of taking down Black Doom himself later. Cosmic Fall Hero: Shadow is convinced that his creation caused way too much suffering. Cosmic Fall Dark: Shadow spares Eggman & assumes the role of guarding The Ark. Lava Shelter Hero: Shadow believing himself to be an android overthrows Eggman to free his creations alongside Omega. By the point he enters Gun Fortress he's already too far gone from Black Doom's brainwashing which likely backfired with him being likely to interfere with the Black Arms objectives as he goes all out with either destroying or conquering & ruling over everything.
From standing by his friends to not being able to stand them.
I hope they do this character justice in the next film as I feel like the events of sa2 could be even more impactful on the big screen.
Let’s just hope they don’t show a 12 year old girl getting shot on the big screen either.
But seriously I love this character and really don’t want him to get butchered like in the games. His self redemption is one of my favourite throughout the series (probably coming second to Gamma) that basically made Sonic the series I love today - it takes itself seriously and isn’t afraid to be heartfelt. Loved this video!
I hope I'm not too late to comment and shadow does have a great history with a backstory that is just dark and maria sure cares for him so I hope keanu reeves will be the voice of shadow in sonic movie 3 and your videos are the best!
Shadow is a cool character.
I think that people are giving Maria way too much credit in Shadow personality in Sonic 06. Yes, Maria was his best friend and all but Shadow made the decision to protect humanity because that's the right think to do according to him and HIMSELF ONLY. We saw in the end of StH that Shadow left his past behind him and no one will tells him what to do, he is his own person now
Maria literally was the reason Shadowed started helping Humanity in the first place. Asking him to do it, and telling him this was the reason he was created. Prompting him to abort his misguided plans to destroy the earth and save it instead.
No Maria isn’t around anymore to directly influence him, and Shadow without a doubt has had huge personally growth on his own terms. But he still started down this path for her. And even though he wants to do it now, the planet wouldn’t even still exist were it not for her.
Yeah, Shadow's path toward becoming the hero that he is now was far more complex than just Maria. After all, it was Gerald's final truth in his recorded message that put to bed all of Shadow's questions about why he was brought into the world. Once he fulfills that purpose and destroys the Black Comet, it marked the end of his search for answers, and allowed him to finally move toward the future without looking back.
He decides on his own to return to Rouge and Omega, because they were the ones who supported him through his amnesia (when he was at his most vulnerable), and ultimately helped fill the void left by Gerald and Maria. His friendship with them, and his reconciliation with Commander Tower provided a framework for the life he would go on to live. Which would eventually be tested in 06.
Shadow is the most awesome character and with a story that is sad and dark so this video is amazing and maria sure is a close and true friend to shadow!
I love shadow, my favorite sonic character thanks for talking about him
No problem! :)
"You're WEAK, and you know what MAKES you weak? Your loyalty to your pathetic friends."
Oh, God, the irony and complete lack of self-awareness in that quote... Ugh.
10000% Agree! Adventure 2, Heros, skip Shadows own game to 06 is my preferred Shadow
"Shadow the Hedgehog" (2005) on the PS2 was my first Sonic game and I still love it. I kinda feel sad whenever people bash it. SA2, Heroes, Shadow 05 & Sonic 06 are his four-game character arc.
Same. Shadow's self titled game, while deserving of some criticism, often gets viewed with narrow-minded dismal. Completely ignoring how integral that game was not just in his overall development (it litterally wraps up and completes the story started in SA2 & Heroes, allowing for 06 to put a bow on it), and his iconography in the series. It comes off as childish sometimes, how so many people can't get past the surface level "edginess" of the game to look at all of the CRUCIAL things it did for the character.
I can list off a dozen different examples, but just to name a few: Chaos Blast, the blue rapid teleportation variant of Chaos Control, resolving Shadow's amnesia & sense of of personal identity, pushing G.U.N. (and humanity at large) to redeeming themselves, explaining the purpose of the Eclipse Canon (and why the selfless, humanitarian Gerald Robotnik would've made it before ever going insane), showing us who Gerald truly was before losing Maria, giving us an in-universe reason for elements of Shadow's design & why he can use Chaos Control without an emerald (inheriting both of these things from Black Doom), etc.
We even get to see what it would've looked had he decided to allow his past (or shattered memories of his past) to force him to become either malevolent, or or morally righteous. A character-study, if you will, albeit not as good as it could've been.
@@DLxxx
You made a great reply sir/madam. Thank you.
Kirk Thornton's voice-direction & the writing for Shadow in the Meta Era & Sonic Boom isn't based on Shadow 05 but based on the internet's dumb ignorant negative reaction to the game.
I recently saw the Dark Story from start to finish in Japanese and I have to say I felt like there was way more stakes and danger from the Black Arms compared to Eggman taking over the planet with Infinite. Maybe outside that one bit of Infinite wiping out a couple resistance soldiers in that one scene I didn't really get much of threat from either Eggman or him with his giant sun that is real, but it's fake, but it's totally real but only to certain people causing it to be fake... Between that and Sonic's "torture*" and Tails "losing it*" (*according to the English dub) is it really that hard to see why I find it hard to care about what's happening?
@DL so glad to see others here talking about and liking his self-titled game. It was fun, and yeah, story-wise I felt it handled his post Heroes state well and is necessary to transition him to ‘06. I share a lot of views of what you said.
Nobody says you aren't allowed to like bad games, I myself really enjoy 06 soooo
Shadow is and will always be my childhood hero. Nothing can ever take that ways. No mandate, no Flanderization no shit writing. To me he will always be a Brave and heroic hedgehog that gave his life to save their planet. He will always have bonded with team dark. He will have always have made a life long friend and rival. He will have always have found peace and got to live his second chance with purpose. He will have always have told Memphis Tennessee where to shove it.
Nothing can or will change history.
I don't remember exactly in what sonic twitter takeover it was, but shadow had a very wholesome moment of talking about friendship so i guess there's still a spark of hope
yeah, maybe in most of the twitter takeovers he's very edgy and stuff but i see this as a oportunity of getting the shadow we know back
Edit: i found it i think, its on sonic twitter takeover #5 at 19:37
I think the most recent one had him reminisce about when he was falling and Sonic reaching out for him.
@@davidbeer5015 Yeah you're right
World while hates Sonic Modern Era: Who are you without title of Ultimate Life Form?
Shadow the Hedgehog: Agent GUN (#Sonic06), Knight of the Round Table (#SonicandBlackKnight), florist (#Soniclegodimensions), philanthropist, poet (#Sonictwittertakeover).
Ok I’m just gonna say what’s on my mind. If they made Knuckles voice that sexy in sonic 2 can you imagine what Shadow’s voice will sound like in 3?
For both frontiers and movie shadow I want a mix of 06 and adventure 2 shadow. Shadow was one of my heroes growing up along with sonic when my friend told me about a game where shadow hurt sonic even as a 7 year old I was enraged. Shadow would never!
The worst thing about the Vegeta comparisons is ***Vegeta*** even outgrows this, sure he has walls thick as mountains, but he has obvious caring moments, and he even says his sacrifice in one arc is for his family he's made on earth, and even Goku. They behave like a classic sibling dynamic with trying to outdo eachother. Shadow having Vegeta parallels should've been a ***positive*** if anything, but they took all the flattest parts from Vegeta at his worst and least interesting.
and Team Dark is still a thing, see Forces for proof.
And no, Sega has never told us they aren't a thing anymore.
Flynn is not *Sega*
He works with them and has recounted his interactions with them. Unless you’re calling him a liar, and that’s just an unprovable statement and your opinion.
I love your channel and I hope keanu reeves will be the voice of shadow in sonic movie 3!
Im actually hoping they bring his adventure 2 personality into the third movie. Most of all I PRAY that he doesn't fall like in the game. I don't think I can take that.😣
with the way paramount revealed his character i have high hopes that they will aim more towards the adventure era of his character
I'm actually fairly confident in Sonic Movie 3's portrayal of Shadow, they definitely have potential to take the character in a bad direction but so far Jeff Fowler and the writers seem to be fairly good at pulling from the great aspects of these characters that ended up getting overshadowed or forgotten in modern depictions.
Of course if movie Shadow is really bad you all have my full and total permission to absolutely whip me in the replies.
One of my favorite parts of both Shadow and Sonic’s characters was how they never really felt the need to justify their actions. Their motives belonged to only them, and ironically both of them are heavily motivated by friendship and love. I live for how much the Sonic franchise focuses on friendship. I know “the power of friendship” is a really cheesy anime trope, but something about how Sonic delivers it, I am absolutely obsessed with
Fantastic video as always! I would be very hopeful that movie Shadow lives up to our lofty expectations given how well Tails and Knuckles have been handled so far, but I'm definitely less sure about Frontiers. We'll just have to wait and see I guess, but yeah, bring back proper Shadow!
How they've ruined shadow breaks my heart and i hope sonic movie 3 does what sonic movie 2 did for knuckles respect the character and not flanderize
I feel one of the issues of Shadow was actually plagued by the beginning. He was written to have a complete arc and let it be the end. SA2 was where he was meant to die, a symbol of human error that can be corrected. It’s hard to keep writing an arc that reached its purpose and I feel Shadow suffered the most from it.
My fear of Sonic 3 is that they’ll keep bringing Shadow back, to milk his image for popularity. Of course Fowler is on the crew, but they’re gonna have to decide either a Complete Arc or Popularly.
If Shadow hadn’t discovered Team Dark (a thing that was also just dropped for no reason) I would 100% agree! He definitely did have a complete arc in one game. But Team Dark allowed him to move on to something else and redefine himself. There was plenty they could have done with Shadow if they out any effort into him. Including teaming him up with Silver like they did in 06.
@@AceCardGaming That also depends if Team Dark is going to be a thing in the movies at all. Not saying Shadow doesn’t deserve them, but we just don’t know how long this movie series will go. All I’m saying is, they need to be careful how they integrate characters from this point forward to not risk flanderization or burn out too soon(Something Sonic isn’t immune too and will happen again, too many characters with similarities). Ratchet was able to overcome this by growing up and his world with Rift Apart. It’s very easy to fall into this trap over and over again, something I’m kinda glad Nintendo keeps in check with Mario and other IPs as well.
How he will be used even in the first instance is even a concern. So I definitely agree how they re-use him beyond the third movie will be, interesting to say the least!
It’s by no means a sure thing. As with anything that’s temporarily licensed to a third party. But if the games could revive him and eventually give him meaning, there’s no reason the movies can’t too if given the time and effort.
@@AceCardGaming Definitely. The lack of side games no doubt hurt the brand in the long run, so many characters underutilized and not enough resources to dust them off(or game fails one time and never to be touched again). One of the many reasons I like Mario over Sonic is his cast flourished in side games, Warioware especially where it has a very entertaining cast. It’s impressive how much side games can do for characters that can bring them more sides than main titles or just as much. Luigi’s Mansion being another good example.
I do have to wonder if the so-called "mandates" will extend to the movie universe. It is Paramount and Jeff Fowler at the helm, and I think with the right amount of fenagling, we could get that edgelord Shadow AT FIRST but is itself a facade for his inner turmoil. Either way, he simply can't be what modern SEGA has made him. Shadow needs redemption in the eyes of the audience.
Holy cow dude! I just want to say thank you. There are plenty of videos that go into detail on how far Shadow has fallen but you explain it perfectly in my opinion. Shadow is a character that I'm deeply passionate about. His cool voice, his sleek design, his introverted mannerisms, his amazing powers, and his arc in the early 2000s. I guess I was hit with it as a kid in the right time but I always found Shadow enduring and would get hype when he shows up. Seeing him now though is just painful. Like legit I feel nothing but sadness and pain when I see him acting like a complete asshole. Shadow had his moments but he was an introvert with ta heart of gold and seeing him calling Sonic weak for helping his pathetic friends in Boom seriously hurt me. I looked up to Shadow and tried to follow his example and seeing him portrayed like that was like a betrayal of my own beliefs. It may sound crazy and hyperbolic but that's how much Shadow meant to me. And seeing the IDW run just made me furious. Everyone praises Ian Flynn for his epic writing and character but his depiction of Shadow was awful. Not only was it nonsensical but it was extremely contrived Shadow would not get infected by the Zombots at least like that. Not to mention it was just blatantly disrespectful. I also hate how use "Sega Mandates" as a an excuse to defend this current interpretation. Whether these mandates are real or not it doesn't matter Shadow should not be written as a Vegeta knock off whose an extreme narcissist. I miss Shiro Maekawa