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This Shonen Rival was Headlined on June 2024. | ||
Shadow the Hedgehog is a major character in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, serving as the main antagonist of Sonic Adventure 2 and later an anti-heroic arch-rival of Sonic.
From Sonic Adventure 2 to Sonic Heroes, he was voiced by David Humphrey while Ryan Drummond did a few recordings on the former. From Sonic X to Sonic and the Black Knight, he was voiced by Jason Griffith, who also voiced his rival, Sonic, in the same era. He is currently voiced by Kirk Thornton. In Japanese, he is voiced by Kōji Yusa.
What Makes Him a Shonen Rival?[]
- Anti-Heroic/Anti-Villainous: While Shadow attempted genocide and later on saved the world on multiple occasions, they were ultimately done as a way to avenge (former)/keep his promise to Maria.
- Honorable: Shadow is highly honorable, with his main goal of doing good being to honor his late friend's desire to give the world a chance to be happy.
- Tragic: Shadow has a sympathetic backstory. He was created by Gerald Robotnik to find a cure for his terminally ill granddaughter Maria. Shadow then became very close to her and later when she was killed by a G.U.N. soldier, and along with his memories altered by Gerald, Shadow would then go on a vengeful path.
- Intelligent: Shadow is highly intelligent overall and with the ways he uses his abilities in fights.
- Naturally Talented: As the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow has massive Chaos Energy and weaponizes it with ease.
- Arrogant/Jerkish: Shadow often dubs himself as the “Ultimate Lifeform” and underestimates his opponents in fights and is often jerkish toward his friends.
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: He initially wanted to destroy the world to avenge Maria but later on after correctly remembering her wish he decides to protect the world for various reasons which depends from game to game.
- Cynical: Shadow has a very distrusting attitude to anyone he has not familiarized with.
- Pessimistic: Due to his past trauma, Shadow has a grim outlook on life.
- Persistent: Shadow is a man of his word and would carry out every thing he would ever say.
- Believes in the Power of Individual Strength: Though he is not entirely against teamwork, Shadow takes pride in his own power to live up to his title as the Ultimate Life Form.
- Redemption Arc: After having his memory restored, he decides to use Chaos Control with Sonic and stop ARK from crashing onto Earth.
- Is A Serious Threat/Villain: In his first appearance, Shadow wanted to wipe out the human race.
- Spiky Hair/Unnatural Hairstyle: As a hedgehog, Shadow has spiky quills.
- Unnatural Hair Color: Shadow has black and red quills, unlike real-life hedgehogs.
- Perpetual Frowner: Shadow is rarely seen with a genuine smile, as he usually frowns and/or scowls.
- Is a Blood Knight: Shadow finds contentment in challenging a worthy opponent for the sake of indulging himself or proving his power and showcasing his superiority, and sometimes even shows sadistic tendences while fighting.
- Vengeful: Shadow wanted to destroy humanity for causing Maria's death (or what he believes)
- Wears Red/Black: Shadow has black and red fur.
- Is a Token Evil Teammate: Even taking aside the fact he nearly tried to destroy the entire world, Shadow is the least moralistic of Sonic's friends due to his anti-heroism and jerkishness.
- Has Respect for a Shonen Hero: Shadow highly respects Sonic as he views him as a proper opponent.
- Is an Edgelord: Shadow is known for having an edgy and brooding personality, uses a firearm, and rides a motorbike.
External Links[]
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Sonic Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Heroes Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Villains Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Villainous Benchmark Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Guile Heroes Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Seinen Heroes Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Shonen Heroes Wiki
Trivia[]
- Shadow is the first Shonen Rival to be a Seinen Hero, later followed by William James Moriarty.