Summary
Shadow the Hedgehogis one of the most well-loved characters in Sega’s iconicSonicfranchise, and stands out as an iconic video game character in his own right. With a complex and rich backstory, Shadow’s character explores some deep, and often dark lore, making the character even more unique and interesting.
Much of this lore lends itself tosome interesting fan theoriesabout Shadow, whether it be the inspirations behind his character, the self-titled game, or even his relationship with other prominentSonic the Hedgehogcharacters. Thesetheories about Shadow the Hedgehograise lots of interesting questions about how much fans know this beloved character.
4Many Aspects Of Shadow Seemingly Borrow From Star Wars
The Similarities Between Two Prominent Characters
ManyStar Warsfans who are also Sonic fans will no doubt have drawn a parallel between Shadow the Hedgehog and Anakin Skywalker.As well as Shadow’s eponymous game, wherein he can commit both good and evil deeds, which released in November 2005,Revenge of the Sith, detailing Anakin’s fall to the dark side and his subsequent evil deeds, released in May of that year. In both mediums, Shadow and Anakin show themselves as both “black-hearted evil” and “brave-hearted heroes.”
Obviously, both the game and movie were in development years beforehand, but it can be asked whether Sega was inspired byRevenge of the Sithin creating Shadow the Hedgehog’s theme song, “I Am… All of Me.” Those who know the song will no doubt realize the lyrics can be easily applied to both characters. There were six months between the film and the game’s releases, so it could’ve possibly been written in that time. The iconic “Do it, do it, do it…” line from “I Am… All Of Me” also clearly sounds like one ofRevenge of the Sith’s most well-known and well-memed lines, Palpatine’s very own “Do It”.
On another note, both Shadow and Anakin lost someone important to them, Maria for Shadow and Shmi for Anakin, which served to give them a desire for hatred and revenge. They both also have a father-like figure who ultimately reveals themselves as evil, Black Doom for Shadow and Palpatine for Anakin, who use the story of their loved one’s tragedy to manipulate them. Despite their traumatic pasts and evil deeds, both Shadow and Anakin eventually are redeemed to an extent and forsake their evil ways. Perhaps there’s a greater link between the two iconic characters whichinspired Shadow’s personal anthem.
3Shadow Has a Fear Of Heights
Shadow Fell From The Space Colony ARK Not Once, But Twice
Despite Shadow’s immense power and abilities, much like Sonic’s one weakness being water, some fans think Shadow’s Achilles' Heel is his apparent acrophobia. For players especially familiar with the era fromSonic Adventure 2toSonic the Hedgehog 2006, they might realize some similar dialogue when the games concern Shadow. InSonic Heroes, for example, if Team Dark approaches a narrow platform very high up, Shadow says “Don’t Fall” in a tone one might think is definitely out of fear.In Sonic ‘06, Shadow reminds himself in a similar tone that he “can’t fall off here” in the perilous Flame Core.
However, Shadow’s apparent fear of heights is most prevalentin his own self-titled game, where Black Doom seems to mock him many times, from commenting on how high up they are, to actually taunting him by asking “Surely you’re not afraid of heights?” This especially stands out to many fans that Shadow could very likely have acrophobia, originating from his fall to Earth from outer space, twice: when Maria saved his life by launching his capsule towards the planet, and at the end ofSonic Adventure 2where it seems he didn’t survive the battle with the Finalhazard.
There Are Many Reasons For Speculation About The Two Hedgehogs
The idea that Silver the Hedgehog is Shadow’s son is one of the most popular Shadow theories. InSonic and the Black Knight, Shadow appears as Sir Lancelot and Silver as Sir Galahad, the two of whom are father and son respectively in the Arthurian legend. Perhaps that’s also why in theMario and Sonic Sochi 2014 Olympic Gamesthe two hedgehogs,upon winning a gold medalare one of a select pairing of characters to have idle animations interacting with each other. Silver can also take a Super Form like Shadow, and additionally, many fans have noticed their chest fur is alike. Since Shadow is ageless, the fact that Silver lives 200 years in the future doesn’t matter.
The speculations don’t end there. InSonic the Hedgehog 2006, Shadow and Silver undertake a mission together to travel 10 years into the past and witness the drastic events in the Aquatic Base. Many fans believe Silver views Shadow as a mentor and authority figure, immediately following his lead and believingwhat Shadow tells him about Mephiles, suggesting a father-son relationship. Perhaps that’s why Silver immediately believed Mephiles all along since Mephiles took Shadow’s form. Furthermore, Mephiles and Shadow were both the result of drastic research experiments: the Solaris Project and Project Shadow respectively, giving the two characters an even closer tie, hence why Silver so readily trusted him.
With the influence ofDragon Ballon theSonicfranchise, plenty of fans have considered Shadow and Vegeta alike, as with Silver and Future Trunks. The fact that Trunks is Vegeta’s son justifies this fan theory more so. There are certainly many valid reasons as to why this fan theory exists, with Silver’s relationship to Shadow being a big talking point among fans since 2006.
1Sonic May Not Love Amy, But Shadow Does
“ShadAmy” Has Been A Point Of Discussion Among Fans
Some fans believe Shadow and Amy may have a closer bond than one would think. InSonic Adventure 2, Amy gets him confused with Sonic, and upon arriving at Prison Island, goes to hug him out of nowhere. However, Shadow isn’t in the least bit worried about this, not even getting angry at her. Later in the game, at a critical moment, Amy alone is able to convince Shadow of the truth about Maria and what her true wishes were. Unlike the other characters, Shadow listens to what she says and acts upon it. In the short anime prelude,Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings, Rouge comments on how only Maria herself could persuade Shadow, saying “There’s only one person who could ever do that”. Yet, Amy was able to reach Shadow for a moment.
Justification for this theory continues inShadow the Hedgehog. With the game’s non-linear structure, players are tasked with going through the story in the order they choose, completing either Hero, Neutral, or Dark missions. If players start out doing the Dark missions for the first two levels, the third stage winds up being Cryptic Castle,where Amy asks for Shadow’s helpin rescuing Cream the Rabbit. From then on, if players choose all the Hero missions, it creates a pathway named the “Miracle of Love.” To many, this could strongly hint at the fact Shadow has a soft spot for Amy, and that once again he listened to her, and she was able to turn him from his evil ways. This proposition would also tie in nicely to the theory relating to Silver the Hedgehog.
