Prime Shadow or Prime Shallow? - A Character Analysis of Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic Prime Season 2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
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As an enjoyer of the supporting cast in the Sonic series, one of the most important questions for me when it comes to the Netflix show Sonic Prime is: Did it get the CHARACTERS right? As a long time fan of Shadow the Hedgehog, I'm always nervous AND excited in equal measure to see how he is depicted. So let's jump in and discuss just that in my character analysis of Prime Shadow, in Sonic Prime Season 2. With alternate universe equivalents of Tails, Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat, Amy Rose, Big the Cat and Dr Eggman, it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle! Not to mention the constant conflict between Sonic and Shadow. So did we end up with Prime Shadow? Or Prime Shallow?
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5:41 I'd just like to point out that just before when they squabble in the water, you can briefly see Sonic take the two discs on the shoes back just before Shadow gets away with one of his hand discs. They didn't just teleport back to him.
yeah that attention to detail was sick
i need to check the last scene to see if they had shadow get the other two back in the same way lol
Yep, Noticed that too the 1st time watching.
Yeah
That detail was cool, very hidden but cool.👍
Yup noticed that the first time
Shadow not being able to travel between shatter spaces kind of makes sense since he used chaos control to escape the explosion of the Paradox Prism, meaning he was never hit with the Prism energy. This is why he's limited to the void and the one shatter space model after the original green hill because that's where he originates from. This is also why there's no variant of shadow, he separated from the shatterverse
This comment needs more views. They did explain why he can't travel between the Shatterspaces then, but I think most people forget that.
And that’s why there not copies of shadow either in the different verse because of the chaos control
But now I wonder how are they gonna put that emerald back into play or any others or if we ( I know we’re not) but get a silver appearance n he just like hey here’s the emerald from your dimension but that would probably involve eggman nega n blah blah blah but we also haven’t seen the official eggman so just maybe the two are together… lol
@@trilldannyyy6261honestly I could see Nine putting together the whole prism just to realize that there's a piece missing which is probably in that black void in the in-between, or maybe they realize the need the chaos emeralds to stop nine. Either way they're totally going into that void
to be honest I fought Shadow Dropping the emerald would come up later in the series but if not I can see it as a Deus Ex Machina to save someone from the Abyss. Like say in the final they face off against the Chaos Council in the shatter space void and someone falls into the Abyss and the only way to escape is via Chaos Control.@@trilldannyyy6261
Another well-made video my guy.
Hope Sega one day takes the things you mentioned into consideration & really give Shadow his boost back.
It's their fear of Shadow taking over Sonic is why they keep nerfing him but there's no need to do that to a phenomenal character.
Prime definitely should do something special with Shadow/Rouge interactions, we'll see what happens though
I agree that the best way to sum up Prime Shadow is that he's a mixed bag.
He's not very nuanced, his relationships with any character outside of Sonic aren't fleshed out, and the petulant fighting between them got on my nerves a bit (though you make a good point about his frustration, because I was fed up with Sonic a lot too), but at the same time, he's got some redeeming qualities. He's selfless, focused, capable, and genuinely trying to do the right thing. Plus, the little hints of rapport we do get between him and Sonic were nice highlights.
All in all, I definitely concur with the mindset that Prime is it’s own thing in pretty much every way that matters. We shouldn't be trying to connect the games or any external media with this show because its clearly _not_ trying to line up with any specific iteration of the Sonic Universe we've grown to know (why else would everyone, including Shadow, Rouge, and Big, appear to live together in Green Hill, fore example?).
Final conclusion: Prime Shadow, in isolation, isn’t all that interesting to me. Not BAD, just nothing special. Despite his expanded screentime, he reads as barely more than an underdeveloped side character. He's motivated by the loss of a world we barely get to see, and has shown no connection with anyone else in the cast. His struggles don't feel very compelling because we don't know enough about him to understand exactly what his personal stakes are (besides the surface level idea of "home").
I highly disagree plus you have to live with the fact that it’s canon to the games
@@gracekim25What are you disagreeing _with_ exactly? Because your lack of specificity makes me question why you replied at all.
Contrarian dude. I’d pay no mind!
this just gets me more worried for shadow in the movie
Legit if shadow was able to keep his guns he would have literally killed every single person of the egg council or if he had the emerald
Dude what they should've did with shadow should be something related to his past and the ARK (If of course they are using game canon, which is very uncertain. Or at least something relating to him being artificially created.) Maybe he never appears in any other shatter-verses because in these universes, there is no Gerald Robotnik, due to there being no eggman, or a very strange eggman. so, in turn, no ARK and no Shadow.
Not sure if it was intentional but i think Shadow was quickly to recognize Nine as untrustworthy because Nine behaves more like Shadow then Sonic.
Tails would always be on Sonic's side while Nine is on his own.
He would like to have Sonic as a friend but because if Sonic was around in his time things would've been better for him.
Unfortunately it didn't happen so he had to fend for himself and rather stay alone then befriend anyone else.
It's why i want Shadow to interact with Nine more in season 3. Shadow unlike still selfless and would do anything to save the world while Nine would save himself. Maybe the drive to throw anything away to achieve their goals is something they can relate to but both understand that the drive also makes both of them dangerous.
(Sonic has a drive too to do anything to save the world but would go to such dark places that Shadow and Nine would have)
There is potential here because Shadow would hunt Nine down, hurt him if need be and Nine would know shadow isn't as soft as Sonic so most likely would resort to other means rather then talking.
Sonic of course still doesn't want to see Nine hurt and fights shadow again in order to stop him. Shadow asks Sonic "have you not learned anything?" With Sonic saying he has learned but won't stop doing what he thinks is right. This time Sonic stays focused and less cocky defeats shadow. Goes to Nine and after having a heart to heart Nine surrenders but the Chaos council finally catches up and the 3 of them will work together to restore the prims and defeat the council.
I think Sonic doesn't need a counterpart because Shadow and Chaos sonic already fulfill that role.
Sorry for the long text, i was thinking too much.
For Your Question If SA2 Happened Or Not, The Writers Has Confirmed That Sonic Prime Is Canon To Actual Sonic Lore. So They HAVE Went Through Sonic Prime.
I don't think season 3 will start with a sonic and shadow fight. That would just be a dickish move from shadow for fighting someone who is already down. Shadow usually fights with sonic just to shut him up. We just have to wait for season 3 to see what happens
I hope you’re right! Would love to be wrong about that.
Yeah, he’s not like the shadow in sonic boom where he fights him for the stupidest reasons ever.
Thinking about I think that you're right. I didn't really think about that. But in my opinion I think that he wouldn't because he actually cares about sonic. He just doesn't show it
@@grumpygamer6425we don't even know why he attacked Sonic at the end of sonic boom season 1
he’s gonna get a lecture
I think Shadow doesn’t have any counterparts because when the Paradox Prism was shattered, he used Chaos Control and was outside the blast when the Shatterverse was created.
Didn’t he say after the prism was destroyed, he was trapped in the cave and used Chaos Control to get out? To me, that sounds like the Prism was destroyed while he was there.
@AceCardGaming but season 1 showed him using chaos control while it was being shattering. And he immediately appears in the void after sonic
Hmm. That’s interesting. I still think it should make him more important than he is. But that could be rectified in Season 3.
@@AceCardGamingdid you not see the flashback 😅
@@gracekim25 I went by Shadows exact words in Season 2.
Overall I really enjoyed how Shadow was written in Prime, even though I would like to see more interactions between Rouge and Shadow what we have right now is not so bad, I could even say it's an improvement from boom and the meta era, let's just hope season 3 gives him more time to shine
It’s definitely an improvement over boom and the meta era, but why should we settle for an improvement? Just bring him back in all his glory! That’s my thinking anyway.
I know shadow will bring something big in season 3 and I agree that shadow has a big improvement!
@@AceCardGaming I can definitely agree with you, after all Shadow is my number 1 favorite character
@@leandrothehedgehogSame
@@AceCardGamingyou know what the say when Coke isn't available you get Pepsi. If stellar writing isn't available, I'll GLADLY take mid
Reminder: Shadow and Big share the same VA in Prime.
“Froggy, this is what you wanted right? This is my promise I made to you.”
HAHAHAHHEHEHEHHUEHUEHUE
“Oh heya Sonic, you come here to fish too?”
“Shadow? What are you doing here?!”
@@miniluv7330 lol
@@RameNoodlsStardust Speedway Bad Future
@@thephantomist7199 also in present
If you ask me, Shadow was fine in Prime. While I definitely would have liked to see him interact with more characters, at least he didn’t come across as an arrogant jerk who thinks he’s better than everyone else like he was in Boom or an arrogant idiot who completely disregards the words of others like he was in the Metal Virus arc. He comes across as more of a stoic loner who prefers to keep to himself and do things on his own and isn’t very trusting, but does have a sense of doing what’s right and has a much more efficient mindset compared to the more laid back Sonic. Yeah, he’s definitely aggressive and distrusting with Sonic, but I can’t say I blame him since the entire situation in Prime is entirely Sonic’s fault. However at the same time, Shadow literally can’t be too involved since the entire plot would end in minutes if he was fully involved, so I get why he has a more secondary role. I feel as though the issues with Shadow stem from issues that Prime itself has. Sonic’s world is very underdeveloped and Sonic, the Chaos Council, and a few specific variants of the other characters (Nine, Rusty, Thorn, and Dread) are the only characters who have real importance to the narrative overall with everyone else basically just feeling like space occupiers. All in all, Shadow’s not bad, but he’s not as great as he was in SA2, 06, or Heroes.
One of the best parts about Shadow's character is that his conflict with Sonic is understandable. He sees Sonic's recklessness endangering the world, causing Green Hill to split into different realities. If only he's given more screentime in the show.
He needs some background to fill in his character and screen time, he’s defiantly better than what we got for boom and forces. Showing the more empathetic and direct side shown in 06/SA2 would make him way more likeable 🤙🏽
But you already know his backstory 😅
@@gracekim25 Maybe for the other shadows, but this one may be even more unique or have the same depth as the previous shadows mentioned lol
I would love to see his backstory and the whole Maria thing somehow return in sonic prime
Seeing SEGA fix Shadow, albeit slowly, gives fans hope.
And fix prime sonic while you're at it
@@danaemoore1053 fr prime sonic is NOT the sonic I knew and liked
@@nehv1 Glad to know I’m not alone
Nahh. They're making shadow worse. Shadow's character goes downhill after sonic 06
@@santetzuken8903 Be more open minded. They ARE trying to fix him right now. Ignore the Sonic v. Shadow fights in Prime and how he acted in TailsTube.
we all wish for shadow to be his 06 self cause 06 did shadow the best. i will be happy once my favorite fictional character is finally himself. i think prime shadow is better than anything in the meta era by far.
Yea. I like that Shadow. He didn’t beat someone up to shut them up.
While Shadow may not have any personal friendships with the other characters, I think it still makes sense that he'd be as driven as he is to restore Green Hill. It's his reality after all, his home. And home is home even if you don't have anyone in it for yourself 🤔
I guess it just comes down to that, in media, motivation beyond self preservation is quite important. A character who is fighting for someone, is always a lot more likeable than someone who is just fighting for themselves.
Please, everyone, never stop making these video analyses of Shadow the Hedgehog’s character development (or lack thereof). They are my comfort canons.
It's kind of sad him and Rouge don't have any dialogue whatsoever together
I kind of like to believe Shadow misses rouge more than anything in Avoid the Void. Omega is nowhere to be found and his existence is even up for question in this universe, but I still like to think Shadow missed Rouge, but he doesn’t want to say it in front of Sonic
Ya I do kinda get that vibe, especially in avoid the void when all of Sonics friends are ghosts. Shadow gives Rouge a look and I like to think it’s a look of something like that.
I wish there was more explanation for why Rouge hangs out with Sonic and co instead of Shadow now that isn’t “Sega Mandates” or “trust issues”
@@Icepiq72 Yeah so do I. But for now it's just because of the Mandates. However, that simple glance back towards Rouge gives me hope that at least SOME people still remember Shads has friends.
Same
Agree
Hopefully Shadow and Rouge are better friends than we get to see in Season 2. The glance Shadow gives to Rouge makes me believe there’s something under the surface there. Perhaps Shadow is good friends with Rouge but doesn’t show it around Sonic
He's definitely better in Prime than the rest of the meta era, but he's not the same as the Adventure era. I'd say it's a step in the right direction and I honestly wouldn't mind if they swapped Kirk for the Prime va in the games, I really like the voice.
Honestly Shadow's VA in Prime (Ian Hanlin) is so good I'd be happy with him being the de facto VA for Shadow going forward. It just fits him so well, giving him a sense of maturity and seriousness, without the arrogance or any edginess. I'd really like to see him voice Shadow in Sonic 3, though, we all know they're going to get some celebrity (which is okay if they can get someone like Christian Bale)
To me, the voice work by Ian is what sold me on this iteration of Shadow.
This pretty much sums up my thoughts on Shadow as a whole. He could be doing so much more in the franchise, but his rivalry with Sonic has been beat into the ground at this point. I really hope season 3 does more with him.
I do like aspects of this Shadow a lot, but I’m with you in that it’s a mixed bag. Between this and TMOSTH, it’s nice to have something to chew on in regards to Shadow again
Something I can really appreciate is how in the end shadow is right. He isn’t as good as his peak of course yeah but I’m just glad it wasn’t meta era drivel. Seeing him not be like that really reminded me how much I missed him being cool in any way lol
I REALLY like how they wrote Shadow here. His personality is very good and not bury into the "edginess" he was put into. He could crack a few jokes, is serious without being an ass and he knows of the biggest threat. His fight with Sonic in Season 2 had a very good motive, considering all that happened. Sonic showed NO premise in being able to fix everything, to him, so he decided to do things himself, and since Sonic wouldn't give him the tech, he has no issue taking on force, and when he finds out Sonic is the only one able to cross the portals, he... agrees to work together, no matter how much he doesn't like the idea. It was also neat how, even though he couldn't corss the portals he still helped how he could. Disabling the Eggmans ship and all.
Even though he didn't appeared much on Season 2, I still considered a good amount. Even more when compared with Season 1. It's like they are building up his inclusion on the show. Season 1 showing he has some importance, managing to communicate with Sonic a few days, then Season 2 he was more present and managed to give more aid. I have a feeling Season 3 they are intending for him to be more present, finding a excuse for him to NOW being able to cross the portals and possiblity interact with the rest of the cast (GIVING more chances to maybe confirm if he has some connection with Rouge. WOuld be neat if they show that with the three Rouges we have around)... at least I hope for it. It just feels like the right move to do with his character, even more with how it seems he is being more involved with the plot... though I FEEL like he will separate from Sonic in Season 3, if he finds a way to cross the portals, to go after Nines.
I really like him, especially compared to all the meh variant versions of other characters. He has a good reason to be so abrasive with Sonic, since the latter is even more annoying and impulsive than most other versions of the character. Along with the fact that he clearly does still like him in an annoyed older brother kinda way and isn't really one to open up about all his emotions, especially to his rival
Exactly
He’s like a single father trying to take care of his destructive toddler.
@@rickyrackey7930 facts loli
Probably the best characterization of him since 06, imo but that’s not a high bar lol. Let’s hope S3 focuses even more between Sonic and Shadow
WAIT WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT MARIA TIER
What about his characterization in Prime was so appealing to you? Not trying to discredit, just genuinely curious 🤔
That tier comes at a heavy cost!
@@DLxxx
As abrasive or shallow he may seem, he’s not quite falling into the same pitfalls of characterization he did in Boom or Meta-era games, his serious/uptight attitude is more fitting this time around, but not so intense and rather him taking time to realize to trust Sonic without letting him off the hook. But that’s just me lol
@@legendarymasterchief7620meta era?
06 Shadow is definitely a high bar🥴
I understand the concern but I think it’s extremely fair for this Shadow to be sick of Sonic’s shit because this iteration of Sonic is….well…to be frank: fucking annoying. He doesn’t listen to ANYTHING. It legit IS his fault everything went bad when everybody, including Shadow, tried to warn him. Granted I do think Shadow could’ve handled it in better ways but at the same time how do you communicate to someone who just won’t shut up and breathe for a second to listen?
Overall I like this Shadow and while he’s not 06 Shadow I definitely enjoy this WAY more than what we’ve seen for the last decade of the character.
I hope Shadow’s origins get fleshed out more in season 3. Maybe he could try to catch Nine himself but gets trapped instead, leading to him revealing his past to the variant. This could help in making Nine redeem himself for his betrayal.
There is a fleeting moment in Avoid the Void, when they are in Ghost Hill, where Rouge is speaking yet we focus on Shadow, and that's when he says the line about the place being made for them to suffer. To me, that was a subtle moment of the show telling us that he IS friends with Rouge and he misses her.
Personally, Shadow to me is a little overhyped in this show. He doesn't get much time on screen, yet people act like he is the only thing that matters and such, and I'm just here; far more interested in characters like Rusty (especially her, she is the standout), or Rebel & Knucks, Nine or Thorn.
I get it, he is a fan favorite and it is nice to see him portrayed better and not have Kirk voice him. No offense, Kirk is amazing as Cubot and such, but I just can't take his Shadow.
Prime Shadow is honestly the best Shadow in years. Serious, straightforward mature and observant, only fights Sonic when he has an actual reason to. My only problem is the writers don’t do enough with Shadow. I hope season 3 makes more use of his character and has him interact with other characters
Mature? Wouldnt go that far. Very head strong
He got serious love from the writers, there’s lots of subtle things he does that provide strong characterization. But at the end of the day, he’s not allowed to overshine Sonic. Hopefully he gets his own show!
@@UnifiedEntity no he’s pretty mature. Especially compared to Sonic, he doesn’t waste time getting shit done while Sonic plays around too much
@@Cellinator yeah I kinda hate that. Shadow was created with idea of someone who could possibly outshine Sonic, but in recent years other characters have been getting the boot cuz Sega don’t nobody else to take the spotlight from Sonic.
Ian Hanlin is honestly the best voice for Shadow after Jason Griffith. He should be the voice for him in Sonic the Hedgehog 3
I love Shadow but I miss the real Shadow! I'm talking about the compassionate Ultimate Life Form from Sonic Adventure 2, Heroes and '06! And nowadays he's mistaken as an edgelord bully or a villain. Shadow's Spin-Off Game should've been better with a proper story, actual context and no F***ing Guns! It should've been that Shadow still has put the past behind him and gets ready to join with G.U.N. and more gameplay with Team Dark!
When it comes to Prime, this is probably the best written Shadow in a long time. He's not at his peak like in Sonic 06, given how there are traits from the past decade into his character that I just don't agree with. Him being Sonic's biggest rival when Metal Sonic is actually Sonic's biggest rival, how Shadow fights Sonic when it wasn't like that past Sonic Heroes and in 06, and him not having friends when he does with Team Dark and some of the others.
Ive been noticing that between this show and the latest idw arc that the mandates on shadow are definitely starting to break
Like in the latest idw comic shadow was fighting w rouge and omega as a team like he used to and even cared for silver safety when silver tried freeing him from the fake emeralds
And now in this show he doesnt seem bothered by sonics care for his friends
I think sm3 will finially bring 06 shadow character back
Looking at the show as-is, Sonic Prime wasn't made with Shadow in mind.
For one, the reason he gets involved with the plot of the show at all is incredibly contrived - he gets a vision from a shockwave that Sonic created by smashing eggman's power amplifier. It's not actually related to the prism at all, and the fact that he was even in the area at the time and happened to find one of the most powerful items in the world inside of a rock is already convenient on it's own.
It doesn't really get much better from here, either. You can write him out of the first season effortlessly - all he ever does is contribute to Sonic leaving the shatterspaces over and over on accident. All cutting him out of the scenes does is making Sonic look slightly more clumsy.
In season 2, all we have to do is send Sonic straight to Ghost Hill, without a scuffle in the void. From there, he can figure out a majority of the exposition Shadow gives him, and eventually re-enter the void with his speed. If we want to keep the show's structure as-is, you can have him quite literally bump into the Egg Fort as he tries to enter the New Yoke gateway, and then follow them to Bosscage Maze.
In episode 4, the stalling of the mothership can easily be done with Nine being more proactive in his sabotage, which has the added benefit of making him look more competent.
Writing Shadow out of the finale of season 2 is also laughably easy - show Sonic having a moment of hesitation before he leaves Nine with the shards, and then him beating the Council by using his creativity and on-the-spot thinking, instead of Shadow's help.
Literally all we have to do to compensate for Shadow's removal is make Sonic smarter and more competent, which would incidentally help fix the most prominent criticism of the show as a whole. And while some would argue Shadow's presence helps build up stakes and gravitas, as well as serving as a wake-up call for Sonic, that could also be completely resolved by tweaking some things here and there, particularly, again, with Sonic's characterisation, and just making the show a bit more serious as a whole.
Because of how little we've seen of Shadow interacting with pretty much anything, we don't have to worry about losing out on character dynamics, either, and Shadow on his own is quite shallow. We only get hints of his motivation for saving the world, or what the loss of everything he knew actually meant to him. This also makes his thematical contrast to Sonic's more carefree attitude shallow by proxy, especially since we don't actually know their previous history together.
For a being created to control the power of magical gems, and the only living being that remembers the old world and was actually untouched by prism shard energy, he doesn't even help our understanding of the magic system that's being set up, either, and the Chaos Emerald he brings along is written out of the show immediately anyway. He never interacts with prism energy in any meaningful way.
The only thing that Shadow has going for him is his dynamic with Sonic, and while I absolutely adore what we do get, we get very, very little, all things considered. The easiest way to compensate for Shadow being gone is making Sonic smarter and the show more mature, which would significantly improve it for a lot of people.
Shadow, as he is currently, is Prime's biggest strength, and it's biggest weakness - because as the writers were trying to do him justice and satisfy the ravenous fans (as well as try to capitalise on his image in the promotional material), they ended up having to hurt the show on the whole to make that happen. This is why you often see people saying that 'Shadow stole the show', or 'there wasn't enough of him' when they discuss this season. They had to overcompensate for him being inserted into the story so awkwardly by making extra sure the fanbase would enjoy this portrayal of the character as much as possible, which is why we see so much Sonadow baiting.
I honestly think the Chaos Emerald is likely going to be the key to truly solving the problem or coming problem in season 3 or at least Chaos Control will be because Chaos Control is clearly what stop Shadow from being broken apart. Also when Shadow said avoid the void. The first thing I thought is, yet someone is going to need to go into the void at some point. I wouldn't even be surprise if the true final conflict in this series is just going to be them, trying to stop the void from consuming everything.
I disagree. Shadow having a vision and doing literally nothing to help makes him even more at fault than Sonic. He could have helped fight Eggman, or at least explained everything he saw to Tails, who Sonic would have listened to. To make it worse, Shadow just blames everything on Sonic and emotionally abuses him. And for some reason, the show and everyone watching treat him like a hero.
Looking into it, yeah, he does seem to really just be lacking a good chunk of what can give him a sense of character. Yeah, he wants to fix home, but we don't really know what home is for him (Or really anyone).
I admittedly feel his initial choices to greet Sonic pre-Episodes 7 and 8 of Season 2 highlight he's a bit more hair-triggered, but I do also prefer him to what was in the 2010s.
This Shadow will not accept that Sonic is messing up, but not out of a simple "He's an idiot" bit (Funny as it is), but moreso because when they met, Sonic was always giving his best and while he joked, he took things seriously, kind of like the better parts of Frontiers, and Shadow knows that Sonic can be serious.
I really just hope Shadow does mellow out a bit and while he brings that focus and force to beat up anyone threatening him or the world he chooses to still fight for after putting everything behind him, he also would rather just not take Sonic's faltering and will work with him (He doesn't have to eagerly accept it, which ironically a good chunk of people insist upon when really his 06 depiction shows he knows when he needs to work with Sonic, but it isn't exactly him jumping at the opportunity.)
Personally, I was glad Shadow was finally written better than in Boom or Forces, and as I watched Season 2 I also understood why he is so annoyed by Sonic, I can totally understand that!
I hope in Season 3 they won't find, but seeing as the show is, I fear it might turn into another fight... still hoping I'm wrong here...
I don’t think appealing the new generation of fans is a valid premise to undo established characters over 20+ years as 06 shadow he became the best character he was in that game he went through amazing development and he had respect and supported Sonic because they are friends the problem is to please the new generation of fans makes it seem like undoing shadow’s established character are respect to sonic doesn’t sound like a reasonable premise
Agreed! I’m just saying what I think is happening.
What I didn't like most about Prime Shadow is that we didn't get more of him.
My honest opinion:
It's certain that the series doesn't respect to 100% the original essence
of each character but it tries it's best.
I think that this animation is for old fans, that already know the character's backstory cause the program doesn't even introduce the characters and their respective past either.
Or as you mentioned, the objective of this series is to increase sonic's fans, and that more people meet this franchise.
It's not perfect but for me It's the best Sonic adaptation in TV.
I liked it so much and I hope that we'll get our third season soon.
I like how Shadow will sometimes use modern slang like “Nah, I’m good” or rehashing “Come at me bro”
He does mention hes the ultimate life form ..but that is common of shadow. Not really a good indication of any past arcs.....
Im annoyed that children will think sonic is dumb and shadow has no friends its an annoying show we need a game or tv show to fix this
I'm not surprised that Shadow feels so detached from everything and that they don't make it clear if his arc from the games happened, 'cause like, that's true to every OG character in the show. Outside of Tails' backstory and Knuckle's past as an antagonist, there's very little insight into the past development of the characters. We also still don't know why Rouge joined the main gang when she's always been an antagonist/anti-hero. We still don't know why Knuckles isn't guarding the Master Emerald. We don't even know if Amy still has a crush on Sonic.
The only time Rouge was an antagonist was in SA2. Ever since then, she's always been on the side of good. I wouldn't even call her an anti-hero either. She just usually has her own agenda that's detached from the main heroes'.
I really don't like Prime's version of sonic. Sonic 06's Version of Shadow (Even though the game was dog water), was the perfect version of Shadow in my opinion. The game was garbage but they captured his character perfectly there. This version of Shadow is not the one I really enjoy a whole lot but its a version I'm fine with having in prime. You can understand why he is the way he is when he has to constantly deal with the most annoying version of Sonic in my opinion. This is not the Shadow I know but it is fine the way it is for now in my opinion. Its not bad and it is better then average just when I see him I don't fully go "Ah! That's the classic Shadow The Hedgehog!" as I would in games like 06.
I kinda like prime shadow but mostly because after so many years of edgy the hedgy my standards are in the toilet. Shadow is not that close to his best but he at least has a reason to be angry
Nice analysis! Cant wait for more great stuff and content from this channel!
Can we at least agree that this Shadow is a step up from Boom Shadow's characterization taking over for a while?
My boi Shadow deserves more screen time and respect 🙏🏼😤
I just want to see more of Shadow, particularly with regards to affecting the plot and hopefully being the Shadow I remember.
I'm a big fan of this Shadow but I still think he could be a bit better. I think he's far more aggressive than i personally think he should be. A friend and I had a similar conversation on Shadow seemingly not having any personal stake in getting the og Green Hill back (other than not wanting to sit around in a void for all eternity). But yeah, other than that his motivations comapred to Sonic's feel needlessly shallow
also prime is canon so this is game sonic and game shadow
Shadow in season 1 was worse. At least in season 2 Shadow fights Sonic to take his tech. Shadow has a clear reason to fight him. In season 1 he just... blindsided Sonic, fought him for the sake of fighting him, started asking questions AFTER attacking him, achieved nothing, punched Sonic in the head even though he was clearly willing to talk and after all of that Shadow scolds Sonic for doing before thinking in episode 1 of season 2.
Yeah, my take on Prime Shadow is that he's needlessly angry and doesn't keep himself in check too well. SA2 Shadow was calculating and methodical, he didn't just lash out.
Even the fights in season 2 were contrived, just having Shadow attack Sonic for the sake of giving the audience action.
The early Shadow mentality would be either trying to convince Sonic to let him take over, or to split the tech evenly and have them both working together. Just jumping straight to violence does his character a disservice.
@@ShaimingLong Prime Shadow in SA2's story would've blown up because he would be too busy fighting Sonic to leave the island in time.
@@MGilbas Well~ I could see it playing out the same as the game. It was Eggman demanding to know where Shadow was because of the imminent explosion that broke up the fight.
Likewise I could also see Prime Shadow choosing to pursue Sonic after that warning from Eggman, rather than flee.
I actually wonder if Prime Shadow would turn back to save Rouge, like the original did despite the manipulated memories.
That's why I like 06 version of shadow better... well maybe the Shadow from Sonic Heroes...
I quite like what Ian Handlin is doing with Shadow. Makes me think back to David Humphrie (I still really miss him...)
I agree that you can't blame this Shadow for being exasperated with this Sonic. This Sonic is an idiot most of the time and just doesn't listen. I'd be tempted to slap him around too. There are bits of our true Shadow here. I hope they are expanded upon. Will just need to wait a while to find out.
Side note: I think you also have to consider just how popular Shadow is in the fandom. It would be so easy for him to completely overshadow Sonic. I think the writing staff acknowledges that and feel like they need to be careful of how much exposure they give Shadow.
I think their fear about that is weird though. Other series have supporting cast take over in popularity all the time. Just like at Dragon Ball. As long as the fans like it then I don’t see the issue.
The reason why Shadow doesn't get clones and doesn't remember Sonic is because he Chaos Control and he lost the the chaos emeralds
When Sonic told Shadow, " That's why you don't have any friends," I lost it. Why was he being such a d*ck towards him? It feels so out of character and kinda harsh. I'm suprised Shadow didn't lash out just a little bit.
I liked how you showed that last scene of Shadows story, from O6.
Quite clever.
Ngl sonic was pissing me off this season. If shadow was the one in control then this shit would’ve definitely been done by now.
In my eyes Shadow doesn't get the alternative versions because he is originally created by Gerald, so he won't be just there in a jungle world. He is "The Ultimate Lifeform" - that's my explanation
That being said we don't know why he even exists, what's his story in prime and everything. Maybe there was no Gerald and he is just the way he is because Sonic also really strong so maybe it's natural talent. It's really hard to explain why he is there and why he is not affected by the alternate universr thingy.
I think he is overall pretty good in Prime, just needs more screentime to actually show his character in different situations.
Nah it’s cause he “glitched” his fate because he used chaos control as the prism energy was about to hit him. Everyone except Shadow was hit by the energy, it’s very probable you need prism energy to traverse to other spaces. Ghosthill seems like an exception because that seems to be what the original universe was.
Extra other theory:
Eggmans 5 copies being all in 1 world could be explained as them all representing a part of eggmans personality and the fact all of them together created the original eggman (atleast in looks) heavily implies all of them together are eggman.
Furthermore eggman was right next to the prism so it probably made an exception for him to not be split across the worlds.
I miss back when shadow wasn't just cell saga vegeta
I like to think that Sonic Prime takes place before Sonic Frontiers, to explain why Sonic is so mature in Frontiers. Sonic Team said everything is canon these days so meh.
Around the 7 minute mark you said that there wasn't an explanation for why Shadow doesn't have shatterverse alternatives. I watched through the entire series yesterday and recall Shadow mentioning that he Chaos Controlled out of the cave as Sonic shattered the whatever crystal in season 1 episode 1, which is why he avoided the fate the others encountered.
This is a bit of guesswork on my part, but I think that instead of teleporting to wherever he was intending to within Green Hill, he teleported to the Shatterverse instead, seeing that as Sonic smashed the whatever crystal, Green Hill as it was ceased to exist. I like to think of it Shadow teleporting to coordinates within a game map, but as he does, the game map gets deleted, now leaving him in a glitched out space.
I think you’re likely correct in terms of how the writers want it to be explained. What threw me off, is that in Season 2 Ep1, Shadow’s own explanation sounds like he teleported after the explosion to escape the cave. I being up in the void instead.
It’s either an oversight on the part of the writers, or I misunderstood the dialog. 😁
I like this video about shadow ace card gaming and prime shadow sure has a role in season 2 so I know prime shadow will have a big role in season 3 of sonic prime!
Glad you enjoyed it Mayra!
This version of Shadow seems to fight Sonic simply because it's the only way to slow Sonic down enough to make him maybe listen.
He doesn't seem to fight sonic out of spite as much as other versions of not-so-good Shadow, but because it's the most effective way to send or recieve information to/from Sonic.
I wish he had more screen time and character exploration. But my impression of him is far better than most versions of Shadow lately. Even if he's not perfect, it's still a huge step up. A good middle ground between the original Shadow and the new one.
i think they might be trying to have shadow depending how long the show goes shadow will build up to the 06 level with time sonic did a big mess up and shadow is angry but has shown reason so hopefully they do a thing where the more sonic becomes serious and takes responsibility the less shadow will be annoyed and as more of the reality gets fixed the more shadow mellows out.
"Waaa this is canon"
Yeah sure, this is so canon that the games won't reference it and there are so many inconsistencies
He'll always be The Ultimate Lightweight in my eyes. Last I checked we had unfinished business. 🤨
What
It might be possible that they’ll reveal him to be an alternate to Sonic in the show. Sonic compares him to being an older brother and Nine even says that they could be twins. And if this Shadow lost a Maria and a Jerold too, then loss and regret could be a possible tie to everyone and thing else. It’s possible that Shadow appreciates everyone and Sonic just doesn’t see it, so we don’t. Shadow is usually depicted as someone who knows loss really well and from what we know of Sonic-he doesn’t, so he’s gonna be impatient with someone who’s that immature. On the other hand, it’s also possible that this Shadow’s backstory is different. So it’s hard to say. And one last thing, when they visit the ghost version of their home world, it’s interesting that we see Rouge hanging upside down in Shadow’s background implying a connection to her at least with a little color splashed in. Whereas Sonic has everyone else.
This Shadow is still related to the SA2, I think. Remember, he mentioned to Nine that he is The Ultimate Lifeform. But, well... maybe it's just a quick nod to the games for the old fans, whatever.
For me, this Shadow is definitely isn't the best. He isn't automatically good simply because they didn't screw him to the boom Shadow degree.
Why he didn't interact with Rouge like at all? Why Rouge hangs out with Sonic in the first place? Why 90% of the time Shadow begins conversation with Sonic from the kick to the face? Why the only redeemable thing about him is that Sonic is portrayed so arrogant that you kinda get where his frustration is coming from? Yeah, he overall is not too bad compared to other depictions. But why "not too bad compared to other depictions" should be considered good? Raise your standarts, Shadow fans!
Well said 👏🏽
I think it's funny the Shadow and Sonic character it's not like the games but this is supposed to be Canon
That thought crossed my mind a lot watching this show. Unless it’s being canon just acknowledges the existence of these alternate universes separate to the game canon.
One of the most jarring things about the characterization in this show is that Prime has been confirmed to be canon to the games, and by extension, IDW.
That makes me wonder: when does this take place in the timeline?
Sega’s willingness to suddenly say that everything is canon, always made me skeptical. In marketing terms, it’s likely just a good way to make fans treat every piece of media as important and therefore, become invested in it.
Acknowledging something like Prime as canon could be as easy as acknowledging that it exists in its own universe. Much like they ended up saying was the case for Boom. Sonic’s characterisation is the main reason I think this way, because he is NOTHING like his game self.
idk, if it was canon to the games, why never reference any of it? sonic saw chaos sonic, and he said nothing abt it (like, idk "i already fought a metal copy") even though he should have already fought metal sonic so it's weird 🤨
@@AceCardGaming on the bright side, this means tails gets trolled is canon lol
What I think they should do for season three it's do a connection of the events of Sonic 06. I believe they should try to do a flashback where he leaves gun to live somewhat peaceful life with with Sonic and his friends.
Well the reason I feel why there’s no shadow copies is cause off eggman , the original eggman . The other timelines lack a opening for a shadow to be built ,The eggman council has dr.yesterday who probably was the equivalent of gerald so that timeline already was off to a diffrent take , grand maze zone was overtaken by nature so that Gerald also seems to have perished before he could make a shadow , the sea world was… well under the sea so once again geralds dead , and the grimm has nothing so no shadow there either, also with no sonic that means no prophecy meaning no inspiration for a ultimate life form making the requirements even harder , shadow just had too many requirements to be made to allow for alternates
I'm tempted to hear your opinions on Shadow during the IDW Zombot saga, i think a lot of the runoff from Forces carries over which more often than not makes more abrasive and leads to him becoming infected by the metal virus. it's reasonable for him to think he'd be immune considering why he was created to help Maria but i think that should've been a last resort in case he had no other choice. Shadow can be cocky and overconfident sure but he's not an idiot.
I generally thought Shadow was pretty good (although hurting for screentime), and the changes are justified by the changes made to the overall universe. But to really get some great value out of him, he NEEDS to be able to travel to the different worlds with Sonic in season 3. Maybe have Sonic bring Rusty Rose to Nine's out hideout, reverse engineer some of Nine's tech, and fine tune it to work for Shadow.
I also don't think season 3 will start with a hedeghog fight. I think Shadow will start giving an "I told you so" lecture, only for Sonic to unexpectedly admit that Shadow was right, and allow Shadow to take the lead on their plans going forward, at least until the universe is reassembled.
Shadow is definitely shallow in Prime for me. Yes Sonic broke the Prism , but even before that event happened, there were shockwave events he was feeling. AND SOMEHOW he blamed Sonic and proceeded to stop him from going to help his friends, further wasting his time. Instead of, just going along with the guy who he tag teamed to help save the world at the very least and see how things go.
Shadow in this also for me, highlights the annoying portrayal of Sonic in Prime. That scene in 06 where Sonic in a slick Sonic way says "Dont be late" And he just walks and says " Same to You" THAT is the dynamic I want. Cool vs Warm, Laidback vs Stoic dynamic.
I dont need EITHER versions of Sonic or Shadow. More 06 treatment for Shadow comics, as well as IDW ( recent arc showcasing Shadow) please as THAT recently is the best iteration of Both ESPECIALLY Sonic. People keep saying " oh just think of it as its own thing/universe" no I cant because apparently its canon to the games and Prime Sonic, like Ace pointed out acts more akin to that damn movie version of Sonic. News flash folks, every adaption you broadcast of a character, has an impact both positive and negative. If Movie Sonic didnt act the way he did and was closer to his game adaptions or even comics......Prime Sonic would NOT Be like this. This whole "bring in new fans" is a bad excuse. This creates the DC/Marvel problem with billions of interpretations of a character and how they act instead of ONE, CONSISTENT CHARACTER portrayal. One that everyone knows. Can easily attract new fans with the same character recognized for years. Its a new Netflix Show with up to date animation for the most part. That is more than enough for a new viewers.
I’m pretty sure there were SA2 events that occurred off screen prior to Sonic Prime. Without Maria, Shadow would not even exist.
I choose to assume that this is a post Maria Shadow. If that's the case, no matter what their relationship was like before, if Sonic is in any way via carelessness responsible for destroying the world he swore to protect, Shadow has every reason to be mad. It's Sega who divinely appoints that Shadow be an edge lord.
Models are expensive, but it wouldn't be hard to name-drop Maria. I hope they do.
Yeah, I get it he has a right to be mad at Sonic about his big mistake, but at the same time, I agree with his sympathetic side. He feels sympathy for Sonic because their home is gone, and he too wants to return to GreenHill. I mean, look at the last episode of season 3 when Sonic sacrifices himself. After he passes out, Shadow is the first and only one to react. He actually feels sadness thinking his equal is dead. And then, Shadow goes as far to save Sonic’s life when he fades out. This is how I see Shadow. A quiet hero, willing to do the right thing and protect those he cares about. I’ll admit that’s me in my own life
I completely agree with a lot of this. He's not as bad as Boom Sonic, but they're writing him in a way where they have an excuse to write a Sonic + Shadow fight whenever they want. I want to see a return of 06 and SA2 Shadow, but even though I think this version is better than Boom, it's not good enough to me.
It doesn't need to be those game's variants in this show, but he has no good convictions in Prime at all. His proclivity towards violence and yelling solving his problems in this show and his lack of respect, especially for Sonic, since those games really cement the problem.
I got a lot of people disagreeing with me saying Shadow has a right to feel upset with Sonic, but the problem isn't that he is upset, the problem is how he goes about the issue, and more importantly, his convictions and the why. They aren't clear. Which makes them not good.
I believe Rouge is the one who may have been with Shadow
One detail I love about Prime Shadow that I don't see brought up very often is how edgy he is, but, like, in a very self-indulgent way. His poses are a big part of it - there's a moment where he hits a shard in the Void and, instead of being shown with his arms and legs spread out, he's in a fetal position. Or when he's about to show Sonic the Prism blueprint, he says "follow me", but not before doing a small sprint and striking a pose. And there's also the way he speaks, describing the remains of Green Hill as being "like a ghost" and also the thing you said about it being a place designed to torture them. I know edginess to seem "cool" or more "mature" can get very trite very quickly, but this is not the impression I get here, it feels more like he is just Like That and it's really fun. No idea how it relates to his portrayal in the games but I just find it delightful.
As someone who admires Shadow, I love how he was written in this series entirely. Spoiler alert, in season 3, he goes from wanting to fight Sonic, to helping him. He had a change of heart and I love it.
7:06 I think since shadow transported himself to the other side of the prism we’re Sonic is and so the prism couldn’t get any information about him,
the only hint at Shadow having a friend is when he glances at hologram Rouge and says monochrome hill zone is a place made to torture them, hopefully season 3 goes deeper. we dont get to spend time with the prime versions of the cast - they were present for episode one and then reserved for flashbacks... maybe we'll get a rouge and shadow flashback.
yeah i like this version of shadow but the writers and producers say its cannon to the game universe but I don't belive it
Shadow's easy to explain. He chaos controlled when the prism shattered so he was unaffected. He doesn't have prism energy in him (unlike Nine, Dread or the Eggmen, etc) so he can't go into the other shatter spaces while every character crated by the shard has prism energy in them. Sonic has it too because he was ground zero. The real mystery is where are the shatter versions and the original version of Eggman? All 5 versions of Eggman in the series are all from New Yolk.
My theory is that even though Sonic was ground Zero, then Eggman was essentially ground One, if that makes sense. He was grabbing the prism, close to it. So
The closest person doesn't split and doesn't get sent to different universes. The person a bit further away does get split but doesn't get sent to different universes. And those further away do get split and do get sent to other universes
My feelings for him are still…Mixed at best.
I still think shadow needs to show is power, like chaos spear, chaos blast, and remove inibitor rings.
Wikipedia said that Prime is canon to the games. But Shadow kind of had a reason to act out in season 2, as he promised to protect the world, and Sonic instantly undone the whole world Shadow promised to protect. How would you feel if what you promised to protect got destroyed by someone still trying to act all cool (Sonic deserved to be left crying by Nine in the last episode of Season 2). Although Season 1 still didn’t have a reason for Shadow bullying Sonic, like in Forces how it made at least a bit of sense for Tails to act cowardly after seeing Sonic getting destroyed, but not BEFORE, like when those weak robots that were just marching before the fake Shadow even showed up.
Shadow never once references any sort of responsibility for protecting the world. There's not even a hint that such a history is influencing his actions, so that subtext you're describing _functionally_ does not exist in this narrative (maybe they'll bring it up in S3, but I doubt it).
Everything else I can agree with though. Shadow had even less reason to be abrasive in S1, and it wasn't a great introduction to the character.
Shadow technically doesn’t exist , since he was teleported outside the blast of the crystal he technically isn’t apart of what’s happening, meaning he can’t be in a space he’s not part of, which is also why there’s no shadow variations, since he was outside of all that happened, he can be apart of the original dimension cuz he was part of that but the new ones he can’t, I kinda like how sonic and shadow are on opposite ends of the whole story, sonic being able to be part of all the universes since he was the cause of the blast while also being in it, while shadow was outside and can’t be apart of it, pretty interesting dynamic
I like how everyone gives Prime Shadow a pass because he actually has reasons to beat the shit out of Sonic.
Sonic Prime is a little sloppy, but I think Shadow's good here 😊