"First of all, I am Shadow. Second of all, you are not Shadow. Third of all, you wanna be Shadow, but you can't be Shadow, because I am Shadow." -Shadow the Hedgehog
The connection of Sonic living in the present and Shadow in the past was made clear to me back during Sonic 06 funny enough. When coupled with Silver looking out for the future it made perfect sense
Small note because the game has come out now, Shadow obviously says that in Sonic’s side of the story, but from Shadow’s perspective it’s entirely different. As if it’s an impromptu race for the emerald. I personally think that instead of being what happened, both of these cutscenes are actually the character’s interpretations of eachother rather than the actual recorded events. In Sonic’s story, Shadow is dark and brooding waiting for the fight. In Shadow’s story, Sonic just nags at him for the emerald, being borderline annoying and maybe instigates a bit.
Kinda ties in to how Shadow sees Sonic in his first game, in that case. The Pure Hero-Dark ending suggests that Shadow only goes back against Sonic at the last minute because he finds him so annoying and couldn't stomach him being around for the final showdown with Black Doom (at least in the Japanese dubbing for it, but even in the English dub, Jason's portrayal of Sonic tends to come off as obnoxious to the absolute tenfold).
@sirkjohno0129 That makes a lot of sense. I also imagine Shadow from Sonic's perspective in that game is super brooding....or I guess somewhat more brooding. It's funny to think about how both hedgehogs might play up a (for lack of a better word) negative part of one another.
I can't believe that this video has convinced me we have Shadow, Not-Shadow, Not-Not Shadow, Shadow-Not-Shadow, Robo-Shadow, Proto-Shadow and Anti-Shadow. ... it's dark in here
Shadow: Shadow Not Shadow: Black Doom Not-Not Shadow: Terios Shadow-Not-Shadow: Mephiles Metal Shadow: Metal Overlord Proto Shadow: Biolizard Anti-Shadow: Sonic
I mean, Shadow is bascially the entire Days trio combined - a mirror of the hero who struggles to find his own identity and exsistance (Roxas) - having been created as a weapon but managing to defy that purpose through the few close bonds he holds (Xionl) - being a spiky haired black/red edgelord who cant be killed off because hes too beloved in the community (Axel)
It isn't dark, we just have a lot of points to see where the light is coming from. Shameless ripoff of Maria's speech there I know, but they do all have unique insights into the concept of morality, so it more than fits.
@enlongjones2394 right? That line is so concerning, I really want them to explain it sometime. It's a really cool idea because he's like the most powerful (at least) compared to his friends, and got no reason at all
@@enlongjones2394 omega is more confused on how shadow, a being created and manufactured to be essentially perfect, struggles to compete with someone of natural abilities. Hence why omega says the information does not compute because sonic a natural being, being on par with shadow a perfect being just doesn’t make sense
@@Sneedless he is a prophecy child and the ultimate biological life form on their earth as seen from him having a stupid strong connection to chaos energy itself having a will so strong that even two versions of Satan couldn't even control him or keep him dead for long he's able to keep himself from going insane even when he became the embodiment of wrath in secret rings and even stated in forces he just gets stronger and stronger over time just by running and doing light fighting and finally being able to resist getting turned into void space background material like tails and knuckles even after being knocked out so all in all he was just born to be over powered
One thing I LOVE about Sonic's character is the mystery surrounding his existence. It also makes me wonder why we saw a mural and statues of Sonic that were around for YEARS before he was born. It's why I find Sonic to be cooler than Shadow.
I found that line really interesting. He's saying that Chaos Control *belongs* to him. Not that he can perform it, that the move belongs to him. Like wanting to be the real Sonic wasn't enough for him, he's trying to be the real Shadow too!
Since most people need a Chaos Emerald to activate Chaos Control and lose the ability if they lose the emerald, you could argue that they are simply borrowing the ability from the emerald. Metal Overlord uses Chaos Control freely and without any tools so by this logic he "owns" this power.
@@neohybride2597 If you're referring to the fact that it released after the game dropped, he said on stream that this video was in the works for a while and was finalized before the game released
A little something to add that's tangentally related to the Daiya comic and Shadow: Sonic and Shadow also contrast each other in their "biblical coding". Sonic is sometimes coded as being demonic like or at the very least not a hero (which references how he doesn't care to see himself in the eyes of others). In addition, Sonic often goes up against corrupted or malicious gods / figures who claim themselves as god: Perfect Chaos, Metal overlord Dark Gaia, Alf Layla wa Layla, the Time Eater, and recently THE END. Meanwhile Shadow by comparison is more coded as being angelic or divine, as pronounced by his allusions to being a messiah to humanity, a light in the darkness, and his Doom wings. And conversely, his two most prominent adversaries Mephiles and Black Doom, are demonic leaning. I find it an interesting relation in hindsight as it's something general audiences wouldn't really assume about the too based on their designs and personalities.
YES. to add, there's a theory that sonic himself is a demon. in black knight, the spell that merlina summons sonic with is the exact same as the one used to summon the ifrit in secret rings (i.e. a demon). in the same game, he goes onto kill the king and by technicality, bring 'disorder' to the kingdom. certainly coded as demon like obviously this is just a coincidence, but food for thought.
I don't know about the "demonic coding" thing. A true hero cares more about doing the right thing than the appearance of doing the right thing, and going up against malicious "gods"? Well, If we're talking angels and demons, we're talking Christianity, where literally everything that professes to be a god _other_ than the actual Creator is demonic by definition. I'd sooner say Sonic is coded like Goku ("ordinary" guy that trains because he likes it and has instinctual morality) while Shadow is coded like Superman (him being "The Ultimate Lifeform" a constant and heavy burden on his mind, with a more "purposefully defined" morality)... with a bit of Batman's origins sprinkled in.
Here’s the thing about that interpretation about Sonic. It’s just a label given to him by your perspective. It doesn’t associate with him as a character. He could be seen as this based on others perspectives. But, to him, he sticks to what he believes in, and fights the bad because he views it as wrong. He always sticks to what he believes he is: just a guy who loves adventure; Sonic the Hedgehog.
Not even just shockingly accurate to SXSG lore, bosses or the overall story, but this video captures Shadow’s character ridiculously well & what makes him super interesting & loved.
Something amusing about Metal overlord. He’s now one of like 3 characters to exist alongside a past version of himself in the game’s story. Around the same time Shadow is fighting Metal Overlord, Classic Sonic is fighting Metal Sonic.
I find it interesting that everyone uses Sonic in their thumbnails when it comes to bosses or other things even though Sonic isn’t even a boss you fight in the game. Love your vids Chariii! Edit: I am fully aware of the fact the audio in this video is “before” the release of the game, but Chariii had already streamed the game 5 days before this video was released.
It's fun to make the whole Sonic = present and Shadow = past dynamic when you add Silver who is all about the future and Amy who debuted in a game with time travel and who does tarot readings (which involves reading people's pasts and futures) and also is eventually the one who brings shadow and silver closer to Sonic's goals in both stories. I swear, these games only have good writing in retrospective. Also, adding to the way Shadow cares too much about purpose, there's also his story in Sonic Battle, where everyone wants to give Emerl emeralds for random reasons but Shadow specifically wants Emerl to gain enough sentience to learn about himself and choose whether he wants to be good or evil. It's basically giving the robot the chance he never got himself (which depending on whether he still thinks he's a robot or not at that point might be even more meaningful)
You know what else i saw in shadow's bosses? Desperation. (SPOILERS DOWN HERE) Every single bos in shadow gens has shown some form of desperation:the biolizard who wants to live and is fighting out natural instincts to survive, metal overlord fighting to prove he's the real sonic, mephiles desperatley wanting to exist, and black doom in the end who was having a pseudo mental breakdown because shadow dis not obey him or wasn't anything like him. Also i think there is a bit of abusive father subtext but im not really knowledgable on that.
This is 100% right. Hell, Mephiles' dying words are "I want to exist". Nice catch there with the other bosses. Also, I can see where you're coming from with the abusive parent subtext with Black Doom, what with Shadow being *his* creation and all, ESPECIALLY when Gerald calls Shadow (SPOILERS BELOW) his Son and not in the way an old man calls any boy son, either. If you collect all of the journal pages (or happen to have the physical version) the final page is a picture of Gerald, Maria and Shadow sporting a very rare genuine smile. Shadow is family to the professor as much as Maria was, versus Black Doom who merely saw him as a means to his end goals of world domination.
This is a very big stretch, but I think the way they're desperately fighting for their goals is meant to be a mirror to how Shadow is desperate when it comes to the Professor and Maria
Lots of people keep forgetting that Shadow always had respect for Sonic and was genuinely chill with him like a homie back in the 2000s era, Now SEGA wants to forcefully portray him as Vegeta 2.0 for no reason at all.
@@mooganify Different context. Shadow is trying to have revenge against the world in that game. And his character has definitely changed after he has woken up in Heroes If we used the same logic for his motivation in every game, Shadow did what did in Heroes, Shadow 05, 06, etc because he still wants to destroy the world.
_Shadow the Hedgehog_ says hi. "I'm not here to rescue you. Don't waste my time." - Shadow to Sonic after completing Westopolis's Hero mission. "Not you again." - Shadow to Sonic when the latter shows up on a spaceship that's on its way to the ARK. "Siding with them? You're joking, right? I'm just teaming up with anyone going against you. This time, you're going down, Sonic!" - Shadow to Sonic after completing the Dark mission of Final Haunt (which is the Pure Hero final stage).
I'll always appreciate that Sonic's connection to his franchise's lore is almost always the stuff he does in the main timeframes of the games themselves. He has almost no connection to any old civilization, power source, weapon, super deity etc. Also, you're based for acknowledging Sonic 4.
This is so real, like he's just some random teengaer with with super powers that's been caught up in the middle of all these ancient wars, vengeful gods, aliens, time travellers, government conspiracies etc. and he's loving every second of it. I really hope they never retcon sonic to have some odd, destiny based backstory
That's a very fun detail to Sonic. There's no (canon) origin to his powers and no real "prophecy" to him except that one time with the Master Emerald crisis. Sonic, like he says before his fight with Shadow is just a guy who likes adventure. And I think that's the most important piece of the puzzle. Sonic doesn't see himself as much. Everyone around him probably thinks he's an unstoppable miracle worker but to Sonic, he's just some guy that does stuff cause he thinks it's what he should do. Sonic is so special and yet so simple all at the same time. Honestly when I really think about it, even I find it a little off putting (or maybe I'm just weird).
to elaborate on Surge (some spoilers): Surge was made to replace Sonic as a hero, allowing Starline to shape the world in his image by controlling the crowd's favorite. While Surge lives her own life now, her lack of real past outside of being made to destroy Sonic and Eggman always haunts her, since she doesn't have real motive or drive to do anything else - she was engineered for a specific purpose, not unlike Shadow or Metal.
@@mazkeraid4039 Uhhh... Yeah they do. They fight twice in the comics, the second time being one of her most emotional moments at the climax of the Imposter Syndrome arch.
I have a strong feeling that they were just awakened in Shadow. Doom unlocked them and once he's gone they are resealed. I feel like the powers could return
It'd only make sense for them to come back. I mean, those powers came from within him, and it's not like killing Doom rewrote his DNA or anything like that: the potential is still there, only dormant for the time being.
To add to this conversation, Omega highlights how the Black Arms' weapons are organic. They grow weapons from their bodies and therefore (in Omega's own words) Shadow should be able to turn his hand into a gun!
One thing I loved about Adventure 2 were the parallels I found between Sonic and Shadow. For example, one not really talked about was the hedgehogs and the emeralds. If the mural theory is to be believed, Shadow using Chaos Control at the beginning was a "fake Sonic" using a real emerald. Meanwhile Sonic saving himself from exploding with Chaos Control is the real Sonic using a fake emerald. That's really neat. What I found even more neat was the parallel you drew in this video that I somehow never noticed. Shadow, when putting his past behind him and not letting it define him or what he does ultimately becomes a lot like Sonic. Someone who does what he does for no other reason than that's what he believes is right. It's kinda funny that these two came around like this since it's purely out of coincidence. Shadow was supposed to mimic Sonic's image alone but Shadow ended up mirroring Sonic in many ways that weren't intended.
Its funny how people downplay what makes Sonic particularly special beyond his high mobility. He's one of only a few characters who can properly harness Chaos Energy with their own bodies. He can even achieve Super Sonic form with the Master Emerald alone. Although he doesn't have the raw manipulation ability like Shadow who can just rip it from the air to teleport and throw the energy around like a projectile, Sonic's ability to utilize it is the real deal. Even with a Man-Mad Chaos Emerald(the "Fake"), he managed Chaos Control. Likely no other character, aside from Shadow could hope to replicate a feat with so little chaos energy.
I've always found natural users of the Chaos Emeralds fascinating cause there really doesn't seem to be a correlation between them. If we go with the idea that Tails, Knuckles and Amy only go super in the Classic games specifically for out of universe gameplay reasons (which I think is fair considering you can only fight Final Bosses as Super Sonic, Tails and Knuckles get bubbles in Heroes and Superstars refers to any character who isn't Sonic and Trip getting "super powers"), the only natural weilders of Chaos Energy are Sonic, Chaos, Black Doom, Silver and Trip (as we see her do it in a cutscenes and not just in gameplay). Everyone else is artificial and likely created to do it. The only real connection between natural users is Sonic and Silver but I don't really know what to gleam from that especially since Black Doom's on this list.
I wanna mention that Sonic and Shadow are so in sync in 06 like you said, that now Shadow introduces himself the exact same way Sonic does. Sonic up to this point is the only character to introduce himself in this way "My name is Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." Shadow doesn't break this trend he says "My name is Shadow" in both SA2 and Shadow when introducing/establishing himself in those games, boasting that hes the ultimate life form in SA2 in particular. but in 06? When he's finally understood who he is and just does what he feels is correct? He introduces himself like Sonic. Because just like Sonic, Shadow isnt unsure of who he is, he doesnt have to boast about his status or feats like Eggman does in his SA2 introduction, he understands who he is. This is actually showcased in Sonic X. Shadow holds himself up to his status as the ultimate life form who has to carry out this mission of destruction for the whole SA2 arc, but when he needs to save the world after realizing what he believed was false, he screams to the heavens, now more sure than ever of who he is: "I AM SHADOW. SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG"
When I first saw the doom wings in the trailer, I referred to that form as “Dark Angel Shadow” because it’s an ability that’s dark in nature, but are used to do what he considers to be right
That's an interesting idea -- if Sonic is essentially the person Maria wished Shadow would be, does that mean that anytime Shadow sees Sonic he's reminded of a promise he made to his best friend that he can't keep? It would explain how they respect each other, they're often on the same side, yet never really friends.
Every boss in Shadow generations has special dialogue with the exception of the Biolizard. Mephiles clearly got special attention because not only was Mephiles aware during the battle, in fact he even panicked when he saw Shadow because he finally had an opportunity to restore himself to the timeline but at the end of the battle Shadow says that there is no future for Mephiles ever, Shadow clearly remembers a little bit of the events of 06 just not all the details. Side note: blaze the cat looks like she has some memories from 06 too, she said she never expected to see crisis city again, several characters have small memories from 06, she said that in the original sonic generations and it's not a reference from the rewrite like with the time stones
@@Shadow-Joop-157 I'd argue that Biolizard has some special dialogue too. It's revealed to us that the Sonic Team stopped relying on stock Hollywood sound effects, but somehow made Biolizard's roar reminiscient of that old Jaguar sound while also being its own original thing. /j
@@Shadow-Joop-157 I don't think Shadow remembers Mephiles or anything from that game, and it's more that he picked up on the context clues Mephiles kept throwing at him, that he did something that erased this guy from existence and needs to keep it that way. He then made a chilling quip based on this information when he resealed Mephiles.
I think shadow said "Theres no Future for you" because Mephiles mentioned "... then restore myself to the Timeline" so shadow already got what was Mephiles intentions. I strongly believe that Shadow really doesnt remember a shit about 06 events, everything was reseted and only Sonic ended up remembering everything
@@GuiGuitozao didn't Sonic forget too? I may have missed some alternate media where the contrary is brought up if that exists. I haven't read the comics.
its almost crazy how accurate you were about all of this, and i couldn't be more happy, feels like shadow is finally getting close to healing from his past. not all the way there yet, but this game was a giant stride in it, while also keeping who he is, perfectly intact.
OOC, but the artist, DAIYA had made several fanarts like this. I really love their interpretation of Sonic as this unsettling creature, and you should be grateful that he has morality in the right place
Makes sense, Sonic is essentially The Flash. The Flash could _easily_ defeat Superman giving it 100%, because The Flash is _terrifying_ when you see what a speedster can do. The Reverse Flash is a perfect example of that. With Chaos Control, Sonic would easily be able to start doing the nightmare fuel feats of the Reverse Flash. Pausing time is one of those things that's terrifyingly OP. Sonic 06 establishes that it can be used for actual time travel, which puts Sonic all the way at "IT WAS ME, BARRY!" levels of terror. Super Sonic elevates it further to "What if Superman was a proper speedster and not just really fast compared to anyone who isn't one", which makes the idea of a proper evil Sonic even more nightmarish. Metal Sonic never even begins to approach being an Evil Sonic, Metal Overlord is absolute proof that he's absolutely terrible at the job. Scourge from the Archie Comics likewise isn't an _evil_ Sonic, he's a douche Sonic. I've seen people comment before that Reverse Flash's petty horrors can be pretty funny as a viewer, but if you actually think about it, he's downright terrifying. Things Reverse Flash has done include "going back in time and giving someone brain damage as a child to erase their entire life's accomplishments via making them mentally disabled", "going back in time and aborting people from the timeline by killing their parents before they were born", and "spending 20+ years stalking Barry Allen, being a living curse against him throughout his entire childhood via doing everything from shoving him down stairs to making him fail at things he should have succeeded at just to sabotage his self-confidence and self-concept _after_ murdering his mom and framing his dad". That's all things a proper Evil Sonic can do. Imagine an Evil Sonic going back in time and shaking Baby Tails like a soda can to erase all the technical aid that Tails has ever done for Sonic. Horrifying.
I have a stupid headcanon that the stages we see in shadow gens are there not just because of shadow but because the time eater by eggman's orders is targetting sonic and doom is morphing that time reality, because if you think with me for a second every stage in shadow gens is also a stage sonic been to and not aways places shadow has been to(mainly chaos island) but the one stage sonic has never been, radical highway, is the one that creeps in by doom's influence in the time anomaly and only 2 stages dont get that threatment is kindgom valley and chaos island, two stages that in the timeline dont hold major events for shadow(then you might ask me 'but kindom valley and sonic 06 is important for shadow' not when the current timeline has every major event from 06 erased from ever happening), and chaos island is self explanatory since shadow never takes part there, is as if doom influence can only work in places shadow be it from future or past memories has familiarity with it, culminating in a fully distorted recreation of radical highway, unlike most stages that are mostly complete and in a natural form radical highway is aways tampered with black doom's influence.
I've noticed this too from the instant i saw all the bosses he fight in this game. Their designs, their purpose and to an extent even their personalities, I just saw as a "What if" of Shadow. So called "ultimate lifeforms" who for one reason or another dealt, was a bad hand and could not fulfill the purpose they so believed was destined for them. Being shackled to the past, being based off an image of someone's idea of a perfect being. Kinda gives you that "i am thou, thou art I" kinda vibe. All these years i always thought was Shadow to be badass copy done right enough, but in someways thanks to to this, maybe he IS the original.
Shadow Android: I’m Shadow, The Ultimate life form. Maria: What kind of fool do you take me for? Maria: (Starts pointing at Biolizard, Metal Sonic and The android.) He’s Shadow! He’s Shadow!! You’re Shadow!!! I AM SHADOW! Are there any other Shadows I should know about!? Mephiles(Shadow form), Black Doom, Surge, Classic and Sonic(both wearing Shadow Costumes) appear in the room. Sonic: Meow?
im glad you made this video. as much as i love shadow, theres a reason why i will always believe that sonic is cooler that shadow. the fact that sonic is a damage to his pride, is a really good addition to his character. when he fights sonic in that one cutscene, he was about to use the doom powers on him, but stops himself, and says he wants to fight sonic on equal terms. shadow is given doom powers, that he most likely knows are temporary, and even has 2 chaos emeralds, one of them being fake. he knows that all of sonics abilities are natural yet he is his equal in every way. heck, he might be stronger. fighting with a bunch of extra power boosts, just reinforces his feelings that he needs all of the things to beat sonic, when sonic doesn't need any of that.
Jesus loves you! I couldn't have said it beter myself. This is why Sonic will forever be my favorite character in fiction. He's such an awesome protagonist!
@@IsaiahVance-nc1ow but shadow wasn't trying to fight sonic, it was impromptu and he wanted to hold onto his emerald, shadow his natural abilities like hero shadow of dark shadow of his inhibitor rings
18:59 it's a Throne, one of the most powerfull angels in the Bible. A gigantic flaming creature covered by rings with eyes all arround it. They are the first line of defense to God's throne
I'm kinda surprised i never considered all this but with how you present it, it's amazing about all the theories and speculations. Thanks for the info dump.
a lot of this was surprisingly on point despite being written for the game's prerelease and i'm very interested in seeing what you think after finishing the game. i love this interpretation of how shadow lines up with the bosses and how it relates to his character arc in generations
Shadow isn’t obligated to honor his promise to Maria - it isn’t his purpose, it’s something he chooses to do. On the other hand, his purpose is to assist Black Doom in helping to conquer the world, which he resists. Oh cool! That makes Shadow’s self-given purpose a metaphor for love: something one decides to give, but not something that can be demanded. He could be called the shadow of Maria’s love.
I'm not sure if it's intentional, but another thing to add onto why Shadow might be unsettled by Sonic's natural abilities is that Sonic is *naturally* fast. Shadow on the other hand needs rocket shoes in order to move at Sonic's speed. Sure, he can react at the same speed as Sonic, but when he's actively going as fast as Sonic he's not using his own natural speed. He's using his rocket shoes. Remember, those aren't just any rocket shoes. Those are shoes designed and built by Gerald Robotnik, the smartest man of his time, and designed and built specifically for Shadow to *make* him the Ultimate Life Form. But then suddenly, he meets this random blue hedgehog that has that speed *naturally*. Sonic doesn't have high tech rocket shoes made by a genius. Sonic's just wearing some shoes he bought somewhere. Hell, his name is literally *Sonic*. the guy's entire thing is speed. Sonic is everything that Shadow likely wishes he was. Someone who, while not actually being given the title of "The Ultimate Life Form", is the *real* Ultimate Life Form. Someone that has all of Shadow's powers naturally, but also isn't weighed down by all of the mental baggage. Someone who doesn't need to tell himself that he's the best, because he's confident that he is. Someone who never needs to look into the past, because he knows he has nothing to regret. Sonic is everything Shadow is, wants to be, and doesn't think he can be. A guy who loves adventure.
Been a month, journal entries have given info that the air shoes were designed by Maria and then built by Gerald! Correction stuff, but this argument still stands! Sonic is naturally fast, Shadow is similarly capable of such speed as well (perhaps greater!) - but his unique biology with being engineered with chaos energy puts a much heavier strain on his body, thus the creation of the inhibitor rings he has on his gloves and shoes. Such a specific limitation and flaw for the "Ultimate Lifeform", eh? Can't even keep those rings off for too long before it lights him ablaze. Ouch, lol.
absolutely stunned how you managed to catch so many thematic ties that i somehow missed in my multiple playthroughs, all just through pre-release trailer footage. and how shockingly accurate you were, even with the stuff based off intentional red herrings in those trailers (not gonna spoil it but iykyk)
11:43 ate the true ending of shadow 05 shadow is at the end of his character arc of that game his character has changed compared to what it was in SA2. i interpreted the very last ending where shadow trows away a photo of gerald and maria as him walking away fromhis past. that is why it would make sense fro him to work with G.U.N because he does not care anymore about what they did all those years ago!
Especially since none of the people from the Ark Incident are part of the modern GUN (that old-looking Commander was just a boy at the time for instance).
That's how I've always interpreted it as. Shadow doesn't want the past to influence his actions and wants to right in the world. G.U.N's actions in the past don't affect Shadow mentally anymore and working alongside them is a good way to have knowledge of any devious activities.
This is a very good video. It’s very valid, even after SXSG. I really like how you explained the whole “what Shadow/Sonic could/would be” through their enemies and rivals.
Another interesting comparison between Sonic and Shadow from the mid 2000s. Sonic has the very iconic nickname the Blue Blur. Obviously a reference to his speed. Eventually Sonic also got the nickname the Knight of the Wind. Referring to his sense of freedom and his ability to do what he wants simply because he wants to Meanwhile the show Sonic X. During season 3 Shadow is defending a planet when some of the residents mistake him as the Black Wind. A rumored mysterious hero that wanders the galaxy defending anyone that needs help While Shadow denies this title it still is a very interesting comparison to Sonic's Knight of the Wind with how Shadow himself is constantly dealing with the problem of people controlling him for a grander scheme while he himself tries to determine his own destiny by simply wanting to help others It almost makes me think that Shadow deserves the title of the wind more than Sonic given the challenges he's overcome involving people controlling him compared to Sonic
You know, I never connected the Chaotix mission to the otherwise out of place Shadow Android? I was always somewhat annoyed by that little snafu, thanks for untangling it! ... Oh, and the main premise of the video is great as well. Interesting, as my username comes from considering myself sort of a "middle ground" of the two speedster's personalities, lighthearted and morally focused as Sonic, but naturally more analytical and careful as Shadow.
Idk if this is mentioned in Gerald's diary or before in the Sonic games, but Shadow's name wasn't given to him by Gerald, but by Maria. Which is weird, because she's a child that decided the name of a sentient being without knowing him. And yet, she reflected her hopes and good wishes in a name that sounds so... dark. Shadow is called Shadow because without light there's only darkness, but Shadows point towards the light, the path forward. Which is pretty deep for a literal child. Also, last cutscene broke Shadow, like... that man will need to go to therapy AGAIN.
Shadow is Dark Sonic. This means Sonic is Light Shadow. Metal Sonic is another Dark Sonic, just like Shadow but even more artificial. Mephiles is a Dark Shadow, basically a double Dark Sonic, who represents the darkest version of what Shadow once was. Biolizard is, of course, the prototype before the finalized Shadow. If Shadow is the "Dark" Sonic, Black Doom is the "Dark" itself.
This was honestly one of the most intriguing Sonic lore analysis videos I've seen in a minute. The idea that these characters are all Shadow in the literal sense obviously sounds silly... But these characters truly do parallel him in a lot of ways, and I've always noticed that. I do however feel silly not realizing that connection between Team Chaotix and Team Dark's story, because oml, why does that make the android storyline so much clearer than the game itself does lmao.
I don’t have anything specific to really add but I just want to say seeing this comic and the threads created by it and this video all of it unfold in front me as time has gone on is so wonderful and it’s all because of the wonderful artistry and character analysis at play and it makes me so happy. great video, I know comments help the algorithm and I had some thoughts so I thought it’d be worth at least something to put them down
I would love to see an updated version of this. These are good points given that this was before the release, so I'd love to see what you put together with the full experience.
17:57 the idea that Shadow was created a hedgehog 50 years before Sonic was even born is something we keep ignoring in the Sonic lore. Why did Gerald SPECIFICALLY used a Hedgehog for Shadow and why did Shadow work where Biolizard failed? Sure its because he saw the Mural in Angel Island, but then if thay Mural existed thousands of years ago, then what makes a Hedgehog so special? Furthermore Hedgehogs apparently are the only ones who can use Chaos energy to become Super or use Chaos Control like Sonic did in SA2 with the Fake Emerald. And we only know of 4 total hedgehogs too. Are Hedgehogs like the Saiyan race from DBZ?
1. It's stated in the game that Shadow succeeded where biolizard failed thanks to Black Doom's DNA. 2. The Black Arms can also use the power of the chaos emeralds.
To be fair we know that Gerald used salamanders to create the biolizard, maybe he saw the S&K mural and used a hedgehog but that's it. And also does burning Blaze count as being that can go super? And also machines like Metal that can go super and use chaos control? You are thinking too deep, Sonic is just that good but hedgehogs are not like saiyan race. Shadow could have been an echidna or a fox and it wouldn't have mattered
ok, the game itself made things interesting, Sonic was not a boss, but Metal Overlord seems to be truly consumed by the strain of being a copy, he not just wants to be the "true Sonic" but also claims Shadow to be a copy of him, while Mephiles... being a reflection of what Shadow could be... maybe fits with Mephiles's true intentions, as the twisted will of a god of time, he's the only of the 3 bosses that is aware of his timeless status, Biolizard isn't even sentient while Metal Overlord just acts as if it was still Sonic Heroes, but Mephiles wants to defeat Shadow and return to the timestream, he wants to exist, he knows he was erased from history, but still he wants to consume Shadow as he tried in a certain way during SONIC 06 as he semingly tries to take his place in the timestream
something you said reminded me of a weird scene in a Marvel comic book: Pandora, yes, as in Pandora's Box, had spent centuries hunting down the evil beings she had accidentally unleashed, based on "the seven deadly sins". but she was unable to kill them off for good, until she finally figured out the trick: she said, "i ENVY you", then shot Envy, and finally killed him. BUT, in the main story, someone else used the "box" to open a portal to another dimension, bringing evil version of the Justice League through! (i say "box" because it looked like a metal skull)
this reminds me of a very old comic book where Sonic is having a weird recurring dream. it starts with him falling, so he usually wakes up quickly. but THIS time, he intentionally kept it going. i don't remember most of it, but the dream ended with a bunch of random characters chanting, "Sonic can do no wrong, can do no wrong..." Sonic woke up SCREAMING, and wound up talking to Tails about it...
Even though you couldn’t get this out before the game released, I still am more than happy to watch. I usually don’t watch your videos (just check the reactions and EWW) but this format is really nice. Would be happy to hear more lore ramblings
I like how they did Mephile’s character justice, he’s fully aware of the fact that his existence was erased from the main timeline, seeing that he’s given a chance to make himself relevant again, grows desperate against his fight against Shadow.
Your analysis is very interesting and I’d like everyone to keep in mind that Ian Flynn wrote the game’s story and likely took into consideration all of the factors you’re mentioning because he’s a very talented writer with a long history, writing these characters for the comics
Ian wasn't the only one handling it. The outline came from Sega of Japan & Lore team. Ian wrote the outline into a script & both teams tweaked the script until it met their standards
I probably took the common path and outside of Sonic view of him being "just a guy doing his thing", he's a relentless force of nature that will wrought whatever destruction necessary to do whatever he wants.
At 16:54 that's poor choice of words because Maria quite literally gave her life to save shadow and so that he could see the Earth and trying to stop him from becoming a weapon, and if it wasn't for her shadow might as well could've been the humans' weapon or the black arms' weapon I think everyone still gets the point but saying that shadow doesn't "owe" Maria anything is an understatement.
Bro. You got the story 100% predicted before the game came out. Amazing. You are the real ultimate lifeform. You know shadow better then anyone it seems.
13:18 The yellow emerald... It's the same one Shadow has in this game... The same one that a fake copy was made of in Sonic Adventure 2, which Shadow also has in this game... Curious.
I delayed my watch of this vid until I beat the story of SXSG. Best decision I made in a long time, only matches with me beating the game without spoilers (which in some way just the same thing). Anyway, your vid is great, thank you!
"First of all, I am Shadow. Second of all, you are not Shadow. Third of all, you wanna be Shadow, but you can't be Shadow, because I am Shadow." -Shadow the Hedgehog
@@ericmartinez813 lythero
@@Len-rx78 Verbalase
"I'm Shadow" he says.
@@_Hero_Link_ Yes but that was Vegeta saying it. Lythero had Shadow say it.
"i must avenge Mario" - (that "Shadow" who Knuckles found in Forces )
"They're all Shadow?" *ALL OF ME PLAYS IN BACKGROUND* "Always has been"
😂😂😂
I AM.
AT ALDI. 🎸
@@heroicgangster9981 👏👏👏😆😆😆👌👌👌
The connection of Sonic living in the present and Shadow in the past was made clear to me back during Sonic 06 funny enough. When coupled with Silver looking out for the future it made perfect sense
Now of we only capitalise on Silver next
We need Silver next
@@hamstersandwich9917 Silver or Blaze
They need to find out that they both have Eggman Nega as a common foe and kick his butt together.@@minty6623
But what bosses would Silver fight in "Silver generations?"
Small note because the game has come out now, Shadow obviously says that in Sonic’s side of the story, but from Shadow’s perspective it’s entirely different. As if it’s an impromptu race for the emerald.
I personally think that instead of being what happened, both of these cutscenes are actually the character’s interpretations of eachother rather than the actual recorded events.
In Sonic’s story, Shadow is dark and brooding waiting for the fight. In Shadow’s story, Sonic just nags at him for the emerald, being borderline annoying and maybe instigates a bit.
That was not a small note.
Kinda ties in to how Shadow sees Sonic in his first game, in that case. The Pure Hero-Dark ending suggests that Shadow only goes back against Sonic at the last minute because he finds him so annoying and couldn't stomach him being around for the final showdown with Black Doom (at least in the Japanese dubbing for it, but even in the English dub, Jason's portrayal of Sonic tends to come off as obnoxious to the absolute tenfold).
@@sirkjohno0129 Part of me thinks Sonic was intentionally more irritating in that game to make that specific ending work.
@castform7 oh absolutely. It also can be seen as how Sonic is from Shadow's perspective.
@sirkjohno0129 That makes a lot of sense. I also imagine Shadow from Sonic's perspective in that game is super brooding....or I guess somewhat more brooding. It's funny to think about how both hedgehogs might play up a (for lack of a better word) negative part of one another.
I can't believe that this video has convinced me we have Shadow, Not-Shadow, Not-Not Shadow, Shadow-Not-Shadow, Robo-Shadow, Proto-Shadow and Anti-Shadow.
... it's dark in here
@@Cobrakun12 We’re all Xehanort
Shadow: Shadow
Not Shadow: Black Doom
Not-Not Shadow: Terios
Shadow-Not-Shadow: Mephiles
Metal Shadow: Metal Overlord
Proto Shadow: Biolizard
Anti-Shadow: Sonic
I mean, Shadow is bascially the entire Days trio combined
- a mirror of the hero who struggles to find his own identity and exsistance (Roxas)
- having been created as a weapon but managing to defy that purpose through the few close bonds he holds (Xionl)
- being a spiky haired black/red edgelord who cant be killed off because hes too beloved in the community (Axel)
That makes 7
It isn't dark, we just have a lot of points to see where the light is coming from.
Shameless ripoff of Maria's speech there I know, but they do all have unique insights into the concept of morality, so it more than fits.
Omega mentions that Sonic’s abilities are all natural and is very confused by how that can be possible.
@enlongjones2394 right? That line is so concerning, I really want them to explain it sometime. It's a really cool idea because he's like the most powerful (at least) compared to his friends, and got no reason at all
@@enlongjones2394 omega is more confused on how shadow, a being created and manufactured to be essentially perfect, struggles to compete with someone of natural abilities. Hence why omega says the information does not compute because sonic a natural being, being on par with shadow a perfect being just doesn’t make sense
@@Sneedless he is a prophecy child and the ultimate biological life form on their earth as seen from him having a stupid strong connection to chaos energy itself having a will so strong that even two versions of Satan couldn't even control him or keep him dead for long he's able to keep himself from going insane even when he became the embodiment of wrath in secret rings and even stated in forces he just gets stronger and stronger over time just by running and doing light fighting and finally being able to resist getting turned into void space background material like tails and knuckles even after being knocked out so all in all he was just born to be over powered
@@AnandMaatraSonic’s just built different and technically has more experience since Shadow spent 50 years of his life locked away
One thing I LOVE about Sonic's character is the mystery surrounding his existence. It also makes me wonder why we saw a mural and statues of Sonic that were around for YEARS before he was born. It's why I find Sonic to be cooler than Shadow.
Metal Overload in english says
"Chaos Control ? Hahaha, That power already belongs to me !!"
Shadow: Rider Kick
I found that line really interesting. He's saying that Chaos Control *belongs* to him. Not that he can perform it, that the move belongs to him. Like wanting to be the real Sonic wasn't enough for him, he's trying to be the real Shadow too!
@sirkjohno0129 the thing is he does use chaos control in sonic heroes though so its most likely referring to the fact that he can use it too
Yes, that has been established. Its HOW he says it that they're talking about.
Since most people need a Chaos Emerald to activate Chaos Control and lose the ability if they lose the emerald, you could argue that they are simply borrowing the ability from the emerald. Metal Overlord uses Chaos Control freely and without any tools so by this logic he "owns" this power.
This video was SHOCKINGLY accurate to SXSG's lore
Right?? That's amazing how he reflected on all this when the game came out😂😂😂
Bro needs to be on the lore team ong
Yeah insane how accurate he was
The video was released 9:00 p.m. ago don't be stupid people 😂
@@neohybride2597 If you're referring to the fact that it released after the game dropped, he said on stream that this video was in the works for a while and was finalized before the game released
The Sonic and Shadow duality is something I've thought for a long time when i made the headcanon of "Shadow going at the speed of dark"
There is that saying that if you move at the speed of light, you live in darkness.
@@ReikuYin wonder where that one comes from...
i started using this term for one of my characters a few weeks ago lol
darkness doesn't have any speed tho
@doge9693 there's a theorical speed of dark and I've used that to base my headcanon, just take a look at speed of dark and you'll see
A little something to add that's tangentally related to the Daiya comic and Shadow: Sonic and Shadow also contrast each other in their "biblical coding". Sonic is sometimes coded as being demonic like or at the very least not a hero (which references how he doesn't care to see himself in the eyes of others). In addition, Sonic often goes up against corrupted or malicious gods / figures who claim themselves as god: Perfect Chaos, Metal overlord Dark Gaia, Alf Layla wa Layla, the Time Eater, and recently THE END.
Meanwhile Shadow by comparison is more coded as being angelic or divine, as pronounced by his allusions to being a messiah to humanity, a light in the darkness, and his Doom wings. And conversely, his two most prominent adversaries Mephiles and Black Doom, are demonic leaning.
I find it an interesting relation in hindsight as it's something general audiences wouldn't really assume about the too based on their designs and personalities.
That's pretty deep dude.
YES. to add, there's a theory that sonic himself is a demon. in black knight, the spell that merlina summons sonic with is the exact same as the one used to summon the ifrit in secret rings (i.e. a demon). in the same game, he goes onto kill the king and by technicality, bring 'disorder' to the kingdom. certainly coded as demon like
obviously this is just a coincidence, but food for thought.
I don't know about the "demonic coding" thing. A true hero cares more about doing the right thing than the appearance of doing the right thing, and going up against malicious "gods"? Well, If we're talking angels and demons, we're talking Christianity, where literally everything that professes to be a god _other_ than the actual Creator is demonic by definition.
I'd sooner say Sonic is coded like Goku ("ordinary" guy that trains because he likes it and has instinctual morality) while Shadow is coded like Superman (him being "The Ultimate Lifeform" a constant and heavy burden on his mind, with a more "purposefully defined" morality)... with a bit of Batman's origins sprinkled in.
Here’s the thing about that interpretation about Sonic. It’s just a label given to him by your perspective. It doesn’t associate with him as a character. He could be seen as this based on others perspectives. But, to him, he sticks to what he believes in, and fights the bad because he views it as wrong. He always sticks to what he believes he is: just a guy who loves adventure; Sonic the Hedgehog.
@@PJTeach-id6ld we are so f-ing back dude
Not even just shockingly accurate to SXSG lore, bosses or the overall story, but this video captures Shadow’s character ridiculously well & what makes him super interesting & loved.
Something amusing about Metal overlord. He’s now one of like 3 characters to exist alongside a past version of himself in the game’s story. Around the same time Shadow is fighting Metal Overlord, Classic Sonic is fighting Metal Sonic.
We got sonic, tails, Eggman, and now metal sonic
I find it interesting that everyone uses Sonic in their thumbnails when it comes to bosses or other things even though Sonic isn’t even a boss you fight in the game.
Love your vids Chariii!
Edit: I am fully aware of the fact the audio in this video is “before” the release of the game, but Chariii had already streamed the game 5 days before this video was released.
well... TECHNICALLY he is?
edit: guys, i was thinking about smth else. im dumb af lmao
I couldn’t control Shadow.
If you pay attention to the video Charii5 confirms this was recorded before the release, also Shadow and Sonic do Fight in this game
To be fair, we didn't know when he made this.
I know right.
It's fun to make the whole Sonic = present and Shadow = past dynamic when you add Silver who is all about the future and Amy who debuted in a game with time travel and who does tarot readings (which involves reading people's pasts and futures) and also is eventually the one who brings shadow and silver closer to Sonic's goals in both stories. I swear, these games only have good writing in retrospective.
Also, adding to the way Shadow cares too much about purpose, there's also his story in Sonic Battle, where everyone wants to give Emerl emeralds for random reasons but Shadow specifically wants Emerl to gain enough sentience to learn about himself and choose whether he wants to be good or evil. It's basically giving the robot the chance he never got himself (which depending on whether he still thinks he's a robot or not at that point might be even more meaningful)
"these games only have good writing in retrospective" is honestly the best way to describe sonic writing I think I've ever seen
You know what else i saw in shadow's bosses? Desperation.
(SPOILERS DOWN HERE)
Every single bos in shadow gens has shown some form of desperation:the biolizard who wants to live and is fighting out natural instincts to survive, metal overlord fighting to prove he's the real sonic, mephiles desperatley wanting to exist, and black doom in the end who was having a pseudo mental breakdown because shadow dis not obey him or wasn't anything like him.
Also i think there is a bit of abusive father subtext but im not really knowledgable on that.
This is 100% right. Hell, Mephiles' dying words are "I want to exist". Nice catch there with the other bosses.
Also, I can see where you're coming from with the abusive parent subtext with Black Doom, what with Shadow being *his* creation and all, ESPECIALLY when Gerald calls Shadow (SPOILERS BELOW)
his Son and not in the way an old man calls any boy son, either. If you collect all of the journal pages (or happen to have the physical version) the final page is a picture of Gerald, Maria and Shadow sporting a very rare genuine smile. Shadow is family to the professor as much as Maria was, versus Black Doom who merely saw him as a means to his end goals of world domination.
Mephiles is insanity.
Honestly, credit for realizing when you’re out of your depth on the abusive father thing. Kudos!
Honestly, I think anyone would be desperate if they fought Shadow the hedgehog, ESPECIALLY when it involves the family members he just reunited with.
This is a very big stretch, but I think the way they're desperately fighting for their goals is meant to be a mirror to how Shadow is desperate when it comes to the Professor and Maria
Lots of people keep forgetting that Shadow always had respect for Sonic and was genuinely chill with him like a homie back in the 2000s era, Now SEGA wants to forcefully portray him as Vegeta 2.0 for no reason at all.
>actively tries to kill him at every moment in Sa2
@@mooganify Different context.
Shadow is trying to have revenge against the world in that game. And his character has definitely changed after he has woken up in Heroes
If we used the same logic for his motivation in every game,
Shadow did what did in Heroes, Shadow 05, 06, etc because he still wants to destroy the world.
@@mooganify and ends the game saying Sonic is the true ultimate lifeform and sacrificing himself
_Shadow the Hedgehog_ says hi.
"I'm not here to rescue you. Don't waste my time." - Shadow to Sonic after completing Westopolis's Hero mission.
"Not you again." - Shadow to Sonic when the latter shows up on a spaceship that's on its way to the ARK.
"Siding with them? You're joking, right? I'm just teaming up with anyone going against you. This time, you're going down, Sonic!" - Shadow to Sonic after completing the Dark mission of Final Haunt (which is the Pure Hero final stage).
Lots of people stubbornly believe Shadow is just/should just be Vegeta 2 and blatantly ignore the details and nuances
I'll always appreciate that Sonic's connection to his franchise's lore is almost always the stuff he does in the main timeframes of the games themselves. He has almost no connection to any old civilization, power source, weapon, super deity etc.
Also, you're based for acknowledging Sonic 4.
This is so real, like he's just some random teengaer with with super powers that's been caught up in the middle of all these ancient wars, vengeful gods, aliens, time travellers, government conspiracies etc. and he's loving every second of it.
I really hope they never retcon sonic to have some odd, destiny based backstory
That's a very fun detail to Sonic. There's no (canon) origin to his powers and no real "prophecy" to him except that one time with the Master Emerald crisis. Sonic, like he says before his fight with Shadow is just a guy who likes adventure. And I think that's the most important piece of the puzzle. Sonic doesn't see himself as much. Everyone around him probably thinks he's an unstoppable miracle worker but to Sonic, he's just some guy that does stuff cause he thinks it's what he should do. Sonic is so special and yet so simple all at the same time. Honestly when I really think about it, even I find it a little off putting (or maybe I'm just weird).
@@wreday720yeah. Sonic doesn’t need a backstory.
Sonic is LITERALY *Him*
From the sounds of it this was written before the release of sonic x shadow generations so it's amazing how much he gets right
0:00 yeah, he did a good job.
the game doesn't bring up this topic so it wouldnt had made a difference
to elaborate on Surge (some spoilers):
Surge was made to replace Sonic as a hero, allowing Starline to shape the world in his image by controlling the crowd's favorite. While Surge lives her own life now, her lack of real past outside of being made to destroy Sonic and Eggman always haunts her, since she doesn't have real motive or drive to do anything else - she was engineered for a specific purpose, not unlike Shadow or Metal.
But Sonic and her never actually met.
@@mazkeraid4039 Uhhh... Yeah they do. They fight twice in the comics, the second time being one of her most emotional moments at the climax of the Imposter Syndrome arch.
@@mazkeraid4039 bro did not read the comics
@@nicoyazawa6890 I mean before the whole cybernetic madness.
@f.o.8547 Dude, I don't know too much of her past, and it's like No. 17 & No. 18 over again, yet weak in concept.
You were right about the doom powers not being permanent. And linked to Black Doom
I have a strong feeling that they were just awakened in Shadow. Doom unlocked them and once he's gone they are resealed. I feel like the powers could return
It'd only make sense for them to come back.
I mean, those powers came from within him, and it's not like killing Doom rewrote his DNA or anything like that: the potential is still there, only dormant for the time being.
To add to this conversation, Omega highlights how the Black Arms' weapons are organic. They grow weapons from their bodies and therefore (in Omega's own words) Shadow should be able to turn his hand into a gun!
@@booyah344 "i may be out of bullets...*BUT I'M NOT OUT OF BULLETS* "
@@booyah344 Reminds me of that guy who turned his into a gun from You Yu Hakusho 🤣
One thing I loved about Adventure 2 were the parallels I found between Sonic and Shadow. For example, one not really talked about was the hedgehogs and the emeralds. If the mural theory is to be believed, Shadow using Chaos Control at the beginning was a "fake Sonic" using a real emerald. Meanwhile Sonic saving himself from exploding with Chaos Control is the real Sonic using a fake emerald. That's really neat. What I found even more neat was the parallel you drew in this video that I somehow never noticed. Shadow, when putting his past behind him and not letting it define him or what he does ultimately becomes a lot like Sonic. Someone who does what he does for no other reason than that's what he believes is right. It's kinda funny that these two came around like this since it's purely out of coincidence. Shadow was supposed to mimic Sonic's image alone but Shadow ended up mirroring Sonic in many ways that weren't intended.
Its funny how people downplay what makes Sonic particularly special beyond his high mobility. He's one of only a few characters who can properly harness Chaos Energy with their own bodies. He can even achieve Super Sonic form with the Master Emerald alone. Although he doesn't have the raw manipulation ability like Shadow who can just rip it from the air to teleport and throw the energy around like a projectile, Sonic's ability to utilize it is the real deal. Even with a Man-Mad Chaos Emerald(the "Fake"), he managed Chaos Control. Likely no other character, aside from Shadow could hope to replicate a feat with so little chaos energy.
wait, since when has sonic been able to go super with only the master emerald? i thought only mecha could do that
Yeah it’s why he can boost.
I've always found natural users of the Chaos Emeralds fascinating cause there really doesn't seem to be a correlation between them. If we go with the idea that Tails, Knuckles and Amy only go super in the Classic games specifically for out of universe gameplay reasons (which I think is fair considering you can only fight Final Bosses as Super Sonic, Tails and Knuckles get bubbles in Heroes and Superstars refers to any character who isn't Sonic and Trip getting "super powers"), the only natural weilders of Chaos Energy are Sonic, Chaos, Black Doom, Silver and Trip (as we see her do it in a cutscenes and not just in gameplay). Everyone else is artificial and likely created to do it. The only real connection between natural users is Sonic and Silver but I don't really know what to gleam from that especially since Black Doom's on this list.
Sonic gotta be some type of prodigy or sum
That wasn't a man-made chaos emerald, that was a fox-made chaos emerald!
I wanna mention that Sonic and Shadow are so in sync in 06 like you said, that now Shadow introduces himself the exact same way Sonic does. Sonic up to this point is the only character to introduce himself in this way "My name is Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." Shadow doesn't break this trend he says "My name is Shadow" in both SA2 and Shadow when introducing/establishing himself in those games, boasting that hes the ultimate life form in SA2 in particular. but in 06? When he's finally understood who he is and just does what he feels is correct? He introduces himself like Sonic. Because just like Sonic, Shadow isnt unsure of who he is, he doesnt have to boast about his status or feats like Eggman does in his SA2 introduction, he understands who he is. This is actually showcased in Sonic X. Shadow holds himself up to his status as the ultimate life form who has to carry out this mission of destruction for the whole SA2 arc, but when he needs to save the world after realizing what he believed was false, he screams to the heavens, now more sure than ever of who he is:
"I AM SHADOW. SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG"
When I first saw the doom wings in the trailer, I referred to that form as “Dark Angel Shadow” because it’s an ability that’s dark in nature, but are used to do what he considers to be right
@@thatoneguy5347
When I first saw Doom Wings in the trailer, all I could think of was, " -SHAD- OW THE -H- EDGE -HOG- "
@@thatoneguy5347 The actual name for him is doom shadow
@@Huckmon365 yeah ik, this is just what I called it
Same here, I also view him as Dark Angel. Although Shadow's body was created with Black Doom's dna, but his mind was created with Maria's soul.
@@GawainW He can use his edge as wings now.
That's an interesting idea -- if Sonic is essentially the person Maria wished Shadow would be, does that mean that anytime Shadow sees Sonic he's reminded of a promise he made to his best friend that he can't keep?
It would explain how they respect each other, they're often on the same side, yet never really friends.
Sonic, and rouge definitely make him flinch.
Considering what happens in Generations, I think she validated he already became what she wanted him to be
Every boss in Shadow generations has special dialogue with the exception of the Biolizard. Mephiles clearly got special attention because not only was Mephiles aware during the battle, in fact he even panicked when he saw Shadow because he finally had an opportunity to restore himself to the timeline but at the end of the battle Shadow says that there is no future for Mephiles ever, Shadow clearly remembers a little bit of the events of 06 just not all the details.
Side note: blaze the cat looks like she has some memories from 06 too, she said she never expected to see crisis city again, several characters have small memories from 06, she said that in the original sonic generations and it's not a reference from the rewrite like with the time stones
@@Shadow-Joop-157 I'd argue that Biolizard has some special dialogue too. It's revealed to us that the Sonic Team stopped relying on stock Hollywood sound effects, but somehow made Biolizard's roar reminiscient of that old Jaguar sound while also being its own original thing. /j
@@Shadow-Joop-157 I don't think Shadow remembers Mephiles or anything from that game, and it's more that he picked up on the context clues Mephiles kept throwing at him, that he did something that erased this guy from existence and needs to keep it that way. He then made a chilling quip based on this information when he resealed Mephiles.
I think shadow said "Theres no Future for you" because Mephiles mentioned "... then restore myself to the Timeline" so shadow already got what was Mephiles intentions. I strongly believe that Shadow really doesnt remember a shit about 06 events, everything was reseted and only Sonic ended up remembering everything
@@GuiGuitozao didn't Sonic forget too? I may have missed some alternate media where the contrary is brought up if that exists. I haven't read the comics.
@@RiverOfTheHeartSonic remembered if we're basing off Team Sonic Racing
its almost crazy how accurate you were about all of this, and i couldn't be more happy, feels like shadow is finally getting close to healing from his past. not all the way there yet, but this game was a giant stride in it, while also keeping who he is, perfectly intact.
IM THE CHOSEN ONE.
OOC, but the artist, DAIYA had made several fanarts like this. I really love their interpretation of Sonic as this unsettling creature, and you should be grateful that he has morality in the right place
Eggman though.
Makes sense, Sonic is essentially The Flash. The Flash could _easily_ defeat Superman giving it 100%, because The Flash is _terrifying_ when you see what a speedster can do. The Reverse Flash is a perfect example of that. With Chaos Control, Sonic would easily be able to start doing the nightmare fuel feats of the Reverse Flash. Pausing time is one of those things that's terrifyingly OP. Sonic 06 establishes that it can be used for actual time travel, which puts Sonic all the way at "IT WAS ME, BARRY!" levels of terror.
Super Sonic elevates it further to "What if Superman was a proper speedster and not just really fast compared to anyone who isn't one", which makes the idea of a proper evil Sonic even more nightmarish. Metal Sonic never even begins to approach being an Evil Sonic, Metal Overlord is absolute proof that he's absolutely terrible at the job. Scourge from the Archie Comics likewise isn't an _evil_ Sonic, he's a douche Sonic.
I've seen people comment before that Reverse Flash's petty horrors can be pretty funny as a viewer, but if you actually think about it, he's downright terrifying. Things Reverse Flash has done include "going back in time and giving someone brain damage as a child to erase their entire life's accomplishments via making them mentally disabled", "going back in time and aborting people from the timeline by killing their parents before they were born", and "spending 20+ years stalking Barry Allen, being a living curse against him throughout his entire childhood via doing everything from shoving him down stairs to making him fail at things he should have succeeded at just to sabotage his self-confidence and self-concept _after_ murdering his mom and framing his dad". That's all things a proper Evil Sonic can do. Imagine an Evil Sonic going back in time and shaking Baby Tails like a soda can to erase all the technical aid that Tails has ever done for Sonic. Horrifying.
I have a stupid headcanon that the stages we see in shadow gens are there not just because of shadow but because the time eater by eggman's orders is targetting sonic and doom is morphing that time reality, because if you think with me for a second every stage in shadow gens is also a stage sonic been to and not aways places shadow has been to(mainly chaos island) but the one stage sonic has never been, radical highway, is the one that creeps in by doom's influence in the time anomaly and only 2 stages dont get that threatment is kindgom valley and chaos island, two stages that in the timeline dont hold major events for shadow(then you might ask me 'but kindom valley and sonic 06 is important for shadow' not when the current timeline has every major event from 06 erased from ever happening), and chaos island is self explanatory since shadow never takes part there, is as if doom influence can only work in places shadow be it from future or past memories has familiarity with it, culminating in a fully distorted recreation of radical highway, unlike most stages that are mostly complete and in a natural form radical highway is aways tampered with black doom's influence.
19:24 THOSE TIME SWITCHES ARE. ACTUALLY IN SHADOW GENS AS WHITE SPACE CHALLENGES. I JUST NOTICED OMG
No one dissects Sonic games as good as you are man, that's amazing.
Plus kudos for SEGA for finally figuring out that the lore actually matters.
I've noticed this too from the instant i saw all the bosses he fight in this game. Their designs, their purpose and to an extent even their personalities, I just saw as a "What if" of Shadow. So called "ultimate lifeforms" who for one reason or another dealt, was a bad hand and could not fulfill the purpose they so believed was destined for them. Being shackled to the past, being based off an image of someone's idea of a perfect being. Kinda gives you that "i am thou, thou art I" kinda vibe. All these years i always thought was Shadow to be badass copy done right enough, but in someways thanks to to this, maybe he IS the original.
notice how its the sonadow artist who depicts the most interesting sonic and shadow dynamic
The way you worded it and the pfp makes this message look super threatening
@@PHX357THIS IS SENDING ME 😭
That makes sense tho, who better to understand the dynamics of these two than the ones who'd put them in a relationship?
long live yaoi
@@e-uthanasia does sonadow counts as toxic yaoi or doomed yaoi...
I don't care what anyone says.
Sonic and Shadow will always be interesting just how different and similar they are.
Sonic: present
Shadow: Past
Silver: Future
Wow, that is so cool!
Mephiles : outside of time
Shadow Android: I’m Shadow, The Ultimate life form.
Maria: What kind of fool do you take me for?
Maria: (Starts pointing at Biolizard, Metal Sonic and The android.) He’s Shadow! He’s Shadow!! You’re Shadow!!! I AM SHADOW! Are there any other Shadows I should know about!?
Mephiles(Shadow form), Black Doom, Surge, Classic and Sonic(both wearing Shadow Costumes) appear in the room.
Sonic: Meow?
im glad you made this video. as much as i love shadow, theres a reason why i will always believe that sonic is cooler that shadow. the fact that sonic is a damage to his pride, is a really good addition to his character. when he fights sonic in that one cutscene, he was about to use the doom powers on him, but stops himself, and says he wants to fight sonic on equal terms.
shadow is given doom powers, that he most likely knows are temporary, and even has 2 chaos emeralds, one of them being fake. he knows that all of sonics abilities are natural yet he is his equal in every way. heck, he might be stronger. fighting with a bunch of extra power boosts, just reinforces his feelings that he needs all of the things to beat sonic, when sonic doesn't need any of that.
I’m not the coolest.
Jesus loves you! I couldn't have said it beter myself. This is why Sonic will forever be my favorite character in fiction. He's such an awesome protagonist!
@@IsaiahVance-nc1ow but shadow wasn't trying to fight sonic, it was impromptu and he wanted to hold onto his emerald, shadow his natural abilities like hero shadow of dark shadow of his inhibitor rings
I love how this implies that Jesus is the biggest Sonic fan ever lmao@@bluephoenix_z3364
18:59 it's a Throne, one of the most powerfull angels in the Bible. A gigantic flaming creature covered by rings with eyes all arround it. They are the first line of defense to God's throne
I'm kinda surprised i never considered all this but with how you present it, it's amazing about all the theories and speculations. Thanks for the info dump.
18:01 I mean I’d argue Sonic had a reason to fight Shadow, given he got framed and thrown in prison because of him. I’d tell him to square up too😂😂😂
a lot of this was surprisingly on point despite being written for the game's prerelease and i'm very interested in seeing what you think after finishing the game. i love this interpretation of how shadow lines up with the bosses and how it relates to his character arc in generations
“We probably won’t discover anything new about shadow…” JOKES ON YOU I FOUND OUR MARIA DESIGNED HIS SHOES
Shadow isn’t obligated to honor his promise to Maria - it isn’t his purpose, it’s something he chooses to do. On the other hand, his purpose is to assist Black Doom in helping to conquer the world, which he resists.
Oh cool! That makes Shadow’s self-given purpose a metaphor for love: something one decides to give, but not something that can be demanded. He could be called the shadow of Maria’s love.
I'm not sure if it's intentional, but another thing to add onto why Shadow might be unsettled by Sonic's natural abilities is that Sonic is *naturally* fast. Shadow on the other hand needs rocket shoes in order to move at Sonic's speed. Sure, he can react at the same speed as Sonic, but when he's actively going as fast as Sonic he's not using his own natural speed. He's using his rocket shoes.
Remember, those aren't just any rocket shoes. Those are shoes designed and built by Gerald Robotnik, the smartest man of his time, and designed and built specifically for Shadow to *make* him the Ultimate Life Form. But then suddenly, he meets this random blue hedgehog that has that speed *naturally*. Sonic doesn't have high tech rocket shoes made by a genius. Sonic's just wearing some shoes he bought somewhere. Hell, his name is literally *Sonic*. the guy's entire thing is speed.
Sonic is everything that Shadow likely wishes he was. Someone who, while not actually being given the title of "The Ultimate Life Form", is the *real* Ultimate Life Form. Someone that has all of Shadow's powers naturally, but also isn't weighed down by all of the mental baggage. Someone who doesn't need to tell himself that he's the best, because he's confident that he is. Someone who never needs to look into the past, because he knows he has nothing to regret. Sonic is everything Shadow is, wants to be, and doesn't think he can be.
A guy who loves adventure.
Been a month, journal entries have given info that the air shoes were designed by Maria and then built by Gerald!
Correction stuff, but this argument still stands! Sonic is naturally fast, Shadow is similarly capable of such speed as well (perhaps greater!) - but his unique biology with being engineered with chaos energy puts a much heavier strain on his body, thus the creation of the inhibitor rings he has on his gloves and shoes.
Such a specific limitation and flaw for the "Ultimate Lifeform", eh? Can't even keep those rings off for too long before it lights him ablaze. Ouch, lol.
absolutely stunned how you managed to catch so many thematic ties that i somehow missed in my multiple playthroughs, all just through pre-release trailer footage. and how shockingly accurate you were, even with the stuff based off intentional red herrings in those trailers (not gonna spoil it but iykyk)
biolizard -shadow's prototype
metal sonic - the faker
mephiles the dark - shadow's shadow
And Sonic - the real ultimate life form(the original SA2 plot twist, that isn't cannon anymore)
11:43 ate the true ending of shadow 05 shadow is at the end of his character arc of that game his character has changed compared to what it was in SA2. i interpreted the very last ending where shadow trows away a photo of gerald and maria as him walking away fromhis past. that is why it would make sense fro him to work with G.U.N because he does not care anymore about what they did all those years ago!
Especially since none of the people from the Ark Incident are part of the modern GUN (that old-looking Commander was just a boy at the time for instance).
That's how I've always interpreted it as. Shadow doesn't want the past to influence his actions and wants to right in the world. G.U.N's actions in the past don't affect Shadow mentally anymore and working alongside them is a good way to have knowledge of any devious activities.
The greatest compliment as a hero, is to know your villains constantly try to make machines that are supposed to be the hero, but better.
This is a very good video. It’s very valid, even after SXSG.
I really like how you explained the whole “what Shadow/Sonic could/would be” through their enemies and rivals.
Another interesting comparison between Sonic and Shadow from the mid 2000s. Sonic has the very iconic nickname the Blue Blur. Obviously a reference to his speed. Eventually Sonic also got the nickname the Knight of the Wind. Referring to his sense of freedom and his ability to do what he wants simply because he wants to
Meanwhile the show Sonic X. During season 3 Shadow is defending a planet when some of the residents mistake him as the Black Wind. A rumored mysterious hero that wanders the galaxy defending anyone that needs help
While Shadow denies this title it still is a very interesting comparison to Sonic's Knight of the Wind with how Shadow himself is constantly dealing with the problem of people controlling him for a grander scheme while he himself tries to determine his own destiny by simply wanting to help others
It almost makes me think that Shadow deserves the title of the wind more than Sonic given the challenges he's overcome involving people controlling him compared to Sonic
20:09 hey u were right on the money with that one
Never realised this, honestly makes a lot of sense, good video man
You were almost right on the money!
Shadow standing on the screen of the monitor at 12:10 is the most Sonic 06 shit I have ever seen
Thank you for keeping that in LMAO
Shadow Generation really added more to his character. I wish they would go with this direction for more Sonic characters.
He is all of him, and they are all him.
You know, I never connected the Chaotix mission to the otherwise out of place Shadow Android? I was always somewhat annoyed by that little snafu, thanks for untangling it!
...
Oh, and the main premise of the video is great as well. Interesting, as my username comes from considering myself sort of a "middle ground" of the two speedster's personalities, lighthearted and morally focused as Sonic, but naturally more analytical and careful as Shadow.
you absolutely nailed this analysis!!! no notes 10/10 shadow is such a wonderfully complex character!!!
Idk if this is mentioned in Gerald's diary or before in the Sonic games, but Shadow's name wasn't given to him by Gerald, but by Maria.
Which is weird, because she's a child that decided the name of a sentient being without knowing him. And yet, she reflected her hopes and good wishes in a name that sounds so... dark.
Shadow is called Shadow because without light there's only darkness, but Shadows point towards the light, the path forward.
Which is pretty deep for a literal child.
Also, last cutscene broke Shadow, like... that man will need to go to therapy AGAIN.
i've known that for a couple of years. there was a comic strip for it
Shadow is Dark Sonic. This means Sonic is Light Shadow. Metal Sonic is another Dark Sonic, just like Shadow but even more artificial. Mephiles is a Dark Shadow, basically a double Dark Sonic, who represents the darkest version of what Shadow once was. Biolizard is, of course, the prototype before the finalized Shadow. If Shadow is the "Dark" Sonic, Black Doom is the "Dark" itself.
This was honestly one of the most intriguing Sonic lore analysis videos I've seen in a minute. The idea that these characters are all Shadow in the literal sense obviously sounds silly... But these characters truly do parallel him in a lot of ways, and I've always noticed that. I do however feel silly not realizing that connection between Team Chaotix and Team Dark's story, because oml, why does that make the android storyline so much clearer than the game itself does lmao.
I don’t have anything specific to really add but I just want to say seeing this comic and the threads created by it and this video all of it unfold in front me as time has gone on is so wonderful and it’s all because of the wonderful artistry and character analysis at play and it makes me so happy. great video, I know comments help the algorithm and I had some thoughts so I thought it’d be worth at least something to put them down
You were surprisingly close to the mark with most of the predictions here, and the logic that brought you to them was very interesting.
I would love to see an updated version of this. These are good points given that this was before the release, so I'd love to see what you put together with the full experience.
Can't wait for the everything wrong with Shadow Generations video
@@rosethepinkhairedsaiyan769 You know its coming just for content
Better be a short one
17:57 the idea that Shadow was created a hedgehog 50 years before Sonic was even born is something we keep ignoring in the Sonic lore. Why did Gerald SPECIFICALLY used a Hedgehog for Shadow and why did Shadow work where Biolizard failed? Sure its because he saw the Mural in Angel Island, but then if thay Mural existed thousands of years ago, then what makes a Hedgehog so special?
Furthermore Hedgehogs apparently are the only ones who can use Chaos energy to become Super or use Chaos Control like Sonic did in SA2 with the Fake Emerald. And we only know of 4 total hedgehogs too.
Are Hedgehogs like the Saiyan race from DBZ?
1. It's stated in the game that Shadow succeeded where biolizard failed thanks to Black Doom's DNA.
2. The Black Arms can also use the power of the chaos emeralds.
To be fair we know that Gerald used salamanders to create the biolizard, maybe he saw the S&K mural and used a hedgehog but that's it. And also does burning Blaze count as being that can go super? And also machines like Metal that can go super and use chaos control? You are thinking too deep, Sonic is just that good but hedgehogs are not like saiyan race. Shadow could have been an echidna or a fox and it wouldn't have mattered
ok, the game itself made things interesting, Sonic was not a boss, but Metal Overlord seems to be truly consumed by the strain of being a copy, he not just wants to be the "true Sonic" but also claims Shadow to be a copy of him, while Mephiles... being a reflection of what Shadow could be... maybe fits with Mephiles's true intentions, as the twisted will of a god of time, he's the only of the 3 bosses that is aware of his timeless status, Biolizard isn't even sentient while Metal Overlord just acts as if it was still Sonic Heroes, but Mephiles wants to defeat Shadow and return to the timestream, he wants to exist, he knows he was erased from history, but still he wants to consume Shadow as he tried in a certain way during SONIC 06 as he semingly tries to take his place in the timestream
something you said reminded me of a weird scene in a Marvel comic book:
Pandora, yes, as in Pandora's Box, had spent centuries hunting down the evil beings she had accidentally unleashed, based on "the seven deadly sins".
but she was unable to kill them off for good, until she finally figured out the trick:
she said, "i ENVY you", then shot Envy, and finally killed him.
BUT, in the main story, someone else used the "box" to open a portal to another dimension, bringing evil version of the Justice League through!
(i say "box" because it looked like a metal skull)
st4pid.
Ok with that idea imagine how cool a sir lancelot bossfight would be
He's just straight up another version of shadow
this reminds me of a very old comic book where Sonic is having a weird recurring dream.
it starts with him falling, so he usually wakes up quickly.
but THIS time, he intentionally kept it going.
i don't remember most of it, but the dream ended with a bunch of random characters chanting, "Sonic can do no wrong, can do no wrong..."
Sonic woke up SCREAMING, and wound up talking to Tails about it...
Always know it's gonna be a good one with these types of analysis videos ❤
Lest Gooo more of this cool análisis. This is the Best of the franchise
Even though you couldn’t get this out before the game released, I still am more than happy to watch. I usually don’t watch your videos (just check the reactions and EWW) but this format is really nice. Would be happy to hear more lore ramblings
I'll love more of these analysises! Also I wish more of these characters like Shadow and Metal would talk
I learned way more from this than anything I did in high school.
Bro your theory on the time buttons being test items for Chaos Control was spot on, lol
Metal Sonic's motivations are clearly rooted in his past and the reason he was created while Shadow got over his past and didn't let it define him.
I like how they did Mephile’s character justice, he’s fully aware of the fact that his existence was erased from the main timeline, seeing that he’s given a chance to make himself relevant again, grows desperate against his fight against Shadow.
I'm so glad I waited to watch this until after finishing the game. So many connections
I swear, this video is so thought provoking... I love it.
That comparison of Sonic and Shadow is like that comic where Batman and Superman explain why they admire each other.
The black doom powers as I used them made me think of the whisp powers sonic would use throughout colors so there’s another parallel
that one lyric in i am all of me makes much more sense now
Excellent video and analysis! You got so much correct as well!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
“You’re Shadow, you’re Shadow, they’re Shadow, _I’M_ Shadow! Are there any other Shadow’s I should know about???”
Intro is crazy accurate to the game (omega’s dialogue about sonic)
Your analysis is very interesting and I’d like everyone to keep in mind that Ian Flynn wrote the game’s story and likely took into consideration all of the factors you’re mentioning because he’s a very talented writer with a long history, writing these characters for the comics
Ian wasn't the only one handling it. The outline came from Sega of Japan & Lore team. Ian wrote the outline into a script & both teams tweaked the script until it met their standards
Wow this aged really well... the script at least. Good job. And nice job pointing this out
This game should’ve made the sonic v shadow 1v1 multiplayer like how we got in 06 or Shadow
4:00 I just realized the mockup master emerald shrine has super emeralds.
I probably took the common path and outside of Sonic view of him being "just a guy doing his thing", he's a relentless force of nature that will wrought whatever destruction necessary to do whatever he wants.
At 16:54 that's poor choice of words because Maria quite literally gave her life to save shadow and so that he could see the Earth and trying to stop him from becoming a weapon, and if it wasn't for her shadow might as well could've been the humans' weapon or the black arms' weapon
I think everyone still gets the point but saying that shadow doesn't "owe" Maria anything is an understatement.
Bro. You got the story 100% predicted before the game came out. Amazing. You are the real ultimate lifeform. You know shadow better then anyone it seems.
Strangely accurate, good job!
13:18 The yellow emerald... It's the same one Shadow has in this game... The same one that a fake copy was made of in Sonic Adventure 2, which Shadow also has in this game... Curious.
Thank you for having this video subtitled in Spanish! 🔥🔥
I like your explanation Charriii5, I can't wait till The game comes out
DAIYA MENTIONED🗣🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥❗️❗️💯
And after the game came out he was half way spot on. Just we got a lil more info from shadows past.
I delayed my watch of this vid until I beat the story of SXSG. Best decision I made in a long time, only matches with me beating the game without spoilers (which in some way just the same thing). Anyway, your vid is great, thank you!