I like your interpretation of why Eggman never did a Metal Shadow. And it makes Eggman a tad more complex. The guy looks up to a grandpa he most likely never even met in addtion to having been neglected by his family after Maria's passing, so this adds a tad bit of sweetness to his character.
Robotnik was never honestly even THAT bad of a guy in the long run. Most of his heinous acts were neutralized by Sonic, and his latest machines release practically zero emissions anymore. I'm not even sure his badniks use animals anymore.
I do think that Dr. Eggman and Shadow have a sort of mutual respect for each other. Despite being on opposing sides. Shadow, unlike Sonic, does not toy with the doctor or mock him, and sees him as a threat needing to be neutralized. Whereas the doctor understands what Shadow is fully capable of and does not underestimate him whenever he encounters Shadow. Often sending his strongest robots or soldiers to stop him. And the idea that the Shadow Androids are a sort of homage to Professor Gerald and his research is an interesting idea. Sort of like the doctor’s own twisted way of remembering and respecting his grandfather’s legacy by making almost perfect clones of his greatest creation.
I like how you are pretending Egg Dealer was never a thing, I still have no idea why the devs decided this was a good for a "final" boss fight. At least it's a hilarious boss even tho it's trivial.
And then you have Surge and Kit, who take things a step FURTHER beyond these androids due to having a similar frame to the androids. But because they were simply cyborgs made by Dr. Starline with stolen futures, they aren't true androids. This meant that the milk-sweating platypus had time to study the shadow android blueprints and make an even better version of these androids first seen in Sonic Heroes. Which begs the question "When is Mobian Cell?".
The reason the Shadow androids are so easy to kill might be because they don't have any rings. After all, they're meant to be exact copies of Shadow, so that means no armor plating like the Metal and Mecha series robots - they have to collect rings to survive just like everybody else.
That makes one wonder, if that's a biological trait could Eggman collect rings and thusly be immune to dying? Or is that an animal thing? I mean, Omega and Gama could collect rings so it's something that Eggman can program so ... wonder if Eggman would ever experiment on himself
I mean, the man literally started smashing a stone wall while yapping against a zeti with his bare hands, he definitely uses rings should he have to resort to throwing hands.
One thing I'd like to point out; the shadow androids are so close to the original that Eggman HIMSELF didn't realize that the genuine article was among them in that scene.
The fact that Eggman tries to create clones of him and use them as troops even though he sometimes asks Eggman to do the work himself shows how useful he was when he teamed up with Shadow.
My personal theory regarding the Shadow Androids is that the are actually clones that have been modified with cybernetics. Kind of like how Androids 17 and 18 were made in Dragon Ball. The thing that tipped me off to this idea is what Omag said in the end of the Team Dark story in Sonic Heroes. He mentioned cloning and that the original was required for it. Also I kind of love the idea that the 2P mode in Shadow the Hedgehog is technically cannon. As in the first Shadow Androids all though they were the original and just kept killing each other. And that's why the Androids moving forward have no personalities of their own. Which would probably also make them weaker than the original.
I think that for a Metal Shadow to exist, it would need a purpose different Metal Sonic's. Meta Sonic by design feels like a message directed to Sonic, like a way for Eggman to tell him "Look Sonic, i can built you, but better!". By that logic i think Metal Shadow would be extremely fitting as a message to Gerald, one that states his desire to be like him and make something as perfect as Gerald's ultimate creation.
What I find fun about the Shadow Androids is two particular details between Heroes and ShtTH 1: Metal Sonic, through the guise of Eggman, either did not understand Shadow wasn't an android, or started _actively lying to him_ explicitly to mess with his head because he was the one who started hinting at the fact that Shadow was an android. 2: The Egg Dealer was likely meant to ensure he has a way of making the process of assaulting something with the androids faster. We can see he made Androids that could use chaos powers... meaning they would be affected by Shadow Fever too, and NOT be inclined to whip his ass with them.
One of the earliest OCs for sonic I ever wrote was actually a shadow Android. He woke up, at the same time as a thousand other androids. He survived the melee, climbed to the top, got out- but lost an arm and broke his neck in the process, forcing him to confront the fact that those are gears and wires, not flesh and bone.
An interesting question. If Rouge hadn't found Shadow during heroes. I honestly could have seen Eggman awake Shadow and give him a "true" version of the events of SA2. And have Shadow as his general leading the Shadow Androids as he launched the Egg Fleet. A role that Sage will likely now fulfill in the next main line Sonic Game. I honestly would like if they kept her Dark and Red Color Scheme as a Serious/Battle Mode.
@@Eternatus00 In the original ending, it's revealed in a post-credits scene that Eggman manages to recover her, as she doesn't strictly speaking have a physical body in the first place. In Final Horizons he doesn't need to recover her in the first place as she doesn't need to ram Supreme into the angry purple moon in that sequence of events.
hey so there IS a metal shadow, or at least there WAS - it was designed for the preboot archie run by tracy yardley and was meant to be in the comic encyclopedia. i believe it was taken out because the reboot was approaching and what metal shadow would’ve been used for was no longer on the table. You can still see the design on the “Metal Shadow” page of the Sonic wiki tho
It'd be interesting if Eggman did try to go the route of making a Metal Shadow, but admittedly I've always been more partial to what Archie did with Eclipse. Where Sonic always had the thing of technological enemies like Metal being the iconic rival that fits into the story of Sonic's classic story of nature versus technology, Shadow being a artificially created lifeform fighting it out with the naturally made and cultivated Eclipse is interesting as it does this story of Metal and Sonic, but in a different variety, where one wished to use the natural power to ruin the world and Shadow used his powers and abilities that were made with the advancement of technology long gone to preserve the world, not to force technology, but rather stop the violent natural force from tipping the balance. Metal Shadow would still be metal as heck, tho.
On one hand, I like the idea of Eggman having a soulless clone army of his grandfather’s greatest creation. On the other hand, I think it would be pretty neat. If at least one of the shadow androids became a rival for shadow. In the multiplayer, there is a Shadow Android that looks nearly identical to shadow, but with yellow stripes and highlights, so what if that was the main Shadow Android? (one that got extra effort put into it so that that version of shadow could be as close to the original as possible) while the others are, the mass produced mindless machines. Heck, maybe the main Shadow Android could be almost a parody of shadows quote I’m so dark and edgy, friends are for the weak” persona he is occasionally written with and contrasted with how shadow is willing to work with and trust others when push comes to shove. Heck, maybe shadow can only defeat his double by relying on “power of friendship” and working with rouge and Omega?
Another idea is it acts as a parallel to Metal. Metal's obsessively compelled to be better than his original, even replace him, to the point he refuses to do anything else even when given the chance; The Shadow Android, by comparison, could genuinely think it *is* Shadow, then start to suffer an existential breakdown over being a fake, with no identity of it's own, and all it's memories being someone else's. The split could be that Metal will only ever dig himself deeper into his psychotic delusions, well the Shadow Android doesn't know what to do with itself.
NGL, I actually enjoyed the multiplayer battle mode in Shadow the Hedgehog and always played the pink android. that one's always been a little sentimental with me, despite the game he came from not being that great.
Didn't we also find out in that last 8 minutes of that secret boss fight how Shadow was saved from dying in SA2? I remember at the time that was the biggest question among fans. It keeps surprising me just how much importan backstory and lore was revealed in the last 8 minutes of a secret boss fight for an obscure Sonic spinoff game lol. Good to have you back, Nick.
While Metal is trying to beat Sonic at his own game and surpass him in specific ways, the Shadow Androids are trying to just meet the original. And he has a lot more data on shadow to work with, being their familiar history. Sonic doubles only get some data measured along the way, the occasional scan when captured. Eggman gets to be a lot more creative filling in the blanks. (On a technicality, Shadow can be considered Eggmans Uncle, no? 'Son' of his grandfather.)
I wanna see interaction between Sage and Shadow, particularly Sage questioning Shadow about him technically being her grand uncle, much like how she questioned Eggman about orbot and cubot being her brothers technically.
Sonic has a mecha and a metal, Knuckles has as well. Tails having a doll and Shadow an Android tells more about their characters and fits well. Since androids are closer to human (well, mobians in this context) and actually more modern than mechas. Whereas Tails being cute would fit the creepy doll more than a mecha.
I'm surprised that Flynn never tried to create a metal Shadow back in his Archie run. He totally had the setup to do it too with the whole team metal stuff that happened later in the comic
Fascinating aspect of the Shadow Androids that nobody seems to bring up: With the hindsight that Metal was behind the majority of Heroes' plot, it make's Eggman's Chaotix missions a little more interesting. Basically, he'd sooner see the Shadow Androids destroyed, than risk them falling into Metal's claws. Likewise, the Heroes Androids are basically visually flawless, well the Shadow ones are notably rougher in appearance, or incorrectly colored, quite likely because he had to restart the project after trashing it. Just little tidbits that feel noteworthy.
One could argue Sonic is more the ultimate lifeform than Shadow is, so in that sense copying Shadow when Eggman has already copied Sonic is not too difficult a task. Their harnessing Chaos Energy is also no surprise when Mecha (MK2) and Metal can do the same.
Id argue Eggman doesnt need a Metal Shadow as he has no use for one. He already has a robot speeding hedgehog that can use chaos control. Metal Sonic can rival Shadow just as easily as Sonic.
Here's a little tid bit about Android Shadow on Speed Simulator, in that game he is originally used by Eggman to collect Rebirth energy (don't ask) and reset the universe... And then it does works and the universe is reseted.
I think I remember hearing that a Metal Shadow was pitched and designed for the Archie Complete Encyclopedia by Tracy Yardley (complete with concept art) but it was never added
One cool thought I always had was that shadows dna was a quadruple helix and the androids were powered by samples of his DNA. They’d probably have only a single or double helix because even with eggmans brilliance I doubt he could replicate the product of a damn alien blood donation to create the hedgehog equivalent of big boss.
It was so cool seeing the androids again in Urban Warfare arc! A great way to show why Shadow is the Ultimate Life Form! Looking forward to the follow to this!
I thought it was nice to see the Shadow Androids returning again in recent years since they’re my favorite Sonic robot. I will say though that one Shadow Android in particular has always been a mystery for me and that is the black and yellow version. As far as we know, only one was built so what happened to him is so far unknown. Either way, great video.
I kinda like that the reason Eggman never tried to make a Metal Shadow is because he respected his grandfather's greatest creation too much to even *try* to one up it with something of his own. At most, the Shadow androids are more of a homage from Eggman to his grandfather than anything else.
I've not been able to keep up with the comics but I'm glad to hear we get to see the Shadow multiplayer concepts get used, my own head canon pre the new plots was the yellow shadow that looks more organic was a prototype or back up vessel for project shadow without the black arms DNA and the four shiny ones were robotic alternatives provide to satiate Both sides of his investors given two have black arms style weapons and 2 have G.U.N. weapons
Honestly I was so damn curious about the androids in the two player vs in shadow the hedgehog. They look so cool but we barely get any description of them which sucks
I always liked the idea that the Modern Shadow was a clone/android, it makes more sense that a new shadow would redo the previous shadows character arc, than Shadow doing the same thing twice over
If Eggman ever built a proper Metal/Mecha Shadow (or Neo-Metal Shadow) he'd want to certain that it wouldn't turn on him like Neo-Metal Sonic did, so using the mass produced Androids as test models for a future improved version is probably a good idea.
I believe the Shadow Androids CAN match or even exceed Shadow, but they are inhibited from doing so... Why? Because if they weren't, they'd just believe they were the real Shadow and go insane. I think this is also why Robotnik uses them sparingly.
One thing I just thought up is that maybe the Shadow Androids that can use Chaos Energy, can only use "fake" Chaos Emerald Energy, like Sonic in SA2 and Sonic X. Part of the reason I think a "Metal Shadow" isn't exactly possible from Eggman is partially due to the "respect" he has for his grandfather's legacy, but MOSTLY because Shadow's DNA and power is so complex (being an alien-hedgehog hybrid) and it's difficult to fully replicate the Ultimate Life Form to ultimate perfection.
You know, I'm kinda glad they kept Shadow around. Sure his story was very nicely wrapped up with a bow in SA2, but the grumpy black and red boi is nice to have around. They certainly could've used him better, but I don't necessarily think keeping him was a bad idea. There's still plenty they could've done with Shadow from a storytelling standpoint, I mean you're talking about a Hedgehog that barely knew anything about the world outside of his brief stint trying to destroy it. He's kinda a fish out of water compared to the rest of the cast.
I still think the e-series are still some of the doctors most deadly and underrated robots well the ones from adventure 101 to 123 like seriously if he made an army of just e 102 he'd easy take over in a week easy
I feel like the Android Shadows are really cool. In my head I think that they just kind of shift they're "fur" sometimes to look more like the real Shadow.
A rule of thumb for me is that I don't typically like angsty, edgelord versions of more heroic characters. However, I do make an exception for Shadow simply because of how much I've enjoyed watching him over the years 😊
while i hate that about shadow the hedgehog(that entirety of it/what happened because of it could've gone in a possibly better direction just having in heroes end eggman reveal shadow's truth before getting chased by the chaotix considering metal sonic used chaos control in his transformation.) for as much as i do kinda like that line(be funny seeing it happen from shadow crashing on a really unlucky badnik). i love them in idw & like that view of why dr. eggman never built a metal shadow out of respect for his grandfather's legacy(a similar thought i had with him finally building eggmanland in sonic unleashed/interstellar amusement park in sonic colors being the closest to him rebuilding it possibly being what he was going to use the mind control for.).
5:12 Then Eggman is getting smarter, he's learning from his experience. So eventually, if Sonic lets him live too long, he won't be able to stop him anymore. Eventually when Eggman starts dying from old age, he will probably transfer his mind and consciousness into either a robotic or digital body. Probably a purely digital body so that his mind can keep growing infinitely. He will then build a robot more powerful than Sonic can ever be, some kind of metal god.
I found it so weird that Robotnik invested a lot of time ans resources into creating an army of Shadow and then never used them (comics not withstanding).
I always found it odd that the Shadow androids never really did anything. An army of Shadow the Hedgehogs under Robotnik's command, you'd think that would be a threat unlike anything ever seen before. I know of a "What-If" (made by The Sega Scourge) where the Sonic Androids are what's created instead and they are what causes Silver's future to be in ruins. The Shadow Androids should be a huge threat. Missed potential to be honest.
Ive akways felt the yellow shadiw android could have been taken and made into a new character. Heck my headcanon os that a random android went through the pure neutral route on Shadows game because I think that would be funny.
I always thought the ending of Sonic Heroes with Shadow and Omega picking up Metal Sonic was a really cool setup for existentialism and identity interactions between the 3 of them.Do you know of any official Sonic media/stories that explored this?
If Dr. Eggman and Rouge the Bat never found Shadow the Ultimate Lifeform (between Sonic Heroes - present) in the first place, none of this would have ever happened. But now it's already too late. Tikal the Echidna or someone else could've save Shadow in the end of Sonic Adventure 2 instead. But it never happened.
weird..I remember a sort of hedgehog free for all in the archie comics where scourge, sonic, shadow and mecha sonic fought with a mecha shadow (can't find any trace of it now) but it's kind of interesting that there was never a metal shadow
Funny thing, I am a huge fan of transformers, and recently we got listings for a sonic collab. Get ready for another Mecha March madness, but with transformers ig
Here's an Idea, Since you have these videos talking about all The Robots of Eggman's Design, Why Don't You Make A Story Involving all These Underutilized characters? Paying Homage to them, in a way.
I think your "undercooked" explanation kinda falls flat when you take into account the different colors, especially the golden stripe one that you see in the multiplayer. That one clearly isn't unfinished, it was intentionally designed to look like that, and considering that the other ones have guns grafted to them with unlimited ammo I feel that they're also meant to look like that. My thought is that the ones we see during gameplay are version 1, and after those Eggman started working on another wave of them, which are the ones we see in the multiplayer. Perhaps them fighting in the multiplayer is similar to when Eggman made the E Series fight, he made a bunch of different androids with different specialties and made them fight to see which type is the best.
The shadow androids to copy the original version of shadow Eggman have to modify and keeping it close to he grandfather creation in game the other android that can Talks and have a dark fur skin to mimic near 100% of shadow but the other one with Guns and metallic skin are almost hear but it feel they are just experiments. If Eggman wanted to improve and keeping he grandfather legacy he gotten do he best.
I find it interesting how Gerald did genetic experimentation while Eggman does what he did but with robots. So IMO maybe eggman is copying him but can’t quite reach his level cause he can only do robots and not genetic mutation engineering.
I actually preferred the real shadow dead and would of been happy with a friendly eggman robot version of him gaining sentience, maybe even his soul lol. Low key because I'm not sure if sonic unleashed was canon, but if sonic can plummet from space to earth just fine and shadow without his inhibitor rings couldn't, then I think sonic is the true ultimate lifeform 😅... Tho I had headcanon way back that shadow didn't die from the fall, but a heart attack after his "final" choas control as using his powers and super abilities overloaded his heart.
I have an idea for Metal Shadow. First we need to make Nicole The Holo-Lynx canon in the games universe. Then she will get inside Metal Sonic's mind and free him from Eggman's programming. The now free Metal Sonic will change the colors of his body and rename himself Shard. Shard/Metal Sonic and Nicole will not yet be powerful enough to stop Eggman so they find Shadow and explain the situation to him. Eggman is trying to destroy both Earth and Mobius and nobody has the power to stop him this time. Shadow knows what must be done but is not very happy about it, even so, he agrees to let Shard and Nicole turn him into living metal. And so Metal Shadow is the real Shadow. He with help from Shard and Nicole stop Eggman. Oh and also the inhibitor rings transform into basically a digital program inside Metal Shadow that he can turn on and off with his own mind.
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I like your interpretation of why Eggman never did a Metal Shadow. And it makes Eggman a tad more complex. The guy looks up to a grandpa he most likely never even met in addtion to having been neglected by his family after Maria's passing, so this adds a tad bit of sweetness to his character.
GREAT VIDEO.
Robotnik was never honestly even THAT bad of a guy in the long run. Most of his heinous acts were neutralized by Sonic, and his latest machines release practically zero emissions anymore. I'm not even sure his badniks use animals anymore.
I do think that Dr. Eggman and Shadow have a sort of mutual respect for each other. Despite being on opposing sides. Shadow, unlike Sonic, does not toy with the doctor or mock him, and sees him as a threat needing to be neutralized. Whereas the doctor understands what Shadow is fully capable of and does not underestimate him whenever he encounters Shadow. Often sending his strongest robots or soldiers to stop him.
And the idea that the Shadow Androids are a sort of homage to Professor Gerald and his research is an interesting idea. Sort of like the doctor’s own twisted way of remembering and respecting his grandfather’s legacy by making almost perfect clones of his greatest creation.
I mean, technically you could say that Shadow is Eggman's uncle
And by extension great uncle to every robot eggman has made with sentience+Sage
I like how you are pretending Egg Dealer was never a thing, I still have no idea why the devs decided this was a good for a "final" boss fight. At least it's a hilarious boss even tho it's trivial.
And then you have Surge and Kit, who take things a step FURTHER beyond these androids due to having a similar frame to the androids. But because they were simply cyborgs made by Dr. Starline with stolen futures, they aren't true androids. This meant that the milk-sweating platypus had time to study the shadow android blueprints and make an even better version of these androids first seen in Sonic Heroes. Which begs the question "When is Mobian Cell?".
And now the end is near!
Mobian Cell is when Ian Flynn decides to let Mark Haynes do a Metal Sonic arc.
Only female platypi sweat milk, Starline just sweats sweat. Unless there's something he's not telling us...
@@AstroTom I think he was just calling Starline a cowardly bitch.
Unfortunately I think that the best comparison to Cell in Sonic as of yet is Emerl, and he's... Kinda dead
The reason the Shadow androids are so easy to kill might be because they don't have any rings. After all, they're meant to be exact copies of Shadow, so that means no armor plating like the Metal and Mecha series robots - they have to collect rings to survive just like everybody else.
That makes one wonder, if that's a biological trait could Eggman collect rings and thusly be immune to dying? Or is that an animal thing? I mean, Omega and Gama could collect rings so it's something that Eggman can program so
... wonder if Eggman would ever experiment on himself
@@nora-yc6fi Doesn't he use rings when you play as him in Sonic Adventure 2?
@@machinedramon3532 yeah but that's more the mech he's in than himself (I feel anyways)
Oooooo I like that
I mean, the man literally started smashing a stone wall while yapping against a zeti with his bare hands, he definitely uses rings should he have to resort to throwing hands.
One thing I'd like to point out; the shadow androids are so close to the original that Eggman HIMSELF didn't realize that the genuine article was among them in that scene.
Im pretty sure he was just tryna mess with Shadow's head tho-
The fact that Eggman tries to create clones of him and use them as troops even though he sometimes asks Eggman to do the work himself shows how useful he was when he teamed up with Shadow.
My personal theory regarding the Shadow Androids is that the are actually clones that have been modified with cybernetics. Kind of like how Androids 17 and 18 were made in Dragon Ball. The thing that tipped me off to this idea is what Omag said in the end of the Team Dark story in Sonic Heroes. He mentioned cloning and that the original was required for it.
Also I kind of love the idea that the 2P mode in Shadow the Hedgehog is technically cannon. As in the first Shadow Androids all though they were the original and just kept killing each other. And that's why the Androids moving forward have no personalities of their own. Which would probably also make them weaker than the original.
YESSSS SAMEEE!!!!! And the shadow droids we play as in multi-player are more like the Meta Cooler Corps!
I think that for a Metal Shadow to exist, it would need a purpose different Metal Sonic's. Meta Sonic by design feels like a message directed to Sonic, like a way for Eggman to tell him "Look Sonic, i can built you, but better!". By that logic i think Metal Shadow would be extremely fitting as a message to Gerald, one that states his desire to be like him and make something as perfect as Gerald's ultimate creation.
What I find fun about the Shadow Androids is two particular details between Heroes and ShtTH
1: Metal Sonic, through the guise of Eggman, either did not understand Shadow wasn't an android, or started _actively lying to him_ explicitly to mess with his head because he was the one who started hinting at the fact that Shadow was an android.
2: The Egg Dealer was likely meant to ensure he has a way of making the process of assaulting something with the androids faster. We can see he made Androids that could use chaos powers... meaning they would be affected by Shadow Fever too, and NOT be inclined to whip his ass with them.
One of the earliest OCs for sonic I ever wrote was actually a shadow Android. He woke up, at the same time as a thousand other androids. He survived the melee, climbed to the top, got out- but lost an arm and broke his neck in the process, forcing him to confront the fact that those are gears and wires, not flesh and bone.
An interesting question. If Rouge hadn't found Shadow during heroes.
I honestly could have seen Eggman awake Shadow and give him a "true" version of the events of SA2.
And have Shadow as his general leading the Shadow Androids as he launched the Egg Fleet.
A role that Sage will likely now fulfill in the next main line Sonic Game.
I honestly would like if they kept her Dark and Red Color Scheme as a Serious/Battle Mode.
I'm not really in with the story of frontiers but didn't sage like die?
@@Eternatus00Eggman brings her back. Or she just survives. Doesn’t matter.
@@Eternatus00 In the original ending, it's revealed in a post-credits scene that Eggman manages to recover her, as she doesn't strictly speaking have a physical body in the first place. In Final Horizons he doesn't need to recover her in the first place as she doesn't need to ram Supreme into the angry purple moon in that sequence of events.
Reminds me of a What If where it’s Sonic that falls at the end of SA2 instead of Shadow
hey so there IS a metal shadow, or at least there WAS - it was designed for the preboot archie run by tracy yardley and was meant to be in the comic encyclopedia. i believe it was taken out because the reboot was approaching and what metal shadow would’ve been used for was no longer on the table. You can still see the design on the “Metal Shadow” page of the Sonic wiki tho
It'd be interesting if Eggman did try to go the route of making a Metal Shadow, but admittedly I've always been more partial to what Archie did with Eclipse.
Where Sonic always had the thing of technological enemies like Metal being the iconic rival that fits into the story of Sonic's classic story of nature versus technology, Shadow being a artificially created lifeform fighting it out with the naturally made and cultivated Eclipse is interesting as it does this story of Metal and Sonic, but in a different variety, where one wished to use the natural power to ruin the world and Shadow used his powers and abilities that were made with the advancement of technology long gone to preserve the world, not to force technology, but rather stop the violent natural force from tipping the balance.
Metal Shadow would still be metal as heck, tho.
On one hand, I like the idea of Eggman having a soulless clone army of his grandfather’s greatest creation. On the other hand, I think it would be pretty neat. If at least one of the shadow androids became a rival for shadow.
In the multiplayer, there is a Shadow Android that looks nearly identical to shadow, but with yellow stripes and highlights, so what if that was the main Shadow Android? (one that got extra effort put into it so that that version of shadow could be as close to the original as possible) while the others are, the mass produced mindless machines.
Heck, maybe the main Shadow Android could be almost a parody of shadows quote I’m so dark and edgy, friends are for the weak” persona he is occasionally written with and contrasted with how shadow is willing to work with and trust others when push comes to shove. Heck, maybe shadow can only defeat his double by relying on “power of friendship” and working with rouge and Omega?
Of course, the reason Shadow has been so out of character ever since 06 is because a shadow android replaced him (adopting this as my new headcannon)
Another idea is it acts as a parallel to Metal. Metal's obsessively compelled to be better than his original, even replace him, to the point he refuses to do anything else even when given the chance; The Shadow Android, by comparison, could genuinely think it *is* Shadow, then start to suffer an existential breakdown over being a fake, with no identity of it's own, and all it's memories being someone else's. The split could be that Metal will only ever dig himself deeper into his psychotic delusions, well the Shadow Android doesn't know what to do with itself.
NGL, I actually enjoyed the multiplayer battle mode in Shadow the Hedgehog and always played the pink android. that one's always been a little sentimental with me, despite the game he came from not being that great.
Didn't we also find out in that last 8 minutes of that secret boss fight how Shadow was saved from dying in SA2? I remember at the time that was the biggest question among fans. It keeps surprising me just how much importan backstory and lore was revealed in the last 8 minutes of a secret boss fight for an obscure Sonic spinoff game lol. Good to have you back, Nick.
Omg! I remember watching your videos! Hello!
SA2? You must be thinking of Shadow's own game.
Hi
While Metal is trying to beat Sonic at his own game and surpass him in specific ways, the Shadow Androids are trying to just meet the original. And he has a lot more data on shadow to work with, being their familiar history. Sonic doubles only get some data measured along the way, the occasional scan when captured. Eggman gets to be a lot more creative filling in the blanks.
(On a technicality, Shadow can be considered Eggmans Uncle, no? 'Son' of his grandfather.)
I wanna see interaction between Sage and Shadow, particularly Sage questioning Shadow about him technically being her grand uncle, much like how she questioned Eggman about orbot and cubot being her brothers technically.
Sonic has a mecha and a metal, Knuckles has as well.
Tails having a doll and Shadow an Android tells more about their characters and fits well. Since androids are closer to human (well, mobians in this context) and actually more modern than mechas.
Whereas Tails being cute would fit the creepy doll more than a mecha.
The Shadow androids are so cool in IDW. I hope one day we see them make there grand return.
On that note, given the cover... But jordan, that reads the "bibble."
I actually like the idea of Shadow android, more then a metal shadow. That Yellow one has a lot of its own potential
I'm surprised that Flynn never tried to create a metal Shadow back in his Archie run. He totally had the setup to do it too with the whole team metal stuff that happened later in the comic
there’s a Metal Shadow design cut from the Comic Encyclopedia that I assume was for that run and they just never got to it because of the reboot
There was Shadow Man in the Mega-Man crossover.I think Ian Flynn was a writer in that.
@@mrtopbald8706 if you go to the sonic wiki and click the scrapped characters category, you'll find metal shadow.
@mrtopbald8706
That one was Shadow but roboticized, so that one is more of a Mecha Sonic equivalent.
Fascinating aspect of the Shadow Androids that nobody seems to bring up: With the hindsight that Metal was behind the majority of Heroes' plot, it make's Eggman's Chaotix missions a little more interesting. Basically, he'd sooner see the Shadow Androids destroyed, than risk them falling into Metal's claws. Likewise, the Heroes Androids are basically visually flawless, well the Shadow ones are notably rougher in appearance, or incorrectly colored, quite likely because he had to restart the project after trashing it. Just little tidbits that feel noteworthy.
One could argue Sonic is more the ultimate lifeform than Shadow is, so in that sense copying Shadow when Eggman has already copied Sonic is not too difficult a task. Their harnessing Chaos Energy is also no surprise when Mecha (MK2) and Metal can do the same.
Shadow is Eggman's Uncle...
Thank You For Coming To My TED Talk
Hey a while ago i got literally the same thought and i can't remember why
😮👆 😐👆 🤔
Id argue Eggman doesnt need a Metal Shadow as he has no use for one. He already has a robot speeding hedgehog that can use chaos control. Metal Sonic can rival Shadow just as easily as Sonic.
Here's a little tid bit about Android Shadow on Speed Simulator, in that game he is originally used by Eggman to collect Rebirth energy (don't ask) and reset the universe... And then it does works and the universe is reseted.
Welcome to Maycha March Madness
You could have just said Mecha May Madness why did you make that so hard on yourself
@@GameApologistfor the funny
@@GameApologist hi! I just wanna say I always thought the androids were cyborgs that used some of Shadows DNA.
@@GameApologist Mecha May Cry
@@GameApologist puns are more fun to do if you can mayke it work
I imagine next video is just gonna be focused on the Metal Shadow that was planned for Archie Sonic but ended up on the cutting room floor heh
From what it looked like, the Diamond Cutters nearly got blitz by the androids.
I think I remember hearing that a Metal Shadow was pitched and designed for the Archie Complete Encyclopedia by Tracy Yardley (complete with concept art) but it was never added
9:36 Eggy wouldn't dare make a robot double of his *_Uncle!_*
Just think about it, Gerald is his grandpa, Shadow was made by him...
I'd love for the yellow shadow android to join team eggman in the future, maybe as a foot soldier for Metal Sonic or Sage when they're in charge.
One cool thought I always had was that shadows dna was a quadruple helix and the androids were powered by samples of his DNA. They’d probably have only a single or double helix because even with eggmans brilliance I doubt he could replicate the product of a damn alien blood donation to create the hedgehog equivalent of big boss.
It was so cool seeing the androids again in Urban Warfare arc! A great way to show why Shadow is the Ultimate Life Form! Looking forward to the follow to this!
I thought it was nice to see the Shadow Androids returning again in recent years since they’re my favorite Sonic robot. I will say though that one Shadow Android in particular has always been a mystery for me and that is the black and yellow version. As far as we know, only one was built so what happened to him is so far unknown. Either way, great video.
I kinda like that the reason Eggman never tried to make a Metal Shadow is because he respected his grandfather's greatest creation too much to even *try* to one up it with something of his own.
At most, the Shadow androids are more of a homage from Eggman to his grandfather than anything else.
The android shadows in multiplayer mode look sick
I've not been able to keep up with the comics but I'm glad to hear we get to see the Shadow multiplayer concepts get used, my own head canon pre the new plots was the yellow shadow that looks more organic was a prototype or back up vessel for project shadow without the black arms DNA and the four shiny ones were robotic alternatives provide to satiate Both sides of his investors given two have black arms style weapons and 2 have G.U.N. weapons
If whisper gets into one of the console games then the shadow androids should be at the very least mentioned.
Honestly I was so damn curious about the androids in the two player vs in shadow the hedgehog. They look so cool but we barely get any description of them which sucks
I always like these deep dives into robots!
I really like that headcannon on why wr dont have a Metal Shadow
And it makes sense a Tails Variant would be the one to make the closest
Yay Thank you Game Apologies! Your mic sounds a bit different but good video nonetheless!
I always liked the idea that the Modern Shadow was a clone/android, it makes more sense that a new shadow would redo the previous shadows character arc, than Shadow doing the same thing twice over
I love the androids!!!! So happy to hear you talk about them!!
If Eggman ever built a proper Metal/Mecha Shadow (or Neo-Metal Shadow) he'd want to certain that it wouldn't turn on him like Neo-Metal Sonic did, so using the mass produced Androids as test models for a future improved version is probably a good idea.
The transformers joke near the end is the icing on the energon cake 😂
Now you have to ask the question
Why hasn’t eggman tried to create his own organic lifeform like Gerard did With Shadow
Yay, he's uploaded again
I believe the Shadow Androids CAN match or even exceed Shadow, but they are inhibited from doing so... Why? Because if they weren't, they'd just believe they were the real Shadow and go insane. I think this is also why Robotnik uses them sparingly.
The only time Shadow stays dead is in Sonic The Comic Online. However they did introduce an A.I. with a copy of Shadow's mind called Shadow II.
One thing I just thought up is that maybe the Shadow Androids that can use Chaos Energy, can only use "fake" Chaos Emerald Energy, like Sonic in SA2 and Sonic X.
Part of the reason I think a "Metal Shadow" isn't exactly possible from Eggman is partially due to the "respect" he has for his grandfather's legacy, but MOSTLY because Shadow's DNA and power is so complex (being an alien-hedgehog hybrid) and it's difficult to fully replicate the Ultimate Life Form to ultimate perfection.
In the idw comics we see the “modern” shadow androids in similar pods to heroes. So maybe the modern design is an unfinished version?
Maybe they can’t be finished because eggman doesn’t have a shadow to copy notes from.
You know, I'm kinda glad they kept Shadow around. Sure his story was very nicely wrapped up with a bow in SA2, but the grumpy black and red boi is nice to have around. They certainly could've used him better, but I don't necessarily think keeping him was a bad idea.
There's still plenty they could've done with Shadow from a storytelling standpoint, I mean you're talking about a Hedgehog that barely knew anything about the world outside of his brief stint trying to destroy it. He's kinda a fish out of water compared to the rest of the cast.
I still think the e-series are still some of the doctors most deadly and underrated robots well the ones from adventure 101 to 123 like seriously if he made an army of just e 102 he'd easy take over in a week easy
I always found the hedgehog obsessed with "fakers" to have the most perfect fakers super ironic, lmao
My sonic-sona is a blue shadow android named azure that was reformed. The best of both, my love of shadow and sonic bots in one character.
metal Shadow, please use the archie concept art for next video or find out (if that is even possible) which role he would have played in the comic
I feel like the Android Shadows are really cool. In my head I think that they just kind of shift they're "fur" sometimes to look more like the real Shadow.
A rule of thumb for me is that I don't typically like angsty, edgelord versions of more heroic characters. However, I do make an exception for Shadow simply because of how much I've enjoyed watching him over the years 😊
Yellow stripe (aka liquid aka little brother mode) android is the best, i wish they did more with that one.
while i hate that about shadow the hedgehog(that entirety of it/what happened because of it could've gone in a possibly better direction just having in heroes end eggman reveal shadow's truth before getting chased by the chaotix considering metal sonic used chaos control in his transformation.) for as much as i do kinda like that line(be funny seeing it happen from shadow crashing on a really unlucky badnik).
i love them in idw & like that view of why dr. eggman never built a metal shadow out of respect for his grandfather's legacy(a similar thought i had with him finally building eggmanland in sonic unleashed/interstellar amusement park in sonic colors being the closest to him rebuilding it possibly being what he was going to use the mind control for.).
5:12 Then Eggman is getting smarter, he's learning from his experience. So eventually, if Sonic lets him live too long, he won't be able to stop him anymore.
Eventually when Eggman starts dying from old age, he will probably transfer his mind and consciousness into either a robotic or digital body.
Probably a purely digital body so that his mind can keep growing infinitely.
He will then build a robot more powerful than Sonic can ever be, some kind of metal god.
I found it so weird that Robotnik invested a lot of time ans resources into creating an army of Shadow and then never used them (comics not withstanding).
I always found it odd that the Shadow androids never really did anything. An army of Shadow the Hedgehogs under Robotnik's command, you'd think that would be a threat unlike anything ever seen before. I know of a "What-If" (made by The Sega Scourge) where the Sonic Androids are what's created instead and they are what causes Silver's future to be in ruins. The Shadow Androids should be a huge threat. Missed potential to be honest.
So maybe we will learn more once the new Shadow mode comes out for Sonic Generations
If Gerald created shadow in a test tube is he technically already a metal shadow just without the metal 🤔?
Ive akways felt the yellow shadiw android could have been taken and made into a new character. Heck my headcanon os that a random android went through the pure neutral route on Shadows game because I think that would be funny.
super hyped for the Metal Shadow video (totally not because I submitted my own design teehee)
I always thought the ending of Sonic Heroes with Shadow and Omega picking up Metal Sonic was a really cool setup for existentialism and identity interactions between the 3 of them.Do you know of any official Sonic media/stories that explored this?
If Dr. Eggman and Rouge the Bat never found Shadow the Ultimate Lifeform (between Sonic Heroes - present) in the first place, none of this would have ever happened. But now it's already too late.
Tikal the Echidna or someone else could've save Shadow in the end of Sonic Adventure 2 instead. But it never happened.
I always thought Metal Sonic had done the mass production of Shadow androids In Sonic Heroes due to Eggman being locked up.
There's no Metal Shadow because Shadow is already metal enough 🤟🔥⚡️
weird..I remember a sort of hedgehog free for all in the archie comics where scourge, sonic, shadow and mecha sonic fought with a mecha shadow (can't find any trace of it now) but it's kind of interesting that there was never a metal shadow
Metal Sonic does confirm it by stating that he got the data from the Ultimate Life Form
Tbh I don't get how we can xall the androids perfect replicas of shadow when they lack even the most basic of his chaos abilities
shadow androids in sonic speed simulator
Darn, was expecting a 1 second mention of the Heroes metal skins again.
Hm, very nice Video, i hope we get to see more of the Androids.
Also, What If there were a Metal Shadow, huh? I will look forward to that one.
10:45 there’s a collaboration coming up
Sir it is now may
I’m not the greatest fan but I do think it would’ve been more interesting if Shadow had died and we were following an android gone rogue.
Funny thing, I am a huge fan of transformers, and recently we got listings for a sonic collab. Get ready for another Mecha March madness, but with transformers ig
Here's an Idea, Since you have these videos talking about all The Robots of Eggman's Design,
Why Don't You Make A Story Involving all These Underutilized characters?
Paying Homage to them,
in a way.
I think your "undercooked" explanation kinda falls flat when you take into account the different colors, especially the golden stripe one that you see in the multiplayer. That one clearly isn't unfinished, it was intentionally designed to look like that, and considering that the other ones have guns grafted to them with unlimited ammo I feel that they're also meant to look like that. My thought is that the ones we see during gameplay are version 1, and after those Eggman started working on another wave of them, which are the ones we see in the multiplayer. Perhaps them fighting in the multiplayer is similar to when Eggman made the E Series fight, he made a bunch of different androids with different specialties and made them fight to see which type is the best.
The shadow androids to copy the original version of shadow
Eggman have to modify and keeping it close to he grandfather creation
in game the other android that can Talks and have a dark fur skin to mimic near 100% of shadow but the other one with Guns and metallic skin are almost hear but it feel they are just experiments.
If Eggman wanted to improve and keeping he grandfather legacy he gotten do he best.
I find it interesting how Gerald did genetic experimentation while Eggman does what he did but with robots. So IMO maybe eggman is copying him but can’t quite reach his level cause he can only do robots and not genetic mutation engineering.
If you had to be a Sonic character for the rest of your life from any continuity judge only off of looks who would you choose?
so what were the happiest moments of your life shadow? Being dead
Dawg did him dirty 😂 4:54
I wonder if the shadow androids will appear in Sonic X Shadow generations !
I still want Metal Shadow.
“I made them to take over apple”
1st of all, I am shadow!
2nd of all, your not shadow!
3rd of all, you wanna be shadow! But you cant be shadow, because I AM SHADOW!!!
I actually preferred the real shadow dead and would of been happy with a friendly eggman robot version of him gaining sentience, maybe even his soul lol. Low key because I'm not sure if sonic unleashed was canon, but if sonic can plummet from space to earth just fine and shadow without his inhibitor rings couldn't, then I think sonic is the true ultimate lifeform 😅... Tho I had headcanon way back that shadow didn't die from the fall, but a heart attack after his "final" choas control as using his powers and super abilities overloaded his heart.
come on nick, we all know you want to see a metal shadow so you can make a video on him!
I SWEAR TO GOD IF THEY TRY TO COMPARE THE TO THE ANDROIDS OF DRAGON BALL I'LL DIE
*I thought Eggman made the clones just so he can take over Apple?* 😮
Eggman made them because he wanted to take over apple.
I have an idea for Metal Shadow.
First we need to make Nicole The Holo-Lynx canon in the games universe.
Then she will get inside Metal Sonic's mind and free him from Eggman's programming.
The now free Metal Sonic will change the colors of his body and rename himself Shard.
Shard/Metal Sonic and Nicole will not yet be powerful enough to stop Eggman so they find Shadow and explain the situation to him.
Eggman is trying to destroy both Earth and Mobius and nobody has the power to stop him this time.
Shadow knows what must be done but is not very happy about it, even so, he agrees to let Shard and Nicole turn him into living metal.
And so Metal Shadow is the real Shadow. He with help from Shard and Nicole stop Eggman.
Oh and also the inhibitor rings transform into basically a digital program inside Metal Shadow that he can turn on and off with his own mind.