Shadow (character)

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Shadow
Shadowdecal.png
Full name Shadow the Hedgehog
Species Hedgehog (with Black Arms DNA)
First appearance Sonic Adventure 2 (2001, Sonic the Hedgehog franchise)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) (2007, Super Mario franchise)
Latest appearance The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (2023, Sonic the Hedgehog franchise)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (2020, Super Mario franchise)
Latest portrayal Kirk Thornton (2010-present)
Kouji Yusa (Japanese; 2001-present)
“I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog. ...What? I look like Sonic? You have to be joking. Don't you ever put me in the same boat as that inferior half-wit!”
Shadow, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Shadow the Hedgehog is a prominent anti-hero and rival of Sonic in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. He was created to be the "ultimate life form" by Dr. Eggman's grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik. Shadow does whatever is necessary to achieve his goals, and because of this he has fought both alongside and against Sonic; Shadow and Sonic have somewhat of a frenemy relationship and rivalry. Shadow often fights alongside Omega and Rouge, who became his closest allies. While Shadow typically shares most of Sonic's abilities, Shadow primarily uses a variety of chaos energy to battle enemies, most notably Chaos Control, a power that allows him to distort time and space. The only games of the Super Mario franchise that Shadow has appeared in is every installment of the Mario & Sonic series.

He was voiced by Jason Griffith, along with Sonic and Jet, in the first three Mario & Sonic games, and is currently voiced by Kirk Thornton since Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

History

Mario & Sonic series

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii): Luigi and Shadow the Hedgehog jump hurtles in the introduction movie.
Shadow and Luigi competing in the 110m Hurdles event

Shadow is a playable character on Sonic's team in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. His character type is Speed, and he's tied with Sonic for the fastest character in the game. They also share the same power, though Shadow has the worst stamina out of any character in the game in exchange for better skill. In Dream Fencing, his special move is transforming into Super Shadow and charge forward with multiple stabs of his epée. In Dream Table Tennis for his Special Shot, he jumps up, twirls vertically, lands, inhales and then fires the ball super fast at the opponent.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Shadow also appeared in the sequel, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He appeared as a speed character, like in the predecessor. However, unlike with the previous game, Shadow is slightly slower than Sonic, but he has the strongest acceleration abilities in the game.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Shadow the Hedgehog
Official artwork of Shadow from Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Shadow returns as a Speed type playable character in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he appears in the opening with all of the other athletes as well as later competing in Football and Track Cycling - Team Pursuit. A Mii outfit based on Shadow also appears in the game, and Shadow appears as a character in London Party that can be spoken to in order to play certain minigames and earn stickers.

In the Nintendo 3DS version, Shadow is included in the Challengers group, meaning that he is only playable in certain Events. In the Story Mode, Shadow first appears asking Sonic, Tails and Yoshi to share the information they know about the Phantasmal Fog and imposters after he had defeated some with Silver, and later helps the group chase down Jet, eventually being the one who challenges him to an event. With Jet's help, the group find the fog machine, and after defeating Bowser Jr., shadow destroys it, clearing the fog from the area. Shadow also appears to offer support to Mario, Luigi, Sonic and Tails when they confront Bowser and Dr. Eggman, later appearing at the opening ceremony. Shadow also appears in the Challengers Bonus episodes, as Bowser Jr. heads to London to find him when he hears that he and Silver are defeating Dr. Eggman's robots, and accepts Shadow and Silver's challenge when he arrives and manages to take care of the robots himself. After they are defeated, Shadow and Silver pretend to be upset, but later wish Bowser Jr. good luck for the games before heading off. A badge of Shadow can also be obtained from the badge machine.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Shadow is playable again in the fourth game of the Mario & Sonic series: Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Like previous games in the series, he is classified as a Speed type.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Shadow is a default playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In the Nintendo 3DS version, he is only available to play with in the Football and 100m events. He is available in all events in the Wii U version. If the player's Mii avatar interacts with Shadow, the latter will get irritated at the avatar mixing him up with Sonic and demand he not put him on the same boat as him, referring to Sonic as an "inferior half-wit."

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Shadow is again playable in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where, like many other characters, he wears appropriate sporting clothing depending on the event.

He also appears in the arcade version, where he is a Speed-type character. Here, he has excellent speed, above average power, and low technique.

Super Smash Bros. series

“Chaos CONTROL!”
Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadow appears as an Assist Trophy character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Shadow is an unlockable Assist Trophy, unlocked after the player unlocks Sonic, though in the later installments, as with every other Assist Trophy, he is available from the start. Shadow uses Chaos Control to temporarily slow down time around opponents (having the same effect as the Timer). In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Shadow is seen holding up a Chaos Emerald, and before the move ends, all opponents freeze for a short period of time.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Ultimate, like several other characters, Shadow is voiced by a different voice actor in different languages (e.g. he has his French voice in the French version).

Super Mario-kun

Shadow briefly appears in the Super Mario-kun crossover for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where Luigi, Yoshi, and Bowser are worried they will be replaced by Shadow, Tails, and Knuckles if the manga gets rebranded into a Sonic version.

Profiles and statistics

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

Profile

Like Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow is an extremely fast hedgehog that can give his more famous blue rival a run for his money in most Speed events. Additionally, his accuracy will help give him a leg up in the events like the archery and fencing.

Stats

Speed
 
Power
 
Skill
 
Stamina
 

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Profile

Shadow the Hedgehog, in his black fur and red stripes, returns to test his skills in the Olympic Winter Games. With the ability to harness the power of the Chaos Emerald, Shadow can perform Chaos Boost on the Wii and DS, and Chaos Control on the DS.

Wii stats

Speed
 
Acceleration
 
Power
 
Skill
 

DS stats

Speed
 
Jumping
 
Power
 
Technique
 
Stamina
 

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

BrawlTrophy314.png Shadow Hedgehog Sticker.png
Shadow's trophy (left) and sticker (right) in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
  • Trophy
    • Shadow the Hedgehog
    • Appears in:
      • GCN SONIC HEROES
      • GCN SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG
    • Shadow The Hedgehog is a black hedgehog who resembles Sonic. He was created by Dr. Eggman's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, to be the ultimate life-form. Not only does he look like Sonic, but he has equal abilities. He has great skill with the space-time warping technique called Chaos Control. To reach his goals, he'll use any means necessary.
  • Sticker

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U trophy

ShadowTheHedgehogTrophy3DS.png ShadowTheHedgehogTrophyWiiU.png
A trophy of Shadow in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (left) / Wii U (right)
  • Trophy
    • Name
      • Shadow (NTSC)
      • Shadow the Hedgehog (PAL)
    • Appears in:
      • GCN Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (02/2002)
      • GCN Shadow the Hedgehog (11/2005)
    • Engineered to be the ultimate life-form by the brilliant Professor Gerald Robotnik, this black hedgehog appears very much like Sonic. He has a dark side, however. In Smash Bros., he uses Chaos Control to warp space-time, slowing every fighter down except the player who summoned him. (American English)
    • A black hedgehog created by Professor Gerald Robotnik to be the Ultimate Lifeform. Though he looks a lot like Sonic, he's ruthless and will do anything to achieve his goals. In this game, he uses Chaos Control to warp time and space, slowing down everything around whoever summoned him. (British English)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits

Name Image Game Type Class Effect How to obtain Spirit battle
Opponents Battle conditions Stage Song
Shadow the Hedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog's spirit sprite from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Sonic the Hedgehog Series Primary (2) Ace red
Can be enhanced to Super Shadow at Lv. 99
Spirit Board Sonic Rule: Assist Trophy Enemies (Shadow)
Rule: Item: Timer
  • The enemy's dash attacks have increased power
  • Hostile assist trophies will appear
  • The enemy is easily distracted by items
New Pork City (Battlefield) Live & Learn
Super Shadow Super Shadow's spirit sprite from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Sonic the Hedgehog Series Primary (2) Legend red
Undamaged Attack & Speed ↑
Enhanced from Shadow the Hedgehog N/A N/A N/A N/A

List of Super Mario appearances

Title Description Release date System/format
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Playable character 2007 Wii
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Playable character 2008 Nintendo DS
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Cameo as a sticker, a trophy, and an Assist Trophy 2008 Wii
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Playable character 2009 Wii, Nintendo DS
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Playable character 2011 Wii
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Playable character 2012 Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Playable character 2013 Wii U
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U Cameo as a trophy and an Assist Trophy 2014 Nintendo 3DS, Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Playable character 2016 Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Arcade
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Cameo as spirits and an Assist Trophy 2018 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Playable character 2019 Nintendo Switch

Portrayals

  • Jason Griffith (2003-2010)
  • Kirk Thornton (2010-present)
  • Kouji Yusa (Japanese; 2001-present)
  • Benoît DuPac (French; 2011-present)
  • Maurizio Merluzzo (2011)
  • Riccardo Lombardo (2011, 2014, 2018)
  • Claudio Moneta (Italian; 2013-present)
  • Klaus Lochthove (German; 2011-2019)
  • Manuel Gimeno (Spanish; 2011-present)

Voice samples

Audio.svg Super Smash Bros. Brawl - "Chaos Control!" (Jason Griffith, 2008)
File infoMedia:Shadow Jason Griffith.oga
Audio.svg Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U - "Chaos Control!" (Kirk Thornton, 2014; recycled from Sonic Generations)
File infoMedia:Shadow Kirk Thornton.oga
Audio.svg Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - "This one looks like fun!" (Kirk Thornton, 2019; recycled and edited from Sonic Generations)
File infoMedia:Shadow Selected Olympics.oga
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Quotes

Main article: List of Shadow quotes

Gallery

Artwork

Sprites

Screenshots

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ[?]
Shadō za Hejjihoggu
Shadow the Hedgehog
Chinese 夏特[?]
Xià Tè
Literal pronunciation of "Shadow"
Dutch Shadow the Hedgehog[?] -
French Shadow le Hérisson[?] Shadow the Hedgehog
German Shadow der Igel[?] Shadow the Hedgehog
Italian Shadow il Riccio[?] Shadow the Hedgehog
Korean 섀도우 더 헤지혹[?]
Shaedou deo Hejihok
Shadow the Hedgehog
Russian Ёж Шедоу[?]
Yozh Shedou
Ёж means Hedgehog, and Шедоу is a Cyrillization of Shadow.
Spanish Shadow the Hedgehog[?] -

External links