Shadow (character)
| Shadow | |
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| 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 | Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024, Sonic the Hedgehog franchise) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (2020, Super Mario franchise) |
| Latest portrayal | Kirk Thornton (English; 2011-present, Super Mario-related media) Kouji Yusa (Japanese; 2007-present, Super Mario-related media) |
- “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
Shadow is a playable character on Sonic's team in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. His character type is Speed, and he is 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 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
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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
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- DS stats
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Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Trophy Shadow the Hedgehog | ||
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| 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 Shadow the Hedgehog | ||
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| Artwork from: Sonic Adventure 2 Battle | ||
| Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Specials: Direct] - Attack +20 | ||
| Usable by: Sonic | ||
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U trophy
| Trophy Shadow | ||
3DS: Wii U: 
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| Game(s): Both | ||
| Category: Assist Trophy | ||
( ) Appears in:GCN Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (02/2002) GCN Shadow the Hedgehog (11/2005) | ||
| () Trophy Box: -
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| 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
| Spirit #788 Shadow the Hedgehog | ||
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Series/game | Sonic the Hedgehog Series |
| Type | Primary | |
| Slots | 2 | |
| Class | Ace | |
| Strength / effect(s) | Attack Can be enhanced to Super Shadow at Lv. 99 | |
| How to obtain | Spirit Board | |
| Spirit battle | Opponent(s) | Sonic |
| Conditions |
Rule: Assist Trophy Enemies (Shadow)
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| Stage | New Pork City (Battlefield) | |
| Song | Live & Learn |
| Spirit #789 Super Shadow | ||
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Series/game | Sonic the Hedgehog Series |
| Type | Primary | |
| Slots | 2 | |
| Class | Legend | |
| Strength / effect(s) | Attack Undamaged Attack & Speed ↑ | |
| How to obtain | Enhanced from Shadow the Hedgehog |
List of Super Mario appearances
Portrayals
- Jason Griffith (English; 2007-2009)
- Kirk Thornton (English; 2011-present)
- Kouji Yusa (Japanese; 2007-present)
- Benoît DuPac (French; 2013-present)
- Riccardo Lombardo (Italian; Super Smash Bros. series (2014-2018))
- Claudio Moneta (Italian; Mario & Sonic series (2013-present))
- Klaus Lochthove (German; 2013-2019)
- Manuel Gimeno (Spanish; 2013-present)
Voice samples
 Super Smash Bros. Brawl - "Chaos Control!" (Jason Griffith, 2008) | File info |
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U - "Chaos Control!" (Kirk Thornton, 2014; recycled from Sonic Generations) | File info |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - "This one looks like fun!" (Kirk Thornton, 2019; recycled and edited from Sonic Generations) | File info |
Quotes
- Main article: List of Shadow quotes
- "I'll show you my ultimate power!" - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
- "Think you can get away, do you?" - Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
- "Just leave this to me." - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Gallery
Artwork
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Sprites
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
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Screenshots
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii)
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[?] Syaedou 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
- Hedgehogs
- Playable characters
- Third-party characters
- Assist Trophy characters
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games characters
- Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl stickers
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophies
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophies
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophies
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits
