Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Shadō za Hejjihoggu?) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog/Black Arm hybrid and the arch-rival of Sonic the Hedgehog. Shadow was created as the "Ultimate Life Form" (究極生命体 Kyūkyoku Seimeitai?) by Gerald Robotnik, using the DNA of Black Doom, and is the end result of Project Shadow. His purpose was to provide ways to develop a cure for incurable deadly illnesses, more specifically for Gerald's granddaughter Maria Robotnik, but he was captured and put into stasis by the military when he was deemed as a threat to humanity.

Fifty years later, Shadow was released by Dr. Eggman in order to enlist him in his plan to conquer the world. Initially, Shadow worked with him but secretly sought to destroy the planet in order to avenge Maria, who had been killed by the military, but was persuaded to save it from Gerald's doomsday plans. In the process, Shadow lost his memories and as such, sought to uncover the truth of his past, during which he met Black Doom and the Black Arms; in the end, Shadow regained his memories, uncovered the truth, and thwarted Black Doom's agenda and saved the world. From there, he continued his mission to protect humanity by becoming a special agent of GUN.

Shadow is sharp-witted, always on edge, and has a strong sense of purpose, willing to accomplish his goals by any means. Essentially a dark version of Sonic, Shadow can match him in both speed and skill, and can use Chaos Control with a Chaos Emerald. While preferring to work alone, he has helped Sonic and his allies when needed.

Appearance
Shadow is a black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills, around the edges of his eyes, and on his arms and legs. He has red eyes, a patch of white fur on his chest, and his muzzle is tan. He has six quills on his head, four of which curve upwards and two that curve downwards, two spines on his back, and a small tail. For attire, Shadow wears white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues, and Air Shoes which, like his gloves, have black cuffs and red tongues. On each of his wrists and ankles, he wears a single gold ring.

Following Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Shadow's Air Shoes' red paint is scratched off on the front and his eyes have become more red-orange in color.

Voice Actors

 * Jason Griffith
 * Kirk Thornton