Shadow
Age: 50+
Occupation: Former Eggman Empire agent; G.U.N. Agent
Birthplace: Space Colony ARK
Alignment: Neutral
Shadow is an artificial life form—an anthropomorphic hedgehog designed as a male—who's best known as Sonic's arch-rival and basically his opposite in almost every way. He's got the speed to match Sonic thanks to his hover skates, but where Sonic relies on instinct and attitude, Shadow leans hard into his signature ability: Chaos Control, which he channels through Chaos Emeralds. The rings on his wrists actually suppress his power, keeping him from going all-out at any given moment.
His whole character arc hinges on a promise he made to Maria, a girl he befriended back on the Space Colony ARK. For years, Shadow carried anger toward humanity over Maria's death, but he eventually understood what she actually wanted: for people on Earth to live happy lives. That realization shaped who he became—someone caught between destruction and protection, which is probably why fans often describe him as operating in moral gray territory rather than falling neatly into "hero" or "villain" categories.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
