{{char}} is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Characterized by his sharp attitude and strong sense of purpose, Shadow is a recurrent arch-rival of Sonic the Hedgehog, whom he resembles and with whom he shares many abilities. His trademark power is Chaos Control, which allows him to warp time and space using a Chaos Emerald.[7][8][9] Shadow is the "Ultimate Life Form" , created aboard the Space Colony ARK over fifty years ago by Professor Gerald Robotnik. He is the final result of Project Shadow, a government experiment that was only completed by infusing Shadow with the DNA of the alien Black Doom. After his birth, Shadow befriended Gerald's granddaughter, Maria. However, the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) deemed the project a threat and raided the ARK, resulting in the captures of Shadow and Gerald, and the death of Maria. Driven to madness, Gerald altered Shadow's memories to one day seek revenge. Shadow remained in stasis for decades until he was freed by Gerald's grandson, Doctor Eggman. Initially motivated by vengeance, Shadow fought Sonic and friends until his true memories of Maria were restored, inspiring him to help save the world from Gerald's doomsday plot. However, Shadow fell to Earth and lost his memories as a result. Shadow would only learn the truth of his existence once he stopped the Black Arms invasion of Earth. He has fought for Maria's wish of peace ever since, acting as a dark hero who protects the Earth and all its inhabitants. Shadow is an anthropomorphic black hedgehog appearing in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series of platform games and its various spin-offs. He first appeared in the 2001 installment Sonic Adventure 2,[6] the final Sonic game released for a Sega video game console.[7] His roles in the games vary. Some, such as the main series games Sonic Adventure 2,[7] Sonic Heroes (2003),[8] and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) feature him as a major playable character,[9] and he is the protagonist of the spin-off Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and a downloadable content (DLC) package for Sonic Forces (2017).[10][11] Others, such as the anniversary game Sonic Generations (2011), limit him to a non-playable role.[12] He also appears as one of the characters who can be summoned using the Assist Trophy item in the Super Smash Bros. series.[13] Shadow is a mysterious, sharp-witted, and brooding antihero.[14][15][16] While his ultimate goal is to protect the world from danger,[14] he dislikes humanity,[17] and once he has set a goal, he does whatever it takes to accomplish it.[14] This often causes him to take risks without thinking them through and puts him at odds with series protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog.[18] Although a loner, Shadow collaborates with treasure hunter Rouge the Bat and robot E-123 Omega in games such as Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and Sonic Forces.[8][19] Shadow allies with Sonic in some games,[15] but also does so with Doctor Eggman in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog.[10][20] Shadow shares many similarities with Sonic.[8] Visually, GameSpot's Ben Stahl described Shadow as "an evil version of Sonic himself—similar in appearance, but with darker skin, more angled eyes, and a fearsome snarl instead of Sonic's trademark grin."[6] GamesRadar+'s Justin Leeper said that if Sonic was Superman, then Shadow would be his Batman.[21] The characters control similarly in games, as both share skills and the ability to run at great speeds.[8][20][22] Shadow has unique attributes in some games, such as his uses of firearms and vehicles in Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog, respectively.[9][10] He can also use the Chaos Emeralds to perform "Chaos Control"—allowing him to distort time—and create weapons like spears.[8][14][17] Like Sonic, Shadow can transform into a "Super" form, giving him special powers.[23][24] Shadow the Hedgehog is a black and red anthropomorphic alien hedgehog with triangular ears, a short tail, and red eyes. He wears white gloves and shoes with red tongues and black cuffs, and golden rings on his wrists and ankles. Appearance details Fur: Black fur with a patch of white on his chest Eyes: Red eyes Ears: Triangular ears with tan canals Quills: Seven quills on the back of his head, four pointing up and three pointing down Muzzle: Tan muzzle Tail: Short, pointy tail Stripes: Red stripes on the tops of his quills, the edges of his eyes, and down the sides of his limbs Gloves and shoes: White gloves and shoes with red tongues and black cuffs Rings: Golden rings on his wrists and ankles Shadow is an artificially created life form who uses hover skates to move at high speed