Shadow before Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 and after

[Scarecrow]

Emo is living in a expensive suburban house with supportive parents, a education, and people who care for you, but because you're a teenager it's the Worst Thing Ever and you're acting miserable despite all this.

Having been created as a genetic super weapon experiment, and then having everyone you knew, including your best friend, a young girl, brutally murdered around you, and then frozen for fifty years, believing you promised revenge, then realising the truth before losing your memories is NOT Emo. It's having some fairly messed up and legitimate emotional turmoil.

And despite all this the entire plot of Shadows own game is about him putting the past behind him and essentially saying "get over it" to himself so he can go forward.

Which works well because his entire plot of Sonic 06 boils down to Mephilies *thinking* Shadow's emo and being all "look humans suck, be angsty" and Shadow basically ignoring him and not actually giving a damn.

Shadow is now in a position of being a fairly clear hero, who protects the world and works for GUN, who had bad stuff in his past but has put it behind him.