Shadow's Personality

[speedduelist]

how would you Redeem Shadow's personality?

he is always Sad and Mad, he barley smiles, he barley makes any jokes, he refuses to admit or show that he care about any one.

How can you fix him? he just doesn't work in light heart story lines. every one will be happy and friendly and he will be sad and won't laugh and won't be friendly, he will just hang out with them to save the world and he won't say any thing happy Hence sonic heroes. he will just be the lone Sad wolf...

[Too cool for school]

That's just the way he is, when you've gone through the stuff Shadow has endured you become battle hardened. He's an awesome character. I've been with the Sonic series since it first started and I've always thought it cool to have an anti hero and then BOOM 2001 came and there he was in all his rawness Shadow The Hedgehog, lol.

I used to want Knuckles to be the anti but he isn't, he was tricked by Eggman and onced he found out he and Sonic became trusted allies, as they should. But that rivary will always be there, cause Sonic can match Knuckles blow for blow, and until he and Sonic met, he thought he was the toughest porkypine on the block.

Shadow can fit in to the Sonic series cause he's a wildcard, he can be a hero or a villian he can side with Sonic or Eggman, all Eggman has to do is offer Shadow someting that benefits him and his mission and it'll be Sonic vs Shadow again but knowing how awesome SonicTeam is, it would be on a whole nother level

Edited October 22, 2010 by Falcon

[speedduelist]

he still well, has no purpose in the series. he isn't like trying to live, he is lonely and silent.

at least knuckles hangs out with tails and sonic and protects the master emerald, while shadow is just standing in any place waiting for Robotnik to attack him.

[Marcello]

he still well, has no purpose in the series. he isn't like trying to live, he is lonely and silent.

at least knuckles hangs out with tails and sonic and protects the master emerald, while shadow is just standing in any place waiting for Robotnik to attack him.

wat.

Shadow has Omega and Rouge, two people he truly cares about. He started out alone, but he now has two very good friends.

And what the hell do you mean by "Just stands around waiting for Eggman to attack him"?!

[Cerulean_Sky]

Shadow worked as a character best in Sonic 06, out of the three 'hogs, he had IMO the best story by far. He has Rouge and Omega so I wouldn't call him completely a lone wolf, but I'd like it if they had some humour with Shadow once in a while. Like make Rouge tease him about him moping around or something.

[speedduelist]

wat.

Shadow has Omega and Rouge, two people he truly cares about. He started out alone, but he now has two very good friends.

And what the hell do you mean by "Just stands around waiting for Eggman to attack him"?!

chill out.

I am saying shadow doesn't do any thing but to be the Lone hero that never smiles, The only plot he could get is that Dr.Robotnik attacks him or Sonic and his friends so he could save him. more like Batman, he is like with no character.

[Badnik Mechanic]

he still well, has no purpose in the series. he isn't like trying to live, he is lonely and silent.

at least knuckles hangs out with tails and sonic and protects the master emerald, while shadow is just standing in any place waiting for Robotnik to attack him.

Sorry but... what?

I'm no big fan of Shadow at all, but you're acting like he's just some kind of filler character that just turns up... but he's actually got a lot to him.

Sonic Adventure 2: He's got a role similar to thats pure vengence. He's the manipulator of the story, he manipulates Robotnik into thinking that Shadow works for him, but in reality he's only using Robotnik as a tool so that he can take revenge on the world for what happened to his beloved Maria. Maria was his only friend, but humans from the earth came, removed him from her and we're lead to believe that Maria was either kidnapped or killed. Being a creature born in Space and living in space, Shadow saw all humans as responsible for Maria not just the soldiers of G.U.N.

Sonic Heroes: This takes place right after Shadow has presumably 'died' and it wasn't a brilliant script to begin with so theres a lot of confusion, but given what happens later on in the series, it's obvious that Robotnik found Shadow and put him in stasis, the resulting experiment caused him to loose all his memories and now again he's following Rouge because she's promised him that they'll find Eggman, get his treasure, prove Omega is the strongest robot ever built and get Shadow the answers he wants.

However in direct contrast to Adventure 2, Shadow is not the lead force, he answers to Rouge, she's the leader of the team, she pulls the group together and it's her that begins the quest. He is following her, but only for his own agenda.

AT NO POINT IN HEROES... does Shadow wait for Eggman to turn up and attack him. Rouge accidentally releases him when she's looking for Eggmans treasure.

Then we get to Shadows game... oh boy... If you take away all the many endings, the basic story is that Shadow is still struggling to find answers when Black Doom returns to Earth to begin his invasion. But how do we see Shadow? Right at the start he's walking through a countryside, he's at peace, if not still looking for answers, he's not looking for a fight. It's only when Dooms EYE appears to him that he gets involved... Remember, when Black Doom starts his invasion, he says "Humans... I don't have time for them..." He doesn't act until Black Doom promises him answers.

At this point, the whole story is... how will Shadow get his answers... by defeating black doom... or obeying him... you decide... boring.

Then we end and move onto Sonic 06.

Shadow has moved on, he doesn't care what happened before, now he's working against Eggman, however, his alliance is not with Sonic... it's as an agent of GUN. He's a spy character. That doesn't mean he's a mindless soldier, he is given a mission, but uses his own judgement and own thoughts to resolve it. This is constantly evidenced in Sonic 06, like when he travels to the future and faces Mephiles, the others that are with him are already traveling back to their own time... he chooses to stay, going against his orders.

One could argue that he's an agent, like James Bond... only much more of a rouge element. Whilst he goes off mission like bond... he's much more or a loose cannon.

With that in mind, that he's an agent of GUN... who knows what else he gets upto, there is a window for him to return to a main game... I'd rather he didn't, but it's there. It's certainly not as you put it, he's not just standing around waiting at all.

Edited October 22, 2010 by Gnasher

[LimeTH]

Shadow can't be in lighthearted stories? Really? Of course he can! Batman's been in them for years and continues to be in them.

In a lighthearted, humorus story like Sonic Colors, Shadow would probably not change his personality in the slightest, which in itself could lead to jokes. Like someone said in another thread, Shadow would be perfect for the role of The Unfunny, a serious character who is put in wacky situations, which makes them funny.

[Blacklightning]

One particularly memorable line I heard from him in '06 was "A super dimensional being? This might even be a fair fight!", and honestly, that pretty much sums up what I'd expect his character to be, more or less. Sure, being cocky is generally Sonic's game, but I don't mind Shadow being more of a prick about it to be different. Besides that, well, it's pretty much expected that Shadow's the token SRS BUSINESS character, but for fuck's sake his character is dominated way too much by it, and just tends to make him really boring and predictable for the most part. If the writers alternated his character between Batman and Dante, so to speak, I wouldn't really have as much of a problem with it. Oh well, at the very least he's abandoned his MARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA complex, so that's a big improvement either way.

[Kuzu]

Wouldn't Shadow be Virgil in that department, I don't mind Shadow making one liners, he shows he has an arrogant side as well, just like Sonic.

Yes, Shadow is SRS BUSINESS, its his character get used to it, the series is fairly idealistic, one cynical character isn't gonna ruin it. It adds some more depth if you ask me.

[SuperStingray]

I really loved how Shadow was handled in 06, at least compared to his own title. He was just as serious, but he showed it more through determination than angst. But given how much he's been overused this decade, I wouldn't care to see him again anytime soon unless it's absolutely necessary to the story.

[Scar]

Ahh, Shadow.

The token SRS BSNS.

I like his character. Loose cannon. He technically works for Gun, perhaps because Rouge/Omega? urged him to do so, but doesn't really pay much attention to their guidelines.

I imagine him to be the kinda guy to get the mission done at any cost, even if it involves going against the rules, because really....he doesn't give a shit.

Also, yes his SRSness can be used to make some funnies. I'm not a writer, but I'm sure Ken Pontac and the rest can produce some decent lulz with him.

I sort of imagine him being a predominantly serious or something, but occasionally insults someone or makes a really cynical or sarchastic joke.

I just have this image in my head of a conversation:

*Shadow insults someone/makes a pretty funny sarchastic joke*

*Shadow walks off to continue mission*

Sonic:.......Did he just-

Knuckles: Yeah......he did

Sonic: Didn't see that one coming..

Tails:.....

Robotnik: NO WAY, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!!

Or something like that.

Sure its cheesy, but even when well-writen, Sonic will always be slightly cheesy.

[Mangoaxe5]

I like Shadow the way he is. I don't want him to be in lighthearted Sonic games(then again I don't want Sonic games to be lighthearted anyway).

To change Shadow into a more lighthearted character, would destroy the reason that Sonic Team created him in the first place.

[BradAric]

I feel the question you're asking is: "Why so serious?" ;P

At any rate, I'll tell you why.

In SA2, Shadow was avenging the death of a loved one. Pretty serious business. In SH, he had lost his memory. He didn't know who he was or why people cared. In ShtH, he was trying to figure out who he really was, trying to regain his memory. Then in S06, he was shown that people would turn against him, and he had to make a tough decision. But ultimately, he had Omega and Rouge to back him up, and he made the decision to fight as he always has. His angst stops there, as he is very willing to admit that Omega is his friend come SC, and you must also remember that he protected Sonic from Silver in S06 and actually looked disappointed when Sonic had been killed. He's learning to open himself up to people and make friends. He's kind of like Knuckles in regards to his attitude towards Sonic: he doesn't approve of him, but he can understand and appreciate Sonic's goals, so he helps him out anyway.

As far as waiting for Eggman to attack him goes...that's just simply not true. He always goes searching for "The Doctor."

He's a surprisingly deep character and I don't honestly understand why people have a hard time accepting him.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

He's a surprisingly deep character and I don't honestly understand why people have a hard time accepting him.

[Rynnec]

One particularly memorable line I heard from him in '06 was "A super dimensional being? This might even be a fair fight!", and honestly, that pretty much sums up what I'd expect his character to be, more or less. Sure, being cocky is generally Sonic's game, but I don't mind Shadow being more of a prick about it to be different. Besides that, well, it's pretty much expected that Shadow's the token SRS BUSINESS character, but for fuck's sake his character is dominated way too much by it, and just tends to make him really boring and predictable for the most part. If the writers alternated his character between Batman and Dante, so to speak, I wouldn't really have as much of a problem with it. Oh well, at the very least he's abandoned his MARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA complex, so that's a big improvement either way.

[Badnik Zero]

Even though I don't like his position at GUN, he should stick to being an agent like Rouge. Where she's playful, Shadow is serious. I think they'd make a better pair without Omega.

I don't think anyone but Rouge really talks to Shadow. Get people speaking to him. I liked the interactions between him and Knuckles in Chronicles. Not only did it nod to the fact that they're both rival characters, but they shared a certain skepticism. It was only a few lines though, which is why we need more.

Characters should acknowledge how silly Shadow is sometimes. It's true that he's out of place in the more fluffy stories. Like if he was in Colors we'd have some cute aliens next to him and he'd be like, "THIS IS WHO I AM". Like Sonic can laugh at Knuckles for being a moron, characters should recognize Shadow's grim streak.

[Saint Nathan]

Shadow has really nothing wrong with him past the fact that he's a little too serious sometimes.

He works really well as an Anti-Sonic, but is still his own character. I like that. I don't want him in every game (he should never, ever be in colors ever) but past that I don't have any real issues with the guy.

I do want him in some more comedy sort of situations. Shadow and Sonic running through Green Hill Zone, with Sonic talking to all the animals and such, and Shadow just scowling at them kinda thing.

[Badnik Zero]

Like that was good in All-Stars Racing when the Shadow profile was like, LIKES: Nothing. That is hilarious. Shadow is supposed to be in the handheld version of Colors, which I forgot to bring up. I can't wait to see why they decided to stick him in there. He's probably just gonna cameo like Knuckles in Rush.

[Phos]

Saying that Shadow has no purpose is somewhat superficial, as I've said before, characters aren't just plot devices with heads. On the other hand, Shadow's story is kind of exhausted, he doesn't really have any real motivation to his name right now. I'd personally like to see that taken advantage of, make a story about him trying to find his place in the world.

I would hardly call Shadow deep, I would describe him as "wide & shallow", we know a lot about him, but not a lot of it really tells us anything useful insofar as knowing him as a character. He was created in a lab using generic material from an alien or something, now he works for a (really dumb) government organization. That doesn't tell us anything about his personality.

[Kuzu]

Shadow is deep for other reasons, I'm too lazy to type right now. He can easily be put in any storyline, and still have a purpose important to the plot. And he doesn't "Wait for Eggman to attack him" I don't think there's ever been an instant of that in the games.

[Saint Nathan]

I'd personally like to see that taken advantage of, make a story about him trying to find his place in the world.

[Golden~Hedgy]

I would have to disagree with the first post as well...

and everyone's reasons basically sums up why.

Shadow seems more motivated....determined to finish what he started now. Well... whatever he was doing and all.

I'm just waiting to see Shadow again...

no.... not as some story book character...

not as some playable character in a racing game... (that points to two games right now)

but I'm waiting for him to be IN a story... (which makes me wonder about Sonic Free Riders...)

Anyway.... like everyone said, he's not THAT much of a loner... he is fully compatible with playful-ness and jokes, many things are possible with Shadow. You just need to give him a chance.

[Scar]

Wide but shallow would be an accurate way to describe him, though I feel Sonic 06 probably had the best interpretation of him as a whole.

Shadow's whole conflict with Mephiles was actually rather engaging.

Shadow breaks the Scepter of Darkness and the foggy shit duplicates from Shadow's Shadow. Interesting idea.

(I also like how Mephiles is the only "monster of the week" to have any personality, which is shown to be pure evil, like evil for the sake of evil, but that's for another day)

06 also explores Shadow's place in the world, albeit a bit brief. Shadow is the "Ultimate lifeform" who works for GUN, but eventually, many years in the future after a disaster occurs, a scapegoat is needed, so boom Shadow is essencially locked away, because the humans/people/whatever need to use him as a scapegoat, and/or fear that he may go rogue.

He's also troubled by his past even though he may have let it go. He does show a level of care for Rouge as a friend and considers Omega his "best" friend, given the fact that in 06's plot, he's actually taken aback when it is revealed that Omega is the one who captures and restrains him.

This makes Shadow literally the perfect "batman" figure for the Sonic series, though a more cynical, and satirical side to his personality could be explored.....you know, to make him a little more 3 dimesional as a character.

[Aquaslash]

This is pretty much Shadow in a nutshell

There's no need for him to change, but he could be placed in humorous situations more often.

Edited October 25, 2010 by Aquaslash