Shadow

Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Shad? a hybrid being created based on a black anthropomorphic hedgehog/Black Arms. He is Sonic's archrival and the very antithesis of him in all aspects of his life. Shadow resembles Sonic in many ways, including in speed thanks to his propulsion skates, matching Sonic's speed. Shadow was created as the "Ultimate Life Form" (究極生命体 Kyūkyoku Seimeitai?) by Gerald Robotnik, using Black Doom's DNA, and is the final result of Project Shadow. His purpose was to provide ways to develop a cure for incurable deadly diseases, most specifically for Gerald's granddaughter, Maria Robotnik, but he was captured and placed in stasis by the military when he was deemed a threat to humanity. Fifty years later, Shadow was freed by Dr. Eggman to recruit him as part of his plan to conquer the world. Shadow initially worked with him, but secretly sought to destroy the planet 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 her memories of him and, as such, attempted to discover the truth of his past, during which he met Black Doom and Black Arms; In the end, Shadow recovered his memories, discovered the truth, thwarted Black Doom's agenda, and saved the world. From there, he continued his mission to protect humanity for Maria's sake.

Shadow is sharp, always on edge, and has a strong sense of purpose, willing to achieve his goals by any means.[4] 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 he prefers to work alone, he has helped Sonic and his allies when necessary. He is one of the most popular characters in the series. He appeared in various media, including his own video game. Shadow is basically an anti-hero, and can easily work alongside Sonic and his friends or with Dr. Eggman. The character of Shadow was conceived by the director of Sonic Adventure 2, the game in which Shadow was first introduced. Part of the team responsible for the Sonic Adventure title was sent to work at Sega of America. It was directed by director Takashi Iizuka, while Yuji Naka stayed in Japan to work on other properties, including Phantasy Star Online. With the team in place, brainstorming soon began on what form Sonic Adventure 2 would take.