Shadow in SA2 and 06 was peak.

40:41 I always took "worried for my social status" as a joke. Even Tails is laughing. If the player suggests Shadow likes Hot Honey, he glares and says, "Leave. Now." Shadow used the transparent excuse of "social status" because he felt vulnerable admitting he just wanted to get a nice gift for Amy, a move made even more obvious when he agrees to go with her to see a band he clearly can't stand. I love the contrast between Amy's birthday party in TMOSTH and Sonic's in Generations. In Generations, Shadow avoids everyone and sulks. In TMOSTH, he plays an arcade game with Vector and Knuckles, he humors Tails' odd comment about coffee and marshmallows, and he shows his softer side toward Amy. That's legitimate character development. I'm glad he's inching his way back toward friendship.

Just want to clarify the "like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me" line was most likely meant to be interpreted as Shadow being ok with how easy it was to obtain the emerald, but obviously the misinterpretation is much funnier XD

I never noticed that Shadow and Rouge fist bump in the Sonic Heroes intro… that is the best thing I’ve seen from the two of them.

I just noticed that Shadow was hoping the cake that Sonic was handing to Amy was a chocolate one. As someone who loves chocolate cake, I approve.

Shadow is the same as Kazuma Kiryu and Jin Kazama. Even though he has said goodbye to his past with his loved ones, he continues to move on without forgetting their memories.He is the type of person who does not decide whether an action is good or bad, but if he thinks it will benefit the world, he will do it.

I hope in Shadow Generations Shadow fights Biolizard, Black Doom, AND Mephiles. The villains that affected Shadow's character the most throughout the years.

Great analysis on Shadow. I like how heroes (and adventure, a little bit) also show Shadow's light side, his more playful and curious side. I like how he acts in Prime (in some part he remembers me heroes Shadow, playful and mischievous), although often he seems so afraid of people, unless isn't Sonic.

2024 is a big year for Shadow. Not only is Sonic Generations getting remastered with Shadows perspective, but also Sonic 3 movie is coming out late this year with Shadow as a major character. Sega needs to do the ultimate life form justice in both media because his character has been misunderstood for years for trying to make him an dark edgelord. Shadow is a hero and should be remembered and recognized as one.

I thought the original video did such a great job of informing me about Shadow’s character but this one is even better! I would’ve loved for Sonic Prime to be mentioned in this video though since that’s been Shadow’s biggest role by far since forces

Honestly, I think you were a bit too harsh on yourself for the og Shadow video. I learned a lot from it about the character that I would not have known otherwise. Seeing as how I don't have a way to play sonic adventure currently.

I think that you did Shadow's character justice with this video. You analyzed him very well, made important reflections and highlighted all of his strengths and weaknesses. Your last reflection in particular was very emotively clever: Shadow is meant to be the hero for us introverts, someone we can relate to. This is how I got attached to Shadow myself, various years ago, and I can safely say that he saved me. I would not be here today without Shadow, not like this. Thank you for this video!

They need to bring Shadow back to how he was in 06. He was perfectly balanced there. Then the 2010s happened and made him unnecessarily edgy...

What bothers me now is Prime, he is treated like Rouge is not his friend, but Sonic's. And Omega nowhere to be seen.

That moment in Sonic X replicating SA2 where Shadow is convinced to save the world that should have 1,000% be Amy & not Chris Thorndyke

It’s unfortunate on what happened to Shadow’s character cause he’s one of the best characters in Sonic history, Shadow’s probably in my top 5 or higher of favorite Sonic characters

Saying Knuckles and Shadow were evil really didn't age in the slightest 🤣🤣🤣🤣 EDIT: Wait, is Knuckles referred to as a "pawn" of evil? That makes much more sense in context, actually

Not gonna lie, the original Shadow video is the first video I have ever seen from you, so it was a surprise to see a sequel video to it, so glad to see a new light on the video

Another excellent video. I’ve always prefer Shadow as a dark hero with a heart of gold. I also still believe team Dark are friends. Hopefully we get a good shadow moving forward, but i did love what prime did with him.

This was a really good remake of your Shadow video. I especially like your moderated look on Shadow 05. It's not the cleanest story (like at all) and on the surface it looks like Shadow is regressing but when you look at the games themes and what it does with Shadow, there's a lot there that's really good and contributes more to his awesome 06 portrayal. To me one of the main things Shadow 05 did was give Shadow peace of mind and agency. When you look at SA2, Heroes and most of this game, Shadow is either doing what he's told to do, trying to find the secrets of his past or some mixture of both. Shadow doesn't know who he is and thinks that knowing the past will help him figure it out. But in the last story, he realizes that his past absolutely sucks and wants no part of it. He takes out Black Doom so that the last major remnants of his past die offand he can start again. Doing what he wants not shackled by anyone in the past, not even Maria. You could say that the Shadow from Adventure 2 did die and was reborn as the Shadow at the end of Shadow 05 which I think is a really cool place to take his character. At the moment we don't know what the Gens remake later this year has in store for Shadow but I hope it stays in line with the Shadow Shadow not shackled to his past rather than trying to bring him back to his Adventure 2 self. That's not who Shadow is anymore (or at least it shouldn't be imo).

A funny little thing about Shadow in Boom, in the Japanese version of Rise of Lyric, he has this robotic filter on his voice until the end, and he's actually being mind controlled. Yes, Sega of Japan realized this was a horrible way to write him, and rewrote him to a victim

One thing I think is worth bringing up about TMoStH, is that when everyone realises Sonic isn't ok, Shadow is one of the ones actively trying to help. He checks his pulse and helps prop him up, which further reinforces that he does actually care about other people.

Praying for more nuanced representation of Shadow in 2024! Saw your first vid, am glad I saw this one too.

Questions for You: 1) Will you talk about the Sonic Boom franchise? Not to sound rude I’m just curious. 2) Do you forgive Sonic Forces? 3) And what do you think of IDW Shadow? But either way a wonderful video, great update.

Seems like every time I watch a video dissecting Shadow's character, I get a reminder why he's one of my all-time favorites in fiction. And this is a great year to be a fan!

I want more videos like this. As much as I love you're earlier videos, this remake is really eye opening. Please do more!

thanks for making this I never really understood shadows story and character arc before now

I love your channel and I recently went back to your Shadow (aka my favorite video game character) analysis and now you just posted a new one! What a good day to be subbed to you bro 🔴⚫

I feel like Prime was a step in the right direction to get back to 06 Shadow, there’s still ways to go but I think we may just be getting there as long as Sega keeps this up, and with what else we’re getting this year with Shadow with Sonic X Shadow Generations (man they really should’ve made a better title, people on the internet are gonna have quite the field day with that) and the third movie, fingers crossed that soon we’ll have the true Shadow the Hedgehog back

This is better than the other Shadow video

I really like how much you improve The only thing I would like is to see your opinion on dialogues or complementary Japanese material (the thing about the trailers is funny but I am referring to things like his story and profile on channel, the TSR interviews or simply the change of the games's script)

Pretty good video essay!!

Great vid! ^^ rlly shows ur improvement since the previous one on shadow, I liked when u said they could have him do other poses besides crossed arms lol

Recommendation, character analysis on not just video game characters but characters from animated shows & movies as well, one id love to see would be Timmy’s fairies from Fairly Oddparents Cosmo, Wanda, & Poof

Man I love your videos You really really should have used mods for those cutscenes on the PC version of SA2, the audio mixing was way too distracting in that section

I’m happy I opened up to Shadow. And I’m just happy that now I can look at him as like an older brother figure and a best friend which is how I picture him even now.

I was kind of hoping you spoke a little about Shadow’s character in Sonic Chronicles and Sonic Battle. Sonic battle did pretty good writing his character especially when he was helping Emerl. I really liked that development between him and Emerl having a shared passed tied to Gerald. It’s a shame Emerl died in the game and shadow did not react to his death. Would have liked to see them interact maybe they could have been brothers. And how he would react to seeing Emerl die would have been emotional. He had some nice dialogue with Rouge, Omega was not in the game but he could have been cool , would have loved seeing Emerl and Omega interact. Sonic chronicles did decent as well, he didn’t do much after the cast went to the twilight cage but he was presented as heroic. He was a bit out of character in some scenes where he fought Sonic and friends but still joined them against the Nocturnous clan. I would like to hear your thoughts on Sonic Battle and Chronicles one day. Unfortunately Chronicles may never see the light of day ever again due to a certain writer who has a weird fetish for Echidna characters. ( I really miss Shade the Echidna though).

oh yeah, this is the definitive shadow analysis

Huh, fair points and opinions, I hope they get on the right track with Shadow moving forward, but we’ll see. Anyway, this was a very well done Video, I appreciate it.

If there's one time Boom Shadow had a somewhat nice moment, during his final moments in the Sonic Boom cartoon finale he said he was impressed with how Sonic (and also his friends) saved the universe. Sure, this is also after he threatened the universe when Eggman "humiliated" him, but it's something. An idea I have on how they can do Boom Shadow better is while he can keep his distaste for teamwork, have it be toned-down where he recognizes the strength in teamwork, but wants to prove his own strength instead of just being "teamwork makes you weak". It can then lead into a character-arc where he realizes that you can be strong on your own while still having people you can count on to help you when you need it. It's simple, yes, but it could possibly work for this version of Shadow. Great video, you've definitely shown your improvement in your craft!😁👍

I should preface by saying that Shadow is my favorite character in the whole franchise, and your video 5 years ago was how I discovered your channel. While I can see how you're not proud of it (and don't worry I haven't even joked about sending it to SEGA) I do agree that Shadow's portrayal as a one-note edge lord is a tad offensive to us long-time fans who truly understand his character and motivations. And your idea of how you would make Boom Shadow different is a nice idea. I never got the chance to play ANY game between 06 and Forces when they came out (especially 06 because of you-know-what-scene) and am only now just picking them up, but I have seen cutscenes of the stories in those games and... I was not impressed. But perhaps not growing up with them has allowed me to have a soft (if still negative) view on them. But with your video and other videos like Game Apologist and Chaomix showing how much Shadow grew and changed over his debut, Heroes, even his nefarious spinoff, and the 10th "worst game ever" candidate since E.T., this.... this was my hero growing up. I always liked staying off by myself because I didn't feel comfortable around others, and my family made me feel like such a weirdo for it saying that I'd never make any friends... but, like Shadow, I found friends who stayed away from others like me, and we just clicked. We may not always agree on everything, but I never questioned how close our bond was. One more thing, I loved this beautiful 3d video based off an official Sonic Channel comic about how Shadow was named by Maria because Gerald said that he would watch over her and protect her, and she likened that to what a person's shadow does, staying by her side. In 2005, I got a black Labrador puppy who never left my side when I was home and always came to greet me when I got home from Boy Scout meetings and campouts. I'm sad to say I didn't appreciate him initially, thinking it wasn't anything compared to a new game or toy. But as I grew up and he grew with me, he always stayed by my side and never did anything that made me anything other than happy and even safe. I named him Shadow, after my favorite video game character. My dog is long gone now, but it's my connection with Shadow the Hedgehog that is how my memory of Shadow the Dog will live on forever. Here's hoping Sonic 3 pays honor to that memory.

Awesome video! Keep up the great work my guy! (PS I think you forgot to mention Mephiles 😉)

This game is so awesome!!!😢❤🎉🎉 Great video yet again OnGod 💯

Love the fact you remade your old Shadow video with fresh eyes and a clearer, more mature mindset to better convey your message about Shadow! Keep up the great work! On an unrelated side note, if the Sonic series were to have a crossover with another SEGA series, I’d have it with the Persona series more specifically Persona 5 Royal. I’d love Shadow to have some interesting interactions with some of the Phantom Thieves like with Joker, Violet and Crow for example. He could see Joker as like a version of Sonic with that cocky attitude, but with a heart of gold underneath that half silent protagonist face he puts on. It can remind him that there are others like Sonic out there in the universe who will fight against all odds for the right reasons, whether for society as a whole or for their friends and family. He can relate to Sumire by the fact both losing a loved one in front of their eyes (Shadow losing his best friend Maria and Sumire losing her older sister, Kasumi) and Shadow can help further Sumire’s growth by letting her know to not let her sister’s death hold her back to what matters in the present, to let her know her sister loved her so much and Sumire should honor that by living in the present with her friends in the Phantom Thieves and keep on living while keeping her sister’s memory alive, like how Shadow keeps Maria’s memory alive by protecting humanity to this very day like what Maria wished for all those years ago. Shadow can see the previous version of himself in Akechi by him being obsessed with revenge and indifference towards the world and is constantly pessimistic. Shadow can have a real talk with Akechi letting him know that despite the path he previously walked led to what happened to him later on, it’s never too late to change your viewpoint on the world and on others as a whole. Just some ideas on how Shadow’s growth back in Adventure 2, Heroes, Yes even Shadow the Hedgehog and especially Sonic 06 can be used in a crossover game.

I watched your video, dude. And it changed my life. Because back when I first got into Sonic, I had a serious grudge over Shadow because I only saw him as an edge lord… and nothing else. But, a year later when I watched this video, I realized I was wrong to judge him like that. It’s your video that changed my thoughts on him. Now, I’ve grown so attached to him. And now, he’s my all time favourite character in the franchise. Shadow is a good character and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I don’t care what people say about him, I like him and nothing will change that. You’re a good guy, Shadow.

22:50; If I had a pound for everytime I heard that misinformation... no, they never planned for Shadow to die. In a game magazine from 2005, Takeshi Iizuka said he'd planned to give Shadow his own game since his introduction. Shiro Meakawa also supposedly said on his Twitter page that Shadow was never planned to die.

I may have a crazy obsession with Shadow, but he’s my hero… no matter what path he goes down, I care about him and I still like him. Not just as a character, but as a hero… and a friend.

I feel like the perception of Shadow being a true hero, who fights for the peace of everyone on the planet doesn't hold up. He's more interesting when they play into that morally grey anti hero character imo. You can show he has a caring side like with Team Dark in 06, or Amy in Murder of Sonic but at his core Shadow is a ruthless mf, and i mainly just want current interpretations to give a proper balance of those characteristics.

You kiiiinda skipped Sonic Battle there... in that game he is working for the grater good and isnt afraid to knock the heroes out of the way to kill emerl. In his story section, he leads Emerl to the truth about himself existing as a weapon. And Rouge helping out is a nice bonus. it has a few contrived moments, but Shadow is treated nicely overall. It isnt explained why he is asleep for most of the game's runtime until near the end, it's assumed it happens between his own game and heroes or Adventure 2 and heroes, but thats besides the point.

I refuse to accept anyone who wishes shadow was dead in sa2, I don’t want him to end up like gamma, emeral, and all other beloved characters that were never seen again.

Really hoping the expansion on Generations cleans the page for Shadow, in a game traveling across memories and Shadow having A LOT of them They can really fix for good everything the internet has made peoplo think of Shadow Also the movie, the staff already proved that they know this characters

like to point out as this has come to my attention recently that at the time of SA2 he could be considered mentally younger then tails at the ripe age of 1 or 2 years old depending greatly on how quickly they decided to speed up his growth cycle from baby to teen. If he didn't even go from baby to teen and was just created as a teen then he could be even younger with almost no life experiences to pull from. That kind of tragic event that young mentally is bound to do some mental damage. I frankly am impressed that he didn't shut down completely or just off himself. I also find it incredible how his moral compass seem to steer him correctly through all the bullshit, mind games, mental torment, amnesia, and delusions. He made it out the other side as a good guy with a grumpy exterior that he uses to protect himself from further harm but with a kind disputation to those that know him. Even if he find's them annoying like sonic. Also crazy that the memories of maria always makes it through even through the amnesia. On a different note, love that his kid mind finds the pumpkin hill heads creepy.

There is a curious fact about why Rouge does not tell Shadow anything about his past in Sonic Adventure 2 in the Japanese dubbing and it is that it is made clear that Rouge would have told him what happened in Adventure 2 Shadow would still have doubts since not only She wants to know her past, she also wants to know why these past events occurred, but the most important thing is to know the reason for her existence, something that Rouge couldn't tell her either, since in Adventure 2 she had doubts if Shadow was real or if her memories were false. In shadow the hedgehog the reason why he does not want to help humans is because he was not mentally stable at that time shadow had no memory so the hedgehog after not having memory also loses his moral code and that is why the hedgehog Shadow's game has multiple endings because depending on what happens, Shadow can change for better or worse, so at first he cannot help humans if he is not mentally prepared to do this action. It's not until black doom appears and mentions the chaos emeralds and shadow in the Japanese dub says "hmm interesting they say the chaos emeralds perform a miracle if you get all 7 if those jewels have the answers to my past I'll make sure to get them" with this It makes it clear that he possibly started neutral, then possibly dark after being convinced by Black Doom and then became a hero after possibly meeting Rouge and so on until the canonical end of the game. PD: the Japanese dubbing is a thousand times better than English, plus the Japanese dubbing is the canon

Love this depiction, can’t wait for Sonic Movie 3

Overall, a decent follow-up analysis. One important thing I would like to argue is that despite the fact that some characters can be both at different times, there is a stark difference between being an anti-hero, an anti-villain and a straight up villain. Boom!Shadow is just a straight up villain who just happens to have a mild sense of honour, which is his only positive trait in-universe.

I first saw shadow in sonic battle of all games as a teenager i loved the character. Then i played SA2 for the first time, he became my favorite character and still is to this day.

If you seen what victims that suffer severe brain injury go through irl, you know why he's more negative and swears while lost access to controlling Chaos Energy and it's made clear this game is not a sequel to Heroes, just an alternate outcome to SA2 with a different way Shadow had been changed from the fall then Super forms grant Nigh Invulnerability so ofc he didnt die.

I have an idea for a future video. Maybe you could talk about the best stories with no dialogue in the future.

Meanwhile in Japan 29:55 "Hmph, how incredibly stupid of them.​ ​​To think they would expose a Chaos Emerald before me...​ ​​ 36:00 Shadow: I've been waiting, Sonic!​ ​​ Sonic: Shadow?! What are you doing here?!​ ​We're kinda busy right now. Can we do this some other time?​ ​​ ​​​ ​ Shadow: You scared of me...? You scum... disgusting runt... begone.​ ​This is an order from Lyric, the Emissary of Destruction. I will destroy all who oppose him...​ Death to all life... Sonic, I shall give you hell...​ ​​ ​​​ ​ I believe Shadow was under Lyric's mind control, given there's a bit of a distortion effect going on with his voice.

You know I wonder you can do the same thing but with Knuckles about his first impressions and arcs

Didn't think about it... Y'know how Sonic just LOVES Halloween this probably signals at Shadow's somewhat distaste for Halloween and somewhat creepy imagery.

I'm not sure if RPG's are your thing, but I would love to see Persona 4 or 5 character-in-depth's of any persona character 😊 They are many of them with charm, layers, and depth to them and even heartfelt character development the more you spend time with them in the game. I would recommend it ❤

I do like your alternate Shadow ending in Rise of Lyric & i bet he would make a great member on Team Boom Sonic. But what about Sticks who’s exclusive to Sonic Boom?

I would say Shadow has always been a anti hero. Which doesn’t mean he is not a hero, he is not gonna harm innocent humans anymore or anything like that as he told Mephiles, but even in media like Sonic x, he is shown to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal. Which I don’t think is out of character. In his game, he learned to live his own destiny but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an anti hero. He will try to do the right thing but he is not afraid to go to the deep end, If he feels it is necessary.

I see shadow as a hero

i mean you weren't technically wrong when u said he'd appear in the upcoming 2021 game cause he did appear when we got the awesome shadow campaign for project 06 so close enough?

2:44 The start

I wish you really talked about sonic prime just a passing mention would of satisfying me

1:37 I honestly agree. Shadow was fine in Forces, there I’d say he had more good than bad qualities

i know you're probably burnt out of sonic right but i gotta know something. will you be taking a look at the story of shadow generations when it comes out to see if it captures shadow's character or not?

Hey so since shadow generations will be released this year

I presume the best they can do with Black Doom in the Generations rerelease is giving him a cool boss fight.

One question. Do you like Lyric in Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric?

I see shadow as an introverted rebellious hero. He does the right thing no matter what and wants to help others but I also see him as someone who would be willing to somewhat “evil” or “unjust” things to accomplish it. Still a hero but I feel like he goes along with the idea of “The ends justify the means”.

SA2 Shadow is special. He had such a great arc. Heroes respected him by doing something new. Shadow 05 had a good message and ending, but the meat of the game butchered him. 06 gave him an interesting new arc. But this none of these have my favorite Shadow. The video "Why Archie Shadow is the Best Shadow" is amazing. I'm really worried about him in movie 3.

Listen to this two amazing shadow story streams Let's Rewrite Sonic Lost World & Come Up With A New Shadow Story kzfaq.infon4_iiPoApyg?si=3hMQ9IFEBwGHqXFR Working On Our Shadow Story kzfaq.infovThtz4BWE94?si=kPHloPwTJWnK3ajL

If you want to be a sonic voice actor one day I say go for it you got my support all the way

Can't find that sweet Never Turn Back cover :(

chaos spear that like button

Do you have anything to say about Shadow in Sonic Prime?

I'm glad that you had some good things to say about Shadow's portrayal in his own game. Despite the bad stuff in that game, I've always had a soft spot for it. The idea of Shadow being confused by his past and pondering his place in the world is such a great idea. Maybe a hot take, but I'm honestly not a huge fan of Shadow's portrayal in 06. Don't get me wrong, there's some good stuff, but I think that he's portrayed as too perfect in that game and it comes across as a bit one note. For example, that scene where Shadow finds out that Omega will be the one who defeats him and seals him away in the future. The characters are just standing around talking about how unfair that is (at least Rouge and Omega are; Shadow ironically doesn't say a word!) It just feels very "tell don't show!" How about showcasing that some G.U.N soldiers still don't trust him, and show that Shadow is kind of hurt by this as he's trying to make amends with them. How about actually having G.U.N activating some kind of failsafe program that they have installed in Omega that causes him to fight Shadow just in case he betrayed them, and actually showcasing Omega fighting Shadow and showing how hurt Shadow is because he doesn't want to hurt his friend, but also with the knowledge that he may not win. After stuff like that, it would bring Shadow to almost a breaking point. Maybe he considers leaving G.U.N because he feels that he doesn't truly belong there. Maybe have a moment where he considers that Mephiles may be right, and that there is no point in helping those who will always persecute him. However, it's with the help of his friends that he picks himself up and then does the right thing. I feel like stuff like that could've been more interesting than what we got, which is a Shadow who never really changes or grows. I know that people like to say "But all of his growth happens in the previous games!" That's all good and well, but if this is a player's introduction to Shadow, they only have this game to go on. I also don't think it helps that I'm also not a big fan of Jason Griffith's performance in that game. Practically every line he gives is in the same monotone drone and it's just a bit dull for me.

This may be a hot take, but I think Shadows portrayal as an anti hero in the IDW comics is pretty interesting. I feel like it has a lot of potential to serve as an opposing view to Sonic’s view on life. Let me explain. Sonic’s whole thing in the IDW comics is that everyone should be free to live how they want to live, yet he actively goes against that believe by letting eggman go free and oppress people. We all know the real reason for this is because Sega can’t just kill off Eggman, but what if this caused more than just an argument or two in the comics? What if in one comic, team Sonic and team dark cross arms with each other over how to handle eggman? Shadow and Rouge (I doubt Omega really gives a fuck) could be angry at Sonic for being a hypocrite and allowing eggman to run free and kill people (yes he does that) because he doesn’t want to kill him and compromise his own beliefs, while team Sonic is just says the usual hero stuff of “oh killing bad”. I think that Shadow being mad at Sonic’s hypocrisy could explain why he’s more hostile to him in the IDW comics, while also keeping him as an anti hero. I feel like that could lead to a cool story where the ending doesn’t really give a clear answer as to who is correct on the matter and lets the reader come to their own opinion.

isn't egg quarters inside the pyramid

You forgot sonic prime witch is confirmed to be canon

You forgot to talk about Shadow's Character in Sonic Prime.

Judging by sonic frontiers they seem to be taking the characters into a more positive direction from the colours or meta or whatever you like calling it

Persoelly I don't think Black Doom Only sees Shadow as a tool to conquer the world, given that his Reasons for Conquering the world is to feed his other children The Black Arms

Shadow is the coolest

shadow was dabbing before it was cool.

Shadow character is the best one

21:51

22:41

You need to look at windii's accurate translations to know the true character portrayals in excruciating details. The dub tends to give people the wrong idea of them. Especially the dub in shadow the hedgehog.

Shadow in Sonic Boom was kind of a last minute addition, hence why he looks the least changed from his original counterpart and why he felt shoehorned into the story. I mean what do you expect from a game that had a rushed development process, and ran on a game engine that couldn’t work properly on the Wii U?

32:51

His arc in his own game is better than his arc in SA2

I think u overall did a MUCH "better" analysis on Shadow & his character(or any sonic character) than ever before & got most of it correct. However there's still a number of things I feel u misidentified or straight up missed/disregarded entirely like when u mentioned Sonic & co. as Shadows' "friends" that helped him find his new path when they were a part of the problem he was facin in findin himself in that game on account of the fact that outside of Rouge/Omega no-one knew that he had amnesia & assumed he was the Shadow of Sa2 that would protect everyone cus that's wut Maria wanted(she was also part of the "problem" btw). I will also say for 06 it's never stated he's for humanity specifically jus the "world". There's an extra story by ST on he jp sonic website that has him state to sonic he simply protects the planet from those he deems as "fools" doin somethin "foolish" which includes Sonic if that day comes. Point is he's not as much of a "hero" ppl state he is but tthatbdoesn't mean he's a huge asshole who only does things for himself & has a few ppl he cares for & others he at least respects. There's so much more but it's too much to put here. I'll also say u should REALLY look at all this stuff in jp for a multitude of reasons. Also TMOSTH Shadow really wasn't very "good" but on the other hand regardless of the story itself Rivals shadow was "great"

A lot of people mistake Shadow as the "ends justify the means" character type - but I don't think that's true at all. Maria's tragedy happened BECAUSE of that line of thinking - that destroying the atroceties Prof. Gerald and crew were making justified killing anyone that tried to stop them from doing so. Shadow wouldn't go for that line of thinking, not after what he went through. Shadow strikes me as the type who wants to do what is right, regardless of who or what stands in his way, or who is against him. EDIT: Also, am I the only one who views Shadow '05 as completely unnecessary? They seemed to be trying to give a reason why Shadow can use Chaos Control via the alien race introduced in this game, but it doesn't explain how the Biolizard, which was created prior to their invovlement in Project Shadow, was able to use Chaos Control as well, or how Sonic (and later Silver) can use the same technique. The entire story feels forced and unnatural, and Shadow feels completely out of character after Sonic Heroes. Even the "true ending" doesn't really have the "hey he's a hero!" feeling - it just all feels wrong, I'm not sure how to explain it. That whole game should be retconed imao...

I prefer Boom Shadow being a villain. I like that idea since it’s an AU. And I don’t think you need to have an explanation for his and Sonic’s relationship. Just make it enjoyable. Which I don’t care for Rise of Lyric, or maybe even any version of Boom Shadow. Except maybe the show? Besides, I like it when fictional franchises has story elements that acts like you are viewing into another world. Not explaining why Shadow has his relationship with Sonic is fine. It just implies they have some history together. And not gonna lie, I don’t really like you having Shadow open up and teaming up with Team Sonic. I like the idea of Boom Shadow leaning towards the stereotypes of him more. Something fun could be made out of it. I think making him the second to last boss tho is fine. I would just have a similar walking away and saying not bad. Or maybe “I guess I was wrong about you. Friends can slightly be helpful.” Then he smiles with his back turned, and then deceivingly saying: “Slightly.” And teleports away. Even if you rewrite his line to something else, like the idea of an AU taking a different direction for a character from the original. It’s why I like Fleetway Super Sonic.

You could do tails knuckles and sliver