History Characters / SonicTheHedgehogShadowTheHedgehog

[[center:[[WMG:''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehog characters index]]\\
[- [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogMainCharacters Main Characters]] ([[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogSonicTheHedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog]], [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogKnucklesTheEchidna Knuckles the Echidna]]) | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] ('''Shadow the Hedgehog''') | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogEggmanEmpire Eggman Empire]] ([[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogDrIvoEggmanRobotnik Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik]]) | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogOneShotCharacters One-Shot Characters]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogClassicEraAntagonists Classic Era Antagonists]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogModernEraAntagonists1 Modern Era Antagonists 1]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogModernEraAntagonists2 Modern Era Antagonists 2]] ([[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogInfinite Infinite]]) | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogGroups Other Groups and Species]]-]]]]]
!!Shadow the Hedgehog
!!!'''Debut:''' ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KojiYusa (Japanese); David Humphrey (English, 2001-2004), Creator/RyanDrummond (English, [[TheOtherMarty some lines]] in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''), Creator/JasonGriffith (English, 2005-2010), Creator/KirkThornton (English, 2010-present)[[labelnote:Additional [=VAs=]]]Benoît Du Pac (French, 2011-present), Creator/RiccardoLombardo (Italian, 2011), Creator/MaurizioMerluzzo (Italian, 2011), Creator/ClaudioMoneta (Italian, 2013-present)[[/labelnote]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadowthehedgehog.png]]
->''"If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have."''

An artificially created hedgehog made by the late professor Gerald Robotnik. 50 years before the start of the series, Gerald made a deal with an alien named Black Doom that he'd create the ultimate weapon for Doom in exchange for his immortal blood to cure his ailing granddaughter, Maria. G.U.N. caught wind of Project Shadow and had the entire project shut down - but not before the project in question could come to fruition. They stormed the ARK and Shadow was sealed away until Dr. Eggman released him during the events of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. Over the course of the game, Shadow reveals he was carrying out Gerald's will and worked to destroy the planet as revenge for Maria's death. However, Amy manages to convince Shadow to help, and he remembers Maria's wish to protect humanity. He and Sonic team up to destroy his own prototype, and he apparently dies in the effort.

Later, it is revealed that you can't assume you killed the Ultimate Lifeform just because you saw him burning up through the atmosphere, and he returns with a case of amnesia and a distinct uncertainty as to whether he's a robot or a clone, eventually going on to confront his genetic donor Black Doom and save the planet.

Shadow is a very straightforward individual; he's aloof, taciturn, and ambitious. Because of his attitude, he is extremely hard to get along with and has a very independent nature, preferring to [[IWorkAlone work on his own]] more often than not. While he's often ruthless and extremely pragmatic, he can show both empathy and compassion when the situation calls for it. He prefers a straightforward, rather blunt approach to problems, and tends to handle situations in a fist-to-face, foot-to-groin, knee-to-head kind of way, regardless if he feels like it or not, and most of the time he does feel like it.
----
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: A-E]]
* NinetiesAntiHero: [[DownplayedTrope He never fully played this trope,]] but he's always sort of leaned on it (his name and color scheme being pretty harsh and a vengeful personality). He shows more traits of this for his own game, though (guns, swearing, and motorcycle riding galore).
* AboveGoodAndEvil: When it comes to his goals, he will achieve them at all costs.
* AbusiveAlienParents: Shadow’s "father," Black Doom, is a manipulative, tyrannic sociopath who plans to use him as a tool for his plans. In the majority of Shadow's self-titled game, Doom attempts to take advantage of Shadow's memory loss and use him to destroy the planet. After he learns the truth about his past, though, Shadow rebels against Black Doom and destroys him for good.
* AesopAmnesia: Despite being amnesiac and wondering who he was, Shadow made peace with it by the end of ''Sonic Heroes'', declaring that even if he is not real, he is still the UltimateLifeForm. This gets ignored in his titular game, where Shadow once again questions who he is to the point of brooding too much about it. Luckily, his CharacterDevelopment stuck from this point.
* AlasPoorVillain: ''Sonic Adventure 2'' ends with Shadow being reminded of Maria's kindness and [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing]] himself to honor her memory. Afterwards, the entire main cast is left shaken, particularly Sonic.
-->'''Shadow:''' Maria… this is what you wanted, right? [[BookEnds This is my promise I made to you.]]
* TheAgeless: Most likely due to the genetic material contributed to Project Shadow by his biological "father," Black Doom. The reason behind this was that Shadow's creator, Professor Gerald Robotnik, wanted to study immortality and use the fruits of his research to find a cure for his granddaughter (and Shadow's surrogate sister) Maria, as she was terminally ill and suffering from a fatal disease known as Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The only thing that show age are his shoes, with the soles' paint flaking off in most 3D artworks of Shadow.
* AirDashing: Like Sonic, Shadow is capable of dashing forward in midair in games where he's playable, often as a homing attack.
* AllegedLookalikes: It's often stated he looks like Sonic, but he really doesn't,[[note]]his [[https://i.redd.it/iltr6motpraz.jpg older design]] when he was named "Terios" does look like Sonic[[/note]] at least not any more than any other hedgehog in the series (Amy or Silver) does. The closest you can get to saying Sonic and Shadow cut a similar silhouette is when you compare Shadow to Super Sonic, and even then that only applies to the Super Sonic design seen in Adventure 1 and 2, where Super Sonic's quills do indeed have the same configuration as Shadow's.
* AloofAlly: While he is willing to team up with Sonic and the others for the benefit of the world, he still remains pretty standoffish and tends to not engage with their more spirited activities.
* AlternateSelf: In ''Videogame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', it is revealed that Silver's timeline version was trapped by humanity, due to the Iblis awakening. Mephiles shows him to Shadow briefly before trying to join his side. [[WhateverHappenedToTheMouse Whatever happened to Future Shadow is unknown]], as Silver doesn't mention him after the CosmicRetcon.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:
** This is what separated him from Sonic's other rivals at the time of his debut. Shadow was always one step ahead of Sonic throughout ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', until their final confrontation aboard the ARK put them on equal footing where Sonic is finally able to defeat him. Afterwards, they're generally portrayed as being on the same level across all media, albeit with Sonic being slightly ahead.
** He's this to Infinite as well. As "Episode Shadow" of ''Sonic Forces'' showed, Infinite considered himself the "ultimate mercenary," until Shadow whipped Infinite's butt with hardly any effort, even making Infinite shake in fear of Shadow. [[spoiler:Not only did this fuel Infinite's InferioritySuperiorityComplex, but he vowed he'd never lose again, especially not to Shadow.]]
* AmbiguousSituation: Why does Shadow look like Sonic? This is a rather frequent question in ''Heroes'' and Shadow's titular game, but there is no answer to it. It seems to just be a ContrivedCoincidence. [[note]] Some fans have theorized that, due to Professor Gerald doing research on Angel Island, he may have been inspired by a prophetic image of [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Super Sonic fighting Dr. Eggman]], but this is unconfirmed. [[/note]]
* AmnesiacHero: His fall to Earth at the end of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' caused him to lose his memory for a time.
* AntagonistInMourning: A rival variant, although he's a frenemy to Sonic and not an antagonist.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', as he watches the escape capsule Sonic was trapped in explode, he commented about how he isn't a "fake" hedgehog after all in a slightly disappointed tone.
-->'''Shadow''': I guess he was just a regular hedgehog after all.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', he closes his eyes in grief when Sonic [[spoiler:was killed by Mephiles in order to make Elise cry]].
* AntiAntiChrist:
** [[TheAntiChrist Black Doom provided the genetic material necessary to complete the project so as to have someone to aid him in conquering Earth.]] However, Shadow eventually went against said destiny, destroyed Black Doom, and is now one of the chief defenders of the planet.
** This happens to Shadow a lot. The reason Shadow was originally developed was to be an immortal SuperSoldier for the military. Post-breakdown Professor Gerald reprogrammed Shadow's mind to carry out his plot to destroy Earth, but his [[TheLostLenore memories of Maria]] caused him to decide to save it instead. Later, Mephiles tried to convince Shadow to fill [[TheAntiChrist the role of destroyer]] again, [[ShutUpHannibal but he'd finally learned his lesson and would have absolutely none of it.]]
* AntiHero: The most prolific example in the series. He is also known for achieving his goals by all means necessary, even it means playing the villain's game on occasions. But he does have moments of heroism, like [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself to save the world]] and helping Silver realize that Mephiles has [[UnwittingPawn used him as a pawn]].
* TheAntiNihilist: [[ShutUpHannibal His response]] to Mephiles's HannibalLecture; the day may come when humans turn on him out of fear, but that's not going to stop him from continuing to do what he believes is right.
-->'''Mephiles''': [[YouCantFightFate It's futile.]] [[HumansAreBastards The world will betray you.]] [[StrawNihilist Why fight at all? Why risk your life for those who will persecute you later?]]
-->'''Shadow''': [[ScrewDestiny If the world chooses to become my enemy,]] [[BadassBoast I will fight like I always have.]]
* AntiVillain: At first, he plotted to destroy the planet on his creator's will, but he still had plenty of sympathetic traits. Namely, he was acting on what he felt was justice for what happened to his surrogate sister, he saves Rouge from Prison Island blowing up when he had no reason in doing so (something she notices), and he develops a grudging respect for Sonic through their confrontations, to the point where he laments about his apparent demise at Eggman's hand before they can have their final confrontation and is almost relieved when he not only survives, but learns Chaos Control in the process.
* ArchEnemy: To Black Doom in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', Mephiles the Dark in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', [[spoiler:and temporarily Infinite in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', although Infinite eventually turned his attention to Sonic and the Avatar]].
* ArtificialHuman: Or hedgehog, in this case. He was artificially created by Dr. Gerald Robotnik on the Space Colony ARK from the cells of Black Doom.
* {{Badbutt}}: Shadow is as badass as a family-friendly video game character can get. He snarks almost constantly, has a gun and motorcycle, he even gets to use words like “damn” and “hell”. He’s also the most merciless and intimidating character, one that even Sonic takes seriously.
* BadassAndChildDuo: Was the badass to Maria's child, before she died.
* BadassArmfold: His usual pose.
* BadassBoast: He's very fond of these, to the point of being this Trope itself for the Sonic series:
** From ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'':
--->"My name is Shadow. I'm the world's Ultimate Life Form. There's no time for games, farewell!"\\
"Behold the true power I possess!"\\
"Before this is over, I'll show you the true power of ''Chaos Control''!"
** From ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'':
--->"Behold, the ultimate power!"\\
"Death to all who oppose me!"\\
"I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I and only I, know what is best! No one can tell me what to do. This is who I am!"\\
"I am Shadow the Hedgehog. And now... I am the most powerful hedgehog in the world! The power of these Emeralds make me invincible! [[ChewingTheScenery I am the ultimate hedgehog! THIS IS WHO I AM!]]"\\
"I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I've left the past behind me. No one can tell me what to do now! I will destroy you, Black Doom!"
** From ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'':
--->"If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have."
--->"A [[PhysicalGod super-dimensional being]]...Heh. This might even be a fair fight!"
* BadassDriver: The trailers for ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' emphasized him driving his motorcycle, sometimes to the exclusion of any of his other abilities.
* BashBrothers: Often with Sonic, when the two put aside their differences. Sonic has at least come to respect Shadow's capabilities, even if the two will never fully get along due to being polar opposites.
* BatmanGambit: Pulled one on Eggman in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist getting a chance to conquer the world. In the end, Shadow had his own motivation.
* BerserkButton: There are a few things that set him off.
** Getting in the way of his goals.
** Hurting his friends, namely Rouge, Omega, or Maria.
* BigBad: Of ''Sonic Adventure 2'', where it's revealed that he had been using Eggman the entire time in order to complete Gerald's final wish of wiping out humanity.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** In ''Sonic Adventure 2'', he manages to teleport Rouge (and three of the Chaos Emeralds, of course) off of Prison Island mere seconds before the whole island explodes.
** In ''Sonic 2006'', he was the second person to rescue Sonic from being killed by Silver (the first being Amy).
** In ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', [[spoiler:he rescues Sonic again, this time by defeating his clone who was going to charge into him]].
* BigNo: In ''Sonic 2006'', he yells a big "NOOOOOOOOO!" every time he falls into a BottomlessPit.
* BloodKnight: Shadow finds contentment in challenging a worthy opponent for the sake of indulging himself or proving his power and showcasing his superiority.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Shadow will follow and break rules based on furthering his own goals and objectives. Morality-wise, he's constantly in flux, striking an odd balance of achieving missions by sparing opponents out of genuine mercy and killing them for standing in his way only as a result of his ruthless beliefs about doing what he feels is right.
* BookEnds:
** In ''Sonic Adventure 2'', Shadow begins the Dark Story by swearing to keep his promise to Maria, and ends the Last Story by [[HeroicSacrifice following through on it]].
** ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' opens with him struggling to remember and grapple with his DarkAndTroubledPast, and ends with him finally letting it go.
--->'''Shadow:''' Goodbye forever… Shadow the Hedgehog.
* BornAsAnAdult: As a creation of Gerald Robotnik, Shadow was created as a full-grown adult. Or possibly teenager...
* BottomlessBladder: Throughout the majority of the series, he's typically never been shown to ingest any matter of food or doesn't even tend to drink either. There's a possibility that since he's a genetic artificial being, Shadow either contains self-sustenance in his body or was made to survive without requiring any nourishment for himself. However, in the second animated short of Team Sonic Racing: Overdrive, he's shown feasting on a bag of popcorn ([[KickTheDog that he stole from a Chao]]) which shows that he's perfectly content with eating food regardless.
* BreakoutCharacter: Due to his very fleshed out character arc, and complicated relationship with [[TheHero Sonic]], Shadow has become the most popular character in the entire franchise, surpassed only by Sonic himself and above the likes of Tails, Knuckles and Dr. Eggman, all of whom have been a fixture in the franchise long before he showed up. Even after being DemotedToExtra since ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', he still has rather notable appearances as a boss fight in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', the first additional character to be included in ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' after the main quartet, and got his own storyline in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', thereby making him the first character to be playable in a 3D game since ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. His enduring popularity [[spoiler: earned him his debut as TheStinger in ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022'', and he seems to be set to reprise his initial antagonistic role in the sequel, beating out other classic characters like Amy and Metal Sonic.]]
* BrokenAce: He has skills and capabilities that rival Sonic's, and never has to worry about aging due to his immortality. All of this comes with deep-seated emotional scars as a result of his creation and subsequent loss of his surrogate family.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Before she died, Shadow and Maria were a non-romantic version of this.
* BrutalHonesty: He doesn’t hold back on his opinions.
* BullyingADragon: Often on the receiving end of this from anyone who tries to manipulate or persecute him, such as Eggman, Black Doom or Mephiles. It never ends well for them. Infinite was also very self-assured that he could beat Shadow in a fight, which resulted in Shadow beating him with no effort.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: A perfect case happens in ''Sonic Forces: Episode Shadow''. For Shadow, it was just another day taking out Dr. Eggman's minions during an infiltration mission. [[spoiler:But for Infinite, it was his StartOfDarkness as Shadow killed the members of his mercenary group and gave him a CurbStompBattle that he took very personally. Afterwards, he was infused with the Phantom Ruby and became the tool necessary for Eggman to finally TakeOverTheWorld, but not before toying with Shadow, who, as he predicted, doesn't even remember him.]]
* ByronicHero: A family-friendly version, anyway. He's cynical, brooding, and spiteful, but he's also passionate, fiery, and does have a few close relationships, such as with Rouge and Omega.
* CanonImmigrant: The Inhibitor Rings (see PowerLimiter for more info), first seen in ''Anime/SonicX'', became canon as of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''.
* CarpetOfVirility: Well, he's a hedgehog, and covered in fur, but his coloration invokes this.
* CaptainErsatz:
** Given the series creator's love of ''Franchise/DragonBall'', Shadow was most likely based off of Vegeta. A constantly scowling, prideful {{Foil}} to the more lighthearted, optimistic protagonist.
** Cloud Strife from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. They're both the results of experiments involving the DNA of world-consuming eldritch entities that resulted in them becoming the resident SuperSoldier compared to everyone else, but the circumstances behind said experiments (that involved both of them being put in a capsule for an extended period of time, and coming out of the experience with a scrambled memory that the GreaterScopeVillain would take advantage of), as well as seeing someone they cared deeply about get gunned down in front of them by a soldier kill squad traumatized them deeply and resulted in the brooding AntiHero everyone knows them as. Also, while it's confirmed with Cloud, it's implied that the tragedy that occured in his life prior to being sent to Earth on top of being created with his current physical age of 15 years resulted in Shadow's current personality, as he might not know how else to act around others besides being a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
** Another startlingly close resemblance is to Mewtwo from the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' films. Each is a dark, mysterious UltimateLifeForm who was created to cure the ill daughter/granddaughter (Maria/Amber) of a brilliant scientist (Gerald/Dr.Fuji) reluctantly working with a villain (Black Doom/Giovanni), ends up [[OnlyFriend befriending]] the girl only for her to [[TheLostLenore tragically die]], resulting in said ultimate life form seeking revenge against humanity and the world to cope with their deep sense of loss.
* ChallengeSeeker: Shadow never turns down a chance to test his abilities against potentially strong opponents like super-dimensional beings, dragons, and of course, Sonic himself.
* CharacterCatchphrase: He does have a few catchphrases unique to him, which help highlight an aspect of his personality.
** "I'm the ultimate life form!" -- Typically a BadassBoast which emphasizes his cocky nature and how his status as such makes him superior to his enemies
** "This is who I am!" -- what he says after in every ending of ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', proclaiming who he is and his purpose in life after seeking for answers in his titular game[[note]]It was also meant to tie into a cut credits song for the game, "Who I am" by Magni-Fi as well[[/note]].
* CharacterDevelopment:
** Shadow originally only cared about avenging the loss of his old friend and didn't even care if his own memories were fabricated into doing so. About two games later, he has accepted Maria's death and wishes to protect the world that she loved in honor of her memory and live his own life unshackled by past transgressions.
** He forms a genuine bond with Rouge (who he wanted nothing to do with in his debut) and Omega, even calling them his friends (or rather "allies" if ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' is any indication).
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Shadow had a cordial rivalry with Sonic in his debut game and ''Sonic Heroes'', but following his titular game his rivalry with Sonic has been consistently been portrayed with Shadow finding Sonic annoying but a worthy challenge, '''06'' being an exception.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Shadow's personality was very much like that of an EvilCounterpart to Sonic's, namely he was rather cocky and even prone to smirks like his blue rival. This was retained until roughly ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' and [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his game]] where his more stoic and straightforward attitude took hold. Then starting in ''VideoGame/SonicFreeRiders'', he's more of a typical StockShonenRival and jerk, though this can be justified as his competitive spirit taking hold during the championship.
* CharClone: Downplayed compared to most, but there are definitely elements of it—an aloof and cynical rival to the main hero who features red prominently in his design, and is subject to a HeelFaceTurn while nevertheless remaining something of an antihero. His [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 debut game]] ending with his apparent death in what is a clear reference to ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Char's Counterattack]]'' helps.
* TheChessmaster: Was clearly making use of Eggman's world-dominating ambition throughout ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' in order to further his own goal (and Gerald's) in wiping out humanity in revenge for the murder of Maria Robotnik. The only reason he didn't succeed was that Amy convinced him to not go through with the plan. This also happened in the Pure Dark - Hero ending, where he takes Black Doom's orders in order to get the Chaos Emeralds to remember his past, then later he ends up turning on him to take revenge against humanity on his own.
* CombatPragmatist: Despite his natural power, [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his own game]] and [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 the 2006 game]] show that he'll use guns, swords, vehicles, a stop sign and pretty much ''anything'' as a weapon if the situation calls for it.
* TheComicallySerious: His overly serious demeanor is sometimes played for laughs, particularly when juxtaposed with Sonic. Once in a while, he makes a few wits and one-liners.
* ConjoinedEyes: Like most ''Sonic'' characters.
* ConsummateProfessional: In ''Sonic '06'' and ''Sonic Forces'', he always shuts down any attempts to make small talk in order to focus on the mission at hand.
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist:
** Like Knuckles, Shadow makes his debut as TheDragon towards Dr. Eggman and serves as a red-colored [[TheRival rival]] to Sonic, but that's where the similarities end. Unlike Knuckles who was Eggman's UnwittingPawn, it's Shadow who was pulling Eggman's strings. Knuckles was ultimately a good person who [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter foolishly trusted Eggman]], while Shadow is driven by [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge vengeance]]. Even after having a [[HeelFaceTurn change of heart]], he still remains rather distant from Sonic and friends, being an ally or antagonist depending on his motivation.
** To the other main villain introduced in the ''Adventure'' duology, Chaos. Both are sympathetic [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]] who want to wipe out humanity due to outside influences (the Chaos Emeralds for Chaos, Gerald messing with his memories for Shadow), but they wildly differ from there:
*** Chaos was mutated into his current form, but Shadow was created to be the UltimateLifeForm.
*** While it's debatable how loyal he was, Chaos worked for Eggman until the end of the story. Shadow on the other hand acted as TheDragon to Eggman but was really pulling his strings the whole time.
*** Chaos' first encounter with Sonic ended with the Blue Blur handily beating him, while Shadow got the upper hand during his.
*** Chaos [[KarmaHoudini suffers no repercussions]] after being fought as the FinalBoss of ''Adventure'', while Shadow [[RedemptionEqualsDeath seemingly dies]] after helping Sonic fight the final boss of ''Adventure 2''.
* ContrivedCoincidence: His resemblance to Sonic is only a coincidence, seeing as he was created many years before Sonic was born.
* CoolBike: In the intro of his self-titled game, he rides a bike into battle before crashing it into a Black Arms enforcer. Despite the reception of his game, Shadow riding a motorcycle has stuck in many games, including ''06''. In ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'', his motorcycle is named the Dark Rider.
* CoolShades: Wears some in the ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' series, which are above his head.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Did this (accidentally) with [[spoiler:Infinite]].
* CriminalDoppelganger: Sonic is blamed by the government for breaking into a top secret facility and stealing a Chaos Emerald. This was actually done by Shadow and Sonic is able to put two and two together once they come face to face. In an interesting variant of this trope, all of this was completely unintentional on Shadow's part and Shadow initially assumes Sonic to be his fake when they meet up.
* CuteLittleFangs: Has these, though they're very hard to see.
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: In his ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 first ever scene]]'', he's seen using his air shoes to fly. Not once in any game has he been able to replicate this feat, with the closest exception being his [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog titular game]], where he'll temporarily hold himself in the air while shooting a sub-machine gun or variations, and never rising up into the air on them alone as he did there.
* TheCynic: In contrast to Sonic’s carefree nature.
* CynicalMentor: During his chapter in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', he takes up this role toward Emerl, willingly letting the latter learn his techniques while warning him of how dangerous his power can be, while also making it no secret that he suspects Emerl may eventually turn on the heroes and destroy the Earth.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Shadow was created by Professor Gerald as a means to cure his terminally ill granddaughter Maria, whom Shadow formed a close bond with. When GUN raided the Ark to shut the project down, they captured many of the researchers and killed the rest, Maria being one of the casualties. To twist the knife further, Shadow had to watch her die in front of him and was completely helpless to save her. Needless to say, Shadow did not take it well and his debut is carrying Gerald's will and exacting revenge on the planet. It's only by remembering Maria's last words of giving humanity a chance to be happy that he starts to get over it and move on with his life, but Shadow never truly gets over it and maintains a very distant attitude even to this day.
* DarkIsEvil: At first in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' depending on the player's choice.
* DarkIsNotEvil: At the end of ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and games beyond.
* TheDarkSide: In ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', he can draw on the power of evil and unleash his Chaos Blast.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Tends to get these a lot given his own popularity.
** At the height of his popularity, [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog he got his own game]].
** He also had his own free DLC campaign in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' titled ''Episode Shadow'', set before the events of the main game.
** In the UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' he once again gets a campaign centered on him in the aptly titled ''Sonic X Shadow Generations'' where he has to fight a freshly resurrected Black Doom.
* DeadpanSnarker: He can be very snarky sometimes, especially when [[SnarkToSnarkCombat bantering with Sonic]].
* DeathGlare: He often shows one when staring down his opponents.
* DefrostingIceKing: After finally [[spoiler:moving on from his past with his loss of Maria and the realization of being biologically related to the Black Arms]], he doesn't seem as cold towards Sonic and others as he was before.
* DemotedToExtra: Shadow was essentially the {{deuteragonist}} of the entire franchise for a time after his debut, playing a major role alongside Sonic in every game he was in. Nowadays he mostly shows up in cameos and the occasional boss fight. Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad however as many fans agreed that he had a rather disproportionate amount of focus compared to the rest of the cast.
* DependingOnTheWriter: How much of a jerk Shadow is will depend on the game he's in: sometimes he's simply an AloofAlly who's TheStoic but shows kindness his own way. Other times he's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who's brusque and doesn't care much for cooperation, though still stands by doing good and protecting what he cares about. And there are times where he is nothing but a jerkish ArrogantKungFuGuy that mocks allies and enemies alike, derides ThePowerOfFriendship and does nothing but be entitled to get what he wants for as long as possible because he is the Ultimate Lifeform.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' back on the ARK, struggling with finding out why he was created. And then again in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', due to his amnesia.
* {{Determinator}}: He will always fight on even if it's the world against him; also, in any goal he wants to carry out, he is near [[TheJuggernaut unstoppable.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}: For a while after his debut, he had a major role in almost every main title alongside Sonic himself.
* DisneyVillainDeath: After defeating the Finalhazard, Shadow lost his super form and fell back down to Earth at the end of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', where he was then presumed dead. [[SubvertedTrope He survived]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: His initial appearance had him attempting to destroy the Earth to avenge the murder of Maria Robotnik. He gets better.
* DivergentCharacterEvolution:
** In both ''Adventure 2'' and ''Heroes'', he's little more than a MovesetClone of Sonic. By ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', he finally gets to use his own Chaos abilities in-game, and eventually gets a completely different playstyle than anything Sonic has ever done in ''[='=]06''. He returns to being a MovesetClone of Sonic for ''Forces'', however.
** Personality wise, he diverts from Knuckles as the serious, no-nonsense foil to Sonic. Namely, Shadow never formally joins Sonic's circle of friends and chooses to straddle the line between being an AloofAlly or a StockShonenRival towards his blue counterpart.
* TheDragon: To Black Doom in ''Shadow the Hedgehog'''s Dark and Semi-Dark storyline. Also served as this to [[spoiler:Professor Gerald Robotnik]] in ''Sonic Adventure 2''. While he appeared to be one to Eggman in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and ''Sonic Forces'', see DragonWithAnAgenda below for the former and [[spoiler:the latter was a fake version conjured up by the Phantom Ruby. The real Shadow never once switched sides]].
* DragonWithAnAgenda: To Eggman in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', the agenda being annihilating the entire world as part of Professor Gerald's reprogramming before he was sealed.
* TheDreaded: Almost all media portrays Shadow like this, with him being possibly the most intimidating and fear-invoking character in the series. Sonic himself treats him more seriously than any rival and enemy he has fought and acknowledges him as a dangerous obstacle that he must take on without holding back.
** Black Doom even lampshades this in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog''. He tells him that the humans feared him enough that they wanted him destroyed (and succeeded).
** Mephiles likewise tries to turn Shadow to his side by showing him his fate in ''Sonic '06'''s BadFuture, stating that humans feared him after the incident that they had mobilized Omega to imprison him for all eternity.
* TheEeyore: Appears to be his way of coping with Maria’s death. Even after putting the past behind him, he still remains gloomy, cynical and sarcastic.
* EnergyBall: He uses these in ''Sonic Battle'' and ''Sonic Riders''.
* EpicFail: In ''VisualNovel/TheMurderOfSonicTheHedgehog'', [[spoiler:Shadow learns that he was supposed to get Amy a birthday gift and tries to buy concert tickets for her at the party, locking all the doors on the train to do it in secret. He then accidentally prints out the ticket webpage before realizing they're not even on sale yet and forgets Amy's Birthday Key can unlock the doors]], resulting in the surprise being spoiled. [[spoiler:Espio]] also uses Shadow's sketchy behavior to try to pin the murder on him.
* EvilBrit: When voiced by David Humphrey in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' (when he was at his most villainous), Shadow spoke with a ''very'' slight [[https://www.tumblr.com/welcome-to-green-hills/682242726574587904/shadow-had-a-transatlantic-accent Transatlantic/British accent]].
* EvilCounterpart: To Sonic, at first. Then CharacterDevelopment happened, and he became more of a [[AntiHero Neutral Counterpart]] to him; not evil, but not entirely good either.
* EvilLaugh: Does these in the Dark endings of his game.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: F-O]]
* FakeMemories: Gerald altered Shadow's memories so that he could carry out Gerald's plan to take revenge on humanity. Fortunately, Shadow's actual memories of his promise to Maria shone through despite this.
* FangsAreEvil: The cover art of ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' has Shadow snarling, prominently showing his fangs, and one of his alternate paths in the game can have him fully embrace evil. Granted, these never really show up in the gameplay sequences nor are the evil paths canon.
* FantasticNuke: His Chaos Blast, which generates an explosion that destroys anything in the immediate vicinity.
* FatalFlaw: Wrath. While Shadow is mostly TheStoic, he is also ''extremely'' vindictive and prone to more violence than what is necessary. His debut had him planning to cause planetary genocide all because his surrogate family and home were taken from him, [[FreudianExcuse albeit rather unjustifiably]]. [[ReformedButNotTamed And no, this trait does not go away even after he stops being a villain]], and it's one of the main sources of friction between him and Sonic, as the latter is content to simply disable his opponents and let them walk away.
* FinalBoss: Of the Hero Side Story of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''.
* {{Flanderization}}: In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', he ''did'' partake in some minor brooding, but that wasn't a primary character trait. Much like Cloud Strife in his original appearance, he could make a joke, take a joke, and he didn't care about his hazy past; all he cared about was accomplishing his current goals [[AntiHero by any means necessary]]. However, [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog in his self-titled game]], Shadow turned into a ByronicHero who would ''never stop'' brooding and pondering about his past. However, once he learns about his past, [[CharacterDevelopment that apparently satisfied his ponderings]] and relaxed into a characterization close to his original just in time for [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 the next game]], being a stoic PragmaticHero who used both his skills ''and'' cunning to solve problems.
* {{Flight}}: When using his [[CutscenePowerToTheMax air shoes]], Chaos Control, or if he's Super Shadow.
* {{Foil}}: He serves as one to Sonic. Whereas Sonic is the friendly, adventure-seeking hero, Shadow is the cold, deadly serious AntiHero. While they may be on the same side, often their methods of taking action can lead them to clash with one another.
* ForgotAboutHisPowers: In ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', he doesn't assist Super Sonic in the final battle, despite having a [[SuperMode super form]] himself as the previous installment, ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', demonstrated. {{Justified|Trope}} as he had amnesia at the time, but it doesn't explain why everyone else doesn't remind him of it.
* FragileSpeedster: When [[CompetitiveBalance balanced]], he's usually some combination of this and GlassCannon, generally offered as an alternative to Sonic. Notably in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', where he's very strong and very fast, but has the absolute worst healing skills of all the playable characters.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: While he's not exactly ''disliked'' by the cast,[[note]]In fact, during the final level of expert mode of ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', which in of itself is framed as being after the events of the the game, [[https://youtu.be/s_1i8jXfeCk?t=347 the whole cast of characters at the time were all very supportive of Shadow]][[/note]] his independent and arrogant attitude makes it extremely hard for him to get along with the others. It's rather noticeable that he only has two characters that he can call close friends and one other person he doesn’t act like a dick towards.
* FriendlyRivalry: Develops one with Sonic in later games. Despite his annoyance with the blue hedgehog, Shadow still acknowledges and respects Sonic as a WorthyOpponent, which Sonic finds mutual. He even stayed at Sonic's birthday party in ''Sonic Generations'' after fighting him. He also has a smaller, but still prominent one, with Omega, as the two will occasionally make mentions of challenging one another, not unlike Sonic's rivalry with Knuckles.
* GeniusBruiser: Though not at Tails's level and mostly downplayed, Shadow is also cunning, strategic and occasionally displays some degree of scientific and technological know-how.
* TheGlovesComeOff: In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''; when Mephiles uses the Chaos Emeralds in his possession to [[MesACrowd create an army of clones]] and has Team Dark on the ropes, Shadow decides to [[GodzillaThreshold break out the big guns]] and takes off his [[PowerLimiter inhibitor rings]]. A few minutes later, [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Mephiles and his army have been reduced to a big puddle of ooze]].
* GoldenSuperMode: A different, lighter shade of gold than Sonic's, but still counts.
* GoodIsNotNice: His heart is (usually) in the right place, but his attitude could definitely use some work. His aloof and somewhat apathetic nature makes him come off as cold and uncaring towards people and his ego and violent tendencies also make it hard to get along with him.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Has no compunctions against lethal force when against an evil foe. The Black Arms learned the hard way that this also means no compunctions against genocide when dealing with exceptional evil. And if the heroes get in the way of his current goals, they're as much of a target as the villains.
* HatesSmallTalk: When Shadow is focused on a mission, friendly conversations or the like are out of question for him.
* HaughtyHmph: He's a frequent user of short, haughty "Hmph!"s. It's his way of expressing how arrogant and disapproving he is towards others.
* HeartbrokenBadass: Although it was familial love and he doesn't express it often, Maria's death hit him hard.
* TheHeavy: In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', while he pretends to act as TheDragon to Eggman, it's his presence that drives the plot, and he is in fact manipulating Eggman for his own purposes and on Gerald's will.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: According to his backstory, he was a face, then after a tragic incident, he became a heel. He later became a face for the ending of ''Sonic Adventure 2'' thanks to Amy convincing him to spare Earth, which triggered memories of Maria’s real last request to him. After his revival, he was neutral before settling on being a face.
* HeroicRROD: It's implied at the end of ''Sonic Adventure 2'' that he was overwhelmed by the power of his Chaos Emerald-induced SuperMode, which may be part of why he lost his power and fell into Earth's orbit during the HeroicSacrifice mentioned below. It's also implied that his inexperience with a super state, in conjunction with the emotional stress he was likely dealing with, factored into it.
** ''Sonic X'' gives him this attribute in the Japanese original: it's shown he has to take off his inhibitor rings to take out Knuckles, but he collapses to the floor for a moment after doing so. This attribute would later be carried into the games like ''[='=]06''.
* HeroicSacrifice: At the end of ''Sonic Adventure 2'', he helps save the world from the Final Hazard, but uses up all of his power before he falls from space towards the Earth. He was initially believed to have died, but ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' reveals that he survived, but became amnesiac as a result.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Since Shadow is an AloofAlly to Sonic's group, he's often working behind the scenes in parallel to his blue counterpart.Two notable examples:
** In ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', he is the trigger for Infinite's StartOfDarkness before the events of the main campaign.
** In ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Sonic]] x [[UpdatedRerelease Shadow Generations]]'', while Sonic and his past self are trying to rescue their friends from the Time Eater, Shadow [[spoiler: has to fight a BackFromTheDead Black Doom and prevent him from taking over the world.]]
* HiddenDepths: He [[RetCanon eats coffee beans]] according to ''VisualNovel/TheMurderOfSonicTheHedgehog'', which is a reference to the November 2017 episode of the non-canon series [[Blog/SonicTheHedgehogTwitter Twitter Takeover]]. In the same visual novel, he's apparently pretty good at ''VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall'', where he taught Vector and Knuckles how to play.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: He's a violent, egotistical jerk whose actions border on out and out villainy on occasion, but he's always on the side of justice and he genuinely cares about others and only acts cold and distant to others because he doesn't want anyone to get close to him, so he doesn't lose them like he lost Maria.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: His initial attitude, regarding the humans as heartless due to the tragic incident on the ARK. Despite this, Shadow still put it aside to give them a chance as he promised to Maria.
* HumanWeapon: More of FunnyAnimal weapon, but Black Doom wanted Shadow created so he could have him get the chaos emeralds, whilst G.U.N. wanted a sort of SuperSoldier according to supplementary materials.
* IconicItem: Since his introduction, Shadow has been associated with the green Chaos Emerald, as it is the first emerald he collects in his debut. It's the first or even only Chaos Emerald he'll collect to use the bulk of his chaos powers. When Shadow was among the few Assist Trophies in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' to gain a slight revamp, he was given said gem and the sole Chaos Emerald he collects in ''WesternAnimation/SonicPrime'' is the green one.
* IdenticalStranger: Related to CriminalDoppelganger above. Even Shadow himself remarks in ''Sonic Heroes'' that Sonic could be his twin. To the audience it would be hard to mistake them having different fur color, quill shape, and even different outfits as far as boot and glove designs go. Apparently on whatever InUniverse metric to tell the anthropomorphic characters apart the two are almost identical.
* ItsAllMyFault: How Shadow felt in the Slightly Hero ending, when the GUN commander falsely accused him for being behind the events on the ARK.
-->'''Shadow:''' "I am Shadow the Hedgehog. A research experiment gone deadly wrong... I caused so much destruction... I should have never have been created... This is who I am."
* ImageSong: He has more than any character in the series. [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 Throw It All Away]], [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 All Hail Shadow]], [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 Rhythm and Balance, The Supernatural, Supporting Me,]] {{I Am| Song}} [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog (All of Me)]], [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Almost Dead, Waking Up, Chosen One]], [[GoldenEnding Never]] [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Turn Back]], [[CutSong Who I]] [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Am]].
* ImmortalImmaturity: He's technically over 50 years old, but is physically the same age as Sonic, and behaves as such. {{Justified|Trope}}, he's been in [[SealedBadassInACan suspended animation]] for most of those years, and didn't have very much time to mature as a consequence, though the question of whether he ''can'' mature is something of an open one.
* ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: Or at [[VagueAge somewhere in the teens,]] at any rate. He generally is portrayed is being of an age to Sonic (who is 15-[[VagueAge ish]]) but thanks to Gerald Robotnik's research, he is ageless and immune to disease. Despite being 50+ years old, however, he technically spent most of that time in stasis, so it's ambiguous if his body really has stopped aging.
* IneffectualLoner: He is used to being a lone wolf, since he doesn't put a lot of value in teamwork when getting things done. It also doesn't help that he doesn't seem very fond of anyone's presence that much.
* InsufferableGenius: Tends to have low tolerance for incompetence and snarks at his allies for making rash decisions.
* InformedAbility: He tends to be {{fragile|Speedster}}, despite his {{Immortality}}. Considering the nature of Gerald's research, it's more of "an absolute immunity to age and illness".
* InformedAttribute: Shadow is reported to be immune to aging, yet was kept in stasis for fifty years by GUN.
* {{Irony}}:
** Shadow loathed GUN for killing Maria Robotnik; he now works for them after having forgiven them since they're a whole lot better now and regret their actions from 50 years ago.
** In ''Sonic Adventure 2'', Shadow acknowledged Sonic as the ''real'' ultimate life form after seeing him use the fake Chaos Emerald. After he lost his memory, he went back to referring to himself as the ultimate life form and viewing himself superior to Sonic.
** He is introduced as Sonic's impostor. Since then, he's had to deal with impostors of himself on [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog three]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 separate]] [[VideoGame/SonicForces occasions]].
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Whenever Shadow helps or saves someone, he will state that it is linked to his personal goals.
** In ''Sonic Adventure 2'', he saves Rouge by using Chaos Control before Prison Island explodes, and then claims that he didn't come to save her, he came for the Chaos Emeralds.
** In ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', after helping Sonic eliminate a number of Black Arms soldiers in Westopolis, he tells him that he didn't come to save him, although Sonic expected him to say that.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite his aloof, arrogant, and violent tendencies, he's always at the front lines whenever a new threat arises and is capable of working with the heroes too when they're on the same page. He has also shown genuine care for several characters, such as his late surrogate sister, Maria, Professor Gerald, his friends/partners, Rouge and Omega, Amy (who he opened up to after making him remember his true promise to Maria, helped her find Cream in ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', and attended her birthday party along with giving her a present in ''The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog''), and even his arch-rival Sonic.
** This is on display quite frequently in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', where he has amnesia for most of the game. Despite that, the very first thing he does upon waking up is save Rouge from getting shot by a rampaging Omega simply because he could. Despite fighting against Team Chaotix and Team Sonic and making threatening remarks, he makes no attempt to inflict fatal damage on either team. Finally, in the Final Episode, he is immediately willing to partner with the other teams to stop Metal Sonic despite having no personal investment in the conflict at this point.
* TheJuggernaut: Simply put, once Shadow gets started on something, he is nigh-unstoppable. Barriers, walls, entire armies are nothing but doorstops to him. ''Nothing''[[note]]Besides a few individuals such as [[DoAnythingRobot E-123 Omega]] according to the BadFuture in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''[[/note]] is going to slow him down, much less stop him. Best seen in the ending to his story in ''06'', where after being swarmed with Mephiles clones, he removes his PowerLimiter rings, grabs his teammates, and runs through them all.
* KnightInSourArmor: He eventually becomes this after the events of ''Shadow the Hedgehog''. Pretty much his only reason for fighting for the world is because Maria told him to before she died. This was best demonstrated in ''Sonic 2006'' when Mephiles tries to bring Shadow over to his side by telling him that the world will turn on him one day, Shadow simply responds by saying [[ShutUpHannibal he'll fight like he used to.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: Almost anything concerning Shadow is grimly serious and a harsh turn away from the jovial attitude the main protagonist embodies.
* KnightTemplar: In some iterations in the franchise, he is this, and will use ''any means'' to ensure his own sense of justice is carried out, and will kill anyone to illustrate how far he will go.
* LonerTurnedFriend: Over time, he develops a genuine friendship with his partners, Rouge and Omega.
* TheLancer: Even though he's the most recognizable of Team Dark, he functions as this to Rouge, at least in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''. He also functions as a more general one towards Sonic along with Knuckles, being a darker foil towards his blue counterpart.
* LargeHam: Shadow's capable of being rather boastful in combat despite his usual reticence. Mostly in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' to a lesser degree. He engages in some HamToHamCombat with Mephiles in the latter.
* TheLeader: He is Team Dark's figurehead and the heart and soul of the Team. Both in destructive and precise heavy assault performance and being the cold and brutal antithesis of Team Sonic as a reminder of the latter's skill and fame. [[DownplayedTrope That said]], he doesn't do much to coordinate their efforts or lead them around, with Rouge being the one most likely to give orders and coordinate with others. So while the other two follow his lead, he's more akin to the figurehead.
* {{Leitmotif}}: His original one is "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoSdstkl2hQ Throw It All Away]]" from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. Post-''Sonic '06'', it's been "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T9v3iOWX24 All Hail Shadow]]", the hero ending theme of ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', as his main theme in ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 '06]]'' (the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1ICoVNMSZE Crush40 version from this game]] being the one that is used the most), and as his ThemeMusicPowerUp in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' and his dynamic entry moment in ''Forces''.
* LightningBruiser: When he's not balanced, he's usually this. He's fast enough to keep up with Sonic thanks to his Hover Shoes. And his sheer natural power and skill alone is enough to make the option of fighting him virtually suicide.
* LightDarknessJuxtaposition: The "dark" to Sonic's light naturally. While neither of them have any powers associated with the respective element, they're both thematically tied to them. Shadow's entire motif is rooted in darkness, right down to his given and team name and being part ''Black'' Arms. While in contrast, his and Sonic's respective {{Super Mode}}s are [[GoldenSuperMode golden]] in color.
* MeaningfulAppearance: Shadow's TrickedOutShoes are a subtle clue that, while he rivals Sonic, he's not quite on the same level, since while they can both reach rival speeds, Sonic doesn't rely on special technology to do so.
* MeaningfulName:
** A Sonic Channel comic suggests that Maria thought up the name Shadow, with a meaning in mind.
--->'''Maria:''' Darkness can be anywhere you go, but a shadow represents the direction in which the light is shining!
** Other sources have suggested his name comes from the program that created him, "Project Shadow," which was named as such because of how likely it was to succeed.
* MessianicArchetype: Professor Gerald originally worked on Project Shadow to find a cure for his granddaughter's disease. Maria, whom Shadow befriended, who encouraged him to help humans. When GUN learned of Gerald's deal with Black Doom, they stormed the ARK in an attempt to shut down the project, where they ended up killing Maria and kept Shadow in stasis. Once Shadow is awakened, he enacts Gerald's revenge for Maria's death although he later goes against it when he remembers Maria's DyingWish to protect Earth. He then seemingly [[HeroicSacrifice dies saving the Earth]], but is later revealed to have survived. In his self-titled game, Shadow goes against Black Doom who intended for him to help the Black Arms use humanity as their food source and saves Earth from them. In ''Sonic '06'', Mephiles reveals to Shadow that humanity will turn against him, and shows trapped in stasis in the future, with the future Shadow being in a CrucifiedHeroShot. Said betrayal happened due to a friend turning against him (though in [[spoiler:Omega's]] case, it's implied to be against his will). In spite of that, Shadow refuses to give up on doing what's right and fights Mephiles.
* MiniMe: Raising a Dark Run/Run Chao in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' will make it look like a miniature Chao version of Shadow. Said Chao has been featured in many official art as well [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW the tie-in comics]].
* MisanthropeSupreme: He starts as this in ''Adventure 2'', though it's somewhat justified as humans created him and then just [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness sealed him away when they no longer needed him]]. After Amy gives him a PatrickStewartSpeech near the end he decides humans aren't so bad after all. That said, after his amnesia kicked in, his misantropy returned, calling humans "pathetic" in his titular game. It appears that even if he will keep his promise to protect the planet, [[ForgivenButNotForgotten he won't like humans.]]
* MovesetClone: In many of his playable appearances like ''Adventure 2'', ''Heroes'' and ''Forces'', he plays identically to Sonic.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: His feelings about his past in the Semi-Hero - Hero ending of [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his titular game]] aren't particularly happy ones.
-->'''Shadow:''' I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I am a research experiment... [[GoneHorriblyWrong gone deadly wrong!]] I've caused so much destruction... (''shakes head'') I should have never been created! This is who I am...
* MysteriousPast: Was first presented as being a doppelganger of Sonic with a mysterious past involving the loss of a loved one. Ironically, this is subverted at the end of his own StoryArc; more about his past has been revealed than any other character in the series, including Sonic himself!
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: While he couldn't've known at the time, Shadow [[spoiler:beating Infinite up and calling him worthless]] sparks [[spoiler:Infinite giving himself the powers of the Phantom Ruby]], and ''that'' leads to [[spoiler:Sonic being defeated and Eggman taking over the world]]. Cue ''VideoGame/SonicForces''. [[JustifiedTrope Even then, however,]] [[spoiler:Infinite and his group of mercenaries were already working under Eggman anyway]].
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: In-Between. Usually pretty cynical, aggressive, and dark overall. Underneath it all, however, he does have a caring side to him and remains on the side of justice.
* NobleDemon: During his AntiVillain phase. He wants to wipe out humanity to exact revenge before Maria's death, but he's still capable of showing compassion for Rouge and respect for Sonic.
* NominalHero: After ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' had him pull a HeelFaceTurn, he protects the world only because [[MoralityChain Maria]] wanted him to, or to boost his ego and superiority over others as the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow has been shown as willing to cross any line to succeed in his mission and goals, which may or may not be for the good of Earth. Most of the time, it is, but it's always about Shadow [[ItsAllAboutMe achieving his own ambitions first]].
* NoNonsenseNemesis: Once a misguided nemesis to Sonic, who is now his serious and bitter arch-rival.
* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: G.U.N. accuses Shadow for being evil and blame him for Maria's death. In reality, Shadow tried to ''save'' Maria from ''them'', and strives to protect the planet despite their judgments and mistakes.
* NotSoAboveItAll:
** Although he's far more dark and serious than the other characters, he can sometimes embed the cockiness of Sonic, like when he called himself "the coolest" (at least in the English dub).
** There are numerous times where he breaks his stoicism and banters back and forth with Sonic, usually when the two are about to go toe-to-toe.
--->'''Sonic:''' Didn't you know? ''We'' have a date with Eggman too.\\
'''Shadow:''' Is that so... Well then, it will be a date to ''die'' for!\\
'''Sonic:''' [[HeyThatsMyLine Hey! That's my line!!]]
** Despite being very distant and solitary, he does sometimes show up at events with the other heroes, such as the racing challenges, and even at Sonic's birthday party.
** ''VisualNovel/TheMurderOfSonicTheHedgehog'' not only has him compete against Knuckles and Vector for the high score on a ''VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall'' arcade machine, but he taught them how to play in the first place. Is Shadow possibly a fan of ''Super Monkey Ball''?
* NotSoStoic: He does show his vulnerable side at times, especially where he sheds a tear when being reminded by Maria in ''Adventure 2''.
* OffscreenVillainy: He's attributed to the destruction of Infinite's Jackal Squad in ''Sonic Forces'', but that action is never seen in the game.
* OneManArmy: Has decimated entire armies single handily. In ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', depending on which ending a player gets, he could take out the highest members of G.U.N, Black Doom's army, and Eggman's forces, all by himself.
* OnlyMostlyDead: His reappearance in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' confirmed he survived his apparent death in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: [[IWasJustPassingThrough He seemingly pulls this]] off by intervening in a fight between [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic and Silver]], saving Sonic from a potentially fatal blow, offhandedly making sure he's okay, then fighting Silver in his place. That time, he had a very good reason besides this trope to save Sonic, as he deduced that Mephiles is intending to eliminate the past. Later on in the same game, he expresses silent remorse at [[spoiler:Sonic's death]], but once he finds out that the Chaos Emeralds can undo this, immediately takes on the toughest challenges in order to retrieve the gems.
* OutOfFocus: In his heyday, he had more plot and character focus than Sonic himself. In later games, he made mainly cameo and boss appearances, up until ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' where he [[spoiler:or rather, a copy conjured up by the Phantom Ruby]] is one of the main enforcers in Eggman's army, and even has his own campaign that takes place before the game starts.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: P-W]]
* PayEvilUntoEvil:
** His entire plan to KillAllHumans in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' was the result of him witnessing the death of his closest friend at the hands of humanity.
** Some of the endings of [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his titular game]] end with him executing the defenseless Black Doom or Dr. Eggman. Given that they're two of the most notorious {{Evil Overlord}}s in the franchise, [[AssholeVictim it's hardly unwarranted]].
** The canonical ending of ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' sees him use the Chaos Emeralds to utterly ''decimate'' Black Doom as payback for invading Earth and [[GreaterScopeVillain indirectly causing all of the tragedy in Shadow's past]], as well as to remind him who the ''real'' Ultimate Life Form is.
** In the ''Episode Shadow'' DLC for ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', Shadow wipes out a band of mercenaries without a second thought and mocks their SmugSnake leader after deeming him NotWorthKilling. This ends up being deconstructed, as this event [[CreateYourOwnVillain leads to]] said leader becoming [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogInfinite something far worse]].
* PerpetualFrowner: You'll only see him either frowning, indifferent, or smirking. Only in non-canon spin off games like ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'', can you catch him smiling if he does well at an event or ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed]]'', where he'll occasionally fist pump in excitement with a decidedly OutOfCharacter look on his face before starting a race.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: He's a walking mini-nuke with the power (depending on the number of Chaos Emeralds he has) to devastate cities and fortresses.
* PetTheDog: As much of an aloof jerk Shadow is, he’s been shown a few times to have moments of kindness:
** He considers Rouge and Omega to be friends of his, as much as he doesn't want to admit and has consistently shown to have their backs.
** Even though they aren’t shown to directly interact that much, it’s been shown a few times that he has a soft spot for [[MoralityPet Amy]], most likely because she reminds him of Maria. In VideoGame/SonicAdventure2, he [[HeelFaceTurn changes his mind about destroying Earth after Amy convinces him not to, explicitly telling her he’s going to keep his promise to both Maria and her]]. In VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog, he takes the time to help Amy look for Cream and Cheese even if it doesn’t help him find a Chaos Emerald. Finally, in ''VisualNovel/TheMurderOfSonicTheHedgehog'', he attends Amy’s birthday party and [[spoiler:attempts to gift her tickets to one of her favorite bands]].
** While he doesn't always express it, Shadow has quite a bit of respect for his blue rival. He has [[BigDamnHeroes stepped in to save Sonic]] quite a few times, stopping Silver from killing him in ''Sonic 06'', and stopping his phantom Ruby clone from attacking him in ''Sonic Forces''. While he didn't show up for Sonic's birthday party at first, by the end of ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', instead of doing whatever he was doing, he decides to stick around. The most notable example is probably [[spoiler:admitting that Sonic himself might be the true Ultimate Lifeform]] in the climax of ''Sonic Adventure 2''.
* PhysicalGod: After getting all seven Chaos Emeralds he can transform into his Super form which is powerful enough to destroy the entire world.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: He's the same size as Sonic and can take out towering monsters and giant robots with nothing but the shoes on his feet.
* PoorCommunicationKills:
** A lot of Shadow's conflict with everyone else comes from his inability to just talk with them and accept their help instead of acting like a lone wolf.
** In ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', he apparently never thinks to ask any of his friends about his past, even though every single one of them (except Omega) both know him well as well as found out about his past in ''Adventure 2''. This is rather up in the air, though, as he does point out Sonic in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' as "that hedgehog", implying that Rouge actually did tell him about what all happened to him and he simply wishes for the memories to actually click in his mind.
* PowerIncontinence: The first time he used his SuperMode, he couldn't control it very well and was gradually losing energy. He was able to hold out long enough to help Sonic put the falling Ark back into orbit before ultimately succumbing and falling towards the planet.
* PowerLimiter: His Inhibitor Rings on his wrists and ankles. The rest of this article's description of his power is what he's like with them ''on''. When he takes them off, the increase is substantial enough to allow him to [[CurbStompBattle thrash]] bosses like they were the weakest of mooks. On the other hand, he cannot control such strength and causes massive unintentional destruction with it, so he's hesitant to take them off. Another side effect is that if he doesn't put them back on for a while, the chaos energy running through his body eventually dries out his otherwise superior stamina; wearing the rings allows Shadow to amass buildup so that he doesn't immediately feel the effects when removing them for short bursts.
* PowerOfTheVoid: As shown in ''Sonic Battle'' (Chaos Nightmare), he is capable of distorting space-time around him to damage enemies.
* PragmaticHero: Unlike the rest of the main cast, Shadow will ShootTheDog as many times as he needs to if it means saving the world.
* PromotedToPlayable: In ''Sonic Generations'', Shadow was a rival boss fought for a Chaos Emerald. As seen in the Playstation State of Play January 2024 trailer, he becomes playable for and is included in the title of ''Sonic X Shadow Generations''.
* QuestForIdentity: His entire StoryArc from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' to ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog''.
* TheQuietOne: He was never the type to talk much. Particularly in ''Heroes'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006).
* Really700YearsOld: Much due to being an immortal. Despite appearing to be the same age as Sonic, he was created 50 years ago.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Though the "evil" part depends on the game.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Both in his default state, and when he's in super form.
* RedOniBlueOni: Inverted when it comes to him and Sonic. Shadow has a partially red color scheme, but is [[TheStoic reserved and collected]] most of the time in contrast to the blue, but very extroverted Sonic.
* ReformedButNotTamed: Even if he's fighting along the side of good since ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and aside from having amnesia after his HeroicSacrifice, Shadow still remains stoic, deadly serious, and quite cold towards everyone around him and maintains his rivalry with Sonic.
* ReplacementFlatCharacter: Shadow had taken the role of the stoic and deadly-serious rival from Knuckles who was becoming more of an ally to Sonic over time.
* ReverseGrip: As Lancelot in ''Sonic and the Black Knight'', where he wields his sword in this fashion.
* TheRival: He's not the first of Sonic's rivals, or even the last, but he's by far the most recognizable. The template established by Shadow would later be used for the likes of [[VideoGame/SonicRiders Jet]] and [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Silver]]. Speaking of, he also had some bouts of this with Silver in ''Sonic '06'' and the ''Rivals'' series.
* RivalTurnedEvil: He becomes this in his own game if the player completes the last dark missions.
* RollerbladeGood: He moves using rocket skates.
* SanitySlippage: In a few of the "evil" endings, he will go insane after learning more about what GUN put him through, either setting himself to destroy the world or conquer the universe, with an EvilLaughter to demonstrate.
* TheScapegoat: As revealed in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', G.U.N. pinned the massacre on the ARK on him and Gerald to cover their own hinds. This is why the Commander blames Shadow, because G.U.N. lied to him and everybody else.
* SealedEvilInACan: He was held in suspended animation in Prison Island after GUN raided the ARK. True to form, Eggman releases him.
* SealedGoodInACan:
** Happens after ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', but in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', Rouge releases him.
** In the BadFuture of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', but this time no one releases Future Shadow.
* ShadowArchetype: Pun aside, Shadow is this to Sonic. He is what Sonic would be if he was less sociable and more willing to go through some extremes to get the job done.
* ShellShockedVeteran: He may not have been in a traditional war, but, as an uncaring loner who pretty clearly has untreated PTSD (as shown in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and ''Shadow the Hedgehog''), he otherwise fits this trope to a T.
%%* ShipTease:
%%** This happens surprisingly often with Rouge [[VideoGame/SonicBattle in]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 later]] [[VideoGame/SonicRivals games]].
%%** He gets this with Amy as well, in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog''.
* ShockAndAwe: His Chaos Blast, in which he either makes an [[SphereOfDestruction explosion of Chaos Energy]] from his body [[labelnote:*]]As seen in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', and ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight''[[/labelnote]], or shoots out a concentrated version through his hands [[labelnote:*]]as seen in ''Sonic Battle''[[/labelnote]].
* ShutUpHannibal: He pulls this on both [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Black Doom]] and [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Mephiles]], when they try to get him to join their respective causes.
-->'''Black Doom:''' You still don't understand, do you? The future we offer is the only option for these humans.\\
'''Shadow:''' I've heard enough! You're boring me to death, Black Doom! '''You're going down!'''
* SignatureMove: Chaos Control. It's not exclusive to him, but he's the most proficient user, and even has several other Chaos attacks exclusive to him. Its uses include {{Teleportation}}, [[TimeMaster the ability to warp space and time]] (although actual time travel requires two users), and the ability to pull off a FlashStep.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Shadow is mostly of good intentions, but is not afraid to break the rules if he feels it’s neccesary. That includes stealing, lying and occasionally killing (though only when he feels someone really deserved it).
* ASinisterClue: Shadow is often seen wielding handguns with his left hand, and some of his body language (such as the way he crosses his arms, as pointed out [[https://www.fanpop.com/clubs/shadow-the-hedgehog/answers/show/518190/shadow-left-handed here]]) also implies that he is left-handed. It's most obvious in [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his own game]], but not limited to it. Given that he is an EvilCounterpart to Sonic (at least, at first), his left-handedness is being used to emphasize his nature.
* SirSwearsALot: Only in [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his own game]] and even then, it's considerably mild in comparison to most examples. That said, he does curse with nearly every sentence he speaks.
* SmarterThanYouLook: This is only really noticeable in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' and it shows how dangerous Shadow can be. He is the only person in the entire game who is aware of what's really going on and seeks to put a stop to it. He even convinces Silver that he's been deceived by Mephiles. Unfortunately, Shadow's plan proves only 99% effective, as one fragment that escaped causes the Last Story.
* SmugSmiler: He sometimes smirks out of smugness or confidence.
* SmugSuper: A trait he shares with Sonic, albeit in a different way. While Sonic is prone to verbally putting down his opponents and not taking them seriously, Shadow will use every ounce of his power to prove his superiority over others and mock them for even daring to face him, all without a change in expression.
* SourSupporter: Shadow is willing to help out the other heroic characters, but don't [[GoodIsNotNice expect him to be particularly nice about it.]] The other characters at least recognize that his heart is in the right place, even if he's a jerk about it.
* SpiritedCompetitor: Shows this with Sonic recently. It's even more apparent that even god like beings like Solaris excite him.
* SpotlightStealingSquad: A rather infamous example of this within the ''Sonic'' franchise. Due to his popularity, Shadow tends to get a lot of preferential treatment by the developers at the expense of other, more neglected members of the cast. Even within his own group, Team Dark, he tends to be the centerpiece of it, [[{{Pun}} overshadowing]] fellow members Rouge and Omega (most prominent in games written by Shiro Maekawa). A lot of fans tend to forget that Rouge, ''not'' Shadow, is the founder and leader of Team Dark.
* TheStarscream: In the Pure Dark - Hero ending of ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', where he turns on and usurps Black Doom and plans to conquer the universe.
* StockShonenRival: Contrasting Sonic's upbeat and carefree attitude, Shadow is dour and soft-spoken and tends to prefer solitude than socializing with people. Notably, it wasn't being defeated by Sonic that triggered his HeelFaceTurn, but coming to terms with his past transgressions and learning to move forward with his life. What notably separates him from most other examples of this trope is that his original intentions were to serve the desires of someone else (Maria), as opposed to merely having a purely selfish motive.
* TheStoic: He very rarely emotes, but he does let it slip at times, which leads to times when he is NotSoStoic.
* StoryBreakerPower: He can stop time using Chaos Control, and this comes with his ability to teleport. Needless to say, he never seems to use this ability to its fullest potential. This ''does'' require a Chaos Emerald, but Shadow often has one on him anyway and can still warp short distances even without one.
* StrawNihilist: He was this prior to his CharacterDevelopment, believing humanity to be beyond redemption.
* StrongAndSkilled: Shadow's fighting ability is comparable to being one of the strongest people around due to raw strength and speed alone, however, he's able to both manipulate chaos energy however he wants and tends to use it in ways that no one else can manage.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Eventually develops into this over the course of his character arc, forming a strong bond with his teammates and even mellowed down his rivalry with Sonic to an extent.
* SuperheroPackingHeat: Unlike Sonic, he has no qualms using any firearms he can get his hands on.
* SuperpowerLottery: Considering he was made to be the perfect weapon, this is hardly surprising.
* SuperSpeed: Enough to rival Sonic's. Although unlike Sonic and is highly speculated, he relies on his Hover Shoes to propel himself at fast speeds, but considering his natural super human reflexes and coordination that precisely equals Sonic's athleticism, its safe to say he has real super speed yet a different type of propulsion in contrast to Sonic's running.
* SuperStrength: In his [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog self-titled game]], he can overturn buses and giant slabs of concrete that fell off highways with one hand, as well as punch through solid steel and concrete.
* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine:
** Eggman, who Shadow duped into activating Gerald's scheme in ''Adventure 2'', attempts to inflict this in ''Shadow The Hedgehog'', exploiting Shadow's amnesia to trick him into thinking he is an android created by him. By the end of the respective story branches, however, it's GoneHorriblyRight.
** Infinite, whose StartOfDarkness was pivoted by Shadow's handy defeat of him, also starts upon this in ''Sonic Forces'', giving him one hell of a MindScrew in Episode Shadow before starting upon Eggman's conquest in the main game.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: With Knuckles in both ''Sonic Rivals'' games. Despite working together, they bicker through and through as well as bitterly competing.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: In ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', the commander accuses Shadow of being responsible for the murder on the ARK, and is judged to be evil by GUN and most of humanity. In the "evil" endings, after learning only the gruesome parts of his past, Shadow goes to take revenge against humanity, believing that HumansAreTheRealMonsters.
* TimeMaster: While he's not the only character in the series capable of warping time and space with Chaos energy, he is the most proficient in its usage.
* TookALevelInBadass: When he debuted in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Shadow needed to use Chaos Emeralds to use [[SpaceMaster Chaos]] [[TimeMaster Control]], which was then limited to the applications of TimeStandsStill and TeleportSpam. In ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', and later games, not only do his Chaos techniques have more variety, he can use them without emeralds.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Not that he was an angel beforehand, but in ''Sonic Free Riders'', he has no problem with helping Rouge steal the cash prize from the World Grand Prix and regarded E-10000B as JustAMachine, which is pretty different from the bond he had with Omega in ''Sonic the Hedgehog '06''. He regains some of his more balanced characterization by ''Forces'', where it's clear he cares for Rouge and Omega.
* TragicVillain: In his debut, Shadow wasn't really an evil person at his core; rather, he was trying to fulfill a horribly misguided promise to avenge his closest friend, taking very little pleasure in doing so.
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Shadow's falling back to Earth at the end of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' gave him amnesia, which he's shown to be suffering from throughout ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog''.
%%* TroubledButCute
* {{Tsundere}}:
** After his return, Shadow still acts somewhat cold towards pretty much everyone, and borders on a destructive nature. Despite this, he's shown to care about others deep down, also developing a bond with his partners, Rouge and Omega.
** Shadow and Rouge, especially Rouge trying to loosen Shadow up, playfully flirting/teasing him or get him bother by her safety. Kinda crosses over with SlapSlapKiss.
** Although Sonic is still his rival, he does respect him to a degree and always shows up to help him when he needs it the most. Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/SonicColors''.
--->'''Shadow:''' Looks like I don't need to be worried.\\
'''Sonic:''' What was that?\\
'''Tails:''' Were you worried if we would get hurt, trying to save the wisps?\\
'''Shadow:''' Hmph!\\
'''Sonic:''' I'll take that as a compliment.
* TsurimeEyes: Compared to Sonic's style of eyes. He also has triangular markings around the outer corners of his eyes, making them appear even sharper than they actually are.
* UltimateLifeForm: TropeNamer. He is ageless and has a perfect immune system. If he's never killed by outside forces, he will live forever. And that never happens either, since he's basically able to beat ''anyone''.
** The FinalBoss fight with the [=Finalhazard=] does have him bring up the question of whether ''Sonic'' is actually the real Ultimate Life Form which is a valid proposal considering [[TheAce everything]] [[FastestThingAlive he]] [[OneManArmy can]] do compared to Shadow who's [[{{Artificial H|uman}}edgehog manufactured]] and requires rocket skates to keep up with Sonic. This topic is never brought up again in later games though.
* UndyingLoyalty:
** To Maria, keeping his promise to her at all cost, even if it means protecting the humans he despises.
** He also develops this with his Team Dark partners, Rouge and Omega.
* TheUnfettered: The key difference between him and Sonic. The latter wears his heart on his sleeve and always acts on how he feels; Shadow, on the other hand, will not let his personal feelings get in the way of getting the job done.
* UniversalDriversLicence: He can pilot hang gliders, Humvees, motorcycles, and alien hovercraft. He doesn't even own any of this himself, he just finds them lying around!
* UnscrupulousHero: Shadow does what he can to protect the Earth and his people. His intentions are good, but at the same time, he doesn't care what he has to do in order to achieve his goals, which leads to aggressive and often destructive acts. He also doesn't care what others think of it, which is what separates him from Sonic and his friends.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:He is responsible for Infinite's StartOfDarkness in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', having given him a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown and derided his weakness.]]
* UnwittingPawn: In ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', he this to both Doom ''and'', to a lesser extent, Eggman.
* VitriolicBestBuds:
** He and Rouge tend to snark at each other on occasion.
** He also displays this with Sonic as evident in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' where he is irritated of the blue hedgehog's friendly attitude and adventurous nature.
* VocalEvolution: Creator/KirkThornton's take on Shadow in ''Generations'' and the ''Boom'' sub-franchise was rather deep and gruff, and almost sounded villainous (which fits the latter, as Shadow is [[AdaptationalVillainy much more evil]] in his ''Boom'' appearances). By the time he voices Shadow in ''Forces'' and the 2017 Twitter Takeover, he's hit a voice that's more similar to David Humphrey or Jason Griffith's take on the character, downplaying the deepness in his voice.
* TheVoiceless: In ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', [[spoiler:the Shadow virtual constructs never talk or even vocalize a sound during the main campaign. Considering the Zavoks can do both, it makes the Shadows' lack of speech odd]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist:
** He is a ''very'' warped example in ''Sonic Adventure 2''. Thanks to Gerald Robotnik altering his memories, Shadow genuinely believes that Maria's final wish was for him to get revenge on humanity. As such, Shadow vows to wipe out Earth both to honor her memory and to destroy the corrupt species that ended her life.
** Even after his HeelFaceTurn, Shadow remains an UnscrupulousHero who is more than [[GoodIsNotSoft willing to get his hands dirty for the greater good]]. As recently as ''Sonic Forces'', he's shown wiping out the Jackal Squad to keep them from assisting Eggman's plans, all without an ounce of hesitation.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Being immortal, Shadow will outlive most of the supporting cast. Curiously, it is unknown whatever happened to Shadow in the future timeline after the CosmicRetcon. Silver does not mention him, and the two meet for the first time in ''VideoGame/SonicRivals''.
* WithFriendsLikeThese: He and Sonic's rivalry seemed to have become slightly more friendly over time, but he's still annoyed of the blue hedgehog's unserious attitude, and their rivalry is still rather intense and aggressive when not putting it aside.
* WithUsOrAgainstUs: He doesn't fully play with this trope, but if he feels that you're hindering him from reaching his objectives, he will assume that you're against him and will stop at nothing to attack you. He states this in his game after clearing a mission.
-->'''Shadow:''' Anybody who gets in my way is my enemy.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', his initial goal was to end humanity after G.U.N killed off his family, Maria and Gerald. In general, those experiences are the reason why Shadow is so isolated and reserved. And depending on which path you take in the ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' game, he can also be this. Both in the ''evil'' ending where after learning his DarkAndTroubledPast, goes back to his revenge quest in his debut, or in the ''Slightly Hero'' ending where he feels so guilty about letting Black Doom use him to destroy the humans that he feels like he should never have been created.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Shadow is called ''The Ultimate Life Form'' by himself and many others, including Doctor Eggman, and he is considered one of the very few people that can truly challenge Sonic in terms of both speed and power.
* WorthyOpponent:
** Considers Sonic as this, and the feeling is mutual. In ''Sonic Adventure 2'', he seemed pretty upset when it looked like [[spoiler:Sonic died in Eggman's trap]] and was impressed when not only [[spoiler:he survived]], but managed to use Chaos Control with a ''fake'' Chaos Emerald. It was at this point Shadow acknowledged Sonic as his equal and how dangerous he is. From then on, Shadow seems to enjoy the occasional bouts he and Sonic have.
** One of the endings to ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' invokes this as well. The route makes Shadow pretty much a complete hero, but if you chose to do the dark mission right before the FinalBoss, you'll be fighting Sonic (and a mech powered by the GUN Commander) and he asks why Shadow is siding with the Black Arms. Shadow claims he doesn't really care about the Black Arms and just wanted a chance to fight Sonic, and winning has him boasting about being the "Ultimate Hedgehog".
** While not as pronounced as his rivalry with Sonic, Shadow respects Omega's strength and is hinted to have sparred with him in the past to see which one of the two is stronger, fittingly they both use the title of Ultimate to describe their power.
* WouldHurtAChild: Simply put, there's no one he won't beat up. [[WouldHitAGirl Gender]] or [[WouldHarmAChild age]] is no deterrent. If you're the target or a hindrance to his goals, then you're just as eligible for a beatdown as the villains.
-->'''Shadow''': (''After finding a Chaos Emerald in plain sight.'') A Chaos Emerald? You've got to be kidding me, guys! This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me!
[[/folder]]
----

* PowerLimiter: His Inhibitor Rings on his wrists and ankles. The rest of this article's description of his power is what he's like with them ''on''. When he takes them off, the increase is substantial enough to allow him to [[CurbStompBattle thrash]] bosses like they were the weakest of mooks. On the other hand, he cannot control such strength and causes massive unintentional destruction with it, so he's hesitant to take them off.

* HiddenDepths: He [[RetCanon eats coffee beans]] according to ''VisualNovel/TheMurderOfSonicTheHedgehog'', which is a reference to the November 2017 episode of the non-canon series [[Blog/SonicTheHedgehogTwitter Twitter Takeover]]. In the same visual novel, he apparently pretty good at ''VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall'', where he taught Vector and Knuckles how to play.

Shadow is a very straightforward individual; he's aloof, taciturn, and ambitious. Because of his attitude, he is extremely hard to get along with and has a very independent nature, preferring to [[IWorkAlone work on his own]] more often than not. While he's often ruthless and extremely pragmatic, he can show both empathy and compassion when the situation calls for it. He prefers a straightforward, rather blunt approach to problems, and tends to handle situations in a fist-to-face, foot-to-groin, knee-to-head kind of way, regardless if he feels like it or not, and most of of the time he does feel like it.

-->'''Shadow:''' Goodbye forever… Shadow the Hedgehog.