Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadow the Hedgehog is a black furred hedgehog with red stripes who is Sonic's equal and both his rival and friend. He is most well known for his control over Chaos that helps him reach supersonic speeds equal to Sonic with his rocket shoes and his unique powers that help him make Chaos Spears. Though cold in demeanor, he is one of Sonic's best allies and friend when the world needs saving. Sonic can always count on Shadow to help out when it really counts. Though many mistaken Shadow for Sonic's double, Shadow is his own person who is not related to Sonic by blood. Their only resemblance is from being hedgehogs and looking similar to each other.
Shadow makes his first appearance in Sonic Adventure 2 that was released in America on June 18, 2001 (June 23, 2001 [JP]). Since then, he has made a few appearances in other games such as Sonic Heroes, Sonic Battle, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Generations, Sonic Forces, Team Sonic Racing and so on. He is also one of the very few characters to have his own spin-off game focused on him being the main protagonist in Shadow the Hedgehog (2005).Though Shadow often does things in what most would find an extreme manner, he always strives to do the right thing in the end of the day because his desire is to bring hope to humanity. Shadow is an Anti-Hero who would do what is right, even if some of his methods are not the friendliest. But even if Shadow is willing to do what others aren't, he won't go past a certain moral line. Shadow acts in this manner because since his creation, he has been described as someone who is pure, and it is through that pure thoughts that Shadow acts in this manner. (More on this below in Hidden Traits.) Though he is an Anti-Hero, he is still a hero who strives to do what is best for the world in order to protect it. SEGA of Japan also calls Shadow a hero when referring to Shadow. This was said in the beginning of the description for the S-Fire Sonic Adventure 2 figure with Sonic and Shadow on their website. The beginning of the description goes as such: "From Sonic Adventure 2, the game that delighted fans around the world with it's breakneck speed and spectacular action, both heroes―Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog―have been sculpted into one incredible figure for S-FIRE, the innovative SEGA hobby brand." It is even described by Eitaro Toyoda, a member of Sonic Team, that Shadow is not a bad guy by any means. Though he also says that he is not completely good either due to being an Anti-Hero. But even so, he says that he will not discourage us. Shadow has also been described as a nice person by the Sonic Team's official Twitter account by calling him sweet.
You can find Shadow the Hedgehog's bio from Sonic Team on their website Sonic Channel here.
== Personality and Values ==
Shadow acts in a manner of a hero who is willing to do what others aren't. That in turn makes him an Anti-hero compared to other Sonic characters. Though he can be harsh with his words at times and not be completely honest with how he feels, it is mainly because Shadow doesn't try to take credit for his good deeds, like in Sonic Colors DS where he lets Sonic take care of Eggman after giving him crucial information and in the Sonic x Shadow July 2021 Calendar Story where he brushes aside Sonic saying that people would like to thank him for his good deeds. Sonic is the only one who is able to see through Shadow's harsh exterior as it is mentioned in the relationship description in the Sonic x Shadow July 2021 Calendar Story: "If there is one thing that can be said about them, it is that they are the rare ones who can get up close and personal with each other... In fact, perhaps Sonic is the only person who can get so up close and personal with Shadow and say something to him that reaches his heart (though it often doesn’t). In a sense, his kind of presence is troublesome, but it is also one of the most important ones." The reason why Sonic's presence would trouble Shadow is because Sonic would often point out how Shadow is also a good natured person as he mentioned in the story, but Shadow doesn't want to admit that he is, which is why he is harsh with his words and pouts when it is pointed out.
In the story, Shadow went to go get rid of a disguised bomb to prevent casualties. He tried to warn the G.U.N. agents about the bomb, but they didn't believe in him and ignored his warnings. But even if they ignored him, he went to go save them and the city the bomb was in anyways. He even tried to get the bomb into space to further prevent any casualties, which is also the reason why he tried to deter Sonic from interfering due to not wanting him to get hurt from the situation as well, but he couldn't get that far when using Chaos Control due to the Emerald being weak in power. No casualties were made because Sonic and him were able to work together to prevent any damages, but Shadow was slightly frustrated at not being able to make sure no casualties were made for certain by taking the bomb and himself into space. Once the city was safe, him and Sonic went walking in the backstreets. It was then that Shadow gave Sonic the Chaos Emerald and said that Sonic, as a good natured person, would heal or fix to Emerald. Here he was trying to imply that Sonic was a good person compared to himself; Shadow was belittling himself despite him coming out of his way on his own time to protect the city from getting annihilated due to the lack of care of others not heeding to his warning. After Shadow pointed out that Sonic was purposely making the effort to follow him, Sonic decided to hit Shadow with words that hit a bit too close to home by teasing Shadow with the question of when he became someone who worked secretly for everyone's peace. Sonic decided to say this to hint to Shadow that he, too, is also a good natured person unlike what Shadow was implying when giving him the Chaos Emerald. Upon hearing this, Shadow paused in a short moment of silence before trying to deny that what he was doing was for a good cause and then ended up pouting from getting found out by Sonic. Sonic realized Shadow's bluff and continued smiling while both were in silence. He then plays along with Shadow's bluff a little by feigning that he believes in Shadow's bluff, but Sonic then adds to push the point further that people would like to thank Shadow for his good deed. Shadow again tries to deny his good deed while realizing that Sonic has caught on to his bluff, but before he could tell Sonic to shut up in embarrassment, Shadow became entranced from seeing Sonic pointing at the ARK above the full moon.
The story then explains that Shadow both gained and lost a lot on the ARK and that it was a place of both hope and mistakes where the place that surrounded it had a lot sacrificed for the protection of the world. The ARK being described like this was to explain how it is a parallel to Shadow where he thinks of himself as an entity that was filled with others hope, but also as an entity filled with mistakes because of what was lost. It also mentions how he ended up sacrificing himself for the sake of the world's protection. It is then explained in the story that two cold dignified moons being together in a warm array of lights is Sonic's favorite astronomical show, which is to explain that Shadow and himself being together in a warm and soft atmosphere together as equals and heroes, is his favorite times in his life. Though both could do things on their own and take care of themselves, Sonic liked the moments they worked together and were heroes together like that moment they were connected, trusted each other, cared for each other and there for each other when saving the world in Sonic Adventure 2. The story then goes on to explain that while Shadow is looking at the ARK, no one would know how much Shadow remembers after getting amnesia, but to Sonic, Shadow's silence was his answer. Only Sonic knew what Shadow was thinking while looking at the ARK, which is why he slowly moved his finger from the moon and ARK to himself with a smirk. This was to imply that Sonic knew that Shadow was thinking about the memories they made together on the ARK; that Shadow was thinking about Sonic and the good they did together. This would be mainly memories they made together in Sonic Adventure 2 when they saved the world together from the Final Hazard, as it was implied when the story mentions what was sacrificed to protect the world. Upon realizing that Sonic was hinting at their time together at the ARK of them saving the world was another instance showing that Shadow is a good person and possibly at the fact that Sonic wanted them to be together in harmony like the moon and ARK, Shadow blurted out in embarrassment that what Sonic was saying was absurd. Then, to make it so that Sonic doesn't try to push even further that Shadow is a good natured person as well, he goes to his hidden motorcycle and turns on the engine to drown out Sonic's voice or any attempts of Sonic trying to say anything more on the topic. Shadow then in a quiet voice says that the second one is excessive to say to Sonic that like the ARK that is a damaged and ruined entity, he himself is excessive because Sonic being a good and pure person like the moon, is enough; that there doesn't have to be two good natured people. Shadow then quickly drives away as Sonic watches him with his usual grin, but with a hint of disappointment out of Shadow wanting to deny about him being a good person that much and from Shadow feeling unworthy to stay with him like the moon and ARK among the city lights. But even so, the story then goes on to allude that Sonic will continue to watch over Shadow and all his good deeds as he always has, even if others continue to misunderstand and ostracize Shadow.
Shadow is a very selfless character, even if most wouldn't realize it due to his sharp exterior. Though he says that he doesn't like humanity and is harsh with his words towards others, he still goes out of his way to help others in his own way and in silence, if possible. But what makes him different compared to other characters is that even if he cares a lot about someone, if there was no other choice but to give that person up for the sake of a million others, he would try to make that sacrifice to save others and the world. Though, even if he tries to do this and keep on a tough exterior, he can have a hard time doing it because he is that pure of a person. This was shown in Sonic Battle where, though he was bent on destroying Emerl for the sake of protecting the world, once he related to Emerl as another Ultimate Lifeform created as a weapon to destroy, he couldn't bring himself to destroy him like Sonic said he wouldn't be able to because of his heart. Sonic ended up having to end Emerl. Shadow even shows to have a hard time hurting Sonic, even in non-canon Dark paths in Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 where Shadow gave Sonic a chance to walk away instead of just upright fighting him along with the humans and how in Sonic Battle he hesitated in wanting to fight Sonic for custody of Emerl. Though he trusts Sonic and cares for him in his own way, whether he admits it out loud or not, Shadow wouldn't be so selfish as to try to keep Sonic alive for the sake of himself or because he himself cares so much about him like other Sonic characters. Unlike how other characters would choose to be with Sonic over the world like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 where Amy and Elise shared that parallel of having the choice of either choosing Sonic or the World and where both chose Sonic instead of the world, even if Shadow cares about Sonic, if he had to make the sacrifice no matter what, Shadow would chose the world not because he doesn't care about Sonic, but because he understands the importance and gravity of everyone's life in the world. As he makes that choice, he would also care about Sonic and what Sonic would want or care about if that situation would ever arise. And it is because of characters like Amy and Elise where they would rather chose being with Sonic than over the safety of the world, is why Sonic likes someone like Shadow so much. It's that selflessness, that purity, out of sacrificing himself and anything he wants personally, that Sonic likes/loves about Shadow. Shadow would think of the whole situation and everyone involved instead of just one person or himself. This shows how much Shadow is an Anti-Hero and how selfless Shadow is compared to others, which many others don't know or can't see about him, except for Sonic. This is shown when characters based things off of Shadow's appearances or rough exterior instead of seeing Shadow for who he really is by looking past his past, his past mistakes and appearance like Sonic has. An example is when Tails was still cautious around him and asked Sonic if he's okay after meeting up with Shadow or how Amy asked why Shadow is there in an upset and rude manner in Sonic Battle.
==In Games==
===Mainline Games===
====Sonic Adventure 2====
In Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow was the main antagonist of the story until the end where he teams up with Sonic to defeat the Final Hazard. Throughout his journey in the game, Shadow learns how to care for others by remembering what Maria asked of him. Though he was the cause of the world almost ending due to thinking Maria wanted revenge on the humans that killed her, he made up for his mistake by teaming up with Sonic to save the planet from destruction. Correcting his mistake made him use up all his energy, which resulted in him plummeting to the earth from space. Shadow was thought to be dead at the end of the story, but he would later make a reappearance in Sonic Heroes and Sonic Battle a few years later. 
====Sonic Heroes ====
In Sonic Heroes, Shadow is woken up by Rouge. But when he awakens, he has no memories of his past. Due to suffering from amnesia, Shadow decides to let Rouge drag him around. He ends up fighting others for various reasons, but in the end he helps Sonic and his friends to defeat Neo Metal Sonic. His attitude towards Eggman was that of questioning why he was doing bad things and asking him politely to stop.
====Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) ====
====Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)====
====Sonic and the Black Knight====
====Sonic Colors DS====
====Sonic Generations ====
====Sonic Forces====
===Spin-Offs===
====Sonic Battle====
====Sonic Free Riders====
====Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020====
====Team Sonic Racing ====
==== Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (English Only)====
====Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (English Only)====
==== Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (English Only)====
====Lego Dimensions: Sonic the Hedgehog====
== In animations ==
=== Sonic X ===
=== Sonic Boom ===
=== Sonic Prime ===
== In Comics ==
=== Archie ===
=== Sonic the Hedgehog (2018) ===
==Hidden Traits==
====Tsundere Shadow====
One of the traits about Shadow that can cause many to get confused is that Shadow acts like a tsundere. Because of this, Shadow's words can't always be taken at face value. Sometimes what he says doesn't equate to how he feels at the time. Some examples of this behavior can be seen in the Sonic x Shadow July Calendar Story, Sonic and Shadow's interactions in Team Sonic Racing and in Sonic Colors DS version.
==== Shadow is Gap Moe ====
Gap Moe is a common term used for Japanese medias when two contradictory points of a person complement each other. In Shadow's case, this would be how despite looking cold, stoic and sharp in appearances or attitude, he can act sweet and caring as well. It is also due to him being a Tsundere that he is Gap Moe because a Tsundere seems cold, but actually cares for the person they like deep down. An example of this is how Shadow really cares for Sonic despite not looking like he would be the type to due to his appearances. Another example is that despite being created as a deadly weapon, he is kind and sweet to certain people or creatures while caring for the world's well-being. One more example can be how Shadow is sweet and caring towards his Shadow Chao despite not looking the type to be that doting or caring.
====Shadow is Always for Justice====
In Shadow's game, Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), there is a game mechanic where if you fill up the red gauge by beating up G.U.N. soldiers, you can use the move "Chaos Blast." It is explained in the game by Sonic that if Shadow is filled with evil, he will be able to unleash the destructive power of "Chaos Blast." Though, in the game, there is also a blue gauge that you fill by defeating Black Arms creatures. As Sonic explains, when filling this gauge, Shadow gets filled with the power of justice and with that power, Shadow can use the power "Chaos Control." This suggests that Shadow being able to use "Chaos Control" means that he is filled with the power of justice or the sense of justice every time he uses it. And since Shadow has shown to only use "Chaos Control" after his game, it can be said that Shadow is always filled with the intention to deliver proper justice and that he always strives to enact justice.
This fact makes Twitter Takeover #4 inaccurate because they have him use a "Chaos Blast," but as explained, "Chaos Blast" can only be used if Shadow is evil, which is not true as seen in medias after the Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) game. It can also be proven that Shadow is not evil because he is a hero who always goes out of his way to help others, save the planet and because he is described as a person who is pure with pure intentions by his creators.
====Shadow's Red Streaks are Inspired by Kumadori Makeup (Sujiguma)====
For Shadow's design, his red streaks are inspired by Japanese culture where it is based off of makeup that is called Kumadori (隈取り). The specific Kumadori makeup Shadow is inspired by is called, "Sujiguma," which is to represent a hero with super-human strength that is filled with intense anger with its upward red streak strokes. This can be seen on Shadow's design where all his red streaks are shown to have an upward stroke to them. This shows that in Shadow's development, he was to be considered a hero since the start. He is also described to have intense strength/superhuman power, which his limiters also represent, meaning that Shadow is also a character that is extremely strong compared to others in his universe. The anger can come from how in Sonic Adventure 2, he was angry at the injustice his unrelated sister went through and died from. Though, in today medias, Shadow isn't one to turn to intense anger as seen in medias like Sonic Prime where he sighs to cool down his nerves before speaking to Sonic again. He is even described as a cool and level-headed character. (1) Now, the inspiration is more for appearances rather than to symbolize how Shadow is as a character today.
====Shadow is Dainty and Pure====
When you listen to Shadow's dialogue in Japanese, Shadow uses the term "boku" when referring to himself. This term is used for more dignified and polite people when speaking about themselves in Japanese. In comparison, Sonic uses the term "ore," which is an arrogant term used when referring to one's self. And for another comparison, Jet uses the term "ore-sama," which is a term someone who is very arrogant and full of themselves use. In one of the interviews with the writer of Sonic Adventure 2, who is also one of the main people who created Shadow's character, he says that he decided that Shadow would use "boku" because he sees him as a dainty and pure character. Due to this, he saw that Shadow had to use this type of speaking, even if the term "boku" is more commonly used among women. From this, we can see that Shadow's character is supposed to be someone who is polite, dignified and a general nice person; a pure person with pure intentions. He can also be said to be what people call, "a pretty boy," which is a term used that is used mostly for Japanese anime guys who are pretty and elegant.
==== Shadow and Lavender ====
Shadow has been seen to be affiliated with lavender in Twitter Takeover #5. Since this takeover has been worked on by both SEGA Japan and America, things in it can be taken a little more official than the others. The meaning of lavender is commonly known as purity, silence, devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness due to its natural properties to calm nerves down. Shadow's personality can also be seen as similar to lavender due to him not being one to talk much, being devoted to a cause once he puts his mind to it and by being graceful in his actions and speech (Shadow talks in a more polite manner in Japanese by referring himself as 僕 (ぼく- Boku)).
==== Shadow's Name is to Show Where the Light is ====
According to one of Eitaro Toyoda's comics on Sonic Channel, Shadow's name came from Maria who named him that so that he can show others the direction of where the light is. It can be interpreted that she hoped that Shadow would be a hero who would help others and give them direction towards a better future or towards hope. In this sense, it can be said that Shadow was always to be interpreted as a hero who would help others and give them hope, even if he doesn't look the part. So despite his looks, Shadow is to be interpreted as a hero who cares for others, gives them hope and helps them in his own way towards a better future, even if he does these acts without others knowing and is ostracized by others as described in the Sonic x Shadow July Calendar Story. As his name describes, Shadow helps the world from the shadows. Shadow is a character where appearances can be deceiving since he acts differently than what others would assume from him due to his appearances. This can also relate to his Gap Moe trait mentioned above. As seen in medias now, Shadow takes on this ideology himself and works towards helping others from the shadows as described, such as in Sonic Battle where he says that it is his desire to bring hope to humanity.
====Shadow Doesn't Work for G.U.N.====
Unlike what many like to believe, Shadow doesn't actually work for G.U.N. It has been said by Eitaro Toyoda, a member of Sonic Team, that Shadow has never been clearly depicted as someone hired by G.U.N. He also doesn't personally believe that Shadow should be someone who is hired by G.U.N. Though, even though he says this, he thinks one of Shadow's charms is the "I don't know" factor, meaning he believes that Shadow's mystery is one of his charming points. Having people think as to why Shadow does things and for what reasons is part of the charm in Shadow's character.
====Shadow is on Good Terms with the President====
In the games Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, Shadow has shown to have some sort of good relationship with the president. In Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, the president is close enough to Shadow to have something that can have him keep in contact with Shadow in some manner. We know this because the president personally asked for Shadow to help their agent Rouge who works for G.U.N. (Shadow does not work for G.U.N. as stated in the fact above. The president asked for Shadow's help as an outside source because he doesn't work for G.U.N.) In Shadow the Hedgehog 2005, throughout many paths you can see that the president has complete trust in Shadow and doesn't believe that he would be evil. He also has a picture of Shadow and Sonic on his desk, which could allude that Shadow was at the White House due to the president at some point in time.
====Shadow Does Not Drink Alcohol====
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Despite looking like he would drink alcohol, Shadow does not drink it. Kazuyuki Hoshino, a member of Sonic Team and one of Shadow's creators, says in response to someone asking if Shadow would drink and drive, that "Please be assured that the owner of the car (ultimate life form) does not drink alcohol." This was said under a Sonic Red Lantern tweet reminding others to watch their livestream. The video's thumbnail has Shadow's car, Dark Reaper, parked outside a Japanese oden shop.
== Relationship with Others ==
=== Sonic ===
Sonic is Shadow's friend and rival who he respects and cares for. Due to medias showing that Shadow is not friends with anyone other than Sonic, it can be said that Sonic is Shadow's only friend. The only different case of this can be Maria, but Maria is more like family to Shadow due to him seeing and treating her as a sister and she has already passed away. (More on Maria's section below.) More on Sonic and Shadow's relationship can be seen on the Sonic and Shadow's Relationship Status page.
=== Maria ===
In the Japanese manual for Shadow the Hedgehog 2005, Shadow and Maria's relationship is translated literally as such: "Maria, who had a big brother and little sister like relationship with Shadow, was also sacrificed..." This comes from the sentence: "シャドウとは兄妹のような関係であったマリアも, その犠牲に..." It is literally stated in this sentence that Shadow and Maria had a sibling relationship where Shadow was the big brother while Maria was seen as a little sister, even if they were not blood related. Because they are not actually related by blood to be blood siblings, that is why it is said that their relationship is similar to a big brother and a little sister relationship where they loved each other as family. And through family, they could care deeply for each other to the point of Shadow wanting to seek revenge for Maria who was an innocent and sick girl that he saw as a little sister. It would be normal for a big brother to feel angry at someone murdering his beloved little sister in cold blood, and from that, wanting to seek revenge in her name. So because they are not actual blood siblings, but saw each other as siblings even so, that is why the word "like" is used. Because of this, Maria is like family to Shadow, which is similar to how Gerald sees Shadow as his son in Shadow the Hedgehog 2005. This is similar to how SAGE sees Eggman as a father in Sonic Frontiers despite not being related to him by blood and how she sees the other robots like Orbot and Cubot as brothers despite them not sharing blood at all and are only created by Eggman like how Shadow was created by Gerald. But even if Shadow is created by Gerald, that doesn't mean they are blood related to be actual father and son, they are only like father and son because Gerald saw Shadow that way after creating him.
The "big brother and little sister relationship" comes from the word "兄妹" in Japanese, which literally translates to: "big brother and little sister." And the part of the sentence saying it is like a big brother and little sister relationship is with the words "のような関係" in Japanese, which translates to: "like relationship." So together, "兄妹のような関係" means, "big brother and little sister like relationship." For the whole sentence being translated word for word click here.
Though a scene from Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow and Maria was inspired by the manga Boku no Chikyū o Mamotte (also known as Please Save My Earth) from Sonic Adventure 2's writer, Shiro Maekawa (who does not work at SEGA anymore or owns the two characters), unlike the manga, the intended relationship between the two is to see them as unrelated siblings by the company or owners of the characters as seen in the official Japanese description of the two's relationship. Even if in the past there were employees who saw the two as more than siblings, that is not how the company that actually owns the two characters see the two as. There also has never been a scene in the game canon universe that shows Shadow and Maria as anything more than siblings or as anything as what the manga Shiro Maekawa used as referenced shows. Shiro Maekawa is also not the only creator of Shadow and Shadow's and Sonic Adventure 2's creation was done as a team effort, but even then, those who worked on them do not own the characters, the company owners do. The more popular versions of Tanabata used for the holiday in Japan, is about two lovers from the heavens, Orihime and Hikoboshi, that are torn apart and can only see each other once a year. Though Maria told him this story in a Sonic Pict celebrating Tanabata, they aren't like the two in the story because Shadow was always with Maria when she was alive, due to being family, and he is not able to see her once a year after she has passed away like the story said for the two star lovers. Though unrelated by blood and seen as siblings, they did care for one another when Maria was alive as a big brother and little sister would. After the events of Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 where he regained his lost memories, Shadow never mentioned Maria (or Gerald) again. It is also worth mentioning that anything in Sonic X is not canon or official to the main timeline, therefore it is not connected to the games in any manner. So nothing in it is official or can be taken as official, especially because the show is never brought up again and is years old to be out of relevance. To see them as anything other than unrelated siblings who cared for one another as siblings when Maria was alive, would be disrespecting the company, how they wish for others to interpret their relationship and how they wish to view the two characters they own.
In recent years, American employees (who also infect some Japanese employees like Eitaro Toyoda and Takashi Iizuka) have been trying to push that Shadow only cares about what Maria told him to do as if he can't think for himself and as if he doesn't care about anything around him to an apathetic degree. Though in the past, such as in the Sonic x Shadow July 2021 Calendar Story, Shadow has shown to care about others and those around him in his own way without Maria telling him to and without thinking of Maria specifically (especially since he never mentions her again after the events of Shadow the Hedgehog 2005). Shadow has also shown care to for other characters like Emerl in Sonic Battle and Sonic in several games (where he even gives Sonic the glory in defeating the main bad guy other than handling it himself). So he has shown to care about individuals and even went to help those who didn't trust or believe in him, and he did this to protect them and innocent others there in the city without anyone telling him to do it. Shadow has been shown to have a heart by personally caring for individuals by not having the heart to kill Emerl and by going through the effort to save and help Sonic when the situation called for it. Sonic mentions that Shadow has a heart and as mentioned before, Shadow has shown this. By having a heart, Shadow has empathy and shows care for not just the physical world, but also the individuals living on it and it is with that heart that Shadow decides to save the world on his own accord. So claiming that Shadow doesn't do things for individual people or is only doing it because of what one person (who has already passed away and was never mentioned again in the games) said or that this individual who has already passed away is his only friend (when it has been said time and time again that Sonic is his friend in Japanese and English medias), is inaccurate and conflicts with already existing materials. It is at that point that someone is trying to push a certain narrative between Shadow and Maria that conflicts with past medias that prove elsewise.
=== Gerald ===
Gerald is Shadow's creator and unrelated father. In Shadow the Hedgehog 2005, in the true ending, Gerald had a prerecorded message where he tells others what his ambition was in creating Shadow. In that message, he states that he sees Shadow as his son.
=== Black Doom ===
Black Doom is Shadow's biological father where he was created as an artificial lifeform through Black Doom's DNA. Shadow went against Black Doom's wishes for world domination in his game Shadow the Hedgehog 2005. In the end of the game, in order to stop Black Doom's alien invasion, he kills him as Super Shadow and destroys the rest of his race with their home the Black Comet.
=== Rouge ===
Rouge is said to be an acquaintance of Shadow's where they only team up with each other if the occasion calls for it. They do not hang out with each other in the slightest and only meet up when we see them in games and they happen to team up due to sharing the same interest. The relationship between Team Dark was described as simply a marketing name used to distinguish the group when the time comes. Outside of the games, Shadow is not said to hang out with Team Dark and has shown so in the games. Shadow is also said not to work for G.U.N. so Shadow and Rouge do not work together as permanent co-workers either. Though Rouge is hired by G.U.N. and works for the government, Shadow does not. This can even be seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 where the president called Shadow to help them help their agent Rouge, which means that he is outside help they asked for due to him not working for them directly. This could also be the case for Sonic Forces when he was again working with Rouge and Omega as a team.
When describing the relationship between the two, Sonic Team mentioned that Shadow and Rouge are only good business partners that have trust that won't go past a certain level. In other words, they are like co-workers who can trust each other to do the job when it comes to it, but don't have anything past that relationship or trust. It also mentions how Shadow and Rouge don't go out of their way to interact with each other except for when they work on the same assignments, like how we see them interact in the games. But they will casually help each other during those assignments, which others can interpret as them seeming to be more than just co-workers, but in reality, they are just co-workers who work together for each others' benefits, as described. To see them as anything else would be disrespecting the company, how they wish for others to interpret their relationship and how they wish to view the two characters they own.
Rouge has also been shown to show interest in Knuckles on multiple occasions. Some instances are from Sonic Adventure 2, the Twitter/TikTok Takeover #7 and the 20th Anniversary The History of Sonic the Hedgehog in Rouge's bio. Rouge being interested in only Knuckles (and jewels) has also been hinted by Sonic Team when describing how Rouge could try to ensnare Knuckles if given a chance while trying to disguise it as being interested in the Master Emerald on a staff column for her 2024 wallpaper.
=== Omega ===
Omega is said to be an acquaintance of Shadow's where they only team up with each other if the occasion calls for it. They do not hang out with each other in the slightest and only meet up when we see them in games and they happen to team up due to sharing the same interest. The relationship between Team Dark was described as simply a marketing name used to distinguish the group when the time comes. Outside of the games, Shadow is not said to hang out with Team Dark and has shown so in the games.
=== Amy Rose ===
Amy Rose and Shadow have almost no relation with each other in game canons whatsoever. Usually, despite being in the same games, they do not talk to each other at all. Examples of this are like: Sonic Colors DS and Sonic Generations. Some of the only times they have talked to each other in the games are in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog 2005, but for the latter, the path taken to talk to her is not canon to the series due to being the Dark Path. The two are not friends in the slightest, but they know that the other exists and is at times an ally.
Usually when the two do interact, their interactions are normal or short/to the point. They do not dwell to chat with each other such as in Sonic Prime where he only thanked her for taking him and Sonic to the Green Hills portal before leaving without saying good-bye.
Some interactions between Shadow and Amy from western medias are not official or accurate, such as from the Twitter Takeovers or The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (which is a fan made game) or even medias that seem more official like Team Sonic Racing (because English lines in this game does not exist in Japanese between the characters or because they are mostly cut lines that do not appear in the game itself) due to making them best friends or on really good terms despite there being no background for that relationship to be based off of. Another media they interact with each other in western media is Sonic Boom, but that is a different universe than the game canons and they were seen as enemies or were not on friendly terms. Merchandise with the two together are also not official in them being friends or a couple in the slightest.
=== Sally Acorn ===
Sally Acorn is a character from the discontinued Archie Comic series. This series was made in America and was in no manner official or supervised by the Japanese. The story followed its own personal story where it often added in personal characters such as: Scourge, Eclipse, Sally, Nicole, Bunnie, Dulcy and so on. The comic at times took inspiration for its stories by taking the stories from the video game canons, but they also changed the story and characters to its liking and put them in situations they wanted to put them in that differed from the video game canon stories. This was done by Archie characters being added to the stories where the stories were changed slightly to include those characters and premade characterizations of canon characters like: Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Tails and so on. They also had their own stories that were not related to the video games at all, which also caused the characterizations of many characters to change. One such difference is in making Sonic a player or someone who would seek going out with women romantically on several occasions. This is completely different than how video game canon Sonic is like. This in turn changed the story to be more like fanfiction and is not an official story accepted by the main company, SEGA Japan. The personal characters involved are also not affiliated with SEGA and belong more to the ones who made the Archie series. In other words, they are more like Original Characters (OCs).
Though Shadow was married to Sally in a possible future in the Archie Comics, since this is an unofficial story, the relationship between the two is nulled and nonexistant. The Archie Comics have no connection to the video game canon in any shape or form. For Shadow and everyone else in the canon universe, Sally does not exist.