Shade (ARMS)

Shade is an unlockable fighter in a sequel to ARMS. He is an evil creature who seeks out opponents for no other reason than to make them suffer.
==Appearance==
The vast majority of Shade’s body is covered by a large gray cloak, as the only parts visible are his head above his mouth and his ARMS. This visible head has very pale skin and spiraled red eyes that, like Master Mummy, have black scleras. The chest area of the cloak is covered in a dark green harness. Underneath the cloak, however, Shade’s body appears to be a mass of black shadows that leave behind a small trail when he moves, not forming legs. Fittingly, these shadows form his ARMS, as well as black, wild, wiry hair on his head. On the rare moments his mouth is visible, it is shown to have shadows crossing his lips as if they were stitched shut, though he can still move his lips and speak unimpeded. Notably, Shade does not wear a mask, appearing to not need one in order to control his ARMS, instead wearing a navy blue circlet on his forehead.
Shade's symbol is a five-fingered claw that seems to reach for the viewer, which is printed in red on his harness.
==Backstory==
Referred to by several characters as a "shadow demon", Shade’s origins are a complete mystery, and to most of the world, he doesn’t even exist. He lurks in the darkness to challenge ARMS fighters to battles, in an attempt to show them true pain. He cares not for rules or regulations, willing to interrupt challenges or use illegal equipment in order to accomplish his goals. But as odd and clearly evil as Shade is, there may very well be more to Shade than meets the eye…
==Fighting Style==
Shade specializes in consistent damage, high or low, through his combination of the Cestus to destroy enemy guards, Gunchuk for powerful explosions, and Rot Dragon for stackable Poison damage. His grab has him change his hand into a shadowy claw, hold his opponent up, then explode his own hand in a dark burst. Shade is not damaged by this, and his regular ARM will reform.
If Shade charges his ARMS for long enough after a dash, his ARMS will instead be completely replaced by a pair of shadowy claws which completely changes how he plays: He dashes much quicker and slashes rather than punches, but the claws do not extend, requiring him to get up close to attack. This method is very risk-reward due to how difficult it is to actually close the distance in ARMS, but if successful, Shade's claws boast a much higher DPS than his standard ARMS. While his arms are claws, his Rush is also changed to further increase the speed and power of his claw swipes.
==Stats==
==Role in Grand Prix==
Shade will occasionally intrude on the player's challenge at any point on any difficulty, attacking the player immediately after the previous battle ends. Losing against him does not stop the challenge, as Shade's battle is unofficial.
At difficulty level 4 or higher, Shade will sometimes usurp the final boss of that character's route, smacking them aside before turning his attention to the player. In this fight, Shade is capable of dashing much more often while his claws are out, and he is much more prone to switching to them than in his intruder battles. If Shade is beaten, he will glare angrily at the player and declare that this isn't over before vanishing.
Defeating Shade in this way for the first time will unlock him as a playable fighter. Playing Grand Prix as Shade will remove him from both the intruder list and the potential final boss list.
==Trivia==
* Unlike all other fighters, Shade's official description is from his own point of view. According to news outlets, Shade himself wanted this message sent after he pummeled a reporter.
* As the final boss, Shade's unique introduction theme is based on the Skull Castle theme from Mega Man 6 Complete Works.
* Shade is the only fighter who does not have any fans: All fans in the crowd will be for his opponent(s) during his battles. If all players are Shade, there will be no crowd for the fight.
Category:ARMS Characters
Category:Playable Characters
Category:Males
Category:Characters designed by Taylor Gorrell
Category:Fan Characters
Category:Free to use Characters