Project Shadow

**Project Shadow** (プロジェクトシャドウ, *Purojekuto Shadō*) is a project in the *SKB's* *SP* series created by Yuji Naka and Satoshi Tajiri. It was a medical research program conducted by the government over 50 years to research and experimenting with immortality.

The results of the project produced two creatures endowed with immortality: the prototype, and the final product. However, the project was shut down by the military when it was deemed too dangerous, which indirectly resulted in the deaths of Gerald and Maria.

"*.*"

—About Project Shadow.

## History

### Beginnings

Project Shadow was conceived over 50 years ago by the President of the United Federation at that time (13 presidents ago from the current one) under the premise of achieving "mankind's ultimate eternal dream: researching for immortality." However, the true intent for the project was to discover an "immortality formula" which could be used to develop weapons. The President personally requested Professor Gerald Robotnik, the most brilliant mind of his time, for assistance.

Initially, Gerald refused, believing that they were crossing the limits that man should not tamper with and that they would use his research for war. However, Gerald realized that he could co-opt the program in order to find a cure for Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome, an incurable and fatal disease afflicting his beloved granddaughter, Maria. As such, Gerald eventually accepted the request and agreed to led and carry out the project on the ARK, an orbiting facility isolated from the planet.

There, all advanced research on the project was strictly confidential. The project codename "Project Shadow" was derived from the attempt to create a being which did not exist, making it as intangible as a shadow. Its objective was to experiment with the concept of eternal life and develop an immortal lifeform dubbed the "Ultimate Lifeform", which was to become a superweapon for GUN. Despite its shady nature, Gerald's ultimate goal with Project Shadow was to make a creature that would benefit the good of mankind.

### Research and prototype

At first, everyone thought that Project Shadow was far too reckless and far-fetched to have ever been fabricated by Gerald's gifted mind. In the beginning, Gerald and his colleges researched the Chaos Emeralds, resulting in the creation of the Chaos Drives, during tests to apply chaos energy to living beings. When those tests proved successful, the project moved onto creating the prototype version of an immortal and ultimate lifeform.

During the development of the ultimate lifeform, the scientists used research on the Eosimias. The project eventually produced the "Prototype of the Ultimate Lifeform", an unruly and primitive being dubbed the Bio Lizard, which was modeled after a lizard. At 12:30 A.M. on the 27th of January, the Bio Lizard was brought to life, its eternal engine and Chaos Control-inducing organ working normally. The Bio Lizard demonstrated many of the desired traits as it grew, including regeneration and self-reproduction, though it required a Life Support System fueled by Chaos Drives to remain viable.

While the researchers were overjoyed over the Bio Lizard's evolution, their joy proved brief. In addition to having an unexpected and exponentially fast growth rate, the Bio Lizard was like a primitive animal. It also lacked the strength to walk, although its tail and neck were strong. As such, it was kept it under observation. Eventually, the Bio Lizard evolved to become so unruly that the researchers had trouble controlling it. Over time, the development of the ultimate lifeform continued and shifted.

During development after the prototype, Gerald needed help with his work and as such made contact with Black Doom, the alien leader of the Black Arms race, during the 50-year return of the Black Comet. In exchange for the seven Chaos Emeralds being delivered to him in 50 years, Black Doom assisted Gerald with his research, going so far as to provide genetic material for the project in the form of his own blood. Using the DNA of Black Doom, Gerald created a new version of the prototype, but using a more desirable physique for the creature.

### Unease and completion

Because of the Bio Lizard's violent nature, doubts about Project Shadow began internally from the researchers, who began questioning the duration, significance and safety of the research. Eventually, private information about the project leaked to G.U.N., presumably by the internal staff who had witnessed the prototype going out of control. Since the nature of the project also made the government uneasy following Gerald's contact with the Black Arms, they considered cutting funding.

In an attempt to keep Project Shadow going, Gerald offered the Gizoid, an ancient robotic superweapon he had discovered, to the government as a bribe. Unfortunately, the bribe did not work and the Gizoid went on a rampage on the ARK. After that, Project Shadow was eventually completed after years of research when Gerald managed to create the final product of Project Shadow: a more advanced version of the prototype of the Ultimate Lifeform with Black Doom's DNA named "Shadow" who possessed his own independence and free will.

Gerald imparted Shadow with a heart and personality similar to that of Maria in the hopes that he would not become a weapon. In addition to possessing immortality, Shadow did not need machinery to live, could complete tasks alone, and possessed both high intelligence and his own identity. Living exclusively onboard the Space Colony ARK, Shadow himself became close to those living on the ARK, especially Gerald's grangddaughter who shared his curiosity of the world, though he would occasionally ponder about what his true purpose was.

### Shutdown

Fearful of they would not be able to control a dangerous creature like Shadow and how dangerous and costly Gerald's experiments were, the military plotted to take possession of Shadow. The top ranking officials of GUN, who saw the research institution's uniqueness as hostile, arrived at the decision to set a plan to close the ARK itself. To this, they formulated the "**ARK Seal Destruction Operation**" (「ＡＲＫ封滅作戦」, "**ARK Fūmetsu Sakusen**") that took advantage of its current situation.

Making up a public story that a biohazard accident had occurred within the ARK research institution for ostensible purposes, all of the colony's residents were to be evacuated while the ARK's research facilities were sealed and shut down for safety. The plan's true purpose however, was to close down the ARK's research facility, destroy everyone and everything (except Gerald) related to Project Shadow, and detain Gerald as the cause of the accident. Many soldiers knew this plan was an excuse, but none had the guts to protest.

Sometime after the completion of Project Shadow, the ARK was invaded by GUN Soldiers in a violent coup d'état, evacuating civilians while apprehending and/or killing researchers involved in Project Shadow. During the attack, Gerald put his finishing touches on Shadow. As GUN's Special Forces rushed the ARK's laboratory, Gerald had Maria escape with Shadow. In the ensuing chase, Maria and Shadow got to the escape pods, but Maria was shot by a G.U.N. soldier when helping Shadow escape.

Mortally wounded, Maria ejected Shadow to the planet below in an escape pod with her last strength. Meanwhile, Gerald made sure the escape pod was rejected safely toward that planet. Despite the complications, the military's plan proceeded as planned. Within a week, the residents of the ARK had all been moved back to the planet, the ARK's research facilities had been frozen, and the deceased people involved in Project Shadow, except for Gerald, were announced as victims of the accident told to the public.

The military's mission plan was completley ended when they sealed the Bio Lizard away in the deepest part of the Space Colony ARK after finding it onboard the space station. The ARK was then sealed off and promptly abandoned for the next five decades, probably to prevent the Bio Lizard from falling into the wrong hands.

### Aftermath

Having survived the invasion with the operations about Project Shadow ceased on the ARK, Gerald was imprisoned in the Union Army Prison on Prison Island to continue his research under military control. Shadow was later found and retrieved by the military, who put him into stasis on Prison Island for Gerald to continue his work, but when Gerald learned that Maria had been killed, he went mad with grief. While it was thought that he was continuing his research with Shadow, Gerald secretly created a program that would cause the ARK to fall to the world and destroy it as his revenge at humanity.

When the military began to fear how Gerald might retaliate, however, knowing only the danger of Project Shadow, the military sealed the island and abandoned the professor's research. Gerald was subsequently executed while Shadow was placed in suspended animation on Prison Island. Before his execution, he went as far as to brainwash Shadow to make him carry out his revenge. Regardless, some info on Project Shadow still leaked to the public, prompting journalists to pursue the story, including Scarlet's father who died during the investigation.

Coverups were subsequently made to erase Project Shadow's existence. All records of the project were destroyed by the President of the government at that time (13 presidents ago from the current one), except for Gerald's diary in G.U.N.'s database which was protected by a password. An organization independent from the government was also formed by GUN to keep info on the project suppressed.

## Legacy

Over 50 years after the shutdown, Dr. Eggman learned of the existence of Project Shadow after stealing and discovering the diary of his grandfather, from G.U.N.'s database. Reading of a confidential "top-secret military weapon" that was shut down and sealed up by the military because they feared it, Eggman set up a diversion plan while he sent his nephew to retrieve the weapon, Shadow the Hedgehog, from Prison Island to use him for his plans for world domination.

This set in motion a chain of events that initiated Gerald's doomsday program, but thanks to Chris and Amy, Shadow finally overcame Gerald's brainwashing and saved the the world, as per Maria's last wish. Meanwhile, the government agent Mr. Stewart teamed up with Scarlet Garcia to uncover the truth of Project Shadow while being hightailed by the organization working to preserve Project Shadow's secrecy.

However during the events of an alien war between the Black Arms and the Metarex, it is later on revealed that Black Doom had his own, non-humanitarian agenda in contributing to Project Shadow: his goal was to produce an agent who would gather the Chaos Emeralds for him 50 years later so he could invade the planet and enslave the human population at this planned time while wiping out all of his enemies in the universe with the emeralds' power at his claws.

Ironically, Black Doom was the only one who got what he wanted from Project Shadow, only for it to backfire on him spectacularly: while Shadow did collect the Chaos Emeralds as Black Doom wanted, Shadow had also learned the truth of his past and instead of using them for Black Doom, he used them to become Super Shadow to aid Super Sonic in defeating Black Doom and Dark Oak and destroy the Black Comet and Planet Aqurius using the Eclipse Cannon, thus thwarting two alien invasions at the same time.

## Theme songs

The video games have featured several theme songs for the character. Project Shadow's themes consisted primarily of the techno and industrial genres often with synched vocals that are barely audible, but have shown an increasing preference towards the hard rock genre in more recent games.

## Notes & Trivia

* It is unknown if the green lizard seen when Mr. Schmitz was recalling the events is the Bio Lizard or not.
* Sonic and Shadow's similarities in appearance are never explained, nor explored, leaving the details of this a complete mystery.