As you all probably know, I'm not much of a Shadow fan, but I was cruising the FUS forums and found this. It puts a new light on things I'd never thought of.
James Prower said:I’m pretty sure what your initial reaction to this topic will be, but please, give it a chance and hang in there. The topic is somewhat ambiguous, so if someone feels that it would be more appropriate elsewhere, go ahead and move it.
In light of the recent Shadow the Hedgehog game coming out, I decided to perform a character analysis of sorts on Shadow, delving into who he is and what it is that made him the way he is. The results surprised me. I discovered that, as strange as it may seem, Shadow the hedgehog has a lot in common with the SatAM version of Sonic, and in the process, gained a lot more respect for him as a character. I’ll explain…
I think that Shadow is a far more complex character than most people think, both those who like and dislike him. He isn't just a Super Sonic recolor whose only personality traits are angst and arrogance.
He's actually a very compassionate and loyal person who would do anything for a friend or loved one. In many ways, he's still a child, having been in a stasis tube for the majority of his existence, and like any child, he's unsure of his purpose and reason for being here. This lack of purpose distresses him greatly, driving him to search for life's answers. He has learned some, but it's been a bumpy ride. He's insecure and afraid of showing weakness, hence the tough, arrogant image he presents to the world. He's also very lonely, and he fears that he may always be that way. He's been jaded by the callous and cruel nature of humanity, which, combined with his volatile and passionate personality, has led to a deep-seated mistrust towards people and anger towards the world. He is a very intelligent person who has retained a dark sense of humor, despite all that has happened. (or perhaps because of it) This is evident in his sly manipulation of Eggman in SA2, and the apparent enjoyment he got out of it.
His upbringing on ARK and the violent way he was driven from it shaped who he is. Maria was probably the only one on the colony who treated him like a person rather than some genetically engineered freak science experiment. While everyone else there wanted to know what he could do and what he could give them, she just wanted to know who he was and what she could do to help him. To Shadow, Maria was probably like an older sister and the only friend he ever had. She was the one who cultivated his better traits. Then came the soldiers. Because of some trigger-happy space marines under orders created through some behind-the-scenes political screw-up, the only friend he ever had, a sweet, innocent little girl, got gunned down in cold blood right in front of him, and he was sealed away in a freezer for half a century and forgotten.
I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty pissed off, too. And lonely, and afraid, and cynical, and having some serious trust issues. He hides behind an image of cool, self-assured superiority to hide the fact that he is afraid of being hurt like that again. Sure, he is powerful, he is nigh-unstoppable, he is the Ultimate Lifeform, and he knows it too. But that's not why he acts like he does. It's a mental shield, hiding his vulnerabilities.
The only time that Shadow has seemed genuinely happy was in the end of SA2, after Amy pleaded with him and reminded him of Maria's dying wish. Before then, he was following what HE wanted. HE wanted to destroy humanity, to punish them for what they did to him. But Amy, innocent and optimistic like his old friend, reminded him of Maria's wishes and her kind, forgiving nature. He had become what he sought to destroy, but her message from beyond the grave pulled him from the brink. He put aside his petty anger and rose above the cruelty of humanity, sacrificing himself for something bigger and greater than himself. As he fell to his seeming doom, he didn't struggle. He was at peace at last. He had found and fulfilled his purpose, and he did something that would have made his only friend proud.
Somehow, he survived, and now is faced with the same struggle and search for purpose in the new game, having conveniently forgotten the lessons he learned before. He isn't at war with humanity or aliens. He is at war with himself. His bitter side, angry at humanity is fighting with his better side, the side that Maria believed in. I look forward to playing that conflict.
But turning away from Shadow for a second, consider Sonic in SatAM. Oozing attitude, supremely confident, and constantly showing off his supernatural skills, he is the physical embodiment of cool to some and extremely annoying to others. He is egotistical, going on constantly about how he is “hedgehog perfection”, but yet, when the chips are down, he shows his true self: a compassionate, self-sacrificing hero who would do anything to protect his friends and loved ones. In Sonic’s Nightmare, we see the reason for his constant attitude and showing off: it is to hide his vulnerabilities. Robotnik’s coup hurt Sonic at a very deep level, as it did all those who survived it. He lost his uncle, the closest he had to a father, to the roboticizer, he lost his home to the armies of Robotnik and the pollution left in his wake, and he lost his security. He was forced to live in hiding in for the next ten years, the threat of Robonik constantly looming over him. He is deeply afraid of losing his family again, for that is what the Freedom Fighters have become to him.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Shadow and SatAM Sonic act the same way for the same reasons. They were both badly hurt in the past, having their illusions of security and their loved ones violently ripped away from them. They disguise their fears and doubts through their attitudes.
The differences between them lie on what happened after the tragedies that shaped them. Sonic had the luxury of friends. After having lost his uncle and pet, Sonic had his friends, the Freedom Fighters, to turn to. They became his surrogate family. They kept him relatively stable and gave him something positive to fight and strive for. Shadow didn’t have that luxury. No friends, no family. All he had were his distorted memories of his friend’s dying wish and his hatred for the ones who had wronged him.
Sonic could have become like Shadow. If his friends hadn’t escaped with him during the coup, or if Robotnik found Knothole and attacked it, with Sonic being the only survivor, it would have devastated him. The loss of Tails and Sally in particular. If this happened…he would have no one to comfort him, no one to keep him somewhat level-headed, and no one to steer him on the right course. All he would have left is memories, pain, and an undying hatred for Robotnik. That hatred would consume him, like it did Shadow. And like Shadow, there would be that speck of good still inside him, waiting to be reawakened by the memories of his selfless loved ones.
Discuss at will.
