He vowed to leave the past behind him and continue forward as Maria truly wanted, as humanity's guardian.Ģ006's much maligned Sonic the Hedgehog (also referred to as Sonic 06) presents a Shadow at the end of this journey. After much struggle across Sonic Heroes, Sonic Battle and Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow discovered the truth behind his creation, and ultimately decided that it didn't matter. He formed a strong bond with his teammates Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega, creating Team Dark. Shadow is later resurrected with amnesia in Sonic Heroes and is forced to re-discover himself and his place in the world. RELATED: Sonic the Hedgehog's Newest Ally Reveals Her REAL Identity The actions he took were only a result of his bond with Maria. Upon realizing his memories of her had been tampered with, he immediately set off to help save the planet, sacrificing his life to do so. In Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow resigned himself to using the ARK's eclipse cannon to destroy the Earth purely because he believed it was the dying wish of Maria Robotnik, the person he cared about the most. Despite his gruff, arrogant exterior, the trait that defined him the most was compassion.
The interesting, likeable character of those first few outings has been replaced by something bland, one-note and boring. Unfortunately, the Shadow that exists in modern Sonic the Hedgehog titles is a far cry from the one that become iconic all those years ago. Shadow was quickly catapulted to the position of second most popular character in the franchise, behind only Sonic himself. It is also famous for introducing the character of Shadow the Hedgehog to the series. 2001's Sonic Adventure 2 is widely regarded as one of the greatest 3D outings for the Blue Blur.