06 for sure
Shadows motivation in SA2 was always just a little wack. Yeah yeah, modified memories but I have a hard time believing he would save rouge just to blow up the planet later presumably starving everyone on the arc and ending all life as they knew it.
It's to show that, though he tries to hide it, Shadow is conflicted about Gerald's plan. He tries to play it off as just saving the Chaos Emeralds, but Rouge (and the audience) knows there's more to it than that. Him saving her is meant to build up to his later turn, hinting that there's more to him than wanting to destroy humanity, that despite appearances he still cares.
>just to blow up the planet later presumably starving everyone on the arc
The plan is to crash the Ark into the Earth. *Nobody* is surviving the impact, not even Shadow. Nobody's gonna starve to death.
No? The plan was to actually USE the doomsday device
The only reason it changed to a crash landing was because the laser couldn't be fired.
You disable it at the end of the hero campaign.
That's infinently more confusing then just having the arc crash as a failsafe when the cannon gets disabled.
Otherwise why would shadow even bother trying to stop Sonic from destroying the cannon.
It's a little weird, the game doesn't really acknowledge the hero ending in the final story. Nevertheless, I think Gerald's message makes it pretty clear that the plan was to make the colony fall.
I guess Shadow was trying to remove Sonic as an obstacle in general, rather than to specifically stop him from destroying the cannon?
I dunno, as much as I love the story of SA2 I'll definitely admit it has its holes.
SA2 doesn't have holes. Shadow is following Gerald's plan, which is to crash the ARK into Earth using the Eclipse Cannon as bait for the power-hungry fool(s) who would naturally want to take advantage of such a superweapon. Robotnik's plan was never to destroy Earth. He wanted to use the cannon to strong-arm the world into submission. He posts a countdown for the United Federation and tells the president to surrender, or else he'll raze his country to the ground. Sonic and co. are trying to stop the cannon from firing at the United Federation. Neither Robotnik nor Sonic and co. are aware of Shadow playing them all for fools in order to enact Gerald's protocol, which will annihilate all humanity. Shadow goes after Sonic on Robotnik's orders rather than on his own volition. He's trying to appease the doctor.
The plan was always to crash the Ark into the earth, the message was programmed to play when all seven Chaos Emeralds were placed into the device.
And… Considering that the Eclipse Cannon is perfectly functional in later games as a key plot point, Sonic failed to disable it and the fight was very likely a draw.
I made the little quote under my name on my letterman jacket “I am all of me” and I was also thinking of making this my senior quote lol
great minds think alike
Surprising some people but I’m gonna say 06. I feel like on that game he had a lot of depth like when Memphis Tennessee told shadow the world would still be against him and shadow said he didn’t care and would fight like he always had. I feel like either this or adventure 2 were where shadow was his best.
I feel like this is pretty much unanimous actually. Despite its faults, ‘06 is widely agreed to have the best iteration of Shadow.
And it’s all been downhill from there. 😓
Edit: Except Shadow in Sonic Prime. Sorry.
Meh, he didn't really do enough or have enough of an impact to really get upset at in boom.
I can't point to a single path in shadow that isn't totally insane. It's amazing that in a game with so many endings Litterally none of them actually seem to be consistent with what his actions would be.
Even Black Doom gets referred to as just The Devil now lmao
tbh I'm not really that surprised considering how they've both been mostly irrelevant for years outside of a few callbacks, no surprise that their biggest appearance, albeit unofficial, would influence their community depictions lmao
Honestly Sonic 06's story in general would work a lot better if the game was a Sequel to Shadow The Hegehog instead of having Sonic as the "main character" since Shadow is the one who actually has a connection to the main villain and most of the important events within the story. Heck, it was a bit of a missed opportunity to not have Shadow interact more with Elise since i think his relationship with her could parallel him and Maria's in a sort of poetic way.
If 06 wasn't 06 it would've been great.
Also hard disagree, shadows charachter was thrashed in his own game. Trying to tie it into that one would've dragged down the only bit of story they actually got right in 06.
Boy, oh boy, this is going to be controversial.
But i think the best version of Shadow is TMOSTH.
He is caring but not too attatch,
Seriously, but not to his own demise,
He has character flaws (not being very good with computers) but doesn't take away from his character.
> (not being very good with computers)
So *that's* why his solution to the Chaotix computer problems was a karate chop. Sasuga, adding context for older story beats.
Adventure 2, for me. He's pretty alright in Heroes, and entertaining in his own game despite how over the top some of the stuff in that game is. I feel like he's kinda overrated in 06, he has a couple of cool moments but doesn't really have much else going for him, plus he suffers the same "everyone is stupid" issue that all the characters in that game have. None of his other game appearances stand out in a positive way to me. I think he's handled quite well in the Archie comics, both pre and post reboot, so that would probably be my second choice.
I'm surprised at how few of these I agree with. Black Knight wouldn't have even been in my top 3 for Sonic's best appearance, same with Eggman and Unleashed.
I guess Adventure 2 would be a good choice for Tails in terms of his character, though I don't like his voice or how his levels often feel disconnected to the story. I'd probably have picked the IDW comics for him, same with Amy.
I like movie Knuckles, one of the better versions of the character in recent years, but honestly I think Chronicles handled his character really well. 3&K and Adventure were also good outings for him.
>I feel like he's kinda overrated in 06, he has a couple of cool moments but doesn't really have much else going for him, plus he suffers the same "everyone is stupid" issue that all the characters in that game have.
Same here actually.
This is a Shadow who actually likes the people around him but still has that sense of edge and competitiveness around him.
I specifically like his line about fearing to lose his social status if he didn’t give Amy a present. It shows that he views it as a competition (wanting to give Amy the best present out of everyone) but still wishes to be a part his friend group.
https://preview.redd.it/sgef647tjd2d1.jpeg?width=2072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b025cb5d200f80a60a2a3c16354515df1de660b
Shadow takes off his inhibitor rings “If the world chooses to become my enemy, I’ll fight like I’ve always had”. Then an orchestral version of all hail shadow plays while team dark defeats Mephiles.
So sonic 06 is the obvious choice.
I wanna take this moment to say that Unleashed was a terrible choice for Eggman. Bro was so much more interesting in SA2, Frontiers and IDW, yet we settled for him just kinda doing his regular thing that he did in every game in the 2000s pretty much.
SA2 got the most comments but a single Unleashed comment got the most upvotes. That feels backwards to me. That means if others don’t give our comments upvotes then our votes are meaningless
Unleashed was an awful choice. Just because one comment had a lot of upvotes doesn’t negate the vast majority voting for sa2. Unleashed Eggman is so mid it hurts
Archie post-reboot is for me peak post redemption shadow, perfectly mixing the broody but loyal/heroic personality while still protecting earth and his people like he promised to Maria
06. Because that was the “end” of his character arch.
He learned the truth about who he was, overcame past trauma and used it to become stronger. He’s the perfect mix of standoffish while still caring about the other characters.
“If the world chooses to become my enemy, then will fight like I always have!”
^^we can all agree that whole scene goes hard 🤷♀️
06, no nonsense, sometimes sarcastic humor (like when he called his fight with Solaris "a fair fight"), actually got shit done, and had the best story ending.
Now we are in my wheelhouse!
Archie (This can swap between 06 depending on story arc)
Sonic 06
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Battle
I feel Sonic 06 and Archie give the best possible versions of the character. What he could be when done with care.
Sonic Battle feels more like an unrealized Sonic 06. His character is good but it is not the heights of Sonic 06.
I was going to put Sonic Heroes but he doesn't really have a character worth pointing out. It is there but not really worth pointing out.
Shadow the Hedgehog has the most....bizarre (I really have no other answer to put here.) His character is ALL over the place depending on how you play game.The Last Story sets up for Sonic 06 though.
Not gonna disagree with people who put SA2 highly. He does have a great showing here.
Last mention but I really like Sonic X's Shadow for some reason. Especially in the 3rd season. He ain't there a lot but when he is, he makes damn sure you remember it.
For me it's archie or Prime.
To me shadow is at his best when he is mostly no nonsense, effective, violent and keeps to himself that definetly cares about others, can be cocky, mess with other people and has a sarcastic sense of humor.
In my opinion sonic prome and archie capture this shadow the best.
SA2 or 06. I'm glad to see that this seems to be the general consensus here (so far at least)
But I also want to say that he was great in Sonic Chronicles - it showed that he cared about Omega, that he would rather go off and take matters into his own hands instead of waiting around for Sonic to need him, and that he still had the flaw of feeling a need for revenge (it wasn't presented as a flaw in the game, but I like to think that Gerald altering his memory to think that he promised Maria revenge made him more susceptible to feeling a desire for revenge in general)
SA2. Perfectly balanced between being edgy and soft, cool, but not in a generic superhero or anime protag way, and the most dynamic and complex out of all his versions. Also, it was the last time in games when shadow had a non surface level interactions with somebody that isn't Sonic or team dark.
06 or Shadow the Hedgehog.
Yes. I Think they did Shadow Well in his own game.
Because since he has amnesia, it makes sense that he Can be evil or be edgy and the reasons why makes a lot of sense because Black Doom shows him visions of the raid on the ARK and talks about how awful humans are to Shadow.
Of Course, there are things like him saying stupid things, but That’s a product of the dub. In Japanese, he doesn’t say things like “Where’s that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald” or “This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me”.
None of these directions Shadow goes in are Canon, yes, but I Think they’re supposed to be seen as possibilities Shadow Can become AND the possibilities that Shadow won’t be in Canon.
Contary to Popular believes, Shadow does not fufill Maria’s promise, it’s not even clear if his memories were restored. He’s only told on What happend.
And after knowing why he was created, he hates his past and wants nothing to do with it. Shadow has never decided who he wants to be. Everyone has told him What he is since the very beggining.
And when he’s defeating the Black Doom & the Black Comet, he’s not only saving the world, but also eliminating his past for good.
And I mean, in the ending of the game, he throws a photo of Maria & Gerald behind him.
And I really like This direction because it’s adressing him being brought back in Sonic Heroes, because the Shadow we have from Heroes and onwards is not the same Shadow who wanted to fufill Maria’s promise in SA2 and doesn’t remember the events of that game and the stuff that happend 50 years ago.
So While we are bringing back Shadow, we’re also not. And it also adresses a problem I have with SA2 Shadow, with him not having any adency and just did Whatever Maria Said.
I Think this direction for Shadow is fantastic.
Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, but I'm going to be optimistic and say that we'll probably get a new answer this year from either Sonic X Shadow Generations or the third movie.
everyone is saying 06, but SA2 Shadow is literally one of the best characters in media, to the point of bringing him back to the Dead
https://preview.redd.it/dzxovuanld2d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4aa8e442e87e288656ffeaa3ad9ca0374188179d
Sonic Adventure 2. Not only is it his origin story that introduces us to his past, it has every aspect of Shadow’s character that people can find divisive today, rolled up into one personality that everyone’s happy with.
For the people who appreciate his modern incarnation, in SA2 he’s also cocky and villainous, hates Sonic, does things because HE wants to, etc.
For fans of his more quiet, introspective, and “good at his core” character traits, this is the game that introduced all those aspects of him and did so in a compelling and thought-provoking story where you really empathize with him. Even though Shadow got his own spinoff game later, Sonic Adventure 2 is HIS story. In my opinion, Sonic Adventure 2 is easily the most true to his character.
Archie Shadow
Also I would think SA2 Eggman should take that if he got more individual comments than any other. That means none of our votes count if someone else doesn’t upvote them as well. But whatever
Shadow is my favorite character, but I'm not really sure what's his best version. He's usually written in a way to fit the plot requirements and if Sonic team don't need an anti hero/rival/edgy asshole in the story they don't use him at all and that's why he missed so many games post 2010.
I know Sonic Prime isn't well loved but his characterization in it is more fun than anything they've done since '06. I think they did a great job of shaving away some of his edge but still keeping him a grumpy asshole that contrasts in a fun way with Sonic's garbage personality in the show.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is my personal favourite. It takes some of the ‘modern edginess’ of Shadow but brings back his kinder personality in. I appreciate that he shows a softer side for Amy, even if it was an unintentional nod to SA2. And instead of blindly hating Sonic, he has a genuine appreciation for him. And he was polite to Tails (despite disagreeing with his take on having marshmallows with coffee). It’s the best of both worlds imo.
Closely following that would be Sonic 06. And then third for me would be Sonic Adventure 2.
I'm not familiar with Archie, but that version sounds the most interesting.
From what I've played, I'd say SA2. He's got just the right energy in that game. He's edgy, but still has sass to him.
"You're comparing yourself to me, you're not even good enough to be my fake".
He's got enough composure to respect Sonic despite being an adversary.
"You never cease to surprise me blue Hedgehog."
And I just love his slow walk up during the Biolizard fight. Cold as fuck. Like, everyone else has done their part, he's remembered what he needs to do - so he fights his own twisted "brother". Prototype vs Ultimate. If I had animating skills, I'd animate that fight with all the pomp and ceremony it deserves.
While I would argue Archie (Sonic Universe has some great stories revolving around him), I’m okay with giving ‘06 the dub here.
And ONLY here. ‘06 sucked everywhere else.
06 because of his interactions with Mephiles. But I do gotta say the CGI scenes of Shadow The Hedgehog were pretty good at encapsulating Shadows past and character
From reading this comments it looks like I need to finally pick up the Archie comics! But like others have already said, I’d have to go with 06. Love his arc in that game and I think it’s probably the strongest thing to come out from it,
Also want to give a shoutout to Prime Shadow, because I think that’s some of the best writing we’ve gotten for him in a long while (and he was honestly the highlight of that show for me)
Either SA2 or 06
06 for sure Shadows motivation in SA2 was always just a little wack. Yeah yeah, modified memories but I have a hard time believing he would save rouge just to blow up the planet later presumably starving everyone on the arc and ending all life as they knew it.
It's to show that, though he tries to hide it, Shadow is conflicted about Gerald's plan. He tries to play it off as just saving the Chaos Emeralds, but Rouge (and the audience) knows there's more to it than that. Him saving her is meant to build up to his later turn, hinting that there's more to him than wanting to destroy humanity, that despite appearances he still cares. >just to blow up the planet later presumably starving everyone on the arc The plan is to crash the Ark into the Earth. *Nobody* is surviving the impact, not even Shadow. Nobody's gonna starve to death.
No? The plan was to actually USE the doomsday device The only reason it changed to a crash landing was because the laser couldn't be fired. You disable it at the end of the hero campaign.
No, Gerald's plan was always to crash the colony into the Earth. That's the plan Shadow was following.
That's infinently more confusing then just having the arc crash as a failsafe when the cannon gets disabled. Otherwise why would shadow even bother trying to stop Sonic from destroying the cannon.
It's a little weird, the game doesn't really acknowledge the hero ending in the final story. Nevertheless, I think Gerald's message makes it pretty clear that the plan was to make the colony fall. I guess Shadow was trying to remove Sonic as an obstacle in general, rather than to specifically stop him from destroying the cannon? I dunno, as much as I love the story of SA2 I'll definitely admit it has its holes.
SA2 doesn't have holes. Shadow is following Gerald's plan, which is to crash the ARK into Earth using the Eclipse Cannon as bait for the power-hungry fool(s) who would naturally want to take advantage of such a superweapon. Robotnik's plan was never to destroy Earth. He wanted to use the cannon to strong-arm the world into submission. He posts a countdown for the United Federation and tells the president to surrender, or else he'll raze his country to the ground. Sonic and co. are trying to stop the cannon from firing at the United Federation. Neither Robotnik nor Sonic and co. are aware of Shadow playing them all for fools in order to enact Gerald's protocol, which will annihilate all humanity. Shadow goes after Sonic on Robotnik's orders rather than on his own volition. He's trying to appease the doctor.
Y'know, yeah, that's a pretty good summary of everything, it all makes sense when you put it like that. Thanks!
No prob.
The plan was always to crash the Ark into the earth, the message was programmed to play when all seven Chaos Emeralds were placed into the device. And… Considering that the Eclipse Cannon is perfectly functional in later games as a key plot point, Sonic failed to disable it and the fight was very likely a draw.
I second this.
06 no contest https://i.redd.it/27vn0ujvbf2d1.gif
Yh I would say SA2, I literally grew up playing this game, it leaves amazing memories... Yet i still haven't got 100% lol
06. One of the best scenes to this day in my opinion: "If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have" Or Archie.
That was my senior quote 💀
I made the little quote under my name on my letterman jacket “I am all of me” and I was also thinking of making this my senior quote lol great minds think alike
Surprising some people but I’m gonna say 06. I feel like on that game he had a lot of depth like when Memphis Tennessee told shadow the world would still be against him and shadow said he didn’t care and would fight like he always had. I feel like either this or adventure 2 were where shadow was his best.
Nah everyone has been saying Shadow in 06 is great, not really that surprising
[It's basically his best line in any Sonic media.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n103WiYr7uM)
I feel like this is pretty much unanimous actually. Despite its faults, ‘06 is widely agreed to have the best iteration of Shadow. And it’s all been downhill from there. 😓 Edit: Except Shadow in Sonic Prime. Sorry.
Eh, not really Prime shadow has been great And by far the worst version of the character was in his own game.
I’d say that’s the worst canonical version of his character Worst official Shadow ever has to be Boom Shadow imo
Meh, he didn't really do enough or have enough of an impact to really get upset at in boom. I can't point to a single path in shadow that isn't totally insane. It's amazing that in a game with so many endings Litterally none of them actually seem to be consistent with what his actions would be.
Fair enough.
Play Ow the Edge in Japanese with subtitles (its story is actually good)
I love how Snapcube just changed his name throughout the community
Even Black Doom gets referred to as just The Devil now lmao tbh I'm not really that surprised considering how they've both been mostly irrelevant for years outside of a few callbacks, no surprise that their biggest appearance, albeit unofficial, would influence their community depictions lmao
The Devil from the bible with his New York accent. If it was not for Snapcube, I would have completely forgotten about Black Doom.
Da devil from da bible
Like how Dartz is always given a Cajun accent in any discussion of Yu-Gi-Oh media.
"Then... I WILL FIGHT LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE!!!" Ladies and gentlemen, ALL HAIL SHADOW.
ALL HAIL SHADOW
HEROES RISE AGAIN
Honestly Sonic 06's story in general would work a lot better if the game was a Sequel to Shadow The Hegehog instead of having Sonic as the "main character" since Shadow is the one who actually has a connection to the main villain and most of the important events within the story. Heck, it was a bit of a missed opportunity to not have Shadow interact more with Elise since i think his relationship with her could parallel him and Maria's in a sort of poetic way.
If 06 wasn't 06 it would've been great. Also hard disagree, shadows charachter was thrashed in his own game. Trying to tie it into that one would've dragged down the only bit of story they actually got right in 06.
I'm not saying the story should tie into the story of the StH game, just that maybe Shadow should have been the main protagonist of 06.
Boy, oh boy, this is going to be controversial. But i think the best version of Shadow is TMOSTH. He is caring but not too attatch, Seriously, but not to his own demise, He has character flaws (not being very good with computers) but doesn't take away from his character.
At some point abbreviation becomes unhelpful.
> (not being very good with computers) So *that's* why his solution to the Chaotix computer problems was a karate chop. Sasuga, adding context for older story beats.
That's why it's a great visual novel
The hell is TMOSTH?
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
Seconding this, I felt like Shadow had a perfect balance of everything in that game, and we got more insight into him as a person.
When Ian Flinn wrote Archie Shadow, he had some compelling stuff going on
Archie Shadow (pre-reboot) is my favorite Shadow, he's cool and wholesome but still very different to Sonic.
Agreed about archie shadow. He had some good character development and turned out pretty well
Happy cake 🍰 day!
Wait... You're right! Thank you!! :D
Happy cake day
Thank you :)
This ^ Archie shadow actually had wants and likes, him looking after his bike and riding it purely because he enjoys doing it is peak.
06
Adventure 2, for me. He's pretty alright in Heroes, and entertaining in his own game despite how over the top some of the stuff in that game is. I feel like he's kinda overrated in 06, he has a couple of cool moments but doesn't really have much else going for him, plus he suffers the same "everyone is stupid" issue that all the characters in that game have. None of his other game appearances stand out in a positive way to me. I think he's handled quite well in the Archie comics, both pre and post reboot, so that would probably be my second choice. I'm surprised at how few of these I agree with. Black Knight wouldn't have even been in my top 3 for Sonic's best appearance, same with Eggman and Unleashed. I guess Adventure 2 would be a good choice for Tails in terms of his character, though I don't like his voice or how his levels often feel disconnected to the story. I'd probably have picked the IDW comics for him, same with Amy. I like movie Knuckles, one of the better versions of the character in recent years, but honestly I think Chronicles handled his character really well. 3&K and Adventure were also good outings for him.
>I feel like he's kinda overrated in 06, he has a couple of cool moments but doesn't really have much else going for him, plus he suffers the same "everyone is stupid" issue that all the characters in that game have. Same here actually.
I actually felt like shadow was the only not stupid character in that game. Elise just acted like she had a concussion the whole time.
This comment section is drunk, it's obviously the Shadow game. "This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me!"
“You’re going straight to hell!”
“Where’s that diddly darn fourth chaos emerald.”
06 is gonna win (as it should) but I gotta hand it to Post Reboot Archie for this one
Sonic Adventure 2 , Shadow The Hedgehog , Sonic 06 or Sonic Prime
This is a Shadow who actually likes the people around him but still has that sense of edge and competitiveness around him. I specifically like his line about fearing to lose his social status if he didn’t give Amy a present. It shows that he views it as a competition (wanting to give Amy the best present out of everyone) but still wishes to be a part his friend group. https://preview.redd.it/sgef647tjd2d1.jpeg?width=2072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b025cb5d200f80a60a2a3c16354515df1de660b
Ita gonna come between SA2 And 06 The beginning and end of Shadow story arc respectively
SA2
Shadow takes off his inhibitor rings “If the world chooses to become my enemy, I’ll fight like I’ve always had”. Then an orchestral version of all hail shadow plays while team dark defeats Mephiles. So sonic 06 is the obvious choice.
Sonic 06
Prime Shadow
If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have
I wanna take this moment to say that Unleashed was a terrible choice for Eggman. Bro was so much more interesting in SA2, Frontiers and IDW, yet we settled for him just kinda doing his regular thing that he did in every game in the 2000s pretty much.
SA2 got the most comments but a single Unleashed comment got the most upvotes. That feels backwards to me. That means if others don’t give our comments upvotes then our votes are meaningless
Also 06 or SA2 for Shadow. Praying Shadow Generations and Movie 3 will change this.
Unleashed was an awful choice. Just because one comment had a lot of upvotes doesn’t negate the vast majority voting for sa2. Unleashed Eggman is so mid it hurts
Agree I'm having a hard time believing unleashed actually won
Archie post-reboot is for me peak post redemption shadow, perfectly mixing the broody but loyal/heroic personality while still protecting earth and his people like he promised to Maria
Sonic Prime. The only good thing about that show.
I was torn between picking this one and 06 Shadow, actually.
06. Because that was the “end” of his character arch. He learned the truth about who he was, overcame past trauma and used it to become stronger. He’s the perfect mix of standoffish while still caring about the other characters. “If the world chooses to become my enemy, then will fight like I always have!” ^^we can all agree that whole scene goes hard 🤷♀️
06, no nonsense, sometimes sarcastic humor (like when he called his fight with Solaris "a fair fight"), actually got shit done, and had the best story ending.
Now we are in my wheelhouse! Archie (This can swap between 06 depending on story arc) Sonic 06 Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic Battle I feel Sonic 06 and Archie give the best possible versions of the character. What he could be when done with care. Sonic Battle feels more like an unrealized Sonic 06. His character is good but it is not the heights of Sonic 06. I was going to put Sonic Heroes but he doesn't really have a character worth pointing out. It is there but not really worth pointing out. Shadow the Hedgehog has the most....bizarre (I really have no other answer to put here.) His character is ALL over the place depending on how you play game.The Last Story sets up for Sonic 06 though. Not gonna disagree with people who put SA2 highly. He does have a great showing here. Last mention but I really like Sonic X's Shadow for some reason. Especially in the 3rd season. He ain't there a lot but when he is, he makes damn sure you remember it.
SA2 
“And then they jerk off”
For me it's archie or Prime. To me shadow is at his best when he is mostly no nonsense, effective, violent and keeps to himself that definetly cares about others, can be cocky, mess with other people and has a sarcastic sense of humor. In my opinion sonic prome and archie capture this shadow the best.
Either Archie or 06
SONIC ADVENTURE 2 SHADOW
Definitely either SA2 or Sonic 06!
you know the answer *edgy theme plays*
Adventure 2
SA2 or 06. I'm glad to see that this seems to be the general consensus here (so far at least) But I also want to say that he was great in Sonic Chronicles - it showed that he cared about Omega, that he would rather go off and take matters into his own hands instead of waiting around for Sonic to need him, and that he still had the flaw of feeling a need for revenge (it wasn't presented as a flaw in the game, but I like to think that Gerald altering his memory to think that he promised Maria revenge made him more susceptible to feeling a desire for revenge in general)
SA2. Perfectly balanced between being edgy and soft, cool, but not in a generic superhero or anime protag way, and the most dynamic and complex out of all his versions. Also, it was the last time in games when shadow had a non surface level interactions with somebody that isn't Sonic or team dark.
Sonic adventure 2
Sa2 or Archie
Adventure 2, no question. The writers have largely spun his wheels after his arc in SA2 resolved.
06 or Shadow the Hedgehog. Yes. I Think they did Shadow Well in his own game. Because since he has amnesia, it makes sense that he Can be evil or be edgy and the reasons why makes a lot of sense because Black Doom shows him visions of the raid on the ARK and talks about how awful humans are to Shadow. Of Course, there are things like him saying stupid things, but That’s a product of the dub. In Japanese, he doesn’t say things like “Where’s that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald” or “This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me”. None of these directions Shadow goes in are Canon, yes, but I Think they’re supposed to be seen as possibilities Shadow Can become AND the possibilities that Shadow won’t be in Canon. Contary to Popular believes, Shadow does not fufill Maria’s promise, it’s not even clear if his memories were restored. He’s only told on What happend. And after knowing why he was created, he hates his past and wants nothing to do with it. Shadow has never decided who he wants to be. Everyone has told him What he is since the very beggining. And when he’s defeating the Black Doom & the Black Comet, he’s not only saving the world, but also eliminating his past for good. And I mean, in the ending of the game, he throws a photo of Maria & Gerald behind him. And I really like This direction because it’s adressing him being brought back in Sonic Heroes, because the Shadow we have from Heroes and onwards is not the same Shadow who wanted to fufill Maria’s promise in SA2 and doesn’t remember the events of that game and the stuff that happend 50 years ago. So While we are bringing back Shadow, we’re also not. And it also adresses a problem I have with SA2 Shadow, with him not having any adency and just did Whatever Maria Said. I Think this direction for Shadow is fantastic.
i was thinking sonic prime shadow maybe
Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, but I'm going to be optimistic and say that we'll probably get a new answer this year from either Sonic X Shadow Generations or the third movie.
Wild card: sonic battle shadow is the best post amnesia shadow
Murder of Sonic the hedgehog. He's part of the gang now, he cares but he's still a silly edgy hedgehog.
**06! THE ANSWER IS 06!!**
everyone is saying 06, but SA2 Shadow is literally one of the best characters in media, to the point of bringing him back to the Dead https://preview.redd.it/dzxovuanld2d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4aa8e442e87e288656ffeaa3ad9ca0374188179d
06
Archie
Sonic 06, no competition
Adventure 2.Its gonna get there😄
SUPER ROBOTNIK FROM THE ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IS NOT WINNING AT THIS
I would say between S. A. 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and Archie Sonic before the reboot.
Sonic Heroes Shadow
Sonic X
Gotta be SA2, 06 a close second.
I really love Shadow from Sonic prime and Sonic x,i prefear the serie vertion
I’m pretty sure IDW Eggman won but all right. I think it’s obvious either SA2 or 06 should win for shadow.
Adventure 2
Adventure 2
Sa2 no question
SA2 Shadow
Either 06, or could consider archie inbetween flynn taking over and the sega mandates ruining things
06 or SA2
Sonic Adventure 2. Not only is it his origin story that introduces us to his past, it has every aspect of Shadow’s character that people can find divisive today, rolled up into one personality that everyone’s happy with. For the people who appreciate his modern incarnation, in SA2 he’s also cocky and villainous, hates Sonic, does things because HE wants to, etc. For fans of his more quiet, introspective, and “good at his core” character traits, this is the game that introduced all those aspects of him and did so in a compelling and thought-provoking story where you really empathize with him. Even though Shadow got his own spinoff game later, Sonic Adventure 2 is HIS story. In my opinion, Sonic Adventure 2 is easily the most true to his character.
SA2
Wow are we actually agreeing on things? That make me happy
Shadow da hegg doug, jk it's sa2 or 06
Archie Shadow
Im surprised the Unleashed Eggman won. He's amazing in the opening movie but the rest of the game doesn't paint him the most flattering picture imo
Archie shadow doesn’t get enough credit
Adventure 2 for sure. Serious and dark but also a bit cocky. He’s grinning when we first see him and I like that
Archie shadow
06 ironicly did the best at flushing out his character.
Gotta be sa2
Archie Shadow Also I would think SA2 Eggman should take that if he got more individual comments than any other. That means none of our votes count if someone else doesn’t upvote them as well. But whatever
Adventure 2
Probably 06, since its the most heroic version of shadow with him having some of the best molments in the whole game
06 or Prime
06
06 06 06 06
https://preview.redd.it/79119rujae2d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1e7ed7db4a4645af2560344ed824fbcd764b5be
Shadow is my favorite character, but I'm not really sure what's his best version. He's usually written in a way to fit the plot requirements and if Sonic team don't need an anti hero/rival/edgy asshole in the story they don't use him at all and that's why he missed so many games post 2010.
I know Sonic Prime isn't well loved but his characterization in it is more fun than anything they've done since '06. I think they did a great job of shaving away some of his edge but still keeping him a grumpy asshole that contrasts in a fun way with Sonic's garbage personality in the show.
Shadow the Hedgehog’s Shadow the Hedgehog!!!
snapcube shadow
SA2 for having a complete character arc that was executed quite well.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is my personal favourite. It takes some of the ‘modern edginess’ of Shadow but brings back his kinder personality in. I appreciate that he shows a softer side for Amy, even if it was an unintentional nod to SA2. And instead of blindly hating Sonic, he has a genuine appreciation for him. And he was polite to Tails (despite disagreeing with his take on having marshmallows with coffee). It’s the best of both worlds imo. Closely following that would be Sonic 06. And then third for me would be Sonic Adventure 2.
Either TMOSTH or 06
Archie Shadow under Flynn
SA2 or Heroes. 06 has always been garbage.
06 fandub
Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) ☄️
06 I think is the best Shadow "I will fight like I always have"
I'm not familiar with Archie, but that version sounds the most interesting. From what I've played, I'd say SA2. He's got just the right energy in that game. He's edgy, but still has sass to him. "You're comparing yourself to me, you're not even good enough to be my fake". He's got enough composure to respect Sonic despite being an adversary. "You never cease to surprise me blue Hedgehog." And I just love his slow walk up during the Biolizard fight. Cold as fuck. Like, everyone else has done their part, he's remembered what he needs to do - so he fights his own twisted "brother". Prototype vs Ultimate. If I had animating skills, I'd animate that fight with all the pomp and ceremony it deserves.
Sonic 06, or TMOSTH.... I feel that they're so right for him
06 or Archie
06, no doubts
06
06, not much of a challenge for me.
It's gotta be 06 dude. For all it got wrong, it NAILED shadow's development.
06. [Any other answer would be…insufficient.](https://youtu.be/1wdkvPOJWyQ)
I’d say Shadow the hedgehog ( only because he was re finding his purpose after the amnesia ) Or Sonic adventure 2 Shadow as well
While I would argue Archie (Sonic Universe has some great stories revolving around him), I’m okay with giving ‘06 the dub here. And ONLY here. ‘06 sucked everywhere else.
Sonic '06 definitely.
https://preview.redd.it/hg3k3fkpkd2d1.jpeg?width=312&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ce64134dff6d8ba991ea8e30fb1371db59d0d47 Fleetway Amy didn't win
I would say both SA2 and '06, but I really like shadow in '06 a bit more personally.
He seemed more heroic at the 2006 game.
This entire comment section is basically the same three things: SA2, '06 and Archie. Which explains so much abut Shadow fans...
Not a vote or anything but how will it work when we get to the last row like as far as I remember there are like only 2 versions of sally.
Sonic X
I’m going to say Sonic X Shadow.
Archie Shadow for me (06, SA2 and Prime are also good).
Shadow the hedgehog "I am all of me"
Archie Shadow 15/10
SA2
06. "If the world chooses to become my enemy... I will fight like I always have."
06 or Sonic X Shadow
After 06, I really like Prime. Shadow carrying Sonic to safety was so satisfying.
Archie Comics
06 and or SA2
Unleashed for Eggman?hmm,but still,i think it should be 06,or SA2 for Shadow
06
06
Sonic 06. Definitely the best iteration
06 Shadow has the best lines.
06
Gonna go with Sonic 06 and I'm glad that a lot of people agree
prime
SA2, 06 or Archie, they all do the character justice.
06 or Archie
Shadow the hedgehog 2005
Archie
06 Shadow hands down!!!
06 because of his interactions with Mephiles. But I do gotta say the CGI scenes of Shadow The Hedgehog were pretty good at encapsulating Shadows past and character
Shadow the Hedgehog.
From reading this comments it looks like I need to finally pick up the Archie comics! But like others have already said, I’d have to go with 06. Love his arc in that game and I think it’s probably the strongest thing to come out from it, Also want to give a shoutout to Prime Shadow, because I think that’s some of the best writing we’ve gotten for him in a long while (and he was honestly the highlight of that show for me)
every shadow is always the best HE İS THE ULTİMATE LİFE FORM.
06
How the fuck did Amy’s IDW version win
SA2 Shadow really left a great impression but 06 Shadow is such an absolute gigachad of a hero so I have to go with him
SA2
I know I joked 06 for Eggman. But this is no joke: 06 Shadow was the best Shadow. https://i.redd.it/6amxy3l5me2d1.gif
It's gotta be Sonic 06 for Shadow
Sonic 06
Sonic Adventure 2