I can't take Shadow's opening seriously at all, with him against the moon, locking and loading. I can remember hearing the gun was born from kids writing to Sega saying, "we want Sonic to get a gun!" Only for Sega to be, "well we can't let Sonic use a gun, lets just have Shadow use one." Who were those kids!? And why did you think that was a good idea Sega!?
Shadow the Game's CGI feels like the 2010s.. before the 2010s. The style is present but not the stiffness and characters are still rounder and more rubbery to an extent that you can see how it might've been rooted in the DC games. I personally see it as the peak for the cast as a whole in terms of 3D.
@@DemonDethchasebecause it is? Guns are cool, as “edgy” as that sounds, it’s actually not. Guns are one of the most dangerous coolest things known to man. And seeing a black hedgehog wield one, is downright badass. I don’t know why people hate that. Just cuz shadow has magic powers doesn’t mean he can’t hold a weapon, sometimes sparkles and glitter ain’t so cool in tv shows and sometimes you wanna go a more serious route and show off dangerous actual weapons that exist in real life. Not silly chaos control magic with cute little glitter sparkle, nah, I wanna see some action! An ak47 locked and loaded 🔥 And yet you don’t find that cool?…
Part of what made Shadow such a strong "dark clone" character is that he's one of the few "dark clone" characters who's motivations don't involve the character he's mirroring at all. From the get go, none of Shadow's motivations relied on Sonic and up until every character got butchered in colours and onward this remained true for Shadow.
Hey, go easy on Kirk Thornton, he's a great voice actor. I will admit he's never sat quite right with me in this particular role though, I think the problem is that he just sounds too different from both of his predecessors, if his was the first Shadow voice I'd heard I think I'd like it more. I feel direction might be an issue too, the raspiness and attitude of his performance often feels obnoxiously forced, if you compare his Shadow to his performance as Saix in Kingdom Hearts you can hear what he should probably sound more like. His performance was noticeably better in Sonic Forces at least.
Didn't mean to put blame on the VA at all. Just Shadow's voice stood out in that game because of the harsh change, it was definitely worth poking fun at!
Honestly Shadow in SA2, Heroes, and 06 wasn’t really edgy. By his 2nd fight against Sonic in SA2 he is intrigued by Sonic and compliments his skill, by time they are fighting final hazard he says he believes that Sonic is the ultimate life form, Shadow knew how to be humble, hell when Amy hugs him mistaking him for Sonic he just smiles while looking back at her. Then there was when he saved Rouge. Then you have his interactions with Rouge and Omega in heroes and 06, he genuinely cares for the 2 and when Omega tells him he kills Shadow in the future she has a reaction of disbelief. Remember his quote from 06 “if the world chooses to become my enemy, then I will fight like I always have.” It’s only in the Pontiac and Graff games where he acts more like some Vegeta knock-off and apparently with what recently happened in IDW Sonic not even Ian Flynn wanted him to be as stupid as he was written to be.
Shadow the hedgehog is such a misunderstood character I mean believe me I love The jokes but there’s really something to look at there about him being the sonic of the early 2000s
Calling shadow a hedgehog vegeta is technically incorrect and insulting to both characters. Vegeta is a prideful warrior who wants to surpass goku. I’m pretty sure shadow doesn’t have pride. Saying Shadow is like Vegeta is saying his main goal is to make Sonic look like a bitch (which it isn’t) And saying the vice versa is basically calling Vegeta a simp
I'm not sure I agree. I think Sonic is represented as the Hero like Goku (super sonic/super saiyan) Shadow the villain turned anti-Hero like Vegeta (super shadow/super saiyan) (And Silver the time traveling warrior from the future to stop a bad timeline = Trunks) I think he means to say that Sonic and Dragonball have similarities/parallels with their themes Another example is collecting mystical objects (7 chaos emeralds/7 Dragon balls) [And also its your opinion, BUT I like Dragon Ball AND Sonic. Calling Shadow is not insulting, they both are villains that come to destroy "But Shadow doesn't have pride!" Definition of pride - be especially proud of (a particular quality or skill) Here's a famous quote from Shadow *Faker? I think you're the fake around here. You're comparing yourself to me? Ha. You're not even good enough to be my fake.* Then moments after tries to make sonic look like a B, by beating him down
@@vexzel5773 what makes either shadow or vegeta anti heroes? Vegeta yeah in the start of the frieza Saga but by the time of the cell saga he did mostly good. Yeah majin vegeta is a thing but he still at the end of the day died as hero trying to save everyone. Now on to shadow, *there isn't a single moment where he was portrayed as an anti hero.* he saved the earth after remembering maria's true final wish, helped stop metal overlord, saved the earth AGAIN from the black arms, also helped fight off solaris etc. I see no reason why shadow is an anti hero.
@@ZeothTheHedgehog An antihero is the main character of a story, but one who doesn't act like a typical hero. Antiheroes are often a little villainous. The definition of antihero Vegata was a villain whos intent was to destroy all life on earth Shadow intent was to destroy all life on earth Later on would have a change of heart and not act on that intent They both grow and turn into antiheroes Usually in their own way stopping any greater evil "An antihero is kind of like a villain, or a mix of a hero and a villain" (Btw the source I'm using www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/antihero ) Like in the game shadow the hedgehog, or even the latest manga of db super They know and accept who they are Sure they might use guns or kill But the do it to protect what they love They don't try to be heroes They just don't let people mess with them and will use their strength to destroy and over come anything that challenges them They do things for personal goals And what best suites their interests at the moment
@@MarioSonicBee The question is, how real is that pride? You look back at the flashback and Shadow is very unsure of himself and his purpose in this world, and the Shadow we see in SA2 is basically on a grief-fueled revenge rampage, so how he acts during that... well, is that the true Shadow? Notice after that point he never really brags about being the 'Ultimate Life Form' anymore, just states it as fact, except when wondering if that title actually should be applied to Sonic instead.
@@dojostudios6330 Nah mate, While SEGA's in-house CG team have done most of the CG cutscenes, Blur Studios worked on the CG for Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06 the next year. That's why so many fans couldn't believe what they were seeing when we got our first look at the Sonic movie, knowing that they'd done a near perfect job before... 15 years ago.
OH MY GOD He's JUST *TOO* *C O O L* I exaggerate but no joke, for as much as the internet makes fun of him edge, Shadow is and always will be one of the coolest video game character ever made! He's the -man- hedgehog!
Sonic Adventure 2/SA:Battle is my favorite, however I do also love the art style from Sonic Riders( I would love to watch a show with that type of art style).
12:43 That statement actually works in two ways. Edgy was originally short for cutting-edge. It was often used to describe dark and gritty movies, back when those were the latest tread, to the point where it became synonymous with that aesthetic. The irony is, the more "edgy" Shadow becomes, the less edgy he actually is
I read somewhere that Blaze the Cat is an evolution of an early Shadow design. I bloody love the Riders art style, the Sonic cast really suit that rough sketchbook art style!
I can already tell you got footage of that cutscene where the president looks at Sonic and Shadow's picture on his desk and reminisces about the good times from Game Grump's playthrough. XD
The thing with Shadow is he's never really been edgy other than the fact he's black and red which are popular goth colours. His attitude started off pretty loyal to those he was familiar with and even going out of his way to keep his team safe. He's calm and calculated, finding solutions in problems and vowing to become the planet's protector for eternity as per Maria's wish. Theeeeeeennnn the fans came along and kept bugging Sega about giving him a gun until they eventually agreed.The Shadow the Hedgehog game was all the fan's doing despite how much they claim not.
Even though it isn't part of the games I've always liked the Shadow design in the Sonic X anime. One of the reasons I really like this style is because of how it is like if they took the art in the Sonic Adventure series and put it into an anime.
I still find it weird the voice of Shadow and Gabumon, has lived like 30 minutes from my house my entire life and I never once met him. Not even at a convention.
Sadly I was never into Shadow or the games he debuted in. I gave up on Sonic after Sonic Adventure 2, though I did pick up and enjoy Sonic Heroes. I never really got back into Sonic until Sonic Generations, though I do own but have never played Sonic Colours. Great video mate!
What's sad is that 06 was the last time the games actually understood Shadow and what he's really all about. Where he's got legitimate angst and problems that has the support and trust of friends, rather than the edgehog who laughs at the idea of them. But, because the game was a glitchy mess, everything from it must be purged...
Fun Fact: When it comes to Shadow's design and how he looks similar to Sonic in canon, Professor Gerald based Shadow off of the mural of Super Sonic in Hidden Palace from Sonic 3 & Knuckles
@@ArtistMarkFlynn well, we do know that Professor Gerald definitely researched and checked out locations such as Angel Island, it’s how he knew a lot about Emerl, why he made the Chaos Drives and how he based the Artificial Chaos off off the original Chaos 0, he also seemed to have known about the Mural, when the Bio Lizard failed, he went to gain more inspiration from these places, most likely discovering the mural and then used Super Sonic as inspiration for Project Shadow
@@ArtistMarkFlynn Sorry for the late reply, didn't know you replied back In Sonic Battle if you replay and finish an episode again, you get pages of Gerald's Diary, and in Adventure 2 if you look closely on to some words from a newspaper Rouge was holding and Gerald's Diary when she was reading you can find more detail info.
A thing I really like about the SA2 design that doesn't appears in his later designs is the velvety texture to his black fur. His muzzle colour is also darker in SA2 but in a lot of the appearances that followed it's more in line with Sonic's. I think these changes make him look less like his own character and more like Sonic-but-black-instead-of-blue.
The shade of his skin varies depending on the version. I think Adventure 2's yellow color compliments the rest of the design well. Although that game had a lot of lighting errors, so even if his skin is yellow on the box art, it's harder to see what they were really going for on the character model. (Example-Knuckles and Rouge's skin was shaded way darker than they intended based on other games and the box art)
I think I like the design for Sonic Riders the most... I like how his spines were illustrated and the goggles is a nice touch too! Have to love the overall artstyle for Riders too, all in all :D
I will always be a fan of Yuji's designs of the characters, especially Shadow's. I may be biased, but I believe the SA2 3D rendition of Shadow captures Yuji's design almost perfectly. The only other model I like is the one they use in the cutscenes of his own game. Seriously, I will never understand glossy character models- I would like the one in Sonic Boom since he keeps much of his original design, but I don't get the cuffs on his gloves and shoes. I feel like they're too out there. I don't mind the idea of it, I think it's a neat concept, especially for his shoes cause a lot of people tend to call his shoes "rocket boots", but I feel that they went a little overboard with it. Even the rings didn't need to be changed. If they were their normal sizes, I don't think anyone would've noticed. By making them bigger along with giving him cuffed gloves and shoes makes it distracting when he's on screen. My eyes are not going to his face like they should be, my eyes are stuck on his gloves and shoes.
So, the muzzle isn't the white tuft on Shadow's chest. The muzzle is the tan area where the mouth and nose are located on the face of prettymuch all Sonic characters (sometimes its white for foxes and cats) I've always called the tan thing on Sonic's stomach a "stomach patch". I guess Shadow and Silver technically have "Chest Tufts"? IDK, I don't have a good name for that one. Haha
2:48 What is that!? I can only wonder happened with the character models for Heroes and Shadow as they looked great in the first two Adventure games and they got super glossy. Though I did see a mod for the PC version of Heroes, which removes the glossy look and they actually look not too bad. Also to this day, I cannot watch the Shadow opening and take it seriously what with its first shot against the moon he's jamming the magazine into his gun. The song's good though. Looking forward to the Tails video, truly good things come in time :)
These aren't really different designs except for the boom one, it's different art styles. Sonic characters designs don't really rely on a one style like other characters for example Timmy Turner which was made with a specific style in mind. It's great because it gives so much variety and I think that's what makes Sonic able to be a great multi media franchise.
Absolutely love your channel and videos! Shadow has been a great character added to the Sonic mythos, and I seriously love Terios final design for Sonic Adv.2 as there were alot of work that went into it!
Holy cow, I was not ready for those early conceptual designs they did for Shadow. Like oh man, they looked so jarring and thank goodness they had the sense to go back to the drawing board and give us the design we know and love (or hate lol). Anyway I'm in agreement that I think Shadow's design from SA2 is still his best to date. I love the rough texture of his model and how his quills look when at top speed in motion. The sleek and fluid official art of him for the game also looked very nice as well, very striking. What you said about his sprite in Sonic Battle, I agree with you there. I really like Knuckles and he's my main in most sonic games but I just have to give it to Shadow, his sprite was easily the best out of them all and it only makes me sad that we didn't get one more 2D Sprite based Sonic Advance game that used that sprite. I mean can you imagine how cool it would've been to get a Sonic Advance 4 and be able to play as Shadow using that sprite? Total missed opportunity haha. I think my least favorite of his designs is the one from Sonic Heroes & Shadow The Hedgehog. I will agree that in the CGI cutscenes of Shadow the hedgehog, he looked really good but his in-game model was just an eyesore not just because of the overly glossy coloring style but I also didn't like how they emphasized how short he is. Like in the game, it feels like his head is engulfing most of his body when in back view and I just never liked that at all and I'm grateful they didn't continue this style into Sonic 06. I'm gonna say something that might be seen as controversial but I'm not lying in saying that I actually thought that Shadow's redesign in Sonic Boom looked really nice. I actually liked the messier quills, the taller body, the added wrist/arm guards and taller boots for him. It's just a shame that his personality was way too on the nose and it didn't help that the voice actor just wasn't that great. Like no hate to Kirk Thompson but to my ears, David Humphrey will always be Shadow to me but that aside, at least on a purely shallow looks perspective, I thought that his design actually looked kinda cool. Anyway I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on his designs over the years, character design analysis videos are just so entertaining. Keep up the good work. :)
I have a request. Can you do Ratchet design analysis? It's just that Ratchet And Clank has been my childhood game series and his design has change for quite some time in each console generation.
So glad you dunked on his voice in the current dubs. Kirk Thornton is a veteran VA, but the performance and direction are waaay off. Excellent analysis; I loved connecting on looking at the Shadow (game) renders back in the day. I still think they're a decent sendoff for the characters before the HD era. Would love to see some of these designs as costumes some day! Shadow 2 baby, the crappy meme tone of modern Sonic would be perfect for that.
I think it would have been good to mention his appearance in the ROM hack Sonic 1 Megamix which was another pixelated sprite-based Shadow design. That's probably my favorite Shadow design.
Imo the adventure era of Sonic artwork is my favorite depictions of all the characters since they have a unique spark to them, Sonic and Shadow benefiting the most out of it
As a character created to be a rival after Sonic's rival Knuckles was made to be another sidekick sort of character, Shadow's more just a basic rival trope, yet still manages to be really well designed. While I don't like Knuckles just being replaced by a 'Sonic but a bit of a bad guy,' I'm still glad he exists and wouldn't get rid of him. I like his original 2D artwork most and the Shadow The Hedgehog '05 cutscene 3D model most. The Sonic Battle 2D art looks great too. Not a fan of those Sonic Battle sprites though. Sonic's DS sprites are some of my least favourite of all time.
i'd say shadow only started becoming a vegeta clone in some parts of his game and in chronicles onward probably, since really, he and vegeta aren't really that similar, especially in sa2, wherein he doesn't really seem to have an inferiority or superiority complex, if anything he seemed more surprised and curious about sonic using chaos control rather than bothered over someone else using his technique, not to mention he was humble enough to say sonic might be the real ultimate lifeform since he had better control over his super form. that aside, i'd have to go with sa2 shadow for best design, i don't know, maybe it's because the game has my favorite characterization for shadow, but even then, on its own i find something about it more appealing than the other designs, it also helps this game doesn't have the constant and idiotic trope of posing shadow in the same two "he's crossing his arms now" or "he's showing his back now" poses, seriously, what's with games after sa2 constantly putting shadow in these two particular poses? they're about the most unimaginative poses you could put a character in! as always, great video mark and i'm looking forward to the next one.
Thank you for watching. I don't think they are exactly the same at all, but obviously the spines and colour scheme definitely feels like it was inspired by vegetas hair. Can't help but feel the dbz influence what with them both being super at the end of SA2 though. Shadow basically does vegetas buu saga arc across one whole game lol. Silver however...His whole god damn plot is trunks lol.
@@ArtistMarkFlynn when it comes to the quills, sure i agree, though personally i don't agree with the buu saga point since shadow never seemed to really dislike sonic during sa2 and only called him a faker after sonic did the same, he was more of a nuisance or annoyance to him, at least that's what i got from it, compared with vegeta who really hated goku for surpassing him and only starting respecting him as a warrior in the buu saga. "Silver however...His whole god damn plot is trunks lol." oh yea, that ones just.....really blatant.
Shadow the Hedgehog on PS2 was the first Sonic game I ever played. God it's such a nostalgic guilty pleasure. It also has an amazing soundtrack (seriously Digital Circuit is boss tier)
"Shadow the Hedgehog" (2005) is the only proper Sonic game I've played (I did was movie edits of the other games storymode on RUclips). I have nostalgia for the game. I love it genuinely not as a joke.
Am I the only one who hates when people compare vegeta to shadow. Vegeta is my fav character In dragon ball so I know a thing or too about him. he isn’t that similar to shadow other than him being the rival of the main character and him being a villain first and then becoming hero later on that’s the only two similarities.
I think the best Shadow design would be a mix of Boom Shadow with his Air Shoes having the design and shape of that Shadow's Air Shoes and the cowlick-like spike at the bottom Quills, Adventure Shadow where his Inhibitor Rings are like bands which would be more realistic than the way it's removed as it doesn't seem possible, possessing a mix of Terios The Prototype with that scar on his eye and downward quills because it makes the idea he's like Sonic as the design we have made that situation in Sonic Adventure 2 and he can't create illusions so it shouldn't have happened and he should also be completely Jet Black with some bits of Crimson Red symbols on him representing his anatomy as a Black Arm Hedgehog hybrid, he possesses more fur and having more of a taller, more muscular legs and arms representing his name, Shadow. However all characters need an updated look because it's been too long having these designs and that's why people came to watch this movie as the new changes make them fresh and honestly having new attire would make Shadow better which Amy also needs a change and having a new dress would help or some Jean's as I've been more interested in that item of clothes but Sonic Riders gave us new designs which I do like Sonic with sunglasses and those sneakers truly make him cool, those sneakers he's had in past games is just silly and I can see why people didn't find him cool so Sonic Riders helped with that.
SA2 i think did it best, i LOVE his design in sonic riders and honestly, im kinda a big fan of his design in sonic boom too, but i think thats just because i love him so i will just take him no matter what he looks like
![Diggy Graves - Red Vineyard [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Ro085T0mnQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The first 1000 people who click the link will get 2 free months of Skillshare Premium: skl.sh/theartistmarkflynn3
I honestly prefer the sonic 06 shadow design over any other one
What is the best tyrant design
(resident evil) ?
Can you do sora from kingdom hearts series please
Ok
Instablaster
The concept art versions of shadow really do look like a fan character
I really wanna like this but it has 69 likes.
More like bad fan characters. Which unfortunately, are ajat most Sonic fan characters are
OH CEEE D O N U T S T E E L
That simply means every fan character has potential, but they're still in their beta phase
funny.
I don’t like how they tried giving him muscles on his arms in the concept art. Buff hedgehogs are scary
Didn't stop knuckles.
@@emceemunchapussy1891 Knuckles is an echidna, dummy. Buff echidnas are fine xd
Buff Sonic characters can look good, if the muscles are cartoony, and fit the style, like with Boom Knuckles, or Storm the Albatross
Ikr
> Sonic the Werehog
Can't take the renders of Shadow the hedgehog 2005 seriously anymore, they have been memed to death, which is sad because it's my favorite design.
I can't take Shadow's opening seriously at all, with him against the moon, locking and loading.
I can remember hearing the gun was born from kids writing to Sega saying, "we want Sonic to get a gun!" Only for Sega to be, "well we can't let Sonic use a gun, lets just have Shadow use one." Who were those kids!? And why did you think that was a good idea Sega!?
@@DemonDethchase Thinking about those kids reminds me of that Simpsons episode where they introduced Poochie
Shadow the Game's CGI feels like the 2010s.. before the 2010s. The style is present but not the stiffness and characters are still rounder and more rubbery to an extent that you can see how it might've been rooted in the DC games. I personally see it as the peak for the cast as a whole in terms of 3D.
@@DemonDethchasebecause it is? Guns are cool, as “edgy” as that sounds, it’s actually not. Guns are one of the most dangerous coolest things known to man. And seeing a black hedgehog wield one, is downright badass. I don’t know why people hate that. Just cuz shadow has magic powers doesn’t mean he can’t hold a weapon, sometimes sparkles and glitter ain’t so cool in tv shows and sometimes you wanna go a more serious route and show off dangerous actual weapons that exist in real life. Not silly chaos control magic with cute little glitter sparkle, nah, I wanna see some action! An ak47 locked and loaded 🔥
And yet you don’t find that cool?…
Shadow is like on of the only dark clone characters that survived longer than 2 games .
Congradgulations Shadow The Edgehog .👏
Well, some didn't even appear in a second game. Or even have the chance of doing so *Cough* Dark Pit *Cough*
Part of what made Shadow such a strong "dark clone" character is that he's one of the few "dark clone" characters who's motivations don't involve the character he's mirroring at all. From the get go, none of Shadow's motivations relied on Sonic and up until every character got butchered in colours and onward this remained true for Shadow.
"Over almost a decade."
2 decades, Mark. 2 decades.
😂
Hey, go easy on Kirk Thornton, he's a great voice actor. I will admit he's never sat quite right with me in this particular role though, I think the problem is that he just sounds too different from both of his predecessors, if his was the first Shadow voice I'd heard I think I'd like it more. I feel direction might be an issue too, the raspiness and attitude of his performance often feels obnoxiously forced, if you compare his Shadow to his performance as Saix in Kingdom Hearts you can hear what he should probably sound more like. His performance was noticeably better in Sonic Forces at least.
Didn't mean to put blame on the VA at all. Just Shadow's voice stood out in that game because of the harsh change, it was definitely worth poking fun at!
The direction is always the issue with all the actors in the games.
I wish he sounded more like Saix from Kingdom Hearts because It fits Shadow more.
I had no idea he was Saix. But damn, they made the voice of Axel play Silver. Maybe they should've gotten Roxas to play Sonic instead.
They should've said to kirk to do the voice he did for jin in samurai champloo
I literally just woke up the second you posted this. It’s like fate.
Hell ye
Honestly Shadow in SA2, Heroes, and 06 wasn’t really edgy. By his 2nd fight against Sonic in SA2 he is intrigued by Sonic and compliments his skill, by time they are fighting final hazard he says he believes that Sonic is the ultimate life form, Shadow knew how to be humble, hell when Amy hugs him mistaking him for Sonic he just smiles while looking back at her. Then there was when he saved Rouge. Then you have his interactions with Rouge and Omega in heroes and 06, he genuinely cares for the 2 and when Omega tells him he kills Shadow in the future she has a reaction of disbelief. Remember his quote from 06 “if the world chooses to become my enemy, then I will fight like I always have.” It’s only in the Pontiac and Graff games where he acts more like some Vegeta knock-off and apparently with what recently happened in IDW Sonic not even Ian Flynn wanted him to be as stupid as he was written to be.
Oh, and remember, Team Dark aren't friends, it's just a brand according to Sega...
SMH, so much hate for that.
Shadow the hedgehog is such a misunderstood character I mean believe me I love The jokes but there’s really something to look at there about him being the sonic of the early 2000s
Calling shadow a hedgehog vegeta is technically incorrect and insulting to both characters. Vegeta is a prideful warrior who wants to surpass goku. I’m pretty sure shadow doesn’t have pride. Saying Shadow is like Vegeta is saying his main goal is to make Sonic look like a bitch (which it isn’t)
And saying the vice versa is basically calling Vegeta a simp
I'm not sure I agree.
I think Sonic is represented as the Hero like Goku (super sonic/super saiyan)
Shadow the villain turned anti-Hero like Vegeta (super shadow/super saiyan)
(And Silver the time traveling warrior from the future to stop a bad timeline = Trunks)
I think he means to say that Sonic and Dragonball have similarities/parallels with their themes
Another example is collecting mystical objects (7 chaos emeralds/7 Dragon balls)
[And also its your opinion, BUT I like Dragon Ball AND Sonic. Calling Shadow is not insulting, they both are villains that come to destroy
"But Shadow doesn't have pride!"
Definition of pride - be especially proud of (a particular quality or skill)
Here's a famous quote from Shadow
*Faker? I think you're the fake around here. You're comparing yourself to me? Ha. You're not even good enough to be my fake.*
Then moments after tries to make sonic look like a B, by beating him down
@@vexzel5773 what makes either shadow or vegeta anti heroes? Vegeta yeah in the start of the frieza Saga but by the time of the cell saga he did mostly good. Yeah majin vegeta is a thing but he still at the end of the day died as hero trying to save everyone. Now on to shadow, *there isn't a single moment where he was portrayed as an anti hero.* he saved the earth after remembering maria's true final wish, helped stop metal overlord, saved the earth AGAIN from the black arms, also helped fight off solaris etc. I see no reason why shadow is an anti hero.
@@ZeothTheHedgehog An antihero is the main character of a story, but one who doesn't act like a typical hero. Antiheroes are often a little villainous.
The definition of antihero
Vegata was a villain whos intent was to destroy all life on earth
Shadow intent was to destroy all life on earth
Later on would have a change of heart and not act on that intent
They both grow and turn into antiheroes
Usually in their own way stopping any greater evil
"An antihero is kind of like a villain, or a mix of a hero and a villain"
(Btw the source I'm using www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/antihero )
Like in the game shadow the hedgehog, or even the latest manga of db super
They know and accept who they are
Sure they might use guns or kill
But the do it to protect what they love
They don't try to be heroes
They just don't let people mess with them and will use their strength to destroy and over come anything that challenges them
They do things for personal goals
And what best suites their interests at the moment
@@ZeothTheHedgehog You should see the endings on Shadow the Hedgehog
@@MarioSonicBee The question is, how real is that pride?
You look back at the flashback and Shadow is very unsure of himself and his purpose in this world, and the Shadow we see in SA2 is basically on a grief-fueled revenge rampage, so how he acts during that... well, is that the true Shadow?
Notice after that point he never really brags about being the 'Ultimate Life Form' anymore, just states it as fact, except when wondering if that title actually should be applied to Sonic instead.
The pre rendered cutscenes in Shadow the hedgehog and 06 were done by blur studios not Sega
😲
I thought they were done by Marza Animation Planet, and that Blur Studio only did the movie
@@dojostudios6330 Nah mate, While SEGA's in-house CG team have done most of the CG cutscenes, Blur Studios worked on the CG for Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06 the next year. That's why so many fans couldn't believe what they were seeing when we got our first look at the Sonic movie, knowing that they'd done a near perfect job before... 15 years ago.
They need to do every 3D cutscene. The normal cutscenes are really bad, while the pre-rendered ones are godly.
@@finleyforevermore that shit is expenise af
OH MY GOD
He's
JUST
*TOO*
*C O O L*
I exaggerate but no joke, for as much as the internet makes fun of him edge, Shadow is and always will be one of the coolest video game character ever made! He's the -man- hedgehog!
I like Tyson Hesse's design of him in the team racing animation. But from the games, I have to choose sprite based battle shadow.
Shadow the hedgehog with no edge
He is shadow the hhog
Light the fluffydog
The best shadow design is probably his sonic adventure 2 design and sonic riders design.
Those just scream shadow the hedgehog.
Go away Edge Lord!
@@Genesis-XEYou are one.
My favorite designs for Shadow have to be the CG cutscene design for his own game, along with Sonic Battle.
It's amazing how a render from 2005 still looks sick to this day
Any Shadow design that allows him to smile.
Archie and SA2
my favorite part of shadow’s design has always been his hovershoes! i think it’s so funny that he just skates around... it’s very dorky but very _him_
Sonic Adventure 2/SA:Battle is my favorite, however I do also love the art style from Sonic Riders( I would love to watch a show with that type of art style).
Your cat kneading the bed to butt rock is perfect
Imagine Shadow trying to sleep laying on his back.
*literally can't get out of bed*
12:43 That statement actually works in two ways. Edgy was originally short for cutting-edge. It was often used to describe dark and gritty movies, back when those were the latest tread, to the point where it became synonymous with that aesthetic. The irony is, the more "edgy" Shadow becomes, the less edgy he actually is
Not gonna lie, I usually hate my own writing. I loved ending on that sentence lol.
My favorite sonic character hands down. He doesn’t have a bad design period 😤
I read somewhere that Blaze the Cat is an evolution of an early Shadow design.
I bloody love the Riders art style, the Sonic cast really suit that rough sketchbook art style!
I can already tell you got footage of that cutscene where the president looks at Sonic and Shadow's picture on his desk and reminisces about the good times from Game Grump's playthrough. XD
The thing with Shadow is he's never really been edgy other than the fact he's black and red which are popular goth colours. His attitude started off pretty loyal to those he was familiar with and even going out of his way to keep his team safe. He's calm and calculated, finding solutions in problems and vowing to become the planet's protector for eternity as per Maria's wish.
Theeeeeeennnn the fans came along and kept bugging Sega about giving him a gun until they eventually agreed.The Shadow the Hedgehog game was all the fan's doing despite how much they claim not.
I think it is apt to call him edgy as of the release of the game with gun tbh.
@@ArtistMarkFlynn Yeah, as I said in the second half of what I said lol The fans demanded he'd get one, so you could blame the fans for that
All hail shadow...
but ı still want my boi metal sonic... eventhough ı think he doesn't have too many different looks :3
Metal sonic is best boi but they don't use him much which is sad he's my favorite character
My favorite disign is metal sonic 2.5 from the sonic archie comics
Even though it isn't part of the games I've always liked the Shadow design in the Sonic X anime. One of the reasons I really like this style is because of how it is like if they took the art in the Sonic Adventure series and put it into an anime.
You really notice every little detail and i love it. Also can't wait for that Tails video since he's my favorite character
Shadow was my childhood! if you want to, could you cover The MegaMan franchise and its characters designs? Classic and/or X series and so on?
I still find it weird the voice of Shadow and Gabumon, has lived like 30 minutes from my house my entire life and I never once met him. Not even at a convention.
There should have been only one design, but Sega got greedy. This makes my favorite the SA2 design
Gotta appreciate a youtuber that says "No point in going over this" and doesn't immediately go over it anyways.
I loved the artwork of the original Sonic Riders then and still do now
Shadow's design is arguably his most appealing trait, even more than his character or personality.
Facs.
Sadly I was never into Shadow or the games he debuted in.
I gave up on Sonic after Sonic Adventure 2, though I did pick up and enjoy Sonic Heroes.
I never really got back into Sonic until Sonic Generations, though I do own but have never played Sonic Colours.
Great video mate!
I actually fondly played through Shadow the Hedgehog. Found it to be a fun, yet truly truly flawed experience. Cheers for watching mate!
Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005: Lowest point of the Sonic series, Sega can only do better from this point on.
Sonic the Hedgehog in 2006:
What's sad is that 06 was the last time the games actually understood Shadow and what he's really all about. Where he's got legitimate angst and problems that has the support and trust of friends, rather than the edgehog who laughs at the idea of them.
But, because the game was a glitchy mess, everything from it must be purged...
Sees the cat and hears the music at the beginning. Makes me miss my cat called Shadow.
i had a dog named shadow, Rip my childhood pal
First you had a Spyro-Cat and now Shadow-Cat? Dude, that’s so unfair!
Anyway, excited for a new video. c:
That's Logan. He smells so bad.
Wait, is that the reason why he acted so Egdy? Because he refused of talking bath? 👀
Fun Fact: When it comes to Shadow's design and how he looks similar to Sonic in canon, Professor Gerald based Shadow off of the mural of Super Sonic in Hidden Palace from Sonic 3 & Knuckles
I've heard this before, but what actually confirms this? Sounds like a wild (and cool) theory.
@@ArtistMarkFlynn well, we do know that Professor Gerald definitely researched and checked out locations such as Angel Island, it’s how he knew a lot about Emerl, why he made the Chaos Drives and how he based the Artificial Chaos off off the original Chaos 0, he also seemed to have known about the Mural, when the Bio Lizard failed, he went to gain more inspiration from these places, most likely discovering the mural and then used Super Sonic as inspiration for Project Shadow
Does a game actually say he knows of the mural. Or is it just speculation lol.
@@ArtistMarkFlynn Sorry for the late reply, didn't know you replied back
In Sonic Battle if you replay and finish an episode again, you get pages of Gerald's Diary, and in Adventure 2 if you look closely on to some words from a newspaper Rouge was holding and Gerald's Diary when she was reading you can find more detail info.
A thing I really like about the SA2 design that doesn't appears in his later designs is the velvety texture to his black fur. His muzzle colour is also darker in SA2 but in a lot of the appearances that followed it's more in line with Sonic's. I think these changes make him look less like his own character and more like Sonic-but-black-instead-of-blue.
The shade of his skin varies depending on the version. I think Adventure 2's yellow color compliments the rest of the design well. Although that game had a lot of lighting errors, so even if his skin is yellow on the box art, it's harder to see what they were really going for on the character model. (Example-Knuckles and Rouge's skin was shaded way darker than they intended based on other games and the box art)
I think I like the design for Sonic Riders the most... I like how his spines were illustrated and the goggles is a nice touch too! Have to love the overall artstyle for Riders too, all in all :D
I prefer his look in the Pre-rendered Shadow cutscenes most of all. Also, yourethe ONLY youtuber I know of that acknowledges those cutscenes.
That's mad. They are awesome!
I can't believe i missed this video. (Also I thanks for mentioning the Sonic Battle artwork mention, i fucking love that game so much)
I will always be a fan of Yuji's designs of the characters, especially Shadow's. I may be biased, but I believe the SA2 3D rendition of Shadow captures Yuji's design almost perfectly. The only other model I like is the one they use in the cutscenes of his own game. Seriously, I will never understand glossy character models-
I would like the one in Sonic Boom since he keeps much of his original design, but I don't get the cuffs on his gloves and shoes. I feel like they're too out there. I don't mind the idea of it, I think it's a neat concept, especially for his shoes cause a lot of people tend to call his shoes "rocket boots", but I feel that they went a little overboard with it. Even the rings didn't need to be changed. If they were their normal sizes, I don't think anyone would've noticed. By making them bigger along with giving him cuffed gloves and shoes makes it distracting when he's on screen. My eyes are not going to his face like they should be, my eyes are stuck on his gloves and shoes.
That was a chaotic intro. I’m for it
So, the muzzle isn't the white tuft on Shadow's chest. The muzzle is the tan area where the mouth and nose are located on the face of prettymuch all Sonic characters (sometimes its white for foxes and cats)
I've always called the tan thing on Sonic's stomach a "stomach patch". I guess Shadow and Silver technically have "Chest Tufts"? IDK, I don't have a good name for that one. Haha
Thank you. Sonic anatomy is too confusing. Lmao
2:48 What is that!?
I can only wonder happened with the character models for Heroes and Shadow as they looked great in the first two Adventure games and they got super glossy. Though I did see a mod for the PC version of Heroes, which removes the glossy look and they actually look not too bad.
Also to this day, I cannot watch the Shadow opening and take it seriously what with its first shot against the moon he's jamming the magazine into his gun. The song's good though.
Looking forward to the Tails video, truly good things come in time :)
These aren't really different designs except for the boom one, it's different art styles. Sonic characters designs don't really rely on a one style like other characters for example Timmy Turner which was made with a specific style in mind. It's great because it gives so much variety and I think that's what makes Sonic able to be a great multi media franchise.
I was gone from this channel for a while but now that I saw this I’m happy to be watching your content again
Yes a Marky Mark treat.
Nice job as always ;3
Sorry I couldn’t comment before but my notifications didn’t alert me of the new video-
I still stan Dedede
Absolutely love your channel and videos! Shadow has been a great character added to the Sonic mythos, and I seriously love Terios final design for Sonic Adv.2 as there were alot of work that went into it!
I do agree, Racers angular style does look great! Same with his Battle artwork!
"Damn."
"Not here..."
The concept art looks kinda like darkspine sonic.
I can’t be the only one who thinks beta Shadow looks like a Digimon
Holy cow, I was not ready for those early conceptual designs they did for Shadow. Like oh man, they looked so jarring and thank goodness they had the sense to go back to the drawing board and give us the design we know and love (or hate lol). Anyway I'm in agreement that I think Shadow's design from SA2 is still his best to date. I love the rough texture of his model and how his quills look when at top speed in motion. The sleek and fluid official art of him for the game also looked very nice as well, very striking.
What you said about his sprite in Sonic Battle, I agree with you there. I really like Knuckles and he's my main in most sonic games but I just have to give it to Shadow, his sprite was easily the best out of them all and it only makes me sad that we didn't get one more 2D Sprite based Sonic Advance game that used that sprite. I mean can you imagine how cool it would've been to get a Sonic Advance 4 and be able to play as Shadow using that sprite? Total missed opportunity haha.
I think my least favorite of his designs is the one from Sonic Heroes & Shadow The Hedgehog. I will agree that in the CGI cutscenes of Shadow the hedgehog, he looked really good but his in-game model was just an eyesore not just because of the overly glossy coloring style but I also didn't like how they emphasized how short he is. Like in the game, it feels like his head is engulfing most of his body when in back view and I just never liked that at all and I'm grateful they didn't continue this style into Sonic 06.
I'm gonna say something that might be seen as controversial but I'm not lying in saying that I actually thought that Shadow's redesign in Sonic Boom looked really nice. I actually liked the messier quills, the taller body, the added wrist/arm guards and taller boots for him. It's just a shame that his personality was way too on the nose and it didn't help that the voice actor just wasn't that great. Like no hate to Kirk Thompson but to my ears, David Humphrey will always be Shadow to me but that aside, at least on a purely shallow looks perspective, I thought that his design actually looked kinda cool.
Anyway I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on his designs over the years, character design analysis videos are just so entertaining. Keep up the good work. :)
My Top Favorite Shadow Designs
1. Movie Shadow
2. '06 Shadow
3. Boom Shadow
You need to check the new crash design!
I have a request. Can you do Ratchet design analysis? It's just that Ratchet And Clank has been my childhood game series and his design has change for quite some time in each console generation.
I was thinking last night where is Mark Flynn!!! Today he comes back to me.
He bak!
Excellent video, dude!!~ :D Can you do a "Best Rouge or Silver" design video? ~ ;3
I think we can all agree the final design was the right choice.
God I love the Riders art style. We need that back!
So glad you dunked on his voice in the current dubs. Kirk Thornton is a veteran VA, but the performance and direction are waaay off.
Excellent analysis; I loved connecting on looking at the Shadow (game) renders back in the day. I still think they're a decent sendoff for the characters before the HD era.
Would love to see some of these designs as costumes some day! Shadow 2 baby, the crappy meme tone of modern Sonic would be perfect for that.
Is your cat a product of the space colony ark too? Cuzz both have the similar color app and mannerism (the don't dare disturb me type)
3:08
Are we not acknowledging that this design is yolked out of his goddamn mind?
My only favorite Shadow design is '06 Shadow.
That moment when youtube finally recommends in notification
I am blessed! Shadow is obviously worth talking about haha
Shadow needs the Classic Shadow treatment.
Absolutely perfect he’s perfect, the best black animal, oh and Shadow’s design is cool too, this was a great video, any upcoming ideas?
I think it would have been good to mention his appearance in the ROM hack Sonic 1 Megamix which was another pixelated sprite-based Shadow design. That's probably my favorite Shadow design.
I may have to tip my hat to the Riders and the original SA2 design. Yuji Uekawa's official 2D render always stuck out to me.
Imo the adventure era of Sonic artwork is my favorite depictions of all the characters since they have a unique spark to them, Sonic and Shadow benefiting the most out of it
Riders will always be my favorite design for ALL characters who appeared in it.
As a character created to be a rival after Sonic's rival Knuckles was made to be another sidekick sort of character, Shadow's more just a basic rival trope, yet still manages to be really well designed. While I don't like Knuckles just being replaced by a 'Sonic but a bit of a bad guy,' I'm still glad he exists and wouldn't get rid of him. I like his original 2D artwork most and the Shadow The Hedgehog '05 cutscene 3D model most. The Sonic Battle 2D art looks great too. Not a fan of those Sonic Battle sprites though. Sonic's DS sprites are some of my least favourite of all time.
Sega is fantastic in characters art, Shadow poses are soo style 🌟
"His voice actor also got 100% worse."
Subscribing. I hate that voice.
i'd say shadow only started becoming a vegeta clone in some parts of his game and in chronicles onward probably, since really, he and vegeta aren't really that similar, especially in sa2, wherein he doesn't really seem to have an inferiority or superiority complex, if anything he seemed more surprised and curious about sonic using chaos control rather than bothered over someone else using his technique, not to mention he was humble enough to say sonic might be the real ultimate lifeform since he had better control over his super form.
that aside, i'd have to go with sa2 shadow for best design, i don't know, maybe it's because the game has my favorite characterization for shadow, but even then, on its own i find something about it more appealing than the other designs, it also helps this game doesn't have the constant and idiotic trope of posing shadow in the same two "he's crossing his arms now" or "he's showing his back now" poses, seriously, what's with games after sa2 constantly putting shadow in these two particular poses? they're about the most unimaginative poses you could put a character in!
as always, great video mark and i'm looking forward to the next one.
Thank you for watching. I don't think they are exactly the same at all, but obviously the spines and colour scheme definitely feels like it was inspired by vegetas hair. Can't help but feel the dbz influence what with them both being super at the end of SA2 though. Shadow basically does vegetas buu saga arc across one whole game lol.
Silver however...His whole god damn plot is trunks lol.
@@ArtistMarkFlynn
when it comes to the quills, sure i agree, though personally i don't agree with the buu saga point since shadow never seemed to really dislike sonic during sa2 and only called him a faker after sonic did the same, he was more of a nuisance or annoyance to him, at least that's what i got from it, compared with vegeta who really hated goku for surpassing him and only starting respecting him as a warrior in the buu saga.
"Silver however...His whole god damn plot is trunks lol."
oh yea, that ones just.....really blatant.
I really like the Sonic Riders artwork of the characters
Shadow the Hedgehog on PS2 was the first Sonic game I ever played. God it's such a nostalgic guilty pleasure. It also has an amazing soundtrack (seriously Digital Circuit is boss tier)
"Shadow the Hedgehog" (2005) is the only proper Sonic game I've played (I did was movie edits of the other games storymode on RUclips). I have nostalgia for the game. I love it genuinely not as a joke.
Am I the only one who hates when people compare vegeta to shadow.
Vegeta is my fav character In dragon ball so I know a thing or too about him.
he isn’t that similar to shadow other than him being the rival of the main character and him being a villain first and then becoming hero later on that’s the only two similarities.
I favor the designs of Shadow The Hedgehog in Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow The Hedgehog game, Sonic Riders, Sonic X and in Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing.
For some strange reason I always liked the 06 designs
Please don't kill me comment section
Same to me it’s the better looking design out of all of them it’s a shame that design never appeared in other games
@@whatisthis771 Honestly this made me wish they sorta used the realistic designs of the characters from 06 again. Those are like the best designs
yay finally also the cat looks adorable :D edit: same opinion shadow and knuckles designs are amazing and just perfect espicially shadow in my opinion
Hot take: I REALLY like certain design elements from the BOOM Shadow design! Mainly the updated Gauntlets & Boots!
8:26 THINK SONIC, THINK
Shadow is my 2nd favorite character next to Sonic with the 3rd being knuckles
Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you Gonic and Hedgeta.
i like the 06 model, but with SA2 running physics
You could use the comics' designs for comparison for the least used characters. (Cream, Silver, Vector)
What about the mod of sonic 1 with Shadow? It's basically Shadow in the classic style, even though it's fanmade.
Yeah! I'm aware of it, looks cool!
yknow, the opening of shadow the hedgehog reminds me of the opening of mario strikers charged...
I think the best Shadow design would be a mix of Boom Shadow with his Air Shoes having the design and shape of that Shadow's Air Shoes and the cowlick-like spike at the bottom Quills, Adventure Shadow where his Inhibitor Rings are like bands which would be more realistic than the way it's removed as it doesn't seem possible, possessing a mix of Terios The Prototype with that scar on his eye and downward quills because it makes the idea he's like Sonic as the design we have made that situation in Sonic Adventure 2 and he can't create illusions so it shouldn't have happened and he should also be completely Jet Black with some bits of Crimson Red symbols on him representing his anatomy as a Black Arm Hedgehog hybrid, he possesses more fur and having more of a taller, more muscular legs and arms representing his name, Shadow. However all characters need an updated look because it's been too long having these designs and that's why people came to watch this movie as the new changes make them fresh and honestly having new attire would make Shadow better which Amy also needs a change and having a new dress would help or some Jean's as I've been more interested in that item of clothes but Sonic Riders gave us new designs which I do like Sonic with sunglasses and those sneakers truly make him cool, those sneakers he's had in past games is just silly and I can see why people didn't find him cool so Sonic Riders helped with that.
Shadow looks unironically cool with a gun
Cannot wait for his cinematic debut
SA2 i think did it best, i LOVE his design in sonic riders and honestly, im kinda a big fan of his design in sonic boom too, but i think thats just because i love him so i will just take him no matter what he looks like