How Old is Shadow, the Hedgehog? Learn About This Iconic Character in Detail!

We don’t know Shadow’s exact age. What we know is that he was created 50 years ago.

Some consider him to be ageless, some say he is 15 years old, the same age as Sonic. However, there isn’t an exact answer to that.

Shadow the Hedgehog is an old fictional character from the “Sonic the Hedgehog” video game series created by Sega.

Shadow was designed by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa and first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001. 

In many aspects, Shadow resembles Sonic. His skin, eye color, cuffs, shoes, and hair form set him apart. Shadow is Sonic’s greatest rival, although he is referred to as an anti-hero.

Shadow was designed during the production of Sonic Adventure in 1998, with Iizuka and Maekawa determining that he would be a subtle cool character that gamers would care about.

Films like Underworld, Constantine, and Terminator inspired his design. 

How was Shadow created?

Gerald Robotnik created Shadow as the “Ultimate Life Form” utilizing the DNA of Black Doom as the ultimate result of Project Shadow.

His mission was to find methods to produce treatments for incurable terrible illnesses, notably for Gerald’s granddaughter Maria Robotnik, but he was captured and placed in stasis by the military when he was considered a threat to mankind. 

Shadow’s Personality

Shadow is a lone wolf that keeps his distance from Sonic and his pals. He is one of the series’ darkest and most vicious characters, exterminating anything that stands in his way.

He possesses a brutal killing instinct, as revealed in “Shadow the Hedgehog”.

Shadow is practically unstoppable when he sets his mind to anything.

Shadow, unlike Sonic, does not fight with the same honor as Sonic does, even going so far as to cheat in combat by using a Chaos Emerald and even employing Guns against his opponent even when they are not using any weapons at all.

However, following the events of Shadow the Hedgehog, he has become friendlier to others and is even eager to assist other people, including Sonic, if they want assistance.

Shadow’s career in Sonic series

Shadow is one of the most popular characters in the series, and he was voted one of the greatest video game characters by Guinness World Records in 2011. Although he has polarized video game journalists.

Some have complimented his work in Sonic Adventure 2 and the preservation of the Sonic concept in his levels, while others have panned his gloomy and over-the-top portrayal.

The Shadow game was successful in terms of sales, but it received a lot of criticism.

Shadow was so popular with fans that developer Sonic Team decided to include him in Sonic Heroes in 2003, despite the fact that this was meant to be his only appearance.

Shadow has since appeared in other games in the series, including his own game, Shadow the Hedgehog, released in 2005.

He may also be found in Sonic TV adaptations, comics, and merchandise.