It was clear by the end of Sonic Adventure 2 that Shadow was no Wario. Shadow quickly established himself the Vegeta to Sonic's Goku, his haughty demeanor and tragic backstory earning him an instant following. Related: Sonic Has Been An Isekai Anime Protagonist This Whole Time That also happened to be when Shadow came into the picture. It was after that, with Sonic Adventure 2, that the Sonic games stopped looking to Mario for inspiration so much. Later, when Mario took platformers to 3D on the N64, Sega soon followed with Sonic Adventure. His attitude was another, turning him into the chili dog-munching dude of his early cartoons.

The early days were characterized by their rivalry, and the hedgehog's speed was pushed as the thing that made his games different. It's no secret that Sonic as a franchise develops largely in response to whatever Nintendo is doing with Mario. But now Shadow is being sidelined and I just want him back. I love the edgy little dude and genuinely enjoyed his redemption arc told over the course of Sonic Adventure 2 to Sonic 06. But Shadow the Hedgehog is my true favorite. I mean, yes, the blue blur was the epitome of '90s cool, and I still hold a fondness in my heart for him. It's Sonic the Hedgehog's 30th anniversary, but I don't care about that.

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