As an antihero, Shadow has good intentions but will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals, putting him at odds with series protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog. After witnessing the death of his best friend Maria, Shadow vows to keep his promise to her that he would protect the world from danger. Within the Sonic franchise's fictional universe, Shadow is an artificial, anthropomorphic black hedgehog created 50 years before titular character, Sonic the Hedgehog was born, by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of series antagonist Doctor Eggman. He also appears in Sonic film and television adaptations, comics, and merchandise. Shadow has since featured in numerous entries in the franchise, including the spin-off Shadow the Hedgehog (2005). Although this was intended to be his only appearance, Shadow proved so popular among fans that developer Sonic Team decided to include him in Sonic Heroes (2003). Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa and first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (2001). Shadow the Hedgehog is a character appearing in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Ryan Drummond (few lines, Sonic Adventure 2).

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