Shadow the Hedgehog[a] is a character created by the Japanese game developers Takashi Iizuka, Shiro Maekawa, and Kazuyuki Hoshino.

In the third installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise, Reeves's adaptation received critical praise for his moody portrayal of the character's stoicism, empathy and darkness.

[4] After Sonic inadvertently opens the path to the Paradox Prism for Eggman, Shadow has a vague vision of the universe's shatter and tries to prevent it but fails, he manages to escape it using Chaos Control and is trapped in the void between Shatterspaces.

From here, Maekawa envisioned the hedgehog as a delicate, pure character who would refer to himself using the more humble Japanese pronoun boku (僕).

[35] Iizuka made sure that Shadow's introduction also brought new events to the game, as he wanted players to care about the character.

[42] Early Shadow designs bore a strong resemblance to Sonic, with darker colors, droopier spines, and a scar on the left of his face.

They chose to focus on Shadow—whom they felt would provide "the perfect venue... to try our hand at this genre"—leading to the development of Shadow the Hedgehog.

[46] When developing Shadow's design and world, Sonic Team was influenced by films such as Underworld (2003), Constantine (2005), and those in the Terminator series.

[56] Within the Sonic series' fictional universe, Shadow the Hedgehog was created by Professor Gerald Robotnik through genetic engineering.

[58] Believing that the promise he made was one of revenge on humanity, Shadow agrees to help Eggman, framing Sonic for their evil deeds.

[52] However, he is unable to handle the power of all seven Chaos Emeralds in a Super State as well as Sonic, plummeting to Earth from space after the final boss fight.

[8] Shadow is presumed dead until Sonic Heroes; Rouge the Bat discovers him alive in an Eggman base during a search.

He remembers nothing except his name and Maria's death,[8][59] forming "Team Dark" with Rouge and E-123 Omega to find Eggman and learn of his past.

[10] At the end of the game, Shadow recovers from his amnesia and learns the truth about his past, including that Gerald created him using Black Doom's DNA.

[7][58][62][63] GameSpot's Shane Satterfield wrote Shadow's levels were exciting and helped preserve the general theme of Sonic games, and wished they had been more plentiful.

[64] Nintendo Life's Mark Reece similarly felt Shadow's levels successfully adapted the Sonic formula to 3D.

[65] However, despite strong sales,[66][67] the 2005 Shadow game received generally unfavorable reviews[68][69][70] and, according to Official Nintendo Magazine's Thomas East, tarnished the character's reputation.

[79] Numerous video game journalists have mockingly described the character as "edgy",[49][72][80] internet slang referring to someone who exhibits disconcerting behavior in an effort to impress others.

In 2010, DeviantArt user "cmara" released a webcomic depicting Shadow in a romantic relationship with Shrek, the title character of the DreamWorks film series.

According to Kotaku's Nathan Grayson, the comic paired the two because "if Shrek was the big screen embodiment of nu-millennium toilet garbage, Shadow the Hedgehog—with his hilariously unfitting blend of guns and angst in a colorful world of fast animals in clown shoes—was his video game bride.

[12] James Stephanie Sterling, writing for GamesRadar+, ranked Shadow among the series' worst characters, arguing he lost his relevance over time and calling him "the ultimate example of a good idea gone rotten.

"[72] Brian Shea from Game Informer included Shadow in a similar list, observing that his "brooding 'tortured soul' personality wore on him quickly".

[83] In a more positive write-up, Fanbyte's Kenneth Shepard argued Shadow's characterization was more complex than most characters in the series, but later games leaned harder on a one-dimensional "edgelord" archetype.

[86] In the film adaptation Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), Shadow and his voice actor Keanu Reeves's portrayal received critical praise.

[89] The New York Times's Glenn Kenny felt Reeves brought "suitable emo brooding" to Shadow,[90] and The A.V.

[91] The Hollywood Reporter said that Reeves brought the same gravitas to Shadow that he did to John Wick, feeling his delivery of "quiet condescension" made him "all the scarier for the lack of overt menace".

[92] Polygon contrasted Eggman actor Jim Carrey's "gloriously deranged" performance with the "utter sincerity" of Reeves, who they praised for making Shadow a "weirdly likable little ball of pain".