Highlights
- Shadow the Hedgehog's tragic backstory is a key aspect of his character and influences his actions in the Sonic series.
- A recent holiday image posted by the Japanese Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account references the heartbreaking story of Shadow and Maria Robotnik.
- The unexpected post, which focuses on Shadow's grief and loss, diverges from the usually cheerful and humorous content on the Sonic the Hedgehog social media accounts.
The Sonic the Hedgehog series has featured plenty of dark and emotional moments, and a recent holiday image references the heartbreaking backstory of Shadow the Hedgehog and Maria Robotnik. Ever since he was first introduced in 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow has been presented as an edgy, brooding rival to the happy-go-lucky Blue Blur, matching him in speed while serving as Sonic’s polar opposite in terms of personality. Shadow’s grim outlook on life isn’t entirely unwarranted, though, as the self-proclaimed Ultimate Lifeform has one of the darkest origin stories in the usually lighthearted Sonic franchise.
This origin stems back 50 years before the events of Sonic Adventure 2, when Shadow the Hedgehog was created by the late Professor Gerald Robotnik aboard the space colony ARK. Shadow’s only friend was Maria, the Professor’s terminally ill granddaughter who also happens to be a cousin of Sonic the Hedgehog archvillain Dr. Eggman. Maria and Shadow’s happy life together would be cut tragically short when G.U.N. forces raided the ARK, imprisoning Professor Robotnik and killing Maria while Shadow could only watch helplessly. Shadow’s grief would fuel his desire to destroy the world in Sonic Adventure 2, though he would eventually become an ally to Sonic and his friends.
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It seems that even after many follow-up games, a return from the dead, and even a brief bout of amnesia, Maria’s death still weighs on Shadow’s mind from time to time, especially during the holidays. The Japanese Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account recently posted a Christmas-themed image of Shadow walking past a store, where a pair of blue dress shoes catches his eye. As many longtime Shadow the Hedgehog fans have pointed out, these shoes are identical to the ones that Maria wore when she was still alive, leading to plenty of comments about what could be going through poor Shadow’s mind as he sees them.
A translation of the text above the picture from language website DeepL adds to the emotion of this latest Sonic the Hedgehog post, reading “Powdery snow dances in the streets of Mission Street. Walking alone amidst the bustle, Shadow's eyes are momentarily caught by the show window of a certain store. A pair of bright sky-blue shoes with a slightly mature atmosphere. In that one moment...what does Shadow see in those shoes?” Twitter’s built-in translator misreads the last sentence as “What will Shadow see when he puts them on?,” undercutting the drama somewhat.
Still, this apparent reference to the tragedy of Shadow and Maria in Sonic Adventure 2 is quite an unexpected surprise, given that most gaming-related holiday social media posts tend to focus on the more cheerful aspects of the yuletide season and official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter antics are usually more humorous in nature. Meanwhile, the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie will feature the cinematic debut of Shadow, and will likely incorporate Maria’s tragic backstory as well.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog is a prolific game franchise that started life on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Covering both 2D and 3D iterations through the generations, Sonic is known for speedy movements and interesting platforming mechanics.
