Super Shadow (2024)

Super Shadow (スーパーシャドウ Sūpā Shadō^?) is a transformation that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is the Super State of Shadow the Hedgehog, achieved by harnessing the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds.

Appearance[]

When transformed into Super Shadow, Shadow's fur becomes golden lemon-cream and his eye color becomes completely ruby red. Other than that, his additional fur colors and quill style remain unchanged. He also possesses a golden aura that varies in size, which can be anything from smooth to flame-like in shape. In Shadow the Hedgehog, however, his quills pointed upwards like Super Sonic's instead of being in their normal stance.

Game appearances[]

Sonic Adventure 2[]

In Sonic Adventure 2 and its enhanced port Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Shadow became Super Shadow for the first time to stop the Finalhazard from crashing the Space Colony ARK into the earth alongside Super Sonic. After destroying the Finalhazard, Super Shadow and Super Sonic used Chaos Control to teleport the ARK back into orbit. Running out of power though, Super Shadow fell down to earth from space and was presumably dead.

Super Shadow is only playable for the final boss in the Last Story, which is unlocked by clearing all the other characters' stories. In gameplay, Super Shadow's only move is the Super Sonic Boost.

Shadow the Hedgehog[]

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow became Super Shadow with the Chaos Emeralds to destroy Black Doom when the villain escaped him and became Devil Doom. After destroying Devil Doom, Super Shadow used Chaos Control to transport the Black Comet from earth and back into space where it was destroyed with the Eclipse Cannon.

Super Shadow is only playable for the final boss in the Last Story, which is unlocked by obtaining all ten of the regular endings in the game. In gameplay, Super Shadow can utilize both his Dark and Hero Shadow states like in normal stages, thereby using both Chaos Blast and Chaos Control in accordance with the boss battle restrictions, and the Jump Dash to move around. He can also use Chaos Spear, which in this iteration is a lightning bolt that can either be rapidly fired in small blue bolts or charged into a larger yellow bolt.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Shadow was turned into Super Shadow by Super Sonic so that he, Super Sonic and Super Silver could defeat Solaris before he destroyed all of time. Upon their victory, the effects of Solaris' defeat led to time being rebooted.

Super Shadow can only be played during the final boss battle in the Last Story, which is unlocked by completing all three episodes in the game. In gameplay, Super Shadow can use the Spear of Light, but only when his Super Gauge is full. Otherwise, he will only use the Chaos Lance. He can also use the Turbo Boost for small, but fast dashes.

Other game appearances[]

Sega Superstars series[]

Sega Superstars[]

In Sega Superstars, Super Shadow can be activated by gathering all seven Chaos Emeralds in the Sonic's Speed Chute minigame in his story mode. In gameplay, he is faster and invulnerable to harm, with every obstacle shattering into pieces when touching him.

Sega Superstars Tennis[]

In Sega Superstars Tennis, Shadow can transform into Super Shadow by charging up his Superstar Meter. As Super Shadow, Shadow runs faster and hits the ball harder. When hitting the ball, the player is forced into Chaos Control which randomly changes where the player is at on the court

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing[]

In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Shadow turns into Super Shadow when using his All-Star Move. Upon its activation, Super Shadow leaves his vehicle and flies down the course, during which the player can attack opposing racers with explosive Chaos Spears. This state is only temporary though. Once it wears off, Shadow will de-transform and return to his vehicle.

Sonic Dash[]

In Sonic Dash, Super Shadow appears as one of the playable characters. In this game, he can be unlocked after obtaining 150 of his Character Cards.

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle[]

In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Super Shadow is one of the playable characters, who was added to the game's roster on 22 November 2022 as a celebration of the fifth anniversary of Sonic Forces: Speed Battle. Unlike most other characters, however, Super Shadow starts out in his base form when a race begins and will only turn into Super Shadow while using Super Form. He has the following gameplay characteristics:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Shadow appears as a Primary Spirit with the following characteristics:

Image	Stat statistics		Spirit Battle
	Base	Max	Enemy Fighter(s)	Enemy Power	Stage	Battle conditions
	Power:4,781 Attack:2,368 Defense:2,059	Power:11,954 Attack:5,922 Defense:5,147	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Name	Type	Class	Music	Acquisition
Super Shadow	Attack	★★★★ (Legend)	N/A	Enhance the Shadow the Hedgehog spirit
No.	Slots	Ability
789	2	Undamaged Attack & Speed ↑

Sonic Dash+ / Sonic Prime Dash[]

In Sonic Dash+ and Sonic Prime Dash, Super Shadow appears as one of the playable characters. In these games, he can be unlocked by obtaining 500 of his Character Tokens.

Image	Affinity Bonus	Unlock Requirement	Upgrade Profile
			Power-Up	Highest level
		Obtain 500	Dash Boost	12
			x2 Multiplier	12
			Magnet	10
			Shield	10
			Headstart	8

Powers and abilities[]

While in his Super State, Shadow is one of the most powerful characters in the Sonic series, having defeated Devil Doom on his own, gone toe-to-toe with Solaris, and resisted the overwhelming force from the Space Colony ARK falling through the atmosphere. Due to being infused with the seven Chaos Emeralds' power, Super Shadow accordingly commands ultimate power and has access to unlimited energy.^[1][2]

As Super Shadow, Shadow's innate abilities far surpass his normal ones. Notably, his speed has been enhanced immeasurably, allowing him to evenly match the speed of Super Sonic, who can move at about the speed of light.^[3][4][5] Alternatively, he is able to perform smaller dashes for quick, short-ranged movements. His reflexes and agility are also improved, allowing him to keep up with his improved movements. Like the traditional Super State, Shadow gains new abilities in this form too, including high-speed run-flight and virtual invulnerability to harm,^[5] although his invulnerability can be bypassed if he is hit by something with enough force, such as Solaris' attacks. Super Shadow is even able to combine his Super State abilities with his Hero Shadow and Dark Shadow transformations to enhance his abilities even further.

All of Shadow's chaos powers are enhanced to their full limit in his Super State, enabling him to put far more power and range into his attacks. Notably, he can now freely perform an empowered version of Chaos Control, a technique which lets him bend time and space to his will, which has enough power to let him teleport the Black Comet from the earth's surface and into space on his own, temporarily freeze time, and transport the Space Colony ARK back into orbit with Super Sonic's aid. His Chaos Spear technique's power has likewise been greatly amplified in power, reaching the point where he can fire it rapidly in succession and with enough power to blow up a building and impale the nearly invulnerable Devil Doom. Alternatively, he can charge up his Chaos Spears for even greater power or fire explosive version of it. Super Shadow can also use a variant of the Chaos Spear called the Spear of Light where he launches an onslaught of red spears with enough force to penetrate Solaris' light shells. He can also utilize an enhanced version of his Chaos Blast.

Like Super Sonic, Super Shadow can also use the Super Sonic Boost, an attack where Shadow cloaks himself in a fiery aura and launches himself into enemies with increased speed and enormous force. He can even combine his Super Sonic Boost with similar techniques to amplify its size and power, such as Super Sonic's Super Sonic Boost.

Weaknesses[]

Super Shadow can only stay transformed for a short time without sustainment from Ring Energy, as a Super State consumes tremendous amounts of energy.

Initially, Shadow had trouble maintaining his Super State over the course of a battle, as his body was not able to keep up his transformation.^[6][7] However, he appears to have mastered it since then.

In other media[]

Animation[]

Sonic X[]

Main article: Super Shadow (Sonic X)

In the Sonic X anime series, Super Shadow first appearance was in the second season. During the Shadow Saga, Shadow became Super Shadow in order to battle the Final Lizard, alongside Super Sonic and prevent the Space Colony ARK from destroying the Earth. In their struggle, Super Shadow removes his limiters to give himself a power boost and together, they send the Space Colony ARK back into orbit with a unified Chaos Control.

Super Shadow later reappeared in the middle of the third season. In a struggle for the seven Chaos Emeralds inside a Metarex fortress in space, Sonic and Shadow ended up entering their Super States in the conflict, and they have a brief battle. Soon after though, a gravitational field inside the fortress treats to destroy Dr. Eggman and his space ship, but Super Shadow manages to save them, by performing a Chaos Control that warps the space ship away.

Super Shadow appeared again, at the end of the third season, alongside Super Sonic, in the final battle against Dark Oak, but they are unable to break through Dark Oak's force field as he prepares to destroy the galaxy. However, thanks to the sacrifice of Cosmo, they manage to finally defeat Dark Oak. After trying to save Cosmo, Super Shadow knocks Super Sonic away to perform Chaos Control, warping himself and Dark Oak's corrupted Planet Egg far away before it explodes.

Books and comics[]

Archie Comics[]

Main articles: Super Shadow (Archie) and Super Shadow (Pre-Super Genesis Wave)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Shadow first became Super Shadow during the comics' adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2 to stop the Space Colony ARK's collision with Mobius. An alien race called the Bem soon after gave Shadow enough power to become Super Shadow again so he could combat the approaching Xorda. About a year later, Shadow was forced into his Super State by A.D.A.M. to gather all the Chaos Emeralds in the universe, only for Super Shadow and Turbo Tails to send the Emeralds to the Zone of Silence.

After the Super Genesis Wave re-wrote history, Super Shadow's past became almost identical to that of his game counterpart.

Quotes[]

Theme song[]

• "Live and Learn" by Crush 40 - Played during the final battle against Finalhazard in Sonic Adventure 2. It can also be described as the shared theme of both Super Shadow and Super Sonic.
• "I Am... All of Me" by Crush 40 - Played during the final battle against Devil Doom in Shadow the Hedgehog. It describes the mystery surrounding Shadow's past from his perspective and his quest to figure it out, while outlining the different paths he can take.

Trivia[]

• Super Shadow is the second most frequently used super transformation in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
• Interestingly, in Sonic Adventure 2, Super Shadow's body has the exact opposite color scheme as his normal coloration (from black to light yellow). The same applies to Sonic only his coloration stays inverted throughout the whole series.
• During the battle against the Finalhazard in Sonic Adventure 2, it is implied with in-battle quotes that Shadow struggles more than Sonic in maintaining his Super State. This could be due to a lack of experience with the transformation (whereas Sonic has used it many times), or that he was exerting himself more in the battle.
• Many people mistakenly call this form Hyper Shadow, due to a misprint in the strategy guide for the game. While the term is still widely used, hacking and viewing the in-game files confirms the name Super Shadow.
• In the game files for Sonic Adventure 2, there were plans for Super Shadow to be either an alternate skin or a separate character for 2P Mode with his own bio.^[8]
• While charging at the Space Colony ARK with Super Sonic after defeating the Final Hazard, the flames from Shadow's Air Shoes are purple.
• The artwork for Super Shadow from the Sonic Art Assets DVD is a recolor of an artwork used for promoting Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. Its purpose at the time was box art for the upcoming Action Figure 3 pack featuring Super Sonic, Super Shadow, and Super Silver.
• In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Super Shadow's nose is yellow like his fur. This is probably a texture re-coloring error.

References[]