Sonic Team Head Hints at the Return of Evil Shadow the Hedgehog

Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team, has expressed interest in potentially revisiting Shadow the Hedgehog’s darker side.

Shadow was originally introduced as a villain in Sonic Adventure 2, but over time, his character evolved into a more complex, morally ambiguous figure.

Iizuka recently discussed the possibility of Shadow returning to his villainous roots in an interview with Polygon (via The Gamer), in light of the upcoming release of Sonic X Shadow Generations.

Iizuka noted that it would be “interesting” to explore the character’s evil side again. He explained:

“In Sonic Adventure 2, if you go through all the different stories, you have probably run into Shadow getting revenge on the entire world and being… pretty much evil.”

“Ever since Sonic Adventure 2, we haven’t really explored that ‘Evil Shadow’ presentation of the character,” he said. “He’s always been on a different kind of spectrum. But maybe in the future it’ll be interesting to come back and revisit Shadow being not so nice, maybe even as far as evil, as far as the other characters may see him.”

Shadow Generations Features Shadow as Protagonist

Shadow’s next appearance will be in Sonic X Shadow Generations. Although he won’t be explicitly “evil” in this game, fans will get the chance to play as him, making him the protagonist.

This will be the second time since 2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog that the character has taken center stage as the lead.

The storyline of Sonic X Shadow Generations runs parallel to the events of Sonic Generations, with Shadow facing off against Black Doom.

The game will be bundled with a remaster of Sonic Generations and is set for release on October 25, 2024. It will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 recently received a trailer that showcases Shadow for the first time, and that too in his evil look, voiced by none other than Keanu Reeves.