I know I'm late but this has been bugging me for weeks; 'Boku' is misinterpreted in the video, which is a shame because the way Shadow refers to himself already reveals a lot about him. So here's clarification of Shadow's use of the word for anyone interested: Besides the formal and gender-neutral 'watashi' (which is used by women more outside of formal context) the two most common masculine ways to refer to oneself are 'ore' and 'boku'. They're both casual, but 'ore' is somewhat crude and associated with the tough guy type--I can see a character like Knuckles using it. 'Boku' is more youthful and boyish, fitting a character like Tails. This is probably why Shadow's use of 'boku' is more popular with women, who most likely find it endearing as it characterizes a sort of innocence and contrasts with his appearances (compared to 'ore', which you'd typically expect someone like Shadow to use and is probably why the team was divided on this), hence the developer justifying his choice by saying Shadow 'is a very subtle and pure character'. I personally find it cute; it nudges him away from the edgelord role, if only by a bit. I don't mean to criticize such an impressively well-researched video, I just like the character as much as most here do and hate to see an interesting tidbit like that lost due to mistranslation! Hope this helps!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the in-depth clarification. I don’t speak Japanese myself so I was basing it off of google definitions and their wonderful inaccuracies. You’re not criticizing at all! I’d rather be told so in the future I don’t make the same mistakes :)) Thanks again and glad to hear you enjoyed the video!

@MsMvsc

2 жыл бұрын

Essentially it's "gap moe"

@mayormaryam6586

2 жыл бұрын

@@MsMvsc Exactly! That's a perfect way to put it.

@carso1500

Жыл бұрын

@@MsMvsc Gap moe shadow the hedgehog, never through i see that

Also kind of weird that despite being advertised heavily, Shadow has the least amount of stages in spite of having arguably the most impact on the story.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I agree its very weird but I have a feeling its just a classic case of Sonic Team rushing dev time and cutting stuff...who knows

@LavenderAyane

3 жыл бұрын

I think and I could be wrong about this, but I think he wasn't originally planned to be playable; only sonic, knuckles and eggman were. Which also explains why those three have the most stages and power ups compared to their counterparts because they were worked on first.

@RiiViiMedia2424

3 жыл бұрын

@@LavenderAyane Is that based on the trailer? Don't forget that Shadow was teased in that very trailer.

@NinjaKIngAce

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, but that's part of what made him so mysterious, at the time

@avalanchemkii7506

3 жыл бұрын

@@RiiViiMedia2424 He was teased as a new foe for Sonic, but only Sonic, Eggman and Knuckles were planned to be playable originally. The other 3 got added in later. You can see Sonic going through Sky Rail in early trailers, which also explains why it's the only Shadow stage to not fit his particular style of music.

IMO Shadow and Rouge have the most complex and fascinating relationship in the whole franchise, how they were forced to work together in the beginning even though they hated each other and from there kept teaming up only out of convenience which grew into a genuine friendship. Its like they try to act like theyre just business partners but secretly care for each other. And its also funny how rouge is so flirtatious with all the boys in the franchise and messes with them but not with shadow

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I 100% agree, I absolutely ADORE their dynamic! Its one of the best parts of the series in my opinion. Thanks for watching :)

Whoever decided to have Shadow's quills mirror Super Sonic was a genius.

@LostCourage

3 жыл бұрын

@Zero Bullet's Somehow I never made that connection but holy shit.

rouge the bat is such an underrated character. she deserves so much more. she’s super cool.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I 100% agree! Thanks for watching

@espurrseyes42

3 жыл бұрын

A lot of characters deserve so much more. All of the characters honestly.

@groove.mp4

3 жыл бұрын

@@espurrseyes42 yes like silver and blaze too they got overshadowed by the reception 06 got :/

@nithinshakthithiruppathi4028

10 ай бұрын

@@groove.mp4Chaotix

@LannyLeArtist

7 ай бұрын

Yea

The cool thing about Beta Rouge's design is the concept that her wings were on her arms similar to irl bats than on her back like how you see in her final design.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

That would've been really interesting to see if they went with that design and how it would've looked in the final product with the wings on the arms! Thanks for watching :)

@blazefa519

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin Yeah, I can see why they changed it tho as I can easily see it being a pain to animate. No problem, I enjoyed the video!

Man...with how much love and care was put into making Shadow who he is in his earliest appearances, it's really sad seeing his character get reduced to oW ThE eDgE in modern Sonic games. At this point, they might as well give him the scar he had in his beta designs...because that's what's happened to his reputation.

@mitchfletcher2386

3 жыл бұрын

The scar would be way cooler.

@justjabari6430

3 жыл бұрын

Idk, in sonic forces some of his edge was kind of gone, and now that I’m thinking about it now, he was never edgy in the first place, even now he still isn’t, think about it, when has he ever actually been edgy? the only game I can think of is his own game, Shadow The Hedgehog, but that’s the only game he’s been Ow ThE eDgE.

@ZachaRicO

3 жыл бұрын

@@justjabari6430 Yeah, he became more subdued in Sonic 06, but that was the last game where he was in the spotlight. During the 2010s, Sega flanderized him into a smug, friendship-hating bully who looked down on everyone. Forces brings him back closer to how he was in 06; now we just gotta hope he stays that way.

@justjabari6430

3 жыл бұрын

@@ZachaRicO yep

@shatteredscry

3 жыл бұрын

It’s a shame. Shadow is such a badass concept. It’s the same with metal sonic, but shadow was a step ahead since he was his own true character. Wish the following sonic game stories shined through like the Adventure series. Imagine all the ‘ehh’ game stories if they had time and effort in them.

It's funny that the early concept art for Shadow and Rouge was very 90's before they finally became more 00's.

This is the sort of content growing 30 year olds crave.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thank you! I thought it would be cool delving more into this kinda stuff than more of a typical review style because at this point what more is there really to say about SA1,2 etc ya know?

@nojolie

3 жыл бұрын

Im 30 this year

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

@@nojolie happy early birthday!

@MezzoForte4

3 жыл бұрын

Hey hey now, we're still young at heart. Don't put us 30 yos out like that!

@malina8961

3 жыл бұрын

ayo chill i just turned 20 !

the name “Nails” was definitely meant to be a mirror of Knuckles’ name since they share the same play style, considering the fact that both names are hand accessories that they use to dig with

@F1areon

8 ай бұрын

It could also kinda be a mirror to "Tails", too, since they're both able to fly (and also they both have kart-racer levels)

Original Shadow looks more like Knuckles. That would be kinda cool to have a shadow version of Knuckles.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

A shadow knuckles would be an interesting concept for sure. Thanks for watching!! Also, I checked out your channel and your animations are gorgeous keep up the great work!!

@pantyosashu8137

3 жыл бұрын

Ankles?

@pretzeldragon2975

3 жыл бұрын

That's Rouge

@fabianugalde3789

3 жыл бұрын

If there's ever a Knuckles Chaotix 2, my one of my ideas for the story are that the Chaotix track down evil counterparts from Knuckles and a few other characters. Since Sonic, Tails, Amy, Shadow, and many others are busy, they get help from Knuckles. As well Mighty will come back to the team, and they will get the help from Ray. Together they fight against the "Shadow" Knuckles and other "Shadowfied" versions of other characters. My other idea were the Team Chaotix, Mighty, and Knuckles working together to defeat the Team Hooligan, a band of criminals in Mobius.

@andrewsd.r.7180

3 жыл бұрын

the closest we ever got to that is probably Shade from Sonic Chronicles, but we'll probably never see her again which is a shame.

I like how Lara craft prototype rouge was like a punk Laura craft

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thats a good point she does look really similar to the old Laura designs. Nice catch!

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

Doesn't Croft spell her first name without the U? Like *Lara?* _-Yes I know I'm nitpicking! Shush!-_ X^D

@razminfox1787

3 жыл бұрын

@@ChaosRayZero im not a big tomb raider fan

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

@@razminfox1787 Me either. _I don't know why I knew how her name was spelled._

It's very interesting to see how these two fan-favourites evolved during the time of making the game. That concept art of Shadow could've inspired the creation of Mephiles as both look somewhat similar. Rouge on the other hand doesn't have as much concept art as Shadow but this can be explained by the fact that she was already designed well and unlike Shadow she wasn't created as a same species counterpart.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! And yeah I didn't think of that, Mephiles could've been inspired by shadows concept art especially in how they keep the same relative color palette especially with those Uekawa pieces I showed in the video. I was surprised by Rouge's lack of concept art (that's released to the public at least) but you make a good point in how the designs were relatively similar and streamlined to her final one compared to Shadow's which went all over the place

@fabianugalde3789

3 жыл бұрын

I mean I think that Mephiles was intented to look like Shadow, so that Sonic and friends would get confused. As well Shadow is the ultimate lifeform so since Mephiles is a god of destruction, he needed to be similar to Shadow

@superhydra8873

3 жыл бұрын

Zimmerg 08 ok well obviously he's a genetic duplicate, he was talking about how prototype shadow (the over designed one) looks like crystal mephiles

Nails the Bat and Terios the Hedgehog were the newcomers in Sonic Adventure 2

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

imagine if those were the names that stuck lol

@pretzeldragon2975

3 жыл бұрын

I actually kinda like Nails. Kinda reminds me of Knives from Scott Pilgrim

@izukumidoriyadeku9846

3 жыл бұрын

alright alright who tf decided 'nails' would be a good name? *W H O 👏 T H E 👏 F U C K 👏*

@izukumidoriyadeku9846

3 жыл бұрын

@@pretzeldragon2975 GIRL I-

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin Tails and Nails having similar names would cause _so much confusion._ X^D

If Knuckles is the Piccolo of the Sonic-verse, Shadow is its Vegeta.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

oh 100%

@charlieparker5346

3 жыл бұрын

Ah yes, Double Vegeta Mickey Mouse

Hard to believe some people prefer the beta designs for Shadow. I always liked how Shadow had his quills done like Super Sonic in his base form to indicate superiority. His final design actually makes me believe Sonic could be mistaken to be Shadow because at this point Sonic has had 2 separate transformations that caused his quills to spike up (this was before Hyper Sonic was struck from canon). His beta designs also pictured him with a sword which just makes them look even worse to me. I'm glad we got the final Shadow design like this and I could say the same for Rouge.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I LOVE shadows final design and I feel he may have not had the same impact in the franchise if he looked like the concept art. That's a really good point about how is quills were done by super sonic, I never thought of it like that but it makes complete sense now. Interesting! also lol imagine shadow running around with a sword...hope you enjoyed! :)

@polyman6859

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin I definitely enjoyed the video thanks, also we have Lancelot who actually came out in speed battle like yesterday lmaooo.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

@@polyman6859 great, im glad to hear! and oh god im gonna have to play it more...earlier this year I was ADDICTED to that game and then got Excaliber sonic and now I need to pick it up again hahaha. I was really impressed with how fun speed battle is also

@brodino1590

3 жыл бұрын

I love the low Polly model for shadow in sa2. It’s my favorite, next to the rush models.

@polyman6859

3 жыл бұрын

@@brodino1590 Shadow's sa2 model and skating animations are very neat.

Sonic 3 and knuckles is why shadow exists. He was born based off the painting of super sonic in the ruins of angel island which is where gerald got the idea. Thats why he has super sonic's spines, and why people thought he was sonic. Because they know sonic can transform and saw him when he fought perfect chaos. So they thought this dark sonic is just another form of his.

I said it once and I’ll gladly say it again- WE DIDN’T DESERVE Shiro Maekawa. What a legend

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Amen to that!

@ataladin87

5 ай бұрын

Indeed we didn't. He kinda ruined the franchise abit.

@gama103

17 күн бұрын

He’s the GOAT

I absolutely adore how the prototype Shadows look like fan OCs

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Lol I agree! Hope you enjoyed the video!!

@pooplenepe59

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin Haha I did!

That infinite edit is amazing

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

thank you so much! im happy to hear you found it funny :)

Shadow's concept art looks like Sonic's edgier, older brother while Rouge's concept art looks like Amy's older, edgier sister. XD

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

They edgy twins lmaoo, thanks for watching!

This vid was so good! Yeah I agree that it’s a shame that there isn’t more rouge info out there but your analysis was still awesome!!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

thank u sm

I find it super ironic that Shadow, a character originally created to serve as a villain, eventually grew into more of a lawful good hero than Sonic ever was. Mind you, this isn't me criticising it, I just find it super funny that an originally antagonistic character wound up having a more heroic personality than the literal hero of the series. lol.

@fazelfarrokhi1998

3 жыл бұрын

we must somehow bring maekawa back please for great stories and of course shadow and rouge in twitter we have this #Maekawa4Sonic in order to bring him back i hope sega sees this hashtag and please do the hashtag in youtube too maybe sega sees you

@fazelfarrokhi1998

3 жыл бұрын

in term of sonic heroic things he just a guy that LOVE adventure nothing more nothing less he just help others on adventure

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah shadow in the SA2-06 era had an awesome character arc imo. Solely focusing on SA2 though, I think that's what made him so likeable as although shadow isnt a true "evil" person he is just trying to do what he thinks is the right thing and as the story continues to evolve, we see he is actually very similar deep down to sonic and his view of "right" was just misguided (in being a good person and doing the right thing). That was my takeaway at least!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

amen!

@shadowgoethe

3 жыл бұрын

Perhaps the appeal lies with how Sonic's type of heroism contrasts with Shadow's. Sonic is a daredevil adventure loving wild card that will always do the right thing but has fun and appears childish while doing it. Sonic is the upbeat, always shining, never say die character that western culture paints a hero should be. Shadow on the other hand represents what heroes really are. Heroes do what's needed to be done, they are conflicted, damaged, psychologically troubled and burdened. There's a reason Shadow's 06 story is the best of the trio, it's more compelling cuz Shadow has much more to lose than simply not saving the world he's going to be hunted and his loved ones (Rouge and Omega) taken from him...again! Yet he chose to still press onward and "fight like I alway have" Which is alot more compelling than saving a princess in my opinion.

The more I learn about Shiero Maekawa the more I like him. He's stated once that he'd be interested in writing for Sonic again, but they just aren't interested. A lot of the reason why he was bogged down over time had to do with Sonic 06, sense the game reached poor perception they decided it was the writers and artists fault (the people that were being overworked to finish the game), rather than. The people who rushed the game. so pretty much all the artists were let go or moved to lower and lower positions until they were forced to quit. Not many have spoken publicly about that but if you follow it and look into it, that definitely seems to be the case.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see Maekawa return for the upcoming sonic games, while I don't think its realistic I'd love to see it happen. It's ashame as if it was released as Sonic 2007 and another run through/edit of the story happened, he would probably still be here today and 06 would have a whole different opinion on it. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed!

Really enjoying these short little dives into the hyper-specific topics. Great work!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

thanks so much im really happy to hear your enjoying the new form of videos, stay tuned! :)

The "servant" part of boku is interesting. Thinking about it from the perspective of how he first presents himself to Eggman. He says that he will grant him 1 wish, like a genie freed from a bottle. However, like with a genie in a proverb, you should be careful what you wish for, even if you think the genie is serving you.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

That's a really good assessment/analysis of that line. Thanks for watching!

It was a great honor for Rouge and Shadow to make their debut in SA2, which has a spectacular story. Just compare it to Sonic Forces. Infinite looks so cool and his ability had much possibilities, but he isn't remembered as much as Shadow. Shadow had a complicated past yet he 'grew up' as a hero, saving everyone. Though his motive for revenge was hard to understand or relate for us(I think this is why we tend to think he's an edgelord etc.), he changed in a good way. At the start, he was arrogant. In the end, he was caring. He even took Biolizard himself to let Sonic and Knuckles pass. While fighting the Final Hazard, Shadow says Sonic might be the ultimate life form, accepting him as a true rival but also acknowledging his capability. He sacrificed himself to save everyone. It was surely impressive and moving to many of us. Rouge also grew up, you can find it in the staff role scene. She murmured little pay for too much work, but in the end she says she got something better than jewels, looking at Shadow's limiters. At first, she was only a spy to investigate Shadow, but she came to worry about him as she found more information. She learned how to express gratitude(when she gave Knuckles the pieces of Master Emerald), and worry about someone else other than herself(when she told Shadow about Project Shadow). Since the game had a well-weaved storyline, those two characters were appealing and attractive to us. I really love how Shadow and Rouge still get along since SA2. Because that means the whole storyline from SA2 was not only impactful but also very fascinating and well structured. This is why my favorite characters are Shadow and Rouge, and why I love SA2. Other than the story, the voice actors of those two were very fitting(though I agree that Rouge's voice at that time would not very much fit in the modern Sonic games). That really helped with appreciating the cutscenes.

Back when i was a kid playing Adventure 2 i didn't believe that Rouge was a bat as the cutscenes say because of her wings are more dragon wings that are on her back rather than a true bat that has it's wings be a thin membrane that connects its extended pinky finger to its feet

@quonit37

3 жыл бұрын

I think this is great. Rouge is a dragon now.

@nicholastosoni707

2 жыл бұрын

@@quonit37 "Yaw a GIRL dragon!"

@F1areon

8 ай бұрын

...that would actually fit really well w/ her obsession w/ jewels, tbh :O @@quonit37

i like rouge and knuckles dynamic as he was stated to be shy around women, while rouge literally has a massive heart on her chest

My own personal theory that I've had for a while was that Maekawa probably only knew shadow conceptually as a darker sonic and only saw the prototype designs when writing him. With this idea in mind it would make sense why Sonic gets confused with Shadow and arrested. And when looking at the story boards this idea sorta adds up seeing as he's drawn as a darker Sonic (or this is just me looking too deep into things)

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Excellent point that would make alot of sense! It would be a classic SEGA move to give the guy only the concept without any word on the actual design lol. He did a great job... and awesome analysis of the situation there!

@vohloo9797

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin @Eldarin thanks lol, also great video didn't know alot of the background info regarding the characters.

@nikolaradulovic5283

3 жыл бұрын

I may be wrong about this but I've heard that in the Japanese version of SA2 the GUN agency actually knows it's Shadow but tries to frame Sonic in order to hide Shadow and the old events of the space colony from the public

@vohloo9797

3 жыл бұрын

@@nikolaradulovic5283 That's interesting, have to listen to the transcribed Japanese dialogue to get a better context, nonetheless a good thing to consider.

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

@@nikolaradulovic5283 I never heard that as "in the Japanese version." I've heard that particular explanation of the events, yes, but *I always heard everyone say it was a fan-theory/headcanon.* Then again, I don't speak Japanese, and I've never looked up fan translations of the game's actual Japanese dialogue before either.

the definitions of shadow are insanely perfect to describing Shadow 🤯 i cant think of any character in any media with a more perfectly fitting name

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I 100% agree they really hit it out of the park on every aspect with him in SA2

Not exactly Shadow's final design, but the actual cut scenes Shadow model, with unkempt quills and folded ears (yes, in cut scenes his ear tips bend forward) as well as his healthy look suggest that he is a character that went through a lot in a short amount of time.

I absolutely love these two, with Shadow being my second fav character (2nd to Cream) and one of the main reasons I got into the franchise in the first place! Rouge is also super underrated! And fun fact, Shadow's color scheme, stripe pattern, and pointer quils make him look a whole lot like a black tenrec, also known as the "lesser hedgehog" or "false hedgehog". I honestly wonder if that was inspiration for his current desgin, or just an odd coincidence. But that makes me kinda wish he really was one (however, we do get a tenrec in the comics, and she's a parallel to silver, named gold).

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

AYYY A CREAM FAN! YES!!!! I have a really soft spot for Cream since Sonic Advance 3 and the Advance series period was one of my first video games ever (and theyre awesome games)! Thats a really interesting fact about Shadow thank you for sharing :D and with Rouge I agree since the soft Pontac reboot with Colors it feels her whole character has been boiled down to nothing which is unfortunate because she is awesome in this game!

See SA2 I click💯

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

a person of culture I see... thanks for watching!

I wish Shadow had a scar still. Imagine how cool that would look when he went Super....

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

_T_ *H*_ I_ *S* _I_ *S* _W_ *H* _O_ *I* _A_ *M*

@icarue993

3 жыл бұрын

too edgy... I'm surprised they managed even edgier designs and went with the least edgy

@amai459

3 жыл бұрын

@@icarue993 Its kind of sad that most times the writers are making shadow really seem edgy when he isnt supposed to be "edgy" at all. :/ Edit: nvm I think the scar is fine but I'm good with how shadow looks lmao.

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

My headcanon: Shadow has a scar- _his fur just grows over it so you can't see it!_ X^D Serious response though: If you like scars, have you tried looking for pictures of Scourge The Hedgehog from the Archie comics? It's a chest wound instead of a face wound though...

Shadow's first designs straight up look like fanmade Sonic OCs, especially the whole missing eye thing. glad they didn't keep much from those lol

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I agree lol, his final design is perfect, I do hope if we get remakes that they give us unlockable skins that bring these concepts to life in the 3D realm though, just to see how it wouldve translated

Great video dude! some of the OG shadow designed were super wild - it kind of makes sense how the military would've mistaken him for sonic... less so with his final design.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thank you so much I really appreciate it! Shadow's OG designs are crazy! I wonder how they would've translated to 3D though as shadows final was a pretty accurate translation in my opinion

@MilkshakeSkunkette

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah it wouldve been pretty interesting to see some cutscenes with them! Though i do think they went with the best design in the end xD

SA2 is imo the objective best sonic game (tho 06 is my personal :0), and I think the design, story, and music of this game are fantastic! I feel that tails' and knuckles' (and their counterparts') gameplay style help add the exploration and methodical traditional platforming to the game which are missing from sonic's stages. They are just as fun as sonic's levels imo. A lot of people don't like them, and I didn't the first time around, but every subsequent playthrough they get better and better (and I've played it about 20 times at this point XD). I really hope sega can truly embrace this iteration of sonic and build upon it in the future! I would like to see less linear stages ala Sonic adventure 1 return at the very least.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I was in the same boat as I am currently 100%ing SA2 right now and on first runs on the story missions the mechs can feel somewhat clunky but as you start using them more and see the idiosyncrasies of it, its incredibly smooth and responsive. I was INCREDIBLY impressed by Eggman's stages, theyre so fun! I was in the camp that SA1 knuckles stages were better but now actually playing both sides there's absolutely no contest as I am in LOVE with Rouge stages..

@fazelfarrokhi1998

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin how does the music for these stages make play it more like how you feel when you hear the music in sa2

@fazelfarrokhi1998

3 жыл бұрын

and when p-06 project is FULLY finished for pc play it more

thank you for being one of the few Sonic youtubers who don't talk about Sonic games other then the game your reviewing/talking about, its always so jarring to see someone talk crap about 06/about how Sonic sucks now/how bad Sonic boom is/how SA1 and SA2 have not age well/how Sonic was never good in a video thats not about these games.

Always wondered if that older design of Rouge was carried into that bat in Daigasso Band Brothers,

@mechashadow

3 жыл бұрын

Would be nice to say Nintendo copied Sega for once.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I know right?!? That’s also interesting as I could totally see the old Rouge design being inspiration for the girl in Daigasso Band Brothers...good catch on that!

Looking at concept arts is cool . I think shadow with a missing eye would be cooler . And it's great that Tails was in the game because he was a real hero there

8:32 sky rail is really beautiful always. Reminds me of the fall. The pumpkins Shadow and Rouge are so Halloween-esque My favorite.

Damn this was one of the last times illzuka was competent 😔👊

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

id love to see what goes through that guys mind on a daily basis...so many crazy good and bad ideas he's had

@hugoflores1093

3 жыл бұрын

Iizuka can be a great director, but SEGA of America keeps screwing him over Shadow The Hedgehog (Game) is so much better in the japanese script

@jefferysmith6740

3 жыл бұрын

@@hugoflores1093 no actually, he can be a great director, but since things he did shows that he is incompetent. Look at Splash Dashes video on sonic boom.

@SteveCrafts2k

3 жыл бұрын

@@jefferysmith6740 You mean LS Mark?

@jefferysmith6740

3 жыл бұрын

@@SteveCrafts2k yeah, that’s his friend

I love shadow, I met him when I was 9 and I fell in love with him for everything, the design, the history, the personality hard on the outside but soft on the inside, now I'm 22 and my love for him is not even a little,faltered I can say with certainty that I follow the series only for him and the dark team, I also buy only the games in which shadow appears if there is no shadow in a game I do not buy it, hahaha

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Aw thats so sweet, thanks for sharing as it really made my day reading that! Shadow is such an awesome and well written character in my opinion. Hopefully we get more of him this upcoming year with the new games...one thing I have always wanted was Shadow in a advance like 2D game for some reason lol

@ecaterina9915

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin I would really like it if they did a tv series or a game where the dark team does GUN missions, it would be interesting for me

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

That would be amazing! Also that piece from the sonic Twitter (sonic channel or whatever they call it nowadays) is so awesome with shadow and Maria!

dear people saying shadow shouldnt use guns or know how to operate vehicles hes a military weapon/unit what compitent military doesnt allow its units to use guns modern knuckles confirmed to be able to go super in sonic chronicles it was stated in the thingy about the chaos emeralds

Rouge and Shadow have such a great friendship that I didn’t see them as shipped as others, that i feel they should get dived into more.

Reading all the comments on this video and seeing everyone respect Shadow and the Story writer of SA2 is giving me a happy, yet melancholy feeling. •́ ‿ ,•̀

Someone posted the Nails the Bat artwork on Facebook a while ago. I developed from it this whole backstory about how she was an Alabama gal who dreamed of making it big in Nashville. And I want to see this developed in some form!!

It's weird to think of Shadow as a "boku" character, he feels more like an "ore" one. The ore pronoun is often used by tough independent males who exert confidence, but boku actually makes sense for him given his relationship with Maria and willingness to cooperate with others.

@SoIstice

3 жыл бұрын

It's an interesting thing to think about. Shadow comes across as an "ore" character at face value and to many people, they can only see him as an "ore" character (like the Colors/Boom era writers) when they're missing all the nuance that comes from him actually being a "boku" character. People seem to confuse his introverted personality for him being a loner with no regard for anyone else, when he has always worked best in a team and genuinely values the people he builds relationships with. The Shadow in the colors era is not the same Shadow who would almost destroy the world for his best friend and end up saving it for the same person. He's not an arrogant, self-absorbed narcissist who thinks he's the greatest being to ever live. The guy goes as far as to put Sonic above him in the finale of SA2 and goes as far as to stand strong with his friends rather than turn on them when he finds out they'd turn on him in the future in Sonic 06. Sorry for going on a tanget, the whole "boku" vs "ore" thing really gave me a new and perfect analogy to help explain Shadow's true character which I really enjoyed elaborating on.

As characters introduced in the game, the designs of these two characters really embody the atmosphere of SA2.

@Eldarin

2 жыл бұрын

I 100% agree! Thanks for watching

Something that I really like about shadow's design, although it might of not been intentional seeing his Early designs is the fact he resembles the hedgehog depicted in Sonic 3's altar when you fight against Knuckles, and this actually makes a lot of sense for the story, seeing as this not only gives shadow more of a connection towards Sonic but it also makes sense with how Gerald robotnik designed the insides of the Arc based on the master emerald altar to use the chaos emerald's power, it's almost as if Shadow was directly based on that, as we know that Gerald also knew about the master emerald altar.

Great videos man, this channel will definitely blow up and I will be there to see all the greatness this channel has to offer 😊

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

aw thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Buckle in for the ride!

Awesome stuff!! Really enjoyed learning more about my favourite Sonic game! :)

Man am I glad I found you great content dude, keep it up!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks so much! Welcome and I hope you enjoy the content😺

I didn’t recall seeing SA2 concept designs! What a cool video 😄 I adored the SA1 art, as it’s my favorite sonic game, but seeing the creators thoughts on Shadow really wanted me to give SA2 a play through.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much it really means alot to hear you enjoyed the video! I know right SA2's development is so interesting especially when hearing from the devs :)

@shatteredscry

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin it is! I love seeing behind the scenes of these classic games. Seeing the development process is encouraging for my own creations as well. Keep youtubin’!

That alternate Rouge skin is making me question things... Awesome video!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

lmao, and thanks so much really happy you enjoyed it :)

Great video! Love anyone who gives the franchise attention matched with good research. Instant subscription. Keep up the good work!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey! Thanks so much really means alot to hear that! Stay tuned as I have some new stuff coming very soon :)

but why never answered the most demanding question: Why the huge badonkers?

@nicholastosoni707

2 жыл бұрын

Ballast to keep her level when she flies?

wow so glad i found (i mean pop up in my recommendations) your channel, this video was super well done !! cant wait for future videos :D

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy what’s to come :)

Great video! Honestly some of the Rouge concept art looked like Amy!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you :) and now that you say that I totally see it... her art does look like Amy! Great eye!

@YoshiBros1389

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin thanks!

Bruh i just found your channel and I love it, You’re personality and content is amazing hopefully more great comes to you. ❤️

2:58 that bottom right one just says I'm going to fuck you up especially with the eyes give me a Sonic.exe vibe

I love this kind of trivia, to think the story got that overhaul in the middle of development and still came out as solid as it did You did good Shiro, You did good

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Shiro is the man we need but don't deserve..happy to hear you enjoyed the video!

2:58 Wow, I’m getting some serious Infinite vibes from that one in the bottom-middle

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I agree! I wouldn’t have been surprised they went into the vault and took some of these Shadow concepts to base infinite off of. Certainly an interesting topic to think about

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

It wouldn't be the first time old art got used to inspire a new character concept. For starters, *Vector The Crocodile* is actually a scrapped character from Sonic's original 1991 game. (He was gonna be the keyboardist in Sonic's rock band: sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_Band )

I'm glad I actually watched the whole video before commenting, as I was almost going to mention the idea of only half of the playable characters being playable at first only to hear you say thay same thing. What I do want to mention is that most of your audio of the game seems to be in mono for some reason; I find it really distracting while wearing headphones, but it’s not a big deal, and this video is otherwise great. EDIT: What I find interesting about the design for Shadow shown at 3:29 is that it's clearly based off Metal Sonic, which makes me wonder if Shadow's backstory was different at some point; maybe he was meant to be a new, improved model of Metal Sonic, a la Neo Metal Sonic from Heroes, or even the basis of Metal. Either way, if this is true, it's possible that was the original version of that design, and the one on the bottom left was actually an updated version to accommodate for his new backstory by dropping any resemblance of Metal.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I appreciate the feedback on the audio, I'll certainly work on that for the future. I personally recorded the cutscenes so it must be something to do with my game recording software(thanks nvidia shadowplay lol). Thanks for watching!!

Super great vid. I honestly can't wait to see your channel grow man

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much it really means a lot to hear that. Hope you enjoy what’s to come!

"To compare to or shine on" So they literally have a verb that kind of encompasses "to be a foil to"? Right down to the implication of making things shine (like the metaphorical jewel placed on top of the foil)? Fucking neat! I love languages

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I agree its so cool! Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed :)

Great Video Man! Hope to see more like it, keep up the good work!

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I really appreciate it thank you! Stay tuned for more

Now that we think about it, Boom Shadow would look cool with a scar on one side of his face and an eyepatch on his non-scarred part

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

It certainly would be an interesting take on his design! His Boom design just looks weird to me for some reason although I do like everyone else's designs even Sonics lol

@mitchfletcher2386

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin And yet he'd still be just some grouchy jerk in that universe! I learned to tolerate Shadow in the main universe, but Boom Shadow is just a huge jerk because he wants to be.

This video got me hooked to your channel! You are so underrated, (like jeez only 720?!) Your videos scream quality and I can't wait for more videos! Keep up the great work! 👍

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

It makes my day hearing this! Thanks so much and also I love your profile picture that's such a cool drawing of Super Shadow. Hope you enjoy the videos to come!

Anyone notice that rogue has the skull shape of an applehead chihuahua?

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

LMAO I laughed too hard at this, now I can’t unsee it hahahaha

@SIG7Pro

3 жыл бұрын

Lol

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

Apparently in the Archie comics series, anthro-animals in Sonic's world can breed with other "species" of anthro-animals. Maybe she's part chihuahua on her father's side or something.

Dude your videos never dissapoint.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

thank you so much! it means alot to hear you guys are enjoying them :)

@EnderElectrics

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin No problem dude! :)

Awesome Video

So Im fairly certain Sonic in Skyrail was a remnant of the original plan for SA2's structure where you would only play as Sonic, Knuckles & Eggman but the story would involve branching paths kind of like the ones seen in Shadow The Hedgehog

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Its funny you mention that! While researching for this video and I saw something similar about how SA2 would have branching storylines...I believe the example I read (off the top of my head) was something to the extent of either helping or jumping off a sinking submarine...imagine how cool that would've been with the different paths...but then again if I need to get all 8 endings like in Shadow then maybe SA2 wouldn't have been remembered as fondly lol. ( _I do like shadow the hedgehog tho_ ) Thanks for watching :)

@mrlocolugo

3 жыл бұрын

So shadow wasn’t going to be playable originally ?

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

No he 100% was, just the level itself sky rail was originally a sonic stage and they gave it to shadow. Hope that clears up the confusion! If not let me know and I can try my best to help :)

@mrlocolugo

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin woah ! Talk about speed lol. That clears it up, thanks! I’ve always been confused about that part whenever they mentioned sky rail. Also, amazing video. Love seeing content on the 🐐 Shadow 🙏🏽

Legit need a Rouge tomb raiding spin off lol

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

That would be so awesome! Having a linear adventure(not like the sub series lol) like game would be cool as heck

Awesome vid, loved it

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

ay thank you for watching! thats awesome you enjoyed the video, it makes me happy to hear

this video was amazing man, absolutely amazing analysis.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thank you so much! I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the video, means alot hearing such kind words

@izukumidoriyadeku9846

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin :)

I find it curious how Shadow's concept versions look a lot like Scourge the hedgehog and even Infinite. I figure the Scourge comparison is just coincidental, but I wonder if Sega dug up this old concept art for Shadow when they were trying to make Infinite. Specifically the gray one with the white tipped quills and the red eyes. Fuse that with the one beside it with the one red eye, and then put a mask on it, and it really gives me Infinite vibes.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

That is a very good point! That is a very plausible idea about Infinite as they did the same with Blaze originally since her concept art was based off of Shadow. I hope they start to drop all the stuff about Forces because I am genuinely curious as to what happened during development in that game

Great video! Interesting to know the 'behind the scenes' with these characters, had no idea they had so many sketches, must been difficult for the development team back then. Makes me appreciate these designs more

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks so much for the kind words! I agree looking at the development of these games and characters has really put a whole different appreciation for them in my eyes

8:49 also in "the trail" sonic has his classic shoes! instead of soap shoes.

Another SA2 appreciator bless you friend

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Bless you too my friend! Thanks for watching :)

5:10 Dayum!

Great video, never knew Shadow and Rouge had such a complicated history! Nails the Bat would've been a hilarious name for her, but seeing how her design eventually turned out, it might've been for the better that they changed it to avoid people making inappropiate "nail" jokes...

Early shadow looks really cool like a mix of scrounge and obiwan

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I definitely see the Obi-Wan resemblance with the cowl and such. All we need is some of the iconic lines for him to say now hahahha

@_SYDGAMING_

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin lol don't we have one that is pretty iconic being your compering your self to me your not even good enough to be my fake or it starts with this a jewel containing the ultimate power. Lol but great vid man surprisingly I never knew about some of the early stuff of sa2 only really knew about the beta.and the stuff on shadow was really interesting.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

@@_SYDGAMING_ lawl thats my mistake, I wasn't being clear...I meant if shadow started saying Obi-Wan lines haha. or what if Obi-Wan said Shadow lines 0_0... Im glad you enjoyed the video and you were able to take something new away from watching it!

@_SYDGAMING_

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin lol now that would be brilliant if we got some lines of shadow saying some obi-wan lines or vice versa. Yup that true as they say it's a better day when you learn something new.

4:37 Honestly, I kind of like these 2 concept designs....Maybe even more then the actual one. The more realistic bat wings which are tucked in rather then sticking out, the combed to the side hair, the footwear, the thinner legs, shorts instead of leggings and the more covered chest. It looks more cool while still keeping that glamorous side of her with the hair and also the eyelashes & earring. And you cannot deny that this design is less sexualised then the final design. I know some people say that it’s odd to say that about a cartoon anthropomorphic bat, but come on, Rouge is a bit more “OUT THERE” then most Sonic characters. I like the final design, but this one I might like even more. Alternative Universe Rouge design (like the Boom Universe), this is what I’d go with

The memories I got from watching this…thank you🥲

BIG FAT BAT TATS

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

based

@saltyboi3188

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin Oh you want based? The Alpha of Awe. The Brute of Brawn. The Cultivator of Chaos. The Duke of Domination. The Exterminator of Eggs. The Fiercest of Fighters. The Greatest of Glory. The Height of Heroism. The Imperator of Intellectualism. The Jarl of Justice. The King of Knights. The Lancelot of Loquaciousness. The Master of Mortality. The Naysayer of Noobs. The Overlord of Obituaries. The Pioneer of Power. The Que-hagen of Quixote. The Ruler of Rulers. The Smiter of Sonic. The Taskmaster of Trembles. The Undertaker of Ultimate. The Victor over many Victims. The Waster of Wrestlers. The Xenophobe of Xenogeny. The Yardmaster of Yesteryear. The Zhar of the Zeti. THE INDOMITUS REX THE ALPHA OF ALPHAS THE KING OF KINGS THE LORD OF LORDS THE JUSTICIAR OF JUSTICE THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM CHADOW THE HEDGEHOG APEXPREDATORdow the POWERFUL ROUNDHOUSEKICKdow the STRIKING INSURMOUNTABLEdow the UNSURPASSABLE INDOMITABLEdow the UNYIELDING COOLdow the COOLEST MYSTERYdow the WORDLY TANKdow the RESOLUTE UNSTOPPABLEdow the ENDER CHAOSdow the BLASTER JUGGERNAUGHTdow the FEARED DISCIPLINEDdow the ENLIGHTENED CONFIDENCEdow the NEVERLOSING POTENTdow the VIRILE ALMIGHTYdow the INVINCIBLE VALORdow the DAUNTLESS IMPERVIOUSdow the DOMINATOR INVICTUSdow the ETERNAL MAELSTROMdow the TITANIC CONTROLdow the SPACE-TIME CONTROLLING IMPERATIVEdow the CHOSEN ONE BEHEMOTHdow the MASTODONIC MONSTERdow the TERRIFYING KNIGHTdow the GALLANT DEITYdow the ULTIMATE SKATEdow the LEGEND SUPERNOVAdow the TRANSIENT KINGCHAD THE CHAD DOWCHAD THE HEDGE CHADHOG THE DOW SHADCHAD THE CHAD THE CHAD OF CHADS ENCHAD CHADOW CHADCHAD CHAD CHADCHAD ENTER CHADOW ------> Click play kzread.info/dash/bejne/aopl0q-Ke6e2k9I.html

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

this was amazing thank you for this lol. (also I love the shadow vocal tracks

@violetthebat8810

3 жыл бұрын

*AMEN.* 😊😊😊

I remember I recall some artwork of a bat in Tyson Tan's work. He drew a really lovely and super cute anthro bat with wings on her sides. (The artist is responsible for drawing the characters from the game freedom planet I think, which was a game heavily influenced with a sonic-y feel. Correct me if wrong... ). But her clothes was designed to allow her wings to be present. So it had a cut on the sides to do so.. Imagine how Rouge's design would look if they kept her wings like that. Would be kinda interesting. As for Shadow I honestly found his design scary when I was younger but then became very redeeming to the end when he sacrificed himself. After that his design remained very iconic. So it was kinda off-putting to see his beta designs xD

I literally cannot believe that you only have about 2k subs and just started about 6 months ago. The quality of your videos is insane. Instantly subbed. This scenario reminds me of The Game Apologist. He just suddenly existed and it was amazing. I hope you get the recognition and success that this type of stuff warrants.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks so much this really made my night reading this, it means a lot for such kind words. I know how cheesy it sounds, but I have a lot of passion for this franchise and just being able to talk about sonic and have open discussions that don’t just devolve into “gaem = good or bad” makes me so happy to see. Thanks for the watch and sub and hope you enjoy the ride!

@Schnort

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin I relate to that very much! I have a lot to say about Sonic. I am so glad that you are brave enough to share this for everyone to see. Also, don't be afraid to make content about other franchises. I know that some people are scared that their audience won't like the rest of their content, but we are fans of YOU, not just Sonic. Have a great day, mate. I am so glad that I could improve your day!

Underrated KZreadr

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, it seriously means a lot to hear that :D

I had always heard that Rouge was created by Dawn Best, in a contest SEGA held to create a new character.

well I learn something today Never knew Shadow & Rouge had different content art from now

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Do you prefer the originals or the final?

@BEEPIcons98

3 жыл бұрын

@@Eldarin Shadow & Rouge’s look amazing as it is, hopefully Sega brings back one of shadow’s Older content art design to make a into a character in a future Sonic game

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I agree! What i really want to see and honestly surprised they haven’t capitalized on this in past games is unlockable skins like say crash 4. Would be a cool way of doing fan service and lets them put in rather obscure designs that may have never seen the light of day in 3D before

"We already had a rival for Sonic in Metal Sonic" Damn has Knuckles really been sidelined THAT hard? Though seeing the yellow-gloved proto Shadow reminds me of just how much Shadow stole Reala's look

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Dont get me wrong I love our boy da red, but in my opinion at least I haven't really considered him a rival post 3K as he is more of just a buddy sonic butts heads with Adventure onwards (like Piccolo from DBZ off the top of my head) while Metal's whole thing is his cope of not actually being sonic ya know?

@caseyhoward4986

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I see what you're saying, but I guess Knux had already been playing second fiddle in terms of Sonic's rival since Metal Sonic was created first. And just as quickly as Knux replaced Metal, it seems like Shadow became the rival after him. This leaves Metal as more of a villain than a rival these days, Knux being Sonic's friend, and Shadow being the rival. But I definitely think that the Sonic and Knuckles rivalry should be explored more at some point!

@robertanderson9447

3 жыл бұрын

@@caseyhoward4986 Sonic the Fighters kind of acknowledged it. There's a track in the OST called North Wind which plays every time Sonic and Knuckles are selected in a 2 player match.

The people designing Shadow must've REALLY wanted him to be missing an eye; out of all the concept arts of him, that's the one injury that's consistently there on most of the pictures (I've seen some of the ones w/ the cape be interpreted as him missing an arm, as well).

Nails is a pretty cool name

I'm surprised Shadow uses "boku" in the Japanese version of SA2. I figured that Shadow would have referred to himself as "ore-sama" (a prideful self-centered term), like Vegeta does, however it does make more sense.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

I was surprised too that Shadow doesn't use something cockier like Vegeta but its awesome also in my opinion at least as it gives an extra layer to his character as although he gives this ""ultimate"" (no pun intended) confident outward appearance, deep down he believes himself to be a servant to Gerald Robotnik and Maria's wishes. Really cool characterization by Maekawa in my opinion. About Iizuka also, I believe he still have alot of great ideas but he let everyone get into his head about "what sonic should be" and not what HIS vision of the franchise which is where this decline characterization decline starts to happen in my opinion. If the guy got some true confidence in himself back and did some crazy stuff like in the ""dark"" era again but just gave it his all I feel alot of the fanbase would be satisifed...its just we've gotten these games where the ideas on paper are excellent but in execution, it becomes half baked and hollow giving the feeling of "what could've been". That's my take at least!

@hihi-nm3uy

3 жыл бұрын

overall, shadow is confident, but not overly arrogant like vegeta is. i’m not too surprised to hear this.

Great video, some interesting stuff in there. Definitely glad we didn't end up with any of those earlier designs for either of them lol, the final designs are just perfect imo. Shame these two have gotten hard sidelined and ruined by the current writers and Sega themselves. They'll still always be among my favorites for their earlier appearances though.

@Eldarin

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the kind words on the video! I agree theyre final designs are perfect and Im right with ya with Shadow and Rouge being up there as some of the best in the series (their previous interpretations ofc.) Thanks for watching!

Awesome video dude, and we could do with Shiro Maekawa coming back, now that Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (Pontac and Graff) have been given their marching orders to try and give Sonic stories abit of credibility back 9:19 (me from 2001) Tails not being playable in Sonic game, no way would that happen! (me in 2021) I miss Tails being playable....

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks so much man, hope your doing well! I'd love to see Maekawa come back as I feel he would steer the franchise back onto what made it awesome imo and you had me laughing quite hard at the Tweedle Dum and Dee analogy to Pontac and Graff

i kinda find it ironic that shadow is sonics doppelganger, despite being at *least* 50 years older than him.

@ChaosRayZero

3 жыл бұрын

I remember having a crazy fan theory -[arguably a fanfic idea that never went anywhere]- that Sonic was secretly "Project Shadow: Attempt 3" (possibly made by someone following Gerald's footsteps rather than Gerald himself) and the blue blur just didn't know it -(yet).- Somebody named *Jack Emerson* already posted a comment on this video with the more popular fan-theory for why Shadow looks like Sonic (the Angel Island ruins) I hear all the time though.

You deserve a sub for this great video.

@Eldarin

3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks so much! Hope you enjoy whats to come :)