✔ Confident ✔ Adaptable ✔ Loyal ✔ Intelligent ✔ Dedicated

✖ Stubborn ✖ Narcissistic ✖ Brooding ✖ Cynical ✖ Aggressive

Created aboard the Space Colony ARK, Shadow is the end result of Professor Gerald Robotnik's research into immorality. Gerald based Shadow's design off an ancient Echidna mural he'd discovered on Earth, which depicted a hedgehog fighting against a monstrous entity. That said, Shadow's creation would not have been possible in the first place if not for the Black Arms. A race of extraterriosals whose leader DNA was used as a key competent in bringing Shadow to life.

Once brought to life, Shadow quickly bonded with Gerald's granddaughter Maria, who he began to see as something akin to a sister. The time he spent with her while brief was the happiest that Shadow has ever been. Unfortunately G.U.N., the organization that hired Gerald to create Shadow, began to fear what he was capable. So they raided the ARK, attempting to take Shadow captive and killing anyone with knowledge of his existence. Before dying in front of him, however, Maria would send Shadow to Earth in an escape pod after asking him to guide and protect the people of the planet.

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog. Bring hope to humanity."

A request that would be forgotten as he'd be found and reprogrammed for revenge by Professor Gerald, who'd gone mad with grief over the lost of his granddaughter. Gerald alongside his creation would be found and incarcerated before getting a chance to awaken Shadow from stasis and execute his plan for revenge. But it didn't matter, he knew one day he'd get his revenge regardless, something his final worlds made very clear.

The ARK and events pertaining to it when then be forgotten for 50 years.

Until one day Doctor Eggman found files explaining his grandfather's research. He then broke into the G.U.N facility housing Shadow and awoken the hedgehog from his slumber. In exchange, Shadow agreed to aid the doctor in his plans to take over the world. Thanks to Gerald's meddling Shadow had it in his head that Maria had asked him to take revenge for her death.

It was during these events that Shadow met Sonic and their rivalry began. It was near the end of this quest for revenge, as the ARK itself was about to crash into the planet. That Shadow with the help of Amy Rose would remember Maria's real request. In a last ditch effort to save the world Shadow helped Sonic stopped the ARK from crashing into Earth.

Which involved a battle against the prototype created prior to him, the Biolizard.

The Biolizard had attached itself to the ARK and kept it going towards Earth despite Shadow and Sonic's attempts to stop it. In one last desperate attempt to fulfil Maria's request Shadow alongside Sonic preformed Chaos Control using the Chaos Emeralds to teleport the ARK back into its original position. An act that resulted in what many believed to be Shadow's death. In actuality, however, Dr. Eggman's robots saved him from a very deadly free-fall to Earth.

A few years later Shadow with no memory of who he was would encounter Black Doom, the leader of the Black Arms and the other person responsibility for his creation. In exchange for the seven Chaos Emeralds Black Doom promised to give Shadow the answers to his identity. So after many events and the gathering of Emeralds Shadow stood before Black Doom with the seven Chaos Emeralds waiting for answers.

When Sonic and all of his friends and even Doctor Eggman showed up and told him that Black Doom planned to destroy the Earth. That Shadow realized he'd been played from the start. During the fight with Doom that followed Shadow did learn the truth about where he came from, that he was created with the help of Black Doom and was his to control.

After defeating Doom, Shadow said goodbye to his past aboard the ARK where his story started and began to move towards the future.