Sonic Rivals! We know Knuckles the Echidna is a rival to our beloved hedgehog, but do you know his newer (but by no means “new”) rival?
Shadow the Hedgehog
First Appearance: Sonic Adventure 2, 2001
Who is he? He is Sonic the Hedgehog with black fur. If you really want to get into the weeds, he was created some decades back to be the Ultimate Lifeform, had a tragic childhood, is part alien, and is 100% functionally immortal thanks to some manner of super DNA nonsense, though this can occasionally lead to plot amnesia. Also, thanks to that laundry list of issues, his personality is best described as “surly”.
What are his powers? Aside from the previously mentioned immortality (which does not come up as often as one would think), Shadow is also just about as fast as Sonic the Hedgehog. Additionally, he has access to Chaos Control, which allows him to bend space and time when in contact with a Chaos Emerald. Big deal, Shadow, you can use one of seven jewels that live on a magical island. If Knuckles wasn’t so bad at his job, you wouldn’t be unique at all.
Why is he still relevant today? Keanu Reeves.
Let’s Play 2-D Sonic the Hedgehog Games
Night 10
May 5, 2026
Random Notes:
- Welcome one and all to Sonic Rivals: The Bullshit One. And that somehow describes two games! And we have more than two commentators with BEAT, fanboymaster, Chromes, Cassandralyn, Jeanie, and Caliscrub.
- “Oh my God that is the saddest I have ever seen Sonic.” “Yeah, Tails is dead forever now.”
- “It is not the last two seconds of the race, so it basically doesn’t matter.”
- “Guys, I just wanted to introduce you to… The pit.” “I wish you and the pit many years of happiness together.”
- “Silver is mindbogglingly Trunks coded, and he sucks so bad.”
“We all love and respect Ocarina of Time shark.”- The stream is interrupted so my mother can provide exciting zoo news.
- Long Story Short is the latest on fanboymaster’s queue. It is not a happy show, but it is much less miserable than Bojack Horseman.
- Ample Vigour joins demanding we resurrect Lemmy (Ian Fraser Kilmister) to play Lemmy (Koopa).
- Having completed, like 80% of Sonic Rivals, we move on to Sonic Rivals 2.
- Sonic Rivals 2: Thank you for the super move that fucking sucks.
- “Are we not cheap viewers?” “Could be cheaper.”
- The biggest problem with Sonic Rivals 2? When you lose, you have no idea why.
- “Of course I know what Danny DeVito looks like you piece of shit.”
- And, after losing to Silver in a race to dismantle a choo choo, I decide to close the night out by playing Guilty Gear on the PSP. I need to wash the taste of Sonic Rivals out of my mouth!
Next lap on Sonic’s Marathon: Now everyone works together.
