Shadow the Hedgehog Was Never Supposed to Survive Sonic Adventure 2

Takashi Iizuka reveals Shadow was meant to die in Sonic Adventure 2, but fan popularity saved him. Now, Iizuka wants to give his favorite character a bigger spotlight.

Did you know Shadow the Hedgehog was supposed to be a one-and-done character? According to Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka, the edgy antihero was originally meant to bite the bullet at the end of Sonic Adventure 2. But thanks to fans, he lived to fight another day.

At the recent Tokyo Game Show, Iizuka spilled the beans in a report from One More Game. "If you have played Sonic Adventure 2, people may know that Shadow basically sort of died at the end of that game," he said. "We were originally intending to just kind of 'die the character out' (kill him off), but the character Shadow was just so very popular that we decided to revive him in Sonic Heroes." So there you have it: without the fans, Shadow would've stayed dead.

Iizuka also admitted that Shadow is his personal favorite character, and he wants to give him more of a spotlight in the future. That's a big deal coming from the guy who's been steering the Sonic ship for years. It means we might see even more of the brooding hedgehog in upcoming games.

Of course, Shadow hasn't exactly been forgotten. He's one of the few Sonic characters to headline his own game (even if it wasn't exactly a critical darling), and he recently starred in Sonic X Shadow Generations, which is widely considered the best version of one of the best Sonic games on PC. Plus, modders love him—if you thought Sonic Mania should've been Shadow Mania, they've got you covered.

And who could forget that Keanu Reeves voiced the beloved bad boy? That's right, the internet's boyfriend lent his talents to Shadow, making the character even more iconic. It's just another sign of how far Shadow has come since his supposed demise.

Sonic Team's lenient fangame policy also shows they're not afraid to let fans have a say in the series' direction. So, what if Shadow had truly died at the end of Sonic Adventure 2? We might never have seen him play Olympic-level sports against Bowser, for starters. The crossover potential alone would've been a huge loss.

It's wild to think that one of Sonic's most recognizable characters almost didn't make it. But thanks to fan love and Iizuka's own fondness, Shadow is here to stay. What do you think? Are you glad Shadow survived, or would you have preferred he stayed dead? Let us know in the comments!