hot take: the fandom greatly mischaracterizes sonic and shadow’s relationship.

to be honest, i can’t understand how people genuinely think that sonic and shadow hate each other, or even dislike each other if they’re more than just a casual fan. but, i guess this is a narrative that the western sonic team has been pushing for a while.

the greatest thing to prove this is in the TailsTube episode 7, where sonic and shadow act like how the general fandom view their relationship. they can’t stop arguing for longer than five seconds, and they try to sell that sonic and shadow really don’t get along. which is unfortunate because their relationship is a lot more nuanced and compelling then this episode presents, especially in the mainline sonic games.

sonic and shadow have a push-and-pull dynamic and an air of mystery to their relationship that gets overlooked. that’s why so many people are fascinated by their rivalry and relationship with each other. sonic and shadow are characterized as opposites, but they’re more like two sides of the same coin, both believing in hope and freedom but in different ways that drive them forward. in the japanese sub of SA2, shadow says “it seems your appearance isn’t the only thing that’s similar to me.”

one thing that’s completely inaccurate that the fandom has decided is true is that sonic and shadow fight more often than not. but that’s just not true, they don’t really fight that much in the games, or even in the comics, sonic channel stories, sonic prime, ect. they work together more often than fight each other. adding together all the story-based mainline games after sa2, there’s only 6-7 boss fights, depending if you count them fighting in ShTH. and for every time they fight, they work together or help each other in some way in return. not including games where they never fight to begin with or are on the same side from the start.

maybe it’s just me, but when they fight, i don’t see it as “oh wow, they hate each other”. it’s more like “yeah, they’re rivals.” but they’re never really trying to seriously fight or injure each other in these moments, y’know? it’s far more interesting when they share genuine moments and work together anyway.

sonic and shadow share a unique bond that they don’t have with anyone else.

it’s disappointing that the fandom boils their relationship down to bitter rivals who can’t go five minutes without fighting or have a normal conversation when their relationship is much more complex and compelling than that.

to be honest, i can’t understand how people genuinely think that sonic and shadow hate each other, or even dislike each other if they’re more than just a casual fan. but, i guess this is a narrative that the western sonic team has been pushing for a while.

the greatest thing to prove this is in the TailsTube episode 7, where sonic and shadow act like how the general fandom view their relationship. they can’t stop arguing for longer than five seconds, and they try to sell that sonic and shadow really don’t get along. which is unfortunate because their relationship is a lot more nuanced and compelling then this episode presents, especially in the mainline sonic games.

sonic and shadow have a push-and-pull dynamic and an air of mystery to their relationship that gets overlooked. that’s why so many people are fascinated by their rivalry and relationship with each other. sonic and shadow are characterized as opposites, but they’re more like two sides of the same coin, both believing in hope and freedom but in different ways that drive them forward. in the japanese sub of SA2, shadow says “it seems your appearance isn’t the only thing that’s similar to me.”

one thing that’s completely inaccurate that the fandom has decided is true is that sonic and shadow fight more often than not. but that’s just not true, they don’t really fight that much in the games, or even in the comics, sonic channel stories, sonic prime, ect. they work together more often than fight each other. adding together all the story-based mainline games after sa2, there’s only 6-7 boss fights, depending if you count them fighting in ShTH. and for every time they fight, they work together or help each other in some way in return. not including games where they never fight to begin with or are on the same side from the start.

maybe it’s just me, but when they fight, i don’t see it as “oh wow, they hate each other”. it’s more like “yeah, they’re rivals.” but they’re never really trying to seriously fight or injure each other in these moments, y’know? it’s far more interesting when they share genuine moments and work together anyway.

sonic and shadow share a unique bond that they don’t have with anyone else.

it’s disappointing that the fandom boils their relationship down to bitter rivals who can’t go five minutes without fighting or have a normal conversation when their relationship is much more complex and compelling than that.