Reflecting on the end of the Shadow manga plus further thoughts on the past year of Shadow glazing. Under the cut!
So, the manga pretty much ended like Id expect it would. Maria wasnāt actually Maria, but it was nice. I thought the imaginings of what could have been if she lived to see Earth again and Shadow giving her one final smile before fading forever was adorable. The status quo is back and he returns to his usual self.
This being said, itās becoming a bit tiring the amount of focus on Maria or Shadowās angst and partly why I sincerely hope that neither her or Gerald make another appearance after this point. Which I donāt foresee happening as this seemed like more an anomaly situation of Sega capitalizing on the reignited interest in Shadow thanks to the movie. Shadow Generations is to remind people of his story and who he is for newcomers.
What makes Shadowās story and character so impactful was the topic of grief and how to move past it as well as his guilt towards the two most important people of his early lifeās untimely fates. The loaded tragic irony of being created to save an innocent girl only to indirectly lead to her death by simply existing and this also becoming the catalyst for his Creator, Geraldās descent to madness.
Shadow, Gerald and Commander acted as a trifecta of characters who loved Maria and were horribly impacted by her death to different reactions. The latter two reflect the paths Shadow could possibly take to build himself up after the fact and become either someone who will carry on the promise of a good future or succumb to hatred and seek revenge (including on himself). Commander to me always came off as someone who took that tragedy as an inspiration to routing out the corruption in GUN which got confirmed finally in Dark Beginnings. Both him and Shadow ultimately taking their sadness and turning it into something positive.
Itās a beautiful tale on how the life you lead, however brief, can leave a good influence on those who carry you in their hearts onwards. But this has very limited story left to tell. Itās been reconciled and would only be about beating a dead horse if it kept coming back. Shadow is not defined by his angst nor guided anymore by it. I was a bit peeved at how regressive he was in Generations at times though I sort of get why because itās basically a truncated retelling of his entire character arc and emotional beats from the early games.
When Dark Beginnings inferred that āthe only one who could talk him down was Mariaā, thatās not only completely incorrect but also diminishes the whole point behind his story. Shadow doesnāt NEED someone to hold his hand all the time to tell him whatās right or wrong. He was confused and needing guidance in the beginning but has largely made his OWN source of conviction that is not dependent on anyone, and that includes Maria. It doesnāt mean her influence no longer matters but part of moving on is being able to find a purpose beyond what others define for you. When he threw his photo of Maria and Gerald away at the end of SHTH, it didnāt mean āadios suckas lol skill issueā, itās him putting aside their wishes for him as heās already fulfilled them. Going forward, heās now living for himself, not ghosts of the past.
This is healthy development. And itās why I mentioned before that Amy, Sonic AND Rouge had all successfully been able to talk him down (tho in Sonicās case, Sonic literally had to wipe the floor with him first before heād listen in Battle but thats kinda their dynamic lol). Shadow is a much more stable, rational character than people give credit. He can be talked to if he benefits from doing so and especially with Rouge, trusts you.
Heās not some rabid dog who only listens to one person. He has a heart already and he meets others who value him and can see that itās there. Just as Maria told him would happen because she believed his goodness already existed within him. She hoped for him to live life and make friends which was achieved, given she called the main cast his friends!
I wouldāve liked to see that be more noted in Generations in a way that doesnāt flatten whatās been achieved by now already. It felt like he had to regress over āle anger consumes meā and Maria gives him a pep talk then heās ok again whichā¦. Eh. Kinda felt it misrepresented his development by this point. But Maria needed something to do besides just stand around so I get it. (I do love them inducting the old Sonic Channel comic where Maria talks about why she named him. Nice deep cut reference)
So while it was fun to see people revisiting his storyline, one thatās still one of my favorites, I really hope theyāll come to appreciate the actual message behind it and how that reflects in the way he carries himself to modern stories. Itāll be unfortunate if this leads to fans asking for more regression for the sake of stewing in the angst. Let the guy be happy, smile and move on from his past! He earned it after everything lol
