SEGA recently announced that 2024 is the Year of Shadow the Hedgehog, with huge plans set out for the year ahead, all celebrating the ultimate life form! But what if we told you that Shadow has always been fearless, and has a pretty storied past? Here’s some of the best happenings in the world of Shadow the Hedgehog which prove that every year has the potential to be the year of Shadow!

MMA Champion

Not content with taking down his foes with actual guns, Shadow is also a menace with his own guns, his arms of steel, as he takes to the ring in this set of images taken in 2005, from his debut at Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling.

Images via MegaVisions.Net

Shadow entered the ring as part of a sponsored event by SEGA, in anticipation of the Japanese release of his solo outing, 2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog.

Pancrase is an MMA promotion company, which now airs in the UK and Canada as well as Japan, but sadly wasn’t as widespread back then, and no video footage of the event has surfaced.

Shadow appeared in the ring, even sharing a few striking blows to his oppoents, as well as taking some photos with once beloved members of Sega, such as Yuji Naka.

Shadow has sadly not returned to that particular ring, but can often be found in various matches around the world participating in the Olympic Games with Mario and co.

Speaking of which...

Shadow’s Foul Language Disturbs Concerned Father

It seems that Shadow is occasionally too fearless for his own good, and manages to get himself, SEGA, and Nintendo in trouble, like the time his potty mouth landed him in hot water in 2016.

UK tabloids of the time reported on the apparent foul-mouthed ‘hog: (though it turned out to be nothing more than sensationalist fake-news, unsurprisingly)

A dad has banned his children from playing a computer game after claiming it taught his young daughter how to say the c-word.

Steve Jones threw out the Nintendo game when his eight-year-old Grace said 'c-word' and claimed it was what one of the characters on the game says.

"During the football section of the game, there is a specific character called 'Shadow' that every time a shot is blocked, saved or even tackled he would shout the word 'c-word'.

At first my wife and I didn't pick up on it until we heard our eight-year-old daughter, start saying it around the house.

We immediately corrected her and told her not to say the word again.

We had no idea where she got it from, until Grace told us that it was what her favourite character in the game, Shadow, says.

Did we say it landed him in hot water? I guess 'luke-warm' water is more apt, as nothing ever came of it. Neither Nintendo or SEGA acknowledged the issue or removed the voice clip from the game.

Still, I know the exact sound-clip they’re referencing and even before reading that article in The Mirror, his angry musings had made me raise an eyebrow in the past.

But dropping the C-Bomb, as shocking as it is, can perhaps be overlooked when it’s our darling Shadow the Hedgehog doing the cursing, especially when it just so happens to be the best Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games entry in the series - The Wii U version of the 2016 Rio Olympics! Check out our ancient review to see why!

But hey, you know what? Wrestling, swearing... whatever it may be, you gotta just roll with it, because… It’s Shadow the Hedgehog, baby! 

Shadow the Hedgehog, Baby

M-Flo is one of the most iconic and influential hop-hop groups in Japan, releasing over 150 songs since their inception in 1997! But there’s one song we’re here to talk about, and that's “Tripod Baby” by M-Flo Loves Lisa.

The song first appeared on the M-Flo album Beat Space Nine, and the original music video (above) sports early 2000’s graphics, and characters with PAC-MAN style eyes akin to the original Super Monkey Ball.

The song was later remixed for a Japanese commercial of Shadow the Hedgehog, receiving its own music video and iTunes release in the process.

This newly remixed song, now called “Tripod Baby (Shadow the Hedgehog Mix)” by M-Flo Loves Shadow, boasts a new version of the music video, with added scenes from the Shadow the Hedgehog videogame, as well as some clips of him dancing.

Above: The Japanese commercial for Shadow the Hedgehog featuring M-Flo Loves Shadow

The full song is where things truly shine though, as the early 2000’s Japanese hip-hop beats get punctured with the beautiful line, “it’s Shadow the Hedgehog, baby!”, over and over and over again.

It’s something that I can’t do justice with mere words, so you can hear the full jam below:

This has been a mere taste of some of the fascinating adventures that Shadow the Hedgehog (baby) has embarked on, outside of the typical Sonic cameos, so we can only hope that this year, the Year of Shadow the Hedgehog, brings just as many fun and edgy adventures as his earlier 2000’s escapades.

Why not share your favourite memories of Shadow the Hedgehog? There’s a thread over on our forums for The Year of Shadow, where we’re currently discussing the deep and sometimes confusing lore behind Shadow. Is he an alien? Is he a hedgehog? Where did he even come from?!