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(Image credit: Sonic Team)
Sega might’ve declared 2024 theYear of Shadow, but Shadow the Hedgehog has been enjoying the adoration of preteens entering their edgy red-and-black phase since he first declared himself the ultimate lifeform back in 2001. And who could blame them? Shadow’s like the Platonic ideal of the hero’s dark mirror archetype: He’s grumpy, he’s a reluctant hero, he’s constantly proclaiming his superiority, he’s got hair spikes with an arrogant upward sweep where the carefree locks of his lighthearted counterpart might droop downwards. Actually, now that I think about it, that sounds a hell of a lot like a certainprince of all space warriorsI know…
(Image credit: Sonic Team, Bandai Namco)
Toe to tip, that’s a Vegeta—as long as you’re not counting that brief period where Shadow had all those guns. I’m certainly not the first one who’s noticed the similarities. Do a quick google, and you’ll find that fans have been arguing about whether Vegeta inspired Shadow about as long as they’ve been debating whether Super Saiyan Goku inspired Super Sonic (probably, thoughapocrypha claimsToriyama never complained about it). But while it might seem obvious to you and me that Shadow’s got some Vegeta in him, Sonic Team director Takashi Iizuka says otherwise.
Unless, of course, you look at Sega’s own concept art materials. Shortly after the panel aired,fans on Twitterrefuted Iizuka’s Vegeta denial, and they had evidence to prove it. In 2017, Sega paired with publisher Cook & Becker to release the officialSonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book. The book collected concept art and official illustrations dating back to 1991—including early concepts for Shadow from the development of Sonic Adventure 2. Included on one page of early concept sketches, some of which were shown during the Anime Expo 2024 panel, are a series of character development notes, the final line being “ベジータ,” or “Bejīta”—or as we’d write it in English, “Vegeta.”
They have the concept art at the event and covered up the vegeta dot point with a sign LMFAO bro hates dragon ball 😂 pic.twitter.com/S3H0MReUtgJuly 7, 2024
They have the concept art at the event and covered up the vegeta dot point with a sign LMFAO bro hates dragon ball 😂 pic.twitter.com/S3H0MReUtgJuly 7, 2024
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More about actionAll Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codesAssassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’
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All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codesAssassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’
All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes
All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’
LatestEpic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’See more latest►
Latest
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’
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