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Iizuka says Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't inspired by Vegeta, but fans have receipts that say otherwise
Sega might've declared 2024 the Year 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 certain prince of all space warriors I know…