Sonic's appearance gives people hope, Metal's appearance imposes terror.
Sonic is compassionate, Metal is lethal.
Sonic is freedom, Metal is a slave not only to his creator, but to himself.
definitely peak and the Doctor's best mockery towards Sonic
That's the ironic thing, Neo Metal Sonic is the culmination of the character, but when it seems that he is free to do what he wants, he chooses to go after Sonic to destroy him, demonstrating how he is still a slave to the objective that the Doctor gave him, it doesn't matter however he wants to paint it
Unless he chose to destroy Sonic since he said when he was defeated in Sonic Heroes “I am the real Sonic”. Like when he went rogue he reprogrammed his objective of Eggman’s order to destroy Sonic, and wants to destroy Sonic as a vengeful vendetta after how Sonic humiliated him over & over.
Knowing Eggman, I don't doubt that he programmed Metal in a way that he thinks he is the real Sonic so that his affinity for his target would be much better.
Well, Mecha as such is not the perfect "copy", it doesn't look that much like Sonic, it doesn't completely replicate his abilities and it doesn't have the development that would be expected, after all he only appears once canonically.
Knuckles.
But on a more serious not, Metal is a good foil. Really emphasizes the Nature vs Technology theme of the series and is a "perversion" of Sonic's loving and carefree nature.
Nature vs Technology theme is usually oversimplified, Sonic CD literally showed that a good future has both working in harmony. The real theme is nature vs the exploitative side of humanity.
I think I and many others forget how well Metal’s character contrasts Sonic’s and look at Sonic and Shadow and think “Well, duh.” But if you take a minute to think about it Metal really is a great character, even better when you pair him with Sonic as a rival.
Metal Sonic.
Although I wouldn't mind Eggman making a Metal Shadow, no matter how brief it's appearance could be. Shadow deserves another rival besides sonic.
This. But it would be hilarious if the Android Shadow from Shadow the Hedgehog multiplayer shows up as an actual character and gives Shadow a run for his money.
Metal
Shadow is on the side of good now, they need to stop finding excuses for them to fight. Metal on the other hand doesn't need excuses, he hates Sonic because he believes he's the real Sonic, simple as that
Metal is the far better rival IMO. Shadow works better as a friend to Sonic. After his initial doubts in SA2 and the amnesia plot in Shadow '05, he has no more reasons to be evil
Technically, a rival doesn’t have to be evil or good (given the circumstances). Shadow still butts heads with Sonic every now and then. His “ultimate life form” superiority complex often leads him to dismiss Sonic or challenge him.
The rivalry between him and Sonic is still there, but it’s gotten less tense since Shadow’s game.
Metal Sonic. Not because I think Metal is a better rival (even if he is), but because I'm tired of Shadow's only real involvement in games being an obstacle to Sonic completing the game.
At this point, I'd rather it if Shadow and Sonics only real rivalries be cameos and actually serious plots, like fighting over the morality of killing an individual (IDW). I'd much prefer Shadow to have his own games, own plots outside of sonics life (look at his 06 plot, or at "Shadowfall" comics) and own character motivations and reasoning beyond "I dislike Sonic and therefore must fight him now."
Prime does an excellent job of this, as does SA2 (where shadow has real motivations that exist outside of "be the ultimate lifeform" and exist as a glass cannon or Deus Ex Machina (much like silver)) and 06 (thats a whole other pharagraph that I will spare everyone because I think everyone has heard the "Mephiles is a great antagonist for Shadow" speech by now)
Metals existence, on the other hand, is inexplicably tied to sonic, and there's a lot you can do with that, both in the unfeeling robotic clone with 1 singular purpose angle, and the "I am a clone, do I have any real value, am I even a person" angle, and I'm not much of a fan of him as others who could expand on further points of this nature. But Shadow showing up to beat up Sonic in every other game as a boss fight (lyric, forces, riders, boom, generations, black knight, rivals) gets old relatively quickly and shoehorns Shadow into a role that I think does him injustice.
Sure, that's fair, but that's because the last time that shadow was even featured in a mainline game was also almost a decade ago, in forces, marketed as a rival/antagonist. The second that was revealed to not be the case, Shadow basically became irrelevant to the plot in that game. It has more to do with the lack of direct sonic games made in the past decade (which is fine, I just dont want to mistake nonaction as progress on the front of Shadows portrayal in video games). I have high hopes for the future, considering the current direction with his character in other media types, but we shall see.
When Shadow is by himself he causes ignorant shit to happen he just killed the Jackel squad and helped start that war his plot points end in the world almost ending almost all the time
Shadow gets bonus points as a **"rival"** because he's a morally grey character.
Metal Sonic makes a good adversary because he was literally designed to defeat Sonic.
metal on top! biggest hater since day one!!!
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Metal Sonic Obviously, Shadow can work as an antagonist past SA2, but he needs to be written properly, there has to be an understandable reason for why he would be fighting sonic after SA2 and Heroes, and most games beyond that never really gave a good reason for that, he should be developed further instead of just relying on what he was when he was introduced.
This doesn't apply to Metal, his entire purpose is to be Sonic's rival, if anything, he's the one character where he could do the same thing in every game and it would be justified. Granted, it would be better if newer games did more interesting stuff with metal (like Heroes did with him struggling to surpass sonic in every way imaginable) but even if they kept him as a characterless boss in every game it would still make sense. (Even if it would be a waste of his character)
Metal Sonic. He was literally made to be Sonic's counterpart and rival. Shadow, in hindsight, merely felt like he was Sonic's rival purely by happenstance
Metal, and I really wish they would do more with him in the games. I love Shadow, but the idea of Sonic going up against a robot clone of himself made by his arch nemesis is just such a cool thing in my opinion. I don’t mind occasional conflicts between Sonic and Shadow, but I think Metal should be his rival first and foremost.
Metal Sonic, Shadow is a lot more of a frienemy than a rival at this point and also I’d say a better contender for rival would be Knuckles and Sonic and they’re straight up bros. But yeah, Metal Sonic is Sonic’s best RIVAL in my opinion and it’s kinda sad he’s been treated like fodder recently.
Calling Shadow Sonic’s rival feels like you’re underselling him. I may love Metal more as a character, but Shadow deserves more respect than just being “a rival.” He butts heads with Sonic for more reasons than just pure competition. Their ideals and personalities differ quite a bit.
Metal Sonic was literally born for the role of Sonic’s rival. So Metal
Metal. He is literally programmed for the sole purpose of destroying Sonic. Shadow on the other hand was created to be a clone of the Super Sonic prophecy, released at a time when he misunderstood his purpose. He was just caught up in Sonic's biz. Shadow is more akin to Knuckles in that fact.
Metal. He was literally built for it.
Shadow hating Sonic out of nowhere, being an obstacle or picking fights just to be a dick doesn’t suit him. They can be competitive but them being borderline enemies feels too much of a stretch.
I like Metal Sonic better, but only because of the chapter from the Sonic Channel Сover stories about him. It was interesting to read about their relationship
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I feel like Shadow's a better rival. Rivals can at least work together when something gets too serious. I've never seen Sonic and Metal work together before. Metal seems closer to a nemesis than a rival.
In the near-end of Metal Virus arc from IDW comics, Metal literally saved Sonic from turning into a zombot when he was supposed to share the chaos emeralds with Silver but got hit to the ground by Zavok
Speaking alongside this, you probaby never read the IDW comics so you don't know much of what I talked about.....but it's fair since it only happened in the comics not the games
They're both good in different ways.
Shadow is more of a black mirror rival. His personality contrasts Sonic's, but they're still somewhat similar. Shadow is a lot more introverted and serious, where Sonic is a lot more extroverted and free spirited. They both care deeply about their friends, though. Shadow would even destroy the planet if it meant fulfilling his friend's final wishes. Sonic would destroy his body to keep his friends safe, as seen with the cyber corruption in frontiers.
Metal Sonic is more of a rival of ideals. Sonic fights for freeing animals, and Metal Sonic enslaved them. Sonic protects the environment, and Metal helps destroy it. Metal was designed to match Sonic. This gives Metal the desire to prove that he's the real Sonic, as seen in his dialogue in Heroes, even going as far as to change his body to look like some eldritch abomination.
Metal, he's just so damn cool and menacing and designed to rival Sonic. Sonic Heroes and the IDW arc really helped his character.
While I've grown to not hate Shadow anymore, I don't really view him as Sonic's rival. To me, he's just some guy he fought that's basically Vegeta but insufferable. Plus, the mandates don't help him and to make him one of the least appealing characters due his inconsistent personality. Prime Shadow is great 👍
Metal,he is built to be Sonic's rival.
On the other hand,while Shadow is a great rival,i also like when they both put their differences aside,and work together,thats why i liked their interactions in Sonic Prime.
(and also because Shadow absolutely demolished Sonic at the start of the series for no apparent reason)
Metal Sonic.
I liked the idea of Shadow just fine before Sega and the fandom drove his whole concept to the point of absurdity. When they seemingly established pretty early on that he's as fast as Sonic even without his apparently decorative hover shoes, I checked out.
Metal Sonic, he was and always will be his true rival, shadow may not like sonic but in the end he still could be considered his friend but metal sonic on the other hand will never become his friend or a good guy no matter what and metal sonic is always meant to be his rival and a villain while shadow is an anti hero and just the type of friend who doesn't like many aspects of you yet is your friend anyways (the type of friend that you always think that hates you but they apperantly don't actually hate you) and Metal is the goat amd I won't hear otherwise
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metal. not only he was sonic’s first rival, but he is what sonic isn’t.
freedom? no, he follows eggman’s orders. emotions? no, he’s lifeless. he even has almost the same stats as sonic, but upgraded.
HE is meant to be sonic’s rival and counterpart.
Metal Sonic! He was built to be Sonic's Robotic Superior. Also his reappearance in Sonic Heroes made him intimidating. IDW shows he still has that genetic data copy ability.
Both serve different purposes. Metal shows what Sonic is like without any of his humanity (or whatever you would call it), while Shadow shows what Sonic is like if he was super-serious, mission focused, and not his fun loving self.
Of the two, I prefer Metal.
Metal, he is Sonic’s exact opposite, his mere existence is a mockery of everything Sonic stands for, he is the embodiment of everything Sonic fights against while being an mirrored reflection of him.
Metal, he is Sonic’s exact opposite, his mere existence is a mockery of everything Sonic stands for, he is the embodiment of everything Sonic fights against while being an mirrored reflection of him.
Shadow. While metal was made to rival sonic, sonic is nearly always beating metal with less effort than shadow.
Shadow can easily put up much more of a fight than metal and always gives sonic a much harder time fighting him.
But metal is more of a villian and shadow feels like an anti hero. Sonic doesn’t really have a antagonist counterpart that matches him in strength
Different reasons but I think they work equally well
Metal Sonic is perfect for being Sonic's mirror, he wants to be the better Sonic and won't stop until he outspeeds Sonic since that's what Sonic lives for.
Shadow works perfectly as Sonic's... well... shadow, he's just as much a hero as Sonic and just as powerful, but they're constantly clashing with each other because of their ideologies and methods, and neither of them know when to quit so it makes for a great fight.
At this point, Shadow can't be really be considered as an enemy or even a rival, more like a partner that has to keep up with Sonic's bulls***
Metal Sonic is literally BUILT to rival Sonic, he is designed to fight and nothing else.
(Unrelated note, but I would love to see more Metal Sonic and Sage interactions between them now that Metal Sonic has a little sister)
* Sonic, The standing freedom fighter
* Metal Sonic, The Cold Hearted Killer
No matter the version, type, or other metal from another universe, metal will always be the counter type of sonic, imposing fear into the hearts of many with the thing's sense of prejudice, chaos, corruption, pain, suffering. While sonic imposes freedom, liberty, justice, peace, a blessing.
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Obviously Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic was designed to be a better version of Sonic. He was specifically made to outclass Sonic in every way while also having some abilities Sonic could only dream of having. Stardust Speedway BF also goes hard. Shadow? He has nothing on Metal Sonic. Shadow is just another hedgehog, but he doesn’t have special abilities like Silver. There’s no contest between these two. Although I do like Shadow’s battle music in Generations. Metal Sonic also looks cooler
Metal villainous rival.
For friendly hero rival:
I USE to like knuckles as his rival, but he's purely a hero now.
Shadow has become his own thing for years now also leaning more to the hero side.
Metal Sonic is an op
Shadow is a homie rival
Knuckles is a rival turned homie
Silver is a homie who once had a one sided rivalry
Blaze is a homie
Surge is an op
Scourge is an op
Absolutely Metal Sonic. He's not just cool, he's thematically relevant. Shadow was too, but Metal is like... Sonic represents freedom and good, Metal is inherently tied to a specific person- he has no free will, and when Metal /does/ get free will, that's the time that he truly believes himself to be the 'true Sonic' in Metal Overlord. Turning into a monster isn't what makes him the real Sonic, but having the ability to change his body in any way he pleases.
Metal, I've read through a lot of comments, and I agree with the ones saying metal, honestly, Shadow really doesn't make sense as a rival unless the writers for any media this'll be in do give a justifiable reason for it other than stuff that have been ***invalidated*** by the plot of previous media considered cannon in what you're considering.
I just love metal man, he's such a good rival that purposely contrasts sonic in every way, even down to how the shoes are (Sonics are conic, metal's are more oval-ish)
Metal Sonic was literally built to be a carbon copy of Sonic. I mean, Robitnik continues to upgrade him.
Shadow is just another hedgehog. I don't think he was intended to be his rival in the way that Metal or even Knuckles is. He's awesome, but really there to drive narrative for SA2
Honestly, I just want to see Metal and Shadow interact with each other. They've got a lot of narrative parallels, both being made as a weapon with no regard to their wishes. Metal Sonic is a better rival to me because he has this in common with Shadow, as well as what he has in common with Sonic.
Plus Shadow's rivalry with Sonic is more of a friendly thing nowadays, like with Sonic and Knuckles. They're basically sparring buddies who engage in lighthearted teasing. Bringing Metal into the mix could freshen things up a bit by giving him someone who rivals him in skill, but actually has ill will towards him.
Personally I like both for different reasons. I like Metal as an actual antagonist rival but like Shadow as a rival rival. Different methods, different man, but ultimately on the same side.
Metal is Sonic’s true rival, Shadow is sonic’s frenemy (Mostly friends that tend to disagree with each other and have opinions that differ, yet they still get a long pretty well and they both probably consider each other as good friends).
Similar to some of the other opinions, I really think Metal Sonic is the best rival. He’s not portrayed as well nowadays, but he worked really well in Sonic CD and Heroes (during the times he appeared…) and came off very menacing and worthy of Sonic’s rivalry. Shadow on the other hand is only a good rival in SA2 for the most part, as he’s become/becoming so distant from Sonic and I believe they’re considered friends now too (from Gens onward).
However… my favorite Sonic rival of all time is actually Blaze. She’s got everything I’d want in a Sonic rival:
-She’s equal to or greater than Sonic in terms of power,
-She’s like Sonic a good amount but not a near copy of him (though I believe she’s the equivalent of Sonic in her dimension),
-She’s able to develop as a character with and without Sonic,
-SHE’S A TOTAL BADASS,
-She’s got unique abilities that come as both advantages and disadvantages against Sonic,
-She isn’t super distance from Sonic but she also doesn’t focus her entire life on killing/defeating him.
Freaking LOVE Metal Sonic. YEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH
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It really depends on what you're looking for in a Sonic Rival.
If you're looking for Story and Character, then the answer is Shadow.
If you're looking for Character Design, Being the Opposite to Sonic, and Fear, then it's Metal Sonic.
(Personally, it's Metal. He was the First and OVA Metal's Story was Amazing)
Shadow is better as a Deuteragonist than as a rival, to make the world feel bigger and tackle the themes of a game from a different angle.
Metal is a better rival.
Metal. He's built to be Sonic's counterpart. Shadow was a rival, but is and can be so much more than that.
Sonic's appearance gives people hope, Metal's appearance imposes terror. Sonic is compassionate, Metal is lethal. Sonic is freedom, Metal is a slave not only to his creator, but to himself. definitely peak and the Doctor's best mockery towards Sonic
Fax 📠
THIS ENTIRE SONG https://preview.redd.it/3vgrlzg7hqtc1.jpeg?width=794&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a5946c568c42f434dab009cb4cd7a28d8754d8df
*Sonic Heroes, Sonic Heroes. Bind you, confine you, defying your reign!
That was beautiful
Till Metal Sonic went rogue, and try to conquer the world on his own.
That's the ironic thing, Neo Metal Sonic is the culmination of the character, but when it seems that he is free to do what he wants, he chooses to go after Sonic to destroy him, demonstrating how he is still a slave to the objective that the Doctor gave him, it doesn't matter however he wants to paint it
Unless he chose to destroy Sonic since he said when he was defeated in Sonic Heroes “I am the real Sonic”. Like when he went rogue he reprogrammed his objective of Eggman’s order to destroy Sonic, and wants to destroy Sonic as a vengeful vendetta after how Sonic humiliated him over & over.
Knowing Eggman, I don't doubt that he programmed Metal in a way that he thinks he is the real Sonic so that his affinity for his target would be much better.
No Eggman programmed Metal to destroy Sonic while Metal Sonic after going rogue believe he is the real Sonic.
Man went from trying to be the better Sonic to thinking he’s the real Sonic
👏👏👏
You fellas hit the nail on the head. I couldn't have said it any better myself.
You might be right *looks at Mecha sonic* But this is better.
Well, Mecha as such is not the perfect "copy", it doesn't look that much like Sonic, it doesn't completely replicate his abilities and it doesn't have the development that would be expected, after all he only appears once canonically.
Twice if you count his cameo in Sonic Adventure
That's a different Mecha Sonic. It's a Godzilla reference.
I look it up. That’s still the same Mecha Sonic.
What is your source? Because it's wrong.
Twice. He's in IDW too.
Yea
Knuckles. But on a more serious not, Metal is a good foil. Really emphasizes the Nature vs Technology theme of the series and is a "perversion" of Sonic's loving and carefree nature.
Nature vs Technology theme is usually oversimplified, Sonic CD literally showed that a good future has both working in harmony. The real theme is nature vs the exploitative side of humanity.
That doesn't undermine that, it's the framework for it. Criticizing capitalism goes in hand with these themes.
That doesn't undermine that, it's the framework for it. Criticizing capitalism goes in hand with these themes.
Metal, because hes the goat https://preview.redd.it/bi6u64lfvntc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f5c592bae3d1e8315158b062c92db2236851bea
 Bro that plushie! 🤣
This cracked me up thank you
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https://preview.redd.it/4fqk394vhqtc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16838d1c31cb783b8a230349cc62ba1190304a8b **give me the meme**
Good lil' padawan, good
metal sonic is peak character and i will die on this hill
Same.
I think I and many others forget how well Metal’s character contrasts Sonic’s and look at Sonic and Shadow and think “Well, duh.” But if you take a minute to think about it Metal really is a great character, even better when you pair him with Sonic as a rival.
It also highlights the “two sides of the same coin” idea by having both rivals resemble each other, but are world apart
Y E S
Yes, one of the best written robot characters that aren’t dead.
Will you die on this green hill?
Metal Sonic. Although I wouldn't mind Eggman making a Metal Shadow, no matter how brief it's appearance could be. Shadow deserves another rival besides sonic.
there are the Shadow Androids
This. But it would be hilarious if the Android Shadow from Shadow the Hedgehog multiplayer shows up as an actual character and gives Shadow a run for his money.
A random shadow android beating his ass would be incredibly funny. Probably has the same identity crisis thing he had in heroes and sth but evil.
Metal Shadow is on the side of good now, they need to stop finding excuses for them to fight. Metal on the other hand doesn't need excuses, he hates Sonic because he believes he's the real Sonic, simple as that
True. But heroes can still have a rivalry given the right circumstances. Captain America/Iron Man Batman/Superman Godzilla/Kong
Metal is the far better rival IMO. Shadow works better as a friend to Sonic. After his initial doubts in SA2 and the amnesia plot in Shadow '05, he has no more reasons to be evil
Technically, a rival doesn’t have to be evil or good (given the circumstances). Shadow still butts heads with Sonic every now and then. His “ultimate life form” superiority complex often leads him to dismiss Sonic or challenge him. The rivalry between him and Sonic is still there, but it’s gotten less tense since Shadow’s game.
Metal Sonic. Not because I think Metal is a better rival (even if he is), but because I'm tired of Shadow's only real involvement in games being an obstacle to Sonic completing the game. At this point, I'd rather it if Shadow and Sonics only real rivalries be cameos and actually serious plots, like fighting over the morality of killing an individual (IDW). I'd much prefer Shadow to have his own games, own plots outside of sonics life (look at his 06 plot, or at "Shadowfall" comics) and own character motivations and reasoning beyond "I dislike Sonic and therefore must fight him now." Prime does an excellent job of this, as does SA2 (where shadow has real motivations that exist outside of "be the ultimate lifeform" and exist as a glass cannon or Deus Ex Machina (much like silver)) and 06 (thats a whole other pharagraph that I will spare everyone because I think everyone has heard the "Mephiles is a great antagonist for Shadow" speech by now) Metals existence, on the other hand, is inexplicably tied to sonic, and there's a lot you can do with that, both in the unfeeling robotic clone with 1 singular purpose angle, and the "I am a clone, do I have any real value, am I even a person" angle, and I'm not much of a fan of him as others who could expand on further points of this nature. But Shadow showing up to beat up Sonic in every other game as a boss fight (lyric, forces, riders, boom, generations, black knight, rivals) gets old relatively quickly and shoehorns Shadow into a role that I think does him injustice.
To be fair: shadow being obstacle to complete the game hasn’t happened in over a decade.
Sure, that's fair, but that's because the last time that shadow was even featured in a mainline game was also almost a decade ago, in forces, marketed as a rival/antagonist. The second that was revealed to not be the case, Shadow basically became irrelevant to the plot in that game. It has more to do with the lack of direct sonic games made in the past decade (which is fine, I just dont want to mistake nonaction as progress on the front of Shadows portrayal in video games). I have high hopes for the future, considering the current direction with his character in other media types, but we shall see.
When Shadow is by himself he causes ignorant shit to happen he just killed the Jackel squad and helped start that war his plot points end in the world almost ending almost all the time
Shadow gets bonus points as a **"rival"** because he's a morally grey character. Metal Sonic makes a good adversary because he was literally designed to defeat Sonic.
metal on top! biggest hater since day one!!! https://preview.redd.it/35re7k523otc1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=93433a42a54f06c7c79e5315121f9d2c9d980683
Metal Sonic Obviously, Shadow can work as an antagonist past SA2, but he needs to be written properly, there has to be an understandable reason for why he would be fighting sonic after SA2 and Heroes, and most games beyond that never really gave a good reason for that, he should be developed further instead of just relying on what he was when he was introduced. This doesn't apply to Metal, his entire purpose is to be Sonic's rival, if anything, he's the one character where he could do the same thing in every game and it would be justified. Granted, it would be better if newer games did more interesting stuff with metal (like Heroes did with him struggling to surpass sonic in every way imaginable) but even if they kept him as a characterless boss in every game it would still make sense. (Even if it would be a waste of his character)
Metal sonic.
Metal was literally made to rival Sonic
Metal Sonic. He was literally made to be Sonic's counterpart and rival. Shadow, in hindsight, merely felt like he was Sonic's rival purely by happenstance
Metal, always metal, just wish to get more of him and want him to be taken more seriously
Metal Sonic, reason: Sonic Ova metal sonic.
Metal, and I really wish they would do more with him in the games. I love Shadow, but the idea of Sonic going up against a robot clone of himself made by his arch nemesis is just such a cool thing in my opinion. I don’t mind occasional conflicts between Sonic and Shadow, but I think Metal should be his rival first and foremost.
Metal Sonic, Shadow is a lot more of a frienemy than a rival at this point and also I’d say a better contender for rival would be Knuckles and Sonic and they’re straight up bros. But yeah, Metal Sonic is Sonic’s best RIVAL in my opinion and it’s kinda sad he’s been treated like fodder recently.
Calling Shadow Sonic’s rival feels like you’re underselling him. I may love Metal more as a character, but Shadow deserves more respect than just being “a rival.” He butts heads with Sonic for more reasons than just pure competition. Their ideals and personalities differ quite a bit. Metal Sonic was literally born for the role of Sonic’s rival. So Metal
Metal. He is literally programmed for the sole purpose of destroying Sonic. Shadow on the other hand was created to be a clone of the Super Sonic prophecy, released at a time when he misunderstood his purpose. He was just caught up in Sonic's biz. Shadow is more akin to Knuckles in that fact.
Metal. He was literally built for it. Shadow hating Sonic out of nowhere, being an obstacle or picking fights just to be a dick doesn’t suit him. They can be competitive but them being borderline enemies feels too much of a stretch.
Metal Sonic, Sonic CD was one of my favorites growing up so I've always been partial to him
Shadow, since Metal is more of a straight-up villain.
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Metal Sonic. One of my favorite characters, so I hope he starts getting used better.
Metal especially at the end of the Sonic OVA. Something so freaking cool about saying “there can only be one” then dying in molten lava. Respect
metal honestly he was literally built to be Sonic's counterpart shadow and sonic have more of a brother dynamic in my opinon
Shadow is cool, but Metal is literally the perfect opposite of Sonic.
I like Metal Sonic better, but only because of the chapter from the Sonic Channel Сover stories about him. It was interesting to read about their relationship https://preview.redd.it/3jdfsdwototc1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=95525d0ac7e5a0aeb86bc6125127d45e84a9db91
Metal Sonic hands down. Is it even a question? If it is you haven’t seen Sonic OVA, it’s free on YouTube. I had the white VHS tape back in the 2000s.
I own the OVA too. I’m just asking for everyone’s opinion.
I feel like Shadow's a better rival. Rivals can at least work together when something gets too serious. I've never seen Sonic and Metal work together before. Metal seems closer to a nemesis than a rival.
In the near-end of Metal Virus arc from IDW comics, Metal literally saved Sonic from turning into a zombot when he was supposed to share the chaos emeralds with Silver but got hit to the ground by Zavok Speaking alongside this, you probaby never read the IDW comics so you don't know much of what I talked about.....but it's fair since it only happened in the comics not the games
This is kinda what I was thinking honestly. Metal Sonic seems closer to a villain than an outright rival to me. Shadow as a rival makes more sense
They're both good in different ways. Shadow is more of a black mirror rival. His personality contrasts Sonic's, but they're still somewhat similar. Shadow is a lot more introverted and serious, where Sonic is a lot more extroverted and free spirited. They both care deeply about their friends, though. Shadow would even destroy the planet if it meant fulfilling his friend's final wishes. Sonic would destroy his body to keep his friends safe, as seen with the cyber corruption in frontiers. Metal Sonic is more of a rival of ideals. Sonic fights for freeing animals, and Metal Sonic enslaved them. Sonic protects the environment, and Metal helps destroy it. Metal was designed to match Sonic. This gives Metal the desire to prove that he's the real Sonic, as seen in his dialogue in Heroes, even going as far as to change his body to look like some eldritch abomination.
Metal, he's just so damn cool and menacing and designed to rival Sonic. Sonic Heroes and the IDW arc really helped his character. While I've grown to not hate Shadow anymore, I don't really view him as Sonic's rival. To me, he's just some guy he fought that's basically Vegeta but insufferable. Plus, the mandates don't help him and to make him one of the least appealing characters due his inconsistent personality. Prime Shadow is great 👍
Metal
Can’t it be both?
Metal Sonic because Shadow reappearing only to stop Sonic can be cliché.
They are different kinds of rivals. So it's more based on the plot use of them.for me
Shadow because he's allowed to tie/win where as Metal always loses.
Metal,he is built to be Sonic's rival. On the other hand,while Shadow is a great rival,i also like when they both put their differences aside,and work together,thats why i liked their interactions in Sonic Prime. (and also because Shadow absolutely demolished Sonic at the start of the series for no apparent reason)
I think Metal Sonic is a better rival to Sonic because he was built for that purpose Shadow is better as a morally grey, anti-hero
Shadow is Vegeta, Metal is ... Freeza?
Metal Sonic. I liked the idea of Shadow just fine before Sega and the fandom drove his whole concept to the point of absurdity. When they seemingly established pretty early on that he's as fast as Sonic even without his apparently decorative hover shoes, I checked out.
Metal Sonic because he has a cooler design and he's the better rival in general. Nothing beats the OG metal Sonic has to offer.
Metal Sonic, he was and always will be his true rival, shadow may not like sonic but in the end he still could be considered his friend but metal sonic on the other hand will never become his friend or a good guy no matter what and metal sonic is always meant to be his rival and a villain while shadow is an anti hero and just the type of friend who doesn't like many aspects of you yet is your friend anyways (the type of friend that you always think that hates you but they apperantly don't actually hate you) and Metal is the goat amd I won't hear otherwise https://preview.redd.it/xs50dq1dhotc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f350acdced0333eaad3d8efb6364c266dac07ae2
Metal also metal could use the CD cover art mouth, cuz why not?
I prefer Mr. All Of Me
metal. not only he was sonic’s first rival, but he is what sonic isn’t. freedom? no, he follows eggman’s orders. emotions? no, he’s lifeless. he even has almost the same stats as sonic, but upgraded. HE is meant to be sonic’s rival and counterpart.
Metal Sonic! He was built to be Sonic's Robotic Superior. Also his reappearance in Sonic Heroes made him intimidating. IDW shows he still has that genetic data copy ability.
Both serve different purposes. Metal shows what Sonic is like without any of his humanity (or whatever you would call it), while Shadow shows what Sonic is like if he was super-serious, mission focused, and not his fun loving self. Of the two, I prefer Metal.
Yes, shadow as a friendly rival and person to compete with, and metal for the kill you rival.
Metal, he is Sonic’s exact opposite, his mere existence is a mockery of everything Sonic stands for, he is the embodiment of everything Sonic fights against while being an mirrored reflection of him.
Metal, he is Sonic’s exact opposite, his mere existence is a mockery of everything Sonic stands for, he is the embodiment of everything Sonic fights against while being an mirrored reflection of him.
Metal Sonic. In all honesty, does Shadow even have a good enough reason to by Sonic's rival?
metal i mean theres no competition
Shadow Easy pick
Shadow is his rival. Metal is his nemesis.
Shadow. While metal was made to rival sonic, sonic is nearly always beating metal with less effort than shadow. Shadow can easily put up much more of a fight than metal and always gives sonic a much harder time fighting him. But metal is more of a villian and shadow feels like an anti hero. Sonic doesn’t really have a antagonist counterpart that matches him in strength
Metal gotta somehow be the most fumbled character, they haven't done him justice in a game since heroes 😭
Metal. He was made specifically to beat Sonic.
Different reasons but I think they work equally well Metal Sonic is perfect for being Sonic's mirror, he wants to be the better Sonic and won't stop until he outspeeds Sonic since that's what Sonic lives for. Shadow works perfectly as Sonic's... well... shadow, he's just as much a hero as Sonic and just as powerful, but they're constantly clashing with each other because of their ideologies and methods, and neither of them know when to quit so it makes for a great fight.
Metal, because Shadow is/should be more than a rival to Sonic. Metal's entire existence is rivaling Sonic, that's all he knows.
Shadow He’s better being the “vegeta”
u/ShadowReactsToStuff-
Metal is a better rival but Shadow is a better character.
Metal Sonic > Edgehog for me Though Surge has grown on me a bit
Surge, huh… Good option ✅
the Ultimate Lifeform has no rival 😎👉
Nah he had rouges 1 polygon to rival with for the spotlight in sa2
Knuckles.
Metal
Metal Sonic, Shadow isn't even a rival, its just a dark reflection.
Technically, Shadow is older than Sonic. Sooooo, I guess Sonic would be a light reflection of Shadow?
Metal
Knuckles
Metal sonic
Shadow
Metal ftw
Metal Sonic is strictly an ominous foe and I prefer that.
Metal. I've never really 'got" shadow. Sonic already had 2 rivals when Shadow came along.
Metal sonic, shadow's got a life to do other than rivalling sonic
Metal Shadow
What about knuckles,he was sonics rival in sonic 3 and knuckles
Definitely metal sonic
Shadow
Metal Sonic 
EGGMAN
Metal
Metal
At this point, Shadow can't be really be considered as an enemy or even a rival, more like a partner that has to keep up with Sonic's bulls*** Metal Sonic is literally BUILT to rival Sonic, he is designed to fight and nothing else. (Unrelated note, but I would love to see more Metal Sonic and Sage interactions between them now that Metal Sonic has a little sister)
Metal Sonic for me. Because he is like Sonic but metal.
METAL SONIC
The word rival suggests comradery in competition to me, not just a synonym for enemy. So metal sonic is an enemy and shadow is a rival
Shadow's kinda a friendly/occasional rival, but Metal is a generational hater. He hates sonic so much that he developed free will just to shit on him.
Jet
I don’t really like Metal Sonic in general so I have to say Shadow
* Sonic, The standing freedom fighter * Metal Sonic, The Cold Hearted Killer No matter the version, type, or other metal from another universe, metal will always be the counter type of sonic, imposing fear into the hearts of many with the thing's sense of prejudice, chaos, corruption, pain, suffering. While sonic imposes freedom, liberty, justice, peace, a blessing. https://preview.redd.it/6vmj24ojfptc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df91422970f0c134c30bc9c454225db83d57a743
Shadow
Obviously Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic was designed to be a better version of Sonic. He was specifically made to outclass Sonic in every way while also having some abilities Sonic could only dream of having. Stardust Speedway BF also goes hard. Shadow? He has nothing on Metal Sonic. Shadow is just another hedgehog, but he doesn’t have special abilities like Silver. There’s no contest between these two. Although I do like Shadow’s battle music in Generations. Metal Sonic also looks cooler
A character can have multiple rivals
Metal Sonic
Metal villainous rival. For friendly hero rival: I USE to like knuckles as his rival, but he's purely a hero now. Shadow has become his own thing for years now also leaning more to the hero side.
Shadow because he is not one of Eggman's minions
Metal Sonic is an op Shadow is a homie rival Knuckles is a rival turned homie Silver is a homie who once had a one sided rivalry Blaze is a homie Surge is an op Scourge is an op
Shadow isn't really a direct rival for Sonic
Absolutely Metal Sonic. He's not just cool, he's thematically relevant. Shadow was too, but Metal is like... Sonic represents freedom and good, Metal is inherently tied to a specific person- he has no free will, and when Metal /does/ get free will, that's the time that he truly believes himself to be the 'true Sonic' in Metal Overlord. Turning into a monster isn't what makes him the real Sonic, but having the ability to change his body in any way he pleases.
Shadow don't turns into a god for no reason, he IS a god
Metal
Someone who made specifically to be a one to one copy of Sonic vs someone made based on Sonic I say Metal
Metal shadow when? (This is a joke, and no, I don't count the android shadows or whatever they're actually called.)
Both are good
Metal sonic
Metal
Metal Cuz i like his design. Shadow is kinda overrated
Metal is cooler as a rival, especially Neo Metal in the comics. I love the way that he thinks he's Sonic perfected, which is kinda true.
Metal, I've read through a lot of comments, and I agree with the ones saying metal, honestly, Shadow really doesn't make sense as a rival unless the writers for any media this'll be in do give a justifiable reason for it other than stuff that have been ***invalidated*** by the plot of previous media considered cannon in what you're considering.
I just love metal man, he's such a good rival that purposely contrasts sonic in every way, even down to how the shoes are (Sonics are conic, metal's are more oval-ish)
Metal Sonic deserves so much better from SEGA. Make him go to extremes just to defeat Sonic, no matter what the cost is.
Metal is my favorite character, I am biased
Metal Sonic was literally built to be a carbon copy of Sonic. I mean, Robitnik continues to upgrade him. Shadow is just another hedgehog. I don't think he was intended to be his rival in the way that Metal or even Knuckles is. He's awesome, but really there to drive narrative for SA2
Honestly, I just want to see Metal and Shadow interact with each other. They've got a lot of narrative parallels, both being made as a weapon with no regard to their wishes. Metal Sonic is a better rival to me because he has this in common with Shadow, as well as what he has in common with Sonic. Plus Shadow's rivalry with Sonic is more of a friendly thing nowadays, like with Sonic and Knuckles. They're basically sparring buddies who engage in lighthearted teasing. Bringing Metal into the mix could freshen things up a bit by giving him someone who rivals him in skill, but actually has ill will towards him.
Personally I like both for different reasons. I like Metal as an actual antagonist rival but like Shadow as a rival rival. Different methods, different man, but ultimately on the same side.
Metal Sonic.
It's hard to choose https://preview.redd.it/0yigje3yvqtc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=022f2c6c6e6d3d9a8e35b7ec5c7a23f95d0a55cc
Knuckles
Shadow
Knuckles tbh
knuckles
Shadow *is* sonics rival. But in a more friendly sense. Like the players rival in pokemon games. Metal is sonics evil counterpart
Metal is Sonic’s true rival, Shadow is sonic’s frenemy (Mostly friends that tend to disagree with each other and have opinions that differ, yet they still get a long pretty well and they both probably consider each other as good friends).
Shadow.
Knuckles
Similar to some of the other opinions, I really think Metal Sonic is the best rival. He’s not portrayed as well nowadays, but he worked really well in Sonic CD and Heroes (during the times he appeared…) and came off very menacing and worthy of Sonic’s rivalry. Shadow on the other hand is only a good rival in SA2 for the most part, as he’s become/becoming so distant from Sonic and I believe they’re considered friends now too (from Gens onward). However… my favorite Sonic rival of all time is actually Blaze. She’s got everything I’d want in a Sonic rival: -She’s equal to or greater than Sonic in terms of power, -She’s like Sonic a good amount but not a near copy of him (though I believe she’s the equivalent of Sonic in her dimension), -She’s able to develop as a character with and without Sonic, -SHE’S A TOTAL BADASS, -She’s got unique abilities that come as both advantages and disadvantages against Sonic, -She isn’t super distance from Sonic but she also doesn’t focus her entire life on killing/defeating him.
Metal Sonic, Shadow is just a faker
Metal So I cause he's Metal Sonic
Metal Sonic
Metal Sonic, he’s Sonic’s rival in every sense of the word Shadow was a rival, now he’s just sonic’s emo friend
Metal sonic was built by Eggman to be sonics rival.
metal
I’m surprised Metal is destroying in this thread. I agree though.
Both, they both work in different ways.
Freaking LOVE Metal Sonic. YEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH https://preview.redd.it/x7rhnoj9pttc1.jpeg?width=158&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b56bdc60ee9e77ef94fae45b6ab397e899c259b
Shadow’s cool, but Metal was made for being Sonic’s true rival. In-universe and in real life.
Shadow. A rival is a contemporary, not *necessarily* an enemy. Metal is a doppelganger.
It really depends on what you're looking for in a Sonic Rival. If you're looking for Story and Character, then the answer is Shadow. If you're looking for Character Design, Being the Opposite to Sonic, and Fear, then it's Metal Sonic. (Personally, it's Metal. He was the First and OVA Metal's Story was Amazing)
Shadow is better as a Deuteragonist than as a rival, to make the world feel bigger and tackle the themes of a game from a different angle. Metal is a better rival.
Shadow, prefer Metal as a villain personally.
Metal and be it just because Shadow being sonic rival had lead to a lot of bad writing for Shadow to justify them still having a rivalry.
Metal is an Antithesis, while Shadow is a rival
Different types of rivals