Shadow is an anthropomorphic black hedgehog appearing in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series of platform games and its various spin-offs. He first appeared in the 2001 installment Sonic Adventure 2,[5] the final Sonic game released for a Sega video game console.[6] His roles in the games vary. Some, such as the main series games Sonic Adventure 2,[6] Sonic Heroes (2003),[7] and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) feature him as a major playable character,[8] and he is the protagonist of the spin-off Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and a downloadable content (DLC) package for Sonic Forces (2017).[9][10] Others, such as the anniversary game Sonic Generations (2011), limit him to a non-playable role.[11]