Is there any character cooler than Shadow the Hedgehog?

[GothGirlGangBlasterMaster]

i wonder if i really thought shadow was cool back when i was in elementary school. when they announced he was getting his own game i remember being really excited for it, but it's hard to tell if i loved the character or if i was just excited to play a new sonic game.
he did have that mysterious quality that engaged my imagination back then. is he a robot, a clone, an alien? why does he have weird powers and special shoes?
they kinda lost those qualities over the years and he's basically just sonic's 4000th friend, but he was interesting for a while

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