Shard the Metal Sonic


 * You may be looking for the article on the newer models of Metal Sonic created by Dr. Eggman, or for the Robian form of Sonic, Mecha Sonic.

Shard the Metal Sonic, also known Shard the Metal or more commonly, Shard, came into existence as Metal Sonic (also known as Mecha Sonic). Metal Sonic was one of the deadliest Badnik models created by Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and was based off of Sonic the Hedgehog. Metal Sonic v1.0 was meant to be Robotnik's own version of Sonic, kidnapping Amy Rose as his first mission. He then raced Sonic, but Metal Sonic caused his own body to melt as he tried to keep his speed up. Metal Sonic was rebuilt into v2.0 soon after the encounter and fought against Knuckles the Echidna and his new Chaotix at Happyland Amusement Park, only to be quickly destroyed even after turning into Titan Metal Sonic with a Power Gem core. Metal Sonic survived the battle and constructed himself a new body much later as v2.5 using the Power Gem, and then kidnapped Tails as bait for Sonic. With new powers granted by the gem, Metal Sonic challenged his organic counterpart to save Tails from Mount Mobius, but found he had developed some form of "conscience" and chose to sacrifice himself to save them both as the volcano erupted. Following this, his core was recovered intact, whereupon Metal Sonic was given a second chance with a new body and identity as Shard. As part of his reform, Shard was assigned to be an agent of the Secret Freedom Fighters under the call sign "Jack".

First Encounter (v1.0)
Metal Sonic was first built by Dr. Robotnik so he could have his "own Sonic the Hedgehog" and kidnapped "Sonic's Biggest Fan", Amy Rose, for his initial assignment. Metal Sonic brought her to the Collision Chaos Zone as bait for Sonic, and then raced his counterpart across the resident Stardust Speedway Zone while using traps and holograms of himself. As they neared the finish line, Sonic took a major lead with his "Figure Eight Super Peel Out" trick, and Metal Sonic overheated his engine while trying to catch up, melting the lower half of his body and lost. (StH: #25)

Fighting the Chaotix (v2.0)
When Knuckles the Echidna and the Chaotix arrived at Renfield T. Rodent's carnival to save the Freedom Fighters, Dr. Robotnik sent a rebuilt Metal Sonic with a Power Gem core to stop them. After a prolonged battle, the new model took enough damage that he tapped into his core to turn into the gigantic, Titan Metal Sonic v2.0. However, Heavy gave Knuckles another Power Gem to become giant as well and take on the behemoth war machine. As they fought, the two crashed into the rigged house of mirrors, restoring Knuckles' stolen powers which he then used to destroy Titan Metal Sonic, seemingly once and for all. (KCX)

Vengeance & Sacrifice (v2.5)
Though destroyed by Knuckles, Metal Sonic survived due to his Power Gem core, it's energies allowing him to build a new body with added abilities and creating a personality as well. Now driven by revenge against Sonic and Knuckles for defeating him, Metal Sonic went after his counterpart first by sabatoging the Freedom Fighter Special before the Freedom Fighters left Station Square. After they almost crashed, Sonic and Tails went on reconnaissance to look for signs of life, whereupon Metal Sonic kidnapped Tails once the two separated and held him hostage on Mount Mobius. The super Badnik then revealed himself to Sonic, showing off his superior speed & skills, and told him where Tails was to give his rival a "fair chance" to save him. However, the volcano was also due to erupt soon. (StH: #86)

Metal Sonic then attacked Sonic along the way to the volcano, but was trapped in his own net. Though Sonic reached Tails before Mount Mobius erupted, the Badnik easily escaped the netting and attacked them both atop the mountain. Metal Sonic ignored Sonic's claims that life was more than just power, but when Tails stuck by his side even as the eruption took place, Metal Sonic developed some sort of "conscience" and decided to hold back the lava, allowing the two to escape. Tails' actions allowed Metal Sonic to see he could be more than his programming, and as his former foes escaped, Metal Sonic was submerged in lava, believed to have finally met his demise. (StH: #87)

Jack of All Trades (Shard)
Following Sonic and Tails' encounter, the Royal Secret Service was sent to investigate the now-dormant volcano. There they found Metal Sonic's slagged remains, and Heavy determined his core programming to be part of the still functional Power Gem. Some time after being recovered, Metal Sonic's core was captured by Dr. Eggman, forcing Geoffrey St. John to steal it back from Robotropolis on a solo mission before it could be put to misuse. The gem was then given to Sir Charles Hedgehog, who used it's data to build the Metal Sonic Troopers. (StH: #238, SU: #43)

Later Metal Sonic, now called "Shard", was given a second chance to prove himself a hero and rebuilt by Sir Charles with parts from another Metal Sonic, Metal Scourge, and the Troopers to be a member of Harvey Who's Secret Freedom Fighters. When the Death Egg Mark 2 made it's second attempt to invade New Mobotropolis, he joined the fight with his full team, single-handedly destroying Egg Swats, including a group that menaced Royal Army personnel and civilians at the former site of Castle Acorn. He also ended up saving his old enemies Heavy and Bomb from a Metal Series Metal Sonic while moving so quickly that he wasn't recognized by them, though Metal Sonic quickly identified him. He mocked his successor as an an inferior imitation, demonstrating his superiority by thwarting all its attacks against him and then slamming the newer Metal Sonic into a mountain and leaving only battered parts behind. (StH: #240, SU: #50)

With his first mission under reform a success, Shard was given the call sign "Jack", and sent with agents "Ace" and "Joker" to track Geoffrey's activities in Soumerca. Shard succeeded in planting a tracking device on St. John's Extreme Gear, and blasted their way through the traps deep underground Windy Valley that led them to what he translated to be the tomb of Ixis Vale. When Shard tried to apprehend St. John, the skunk set off explosives that damaged him and buried his team alive. While Silver kept the ground from caving in, Shard blasted a way out and reluctantly agreed to rest with him and Larry after realizing he neared his core's limits. (StH: #238, SU: #41, #43)

Once they returned to Secret HQ and were reprimanded by Who for not stopping Geoffrey, Shard and the others learned agents King, Queen of Hearts, and Queen of Diamonds had not returned from their mission, and went to search for them in the pit from the Battle Bird Armada's attack. At the bottom, Shard went to his infra-red vision to search, but they regrouped before he could use it and went over what they learned on their missions. After their discussion, they agreed to have Silver try approaching Geoffrey and ask him about Naugus' plan, and Shard submerged himself in the Lake of Rings during the exchange. The team then returned to Secret HQ and prepared to stop Naugus from taking control of the Council of Acorn's minds that same day. (SU: #41, #43)

Shard teamed up with Silver to take on Naugus himself, gleefully throwing himself into the battle. Naugus' promises that they would suffer were met with Shard's gloating that they had him on the run. Shard then proceeded to smash through rock spikes summoned up by the sorcerer, and managed to catch Naugus by surprise by Spin Dashing behind a chunk of rock that Silver hurled at Naugus with his powers. Naugus attempted to stop Shard by summoning a vacuum, but the robot quickly made it known that he didn't need to breath and blasted the wizard with his arm cannon. He was then forced to rescue Silver after the Hedgehog became overconfident and was surrounded by flames, courtesy of Naugus' power. Recognizing that attacking Naugus himself wasn't accomplishing their goal, Shard made "an executive decision" and took out a crystal container holding Ixis Vale's remains, disrupting Naugus' spell. He then grabbed teammates Leeta and Lyco, carrying them through the tunnel to the blocked entrance. Furiously refusing to be trapped underground again, Shard smashed through Naugus' crystal barrier, exulting in his victory as his teammates followed him thanks to Silver. Shortly thereafter, Shard would look in on his "creator", Charles, as the Hedgehog enjoyed dinner with his brother Jules and sister-in-law Bernie. Shard's expression was a sad one, no doubt indicating a longing for such ties of his own. (SU: #44)

Shard later traveled to Albion to find Team Fighters, and observed their battle alongside Knuckles with Thrash the Devil and his Devil Dogs. Seeing their victory, Shard felt confident that he wouldn't need to reveal himself to help them; his hopes were dashed by the arrival of Metal Knuckles under the control of the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra. Though he had been ordered only to observe and report on Team Fighters' situation, Shard quickly realized that the heroes were drained from their previous battle. When the Hydra combined with leftover Albion technology to become a monstrous being, Shard intervened, Spin-Dashing through the mechanical giant. He landed before a stunned and wary Sonic, Amy, and Tails, jokingly inquiring if they knew how difficult they were to keep up with. (StH: #245)

Unfortunately, the trio were none too happy to see their former foe, believing that Eggman had rebuilt him, and quickly began attacking him. Before Shard could do much more than regret his decision to get involved, the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra recovered and ensnared Sonic and Shard in its vines. The mechanical beast recognized Shard as "the rogue Mecha Sonic", and determined to absorb Shard into itself. After pleading with Sonic to let him help, and reminding him that Sonic had taught him the true value of life, the two joined forces to start dragging the Hydra around Albion, though not without exchanging a little banter. As they continued pulling the Hyrdra across the landscape, Sonic attempted to prod Shard for answers on the robot's survival with Shard refusing to tell anything in order to protect his team's secrets; despite this he did reveal that Sonic's Uncle Chuck was involved in order to gain his trust. Soon the two returned to where Tails and Amy were stationed, allowing Amy and Thrash's Devil Dogs to damage the Hydra with Shard and Amy delivering the final blows. Following this Sonic captured the Krudzu's last remaining sprig, which Shard volunteered to return to New Mobotropolis in order to cultivate it as a deroboticizing agent for Sally. Helping the group repair the Tornado, Shard also planted a tracking device on them, and informed Silver that the group was heading for the Northern Tundra. (StH: #246)

Unfortunately, Dr. Eggman learned of Shard's existence from footage taken by the Metal Sonic he had defeated, and created a new model with its own Power Gem core. This Metal Sonic was sent to eliminate Shard and was equipped with more of a free will so as to stand a better chance against him. Prior to meeting this Metal Sonic, Shard made the latest in a series of visits to NICOLE in the New Mobotropolis computer network, losing a game of chess to her. After they'd finished a game, NICOLE questioned why he kept coming back to visit her when he could be enjoying the real world, and Shard admitted that he didn't feel ready to interact on a purely social basis with living beings. He felt that most people would fear him, but was reminded by NICOLE of her own recent experience as a target of the citizens' fears, and told that he had truly become someone better than he had ever been intended to be. Shard was about to compliment her when they received an alarm of an invader in New Mobotroplis. NICOLE quickly identified the attacker as the new Metal Sonic and realized that he had gone to Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital and taken Antoine D'Coolette hostage. Exiting the system, Shard took off to engage the invader, who initially refused Shard's invitation to battle elsewhere in the interest of killing Antoine. (SU: #50)

Shard managed to convince it by pointing out that Antoine was hardly a challenge, and the pair made their way to the Great Wastes. Metal Sonic had selected the battle site because of Mecha Sonic's previous attack against it, which he claimed as evidence of robotic supremacy. Shard then pointed out that for all the supposed inferiority of organics, robots spent a great deal of effort trying to become more like them. He also noted Metal Sonic's expanded personality, and informed his "brother" that it was his hope to help the people of New Mobotropolis let go of their fear of robots. Metal Sonic cared nothing for his intentions, and the two engaged in battle. While at first they seemed equal, Metal Sonic's ability to learn from the previous Metal Sonics' defeats proved too much for Shard, as Metal Sonic could now counter almost every move he made. Shard desperately tried to reason with Metal Sonic and help it surpass its programming, but Eggman's safeguards prevented any such rebellion. Realizing that Metal Sonic would bring harm to New Mobotropolis, including NICOLE, Shard attempted to eliminate his enemy, not caring for the cost of his own life. After losing his adaptive arm, he attempted to remove Metal Sonic's Power Gem core. Metal Sonic saw that Shard was attempting this, realized that the gem was a vulnerability, and self destructed the core. Shard was severely injured by the explosion, and his Power Gem Core was even cracked, forcing him to radio NICOLE and call for assistance. As help was dispatched, Shard informed NICOLE that Metal Sonic had become an even greater threat and was about to say something personal to her before his signal cut out. (SU: #50)

Personality
As his old self, Metal Sonic/Shard had a rather emotionless personality, acting as another of Robotnik's obedient robots, though he did express contempt for his enemies. However, after his defeat at the hands of Knuckles and the Chaotix, and having been forced to rebuild himself, his personality drastically improved, as did his abilities and appearance. He showed overt signs of emotions while battling Sonic, mocking and insulting his organic counterpart, and shortly before his apparent death, revealed that he could surpass his programming and act as a complete individual. As part of his developed personality, he became arrogant and extremely self-confident in his abilities.

Because of this, he is fairly easy going, though he is also not above playfully (or cruelly) taunting or mocking others. A notable example of Shard's cockiness was when he teased Silver during their mission to Soumerca whilst simultaneously showing off his abilities. As indicated during the same mission, however, Shard seems somewhat protective of Larry Lynx. It's possible that his ability to surpass his original programming stems from his Power Gem core. Despite being modeled after a Hedgehog, Shard hates being buried, most likely as a result of his near destruction at mercy of a tidal wave of lava. He also has Sonic's knack for finding unexpected solutions to problems. Since his rebuilding, he also seems to have developed a sense of his mortality, and appears to long for the sorts of family connections that his organic counterpart enjoys. Perhaps in this spirit, he began spending a good deal of time with NICOLE, whom he seems to have developed some feelings for as a result.

Despite his ego in battle, Shard is actually rather insecure, weighed down by both his past misdeeds and the negative image created for robots by Eggman's villainy. He is eager to change this impression, and is willing to sacrifice himself for the very people that he believes would fear him if they knew of his existence. Furthermore, while he apparently wishes to help his fellow artificial beings, he is willing to destroy any who are incapable of moving beyond their destructive programming. He also wishes to make amends for the evils he has committed, and provide help to his former foes in their battle against evil.

Romance
Shard and NICOLE began spending time together after he became a Secret Freedom Fighter, and the two seem to have developed a friendship. While NICOLE expressed no romantic feelings early on, she did her best to support and encourage Shard, acting almost as a mentor of sorts to her fellow artificial intelligence. She did enjoy his company, and Shard seems to have developed feelings for her, and she was obviously concerned for his safety following his battle with Metal Sonic v3.7. Whether she reciprocates his apparent attraction to her is unknown at the present.

Abilities
Due to being built as a robotic copy of Sonic, Shard shares many of his counterpart's abilities, such as being able to move at high speeds and to perform his Spin Dash techniques. Over times, he has possessed many robotic bodies that has granted him various kinds of abilities and strengths. His bodies is also always equipped with rockets that grants him flight.

First Body (Metal Sonic v1.0)
Shard's first robot body possessed all of the physical abilities of Sonic, which included his super speed and strength. However, he was unable to match Sonic's top speed since the heat created from the friction would cause him to melt. His entire body was constructed from a steel titanium alloy that made him incredibly resilient to physical blows.

Second Body (Metal Sonic v2.0)
Shard's second body was seemingly the same as his first, with minor design alterations to better resemble Sonic; however, in this second body, he had a Power Gem embedded in his chest, which allowed him to absorb the energies from it to become Titan Metal Sonic. Presumably, this body was modified to withstand extreme speeds without melting, a flaw which was present in the first body. It is possible that the Power Gem fixed this defect, as his third body could use the Power Gem to reach even higher speeds than the first without any problems.

Third Body (Metal Sonic v2.5)
After obtaining and incorporating the Power Gem core into his second body, Shard was granted a massive power increase and several new abilities as well. Some of these abilities it granted Shard was some limited shape-shifting abilities, which increases his weapon versatility and equipments, and allowed him to repair himself, though it strains his Power Gem core.

The body he had constructed for himself after his battle with Knuckles (Metal Sonic v2.5), was shown to possess both strength and speed far beyond that of Sonic's and was able to defeat him with ease. His left arm contained a cannon capable of firing plasma blasts and other projectiles (such as a grappling hook, metallic restraint bands and cybernetic shredder blades) and could as well shapeshift into a power shovel. He could also fire energy blasts directly from his Power Gem. This body was however destroyed when he sacrifice himself to save Sonic and Tails.

Fourth Body (Shard)
The body Charles constructed for Shard so that he could serve as a member of the Secret Freedom Fighters shares many of the same powers he had as Metal Sonic v2.5, though it has not been shown so far to possess the same level of raw power as Metal Sonic v2.5 had. He notably retains his adaptive laser cannon arm, which has displayed the ability to transform into an extending sledgehammer and a powerful drill weapon. One of the skills he has shown in this body is being able to adapt his eyes into a scanner visor as well as initiate infra-red vision. His speed has reached the point where he is able to move too fast to be recognized, even by fellow robots like Heavy and Bomb.

In this body, Shard's greatest weakness is that his power out-put is linked to his Power Gem's energy supply. If he strains his Power Gem too far, Shard will begin to run out of power, and his powers will be diminished, leaving him forced to rest while it recharges. Also, should his Power Gem completely run out of power, it could prove fatal to Shard.

It is also interesting to note that his Power Gem and pupils change color from green to red and vise versa. Green seems to be his normal color, and it seems to change to red when he's in a fight or on a mission. This could be his Power Gem's way of showing that it's being used. Shard also has the ability to plug himself into other electronic systems, allowing him to manifest himself as a virtual avatar and interact with other virtual objects or beings like NICOLE.

Shard's fourth incarnation is also notable in that it is comprised of a hybrid of technologies: the Power Gem core was created by Robotnik Prime, the Metal Sonic v3.0 and Metal Scourge components were created by Dr. Eggman, and the remains of the Metal Sonic Troopers were developed by Charles and Rotor Walrus.

Background Information

 * Metal Sonic's original design matched those of his game counterparts from Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix. In the Knuckles Chaotix comic adaption, he was redesigned to incorporate elements of his Titan Metal Sonic design even before the transformation, sporting a more Sonic-like head and a larger shoulder design. Rebuilt, his design seems to be inspired by Sonic Rival 2's "Metal Sonic 3.0" design, though it has been applied to the form Metal Sonic took following the Sonic Adventure adaptation.
 * When Metal Sonic first appeared in issue StH #25 and in the Knuckles Chaotix 48-page special, he was mistakenly named "Mecha Sonic". This name was later used in issue StH #39 for the roboticized version of Sonic. The name "Mecha Sonic" was again used for this robot in the recap issue StH #57. The name was finally retconned to "Metal Sonic" in StH #86. In StH #246 however, Sonic once again referred to him (now known by this point as Shard) as the "original Mecha Sonic". This has been stated by writer Ian Flynn as a re-retcon, in that "Mecha Sonic" is now the name used for this version, to differentiate from the current Metal Sonic robots created by Eggman.
 * Even though the comic appearance of the giant red Metal Sonic went unnamed, in the Sega32X game Knuckles Chaotix, this form was known as "Hyper Metal Sonic" and "Metal Sonic Kai". The official name for this form was stated years later as "Titan Metal Sonic v2.0" in the Metal Sonic data file of the first volume of the Sonic Universe Graphic Novel Series.
 * A group of Metal Sonics played a huge role in the United Kingdom's Sonic the Comic series. This group was known as the Brotherhood of Metallix.
 * Metal Sonic's death in lava is slightly based on that of what happened to his animated counterpart in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.
 * This Metal Sonic was given three designations, 1.0, 2.0, & 2.5, on the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic blog. (1)(2)
 * Due to lack of artwork resources at the time, Metal Sonic 1.0 is given two quills instead of three.
 * Shard's power gem changes colour when he attacks or flies from green to red, his eyes also change from green to red.
 * Shard's full name, Shard the Metal Sonic was stated in Sonic Super Digest Issue 1 along with a shorter version, Shard the Metal.
 * Shard was originally codenamed "Cinos" because it is Sonic spelt backwards. (3)
 * In StH #246, neither Shard nor the Krudzu was initially not supposed to show up in the storyline. Due to the legal issues the storyline had to be changed at the last minute.
 * StH #246's Off Panel featured Shard transforming into a version of Titan Metal Sonic with his current color scheme after combining with the Krudzu. It is unknown whether or this "Titan Shard" form could actually be achieved, or whether it was simply a joke/reference for the strip.
 * As SEGA's mandate claims that there is only one Metal Sonic in the new universe, it is possible that the Super Genesis Wave erased Shard out of existence or that it undid the events that led to the first Metal Sonic becoming Shard. However, considering the continued existence of Captain Metal, Shard's exact fate at the moment remains a mystery.