Sonic Fans Can't Believe the Latest Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Trailer Actually Gave Shadow a Gun

If you logged onto social media this morning and wondered why "HE HAS A GUN" and "HE PISSED ON THE MOON" were trending, let me reassure you: that it an extremely normal thing to wonder. And the answer? A new Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer debuted this morning, of course. What, that wasn't obvious?

A look at this morning's trends after the latest Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer.

The latest look at the highly anticipated threequel gave us quite a bit, actually, including glimpses of the Chuck E. Cheese-like take on Chao Garden and more shenanigans from Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik. But, most importantly, according to a lot of Sonic fans on social media today: they gave Shadow a gun.

Shadow with a gun. That's it, that's all this is.

Amid the various looks at Sonic v. Shadow action in the trailer, we get a quick glimpse of Shadow (who will be voiced here by none other than Keanu Reeves) with, yes, a gun. Shadow has packed heat in one video game before — in his own 2005 title, Shadow the Hedgehog — but it's pretty safe to say that fans didn't expect to see that represented in Paramount's film series.

"HE HAS A GUN, THIS SH*T MEANS SOMETHING TO ME MAN," wrote @UltimaShadowX on X/Twitter. Others jumped in with cries of "THEY DID IT THEY ACTUALLY DID IT" and "oh sh*t I'm definitely passing out," while some streamers posted their live surprised reactions.

HE HAS A GUN. I REPEAT.
SHADOW HAS A GUN 🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/EkkZfogFCJ

SONIC LOOK OUT HE HAS A GUN pic.twitter.com/0bCEAqjyF5

Really, the Sonic community is losing it over this: as of press time, the top post on the Sonic the Hedgehog subreddit is simply a screenshot from the trailer with the title, "THE GUN IS BACK PEOPLE I REPEAT THE GUN IS BACK"

A screenshot of the top post on the Sonic the Hedgehog subreddit currently. (Credit: u/DarkSonic06ki)

In all seriousness, though, some were actually pleased just to see the shoutout to the 2005 game in the movie. "I’m sorry I can’t get over the fact that he has a gun," wrote one fan. "It is so crazy to me that they actually are acknowledging Shadow 05 even in the movie. I never thought I’d see such a positive appreciation for him again."

Another fan pointed out that he also appeared to be riding the bike from the 2005 game. "References to shadow 2005 is so crazyyy," one added. "THEY COOKED SO HAAARD"

Even though the famous Sega character has only used guns in one game, "Shadow with a gun" has long been important to the fanbase. We're sure you've seen the memes. Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, however, recently told Video Games Chronicle that there's a good chance we won't see Shadow with guns in a game again.

"When we talk about Shadow, he would use whatever he needed in the moment to get the job done. So he would pick up a gun or ride a bike in order to get the job done – he’s that kind of character," he said at at the time. "But he’s also extremely powerful on his own and doesn’t really need a gun or anything because he can do it himself – he is a weapon. So as long as there’s no need for Shadow to use a gun, he will probably not use one."

Well, at least fans who do want to see that have the movie, which speeds into theaters on December 20. For more in the meantime, check out our review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which we said "brings all the humor and charm of its predecessor, while also being delightfully more loyal to its source material."

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.