Of course he's an android. Although it's impossable to even suspect that he is an android until you get to the 3rd-last stage in the neutural ending. BUT WHAT'S THE DAMN DEAL WITH THE LACK OF MISSLES IN SHADOW?

I think the answer is YES and NO!

I think that Shadow the Hedgehog is real!

Technically he is a type of android being created and all.

In Sonic Heroes, he is cloned. And here, they are released.

SPOILER TIME play the final story were shadow goes super wate about 10 mins and eggmans voice comes on saying, shadow i lied you truly are the ultimate life for created by my grand father. LIES AT THIS BIT but when the colony fell under attack i rescued you whith one of my robots. its was actually maria that saved him after getting shot. in sonic 2b she's on floor and presses button to send shadow off. Hope this clears things up. sorry about the caps

These are the arguments I have found for both sides:

Shadow is real: Shadow was found in a separate tube when Rouge found him. In the sort of Hero ending, if you go Dark, Robotnik says,"Have you forgotten that it was my grandfather that created you?" and he also says," You were once a great invention from my granfathers past."

Plus Shadow lacks missiles, has a memory and free will, and can talk and use chaos abilities, all of which androids haven't been seen doing. Shadow also easily takes on three of of the androids at once, but Omega says that the androids might be defective. Even though in all of your encounters with the androids when Robotnik is helping you, Robotnik says nothing of a deficiency.

Also, Black Doom says," I gave you life, and this is how you repay me?"

Shadow is an android: Robotnik says at the end of Digital Circuit," What past? You have no past!" But Espio says," Don't listen to him, he's just trying to trick you," which is a very good point, because it would be in Robotnik's best interest to trick Shadow into working for him, and Robotnik has been known to trick many people in the past (Knuckles in Sonic 3). Also, in the end of both neutral endings, Robotnik clearly states that Shadow and Omega are his creations, and that Shadow has no past and is just a copy of the real Shadow. And also, at the end of Iron Jungle, and after you fight the Egg Breaker, Shadow (while chuckling like a maniac) has visions of being in a tube in a row of tubes containing Shadow Androids. Though this may be disproved by him being found in an entirely different location, he could've been relocated.

this shadow is 100% real...no andriod can go super. Metal sonic transformed into neo-metal sonic then to metal overlord

I''m going to have to agree with Dark World on this topic.

The Shadow you play as is the real Shadow. Read to find out why:

Spoilers Ahead!
(highlight to read)

quote

In the final boss in this game (Devil Doom), Eggman tells Shadow that after Sonic Adventure 2, he sent one of his robots to save Shadow from dying and hid him in his base.

quote Dark World

These are the arguments I have found for both sides:

Shadow is real: Shadow was found in a separate tube when Rouge found him. In the sort of Hero ending, if you go Dark, Robotnik says,"Have you forgotten that it was my grandfather that created you?" and he also says," You were once a great invention from my granfathers past."

Plus Shadow lacks missiles, has a memory and free will, and can talk and use chaos abilities, all of which androids haven't been seen doing. Shadow also easily takes on three of of the androids at once, but Omega says that the androids might be defective. Even though in all of your encounters with the androids when Robotnik is helping you, Robotnik says nothing of a deficiency.

Also, Black Doom says," I gave you life, and this is how you repay me?"

Shadow is an android: Robotnik says at the end of Digital Circuit," What past? You have no past!" But Espio says," Don't listen to him, he's just trying to trick you," which is a very good point, because it would be in Robotnik's best interest to trick Shadow into working for him, and Robotnik has been known to trick many people in the past (Knuckles in Sonic 3). Also, in the end of both neutral endings, Robotnik clearly states that Shadow and Omega are his creations, and that Shadow has no past and is just a copy of the real Shadow. And also, at the end of Iron Jungle, and after you fight the Egg Breaker, Shadow (while chuckling like a maniac) has visions of being in a tube in a row of tubes containing Shadow Androids. Though this may be disproved by him being found in an entirely different location, he could've been relocated.

well i beat the whole game including devil doom and this is what i found out


MONDO SPOILER IF YOU DON'T WANNA FIND OUT DON'T READ!!!


shadow finds out that the real one was made by black doom's blood and finds out from eggman that he's an antroid. finding a lot out about his past he found out he was just a antroid (i thnk i don't remember) then he didn't care about his past anymore at the end of the game

THere are valid arguments for both.
Either way, he's about 50 years old for anyone who cares.

ok but i didn't hear about the robot shadow saving the real one

It's that black hedgehog that shares the all too familiar silhouette of Sonic... he's Shadow the Hedgehog.
Some 50 years ago, this "Ultimate Life Form" was the result of the army's secret research. With no records of what transpired, his true character is shrouded in darkness and even his own memory cannot serve as a key to unlock the mystery; there is only emptiness...
"Who am I... and why can't I remember anything?"
One day as Shadow sat trying to remember anything, he was suddenly shrouded in darkness. Out of the skies came the black creatures, calling themselves the Black Arms. By their sheer numbers and power, they left a path of destruction in their quest to overtake the world.
As Shadow looked on, the cities were engulfed in fire and explosions as the Black Arms tattooed their presence in red... From the ashes arose their leader, Black Doom...
"Shadow... As you can see, the day of reckoning will soon be here. Find the SEVEN Chaos Emeralds and bring them to me as promised"
Perplexed by the dark figure who somehow knew him by name, Shadow was left wondering what clues Black Doom holds to his past and what was meant by "the day of reckoning." After a moment of silence, Shadow's puzzled expression quickly changed into that uncanny sneer... as he realized what he must do to recover his past.
"If he says he knows the truth about who I am... then like it or not, I have to believe him. The only way I'm going to get the secrets to my past is to get those Chaos Emeralds!"
Thus, the adventure of Shadow to uncover the mysteries of his forgotten past unfolds. Once again, the chase for the Chaos Emeralds intertwines with the full cast of Sonic and his friends, including that mad genius, Dr. Eggman.
*****
SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG
The black hedgehog who resembles Sonic. With his powerful body, he can easily rival Sonic's world class speed. Shadow was created as the ultimate life form in a secret lab by Professor Gerald Robotnik. Everything else about Shadow's past is a mystery. After risking his life to save the planet with Sonic, he suffers from amnesia, having no memories of his past.