In "The Law is Not in Affect Past Here" Shadow is a rare type of Bakemono: Tomino's Hell, the personification of the famous poem, which is believed to be either about survivor's guilt or the experience of war. It's believed that if one reads this poem out loud, you'll die or at least suffer from a great catastrophe. The last part of the poem talks of pins piercing flesh which is why Shadow's weapon of choice are pins, which he keeps in his "bushel" of chest fur. While Shadow is a good fighter with the pins alone, if he has the opportunity to recite the poem, he'll grow in power- the more lines he can recite, the stronger he will become. It's unknown what would happen if he manages to recite the entire poem before going in for the kill.

His presence alone is enough to push Sonic into finishing his own growth into his Lore and becoming a full-fledged Slit-Faced Woman. Sonic makes it obvious early on that he finds Shadow handsome, but it remains to be seen how Shadow feels about Sonic.