Shadow (Persona)

Shadows (シャドウ, Shadou) are the enemies in the Persona series and share most of the enemy characters common in the Megami Tensei frachise. They are born from humans, and carry with them human emotions, which are mostly negative. Strong-willed Shadows attract lesser Shadows, which later create stronger Shadows.

Persona 2 duology
In the latter stages of Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Shadow Selves of the main characters, in particular Lisa, Eikichi, Tatsuya, Ulala, Katsuya, Maya and Baofu emerge.

These "Shadow Selves" appeared due to contradicting rumors, which allowed them to exist and be members of Masked Circle. They attempt to deceive and confuse them in the same fashion the Persona 4 shadows would, save that they will attack even if they are accepted due to the unnatural method that allowed them to appeared. Even their Reverse Personas seek to defeat their counterpart. Though defeated, they will warn that they will continue to exist as a part of them, which both the users and their Personas accept.

Nyarlathotep hoped they would kill the teams led by Tatsuya Suou so his plans could continue unhindered, either by dying at the hands of the Shadows, or drowned in their despair after their darkness had been made manifest. This plan failed, primarily because in true Persona fashion, the triumphant "light" selves vowed to grow from the lessons taught by the Shadows, bonding them closer instead of shattering them. The only exception is Maya Amano, who denied what her Shadow said and never accepted her.

Persona 3
The Kirijo Group's discovery of the Shadows' existence and subsequent experiments on manipulating them, ostensibly as a power source and means of time manipulation, resulted in a catastrophic accident at their laboratories, killing hundreds. They have been appearing due to the Kirijo Group's experiments, during the Dark Hour, a hidden twenty-fifth hour that takes place every midnight, during which the world comes to a stop and humans reflexively contain themselves in coffins, obliviously "playing dead" to protect themselves from the attention of the Shadows. Occasionally, a human will not transmogrify in this manner, and will quickly become prey of the Shadows, having their minds devoured and becoming vegetative and in some cases even become a shadow as their physical form dissolves, reducing themself to being a shadow. Only those with Personas, even if they can't be successfully summoned, are immune to this effect and function normally during the Dark Hour.

The bulk of the Shadows dwell in Tartarus, a massive tower that appears during the Dark Hour, right atop Gekkoukan High School, the site of the previous accident. Each Shadow is defined by two characteristics: the body and the mask. The mask represents the Arcana of the Shadow, while the body helps define its name. These two attributes also aid as a visual reminder of an enemy's weaknesses and strengths. However, each full moon after the Main Character's arrival, powerful Shadows belonging to the first twelve major arcana appear and threaten to wreak havoc. The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad is formed to combat these enemies. Once they're defeated, a thirteenth Shadow of the Death arcana appears as an ordinary, carefree teenage boy calling himself Ryoji Mochizuki. However, it's his role to call down Nyx, a being who will exterminate all life in response to humanity's self-destructive desires, but his human side is wracked with guilt over this unavoidable fate.

The Old Documents say that the Shadows arise from human emotions. When enough of the Shadows were gathered in one place, they fused together and created Nyx Avatar, which set in motion the events which were to lead up to the The Fall. Aigis delayed the Fall by fracturing Death into the 12 Arcana.
 * For a complete list of Shadows, see List of Persona 3 Shadows.

Shadow Arcana
These enemies are the fragments of Death that escaped following the sealing of Thanatos into the Protagonist. They appear at every full moon, seeking to return to Death which is sealed into the protagonist. S.E.E.S. is manipulated into killing all of them.
 * Arcana Magician
 * Arcana Priestess
 * Arcana Emperor
 * Arcana Empress
 * Arcana Hierophant
 * Arcana Lovers
 * Arcana Chariot
 * Arcana Justice
 * Arcana Hermit
 * Arcana Fortune
 * Arcana Strength
 * Arcana Hanged Man

Persona 3 FES
The new episode included in Persona 3 FES, The Answer suggests that a Persona is only a Shadow that remains under control of the mind that created it. This is why Persona-users aren't rendered immediately brain-dead by exposure to other Shadows during the Dark Hour. In addition, The Answer showed that some who've had their Personas artificially induced instead became Shadows themselves, when they proved unable to keep control.

In confessing his purpose to the members of SEES, Ryoji implied that Nyx is the mother of the Shadows, but this doesn't entirely fit with what is learned of them here. It is likely that the Shadows - generally resentful and pitiful creatures - would want to call down Nyx to end the lives they were born from. It could be also that the concept of death itself induces despair and nihilistic outlooks that inspire most people to create their Shadows in response to their fear of death - therefore Nyx, can be the 'mother' of many Shadows.

Persona 4
Shadows and Personas retain the same roles. Those who face their own personal Shadows in the Midnight Channel and accept them can use their power as Personas while those who deny their shadows as part of themselves will be attacked and killed by them or disappear completely if the person was malicious and cruel, and Igor eventually states outright that they are one and the same. However, the world of the Midnight Channel is more likely to be the true home of the Shadows, as they and Personas appear much more easily there than they did during the Dark Hour. The Midnight Channel itself is a world reflecting the collective human heart, so it's probable that Shadows are spawned there as a result of humans trying to shut away the darkest facets of their personalities.

Teddie appears to be a peculiar exception to this rule- despite being a Shadow, he became curious about humans and created a new, nonthreatening form for himself so people wouldn't be afraid of him, sealing away most of his memories in the process. He also acquires a Persona, prompting Igor to note that if a Shadow develops a sense of self, it too can acquire a Persona.

Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold
A huge shadow appear during one of Sho Minazuki's intros, where he cuts it in half. The Shadow Selves seen in the game are made from regular shadows being forcibly merged together.