Sonic 3 director's commentary reveals how the movie secretly brought the unlikeliest of Shadow memes to life

Sonic's meme industry is a thriving one, whether it's the bizarre drawings of 'Sanic' or the out-of-place excitement at watching a small child die in Sonic Adventure 2.

What you may not know, however, is Shadow the Hedgehog loves Latinas. First originating from a semi-NSFW 2023 TikTok by user @tyller._ that sees the Ultimate Life Form shouting out 'all the latinas', the meme only snowballed from there.

Inexplicably, it has since made its way into the Sonic 3 movie, with director Jeff Fowler explaining its inclusion as a way to "honor what fans know and love" about Sonic's surreal online history of one-liners and shitposts.

"Shadow loves Latinas, that's another meme we found a place for in the movie," Fowler said on the Sonic 3 director's commentary. He's talking over a moment which sees Shadow (Keanu Reeves) becoming distracted by the ongoing shenanigans in fictional telenovela La Última Pasión.

After Sonic actor Ben Schwartz voiced some (understandable) confusion at the meme, Fowler replied, "It's true. You can Google it after we finish."

Fowler continued, "Half the time, we fire away at these things… it's just magic, these opportunities to honor what fans know and love and the memes they know and love. It just falls in our lap – and we love it."

For more on the Blue Blur's threequel, check out our guides to the Sonic 3 ending and Sonic 3 post-credits scene.