For a long time, people including MatPat believed that Shadow Freddy was controlled by Purple Guy.The Freddy Files indicate Shadow Freddy lured the animatronics to the Safe Room to help them kill their killer.Though many people, mostly Gachatubers, approve of this theory. Shadow Freddy could possibly be the crying child from FNaF 4.Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't crash the game like Shadow Bonnie in the second game, or Golden Freddy in the first game.Shadow Freddy bears comparisons to Nightmare in overall appearance and behavior, suggesting they may be connected.The same applies with Shadow Bonnie as some believe the person William was helping get inside a Springlock suit was him before he became a spirit. It is also possible that if this theory were true, then it could mean that the employee in the Fredbear suit we see in the FNaF 4 minigame.Shadow Freddy is also theorized to be the apparition of one of the employees whom wore the original Golden Freddy suit, which malfunctioned and fatally wounded the employee.Fans have made theories that Shadow Freddy is actually Golden Freddy.The Office: Crumpled Freddy Suit sometimes appear in the corner of your office. Shadow Freddy was the first actual purple animatronic.According to the Freddy Files, inside of the Codes, Glitches, and Secrets section of FNaF 3, the name of the Shadow Freddy that appears in Five Nights at Freddy's 3 is called Crumpled Freddy Suit.Will insta-kill all opponents under 30% of their normal health. Has a chance to insta-kill multiple opponents but has a lower chance than Unscrew. Shadow Freddy appears in FNaF world as a protagonist, he has a chance to appear in the Deep-Metal Mine and if he is defeated then he will join your party and become a playable character. As soon it happens, the entire minigame cuts to black, later revealing Scrap Baby's salvage scene. In the fourth level, he begins duplicating, causing the game to glitch, until a wall of shadow variants block the child off completely. In the beginning minigame, Shadow Freddy first appears in the third level imitating the movements of the player and blocking them. He can also be seen in the office as a harmless easter egg. While the Freddy suit is recognized as purple due to its association with the purple figure, its purple coloration and the darker color of its hat and bowtie lends credit to the theory this particular animatronic is indeed Shadow Freddy. Within the in-between night mini-games, Shadow Freddy is seen, and utters the phrase "follow me," to lure the animatronics to a secluded spot, so that William Afton may ambush and dismantle them. Shadow Freddy in the office, enhanced to show it's true colours Five Nights at Freddy's 3 Brightening up this image reveals that this creature is purple in color as with several other key items/characters in the franchise, bearing comparisons to the purple figure from the secret mini-games, the Marionette's "tears," Nightmare Fredbear's hat and bowtie among other things.
It appears to be in a slumped position, similar to that of Golden Freddy's. He will shut the game off if the player observes him for too long (without a jumpscare), much similar to Golden Freddy's role in the first game or Nightmare's effect in the fourth.
It appears in Parts/Service, sitting in the location Bonnie normally sits. In Five Nights at Freddy's 2, the player may rarely encounter what seems to be a shadow or a dark model of Golden Freddy, who is in fact Shadow Freddy. He is an easter egg in Five Nights at Freddy's 2, the secondary antagonist of Five Nights at Freddy's 3, and a minor antagonist in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator. Shadow Freddy (also known as Shadow Fredbear) is a supporting antagonist throughout the series.