Yuji Uekawa

Yuji Uekawa

Place of birth: Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Date of birth: 1969-04-22^[1] (age 56)
Employment history: Sega Enterprises (1992^[2] – ) Divisions: Sega CS1 Sega CS3 Sega Software R&D Dept. 8 Sonic Team Sega Divisions: Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 1 Sega CS2 Sega Games Sega
Role(s): Artist, Designer

This teeny-tiny article needs some work. You can help us by expanding it.

Yuji Uekawa's (上川祐司) first major project was cult favorite Ristar, a character of his own design. His first Sonic title was the Saturn version of Sonic 3D Blast, where he was a Special Stage artist. Since Sonic R, he's been the main series character designer. His hip, stylized drawings gave Sonic an entirely new visual personality in Sonic Adventure, and he's since loaned his talents to a number of Sonic Team titles, including Samba de Amigo and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg.

Around 2004 Uekawa transferred to Sonic Team's Artwork Section, becoming primarily responsible for creating character art used in publicity for the games, most prominently displayed on Sonic Channel. Since Sonic Colours in 2010 he has repeatedly been credited as one of the Sonic Character Supervisors.

Production history

Games

Bio-Hazard Battle (Mega Drive; 1992) — Also Thanks to^[4] (as Kamikawa)
Ristar (Mega Drive; 1995) — Character Designer^[5]
Astal (Saturn; 1995) — キャラクター制作^[6] (as 上川祐司)
Astal (Saturn; 1995) — Character Production^[7]
Chou Kyuukai Miracle Nine (Mega Drive; 1995) — Character Design (as Uekawa Yuji)
Sakura Taisen (Saturn; 1996) — グラフィックデザイナー^[8] (as 上川祐司)
Sonic Jam (Saturn; 1997) — Artists^[9]
Sonic R (Saturn; 1997) — Character Designer^[10]
Sonic R (Windows PC; 1998) — Character designer
Sonic R (Windows PC; 1998) — Character designers
Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast; 1998) — Character designer
Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast; 1998) — Character motion designers
Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast; 1998) — "CHAOS" character designer
Samba de Amigo (NAOMI; 1999) — Character Designer
Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast; 2000) — Character Designer
Samba de Amigo Ver.2000 (NAOMI; 2000) — Character Designer
Samba de Amigo Ver.2000 (Dreamcast; 2000) — Character Designer
Sonic Shuffle (Dreamcast; 2000) — Supervisors
Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast; 2001) — Player Character Designers
Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast; 2001) — Product Support
Puyo Pop (Game Boy Advance; 2001) — Art Director
Sonic Advance (Game Boy Advance; 2001) — Art Director^[11]
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube; 2001) — Player Character Designers
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube; 2001) — Product Support
Sonic Advance 2 (Game Boy Advance; 2002) — Art Director^[12]
Sonic Mega Collection (GameCube; 2002) — Illustration^[13]
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (GameCube; 2003) — Art Director
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (GameCube; 2003) — Lead Character Designer
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (GameCube; 2003) — Lead Visual Artist
Sonic Pinball Party (Game Boy Advance; 2003) — Art Director
Sonic N (N-Gage; 2003) — Art Director
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (GameCube; 2003) — Character Coordinator
Puyo Pop Fever (NAOMI; 2003) — Art Director
Sonic Battle (Game Boy Advance; 2003) — Design Coordinator^[14]
Sonic Heroes (PlayStation 2; 2003) — Menu Screen Artists
Sonic Heroes (GameCube; 2003) — Menu Screen Artists
Sonic Heroes (Xbox; 2003) — Menu Screen Artists
Sonic Heroes (PlayStation 2; 2003) — Product Support
Sonic Heroes (GameCube; 2003) — Product Support
Sonic Heroes (Xbox; 2003) — Product Support
Sonic Advance 3 (Game Boy Advance; 2004) — Art Director^[15]
Sega Superstars (PlayStation 2; 2004) — Special Thanks
Sonic Mega Collection Plus (PlayStation 2; 2004) — Illustrator
Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Xbox; 2004) — Illustrator
Sonic Gems Collection (PlayStation 2; 2005) — Illustrator
Sonic Gems Collection (GameCube; 2005) — Illustrator
Sonic Rush (Nintendo DS; 2005) — Art Director
Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (PlayStation 2; 2005) — Artwork Section Manager
Shadow the Hedgehog (PlayStation 2; 2005) — Special Thanks
Shadow the Hedgehog (GameCube; 2005) — Special Thanks
Shadow the Hedgehog (Xbox; 2005) — Special Thanks
Sonic Riders (PlayStation 2; 2006) — Character Art Director
Sonic Riders (GameCube; 2006) — Character Art Director
Sonic Riders (Xbox; 2006) — Character Art Director
Sonic Jump (Vodafone Live! (256KB); 2006) — Artists
Sonic Riders (Windows PC; 2006) — Character Art Director
Sonic the Hedgehog (PlayStation 3; 2006) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360; 2006) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Windows PC; 2006) — Illustrator
Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii; 2007) — Promotional Visuals
Sonic Rush Adventure (Nintendo DS; 2007) — Art Director
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii; 2007) — Sonic Family Character Supervisors
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Nintendo DS; 2008) — Sonic Family Character Supervisors
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii; 2008) — Supervisors (Original Games)
Sega Superstars Tennis (PlayStation 3; 2008) — GE1
Sega Superstars Tennis (Wii; 2008) — GE1
Sega Superstars Tennis (Nintendo DS; 2008) — GE1
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return (Wii; 2008) — Promotional Visuals
Blazer Drive (Nintendo DS; 2008) — ミスティッカー制作協力 (as 上川祐司)
Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii; 2009) — Cut Scene Artists
Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii; 2009) — Promotional Visuals
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Xbox 360; 2010) — CS2 R&D
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Wii; 2010) — CS2 R&D
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Nintendo DS; 2010) — CS2 R&D
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I (iOS; 2010) — Artists
Sonic Colours (Wii; 2010) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic Colours (Wii; 2010) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Generations (Steam; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Generations (Windows PC; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Generations (Xbox 360; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Generations (PlayStation 3; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS; 2012) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II (Xbox 360; 2012) — Character Artist
3D Sonic the Hedgehog (Nintendo 3DS; 2013) — Special Thanks
Sonic Lost World (Wii U; 2013) — Sonic Character Supervisor
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Wii U; 2013) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Hero Bank (Nintendo 3DS; 2014) — スペシャルサンクス (as 上川祐司)
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo 3DS; 2014) — Supervisors (Original Games)
Hero Bank 2 (Nintendo 3DS; 2014) — スペシャルサンクス (as 上川祐司)
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U; 2014) — Supervisors (Original Games)
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (Nintendo 3DS; 2014) — Character Supervisors
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U; 2014) — Character Supervisors
3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Nintendo 3DS; 2015) — Special Thanks
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS; 2016) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (Nintendo 3DS; 2016) — Character Supervisors
Sega Ages Sonic the Hedgehog (Nintendo Switch; 2018) — Special Thanks
Sega Ages Thunder Force IV (Nintendo Switch; 2018) — Special Thanks
Sega Ages Phantasy Star (Nintendo Switch; 2018) — Special Thanks
Sega Heroes (Android; 2018) — ChuChu Rocket
Sega Heroes (Android; 2018) — Sonic the Hedgehog
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch; 2018) — SEGA
Team Sonic Racing (PlayStation 4; 2019) — Sonic Character Supervisor
ChuChu Rocket! Universe (iOS; 2019) — Character Supervision
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (Nintendo Switch; 2019) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Shin Sakura Taisen (PlayStation 4; 2019) — Development Support
Sega Ages Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Nintendo Switch; 2020) — Special Thanks
Sonic at the Olympic Games (iOS; 2020) — Character Supervisors
Sonic at the Olympic Games (Android; 2020) — Character Supervisors
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Xbox One; 2021) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Xbox One; 2021) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (PlayStation 4; 2021) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Nintendo Switch; 2021) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Epic Games Store; 2021) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (PlayStation 4; 2021) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Nintendo Switch; 2021) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Epic Games Store; 2021) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Origins (PlayStation 4; 2022) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Origins (PlayStation 5; 2022) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Origins (Xbox One; 2022) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Origins (Nintendo Switch; 2022) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Frontiers (PlayStation 4; 2022) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Frontiers (PlayStation 5; 2022) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Frontiers (Nintendo Switch; 2022) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Steam; 2023) — Publicity Artwork
Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Steam; 2023) — Sonic Character Supervisors
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (Steam; 2023) — Sonic Character Supervisors
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (Steam OS X; 2023) — Sonic Character Supervisors
Sonic Superstars (PlayStation 4; 2023) — Sonic Characters Supervisors
Sonic Superstars (PlayStation 5; 2023) — Sonic Characters Supervisors
Sonic Superstars (Nintendo Switch; 2023) — Sonic Characters Supervisors
Sonic Superstars (Epic Games Store; 2023) — Sonic Characters Supervisors
Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop (Apple TV; 2024) — Sonic Character Supervisors

Music

Sonic R (CD; 1998) — Cover Illust
Sonic Team "PowerPlay" (CD; 1998) — Special Thanks
Sonic Adventure "Digi-LOG Conversation" Original Sound Track (CD; 1999) — CG Illustration^[16]
Samba de Amigo Presents Samba de Janeiro Non-Stop Best of Bellini (CD; 2000) — Art Direction/Character Design
Music Popped Out of the Egg (CD; 2003) — Cover Art
Sonic X: Original Sound Tracks (CD; 2004) — キャラクター原案^[17] (as 上川祐司)
Sonic the Hedgehog Vocal Traxx: Several Wills (CD; 2007) — Special Thanks to^[18]
Sonic the Hedgehog Original Sound Track (CD; 2007) — Cover Art^[19]
Sonic Rush Adventure Original Soundtrack (CD; 2007) — Art Director^[20]
True Colors: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog Part 2 (CD; 2009) — Artworks^[21]
Sonic the Hedgehog CD Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition (CD; 2011) — Artworks^[22]
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Original Soundtrack (CD; 2014) — Artworks
Sonic The Hedgehog "Passion & Pride" Anthems with Attitude from the Sonic Adventure Era (CD; 2014) — Cover Art & Artworks
Sonic Adventure Music Experience (CD; 2016) — Artwork^[23]
Maximum Overdrive - Team Sonic Racing Original Soundtrack (CD; 2019) — Special Thanks^[24]
Sonic the Hedgehog DJ Style "Party" (CD; 2020) — Illustrator
Sonic Colors: Ultimate Original Soundtrack "Re-Colors" (CD; 2021) — Character Supervisor
Rock 'n' Sonic The Hedgehog: Sessions! (CD; 2022) — Illustration

Sonic X (2003) — Original Character Design
Sonic Boom (2014) — Sonic Character & Universe Supervision

Magazine covers

Print advert in Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1998-25: "1998-25 (1998-09-11,18)" (1998-08-28)

Print advert in Dreamcast Magazine (JP) #1998-01: "1998-01 (1998-11-20)" (1998-11-06)

Print advert in Dreamcast Magazine (JP) #1999-01: "1999-01 (1999-01-01)" (1998-12-18)

Interviews

Some or all of the following content should be mirrored on Sega Retro (or Retro CDN).

Yuji Uekawa interview by Sonic Channel (April 3, 2006) [Translated]

Photographs

Main article: Photos of Yuji Uekawa

References

[https:.2F.2Finfo.sonicretro.org.2FFile:Sa-GameDesinersWorks_02.jpg-1] ttps://info.sonicretro.org/File:Sa-GameDesinersWorks_02.jpg

[https:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20230324000310.2Fhttps:.2F.2Fwww.ndw.jp.2Fsonic25th-interview01.2F-2] ttps://www.ndw.jp/sonic25th-interview01/ (Wayback Machine: 2023-03-24 00:03)

[https:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F2.2Fhttps:.2F.2Ftwitter.com.2FSiFi_TZK.2Fstatus.2F1650138242291990529-3] @SiFi_TZK on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2-- :)

[:File:Bio-Hazard_Battle_MD_credits.pdf_p-4] File:Bio-Hazard Battle MD credits.pdf

[:File:Ristar_MD_credits.pdf_p-5] File:Ristar MD credits.pdf

[:File:Kisuishou_Densetsu_Astal_Saturn_credits.pdf_p-6] File:Kisuishou Densetsu Astal Saturn credits.pdf

[:File:Astal_Saturn_US_credits.pdf_p-7] File:Astal Saturn US credits.pdf

[:File:Sakura_Taisen_Saturn_credits.pdf_p-8] File:Sakura Taisen Saturn credits.pdf

[:File:Sonic_Jam_Saturn_credits.pdf_p-9] File:Sonic Jam Saturn credits.pdf

[:File:Sonic_R_Saturn_credits.pdf_p-10] File:Sonic R Saturn credits.pdf

[:File:Sonic_Advance_GBA_credits.pdf_p-11] File:Sonic Advance GBA credits.pdf

[:File:Sonic_Advance_2_GBA_credits.pdf_p-12] File:Sonic Advance 2 GBA credits.pdf

[:File:SonicMegaCollection_GC_US_Credits.pdf_p-13] File:SonicMegaCollection GC US Credits.pdf

[:File:Sonic_Battle_GBA_credits.pdf_p-14] File:Sonic Battle GBA credits.pdf

[:File:Sonic_Advance_3_GBA_credits.pdf_p-15] File:Sonic Advance 3 GBA credits.pdf

[:File:SADLCOST_CD_JP_booklet1.pdf_p2-16] File:SADLCOST CD JP booklet1.pdf, page 2

[:File:SonicXOST_CD_JP_booklet.pdf_p3-17] File:SonicXOST CD JP booklet.pdf, page 3

[:File:SeveralWIlls_CD_JP_booklet.pdf_p15-18] File:SeveralWIlls CD JP booklet.pdf, page 15

[:File:StHOST_CD_JP_booklet.pdf_p6-19] File:StHOST CD JP booklet.pdf, page 6

[:File:SRAOST_CD_JP_booklet.pdf_p3-20] File:SRAOST CD JP booklet.pdf, page 3

[:File:TrueColorsTray.jpg_p-21] File:TrueColorsTray.jpg

[:File:SonicCD_OST_Tray.jpg_p-22] File:SonicCD OST Tray.jpg

[:File:SonicAdventureMusicExperience_CD_JP_Box_Tokyo.jpg_p-23] File:SonicAdventureMusicExperience CD JP Box Tokyo.jpg

[:File:MaximumOverdrive_CD_JP_inlay_front.jpg_p-24] File:MaximumOverdrive CD JP inlay front.jpg

[1]

[2]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]