Yuji Uekawa
From Sega Retro
|
| Yuji Uekawa |
|---|
| Company(ies): Sega of Japan |
| 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.
Production history
Games
- Ristar (Mega Drive; 1995) — Character Designer[1]
- Astal (Saturn; 1995) — キャラクター制作[2] (as 上川 祐司)
- Astal (Saturn; 1995) — Character Production[3]
- Sakura Taisen (Saturn; 1996) — グラフィックデザイナー[4] (as 上川 祐司)
- Sonic Jam (Saturn; 1997) — Artists[5]
- Sonic R (Saturn; 1997) — Character Designer[6]
- 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[7]
- Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube; 2001) — Player Character Designers
- Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube; 2001) — Product Support
- Sonic Mega Collection (GameCube; 2002) — Illustration[8]
- Sonic Advance 2 (Game Boy Advance; 2002) — Art Director[9]
- 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[10]
- Sonic Advance 3 (Game Boy Advance; 2004) — Art Director[11]
- 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 Riders (Windows PC; 2006) — Character Art Director
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Windows PC; 2006) — Illustrator
- 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 (Xbox 360; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
- Sonic Generations (PlayStation 3; 2011) — Sonic Character Supervisors
- Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS; 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 (PlayStation 4; 2021) — Publicity Artwork
- Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Nintendo Switch; 2021) — Publicity Artwork
- Sonic Colours: Ultimate (Epic Games Store; 2021) — Publicity Artwork
- 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 Colours: Ultimate (Steam; 2023) — Publicity Artwork
- 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
- Sonic X Shadow Generations (PlayStation 5; 2024) — Sonic Character Supervisors
- Sonic X Shadow Generations (Xbox One; 2024) — Sonic Character Supervisors
- Sonic X Shadow Generations (Nintendo Switch; 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[12]
- 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[13] (as 上川 祐司)
- Sonic the Hedgehog Vocal Traxx: Several Wills (CD; 2007) — Special Thanks to[14]
- Sonic the Hedgehog Original Sound Track (CD; 2007) — Cover Art[15]
- Sonic Rush Adventure Original Soundtrack (CD; 2007) — Art Director[16]
- True Colors: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog Part 2 (CD; 2009) — Artworks[17]
- Sonic the Hedgehog CD Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition (CD; 2011) — Artworks[18]
- 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[19]
- Maximum Overdrive - Team Sonic Racing Original Soundtrack (CD; 2019) — Special Thanks[20]
- 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 3D Blast (1996) — Artist
- Sonic Jam (1997) — Artist
- Sonic R (Saturn version) (1997) — Character Designer (Sega Enterprises Ltd.)
- Sonic R (PC version) (1998) — Character designer (Sega Enterprises Ltd.) (Sega)
- Sonic Adventure (1998) — Character designer, Character motion designer, "Chaos" character designer
- Sonic Shuffle (2000) — Supervisor (Sonic Team)
- Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) — Player Character Designer, Product Support
- Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (2001) — Player Character Designer, Product Support
- Sonic Advance (2001) — Art Director
- Sonic Mega Collection (2002) — Illustration (Compiled Under The Supervision of SONICTEAM, LTD.)
- Sonic Advance 2 (2002) — Art Director
- Sonic X (2003) — Original Character Design
- Sonic Pinball Party (2003) — Art Director
- Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (2003) — Art Director (Sonic Adventure DX Staff), Lead Character Designer (Sonic Adventure DX Staff), Lead Visual Artist (Sonic Adventure DX Staff), Character Designer (Sonic Adventure Original Staff), Character Motion Designer (Sonic Adventure Original Staff), "Chaos" Character Designer (Sonic Adventure Original Staff)
- Sonic Battle (2003) — Design Coordinator
- Sonic Heroes (2003) — Menu Screen Artist, Product Support
- Sonic Advance 3 (2004) — Art Director
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004) — Illustrator (Sega Corporation)
- Sonic Gems Collection (2005) — Illustrator (Sega Corporation)
- Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) — Special Thanks
- Sonic Rush (2005) — Art Director
- Sonic Riders (2006) — Character Art Director
- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) — Publicity Artwork
- Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007) — Promotional Visuals
- Sonic Rush Adventure (2007) — Art Director
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007) — Sonic Family Character Supervisor
- Sega Superstars Tennis (2008) — Special Thanks
- Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360 & PS3 versions) (2008) — Publicity Artwork
- Sonic and the Black Knight (2009) — Cut Scene Artist, Promotional Visuals
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009) — Sonic Family Character Supervisor
- Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) — CS2 R&D (Sega Japan)
- Sonic Free Riders (2010) — Scenario Supervisor, Sonic Character Supervisor
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I (2010) — Artist
- Sonic Colors (2010) — Sonic Character Supervisor (Sega)
- Sonic Generations (2011) — Sonic Character Supervisor (Sega)
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011/2012) — Sonic Character Supervisor
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II (2012) — Character Artist
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012) — CS2 R&D (Sega Corporation)
- Sonic Lost World (2013) — Sonic Character Supervisor
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013) — Sonic Character Supervisor (Sega Development Team)
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (2014) — Supervisor (Original Games)
- Sonic Boom (2014) — Sonic Character & Universe Supervision
- Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014) — Character Supervisor (Sonic Team) (Sega of Japan) (Sega)
- Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014) — Character Supervisor (Sega of Japan CS2) (Sega of Japan)
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014) — Supervisor (Original Games)
- Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016) — Sonic Character Supervisor (Sega Games Development Team)
- Sonic Forces (2017) — Sonic Character Supervisor
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
- ↑ File:Ristar MD credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Kisuishou Densetsu Astal Saturn credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Astal Saturn US credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Sakura Taisen Saturn credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Sonic Jam Saturn credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Sonic R Saturn credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Sonic Advance GBA credits.pdf
- ↑ File:SonicMegaCollection GC US Credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Sonic Advance 2 GBA credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Sonic Battle GBA credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Sonic Advance 3 GBA credits.pdf
- ↑ File:SADLCOST CD JP booklet1.pdf, page 2
- ↑ File:SonicXOST CD JP booklet.pdf, page 3
- ↑ File:SeveralWIlls CD JP booklet.pdf, page 15
- ↑ File:StHOST CD JP booklet.pdf, page 6
- ↑ File:SRAOST CD JP booklet.pdf, page 3
- ↑ File:TrueColorsTray.jpg
- ↑ File:SonicCD OST Tray.jpg
- ↑ File:SonicAdventureMusicExperience CD JP Box Tokyo.jpg
- ↑ File:MaximumOverdrive CD JP inlay front.jpg
