Naoto Ohshima facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Naoto Ohshima
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| 大島 直人 | |
Ohshima in 2018
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| Born | February 26, 1964 Osaka, Japan
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| Other names | Big Island |
| Occupation | Character designer, game producer |
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Naoto Ohshima (大島 直人, Ōshima Naoto) (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese artist and video game designer. He is famous for creating the look of Sonic the Hedgehog. He also designed Sonic's main enemy, Dr. Eggman. Both characters are from Sega's popular Sonic the Hedgehog game series.
Even though another person, Yuji Naka, made a test game for Sonic, the character in that test was just a ball. Naoto Ohshima then designed the cool hedgehog we know today. Before choosing Sonic, the team thought about other animals like an armadillo. But a hedgehog worked best because its spikes fit the idea of rolling into enemies.
After working on Sonic games for many years, Ohshima started his own game company called Artoon in 1999. There, he helped create games like Pinobee (2001) and the Blinx: The Time Sweeper series (2002 and 2004). In 2010, Artoon joined another company. Ohshima and other team members then formed a new company called Arzest. Early in his career, he was sometimes called "Big Island." This is a direct translation of his last name.
Designing Iconic Characters
Naoto Ohshima is best known for bringing Sonic the Hedgehog to life. He created Sonic's cool, speedy look. He also designed the evil Dr. Eggman, who is always trying to stop Sonic. These characters became very popular around the world.
The Birth of Sonic
When Sega wanted a new mascot, Ohshima's design for a blue hedgehog was chosen. The idea was that Sonic could roll into a ball to attack enemies. This fit perfectly with the hedgehog's spikes. His design made Sonic a fast and memorable hero.
Games Naoto Ohshima Worked On
Naoto Ohshima has worked on many video games throughout his career. He has been a designer, director, and producer for various titles. Here are some of the notable games he helped create:
- Sonic the Hedgehog (1991): He was the creator and character designer for this first big Sonic game.
- Sonic CD (1993): Ohshima directed this game, which introduced new characters like Amy Rose and Metal Sonic.
- Nights into Dreams (1996): He was the director and character designer for this unique and dreamy game.
- Burning Rangers (1998): Ohshima directed and designed characters for this action game.
- Sonic Adventure (1998): He helped with the story events and character movements in this 3D Sonic game.
- Pinobee: Wings of Adventure (2001): He directed and designed characters for this platformer.
- Blinx: The Time Sweeper (2002) and Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space (2004): He was the director and game designer for these time-bending adventure games.
- Yoshi's Island DS (2006): He worked as a senior producer on this Nintendo DS game.
- Balan Wonderworld (2021): Ohshima was a development producer and character designer for this game.
- Sonic Superstars (2023): He was also a development producer and character designer for this newer Sonic game.
