Yuji Naka, Japanese video game designer, created Sonic the Hedgehog
Yuji Naka (中 裕司, Naka Yūji) is a Japanese video game programmer, designer and producer. He is the former head of the Sega studio Sonic Team, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog series on the Sega Mega Drive. Naka also led development on games including Nights into Dreams (1996), Burning Rangers (1998), Sonic Adventure (1998) and three games in the Phantasy Star franchise (1987-2000). In 2006, he left Sega to found Prope, an independent game company. Naka also worked under Square Enix to direct Balan Wonderworld (2021).