On August 21 in Japan (August 20 in North America), SEGA’s official site “Sonic Channel” published a report on bassist Thundercat (real name Stephen Bruner) visiting SEGA’s headquarters in Osaki, Tokyo.

Arriving at SEGA headquarters

Thundercat is a multiple Grammy-winning bassist. The visit to SEGA headquarters took place during his stay in Japan for a tour in May 2026. The report was published on August 21. Thundercat arrived at the headquarters in an outfit themed around Shadow the Hedgehog: a black-and-red hat shaped like Shadow’s head, a jacket and necklace featuring Super Sonic, and an outer garment with a large print of Shadow. All of these are described as pieces he had custom-made. At the entrance, he posed for a photo alongside costumed characters of Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow.

Group photo at SEGA headquarters

In a conference room, he sat down with Kazuyuki Hoshino, who serves as creative director of the “Sonic” series. Plush toys and figures of Sonic and Shadow were lined up on the table, and the two talked about the series’ history and the appeal of its characters, especially Shadow. At one point during the conversation, Hoshino handed Thundercat a hand-drawn illustration of Shadow.

Conversation in the conference room

They then moved to a sound studio, where Thundercat talked about music with Tomoya Ohtani, sound director of the “Sonic” series. There, Thundercat brought out a gold bass featuring a Super Sonic design, which he said he had prepared for his Japan tour. Ohtani borrowed the bass and played it himself — he is also a bassist.

Playing the gold bass

Thundercat also touched on his visit to SEGA headquarters in an interview published by Bass Magazine on August 18, saying that the care and passion poured into game music production come through directly in the sound. At the end of the article, Sonic Channel also points to a video documenting the day.