A Sonic statue that can be found in the middle of nowhere in Japan has been restored to its former glory, but no one seems to know who is responsible.
There are a number of places and landmarks avid gamers will want to visit if they ever have the chance to go to Japan. One of the lesser-known Japanese gaming landmarks is a statue of Sonic the Hedgehog that can be found pretty much in the middle of nowhere. About 90 minutes east of Osaka nestled in some picturesque Japanese woodland.
The statue first received mainstream attention in 2015 when it was discovered by a group of YouTubers. However, a little digging by those fascinated by the snowboarding Sonic discovered references to it on social media as far back as 2009. The thing is, no one knows why the statue is there, how it got there, and who it belongs to.
As if this whole thing wasn't already mysterious enough, someone has restored the Sonic statue to its former glory. Not just a quick wipe down with a damp rag either. Someone has really gone to town on the statue. It has been cleaned, repainted in places, and even fixed. The statue had a cracked arm and its nose was missing, damage that has since been remedied. But who did this?
Polygon contacted a representative from Sega in the hopes that they might claim credit for the statue's placement and its restoration. However, Sega doesn't appear to know much about the statue either. And why would it? Chances are if it owned the statue, or had any link to it at all, it wouldn't be living out its life in the middle of the Japanese countryside for no reason at all.
A Japanese TV station is just as curious as the rest of us as to how the statue got there, and actually managed to get some answers. Apparently, the statue belongs to Mr. Kadeo. Kadeo lives up a dirt road behind the statue and bought it from Sega World to use as a landmark to let guests know where his driveway is. As for whether its owner is responsible for the statue's remarkable transformation, that remains a mystery.
Source: Polygon