Artist Kazuhisa Uragami Builds a “Noble Outsider” From Kyushu’s Fire and Iron for Forza Horizon 6

In the video series The Art of Driving, created for Forza Horizon 6, host Larry Chen explores how the culture of Japan influenced the game’s visuals. Driving a Honda Civic Type R, Chen visited Kyushu, Japan, to meet illustrator Kazuhisa Uragami, who blends traditional folklore with modern, industrial designs. Uragami’s art focuses on the harmony between nature and man-made structures, mirroring the complex landscapes he’s experienced.

This concept is showcased in his mural, which features a powerful figure—a pirate-like character with mechanical parts and glowing details—set against a fiery background. The character’s body incorporates gears and metal, while a red scarf evokes both Japanese heroes and Kyushu’s history as a volcanic region. The mural is designed to be impactful even at a glance, with strong shapes and colors, but offers deeper meaning and symbolism upon closer inspection.

In a conversation, Uragami discusses how cars can change our perspective, how surroundings shape characters, and how his work combines nature, industry, and storytelling.

My work often combines digital art with themes from folklore and industrial design. When creating the piece for Forza Horizon 6, I focused on how these influences naturally coexist. During a visit to Kyushu, I noticed how powerful natural forces like volcanoes and the sea exist side-by-side with factories and infrastructure – it felt like a continuous landscape, not a clash of opposites. I wanted to depict a hero born from that environment, where natural ‘fire’ and industrial ‘iron’ blend together. I see folklore as an energy within the land itself, and I layered industrial details on top of that to create a realistic world. It’s not about nature versus industry, but a single atmosphere where they’re intertwined, and that’s what I tried to capture in the artwork.

I’ve described my character as a “noble outsider,” someone who operates outside of traditional systems but with a strong personal code of ethics. Kyushu has a long history of cultural exchange, so I envisioned a character who doesn’t fit neatly into any one category. I chose a pirate as the central idea, inspired by Kyushu’s coastal location. While pirates are often seen as outlaws, they can also be viewed as individuals acting on their own beliefs, outside the usual rules. Historically, they sometimes protected those who fell through the cracks of society, engaging in trade outside the law to help others. Ideas of ‘justice’ are relative, so what’s considered ‘evil’ depends on the context. For the people they aided, these pirates might have been protectors, even heroes. This character is based on that kind of figure: an outsider with a sense of purpose and responsibility, not a villain.

Your murals exist within a video game world, so did knowing players would see your work while virtually driving influence how you designed it or told its story? The fact that players would be moving quickly definitely impacted my approach. I focused on creating strong, instantly recognizable shapes and using bold colors so the artwork would be memorable even at a glance and remain visible at high speeds. I also layered in details for players to discover if they took the time to look closer – I wanted it to make an impression whether seen quickly or examined carefully.

How did being part of “The Art of Driving” series change your thinking about the relationship between art and car culture? This project helped me see cars as more than just transportation; they can actually broaden our perspectives and values. I often find inspiration in landscapes and environments, and this experience strengthened that feeling. The views from the car, the atmosphere of the places we visited, and the light and wind all created unique sensations that you can only experience in that specific moment. Being in a car made me more aware of these details, and I realized it can shift you between the everyday and something more. That’s how I see cars and art naturally coming together.

When someone first experiences my work, I want them to feel the atmosphere and energy of the environment, even if they can’t pinpoint a specific location. It would be great if they sensed a balance between nature and industry, and saw the character as a part of that landscape, almost as if they grew from it.

If my character could drive a car in Forza Horizon 6, they’d choose the Civic I used on a trip with Larry. It’s a car with a lot of personal meaning – it took us all over Kyushu and feels connected to that place. I especially remember its red color; it stood out as a man-made object against the natural scenery. That red also reminds me of Kyushu’s volcanic landscape and its association with fire, magma, and heat. I think a practical, functional car suits this character better than something flashy or overly decorated.

I’d love players to notice the red scarf in the artwork. It’s a nod to traditional Japanese heroes, but also represents Kyushu, an area known for its volcanoes and geothermal activity – essentially, a ‘land of fire’. The way it flows in the wind is meant to convey a feeling of freedom, speed, and determination. I also put a lot of work into the lighting and heat effects – the sparks and glows – to emphasize both the volcanic power and the industrial side of the setting, tying everything together thematically.

(This interview was shortened and clarified for readability.)

Read More