A plethora of mascot characters from across the gaming industry and beyond recently gathered in force to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog's 35th anniversary, including some unusual faces.

While figures such as Pac-Man and Morgana from Persona 5 are somewhat par for the course given that they are both under the Sega umbrella, the idea of the mascot character for the Tokyo Metro subway system and the Ponta points card app turning up for the blue blur's birthday party is kind of hilarious. What on earth do they have in common?

Monokuma from Danganronpa also made an appearance, despite having some choice words for the hedgehog in the series' third game. The Spike Chunsoft X account actually posted a video of every character performing a rebuttal, from which the full line-up of participants and what they represent can be gleaned:

Zaq (J:COM, cable TV)
Prince Happy Turn Powdarich (Happy Turn, snacks)
Morgana (Persona 5)
Metapon (Tokyo Metro)
Bub (Puzzle & Dragons)
Apitan (Apita Piago, supermarket)
Osaki Ichibantaro (Osaki Station east shopping district)
Ponta (Ponta, app)
Hachiemon (Kansai TV)
Sunday (Sun Ruckers Shibuya, basketball team)
Donpen (Don Quijote, supermarket)
Nameko (Mushroom Garden)
Pac-Man
Don-chan (Taiko no Tatsujin)
Monokuma (Danganronpa)

Mascot characters have always been popular in Japan, but their recent proliferation for game series is one indication of an increased reliance on offline events. The live entertainment business grew by 12.6% last year partially due to an increase in the number of concert and shows, during which it is also useful to have a character who can walk around and interact with fans.