Atsuko Ishizuka (いしづか あつこ, Ishizuka Atsuko; born September 3, 1981) is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist and…Atsuko Ishizuka (いしづか あつこ, Ishizuka Atsuko; born September 3, 1981) is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist and director. She began her animation career after joining Madhouse in 2004.
Hiroki Yamamura (Japanese: 山村洋貴, Hepburn: Yamamura Hiroki; born February 11, 1981) is a Japanese animator, character…Hiroki Yamamura (Japanese: 山村洋貴, Hepburn: Yamamura Hiroki; born February 11, 1981) is a Japanese animator, character designer and storyboard artist.
Tomohiko Itō (伊藤 智彦, Itō Tomohiko; born October 20, 1978) is a Japanese anime director, best known for directing the…Tomohiko Itō (伊藤 智彦, Itō Tomohiko; born October 20, 1978) is a Japanese anime director, best known for directing the A-1 Pictures projects Occult Academy, the first season of Silver Spoon, the first two seasons of Sword Art Online, and Erased. He currently resides in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Mitsuyuki Masuhara (増原 光幸, Masuhara Mitsuyuki) is a Japanese anime film director. He joined the company Madhouse since…Mitsuyuki Masuhara (増原 光幸, Masuhara Mitsuyuki) is a Japanese anime film director. He joined the company Madhouse since 1999. Masuhara served as the episode director, before directing the short film Clamp in Wonderland 2 in 2007 and becoming a full series director on Chi's Sweet Home in 2008.
Yoshimi Narita (Japanese: 成田 良美, Hepburn: Narita Yoshimi; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese anime screenwriter, who is…Yoshimi Narita (Japanese: 成田 良美, Hepburn: Narita Yoshimi; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese anime screenwriter, who is mostly known for writing Ojamajo Doremi and Pretty Cure series, as well as Kokuhaku Jikkō Iinkai: Ren'ai Series, Dakaichi, Dance Dance Danseur and Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie. Narita is a member of the Writers Guild of Japan.
Tetsuya Nishio (西尾 鉄也, Nishio Tetsuya; born 23 June 1968 in Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese animator, character…Tetsuya Nishio (西尾 鉄也, Nishio Tetsuya; born 23 June 1968 in Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese animator, character designer and puzzle setter. Nishio began his career as an inbetweener for the TV series Osomatsu-kun (1988). He worked for Studio Pierrot on Ninku (1995-1996). Since he was hired to work on Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999), he has worked for Production I.G., having previously done freelance work. Minipato came about because Nishio made some promotional character illustrations which Patlabor series creator Oshii liked. Nishio was also a key animator on Millennium Actress (2001), and The Cat Returns (2002). He won the Tokyo Anime Award for best character design at the Tokyo International Anime Fair for his work on The Sky Crawlers in 2009. Nishio is particularly noted for his designs of older men. Masashi Kishimoto requested that Tetsuya Nishio oversee the character designs of Naruto when the manga was adapted into an anime series. An artbook has been released of his works, called The Art of Tetsuya Nishio: Full Spectrum. Nishio is also a professional puzzle setter. Described by the The Times as "the undisputed grand puzzle master of sudoku", he creates about 15 puzzles per day (as of 2025). He is also credited with the invention of killer sudoku, a sudoku variation.
Gorō Taniguchi (谷口 悟朗, Taniguchi Gorō; born October 18, 1966) is a Japanese anime director, writer, producer and…Gorō Taniguchi (谷口 悟朗, Taniguchi Gorō; born October 18, 1966) is a Japanese anime director, writer, producer and storyboard artist, who is among Sunrise's noted directors. He was born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan.
Shinya Ohira (Japanese: 大平晋也, Hepburn: Ōhira Shin'ya; born December 12, 1966) is a Japanese animator, director and…Shinya Ohira (Japanese: 大平晋也, Hepburn: Ōhira Shin'ya; born December 12, 1966) is a Japanese animator, director and character designer. He is known for his animation style with constantly shifting linework, described as being both realistic and surreal. He is part of the animator circle Studio Break, along with animators like Atsushi Yano and Shinji Hashimoto. He has worked on several Studio Ghibli films, with Hayao Miyazaki even storyboarding certain scenes with Ohira in mind for the animation.
Kōji Yamamura (山村 浩二, Yamamura Kōji; born June 4, 1964) is a Japanese independent animator who, after leaving a career…Kōji Yamamura (山村 浩二, Yamamura Kōji; born June 4, 1964) is a Japanese independent animator who, after leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and has worked on many commissions such as music videos, television advertisements, title sequences and station idents, both on his own and under or with other directors. He is also a regular illustrator of children's literature and textbooks. His animation spans a variety of media, his earliest independent works mixing clay painting and stop motion with cels, but has latterly come to concentrate on traditional animation. Two of his most famous and acclaimed films are the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film-nominated and Cristal d'Annecy–winning Mt. Head and the Ottawa Grand Prize and Ōfuji Noburō Award–winning A Country Doctor. His 2011 short film Muybridge's Strings was one of five animated shorts nominated for the Genie Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 32nd Genie Awards in 2012.
Junichi Sato (佐藤 順一, Satō Jun'ichi; born March 11, 1960) is a Japanese anime director. After working for Toei Dōga…Junichi Sato (佐藤 順一, Satō Jun'ichi; born March 11, 1960) is a Japanese anime director. After working for Toei Dōga (currently Toei Animation) and then TYO Animations (formerly Hal Film Maker), he joined Twin Engine in 2017. Sato has been active since the 1980s and is a hit maker who, as series director of children's TV animation during his time at Toei Dōga, brought out the first series of long-running popular titles such as Sailor Moon and Ojamajo Doremi. After leaving Toei, he has continued to demonstrate his skills by working on popular series such as Sgt. Frog and Pretty Cure. He won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film in 1996 and 2020 for his films.
Shingo Araki (荒木 伸吾, Araki Shingo; November 28, 1938 – December 1, 2011) was a Japanese animation artist and character…Shingo Araki (荒木 伸吾, Araki Shingo; November 28, 1938 – December 1, 2011) was a Japanese animation artist and character designer.
