The Japanese animation industry is mourning the loss of veteran animator Kenichirō Katsura, who passed away on September 30 while receiving treatment for an illness. He was 59 years old.
The news was shared by his wife, fellow animator Satoko Miyachi, on her X (formerly Twitter) account. She noted that a private funeral was held with only close relatives present. Miyachi extended her heartfelt gratitude to all fans who loved her husband’s work, as well as the animation studios and staff he collaborated with throughout his career.
Most Recent Work
Katsura remained active up until the end. His most recent credits include serving as animation director on Gintama: The Movie 2026: Yoshiwara in Flames and as key animator on That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea. The two films opened in Japan on February 13 and February 27, respectively.
Chief Animation Director Credits
Katsura was widely recognized as chief animation director on numerous series, including:
- Synduality: Noir (both seasons)
- The Fruit of Grisaia
- Shy Season 2 (5 episodes)
- The Eden of Grisaia (10 episodes)
- How to Keep a Mummy (9 episodes)
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (8 episodes)
Directing and Character Design Work
Katsura also directed the Utawarerumono OAV and the Hi・Me・Go・To OAV.
His contributions to the Macross 7 franchise were particularly extensive — he served as animation director on four episodes of the TV series, as episode director and animation director on the third episode of the Macross 7 Encore OAV, as character designer for Macross 7 Plus, and as character designer and animation character designer for Macross 7 the Movie: The Galaxy’s Calling Me!
For Knight’s & Magic, Katsura served as both character designer and chief animation director. The anime’s official X account posted its own condolences following the announcement of his passing.
Key Animator Credits
Over the course of his career, Katsura also contributed as a key animator on a wide range of titles, including:
- BLUE LOCK Season 2
- Date A Live II
- Encouragement of Climb Seasons 2 & 3
- Magic Knight Rayearth 2 (1995)
- Noir
- Oishinbo
- Ranma ½ (1989)
- Mobile Suit SD Gundam Festival (first part), Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mk V, and Mobile Suit SD Gundam: SD Gundam Legend (OVA episodes)
Kenichirō Katsura leaves behind a rich and wide-ranging body of work that has touched countless anime productions over the decades. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and all who worked alongside him.
(แชร์แล้วไปกดรับที่หน้าภารกิจ · วันละ 1 次)
