Yasuhiko Yoshikazu

I’ll expand the article with additional details from the references while maintaining the clear, objective tone.

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (安彦良和, Yasuhiko Yoshikazu, born 9 December 1947) is a Japanese animator, manga artist, and director best known for his character designs for the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series and its adaptations. He has worked extensively as an animator, character designer, manga artist and director across multiple genres.

Biography

Born in Engaru, Hokkaidō, Yasuhiko was the third son in a family with three older sisters, two older brothers (though the eldest died in infancy), and one younger sister. His grandfather had moved to Engaru as a military settler in 1891, changing the family name’s reading from “Abiko” to “Yasuhiko”. His father was a prominent peppermint farmer who also served as a town councillor from 1938 to 1942.

Yasuhiko developed an interest in manga during primary school, particularly admiring Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s works. At age 11, he submitted a 20-page manga to the magazine Bōken-ō after reading Osamu Tezuka’s “How to Draw Manga”. His first exposure to animation came from watching The Tale of the White Serpent.

During his high school years at Hokkaido Engaru High School, Yasuhiko served as student council president despite feeling overshadowed by his academically successful older brother. He was influenced by leftist politics through a friend in the Democratic Youth League of Japan.

While attending Hirosaki University in the late 1960s, Yasuhiko became deeply involved in the anti-war student movement. He founded the “Association to Protect Peace in Vietnam” in 1968 and emerged as a leader in the Zenkyōtō movement. His involvement led to his arrest and expulsion in September 1969 for breaking into university buildings during protests.

After moving to Tokyo, he briefly worked at a phototypesetting company before joining Mushi Productions’ training school in 1970. Despite having little initial interest in animation, he was hired after showing manga he had drawn in school notebooks during his interview.

Career in Animation

At Mushi Productions, Yasuhiko quickly demonstrated his talent, being promoted to animation settings on Wandering Sun while still a trainee. His first key animation work was the opening sequence of New Moomin, working alongside fellow newcomer Yoshikazu Kawajiri.

After Mushi Productions’ bankruptcy in 1973, Yasuhiko worked as a freelancer for studios including Office Academy and Nippon Sunrise (now Sunrise). He worked on various science fiction and robot shows including Zero Tester, Brave Raideen, and Combattler V, as well as fantasy works like Robokko Beeton and Wanpaku Omukashi Kum Kum. The protagonist of Kum Kum was based on Yasuhiko’s eldest son.

Yasuhiko initially struggled with the cultural significance of animation work, feeling guilty about not contributing more directly to social change. However, his perspective shifted while working on Space Battleship Yamato (1974), where producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki helped him recognise animation as a legitimate artistic medium.

Notable Gundam Works

Yasuhiko’s most significant contribution to the Gundam franchise was as character designer and animation director for the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam television series. However, due to illness, he was unable to work on the final ten episodes of the 43-episode series. He later returned to revise these episodes for the theatrical compilation films.

His relationship with the franchise is complex. Yasuhiko has stated that in his mind, “Gundam” refers only to the original 1979 series, for which he takes responsibility. He has criticised subsequent entries in the franchise for their focus on “Newtypes”, which he believes led to misunderstandings of the original theme. This concern partly motivated his creation of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, which he undertook at Sunrise’s request to “correct the distortions in understanding ‘Gundam’”.

I’ll add a comprehensive Complete Works section, organizing it chronologically by medium.

Complete Works

Animation

Director

Crusher Joe (1983) - Director, script, screenplay, storyboard, character design, animation director
Giant Gorg (1984) - Chief director, storyboard (episodes 1, 4), original creator, character design, animation director
Arion (1986) - Director, character design
Kaze to Ki no Uta Sanctus: Sei Naru ka na (1987) - Director, storyboard
Venus Wars (1989) - Original story, director, character design
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2015) - Chief director, storyboard episodes 1-4, original manga, character design
Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island (2022) - Director, storyboard, character design

Character Designer

Wandering Sun (1971)
Zero Tester (1973)
Brave Raideen (1975)
Wanpaku Omukashi Kum Kum (1975)
Combattler V (1976)
Robokko Beeton (1976)
Zambot 3 (1977)
The Adventures of the Little Prince (1978)
Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
Shiroi Kiba White Fang Monogatari (1982)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985)
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991)
Super Atragon (1995)
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2009) - Original character design

Manga

1970s-1980s

Arion (1979-1984)
Kurd no Hoshi (1985-1987)
Venus Wars (1986-1990)
C Kouto (1987-1988)
Namuji (1989-1991)

1990s

Nijiiro no Trotsky (1990-1996)
Zinmu (1992-1995)
Anton (1992-1995)
Joan (1995-1996)
Jesus (1997)
Maraya (1998)
Waga na wa Nero (1998-1999)
Ōdō no Inu (1998-2000)

2000s-2020s

Dattan Typhoon (2000-2002)
Nomi no Ō (2001)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2001-2011)
Alexandros Sekai Teikoku e no Yume (2003)
Uruwashijima Yume Monogatari (2006-2012)
Ten no Ketsumyaku (2012-2016)
Inui to Tatsumi -Siberia Shuppei Hishi- (2018-present)

Novels

Series

Kōma Shōden (Steel Horse Chapter Legend) series (1988-1990)
- Bonabena no Kishi (Knight of Bonabena)
- Zao no Kishiō (Knight-King of Zao)
- Gangotor no Hayate (Wind of Gangotor)
- Norub no Kōrin (Halo of Norub)
- Kurgan no Ryū (Dragon of Kurgan)

Standalone Novels

Seattle Kenka Elegy (1980)
Aoi Hito no Densetsu—Ruu wa Kaze no Naka de (Legend of the Blue People—Ruu is in the Wind) (1988)
Tenguri Taisen (Tengri Great War) series (1990-1992)
Seiōji Kukurukan (Holy Prince Kukulcan) (1993)

Other Work

Game Design

Dai Makai-Mura (Ghouls ‘n Ghosts) - Package design (PC Engine SuperGrafx version)
Neutopia II - Package design
Might and Magic - Package design (PC Engine SuperGrafx version)
Jūsō Kihei Valken 2 (Assault Suits Valken 2) - Initial character design

Commercial Work

Sapporo Beer “95th Hakone Ekiden Original CM” New Year’s Special Version (2018) - Original line animation

Style and Working Methods

Yasuhiko employs unusual manga creation techniques. He works directly on BB Kent paper without preliminary sketches, beginning with characters’ faces after establishing panel layouts. He uses a Sakuyo brush for all inking except panel borders, going through two or three brushes per 30-page chapter. Notably, he avoids using white ink, instead carefully inking around negative spaces.

His early influences included Mitsuteru Yokoyama, though he disliked gekiga-style art and even Osamu Tezuka’s drawing style. He has noted that his own style more closely resembles that of Go Nagai. His character designs are particularly known for their distinctive S-shaped posture, affectionately dubbed “Yasuhi-goshi” (Yasuhiko stance) by fans.

Honours and achievements

His works have been recognised with numerous awards throughout his career:

1981: Seiun Award (Art category)
1990: Japan Cartoonists Association Award Excellence Award for Namuji
2000: Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Prize for Ōdō no Inu
2012: Seiun Award (Comics category) for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin
2015: Animation Kobe Awards Special Award for lifetime achievement
2021: Japan Academy Film Prize special award for lifetime achievement
2022: Agency for Cultural Affairs film awards lifetime achievement award

Impact and Legacy

Beyond his influence on anime character design, Yasuhiko has made significant contributions to historical manga. His works often explore complex historical and political themes, from ancient myths to modern conflicts. Notable examples include Joan, about Joan of Arc, and Jesus, a biographical manga about Jesus Christ.

His influence extends beyond animation and manga. Several of his students have become notable figures in their own right, including Ichiro Itano. However, some commonly cited “disciples” such as Sachiko Kamimura and Toshihiro Kawamoto were not actually his direct students, contrary to popular belief.

External links

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko on Wikipedia
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko on Anime News Network