Yoichi Kotabe
Encyclopedia
, is a Japanese
manga artist
and animator
who has worked with Isao Takahata
and Hayao Miyazaki
. He is a lecturer at Tokyo Designer Academy in their cartoon film course.
He was married to Reiko Okuyama
, who is an animator and engraver, and they jointly founded the studio . Kotabe sometimes works with his wife under the nom de plume . They worked together on Hols: Prince of the Sun
and Panda! Go, Panda!
. He was character designer for Heidi, Girl of the Alps
and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
, both of which are part of the World Masterpiece Theater
series.
He works for Nintendo
designing, supervising, and illustrating for the Super Mario series since the original Super Mario Bros.
. He has also done design work for BS Zelda no Densetsu and Mole Mania
. He also did finish design work on the Pokémon
animated series—he refined the design of Pikachu
—and other video games as a design and animation supervisor.
In 2003
, he participated in the collaborative project Winter Days
.
after watching the short film Momotarō no Umiwashi as a child. He was fascinated with how the fighter moved in the film. His father, who was an oil painter, also influenced his decision to work as an artist. Kotabe found oil painting to be difficult, so he instead worked in watercolor painting
.
In order to continue working in watercolors, he adopted the nihonga
, or Japanese‐style, of painting, and began studying at the Tokyo University of the Arts where they had a Japanese‐style painting department. While attending the university, he was impressed by the film The Tale of the White Serpent
, and immediately applied to work at Toei Animation
.
His first project there was Hols: Prince of the Sun
where he met Hayao Miyazaki
and Isao Takahata
. He left Toei along with Miyazaki and Takahata in order to work at A Pro, and they began work on an adaptation of Pippi Longstocking
. That project was eventually cancelled, and work began on the two-film series Panda! Go, Panda!
.
Kotabe then worked as character designer on two television anime series from Nippon Animation
: Heidi, Girl of the Alps
and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
, with Miyazaki working on scene design and layout and Takahata working as series director and storyboard artist.
In 1985, he was scouted by Nintendo and assumed the position of the game development adviser where he created package illustrations for Super Mario Bros.
. Until that time, he was not familiar with video games.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
and animator
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
who has worked with Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata
is a Japanese anime filmmaker that have earned critical international acclaim for his work as a director. Takahata is co-founder of Studio Ghibli with long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki. He has directed films such as the war-themed Grave of the Fireflies, the romantic-drama Only...
and Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
. He is a lecturer at Tokyo Designer Academy in their cartoon film course.
He was married to Reiko Okuyama
Reiko Okuyama
, née , was a Japanese animator, notable for being one of the first female Japanese animators. She has also been credited as and .-Biography:Okuyama spent much of her early life confined to bed due to a series of illnesses. She developed her interest in drawing during this time...
, who is an animator and engraver, and they jointly founded the studio . Kotabe sometimes works with his wife under the nom de plume . They worked together on Hols: Prince of the Sun
Hols: Prince of the Sun
, also known as The Little Norse Prince or Little Norse Prince Valiant, is an anime film released in 1968. It was director Isao Takahata's feature film début. Hayao Miyazaki, Yasuo Ōtsuka, Yoichi Kotabe, and Yasuji Mori, among others, worked as animators in this movie, providing many designs, story...
and Panda! Go, Panda!
Panda! Go, Panda!
is a Japanese animated film, first released in 1972. It was written and created by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Isao Takahata, predating Studio Ghibli...
. He was character designer for Heidi, Girl of the Alps
Heidi, Girl of the Alps
is a 1974 anime series by Zuiyo Enterprises based on the Swiss novel "Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning" by Johanna Spyri . It was directed by Isao Takahata and features Yoichi Kotabe , Hayao Miyazaki .Heidi is one of several World Masterpiece Theater titles produced around the "classical...
and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
is an anime series directed by Isao Takahata and aired in 1976. It is loosely based on a small part of the novel Heart by Edmondo De Amicis, i.e...
, both of which are part of the World Masterpiece Theater
World Masterpiece Theater
is a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year on 7:30p.m. on Sunday. It originally aired from 1969 to 1997 then resumed in 2007....
series.
He works for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
designing, supervising, and illustrating for the Super Mario series since the original Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
. He has also done design work for BS Zelda no Densetsu and Mole Mania
Mole Mania
Mole Mania, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Nintendo EAD and Pax Softnica, and published by Nintendo for the original Game Boy. It is also one of the least known works of Shigeru Miyamoto.-Story:...
. He also did finish design work on the Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
animated series—he refined the design of Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
—and other video games as a design and animation supervisor.
In 2003
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
, he participated in the collaborative project Winter Days
Winter Days
is a 2003 animated film, directed by Kihachirō Kawamoto. It is based on one of the renku in the 1684 collection of the same name by the 17th-century Japanese poet Bashō....
.
Biography
Kotabe became interested in animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
after watching the short film Momotarō no Umiwashi as a child. He was fascinated with how the fighter moved in the film. His father, who was an oil painter, also influenced his decision to work as an artist. Kotabe found oil painting to be difficult, so he instead worked in watercolor painting
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
.
In order to continue working in watercolors, he adopted the nihonga
Nihonga
or literally "Japanese-style paintings" is a term used to describe paintings that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials...
, or Japanese‐style, of painting, and began studying at the Tokyo University of the Arts where they had a Japanese‐style painting department. While attending the university, he was impressed by the film The Tale of the White Serpent
The Tale of the White Serpent
is the first color anime feature film, released in 1958. It was also the first to be released in America, under the title Panda and the Magic Serpent, preceding Magic Boy by three months...
, and immediately applied to work at Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
.
His first project there was Hols: Prince of the Sun
Hols: Prince of the Sun
, also known as The Little Norse Prince or Little Norse Prince Valiant, is an anime film released in 1968. It was director Isao Takahata's feature film début. Hayao Miyazaki, Yasuo Ōtsuka, Yoichi Kotabe, and Yasuji Mori, among others, worked as animators in this movie, providing many designs, story...
where he met Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
and Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata
is a Japanese anime filmmaker that have earned critical international acclaim for his work as a director. Takahata is co-founder of Studio Ghibli with long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki. He has directed films such as the war-themed Grave of the Fireflies, the romantic-drama Only...
. He left Toei along with Miyazaki and Takahata in order to work at A Pro, and they began work on an adaptation of Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
. That project was eventually cancelled, and work began on the two-film series Panda! Go, Panda!
Panda! Go, Panda!
is a Japanese animated film, first released in 1972. It was written and created by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Isao Takahata, predating Studio Ghibli...
.
Kotabe then worked as character designer on two television anime series from Nippon Animation
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
: Heidi, Girl of the Alps
Heidi, Girl of the Alps
is a 1974 anime series by Zuiyo Enterprises based on the Swiss novel "Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning" by Johanna Spyri . It was directed by Isao Takahata and features Yoichi Kotabe , Hayao Miyazaki .Heidi is one of several World Masterpiece Theater titles produced around the "classical...
and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
is an anime series directed by Isao Takahata and aired in 1976. It is loosely based on a small part of the novel Heart by Edmondo De Amicis, i.e...
, with Miyazaki working on scene design and layout and Takahata working as series director and storyboard artist.
In 1985, he was scouted by Nintendo and assumed the position of the game development adviser where he created package illustrations for Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
. Until that time, he was not familiar with video games.
Works
- 1959 [movie] 少年猿飛佐助 (Shōnen Sarutobi Sasuke) / Magic Boy
- storyboard animator
- 1960 [movie] 西遊記 (Sai Yu Ki) / Hsi Yu Chi
- storyboard animator
- 1961 [movie] The Littlest Warrior (安寿と厨子王丸, Anju to Zushiōmaru）/ Anju and Zushiōmaru
- assistant animator
- 1962 [movie] アラビアンナイト シンドバッドの冒険 (Arabian-Naito Shindobaddo-no-Boken) / The Arabian NightsThe Book of One Thousand and One NightsOne Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age...
Adventures of SinbadSinbad the SailorSinbad the Sailor is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid Caliphate – the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin...
- assistant animator
- 1962 [movie] The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon (わんぱく王子の大蛇退治, Wanpaku Ōji no Orochi Taiji) / Big snake extermination of the naughty royal prince
- assistant animator
- 1963 [movie] Doggie March / わんわん忠臣蔵 (Wan Wan Chūshingura)
- animator
- 1963-65 [TV] 狼少年ケン (okami-shonen Ken) / Ken, the wolf-boy
- animator, chief animator
- 1964－65 [movie] Ninja Fujimaru / 少年忍者 風のフジ丸 (Syonen-Ninja Kaze-no Fujimaru)
- animator, chief animator
- 1965 [TV] ハッスルパンチ (Hassuru Panti) / Hustle Punch
- animator, chief animator
- 1966 [TV] Robin, Rainbow Troops / レインボー戦隊ロビン (Rainbow Sentai Robin)
- chief animator (episode34, 44)
- 1966－68 [TV] Sally, The WitchSally, the Witch, is the first magical girl genre anime in Japan. This may be the first shōjo anime as well. The first magical girl manga was Himitsu no Akko-chan but it took longer to be adapted into an anime. Both series deal with henshin style transformations , but neither is the first anime to feature this...
/ 魔法使いサリー (Mahoutsukai Sally)- animator (episode77)
- 1968 [movie] Hols: Prince of the SunHols: Prince of the Sun, also known as The Little Norse Prince or Little Norse Prince Valiant, is an anime film released in 1968. It was director Isao Takahata's feature film début. Hayao Miyazaki, Yasuo Ōtsuka, Yoichi Kotabe, and Yasuji Mori, among others, worked as animators in this movie, providing many designs, story...
(太陽の王子 ホルスの大冒険, Taiyō no Ōji - Horusu no Daibouken) / The great adventure of Hols: Prince of the Sun- animator, character design of a Botom, Dorago, Rusan, Ciro, and Toto
- 1969 [movie] Puss 'n Boots / 長靴をはいた猫 (Nagagutsu wo Haita Neko)
- animator
- 1969 [movie] Flying Phantom ShipFlying Phantom Shipis a 1969 anime feature film directed by Hiroshi Ikeda and produced by Toei Animation. It was one of the first anime films which was shown in Soviet cinema theaters being dubbed into Russian. The animation and design work on the giant robot was done by the then-largely-unknown Hayao...
/ 空飛ぶゆうれい船 (Sora Tobu Yureisen)- chief animator
- 1969-70 [TV] ひみつのアッコちゃん (Himitsu no Akko-chan) / Secrets of Akkochan, Secret Little Akko
- animator (with Hayao Miyazaki 宮崎駿, episode45, 57)
- 1971 [movie] Animal Treasure Island / どうぶつ宝島 (Dobutsu takarajima)
- animator
- 1971 [movie] Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Alibaba's Revenge / アリババと40匹の盗賊
- animator
- 1971-72 [TV] さるとびエッちゃん (Sarutobi Ecchan) / Sarutobi EcchanSarutobi Ecchanis a magical girl manga series by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was originally named , but was changed in 1971 when Toei Animation adapted it into an anime called Sarutobi Ecchan. The anime was unsuccessful, and only lasted 26 episodes...
- animator （No. 6, A/B part）
- 1971 [TV] 長靴下のピッピ 世界一強い女の子 (Nagakutsushita no Pippi/sekai-ichi tsuyoi on-na-no-ko) / Pippi LongstockingPippi LongstockingPippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
, The strongest girl in world （temporary title）- his post was undecided. (only as for the production dead work, this plan did not realize)
- 1972-73 [TV] 赤胴鈴之助 (Akadō Suzunosuke) / Red-cuirassCuirassA cuirass is a piece of armour, formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material, which covers the front of the torso...
Suzu-no-suke- animation supervisor assistance, animator, chief animator （all 52 episodes）
- 1972 [movie] Panda! Go, Panda!Panda! Go, Panda!is a Japanese animated film, first released in 1972. It was written and created by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Isao Takahata, predating Studio Ghibli...
(パンダ・コパンダ, Panda Kopanda) / Panda and child panda- animator, chief animator （with Yasuo OtsukaYasuo Otsukais a Japanese animator who worked with Toei Animation and Studio Ghibli.Prior to becoming an animator, Ōtsuka worked in the Kantō-Kōshin'etsu district drug enforcement office at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. As a member of the support staff , he was responsible for the seizure of drugs and...
大塚康生）
- animator, chief animator （with Yasuo Otsuka
- 1973 [movie] Panda! Go, Panda! Volume of Rainy CircusPanda! Go, Panda!is a Japanese animated film, first released in 1972. It was written and created by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Isao Takahata, predating Studio Ghibli...
(パンダ・コパンダ 雨降りサーカスの巻, Panda Kopanda Amefuri-Saakasu no Maki)- animator, chief animator （with Yasuo Otsuka）
- 1973-74 [TV] 荒野の少年イサム (Kouya no Shounen Isamu) / Isamu, Boy in the wilderness
- animator （with Yasuo Otsuka）
- 1973-74 [TV] 侍ジャイアンツ (Samurai Jaianth) / Samurai Giants
- animator (episode 1, with Hayao Miyazaki)
- 1974 [TV] Heidi, Girl of the AlpsHeidi, Girl of the Alpsis a 1974 anime series by Zuiyo Enterprises based on the Swiss novel "Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning" by Johanna Spyri . It was directed by Isao Takahata and features Yoichi Kotabe , Hayao Miyazaki .Heidi is one of several World Masterpiece Theater titles produced around the "classical...
/ (アルプスの少女ハイジ, Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji)- character design, chief animator (All stories)
- 1975 [TV] A Dog of FlandersA Dog of FlandersA Dog of Flanders is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche....
/ (フランダースの犬, Furandaasu no Inu)- animator (episode 15)
- 1976 [TV] 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother3000 Leagues in Search of Motheris an anime series directed by Isao Takahata and aired in 1976. It is loosely based on a small part of the novel Heart by Edmondo De Amicis, i.e...
/ (母をたずねて三千里, Haha wo Tazunete Sanzen-ri)- character design, chief animator (all episodes)
- 1977 [TV] Raccoon Rascal, Rascal the RaccoonAraiguma Rascalis a Japanese anime series by Nippon Animation. It is based on the 1963 autobiographical novel "Rascal, A Memoir of a Better Era" by Sterling North.-Music:...
/ あらいぐまラスカル (Araiguma Rascal)- animator (episode 12-22), based on the novel of Sterling NorthSterling NorthThomas Sterling North was an American author of books for children and adults, including 1963's bestselling Rascal. North, who professionally went by "Sterling North", was born on the second floor of a farmhouse on the shores of Lake Koshkonong, a few miles from Edgerton, Wisconsin, in 1906, and...
’s Rascal, a Memoir of a Better Era
- animator (episode 12-22), based on the novel of Sterling North
- 1977 [movie] 草原の子テングリ (Sougen no Ko Tenguri) / Tenguri, Boy of the grassy plain
- This work was a publicity movie for theater of Snow Brand Milk Products Co., Ltd..
- animator, (draft: Osamu TezukaOsamu Tezukawas a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
手塚治虫, director, chief animator: Yasuo Otsuka, layout: Yasuo Otsuka, Hayao Miyazaki)
- 1977-78 [TV] まんが日本絵巻 (Manga Nihon Emaki) / Manga(=Anime) Japan Picture scroll
- 1978/01/11 (No. 14 A/B part "横綱 谷風梶之助, Yokozuna Tanikaze KajinosukeTanikaze Kajinosukewas a sumo wrestler in Japan in the Tokugawa era, and the first to be awarded the title of Yokozuna within his own lifetime. He achieved great fame and won 21 tournament championships. He was also the coach of Raiden Tameemon.- Early career :...
"), character design - 1978/01/18 (No. 15 B part "狂乱の炎 八百屋お七, Flame of The Madness Yaoya OshichiYaoya Oshichi, literally "greengrocer Oshichi", was a daughter of the greengrocer Tarobei. She lived in the Hongō neighborhood of Edo at the beginning of the Edo period. She attempted to commit arson after falling in love with a boy. This story became the subject of joruri plays...
"), character design, storyboard, animator （"あんていろーぷ" name） - 1978/01/25 (No. 16 A/B part "この子らに愛を 聖母細川ガラシャ, Please give these children love, Holy Mother Hosokawa GraciaHosokawa Gracia', usually referred to as ', was a Christian convert, a daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and the wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki....
"), character design, animator ("あんていろーぷ" name)
- 1978/01/11 (No. 14 A/B part "横綱 谷風梶之助, Yokozuna Tanikaze Kajinosuke
- 1979 [movie] 龍の子太郎 (Tatsu no Ko Taro) / Taro the Dragon Boy
- character design, storyboard, chief animator （with Reiko Okuyama, 奥山玲子）
- 1981 [movie] じゃりん子チエ (Jarinko Chie) (Chie the BratChie the Bratis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Etsumi Haruki. It was serialized by Futabasha in Manga Action between 1978 and 1997 and collected in 67 bound volumes, making it the 26th longest manga released...
)- character design, chief animator (with Yasuo Otsuka, 大塚康生)
- 1981－82 [TV] Belle et Sébastien / 名犬ジョリィ (Meiken Jolie)
- animator
- 1981-83 [TV] じゃりン子チエ (Jarinko Chie) / Chie the Brat
- character design (with Yasuo Otsuka), chief animator (episode 6)
- 1983 [TV] Serendipity the Pink DragonSerendipity the Pink Dragonis a 26-episode anime TV series produced by NTV and Zuiyo which aired weekly from 1 July 1983 to 23 December 1983 in Japan. The series was based on the Serendipity books by Stephen Cosgrove. After a boy is shipwrecked on a deserted island, he finds a pink egg which hatches into the pink dragon ...
/ セレンディピティ物語 ピュア島の仲間たち (Serendipiti Monogatari Pyua-tou no Nakama-tachi)- character design, (all 26 episodes)
- 1983－85 [TV] The YearlingThe YearlingThe Yearling is a 1946 Technicolor family film drama made by MGM. It was directed by Clarence Brown and produced by Sidney Franklin. The screenplay was by Paul Osborn and John Lee Mahin , adapted from the novel of the same name by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings...
/ 子鹿物語 (Kojika Monogatari)- animator, chief animator (episode 19)
- 1984 [movie] Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ, Kaze no Tani no Naushika)
- animator, (he took charge of the scene to which Nausicaa was revived and the scene of the ending that old men laughed at a feast.)
- 1984 [animated picture book] パパママバイバイ (Papa Mama Bai Bai) / Daddy Mom by-by
- animator
- 1985 [movie] ペンギンズ・メモリー 幸福物語 (Penginzu Memori Koufuku Monogatari) / Penguins memory happiness story
- animator
- 1986 [TV special program] サンゴ礁伝説 青い海のエルフィ (Sango-sho Densetsu: Aoi Umi no Erufii) / Coral Reef Legend: Elfie of the Blue Sea
- character design
- 1986－87 [TV] The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / オズの魔法使い (Oz no Mahōtsukai)
- animator
- 1997- (to date) [TV] PokémonPokémon (anime), abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...
/ ポケットモンスター- animation supervisor
- 1998 [movie] Pokémon: The First MoviePokémon: The First MoviePokémon: The First Movie, originally released as , is a 1998 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise...
- Mewtwo Strikes Back / 劇場版ポケットモンスター ミュウツーの逆襲- animation supervisor
- 1998 [short film] Pikachu's Vacation / PIKACHU THE MOVIE “ピカチュウ”のなつやすみ
- animation supervisor
- 1999 [remake movie] MARCO, 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother / (母をたずねて三千里, Haha wo Tazunete Sanzen-ri)
- original character (it was only used as the base of a new character design)
- 1999 [movie] Pokémon: The Movie 2000Pokémon: The Movie 2000Pokémon: The Movie 2000, originally released in Japan as , is a 1999 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama as the second Pokémon feature-length film, complementing the Orange Islands saga of the series and featuring several new Pokémon, including Lugia and Slowking...
- The Power of One / 劇場版ポケットモンスター 幻のポケモン ルギア爆誕- animation supervisor
- 1999 [short film] Pikachu's Rescue Adventure / PIKACHU THE MOVIE ピカチュウたんけんたい
- animation supervisor
- 2000 [movie] Pokémon 3: The Movie Spell of the Unown / 劇場版ポケットモンスター 結晶塔の帝王 ENTEI
- animation supervisor
- 2000 [short film] Pikachu and Pichu / PIKACHU THE MOVIE 2000 ピチューとピカチュウ
- animation supervisor
- 2001-03 [TV] Kirby: Right Back at Ya!Kirby: Right Back at Ya!Kirby: of the stars, known in Japan Kirby right back at ya!', is an anime series based on Nintendo's Kirby franchise. The series was produced by Warpstar Inc., a company formed between a joint investment between Nintendo and HAL Laboratory, Inc.The series, which takes place in a village called...
/ 星のカービィ- animation supervisor
- 2001 [movie] Pokémon 4EverPokémon 4EverPokémon 4Ever: Celebi - Voice of the Forest, originally released in Japan as , is a 2001 Japanese anime film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and based on the television series Pokémon. It is the fourth official Pokémon film. It was released in Japan on July 14, 2001. The film was directed in Japan by...
: Celebi: Voice of the Forest / 劇場版ポケットモンスター セレビィ 時を超えた遭遇 (であい)- animation supervisor
- 2001 [short film] Pikachu's PikaBoo / PIKACHU THE MOVIE 2001 ピカチュウのどきどきかくれんぼ
- animation supervisor
- 2002 [movie] Pokémon HeroesPokémon HeroesPokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias, originally released in Japan as , is a 2002 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama. It is the fifth film in the Pokémon series, complimenting Pokémon: Master Quest...
/ 劇場版ポケットモンスター 水の都の護神ラティアスとラティオス- animation supervisor
- 2002 [short film] Camp Pikachu / PIKACHU THE MOVIE ピカ☆ピカ星空キャンプ
- animation supervisor
- 2003 [movie] Pokémon: Jirachi WishmakerPokémon: Jirachi WishmakerPokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker, originally released in Japan as , is the sixth film associated with the Pokémon animated series, and is the first one featuring the characters from Advanced Generation. It was accompanied by the short Gotta Dance. It was released in theaters in Japan on July 19, 2003...
/ 劇場版ポケットモンスター アドバンスジェネレーション 七夜の願い星- animation supervisor
- 2003 [short film] Gotta Dance!! / PIKACHU THE MOVIE おどるポケモンひみつ基地
- animation supervisor
- 2003 [movie] Winter DaysWinter Daysis a 2003 animated film, directed by Kihachirō Kawamoto. It is based on one of the renku in the 1684 collection of the same name by the 17th-century Japanese poet Bashō....
/ 冬の日 (Fuyu no Hi)- animator, storyboard animator, he participated in this movie with 35 animation creators in the world. (with Reiko Okuyama, 奥山玲子)
- 2004 [movie] Pokémon: Destiny DeoxysPokémon: Destiny DeoxysPokémon: Destiny Deoxys, originally released in Japan as is the seventh film in the Pokémon series, complementing the seventh season . It is the second film released under Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation in Japan. The original Japanese version was released in theaters on July 17, 2004...
/ 劇場版ポケットモンスター アドバンスジェネレーション 裂空の訪問者 デオキシス- animation supervisor
- 2005 [movie] Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of MewPokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of MewPokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, originally released in Japan as , is an anime film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama as the eighth film in the Pokémon franchise. It was released in theaters in Japan on July 16, 2005, followed by the Japanese DVD release on December 22, 2005...
/ 劇場版ポケットモンスター アドバンスジェネレーション ミュウと波導の勇者ルカリ- animation supervisor
- 2005 [3D mini-movie] Pokémon 3D Adventure: Find Mew! / ポケモン３Ｄアドベンチャー ミュウを探せ！
- animation supervisor
- 2006 [movie] Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea / 劇場版ポケットモンスター アドバンスジェネレーション ポケモンレンジャーと蒼海の王子マナフィ
- animation supervisor
- 2006 [3D mini-movie] Pokémon 3D Adventure 2: Pikachu's Big Undersea Adventure / ポケモン3Dアドベンチャー2 ピカチュウの海底大冒険
- animation supervisor
- 2006 [short film] ピカチュウのわんぱくアイランド (Pikachu no Wanpaku Airando)
- animation supervisor, (it was shown only in ANAAll Nippon Airways, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
airplane)
- animation supervisor, (it was shown only in ANA
- 2007 [movie] 劇場版ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ (Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai)
- animation supervisor