Japanese anime director of Naruto, Shigeki Awai, passes away

Shigeki Awai has a legacy of contributing for popular anime franchises.

Well-known Japanese animator and director Shigeki Awai has passed away at the age of 71. Awai was a prominent figure in the industry since the 1980s.

Awai is known for making important contributions to numerous anime franchises. His extensive work includes fan favourites such as Naruto: Shippuden, Bokuto: Naruto Next Generations, One Punch Man, Black Clover, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, One Piece, Detective Conan, Doraemon, Bungo Stray Dogs, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Kuroko’s Basketball,Haikyu!!, Food Wars!, and Mobile Suit Gundam.

Artistes and industry members, including Hideaki Matsuoka and Tsutomu Ohno, mourned the passing away of Awai. Hideaki reportedly recollected his experience of working with Awai in the 80s and 90s. Tsutomu thanked Awai for his guidance during their collaborations.

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Awai’s legacy involves directing more than 200 episodes and working in the animation department of more than 500 projects. The director’s latest works are The Misfit of Demon King Academy Season 2, Suicide Squad ISEKAI, Uzumaki, and Terminator Zero.