RIP: Legendary Anime Director Behind AOT, MHA, Naruto & One Piece Dies at 71
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Japanese animator and director Shigeki Awai, also known as Shigenori Awai, has sadly passed away at the age of 71.
This week, the anime community was deeply affected by the news of Awai's death, with numerous reports and tributes emerging from credible sources. Anime News Centre, a media outlet on Instagram, reported on March 19 that Awai had been a prominent figure in the animation industry since the 1980s, primarily as a key animator.
Veteran anime director Shigeki Awai's works
Throughout his distinguished career, Awai directed over 200 episodes and played a significant role in the key animation of approximately 400 to 500 episodes.
As noted in his profiles on MyAnimeList and Anime News Network, Awai made significant contributions to popular series such as My Hero Academia, Black Clover, One Punch Man, Attack on Titan, Bungo Stray Dogs, Naruto: Shippuden, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Detective Conan, Doraemon, Food Wars!, Haikyu, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Kuroko's Basketball, Mobile Suit Gundam, One Piece, Seven Deadly Sins, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Tower of God, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Beyblade, and many others.
His more recent projects included The Misfit of Demon King Academy Season 2, Suicide Squad ISEKAI, Uzumaki, and Terminator Zero.
Tributes pour in for legendary anime director
Animator Tsutomu Ohno, known for his work on series such as Bleach, Blue Lock Season 2, MF Ghost, Oshi no Ko, Sword Art Online, Tokyo Ghoul, and Wind Breaker, shared a heartfelt tribute to Shigeki Awai. At one point, both Ohno and Awai were associated with Studio Musashi.
Ohno reflected on how he often sought guidance from the late animator and recalled their collaboration on an episode of the anime ODDTAXI, where he served as the animation director while Awai took on the role of episode director.
As reported by Anime Atelier, Hideaki Matsuoka, an animator recognized for his work on Code Geass and other notable series such as Black Clover, Attack on Titan, Durarara, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, reminisced about the fond memories of the 1980s and 1990s while collaborating on numerous projects with his peers.
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