The artistic excellence of animation has gone far beyond what people thought it was. You can also agree with the statement when you see television adverts, animated cartoons for both kids and adults, and every other kind of animation you have seen before.
There is one branch of animation that has excelled very well, gaining popularity all over the world: Anime! Even the quality doesn’t cease to improve as time passes by. We cannot always talk about great anime and how enthusiastic we are about it without mentioning the master minds beyond it.
These are the greatest anime artists of all time who gained popularity even in other parts of the world, not just where they come from. They deserve the spotlight just as much as we give to our favorite anime series. Being an anime artist is a great career path, especially for the OG anime fanatics.
1. Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Mizaki surely deserves to be first on the list because of his impact on the anime industry. He is Japanese, born on the 5th of January 1941. Miyazaki is the greatest anime creator in my books, being the founder of Studio Ghibli, which opened in 1985.
Since then, they have been producing masterpieces, and it’s been 22 hit after hit. What makes him a pro is that he is very versatile in the industry.
In quite a number of anime, his name has appeared as an artist, chief animator, writer, and director. Of course, with all the hard work he has put into Studio Ghibli, it makes sense that he has gained some international recognition.
He inspires many who want to venture into filmmaking, animation, and manga. Mizayaki writes gripping stories filled with substance and themes that are relatable to people.
Touching into the coexistence of nature and the people and technology. The significance of skills and art, the day-to-day lives of people, and the challenges people face with trying to remain moral in a world that makes it difficult. Truly, he is an inspiration.
2. Hajime Isayama
I assume you probably know this one already because how can you not know the brains behind the famous Attack on Titan? Isayama was born on the 29th of August 1986 in Oyama Oita, Japan.
He graduated high school at the Prefectural Hitarinkou. His first ventures into comics were done during his stay in Tokyo. He went to Kyushu Designer Gakuin College for his cartoon designing program. This was his gateway to launching the all-time Attack on Titan series in 2009.
3. Akira Toriyama
The most unique thing I can tell you about Akira Toriyama is that he took a different path to fame. He is a very exceptional anime artist, but he cracked the code when he made Dragon Ball.
This marked the rise in popularity because this was something Japan had not seen before. The originals know that he has been around since 1978, when he first produced Dr. Slump, a manga that was a hit at that time.
1984 was definitely his year of fortune because that’s when he created Dragon Ball as a manga. It was so good that the Toei animation talked him into turning this manga into anime. In no time, Dragon Ball became the country’s favorite.
Luckily for him, it went beyond borders, and everyone went crazy over it. Even today, Dragon Ball is one of the most popular anime series, and I’m sure even those not into anime have heard about it. After working on the Dragon Ball series for nine years, he seized its production because he wanted to expand his wings.
By 2013, he had started working on Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and The Resurrection of F in 2015. Toriyama went on to produce Dragon Ball Super.
The revival of Dragon Ball is what made him secure his name as one of the greatest because you know Dragon Ball has been the fan’s favorite since its release.
4. Eiichiro Oda
While Eiichiro Oda’s most famous work is not necessarily all over the world, it has done enough for him to be on this list. He is on the level of fame as Akira Toriyama. Oda’s popularity came after creating One Piece, which is a Japanese top-selling manga as we speak.
The One Piece manga has been produced in parts since 1997, and most manga enthusiasts got addicted. Toei, the same one who worked with Toriyama, wanted to partner with him to make it an anime.
It is nothing but just hard work and determination to continuously work on the same project for a long time without any misses. Oda managed to do this, and it doesn’t look like a lot of work because he is good at it. The anime has reached one hundred episodes today, while the manga almost hits a thousand. Is this not amazing?
5. Satoshi Kon
Did you know that Satoshi Kon’s journey did not start with the manga? He is one of the few anime artists determined to jump straight into anime.
Perfect Blue was his first work that showed off how great he was in 1997. After this, he continued to work on other animation projects. His brand was marked with complex and dreamy visuals proving his mastery. Most Japanese anime that flexes your imagination muscles and soaks you into a fantasy world proves his work.
Unfortunately, he passed away in 2010, but his work will testify to how good he was at his job. Some people still learn about him even after he is no longer with us.
How could l have not mentioned him to you? If this is the first time you hear about him, you can check out Paprika, one of his most famous anime.
6. Katsuhiro Otomo
Let me introduce you to Katsuhiro Otomo, a well-known manga writer and anime creator. He was Akira’s director and animator while simultaneously working on the manga.
It was a sci-fi-themed anime that the genre had never seen before. It was a good definition of perfect. In 1988, he created manga and anime, which could be safely considered the most expensive productions of that time.
After that, he continued producing more films that the fans were always obsessed with. Akira was also the reason why the ultra-modern science fiction setting of Neo Tokyo is still relevant up to this day.
7. Hideaki Anno
Before I tell you what made Hideaki Anno a popular anime artist, it’s good to tell you how he started. In 1984, he started working with Ghibli Studio on their first film called Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. His next project with the same studio was Grave of the Fireflies.
He then went to work to open his independent studio, Gainax, where he did several movies. He hit the jackpot with Neon Genesis Evangelion, which went viral beyond people’s expectations. The way this anime shook the whole industry is what makes Anno worthy to be called famous and one of the best.
8. Ken Sugimori
Pokemon. Does that word ring a bell? If it does, then there is no need to prove further why we are talking about Ken Sugimori. He was the art director and the backbone of character design in Pokemon.
He also worked on Pulseman and other movies as an art designer and was part of the success of the Super Smash Bros series the game. Sugimori was born in Fukuoka, Japan, on January 27, 1996. He mentioned that looking closely into animals in zoos and parks has inspired him to create anime.
Not only is he a great animator, but he is a very well-known manga writer. Explorers of darkness and explorers of time are enough testimony to prove his beautiful works. His ways of coming up with a character are carefully done and unique.
Initially, he roughly sketches one and then transfers it to a film paper while making all the finishing touches to add a professional look illusion. Then, he continuously tries to redo the whole process to ensure he gets his desired appearance.
9. Kentaro Miura
Did you know that at only 10, Kentaro Miura created his first manga? Regarding manga writing, he is definitely on the top selection. The most popular one that put him out there was Berserk, who had been serialized since 1987.
It made a positive impact on other creators of manga and anime. Berserk’s narrative gradually developed while backed with an artistic excellence like no other. Some obstacles hit him on the way, even though in 2021, he had been trying to revive his project.
Miura is Japanese by birth and was born on 1966 July 11, in Chiba. After realizing Miuranger as his first manga at ten, which his peers aired out in school, he created with Indians ink The Way to the Sword in 1977 for the first time.
As he entered middle school, his drawing improved greatly with professional methods. Miura took part in art class, where they started realizing their drawings in school magazines. Together with Kouji Mori, a fellow art friend, they wrote a science fiction doujinshi.
Unfortunately, it didn’t make it to the final competition at Weekly Shonen Sunday. Sadly, he died in May 2021, and it’s still a pity that there has never been an anime that did well in imitating the same greatness shown in the manga. Nevertheless, what he did was enough for me to write about him. Can you imagine what could have been if he was still alive?
10. Masashi Kishimoto
At only 34, Kishimoto is one of the world’s best manga artists. You might have come across his name because millions of Naruto copies of Naruto have been in all-time demand from the fans.
The release of Naruto made him who he is today, which appears to shock him sometimes. The series can get violent sometimes and is packed with much action.
Kishimoto did well with the well-defined strong swaths of black and straight lines. The positioning of the human characters proves realistic due to the perfection of proportions and drawings.
11. Rumiko Takahashi
Finally, we have a woman on the list, Rumiko Takahashi. She is one of the most accomplished and richest manga artists, born on 1957 October 10th. Takahashi has worked on many successful projects with Urusei Yatsura, marking the beginning of her popularity.
She has two hundred million plus copies that are selling now, most of which are accessible in different languages. Urusei Yatsura gained her a Shogakukan Manga Award in 1980 and Inuyasha in 2001. She left a footprint in the industry that inspired and still inspires many.
12. Hiromu Arakawa
Surprisingly, Hiromu Arakawa only produced one anime series that contributed to his fame. Full Metal Alchemist has been loved by fans all over the world.
Its impact on the industry has caused anime as a whole to be considered a powerful genre on its own. Most viewers have expressed enthusiasm towards the Full Metal Alchemist. It is said to have one of the most enticing plots of all time.
13. Shinichiro Watanabe
Have you ever heard of Shinichiro Watanabe? If you haven’t, I will understand because he just came and showed off, then disappeared into thin air. Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop were his most viral and famous works.
They both introduced a unique way of innovative advancement in anime. The storyline, well-articulated characters, and animation style were too good to be true.
14. Koyoharu Gotouge
Let me tell you about one of the most fresh anime artists, Koyoharu Gotouge. He hit gold with Kimetsu no Yaiba/Demon Slayer, which started trending in 2019. Since then, it has caught the hearts of many: the ones who just started watching anime and the fans who have been here since day one.
In 2020, the anime had a movie adaptation that expanded the storyline. The anime has been the top-earning movie in less than a year since then. It rose above Oda, Miyazaki, and Toriyama’s productions.
15. Yoshihiro Togashi
So, to sum up, l am going to tell you about one the greatest manga writers to ever walk on this earth. Yoshihiro Togashi was born on April 27th, 1966. As you might have guessed already, he comes from Japan. As a very young boy, he had already been drawing manga before his rise to fame.
When he was a college student, the Shueisha company noticed his potential and approached him. From then on, he started developing and diversifying his talent by writing manga of different genres.
For the past thirty years, he has only been improving each day. Hunter × Hunter and YuYu Hakusho are both works of his art. YuYu Hakusho aired from 1990-1994 and Hunter × Hunter from 1998 till present.
Talking about the perfection and the hard work put into it, they deserve to be the best-selling best-selling manga of all time. Did you know that Togashi is the husband of one of the best animators in history, Yoshiro Togashi? It’s a house full of talent.
Conclusion
Every branch of animation, specifically anime, is a genre that fans love dearly for its emotional impact. It might look ordinary to some, but those who are into it understand it’s a way of communicating feelings and voicing them uniquely.
Anime allows people to expand their horizons in innovation and creativity. It is a pleasure to watch or read and where most find their peace, a satisfying purpose you cannot find anywhere else.
Are you trying to hire animators? These are my best suggestions for you. And to those looking for inspiration, these are the right people to look up to.
