Veteran animator and character designer Kenichirou Katsura passed away on September 30 at the age of 59. The news was shared publicly by his wife and fellow animator, Satoko Miyachi, who confirmed that Katsura died while undergoing medical treatment. A private funeral service was held with close family and relatives.
Animator Kenichirou Katsura died on September 30 while receiving medical treatment. We offer our deepest gratitude to the fans who loved the works and designs he was involved in during his lifetime, as well as to the production companies, staff, and related parties who worked with him.
Satoko Miyachi
Katsura forged a lasting presence across multiple eras of Japanese television animation. Notably, he crafted the visual identity of Macross 7 as character designer, anchoring the rock-and-roll mecha aesthetic of the mid-1990s. Decades later, he brought his drafting talents to studio Eight Bit's mecha adaptation Knight's & Magic, whose official team voiced their heartfelt condolences following his passing.
Beyond his prominent robot and science fiction portfolio, Katsura took on crucial supervisory roles as chief animation director for the Grisaia franchise (spanning Grisaia no Kajitsu, Grisaia no Meikyuu, and Grisaia no Rakuen), as well as Bandai Namco Filmworks' Synduality: Noir and NAKAIMO - My Little Sister Is Among Them!. He also stepped into the director's chair for the three-part Utawarerumono OVA series between 2009 and 2010.
