Yoshitaka Amano facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Yoshitaka Amano
天野喜孝
Amano in 2006
Born	(1952-03-26) March 26, 1952 (age 73) Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Known for	character design, illustration, printmaking, painting, sculpting
Notable work	Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D, Speed Racer, Gatchaman, Casshan, Guin Saga
Awards	Seiun Award Dragon Con Award Julie Award Inkpot Award, 2018 Artist Guest of Honor, Worldcon 65 (Nippon 2007)

Yoshitaka Amano (Japanese: 天野喜孝, born March 26, 1952) is a famous Japanese artist. He is known for creating amazing characters, drawing beautiful pictures, and designing sets for plays and movies. He also designs costumes.

Amano started his career in 1967 at a company called Tatsunoko Production. There, he worked on popular anime shows like Speed Racer and Gatchaman. He helped create many well-known characters from these shows.

In 1982, Amano became a freelance artist, meaning he worked for himself. He became very successful illustrating books, including the best-selling series The Guin Saga and Vampire Hunter D. He is also famous for his artwork for the popular video game series Final Fantasy.

Since the 1990s, Amano has shown his paintings in art galleries around the world. His art often features his unique "retro pop" style. He has won many awards, including the Seiun Award five times. He also won the Bram Stoker Award in 1999 for his work with writer Neil Gaiman on Sandman: The Dream Hunters.

Amano's art is inspired by many things. These include old Western comic books, Art Nouveau (a style of art from the late 1800s), and traditional Japanese woodblock prints. In 2010, he started his own film company, Studio Devaloka.

The Life of Yoshitaka Amano
List of Works
See also

The Life of Yoshitaka Amano

Yoshitaka Amano was born in Shizuoka, Japan, on March 26, 1952. He was the youngest of four children. His father was an artist who worked with lacquer, a special type of varnish used in traditional Japanese art. From a young age, Amano loved to draw.

In 1967, when he was 15, Amano began working at Tatsunoko Productions. This company was a big part of the early Japanese anime movement. His first paid job was for the Speed Racer anime series. He also designed characters for other famous anime shows like Time Bokan, Gatchaman, Tekkaman, and Honeybee Hutch.

Amano's character designs for early anime like Gatchaman were inspired by Western comic books.

Artistic Inspirations

In the 1960s, Amano discovered Western art styles through comic books. He has said that comic book artists like Neal Adams greatly influenced him. He also liked the bright and colorful styles of psychedelic art and pop art from the West, especially the work of American artist Peter Max.

In the 1970s, Amano studied Art Nouveau, a European art movement from the late 1800s and early 1900s. He also looked at the works of Russian Orientalist artists and ancient Japanese woodblock prints called Ukiyo-e. Amano continued to work at Tatsunoko Productions until 1982.

Early Fantasy Artworks

After leaving Tatsunoko Production in 1982, Amano became a freelance artist. He started focusing on illustrations for science fiction and fantasy stories. His art style became a mix of modern surrealism (dream-like art) and realism (art that looks like real life).

He illustrated many novels, including the Kimaira series and Demon City Shinjuku. In 1983, he began illustrating the popular Vampire Hunter D novel series. He also designed characters for the 1985 movie based on Vampire Hunter D, which was one of the first anime movies released outside Japan.

His illustrations were so popular that they began to be published in art collections, like Maten in 1984. That same year, he drew the manga comic Amon Saga, which was later made into an animated video.

Work in Video Games

In 1987, Amano joined a company called Square (now Square Enix). He worked on a new role-playing video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System called Final Fantasy. Amano created many of the original character designs and concept art for the game. He also designed the title logos for many Final Fantasy games.

Amano's art for the Final Fantasy series is known for its flowing lines and bright colors.

After Final Fantasy VI in 1994, he stepped back from being the main designer for the series. However, he continued to create promotional artwork and character designs for later games. His work became even more famous around the world after Final Fantasy VII was released in 1997.

In 2006, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the original creator of Final Fantasy, asked Amano and composer Nobuo Uematsu to work on new video games at a company called Mistwalker. Amano and Uematsu have continued to work together on other games, like Fairy Fencer F.

Expanding His Art

Amano's first art show, called "Hiten," was held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1989. In 1990, he started working as an artist and set designer for stage plays. His first play was called Nayotake.

Starting in 1995, Amano began to gain more recognition outside Japan. He had more international art shows, including "Hero" in New York City in 1999. In 1998, he even appeared as an actor in the movie New Rose Hotel.

Freelance Projects

In 2000, Amano illustrated Neil Gaiman's book The Sandman: The Dream Hunters. This book won several awards. In 2001, he worked with writer Greg Rucka on another comic book story, Elektra and Wolverine: The Redeemer. His character designs were also used in the 2001 Vampire Hunter D movie, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

He also designed key visuals and costumes for movies written by Baku Yumemakura, such as Onmyoji and Taitei no Ken. Amano also created album covers for the Japanese metal band Galneryus. In 2008, Amano created an illustrated version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute. He also designed characters for the 2009 TV special Jungle Emperor.

Studio Devaloka

In 2010, Amano announced that he had started his own film production company, Studio Devaloka. He planned to direct a 3D animated movie called Deva Zan. The movie's style was designed to look like Amano's paintings.

In 2013, Amano worked with Japanese rock star Hyde on an art show called Destiny and Decay: Nippon Evolution. More recently, in July 2023, Amano revealed the cover art for a classical music single by rock artist Yoshiki.

List of Works

Animated Shows and Movies

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972)
Casshan (1973)
Hurricane Polymar (1974)
New Honeybee Hutch (1974)
Time Bokan (1975)
- Yatterman (1977)
Tekkaman: The Space Knight (1975)
Angel's Egg (1985)
Vampire Hunter D (1985)
Amon Saga (1986)
Lily C.A.T. (1987)
Ayakashi (2006)
Ten Nights of Dreams (2007)
Vegetable Fairies: N.Y. Salad (2007)
Jungle Taitei: Yūki ga Mirai wo Kaeru (2009)
Gibiate (2020)
Exception (2022)

Novels

As an Author

DEVA ZAN (2013)

As an Illustrator

Vampire Hunter D (1983-ongoing)
Guin Saga (1984–1997)
The Heroic Legend of Arslan (1986–1999)
Sohryuden (1987-ongoing)
Rampo Edogawa Mystery Collection (1987–1989)
The Tale of Genji (1997)
Mateki: The Magic Flute
Sandman: The Dream Hunters (1999)
Elektra and Wolverine: The Redeemer (2002)
Yoshitaka Amano's HERO (2006-ongoing)
Shinjuku (2010)

Art Books

Maten / Evil Universe (1984)
Genmukyu / Castle of Illusions (1986)
Imagine (1987)
Hiten / Flying Universe: The Art of Yoshitaka Amano (1989)
Dawn (1991)
The Heroic Tales Of Arslan (1991)
Mono (1993)
Steps To Heaven (1993)
Japan, Final Fantasy (1994)
Katen (1994)
Budōhime / Princess Budou (1996)
Yousei / Fairies (1996)
Guin Saga (1996)
Kan'oke / Coffin (1997)
Think Like Amano (1997)
Biten (1999)
1001 Nights (1999)
Märchen (2000)
Vampire Hunter D (2000)
POEM (2001)
The Sky (2002)
Symphony' (2002)
Amano First (2003)
The Virgin (2004)
Yoshitaka Amano x HYDE – Destiny and Decay: Nippon Evolution (2013)
Yoshitaka Amano Exhibition Art Book: The World Beyond Your Imagination (2015)

Video Games

Esh's Aurunmilla (1984) – Character Designer
Final Fantasy (1987) – Character Designer, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy II (1988) – Character Designer, Title Logo Designer
First Queen (1988) – Box cover artist
Final Fantasy III (1990) – Character Designer & Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy IV (1991) – Character Designer, Image Designer
Final Fantasy V (1992) – Character Designer, Image Designer
Final Fantasy VI (1994) – Character Designer, Image Designer
Front Mission (1995) – Character Designer
Final Fantasy VII (1997) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy Tactics (1997) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Kartia: The Word of Fate (1998) – Art Designer
Final Fantasy VIII (1999) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy IX (2000) – Character Illustrations
El Dorado Gate (2000–2001) – Creative Director
Final Fantasy X (2001) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy X-2 (2003) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy XI (2002) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy XII (2006) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Lord of Vermilion (2008) – Guest Card Illustrator
Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008) – Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (2009) – Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy XIII (2010) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy XIV (2010) – Title Logo Designer
Lord of Arcana (2010) – Guest Monster Designer
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (2011) – Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy Type-0 (2011) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (2011) – Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy Dimensions (2012) – Title Logo Designer
UnchainBlades EXXiV (2012) – Character Designer
Fantasy Life (2012) – Image Illustrator
Fairy Fencer F (2013) – Art Designer
Child of Light (2014) – Image Illustrator
Terra Battle (2014) – Character Design
Final Fantasy Explorers (2014) – Title Logo Designer
Mobius Final Fantasy (2015) – Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius (2015) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
World of Final Fantasy (2016) – Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy XV (2016) – Promotional Artwork, Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy Dimensions II (2017) – Title Logo Designer
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (2018) – Title Logo Designer
Arc of Alchemist (2019) – Image Illustrator
Eternal (2019) – Key Visual, Character Designer
War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (2019) – Title Logo Designer
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) - Title Logo Designer
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (2022) – Title Logo Designer
Front Mission 1st: Remake (2022) – Character Designer
Eternal Kingdom Battle Peak (2022) - Character Designer
Final Fantasy XVI (2023) – Title Logo Designer
Fortnite – Amano's Heart collaboration (2023) – Character Designer
Front Mission 2 Remake (2023) – Character Designer

Music

Raphael: Sweet Romance (1999), Yume Yori Suteki na (1999) – Cover Illustrator
Galneryus: The Flag of Punishment (2003), Advance to the Fall (2005) – Cover Illustrator
Vocaloid 3 Library: Zola Project (2013) – Image Illustrator
Random Encounter: Lost Frequency (2017) – Cover and Interior Illustrator

Other Works

Magic: The Gathering Liliana, Dreadhorde General (2019) – Image Illustrator
Vogue Italia January issue (2020) – Cover and editorial illustrator