Iconic animator and character designer Masami Suda has passed away at the age of 77.
The news was announced via social media on Aug. 17. Suda was a titan of the anime industry and worked on many classics including Slam Dunk, Speedracer, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon 2000 - The Movie, the original Gatchaman, Judo Boy, Hellsing Ultimate, Beserk and multiple films in the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Arguably, he was best known for his contributions to the anime adaptation of Fist of the North Star. Suda worked as both a character designer and animator for the project and was partly responsible for giving the series its iconic look.
Born Sept. 16, 1943 in Saitama, Japan, Suda began his long-running career in the anime industry at Tatsunoko Productions in the 1960s. He would go on to work on several series at Toei Animation as well. In 2007, he became known as one of the original founding members of the Japanese Animation Creators Association, which is a labor union that represents workers at all levels of the anime industry, alongside director and animator Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Paranoia Agent, Paprika) and other influential individuals.
Masami Suda's final anime series, Fist of the Blue Sky, is available to stream through Crunchyroll.
Source: Twitter, via Anime News Network
