Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on December 9, 1947 in Engaru, Hokkaidō, Japan, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko is a screenwriter, novelist and illustrator. As of 2026, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko is 78 years old. Schooling on record includes Hirosaki University. Awards on record include Seiun Award for Best Comic (2012). Credited works include Mobile Suit Gundam, Namuji and Ōdō no Inu.
My Take
Most people know Yoshikazu Yasuhiko for one thing: he was the character designer and animation director on the original Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979. That alone would be a complete career. The faces he drew defined how an entire genre of Japanese animation looks, and they still do. But the part I find more remarkable is what he did afterward. Manga had been his childhood ambition, and he went back to it — not as a side project trading on his anime fame, but seriously, and into difficult territory. Namuji reaches into Japanese myth. Nijiiro no Trotsky is set against Manchuria. Ōdō no Inu digs into the modern history most popular entertainment prefers to leave alone. These are the works of someone using a commercial medium to argue with the past. Then, decades on, he returned to Gundam itself with The Origin and won the 2012 Seiun Award for it. Redrawing your own defining work in your sixties, on your own terms, is an unusual kind of confidence. Born in Engaru, Hokkaidō, in 1947, he has simply never stopped drawing.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
- Name (Japanese)
- 安彦良和
- Reading
- やすひこ よしかず
- Born
- December 9, 1947 (age 78)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Boar
- Origin
- Engaru, Hokkaidō, Japan
- Occupation
- screenwriter / novelist / illustrator / animator / mangaka
2. Background
- University
- Hirosaki University
Awards & achievements
- 2012 Seiun Award for Best Comic
3. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Mobile Suit Gundam | — | |
| Notable work | Namuji | — | |
| Notable work | Ōdō no Inu | — | |
| Notable work | Nijiiro no Trotsky | — | |
| Notable work | Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin | — |
4. Links
- Xhttps://x.com/yasuhikolab
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshikazu%20Yasuhiko
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AE%89%E5%BD%A6%E8%89%AF%E5%92%8C
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1049526
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-08-07
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Yoshikazu Yasuhiko born?
Born December 9, 1947 (age 78).
Where is Yoshikazu Yasuhiko from?
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko is from Engaru, Hokkaidō, Japan.
What does Yoshikazu Yasuhiko do?
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko works as screenwriter, novelist, illustrator, animator, mangaka.
What is Yoshikazu Yasuhiko known for?
Notable works include Mobile Suit Gundam, Namuji, Ōdō no Inu.
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