Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Twitter: @yoshi_kawajiri

Yoshiaki Kawajiri is a writer and director of Japanese animation. His most notable works include Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

Kawajiri grew up in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture and after graduating from high school in 1968, he worked as an animator at Mushi Production until it closed. He then founded Madhouse together with fellow former Mushi Pro employees, Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki and Rintarou, where he first debuted as a director on 1984's Lensman, jointly with the more experienced Kazunori Hirokawa.

Kawajiri later received global recognition as a director with his work in the late '90s and early 00's, and caught attention of The Wachowskis which would later lead him to direct a segment, titled Program, of The Animatrix.