Tatsufumi Ito has passed away. The unfortunate news comes from a tweet on his Twitter account on July 1st by his wife, animator Mariko Ito. She confirmed that he had passed away on May 23rd, 2020 due to a brainstem hemorrhage. At age 55, he has been a part of the anime industry since 1990.
Tatsufumi Ito’s 30 Years in the Industry
Tatsufumi Ito started his career in anime back in the 90s. Ito served as animation director for several episodes of Magical Taruruuto-kun and other series. He also worked as key animator, animation director, storyboard, and episode director on a host of other series across his 30 year career. Some of these series include: Gasaraki as animation director, Princess Tutu as episode director, and Casshern Sins in a variety of roles.
His most well known work was as director of the first season of Senki Zessho Symphogear. This series was a franchise by Satelight that spawned four sequel anime seasons since it first premiered.
Ito’s Final Anime Credits
Ito (also known as Tatsufumi Tamagawa before changing his name) was last credited on several episodes for the series We Never Learn: BOKUBEN. He served as a storyboard and episode director for the series as well as working in multiple roles for the end credits of the first season.
We wish the Ito family all the best. Share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter.
