Biography
Masahiko Ōtsuka is a Japanese anime director, episode director and producer. Born in Fukuoka Prefecture on 14 April 1964, he graduated from Osaka University of Arts, Faculty of Arts, Department of Film Planning. He began his career as an assistant director at Studio Ghibli on Pom Poko (1994) and Whisper of the Heart (1995).
He later joined Gainax, where he worked as an episode director and assistant director on Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). His credits at the studio include episode direction on FLCL and contributions as assistant director, storyboard artist and writer on Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007).
In 2011 Ōtsuka co-founded Studio Trigger with Hiroyuki Imaishi and serves as its president. Subsequent work includes directing on Kill la Kill (2013), Kiznaiver (2016) and episodes of Star Wars: Visions (2021), as well as writing for DARLING in the FRANXX (2018) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022).
