---
name: "Masako Sato"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/masako-sato"
fi1m_id: "masako-sato"
imdb_id: "nm2028327"
tmdb_id: 2135289
wikidata_id: "Q97274486"
roles: ["Series director","Director"]
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-24T19:51:03.102439+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Masako Sato

## Identity

Masako Sato

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/masako-sato
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** masako-sato
- **IMDb ID:** nm2028327
- **TMDB ID:** 2135289
- **Wikidata ID:** Q97274486
- **Same entity:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q97274486, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028327/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2135289

Series director and director.

## Details

- **Work:** Series director, Director
- **Active:** 2013–2014
- **Also known as:** Masako Satou, Masako Satō, さとう まさこ, 佐藤 雅子
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 directing, 1 crew
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q97274486, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028327/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2135289

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Haikyu!!*](https://film.one/tv/haikyu.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Masako Sato (also credited as Masako Satou or Masako Satō) is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist and director. She began her career at Studio Ghibli as an in-betweener and key animator on films including *Spirited Away* (2001), *Howl's Moving Castle* (2004), *Ponyo* (2008) and *The Secret World of Arrietty* (2010). She later worked as a freelancer, taking on storyboarding and episode direction roles before moving into series direction.

Sato has directed episodes of *Haikyu!!* (2014–2020) and served as series director for *Haikyu!! To the Top* (2020). Her other directorial credits include *Golden Time* (2013), *Anima Yell!* (2018), *Welcome to the Ballroom* (2017), *Run with the Wind* (2018) and *My Senpai Is Annoying* (2021). She has also worked as series director on *TRIGUN STAMPEDE* (2023) and *Trigun Stargaze* (2026).

*Sources: anime-planet.com, imdb.com, myanimelist.net, sakuracon.org.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Directed (1)

- *Haikyu!!* (2014), Fi1m 80, Director, Series Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/haikyu.md)

### Crew (1) — the average rests on these

- *The Tale of The Princess Kaguya* (2013), Fi1m 84, Storyboard Assistant — [page](https://film.one/film/the-tale-of-the-princess-kaguya.md)

## Complete filmography (34)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Apothecary Diaries* (2023), series, Storyboard Artist
- *Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts* (2023), series, Storyboard Artist
- *TRIGUN STAMPEDE* (2023), series, Series Director, Director, Storyboard Artist
- *Case Closed: The Culprit Hanzawa* (2022), series, Director
- *Dance Dance Danseur* (2022), series, Storyboard Artist
- *Chiikawa* (2022), series, Storyboard Artist
- *The Deer King* (2021), Storyboard Artist
- *My Senpai Is Annoying* (2021), series, Director
- *takt op.Destiny* (2021), series, Storyboard Artist
- *RE-MAIN* (2021), series, Storyboard Artist
- *Godzilla: The Planet Eater* (2018), Storyboard Artist
- *Anima Yell!* (2018), series, Series Director, Storyboard, Director
- *Run with the Wind* (2018), series, Director, Storyboard Artist
- *Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle* (2018), Storyboard Artist
- *Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters* (2017), Storyboard Artist
- *Welcome to the Ballroom* (2017), series, Director, Storyboard Artist
- *Amanchu!* (2016), series, Director, Storyboard Artist
- *Bubu & Bubulina* (2015), Key Animation
- *Miss Hokusai* (2015), Second Unit First Assistant Director
- *Japan Animator Expo* (2014), series, Key Animation
- *Haikyu!!* (2014), series, Director, Opening/Ending Animation, Series Director, Key Animation, Storyboard Artist — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/haikyu.md)
- *The Tale of The Princess Kaguya* (2013), Storyboard Assistant, Animation — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-tale-of-the-princess-kaguya.md)
- *Golden Time* (2013), series, Director
- *Busou Shinki Moon Angel* (2012), Storyboard Artist, Second Unit Director
- *The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky* (2011), series, Key Animation, Director
- *You and Me* (2011), series, Storyboard Artist
- *Arrietty* (2010), Key Animation
- *A Sumo Wrestler's Tail* (2010), Key Animation
- *Summer Wars* (2009), Key Animation
- *Xam'd: Lost Memories* (2008), series, Key Animation
- *Ponyo* (2008), Key Animation
- *Tales from Earthsea* (2006), Key Animation
- *The Day I Bought a Star* (2006), Key Animation
- *Howl's Moving Castle* (2004), Animation — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/howls-moving-castle.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/masako-sato