---
name: "Yasuhiro Aoki"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/yasuhiro-aoki"
fi1m_id: "yasuhiro-aoki"
imdb_id: "nm1638463"
tmdb_id: 113911
wikidata_id: "Q90406232"
roles: ["Storyboard artist","Director"]
born: "1 January 1968"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-28T16:19:59.227961+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."
---

# Yasuhiro Aoki

## Identity

Yasuhiro Aoki

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/yasuhiro-aoki
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** yasuhiro-aoki
- **IMDb ID:** nm1638463
- **TMDB ID:** 113911
- **Wikidata ID:** Q90406232
- **Same entity:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q90406232, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1638463/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/113911

Storyboard artist and director. Born 1 January 1968 in Japan.

## Details

- **Work:** Storyboard artist, Director
- **Born:** 1 January 1968, Japan
- **Active:** 2024–present
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 directing, 1 crew
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q90406232, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1638463/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/113911

## Fi1m on Yasuhiro Aoki

> Yasuhiro Aoki makes animated worlds roomy enough for bodies that seem to belong to different drawing styles. We like his restless visual invention, though *ChaO* suggests he is less assured when a relationship needs sustained attention.

In *ChaO* (2025), thin figures, round bodies and oversized heads share a near-future Shanghai inhabited by humans and merpeople. Aoki places these differently drawn characters against detailed, realistic backgrounds, allowing their peculiar shapes to stand out rather than making everything match. The framing changes to accommodate bodies of different sizes, giving them room to move and the city a sense of depth. We were charmed by those mismatched bodies and the care taken to fit them into the same frame. This is where we rate him: he makes the surroundings worth watching even when the central romance struggles to hold our interest.

*ChaO* is his solo feature debut at Studio 4°C, after decades as a key animator, animation director and storyboard artist. His earlier work includes key animation on *Mind Game* (2004) and *Steamboy* (2004), followed by directing the ‘In Darkness Dwells’ segment of *Batman: Gotham Knight* (2008). The more direct route to *ChaO* runs through *Kung-Fu Love* (2006), a short that served as its conceptual pilot. That background helps explain the confidence with movement and layout, although it cannot by itself make a relationship convincing. The step into features asks him to sustain interest between the visual surprises, and that is where we remain less persuaded.

The variety of bodies also gives the humans-and-merpeople premise some substance. Aoki's interest in coexistence is visible in the inhabitants themselves: there is no single shape against which all the others look wrong. That is a sound reason for the mismatched drawing styles, and part of why the city holds our attention.

Saku Konohana's screenplay for *ChaO* keeps finding distractions when its couple needs attention, and Aoki's appetite for invention does little to curb them. At 90 minutes, there ought to be room for both the fanciful city and a romance with some development. The animation has expressive, peculiar designs, but there is so much energy that the film begins to wear itself out. We would welcome another feature that lets Aoki spend more time on how his characters respond to one another once their appearance has caught our eye. Try *ChaO* for the animation, rather than in the hope of being swept up in its romance.

## Biography

Yasuhiro Aoki is a Japanese animator and director. Born in 1968, he began his career at Studio Live in the mid-1990s and has been active at Studio 4°C since the 2000s.

He has worked in key animation and other roles on numerous productions, including *Neon Genesis Evangelion* (1995), *Sailor Moon* (1992), *Rurouni Kenshin* (1996), *TRIGUN* (1998), *Steamboy* (2004), *Batman: Gotham Knight* (2008, as director of one segment), *Hunter x Hunter* (2011), *The Last: Naruto the Movie* (2014), *Boruto: Naruto Next Generations* (2017) and *The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim* (2024). He has also directed shorts such as *Honey Tokyo* (2010).

Aoki made his solo feature directorial debut with the animated romantic comedy fantasy *ChaO* (2025), produced by Studio 4°C.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, animenewsnetwork.com, asiapacificscreenawards.com, animationmagazine.net.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Directed (1)

- *ChaO* (2025), Fi1m 68, Director, Storyboard Artist — [page](https://film.one/film/chao.md)

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

- *The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim* (2024), Fi1m 55, Key Animation — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-war-of-the-rohirrim.md)

## Complete filmography (48)

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

- *LA PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER* (2025), Director, Storyboard Artist, Animation Director
- *ChaO* (2025), Director, Storyboard Artist — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/chao.md)
- *The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim* (2024), Key Animation — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-war-of-the-rohirrim.md)
- *Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc* (2024), series, Key Animation
- *Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System - Case.2 First Guardian* (2019), Character Designer, Key Animation
- *MFKZ* (2018), Key Animation
- *18if* (2017), series, Key Animation
- *Boruto: Naruto Next Generations* (2017), series, Key Animation
- *Phantom of the Kill: Zero's Rebellion* (2016), Storyboard Artist, Key Animation
- *JOKER GAME* (2016), series, Key Animation
- *Attack on Titan: Junior High* (2015), series, Key Animation
- *PSYCHO-PASS: The Movie* (2015), Storyboard Artist, Key Animation, Animation Director
- *The Last: Naruto the Movie* (2014), Key Animation
- *Japan Animator Expo* (2014), series, Key Animation
- *Terra Formars* (2014), series, Key Animation
- *The World is Still Beautiful* (2014), series, Key Animation
- *Hunter x Hunter* (2011), series, Key Animation
- *Blade* (2011), series, Key Animation
- *Legend of the Millennium Dragon* (2011), Key Animation
- *Batman: Gotham Knight* (2008), Director, Animation Director, Storyboard Artist
- *Amazing Nuts!* (2006), series, Director, Character Designer
- *FLUXIMATION* (2005), Director
- *The Capricious Robot* (2004), series, Director
- *Mind Game* (2004), Key Animation
- *Steamboy* (2004), Key Animation
- *Tweeny Witches* (2004), series, Storyboard, Animation Director, Director
- *Beyond* (2003), Key Animation
- *The Second Renaissance Part I* (2003), Key Animation
- *Jing: King of Bandits* (2002), series, Key Animation
- *Princess Arete* (2001), Key Animation
- *R.O.D: Read or Die* (2001), series, Key Animation
- *Ah! My Goddess: The Movie* (2000), Key Animation
- *Devilman - Volume 3: Devilman Apocalypse* (2000), Key Animation
- *You're Under Arrest: The Motion Picture* (1999), Key Animation
- *Microman* (1999), series, Key Animation
- *TRIGUN* (1998), series, Key Animation
- *Flame of Recca* (1997), series, Key Animation
- *You're Under Arrest!* (1996), series, Key Animation, Animation Director
- *Rurouni Kenshin* (1996), series, Animation Director, Key Animation
- *Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie - Black Dream Hole* (1995), Key Animation
- *Neon Genesis Evangelion* (1995), series, Key Animation — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/neon-genesis-evangelion.md)
- *Slayers: The Motion Picture* (1995), Key Animation
- *Tokyo Revelation* (1995), Key Animation
- *Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice* (1994), Key Animation
- *Sailor Moon R: The Movie - The Promise of the Rose* (1993), Key Animation
- *Sailor Moon* (1992), series, Key Animation
- *Pink: Water Bandit, Rain Bandit* (1990), Key Animation
- *Joker: Laugh Riot*, series, Series Director

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© 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/yasuhiro-aoki