Biography
Shigeki Awai, also known professionally as Shigenori Awai, was a Japanese animator and director active from the 1980s until his death on March 21, 2025, at age 71 [1]. He began as a key animator on classic 1980s titles including Urusei Yatsura, Heavy Metal L-Gaim, and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, served as animation director on Miracle Giants Doumu-kun in 1989, and made his episode-directing debut the following year on Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [2]. He made his full directorial debut in 1996 with Gakkou no Yuurei [2]. In more recent years he worked as a prolific episode director and key animator on major shonen and action franchises: episode direction on One Punch Man, Food Wars!, Black Clover, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and key animation on One Piece, Naruto Shippuden, Boruto: Next Generation, Attack on Titan, and My Hero Academia [1]. He remained unusually active up to his death: in 2024 alone he directed 35 full episodes, more than any other credited animator that year, closing his career with The Misfit of Demon King Academy Season 2, Uzumaki, and Terminator Zero [2]. Awai shared roots in Kyushu with longtime collaborator Hideaki Matsuoka, with whom he worked for around 40 years, and mentored younger animators including Tsutomu Ohno, who announced his death [1].