Biography
Toshihiko Masuda is a Japanese animator and director who joined Telecom Animation Film, TMS Entertainment's animation subsidiary, in 1980 as a key animator and director, and has also directed overseas productions for the studio [1]. His filmography includes key animation on Akira (1988) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004), alongside decades of further work on Death Note, Bleach, Black Clover, and, more recently, Kami no Tou (Tower of God) and Dandadan [2]. Masuda also built a substantial career in American television animation, serving as animation director on Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and other entries in the DC Animated Universe, including Superman: The Animated Series and The New Batman/Superman Adventures, and directing episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures and Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries [2]. That dual track, veteran key animator and storyboard artist on prestige Japanese theatrical films while also directing for American Saturday-morning television, is unusual even among longtime industry hands. Beyond his professional credits, no birthdate or further personal biographical detail could be verified from the sources available.