Masami Suda has died: The ‘father’ of Ken the Warrior was 77 years old

Masami Suda , best known as character designer and animation director of Ken the Warrior, Gatchaman and Hurricane Polymar, is dead . He was 77 years old and passed away following an illness he had been suffering from for some time.

Via Facebook, Yamato Video shared the news and expressed their condolences. Here is the message from the publisher.

Masami Suda was born in 1943 and began his career at Tatsunoko Production. In 1976 he was hired by Toei Animation and in the mid-1980s he brought Ken the Warrior to the screen. In the videogame field, he recently oversaw the animated transposition of Yo-Kai Watch and Inazuma Eleven . He is known for having also worked on Slam Dunk, where he was animation director for many episodes.

Masami Suda died on August 1, 2021, but the news was released only today. We extend our condolences to Suda’s friends, family, and colleagues, but also to all fans who have been orphaned by a Japanese animation master.