Legendary Fist Of The North Star Animation Director Masami Suda Dies At Age 77

Masami Suda isn’t a name that many may recognize, but he was behind some of the most famous anime properties of all time throughout his life. He worked on all kinds of projects from sports anime like Slam Dunk to the original Speed Racer anime released all the way back in 1967. Not to mention every Pokemon fan has him to thank for the impressive key animations in Pokemon: The Movie 2000.

Unfortunately, this legendary mind behind countless franchises has passed away at age 77. News of his passing was shared by Olivier Fallaix on Twitter where he also shared some of the amazing works Suda helped produce over the years.

“Host Masami Suda has passed away at the age of 77. His most notable work was the character design of Hokuto no Ken (Ken the Survivor). He has been to Cartoonist and Chibi Japan Expo several times in France. He was a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association.”

Tweet Translation

Suda’s final anime credit is for 2018’s Fist of the Blue Sky. Masami Suda will be missed and we at We Got This Covered extend our condolences to his family at this difficult time.