Tetsurō Araki

Director of the first three seasons of the Attack on Titan anime and of Death Note.

Tetsurō Araki is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist and director, best known for directing the widely acclaimed anime adaptations of Death Note and the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. He works under the alias Mochizuki Saburō when serving as an episode director or key animator.

Quick Facts

Born

5 November 1976

Birthplace

Sayama, Saitama, Japan

Other names

Mochizuki Saburō, 望月三郎

Known for

Death Note
Highschool of the Dead
Guilty Crown
Attack on Titan
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

Years active

1999–present

Occupation

Animator
Director
Storyboard Artist

Facts from the source article.

Background

Araki was born in Saitama Prefecture on November 5, 1976, attended Seibugakuenbunri Junior High School and graduated from the Senshu University School of Letters. He then joined Madhouse, where he made his television directorial debut on Cardcaptor Sakura and directed his first original video animation, Otogi-Jūshi Akazukin. His wife, Aya Hida, is a staff member of the animation studio Gonzo.

He worked with animation director Takayuki Hirao at Madhouse and has occasionally served as a key animator on Hirao's projects; the monthly magazine Animage ran an article on the pair. In October 2013 Araki won Best Director at the 3rd Newtype Anime Awards, and he won the same award at the 2014 Tokyo Anime Award Festival. He appeared at Anime Expo 2007 with Death Note character designer Masaru Kitao. He was the director of Attack on Titan in 2013.