Many consider Yuji’s contribution to the anime industry to be incomparable.
The official Twitter account of Studio Pierrot has confirmed the sudden and sad passing of its founder and chairman, Yuji Nunokawa, on December 25th, 2022. Yuji’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but he was just 75 years of age. His family and close ones will be holding a service in the coming weeks, followed by a memorial by Studio Pierrot.
A note was shared by the studio upon Yuji’s death, giving their condolence and utmost respect for the board’s former chairman and the company’s supreme advisor. Michiyuki Honma, the current CEO of studio Pierrot, expressed his gratitude for Yuki’s kindness throughout his life. The note revealed that, as per the family’s request, only Yuji’s closest friends and family would be attending the funeral, after which the studio would be holding a farewell party at a later date.
Yuji’s contribution to the anime industry will continue to live on for many more years. He was the founder of one of the most renowned anime studios, Pierrot, which gave us countless legendary shows such as Naruto, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, Black Clover, Tokyo Ghoul, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and more. Not only that, but he was also the producer of some of these series, most notably Bleach and Naruto.
The news instantly spread on the internet, and fans were obviously heartbroken by the announcement and shared their thoughts on it. Most fans thanked Yuji for making their anime journey a great one and their childhood memorable. A few Tweets also paid their respect by sharing Yuji’s works in the form of drawings. One of the employees working with Pierrot shared that Yuji inspired him to become a manga illustrator and that he wouldn’t have been working with Pierrot if he hadn’t met Yuji Nunokawa.
Yuji was born on February 11th, 1947, in Sakata city, Japan, and graduated from Nihon Design School in 1967. He worked as an animator for several production houses, including Studio Jack and Tatsunoko Production, before he founded the studio Pierrot in 1979. He was also asked to become the founding staff member of Soeisha Studio, which we now popularly know as Bandai Namco Filmworks. Yuji declined the offer and joined Tatsunoko Production. Pierrot is a popular French clown, and Studio Pierrot’s logo also features the face of a clown, so Yuji used the name to express his love for clowns.
