It gives us no great pleasure to discuss the passing of beloved figures in the anime industry. Yoichi Onishi was a legend whose work spanned decades. His hands touched fan-favorite anime series, old and new. Fellow animator Eisaku Inoue (One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Saint Seiya) announced his passing and relayed the news he received from an animator identified only as “Tomita-kun.” Eisaku Inoue explained that he worked in the same office as Yoichi Onishi and would pass Mr. Onishi whenever he went to get coffee. It has been difficult for him since he could no longer see Mr. Onishi at his desk.
Yoichi Onishi’s career spans decades. He is a veteran animator most known for his work with Toei. His fluid animations and energetic demeanor lit up our screens for ages. Yoichi’s break into the anime industry came in 1985 when he worked on Fist of the North Star. He continued with action and supernatural series with Hell Teacher Nube and Dr. Slump in the early and mid-90s. Hell Teacher Nube saw him finally take the role of a character designer.
He didn’t stick with one genre forever. Later, Yoichi Onishi would turn cheers into sobs when he worked on Kanon in 2002 as the character designer and chief animation director. Of course, he went back into action series with a comedic flare when Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo made us question our sanity in 2003. He hadn’t finished making people cry, though. Yoichi was the animation director for the Clannad movie in 2007.
Yoichi Onishi’s Later Works
He also wasn’t above some good old-fashioned fan service and harem situations. He was the chief animation director for Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III in 2020 and the animation director for EDENS ZERO in 2021. This was a cultured man. He explored the Digital World twice: as Digimon Adventure’s chief animation director and as Digimon Ghost Game’s animation director.
To end this on a high note, Yoichi Onishi had more than a few encounters with the Dragon Ball series. He was the key animator for some of its movies and an animation director for Dragon Ball Super. He had a storied career, and his passing is a loss for anime fans worldwide. Let us give him proper tribute and watch some of his work sometime soon. Might I recommend Hell Teacher Nube? He looks like a teacher we can look up to.
How did Yoichi Onishi’s life and work affect you? Which one of his projects is your favorite? Who do you think could succeed him? Let us know in the comments below.
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