24 Notable alumni of Osaka University of Arts
Updated: June 08, 2026 EliteDegrees
Osaka University of Arts is ranked #4,445 in the world and #291 in Japan by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 24 notable alumni from Osaka University of Arts sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Osaka University of Arts won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Masahiko Minami
1961-. (aged 65)
film producer
television producer
Masahiko Minami is a Japanese anime producer and president of Bones.
2. Katsushi Takemura
1972-. (aged 54)
professional wrestler
Katsushi Takemura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mostly known for his ring name Takemura (written in all capitals). Having worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling for most of his career, he was an occasional member of the renowned stable Tokyo Gurentai.
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3. Takeshi Yamada
1960-. (aged 66)
artist
Takeshi Yamada is a Japanese-American artist and rogue taxidermist.
4. Takami Akai
1961-. (aged 65)
film director
illustrator
animator
video game director
film screenwriter
Takami Akai is an illustrator, game creator, character designer and animator.
5. Hisashi Nogami
1971-. (aged 55)
designer
director
video game developer
video game producer
Hisashi Nogami is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer at Nintendo. He is best known as a creator of the Animal Crossing and Splatoon franchises.
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6. Kensuke Tanabe
1963-. (aged 63)
video game designer
video game director
video game developer
video game producer
Kensuke Tanabe is a Japanese former video game producer and designer who has worked for Nintendo since 1986.
7. Novala Takemoto
1968-. (aged 58)
critic
novelist
lyricist
essayist
fashion designer
Novala Takemoto is the professional name of Toshiaki Takemoto (嶽本 稔明, Takemoto Toshiaki), a Japanese author, and fashion designer.
8. Kazuyoshi Kumakiri
1974-. (aged 52)
screenwriter
film director
film editor
Kazuyoshi Kumakiri is a Japanese film director.
9. Yoshiaki Koizumi
1968-. (aged 58)
computer scientist
video game director
game designer
Yoshiaki Koizumi is a Japanese video game designer, director, producer, and business executive. He is a senior executive officer at Nintendo and a senior general manager at Nintendo EPD, where he is known for his work within their Mario and The Legend of Zelda series, and as the General Producer of the Nintendo Switch. In 2009, he was chosen by...
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10. Hidetaka Suehiro
1973-. (aged 53)
video game producer
Hidetaka Suehiro, known as SWERY or Swery65, is a Japanese video game director and writer. He was one of the founding members of the game development studio Access Games which is based in Osaka. His roles in the company included director, designer, and writer. His best-known work include the games Spy Fiction, Deadly Premonition, and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die....
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11. Nobuhiro Yamashita
1976-. (aged 50)
film director
screenwriter
Nobuhiro Yamashita is a Japanese film director.
12. Yoshio Sakamoto
1959-. (aged 67)
computer scientist
video game developer
video game producer
screenwriter
Yoshio Sakamoto is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer. He has worked at Nintendo since 1982. He has directed several games in the Metroid series. He is one of the most prominent members of Nintendo's former Research and Development 1 division, along with Gunpei Yokoi and Toru Osawa.
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13. Range Murata
1968-. (aged 58)
designer
character designer
illustrator
mangaka
Range Murata is a Japanese illustrator and manga artist, known for his unique style combining dieselpunk and japanese moé elements. He is best known for his conceptual design work on anime series Last Exile and Blue Submarine No. 6.
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14. Koji Kondo
1961-. (aged 65)
pianist
sound designer
composer
Koji Kondo is a Japanese composer and senior executive at the video game company Nintendo. He is best known for his contributions for the Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda series, with his Super Mario Bros. theme being the first piece of music from a video game included in the American National Recording Registry. Kondo was hired by Nintendo...
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15. Fumito Ueda
1970-. (aged 56)
video game director
artist
video game developer
Fumito Ueda is a Japanese video game designer, game director and visual artist. Ueda is best known as the director and lead designer of Ico (2001) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005) while leading Team Ico at Japan Studio, and The Last Guardian (2016) through his own development company GenDesign. His games have achieved cult status and are distinguished by...
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16. Masami Okui
1968-. (aged 58)
radio personality
composer
lyricist
songwriter
singer
Masami Okui is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Itami, Hyōgo. She began her professional musical career at age 21 as a concert backup singer. From almost the very beginning of her career, Masami has sung themes for anime television and movies. She is especially well known for her songs from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Tales of Eternia The Animation, Slayers,...
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17. Takashi Tezuka
1960-. (aged 66)
computer scientist
programmer
video game producer
screenwriter
Takashi Tezuka, sometimes called Ten Ten, is a Japanese video game designer and gaming company executive. Since 1984, he has directed, produced, or supervised development of numerous games released by Nintendo. He is now executive officer of their board of directors, and senior officer of their Entertainment Planning & Development division.
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18. Koji Kanemoto
1966-. (aged 60)
manager
stage actor
professional wrestler
actor
Kōji Kanemoto is a Japanese professional wrestler of Zainichi Korean descent. He has previously worked with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently a freelancer.
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19. Hiroyuki Yamaga
1962-. (aged 64)
screenwriter
director
film director
Hiroyuki Yamaga is a Japanese anime director and producer, and a founding member of the animation studio Gainax. He is best known for directing the film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987) at age 24, directing Mahoromatic (2001), Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002), and an episode of Gurren Lagann (2007). Yamaga also wrote the screenplay for Gundam 0080...
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20. Hideaki Anno
1960-. (aged 66)
actor
seiyū
film actor
film producer
screenwriter
Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, actor, producer, and voice actor. His most celebrated creation, the Evangelion franchise, has had a significant influence on the anime television industry and Japanese popular culture. Anno's style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions.
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21. Tadao Ando
1941-. (aged 85)
architect
Tadao Ando is a Japanese architect. Self-taught, he is known for his unique integration of architecture and landscape. Architectural historian Francesco Dal Co described his work as an example of "critical regionalism". Ando was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1995.
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22. Hisako, Princess Takamado
1953-. (aged 73)
children's writer
translator
aristocrat
Hisako, Princess Takamado, is a member of the Japanese imperial family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado.
23. Arata Furuta
1965-. (aged 61)
actor
seiyū
Arata Furuta is a Japanese theatre and film character actor.
24. Masanori Sera
1955-. (aged 71)
composer
guitarist
lyricist
television actor
singer
Masanori Sera is a Japanese singer and actor from Fukuyama. He graduated from Osaka University of Arts. As a singer Sera's rock band, Sera Masanori&TWIST appeared in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen twice (1978 and 1979). He made his solo debut with the single Tokyo rouge (Tokyo指紅) in 1982.
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