Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Tsutomu Shibayama, Longtime Doraemon Director, Dies at 84

Ajia-do said the co-founder died of lung cancer on March 6, with a private service for close family.

Overview

  • Ajia-do Animation Works announced his death in a statement posted on X, confirming lung cancer as the cause.
  • The studio said a private funeral was held for immediate relatives, with no public memorial detailed.
  • Shibayama directed Doraemon for more than two decades, earning international recognition for the franchise’s TV series and films.
  • He led the first season of Ranma ½ in 1989 and contributed to Nintama Rantaro and Chibi Maruko-chan.
  • Before co-founding Ajia-do in 1978 with Osamu Kobayashi and Michishiro Yamada, he worked as a manga artist under the name Hajime Sanjo and joined Toei Animation in 1963.