Yasuhiro Irie

Yasuhiro Irie

Yasuhiro Irie is a renowned Japanese anime artist, character designer, and animation director, known for his distinctive art style and contributions to the anime industry. Born on January 1, 1971, in Fukuoka, Japan, Irie developed a passion for drawing and animation from a young age. He honed his skills at the Yoyogi Animation Academy before beginning his professional career as an in-between animator and key animator for various anime series in the 1990s. Irie's unique character designs and attention to detail quickly garnered attention, leading to his first role as a character designer for the anime series Alien Nine in 2001. His breakthrough came with his work on the popular series Fullmetal Alchemist (2003-2004), where his character designs and animation direction helped bring the beloved characters to life. Irie's style, characterized by expressive faces, dynamic poses, and a blend of realism and stylization, became a hallmark of the series. He continued to work on notable anime projects, such as Darker than Black (2007), Soul Eater (2008-2009), and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010), further cementing his status as a leading figure in the industry. Irie's influence extends beyond his own works, as his art style and character design principles have inspired and shaped the work of numerous anime artists who followed in his footsteps.

Yasuhiro Irie, anime artist, character designer, animation director, Fullmetal Alchemist, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Alien Nine, expressive faces, dynamic poses, realism, stylization

— Helen James