Events in 2021 in

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

Releases

Films

A list of anime films that were released in theaters between January 1 and December 31, 2021.

Television series

A list of anime television series that debuted between January 1 and December 31, 2021.

Original net animations

A list of

original net animation An original net animation (ONA), known in Japan as , is an anime that is directly released onto the Internet. ONAs may also have been aired on television if they were first directly released on the Internet. The name mirrors original video animati ...

s that debuted between January 1 and December 31, 2021.

Original video animations

A list of

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

s that debuted between January 1 and December 31, 2021.

Deaths

February

* February 8:

Shūichirō Moriyama , known by the stage name , was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He was the official Japanese dub-over artist of actors Telly Savalas (with whom he met several times), Jean Gabin, Spencer Tracy, and Lino Ventura. Overview On 23 July 1999, h ...

, Japanese voice actor (''

Porco Rosso is a 1992 Anime, Japanese animated Adventure film, adventure-fantasy film, fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is based on ''Hikōtei Jidai'' ("The Age of the Flying Boat"), a three-part 1989 watercolor manga by Miyazaki. It ...

'', ''

Adieu Galaxy Express 999 is a Japanese manga series. It is written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto, later adapted into a number of anime films and television series. It is set in a spacefaring, high-tech future in which humans have learned how to transfer ...

'', ''

Ninja Scroll is a 1993 Japanese animated ''jidaigeki''- ''chanbara'' film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, starring the voices of Kōichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gōri, Toshihiko Seki and Shūichirō Moriyama. The film was a ...

''), dies at age 86. * February 25:

Masako Sugaya (August 21, 1937 – February 25, 2021) was a Japanese voice actress who has worked primarily in anime. She died on February 25, 2021. Filmography Anime Television * ''Perman'' (1967), Ganko * '' Under Sea Boy Marine'' (1969), Kurikuri * '' ...

, Japanese voice actress (''

Aim for the Ace! ''Aim for the Ace!'', known in Japan as , is a manga series written and illustrated by Sumika Yamamoto. The series tells the story of Hiromi Oka, a high school student who wants to become a professional tennis player as she struggles ag ...

'', '' Nobody's Boy Remi'', ''

Perman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist duo Fujiko Fujio about a clumsy boy, Mitsuo Suwa, who is chosen to apprentice to a powerful superhero to save the world along with other superheroes. The manga series ...

'', ''

Urusei Yatsura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were published in 34 ''tankōbon'' volum ...

''), dies at age 83. * February 27: Tasuku Saitō, Japanese animation producer (''

Gegege no Kitarō , originally known as , is a Japanese manga series created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as ''yōkai'', a class of spirit-monster which all of the main characters ...

'', ''

Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru , also known as ''Samurai Kid'', is a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation. 65 episodes aired from 7 June 1964 until 31 August 1965. It tells the story of a ninja's pupil that controlled the wind. It was based on the manga by S ...

'', ''

Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...

''), dies at age 87.

March

* March 15: **

Masahiro Anzai Masahiro Anzai ( ja, 安西正弘; ''Anzai Masahiro'') (26 November 1954 – 15 March 2021) was a Japanese voice actor and actor. Biography Anzai graduated from the . He retired from acting in 1997 due to his treatment for diabetes, which caused ...

, Japanese voice actor (''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

'', ''Urusei Yatsura''), dies at age 66. **

Yasuo Otsuka Yasuo is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yasuo can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *安雄, "tranquil, male" *安男, "tranquil, man" *安夫, "tranquil, husband" *安� ...

, Japanese animator ('' The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun'', ''

Future Boy Conan , also known as ''Conan, The Boy in Future'', is a Japanese post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series. It is an adaptation of American science-fiction writer Alexander Key's 1970 novel ''The Incredible Tide''. It was broadcast for twenty ...

'', ''

Lupin the Third , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the endeavors of master thief Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène ...

''), dies at age 89. * March 16: Minako Shiba, Japanese animator and character designer ('' Noir'', ''

Black Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. It has been serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Monthly GFantasy'' since September 2006. The series follows Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old Ea ...

'', ''

Hikaru no Go is a Japanese manga series based on the board game Go, written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekl ...

''), dies at age 50.

April

* April 16:

Fumio Hisamatsu was a Japanese manga artist and character designer who frequently worked with TCJ in the 1960s and illustrated manga adaptations of their television series. In particular he created the manga for ''Super Jetter'' as well as serving as the anim ...

, Japanese manga artist and animator (''Bōken Gabotenjima'', ''Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru'', ''

Super Jetter is a Japanese monochrome anime television series created by Fumio Hisamatsu, who also served as the series character designer. When the series was broadcast in other countries, some episodes were redone in color, and the Japanese rebroadcasts ...

''), dies at age 77. * April 17: Osamu Kobayashi, Japanese animation director (''

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

'', ''End of the World'', ''

Paradise Kiss ''Paradise Kiss'', also abbreviated to ''ParaKiss'', is a josei manga series written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa. It appeared as a serial in the Japanese fashion magazine ''Zipper''. Shodensha collected the chapters into five volumes. The ...

'', '' Naruto: Shippuden''), dies at age 57. * April 24:

Shunsuke Kikuchi was a Japanese composer who was active from the early 1960s until 2017. He specialized in incidental music for media such as television and film. Kikuchi was regarded as one of Japan's most highly demanded film and TV composers, working princi ...

, Japanese composer (''

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

'', ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...

'', ''

Dr. Slump is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series fol ...

'', ''

Getter Robo is a Japanese mecha media franchise created by Ken Ishikawa and Go Nagai. An anime television series produced by Toei Animation was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974, to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes. The manga was seriali ...

'', ''

''), dies at age 89.

May

* May 6:

Kentaro Miura was a Japanese manga artist. He was best known for his acclaimed dark fantasy series '' Berserk'', which began serialization in 1989 and continued until his death. As of 2021, ''Berserk'' had more than 50 million copies in circulation, making i ...

, Japanese manga artist ('' Berserk''), dies at age 54. * May 30: Haruka Nagashima, Japanese voice actress ('' Shiki'', '' Sparrow's Hotel'', ''

Idol Incidents is a Japanese media mix project by Mages. The plot revolves around an election battle between idols who represent Japan's 47 prefectures. The character designs are handled by various artists such as CUTEG, Tiv, Mottsun*, Akemi Mikoto, Yōsai ...

''), dies at age 33.

July

*July 1:

Philece Sampler Debra Philece Sampler (July 16, 1953 – July 1, 2021) was an American film, television and voice actress. She got her start on the soap operas ''Days of Our Lives'' as Renée DuMonde and '' Another World'' as Donna Love Hudson. In addition to ...

, American voice actress dies at age 67.

August

* August 17: Masami Suda, Japanese animator and character designer (''

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially colle ...

'', ''

Slam Dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...

'', ''

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...

''), dies at age 77.

September

* September 7:

Eiichi Yamamoto was a Japanese film director and screenwriter of anime. He is known for directing the Animerama film series conceived by Osamu Tezuka. Yamamoto directed ten films between 1962 and 1986. His 1973 film ''Kanashimi no Belladonna'' was entered into ...

, Japanese animation director and screenwriter (''

Kimba the White Lion ''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the ''Manga Shōnen'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on ...

'', ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

'', ''

Belladonna of Sadness is a 1973 Japanese adult animated art film produced by the animation studio Mushi Production and distributed by Nippon Herald Films. It is the third and final entry in Mushi Production's adult-oriented ''Animerama'' trilogy, following '' A Thous ...

''), dies at age 80. * September 24: Takao Saitō, Japanese manga artist (''

Golgo 13 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Saito, published in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic'' since October 1968. The series follows the title character, a professional assassin for hire. ''Golgo ...

''), dies at age 84. * September 30:

Koichi Sugiyama was a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was best known for composing the music for the '' Dragon Quest'' franchise, along with several other video games, anime, film, and television shows. Classically trained, Sugiyama was ...

, Japanese music composer (''

Cyborg 009 is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including '' Monthly Shōnen King'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', ''Shōnen Big Comic'', '' COM'', '' ...

'', ''

Space Runaway Ideon is a 1980 anime television series produced by Sunrise, created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, produced immediately following his most famous work, ''Mobile Suit Gundam''. It first premiered on TV Tokyo from 1980 to 1981, followed by two f ...

'', '' Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai''), dies at age 90.

October

* October 18:

Christopher Ayres Christopher Owen Ayres (May 16, 1965 – October 18, 2021) was an American actor, director and scriptwriter. He worked on voice acting and ADR directing on a number of English dubs of Japanese anime shows at Funimation, OkraTron 5000, New G ...

, American voice actor and ADR director (''

Dragon Ball Z Kai ''Dragon Ball Z Kai'' (known in Japan as ) is a revised version of the anime series '' Dragon Ball Z'', produced in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. Produced by Toei Animation, the series was originally broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV from A ...

'', ''

Gantz ''Gantz'' (stylized as ''GANTZ'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from June 2000 to June 2013, with its chapters collected i ...

'', ''

Dragon Ball Super is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou. A sequel to Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga, it follows the adventures of Goku and friends during the ten-year timeskip after the defeat of Maj ...

''), dies at age 56. * October 21:

Saori Sugimoto Saori Sugimoto (17 November 1964 – 21 October 2021) was a Japanese voice actress who known for voicing Ramurin Makiba and Nikki in the Anime TV show Shimajiro and in the Shimajiro films, She also voiced Kisanta Yamamura in the Nintama Rantaro a ...

, Japanese voice actress (''

Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō is a 1993 Japanese children's slice of life anime series primarily aimed at preschoolers and animated by Pierrot Plus based on the ''Kodomo Challenge'' Educational Learning Program created by Benesse in 1988. It is created and directed b ...

'', ''

Nintama Rantarō is a Japanese anime series produced by Ajia-do Animation Works and Japanese broadcast on NHK since April 10, 1993. It is an adaptation of the manga series ''Rakudai Ninja Rantarō'', written and illustrated by Sōbe Amako. ''Nintama Rantar ...

'', ''

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', also known in Japan as , is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, taking place in the "Afte ...

''), dies at age 58. *October 29: Yoshiko Ota, Japanese voice actress (''

'', ''

Himitsu no Akko-chan is a popular pioneering magical girl manga and anime that ran in Japan during the 1960s. The manga was drawn and written by Fujio Akatsuka, and was published in '' Ribon'' from 1962 to 1965. It predates the '' Mahōtsukai Sunny'' (wh ...

'', ''

Princess Knight ''Princess Knight'', also known as ''Ribon no Kishi'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. This manga follows the adventures of Sapphire, a girl who was born accidentally with a blue heart of a boy and a pin ...

''), dies at age 89.

November

* November 5:

Kinji Yoshimoto was a Japanese animator, producer, writer and director. Some of his major works include ''Megazone 23'' and ''Plastic Little''. He also directed several of the ''Queen's Blade'' anime series, as well as anime adaptations for '' I Couldn't Become ...

, Japanese animation director ('' Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest'', ''

Queen's Blade is a Japanese series of visual combat books published by Hobby Japan inspired by the licensed works from Firelight Game Company's '' Lost Worlds''. The overall plot of the game revolves around a tournament called the Queen's Blad ...

'', ''

Genshiken is a Japanese manga series by Shimoku Kio about a college club for ''otaku'' (extremely obsessed fans of various media) and the lifestyle its members pursue. The title is a shortening of the club's official name, , or "The Society for ...

''), dies at age 55.

December

* December 1:

Keiko Nobumoto was a Japanese screenwriter. She wrote the screenplay for '' Cowboy Bebop'' and created ''Wolf's Rain''. Nobumoto died from esophageal cancer on December 1, 2021, at the age of 57. Filmography * Series head writer denoted in bold Anime televi ...

, Japanese screenwriter ('' Cowboy Bebop'', ''

Wolf's Rain ''Wolf's Rain'' (stylized in uppercase as ''WOLF'S RAIN'') is a Japanese anime television series created by writer Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones. It was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto wi ...

'', ''

Tokyo Godfathers is a 2003 Japanese animated tragicomedy adventure film written and directed by Satoshi Kon. The film stars live-action actors such as Toru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, and Aya Okamoto as the lead voice actors. Kon was inspired by the 1948 American ...

''), dies at age 57. * December 3:

Jōji Yanami was a Japanese actor, Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and narrator who was affiliated with Aoni Production. Some of his major voice roles included the ''Dragon Ball'' anime series, which he narrated and voiced Dr. Briefs, Kaiō-sama ( King K ...

, Japanese voice actor (''

Inuyasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...

'', ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...

'', ''

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...

'') and narrator (''

''), dies at age 90. * December 8:

Mitsutoshi Furuya was a Japanese manga artist. He made his debut as a manga artist in 1955 with kashi-hon manga. He started as an assistant of Osamu Tezuka in 1958, but was primarily known for starting out as an assistant of Fujio Akatsuka five years later. He w ...

, Japanese manga artist (''

Dame Oyaji is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsutoshi Furuya. It was serialized by Shogakukan in '' Shōnen Sunday'' from September 23, 1970 (issue 43) to July 28, 1982 (issue 30). ''Dame Oyaji'' received the 1979 Shogakukan Manga ...

''), dies at age 85. * December 18:

Sayaka Kanda was a Japanese actress and singer. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and pop singer Seiko Matsuda. Early life Kanda was born in Chiyoda, Tokyo. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and Seiko Matsuda. Her paternal grandmoth ...

, Japanese voice actress (''

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the then-near future and focuses on protagonists Kirito (Sword Art Online), Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna (Sword Art On ...

'', ''

Real Girl ''Real Girl'' is the debut and only album by British singer Mutya Buena. It was released on 4 June 2007 via Universal Records, following her departure from UK girl group the Sugababes in December 2005. Singles "Real Girl", the album's lead s ...

'', '' Idoly Pride''), dies at age 35.

Note

References

External links

Japanese animated works of the year
listed in the

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{Years in anime Years in anime

Releases

Films

Television series

Original net animations

Original video animations

Deaths

February

March

April

May

July

August

September

October

November

December

See also

Note

References

External links