There have been quite a few unexpected deaths in the video game industry lately, and now, another tragic loss has been announced: Mutsumi Inomatathe talented animator, designer and illustrator of iconic sagas such as Tales, Tekken and Dragon Quest, passed away last March 10th from 2024 at 63 years old. Although it was revealed today through his official account Twitter by his own sister.
We say goodbye to the great Mutsumi Inomata…
The message that Mutsumi Inomata’s sister left on Twitter after his death is quite sad: “It happened so suddenly, I still have his unfinished sketches and I’m sure he’s still drawing them in the sky. Surrounded by her beloved cats, we’re sure she continues to create more characters with adorable eyes. To everyone who loved and supported Mutsumi, I want to express my deepest gratitude. I respectfully inform you that I hope you continue to love her as much as ever. Her funeral was held only with close family members. In accordance with the wishes of the deceased, we decline any offers of condolences, flowers, etc. Thank you very much for your understanding »says the statement when translated from the original Japanese.
Currently, it is unknown what the reason for Mutsumi Inomata’s death was, but considering that the sister specifies how sudden it was and how young the illustrator was, it was definitely something very unexpected. This is a real shame because Inomata was an excellent and talented artist who had a huge impact, both in the music industry anime as in that of the video game. And her absence in the next ones will become increasingly evident, especially among fans of the franchises in which she was involved, such as the saga Such.
Mutsumi Inomata began his career in 1982, when he joined Ashi Productions to work as an animator, and then became an animation director. In the following years, she worked in different studios throughout the industry, as an animator, director and character designer. Inomata had a huge impact on the medium, as she was involved in many important productions, and some of the most recognizable are Urusei Yatsura, City Hunter, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED either Sacred Seven. She even had the opportunity to illustrate her own manga series, titled GB Bomber.
But Mutsumi Inomata’s career grew even more with the new popularity of video games, an industry to which he brought a lot of his own talent. He designed characters for titles like Dungeon of Windariadesigned clothes in Tekken 5, Tekken 6 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2and even illustrated one of the best art books in the saga Dragon Quest. But Inomata’s greatest contribution is undoubtedly his work in Bandai Namco’s Tales saga, where he was responsible for the design of characters in more than 12 different installments, such as Tales of Destiny, Tales of Eternia, Tales of Xillia 1 & 2, Tales of Zestiria and many more.
His art style is beautiful, unique and instantly recognizable, with pleasing watercolor colors, huge expressive eyes, dynamic poses and some of the most beautiful women ever drawn. That’s why her signature style was so popular, especially among female audiences. We are very sorry for the loss of the great Mutsumi Inomata and we hope he is resting in peace.
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