Anime director Yuji Yanase, known for helming several MAHO Film productions in recent years, has died at the age of 59 after suffering a heart attack.
The news was announced by the official X/Twitter accounts for the ongoing The Insipid Prince’s Furtive Grab for The Throne and The World’s Strongest Rearguard TV anime, as well as on the MAHO Film website. Yanase reportedly passed away on August 22, only weeks after appearing as a guest at Otakon 2026.
Yuji Yanase’s anime career
Yanase worked extensively as an animator, animation director, storyboard artist and episode director. His early credits included Saber Marionette J in 1996 as an animation director, Speed Racer in 1997 as an animation director and key animator, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 in 1998 as an episode director and animation director, and Excel Saga in 1999 as an animation director and key animator.
His early directing credits included the 2001 adult animation Tokubetsu Jugyo, for which he also served as character designer, and Himegoto in 2014. He also directed the first season of In Another World with My Smartphone.
Yanase’s work with MAHO Film
Yanase became closely associated with MAHO Film during the later years of his career, joining the studio as an employee in 2023. In addition to the titles mentioned above, he directed MAHO Film anime including By the Grace of the Gods in 2020 and its second season in 2022, My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1 in 2023, I’ll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History in 2024, and Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: World Conquest Starts with the Civilization of Ruin in 2025.
In a 2017 interview with Rooftop, Yanase said that he had once aspired to become a manga artist and had submitted work to the shojo magazine Ribbon. He also said that he wanted to create a place that would provide opportunities for young people.
Update: This article has been updated with Yanase’s age and cause of death.
