Kouji Etou

衛藤功二

Affiliated with ufotable.

Born in Hyogo Prefecture, he developed a passion for gaming, leading him to join Studio Sparrow to pursue a career in game animation background art. With little prior experience in drawing, he began honing his skills under the guidance of renowned art director Masanori Kikuchi. He transitioned to Studio Easter in 2003, specializing in background art production, and later served as art director for various anime series including Speed Grapher, Steins;Gate and Psycho-Pass.

His involvement with ufotable's theatrical production "The Garden of Sinners" began when a superior at Studio Easter asked for his assistance. Initially planning to contribute only a few cuts, he ended up handling nearly 50 cuts of art in the Chapter 5. Recognizing his talent, Studio Easter's representative recommended him for the art director role in the Chapter 6 and Chapter 7.

In 2013, he made a significant career move, transitioning from Studio Easter to ufotable's art department. This shift was prompted by individual requests from ufotable for his involvement in projects like the anime series Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. At ufotable, he served as the art director for numerous projects, contributing to the development of the in-house art team alongside ufotable's art department chief, Kazuo Ebisawa.

On February 9, 2023, he was honored with the Individual Award in the Art, Color, and Visual Effects category at the Tokyo Anime Awards 2023.