Where did Dragon Ball Z's top animators go?

Dragon Ball certainly has its fair share of fan favourite animators, however, where did names like Masaki Sato, Naotoshi Shida, Keisuke Masunaga, and many more end up the show's conclusion in 1996? Well, join me today as I go in-depth as to what they have been working on all these years and are currently today!
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[@nazarenomilohanich4883]

For those looking for specific timestamps: 0:35 Masaki Sato 4:45 Naotoshi Shida 8:37 Keisuke Masunaga 11:04 Masahiro Shimanuki 14:04 Kazuya Hisada 15:07 Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru Anyways, great video as always dude!

[@mohamedaminehamdouchi7179]

Another great video.. Although shida is INSANE when it comes to fluidity of his animation and the crazy rotations, poses and motion in general, i've always loved satou's art style, it's kinda ridiculous how identical some of his shots are to the manga counterpart, but his key animation was kinda stiff...

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Thanks man and Sato himself commented on how rigid some the movement was in his old work a while back haha, but likewise I still love his gorgeous art though!

[@j04370859]

Shida's animation, has become a bit repetitive.

[@ItsOver9000Productions]

@@j04370859 I'll take it anyway lol

[@IamJay02]

@@j04370859 he uses the same storyboard sometimes but it looks damn good

[@dlbutters7164]

4:47 Just... Look.. At... THAT!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@mechajay3358]

It would be pretty awesome if Sato, Masunaga and Nakatsuru return to Dragon Ball in some capacity.

[@j04370859]

Seems unlikely with Sato, he hasn't animated anything in years.

[@aagamer43]

Imagine if Sato returned in dbs season 2

[@El_Mince]

Shintani and Kubota are both great, but it’s sad to think of what could’ve been.

[@shadowmover63]

I wrote him a tweet once about it which he liked. This was back when super was still airing tho. I wish they'd get him on board

[@Pekara121]

One Piece is so long every animator has had their fingers in one episode at least once xD

[@forgottenrelics1197]

yep haha

[@FirithPanda]

At this point, I have started to fall out of love with anime not just due to the animation, but to anime plots as well. Something I'd love to see is a modern day anime attempted with old school style; hell, imagine if Hunter x Hunter kept the look from the old anime. I don't know, maybe I'm just not good at telling art and animation, but I just... want to see something that doesn't look plastic or super bright and vivid. Modern things can look great and I've seen quite a handful of modern shows that have beautiful animation, but those are rare and not as frequent as I like. And shiiiit I miss series taking risks and making unique ideas like, uhhh, Kyatto Ninden Teyandee! Great video as always, loved it and learning about the animators!

[@robhasdriven895]

Watch megalobox, great show, old feel

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Osamu Ranking is definitely a show you'll want to check out if that's what you're looking for, the character designs hearken more back to the 80's with the rounder style and the colour palettes for both the background art to skin tones is likewise inspired by that era.

[@shadowmover63]

I quite liked the Dragon Quest anime by Toei. It's rare to see them do anything decent but I felt like the design was so consistent throughout the show

[@AntwoneAntJackson]

4:36 this man is my hero. It's bringing me to tears realizing he's blessing Naohiro Shintani and the younger talent to takeover. Thank you Sato for defining my childhood 🙏

[@RamenPerfected]

Ur channel is god tier.

[@moro-og-739]

Im actually very sad I haven’t seen Nakatsuru and Masunga on Dragon Ball lately. Especially Masunaga carried Dragon Ball Z for me in the Buu Saga

[@akil5695]

Masaki Sato's art is awesome and later today he said that he is not a big fan of of dbs super hero full CG movies but the story might be cool

[@forgottenrelics1197]

I completely missed that haha

[@akil5695]

@@forgottenrelics1197 he was talking about nose shading on vegeta on the second trailer and he said he can't do it on his work it would be lame I think,and then someone asked about his thoughts about dbs super hero and he said something like he is not too interested in full CG movie but if the plot is interesting that would ok

[@KameZX]

I can’t believe how much hard work goes into researching for these vids keep up the good work!

[@ultralevixz5912]

I love watching your videos because it's always interesting and fun to watch

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Glad you like them!

[@HollowIchigo54]

This is the kind of content I love watching on youtube.

[@perrydimes6915]

Super cool vid, though I was sad to not see Onishi Ryo on here...only to realize he only started working on Dragonball after the end of Z in 1996. Man Dragonball has been around for a while hasn't it LOL

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Thanks and it certainly has haha

[@craigime]

you always make amazing videos man. love hearing your voice

[@zenel2893]

I'm new here! This channel is amazing and made me watch many video of it, keep it up!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Thanks man!!

[@xaviermartinez4872]

Ok this was great. But now I want the sequel to this video!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

This one was pretty exhausting to make so it might have to wait 😅

[@xaviermartinez4872]

@@forgottenrelics1197 all good all good! I love all the content you make regardless. This just felt different and new and it was really nice! Definitely felt the hard work on this one!

[@daykuohtwo8422]

I was LITERALLY wondering this the other day! Awesome work man!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Thanks dude!

[@shadowninja1059]

I miss masunaga really wished to see his animations in super

[@j04370859]

Yuya Takahashi's work, is based on his and old school Yamamuro.

[@vonigner]

Very informative, thank you!

[@jayimzd]

This video is so well done and fascinating. Great job 👏👏👏

[@soul_in_search_of_enlightm2131]

Wow man so much information you have gathered ,love your dedication and passion for DBZ

[@yam9195]

The real question is "What is Shintani currently working on?"

[@The_Ghost55]

I like to see video on one piece and Naruto_ love from India 😀

[@katon4525]

I love your content! Thank you for all the hard work you do on these videos 🙏

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Great to hear dude, thank you!

[@ryanmaddugal8059]

Great video Please Make a part 2.

[@josephaugen247]

I really love your channel, man!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Thanks :)

[@scrollingdownonlytofindcom2663]

It's interesting watching and learning about this. I wonder what animators think about the shows they work on; it's surely a unique view compared to viewers.

[@sharingansasuke5]

It’s good to hear masunaga is working on one of his dream series (and also one of my personal favorites) Yamato 2199. So good

[@santiagomoralesgarcia1802]

Like Masunaga and Yamamuro we need someone with a similar art like the one from sato in the saiyan saga art. It is amazing how do you get so much info about dragon ball serie animators and directors.

[@shadowninja1059]

Naotoshi reminds of Masunaga except Masunaga got that raw and fierce details in his animations

[@j04370859]

We do and that's Shintani, if he really is returning to do the series.

[@AntonioMalara]

OH MY GOD! Thanks a lot for the featuring, now I know why I got all those followers today haha

[@forgottenrelics1197]

No problem dude!

[@ms.antithesis]

i didn't even know dr slump had a reboot lol..

[@akil5695]

I would like to see Yo son goku and friends returns animation breakdown

[@robertwyatt3912]

Man imagine if sato WAS able to work on DBS: Broly

[@zekken8227]

Hopefully we can get dragon ball animtaed like current OP, its a bit of a stretch tho

[@forgottenrelics1197]

I do to, but a lot of staff will be freed up over this year with the conclusion of World Trigger, Digimon Ghost game, Dragon Quest Dai etc. so it's not entirely impossible.

[@BluFloo]

If you mean the artstyle like one piece wano or Broly movie. Then yeah they can do that easily. Its basically just a composition filter that they apple post animation

[@zekken8227]

@@BluFloo not just the artstyle but also like the talented people Ryo Onishi, Tu Yong Ce etc,,, as well as some of the talented directors. Also its not just the filter the character designer is different, its not Yamamuro its Shintani

[@nickmarks9909]

ForgottenRelics, I’m curious, what would you say is your favorite looking scene out of Z? Whether it be because of art, animation, etc.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

That's pretty hard haha, maybe Shimanuki's Kamehameha vs Galick gun? Honestly can't pick rn 😅

[@alsimmonshellspawn6021]

Masaki sato + hisashi heguchi= gold

[@AristoSwizzy]

Early squad 🔥

[@cashmoneybrown6705]

Ya boi is first zehahaha. Also noice video as always my boi

[@pixelsbyjosh7610]

The bigger question is, where did sugoisuketchi go?? 🤔

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Into the depths of depression

[@libangomani1954]

Make sure to make yamamuro in the next, I want to know where he is

[@forgottenrelics1197]

He's currently on the Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime :)

[@libangomani1954]

@@forgottenrelics1197 so he hasn't retired yet😕

[@libangomani1954]

@@forgottenrelics1197 do you think his going to be back the next season of super or are they going to do cgi just like the movie👀

[@mika9383]

Did these animators carried over their styles or traits into their other works?

[@forgottenrelics1197]

It varies between them, Nakatsuru's rounded style drawings with loose movement is still very present. Shimanuki's detailed effects work, emphasis on actions with bold speed lines and rigid posing certainly is. Sato's love for drawing muscular characters with detailed designs has never changed. Hisada's way of handling movement when arriving on OP wasn't to different than DB, however has changed over time.

[@ian09dbz]

shida pulled a piccolo and absorbed them all

[@specialnewb9821]

Great video. I wonder how each of these animators view their time on Dragonball in relation to their careers. Speaking of DB animators, did you see Yuya Takahashi's latest uploads? He walked us through short sequences of G and V doing their classic battle poses!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Yeah I was watching through some of it earlier today :)

[@Godzilla00X]

What's the anime that plays at 13:15?

[@forgottenrelics1197]

buddha the great departure

[@ZZtheDark]

7:52, this scene was so good, it was reused in Dragonball Heroes when SSJB Goku fought Hearts, showcasing what SSJ Blue shoulda been in Super, delicate but powerful if your mind is in the right spot. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZonTnWufg7VmicU 9:46, yup..it's the queen herself. 10:23, gunna need to watch Star Blazers remake. 10:45, Dang it, Keisuke! You WANTED to draw Yuki like that! X_X 10:55, DUDE!!! I WATCHED THIS SHOW!! IT'S SO AWESOME. It's literally Kazuhiko Shimamoto and the Gainax gang. It's awesome. Check it out. Check it out. 15:23, love it. 16:39, that pirate looks like he can belong in Lupin the 3rd.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

I watched through the 3rd episode while doing research for this vid and I definitely considered it :)

[@j04370859]

Blue has been shown to be really powerful, in the manga.

[@ZZtheDark]

@@j04370859 The anime really messed things up. No wonder ppl dislike the anime for other reasons. They really shoulda spammed SSJ3 since it was the closest to Saiyans ever going against those stronger than others but a little second to the Gods tbh. SSJ Blue shoulda been used for gods or for emergency uses tbh.

[@scrollingdownonlytofindcom2663]

@@ZZtheDark I wish they also clarified what the differences are between normal ki and god ki. God ki seems worthless when Hit, Jiren etc, who have no god ki whatsoever,. are equal to SSB.

[@j04370859]

@@ZZtheDark Yeah, that was one of the things I hated about the anime, they spammed that form too much, after the Black arc, having much weaker characters match it, or being used unnecessary, it was all marketing.

[@Sonicfalcon16]

So basicly hired these gods

[@AUSTIN.F]

👍👍👌

[@CompulsingFate]

How do I become a featured artist?

[@divinicron5454]

Do you have a favorite Naruto animator?

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Norio Matsumoto :)

[@minedantaken1684]

What about Yukio Ebisawa and Masayuki Uchiyama????

[@ian09dbz]

we don't talk about uchiyama.

[@FalseHope61]

Dragon Ball doesn’t NEED great animation. It needs great story telling, pacing, suspense, character design, and only adequate animation. My father, whos never seen anything dragon ball, I showed him a few episodes of the old Z series and then the new broly movie. He said the Z series looked the best. When I told him that was the OLD series. He was blown away. He said the newer stuff lacked depth, and emotion.

[@Cr102y]

What depth? DB barely any had any and it didn’t really need any. And besides,DBS Broly hardly lacks any of that at all,especially thanks to Broly himself considering that he is far more developed and unique than most DB villains.

[@Userdoesnotexit]

bro expand beyond Dragon ball.

[@VitorCesar]

make one piece related video too

[@Dreamfillah]

Shida's great, but his animations are always lacking in weight and impact with all the waveyness.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

dunno if I would say always

[@ms.antithesis]

first

[@ms.antithesis]

FUCKING FINALLY!!!!!!! WOO

[@forgottenrelics1197]

ayeee haha

[@ms.antithesis]

@@forgottenrelics1197 great vid btw :>

[@potatoeking2302]

Why animators like Nakatsuru weren’t in the staff of Dragon ball Super?

[@UnofficialStudios]

Nakatsuru went to work on other shows during Super

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Nakatsuru did work on Super's first ep however he doesn't really stick to a particular show anymore often bouncing between projects.

[@karimsaiyan_dz7876]

Just be carfull using toe content they have been hitting people and striking them and abusing the copyright system for no reason i don't if you heard or know totally not mark that have been with taking down 150 of his videos; so yeah be carfull bro

[@bananabutt66]

4:48.. it blows my mind how anyone could prefer the Super animation over THIS..

[@Cr102y]

It’s called an opinion,and hardly a bad one considering what DBS Broly and the ToP showed.gatekeeping animation just makes you look like a moron.

[@86Fallowcp]

So... is it Masaki Sato's fault for disrespecting Record of Ragnarok's designs? Hopefully it was a comitee decision rather than his...

[@Ergeniz]

What are you talking about?

[@user-vl8ck4gz6w]

They left because the anime industry didnt pay them enough to pay their rent lmao