Why Keisuke Masunaga is a legend

Despite Studio Cockpit's rather short time on the series in comparison to others like Shindo Productions and Studio Junio, they still left an incredible legacy behind garnering a reputation among fans for producing amongst some of the best-animated episodes in the show. Keisuke Masunaga in particular would fill the role of animation supervisor setting the rugged and expressive look that so many fans have come to love.
So join me today as we go over why Keisuke Masunaga is a legendary figure within this franchise!
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►Instagram: / d.bz_arts
►Twitter: / zadoxz
🎞Animator Identification credits:
datwerg
dbanimators
💿Music credits:
Karl Casey - Nightscapes
oDDling - Make Believe
Krosia - Azur
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[@elliejoestar]

So basically whenever the fights looked like actual FIGHTS we can thank this guy?

[@BurnedZero]

yeah, basically

[@SeniorCharry]

In the later seasons yes. If only the guy directed the entire show from start to finish. A man can dream, a man can dream.

[@adamvanderwarf6059]

@@SeniorCharry that, that my guy would’ve been INSANE! 🐉

[@xondeez757]

because animation studios depending on how expensive an episode is will use different drawers. like this type of fluid animation was more expensive than the cheaper style. because of stupid deadlines animation is made cheaper

[@adamvanderwarf6059]

@@xondeez757 and to that my g, I can only say “Quality over Quantity” but it is what it is.

[@banana_bandanas1022]

I just loved how Masunaga took Toriyama’s artstyle and made it more rugged yet kept the animation fluid and dramatic.

[@espressoct3171]

Definitely added a new dimension to it!

[@JeromeProductions]

Indeed

[@alessiospurio]

I want recomend to you all an anime called Attack no.1:Masterpiece!

[@espressoct3171]

@@alessiospurio I'll give it a try at some point 👍

[@gokushkameha-ha-ha9344]

It was only fluid bc higher frame rates.

[@onlarry]

You telling me he’s responsible for Gogeta slamming his knee into the back of Janemba’s neck? Siiick

[@dususbakahyahskahwbwm9113]

Nah. That was animated by Toshiyuki Kanno, not Masunaga.

[@onlarry]

@@dususbakahyahskahwbwm9113 Ah, thanks for the correction! It’s good to recognize who did badass sequence

[@AndrewAce.]

Lmao! Right??

[@Dissyuri]

It's better if you read that in Kankuro's English voice

[@Poet482]

@@onlarry The bit of animation where Gogeta stomps out Jinemba is quite possibly my favorite sequence in animation for the series. Such power, grace, and style. And then he kills Jinemba with a goddamn rainbow. Wonderful.

[@bocodamondo]

even as a kid, i could easily recognize this style and that should tell you how unique it is haha

[@OutsideIsScary]

Real easy to

[@alessiospurio]

I want recomend to you all an anime called Attack no.1:Masterpiece!

[@lonelyasteroid5404]

Bro what happened to u? Where r u?

[@alessiospurio]

@@lonelyasteroid5404 I want recomend to you all an anime called Attack number 1: shoujo about Kozue Ayuhara player of volleyball ❤ Masterpiece! One of the best anime I've seen in my life! ❤❤❤🥰🥰 Watch it because, it's really great ❤🥰 It has a so tragic and dramatic story. Every episode bring to see the other!

[@putapets5525]

Same here you can notice his art design the most polish and well detailed design in dbz animators

[@ItsOver9000Productions]

This dude OWNED the Buu Saga. The way he draws hands is so fucking awesome.

[@toptextbottomtext3062]

His art feels so impactful. It fits perfectly with serious, intense fights like Goku vs Cell but also works with comedic and more relaxed scenes. There's a reason everyone and their moms use his art as thumbnails.

[@SlantCarson]

for me it's all *where* he places exaggerations. soft face? incredibly soft. muscled body punching? huge muscles, punching hard as fuck. getting obliterated by a blast? more like getting eviscerated. i totally see how much growing up his style subconsciously influenced me.

[@openingdown3051]

For some reason, it feels like he’s extremely underappreciated among the majority of the fans despite providing some of the best cuts in the series. There’s nothing about his animation that’s not to like. It’s well drawn, well timed, provides a great sense of speed, and pretty much everything else you’d need in a fast paced action scene. Still, it’s great to know that so many people still appreciate him so much.

[@imshrpysart3672]

I love how all of the “legends” have three layer shading with sometimes having highlights. That’s pure joy to witness in a show.

[@hawshimagical]

yea dude....its just so immersive when the artists really try to make a stylised version of real shading

[@stevenarttv9970]

Shintani is "legend" but has two layer shading with no highlights. Hahahahahaha ironic. But I prefer three layers and with a few highlights like dbz fusion Reborn, dbgt, etc. Not super that is absolutely plastic

[@TheMysteriousvoid305]

Unlike shintani style which lacks shading I still prefer old yamamuro style

[@Osama-KIN_TMZ01]

Not really, that's just the style of DBZ at the time in general, you have many legends in original Dragon Ball that don't really use three layer shading that much... Per example, to date the most animated cut of the whole DB franchise coming from Ryo Onishi doesn't have three layer shading nor highlights. Truly legendary animators know that the more detailed your art is you sacrifice fluidity and are more prone to stiffness, why do you think Tate went loose after his experience with One Piece?...

[@JeromeProductions]

Indeed

[@donovan12340]

It’s a shame that animators like him arent in super, super by comparison feels so lifeless in terms of animation outside of like late episodes

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Super had plenty of great animators from both Z and the animation industry in general. Naotoshi Shida, Tai'ichirō Ohara Takeo Ide are just a few of some classic animators who made a return. Meanwhile, with newer faces you had others like Ryo Onishi, Yuya Tahkashi and Yūichi Karasawa. And while there were certainly poor animators who worked on super just like there was on Z, the life-less feel was more so that the staff had to work with bland character sheets more than anything skill-based related.

[@Ebell899]

I think yamomura was mostly to blame for overseeing the character model art through the entire show. Especially when it comes to that plastic look. By that point toei had yamomura's hand in everything DB related.

[@Molinill]

Why did he stop ?

[@von1626]

@@forgottenrelics1197 Could you explain what you mean by “bland character sheets more than anything skill-based related”

[@donovan12340]

@@von1626 The character sheet is what the animators had to replicate and create for the animation, so that glossy look that you see in the current dbs is becasue of the new character sheet, the new character sheet reqires more, squared and super proportional lines and doesnt really allow leeway or creativity because of how stiff the sheet is

[@ayerooown]

One of my fan animators,there is something about his style that satisfies me

[@DanielDaVinciArt]

same here especially how he draws goku and vegeta

[@DanielDaVinciArt]

I personally loved his art the most, because of the different approach to the characters' expressions, the art style on how he Drew the female characters, and the Buu saga Finale with Goku facing off kid Buu he really set the standard for how most fans of dragon ball z draw the characters today especially Goku and Vegeta.

[@anthonyruss6823]

Mastar loved tracing the style

[@AlphaProto]

His animation really stood out during the final chapters of DBZ. They were always fun to watch. He really pushed poses and facial expressions to the extreme.

[@redkingrauri3769]

Masunaga's animation is the reason I was disappointed to find out the Kid Buu vs SSJ2 Goku fight was anime only but was SO happy it was kept in Kai.

[@MrAlwaystekken]

The best TOEI animator ever. It gave us the pinnacle of animation for the entire Dragon Ball brand. It has a style that demolishes any other animator and that maximizes the dictates of Toriyama.

[@SlantCarson]

couldn't agree more

[@SomebodySaveRap]

Some of the most impactful scenes of our childhood born from the fingertips of this man.

[@Cuauhtemoc3]

Unique animation. Faces look longer and sharper rather then soft and round

[@ByrneBaby]

So, this guy is responsible for all my fave scenes and fights… His style is immaculate and extremely iconic. The Kid Buu fight is my fave in the whole series.

[@AshleysBallistics]

Ahhhh this artist always had the most impact for me. Always a treat seeing him in an episode. 😁

[@AdventVFX]

this animator was my favorite for such a long time, this is what I believed the peak art style was in the show as a kid

[@Killing_Edge]

Same

[@adamvanderwarf6059]

I agree 100%

[@SantoSelene]

The funny thing with Keisuke Matsunaga is that as a kid whenver I purchase episodes on DVD/ VHS the first episode is always a Studio Cockpit episode.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

a blessing in disguise

[@yao5859]

He is one of the reasons people remember DBZ being so amazing

[@mechajay3358]

I've also found it impressive how his art feel so sharp and not adhere to the model sheets yet still make his animation look fluid and detail.

[@minilogoguy18]

If only he did the entire series. The animation detail on the final Buu episodes were so amazing.

[@kassimhamidjuma627]

Imagine if some of his art style was involved in the Saiyan saga and Frieza saga, just imagine how incredible Saiyan saga and Frieza saga would look. And I think I've been imagining this for years.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Yeah I wondered too, especially if he worked on even earlier arcs. I guess the closest thing you get to that though is a quick flashback in 174 with a younger Goku by him that surprisingly has quite a soft touch :)

[@kassimhamidjuma627]

@@forgottenrelics1197 Yes absolutely, because knowing Masunaga, his art style turns to make characters much older than they normally do. Even teen Gohan in cell arc looked much older.

[@young_shaad5227]

@@kassimhamidjuma627 gohan wasn't even a teen at the time he was still 10 or 9

[@LukeRojas]

I actually like the art in the Saiyan Saga and Namek Saga more than the later saga. Not to say it's bad or anything, but it's missing a certain ruggedness and gritty feel.

[@haniflawson9225]

As a kid, these episodes were the ones I looked forward to. I'd always pause my VHS tapes and draw the awesome frames this guy cooked up.Thank you so much for making this!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@donttalktomeyoureannoying8736]

Lol this story is so cute. I used to do the same with Sailor Moon 😂😂😂

[@josephjoestar7722]

Every frame of the animation is a piece of art

[@SlantCarson]

different for everyone but to me that's one of the most important things when doing animation

[@HistoryandReviews]

Well no durr

[@wormHD]

One of my favorite supervisors for the Dragon Ball Z anime. The style is very bold and makes use of pretty unique shapes which makes characters look more expressive. Works well when a character is angry it makes them look very fierce like with Goku in super saiyan. I will add that some people say that the more accurate it is to the manga the better it is, but where we see masunaga it proves that you don't always have to be on model to make good art and animation.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Well put :)

[@cinemamadness6920]

This animation style was so intense. I like how he would make the characters snarl and look blood thirsty. If I go back to find my favorite scenes in DBZ, it's usually from this dude. His best moments were Goku vs Cell and of course, Gohan Killing Cell.

[@khalidalamin8069]

Goku's SSJ2 look when he fought Buu is still in my opinion the best most clean representation of Goku ....freshest cut of the orange G

[@banano2210]

no wonder the end of cell saga with gohan's kamehameha looked so damn beautiful

[@millenniumxd3105]

Keisuke is the reason I ended up loving DBZ as a kid. That art style is genuinely perfect. Nothing compares to it.

[@Oceanman705]

never knew about this guy, i've always loved the frames that were shown in the video and now I know who was primarily responsible for them! Guess Masunaga is my favorite director.

[@wutizgoin5431]

Masunaga has always been one of my favorites. He always conveyed such depth as well as intensity. Never a dull moment when he was your supervisor

[@Albundi23]

That cell and goku fight now thats what you call "throwing hands" tough 😬😬😬😬

[@specialnewb9821]

INSTANT LIKE. It looks insanely cool, but it doesn't look that much like Toriyama especially at the end. I still love the more mature look to the characters he does in the late Buu Saga.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Yeah over time I've really started to like Toriyama's style in the late cell and buu arc especially because of that mature look characters had.

[@zilldraws]

@@forgottenrelics1197 same the jawline especially

[@jasonone8726]

@ForgettenRelics I wasn't too big on Toriyama's art around the Buu Saga, it was looking too blocky, you could also tell he was getting burnt out by that point. The anime was looking much better.

[@zilldraws]

@@jasonone8726 it was pretty good but there was a clear difference in quality between it and the cell and freeza saga, Cell Saga was personally my favourite in terms of Toriyama's art

[@forgottenrelics1197]

@@jasonone8726 That's part of the reason I somewhat disliked that era at first as you could see the quality of the artwork dropping. However when I actually started to read it through more I realised there were plenty of great-looking chapters as well! Although it seems that era is a mix among fans :)

[@Ebell899]

Masunaga is easily my favorite of the original supervisors. Used to blow my mind when people couldn't tell the difference between models from episode to episode. Especially when the show would go from masunaga one episode to ebisa or uchiyama the next lol

[@bigbobs7713]

They need to bring this man to super

[@hinatashoyo2999]

Super is trash and filler so no thanks

[@bigbobs7713]

@@hinatashoyo2999 yea they messed up Goku's character so bad

[@hinatashoyo2999]

@@bigbobs7713 bro go and see what they did to everyone else then..... Gohan and trunks looking like shit

[@bigbobs7713]

@@hinatashoyo2999 yea thy messed up bad They need do redo the whole thing

[@hugostigglitz9639]

Masunaga just passed away some months ago

[@philthestampede]

Dang! This is the guy! This is the best animator in the series!

[@guerrero520]

Great analysis, started watching your ebisawa/uchiyama video and it explained a lot of my childhood curiosities of the show. Subscribed.

[@spidey3448]

I would like to personally thank this man for improving the animation

[@akil5695]

Masunaga is a legend for sure

[@Thalanox]

I have no earthly idea how a video like this would find an audience in a pre-internet world. Specialized media like this for people who love learning things is a blessing. Thank you, ForgottenRelics, for making this. This is good stuff.

[@callthesaunter]

Man, you always make sure to really nail in on how these people really are legends. Your content is too good

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Thanks man, I treat the videos in this series somewhat as a tribute to all these classic animators. So I'm very glad you feel it does justice :)

[@unknownunknown6753]

Masunaga out here drawing Goku with a bruh face in that thumbnail

[@forgottenrelics1197]

🅱️

[@LuckyLuka771]

oh man, this type of animation always gave me goosebumps.

[@frostdova]

Besides Toriyama, Masunaga's style is the most iconic imo

[@GiggityNinja]

The art this man produced is the timeless peak of any art that the Dragon Ball franchise has provided, and will ever provide. Thank you for highlighting his work.

[@Killing_Edge]

This mans art was some of the absolute best in Z. His style especially was PERFECT for Cell... I had to do it

[@joshjess9841]

Even in his death, Cell looked amazing, thanks to Masunaga's fingertips.

[@rhazmel]

Keisuke Masunaga was the best DBZ animator, hands down.

[@gtafan110010]

I love this man's character art

[@mr.chrismen8013]

Probably one of my favourite. That Goku in the background is so menacing and powerful.

[@GawainSSB]

This guys responsible for most of my favorite episodes

[@CFSChickenfriedsteak]

Wow every scene I got locked into my head of dragon ball is all of keisukes work! Glad I finally found out about this

[@Amplifymagic]

Masunaga the legend that doesn't get enough credit.

[@sonnywoods6846]

This is the guy I love I thought this was Yamamuros old art style but this is guy is what I want DBS to be. I want him back on DB

[@jasonone8726]

Shintani is coming back.

[@luxrayever]

@@jasonone8726 masunaga should come back too

[@mortalballgt52]

I've been waiting for this for so long! This guy has been my inspiration for drawing all my life! Without him, Dragon Ball art wouldn't have been as influential.

[@supersubatomicsonicgenerat4688]

You know Now that I look at him Animation he’s kind Like Shida but his movement feels much more rough

[@SuperSaiyanDate]

You mean fluid right?

[@stardust6762]

@@SuperSaiyanDate Nah he's definitely rougher. Shida is one of the smoothest animators I've ever seen. But thats not a bad thing, I think his impacts are much better.

[@numburger]

The fact that Masunaga was only in his late 20s when he created some of the most iconic scenes and art in the latter half of Z and had that much skill is just incredible to me. What a guy

[@zackwestrules]

That’s why I loved these episodes animation so much as a kid. This guy did great on those episodes.

[@comicguy4417]

Keisuke Masunaga's and Tadayoshi Yamamuro's art style are my favorite 😍

[@zigetchb3840]

When I watched the Buu arc with my sister a decade ago, his drawings were *always* the ones that stood out in retrospect. He did both serious and humorous very, very well. The expressiveness of his drawings were excellent at capturing attention.

[@SlantCarson]

my favorite animator on dragon ball. such an inspiration to me as an artist and animator. honored to own a cel that he worked on. thanks for all my great childhood memories masunaga

[@espressoct3171]

He's animated some of my favourite scenes in the anime! Superb! 👌

[@kennydubrey3568]

I would love to see this guy in super, or even the new movie 🥵🥶🥶🥶

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Yeah it would be interesting to see how he would work with Shintani's character sheets especially.

[@akhil6826]

@@forgottenrelics1197 is it confirmed that shintani will work on the 2022 movie?

[@arkhamfan6975]

dbz animation will always be legendary

[@JustAsh001]

True

[@BosheitV]

Good video, he's so underated

[@wayzospace]

i loved his art sm because it made characters look really beefy and their faces always looked super intense. like his art made their skin look a lot thivker

[@superbeanx2]

so basically the scenes he worked on have been my favorite since i was little, crazy.

[@doma3554]

The 80's-style music paired with this animation makes me feel like I'm reliving my childhood, in a way. Cool feeling.

[@HistoryandReviews]

You cant relive anything dweeb

[@akil5695]

Another legendary video , keep up the work brother

[@hankosanko]

he was awesome. wish he d come back, as well as studio cockpit.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Studio cockpit sadly closed down in 2016

[@ElDerk_]

I absolutely love your videos man 🔥, they’re JUST what I’ve been looking for!! Keep up the good work!!!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Thanks! And will do bro :)

[@SuperSamPam]

You're gonna become a really big channel I can just tell

[@forgottenrelics1197]

One day perhaps

[@andrefrierson]

His style is legendary. Those Cell and Boo fights were intense

[@SeniorCharry]

It’s easy to forget how good the quality of older anime’s were at times.

[@UnifiedEntity]

He practically made the Buu saga x100 more appealing with his work.

[@P5Joker]

I only recently found your channel but I will say I'm finding these videos to be super informative. Keep it up man!

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Glad you like them man and thank you!!

[@lancevance6346]

I love the anatomical and facial expressions. Movements looked very kinetic. Especially during fights, It was like characters put their full body behind their movements that would be expected of beings who can fly. Using their core strength along with hand and feet. Especially visible in Goku vs Majin Vegeta or vs Kid Buu. With modern animation I don't really see much of that anymore. Most of the time it looks like characters have forgotten how to even bend their knees. Just fly in a linear trajectory, do dadadadadadadada punch flair , then hop back and repeat. Even when they do it's really rigid or limited.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Just of curiosity have you watched Wonder Egg, One punchman or Mob Pyscho by any chance? There packed with a lot of great animation on a regular basis :)

[@lancevance6346]

@@forgottenrelics1197 Sorry, I should've clarified. I'm talking about dragonball itself. There's undoubtedly great animation all around. I just don't find the same expressiveness out of modern dragonball. Outside of the movies of course. Same for choreography. There's flashes of brilliance but I feel older works used to chain longer amazing scenes together much better if you count out the repeated frames. Like Goku vs Cell or Kid Buu etc. Like people point out sliding kamehameha vs Kefla which was great. But I can't recall anything else about the rest of the fight that piqued my interest. It was just a single moment. Whereas Goku vs Cell or Kid Buu is a series of chained scenes that are way more memorable.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

@@lancevance6346 Ohh gotcha and "chained scenes" is a great way to describe it. Super definitely had some stand-out scenes but the frequency was certainly less. I'm also glad to see another fan who prefers dbz's fight overall but can acknowledge there still being great fights in modern Dragonball. It's always irked me how some fans genuinely believe that there are no well-animated fights in Super lol.

[@louislukach2297]

Didn't know he made one of my favorite episodes. Very cool, his art style is crispy and nice.

[@SuperSaiyanDate]

Smirs and expressions done right - accompanied with the sharp and consistent artwork! He evolved GRADUALLY to Buu arc!

[@trentonbates3114]

I really loved this man's work he was awesome

[@KingDerek58]

I never appreciated the impact an animator has on the series until I found this channel

[@raynantemagsino9530]

This is my favorite than other one

[@peteros7361]

He changed dbz for me. Especially his buu saga designs, they were so complete

[@craigime]

i love his artwork...nice video man

[@forgottenrelics1197]

thanks!!

[@AndrewAce.]

2:05 - 2:15 - I especially appreciate this aspect of his animation. It really does sell the weight of the clash 2:27 - I immediately thought of Cell's destruction when you mentioned the smoke and explosion effect.

[@ckthegoat_1558]

This the dude who made goku vs cell fight one of the best and also ssj2 goku vs buu was too sick. I think hes my favorite animator but i never knew his name till now

[@thecool_dude7490]

I love how dynamic and expressive his animation is. The punches have so much impact and feel like the hold so much weight! Great vid as always!! 👍

[@sharperwhisper9752]

Amazing video I’m super glad you made a vid on him. Also are you planning to make a takio ide or naoki miyahara video in the future because I would love to see that

[@Chrisf1990]

Take all the time you need. Love to see something with the best bits or a small overview of every DBZ animator in one video, if there already isn't a video for that.

[@radicallaruby]

Wow, that first clip reminds me of the VHS tape my mom got for me way back. I remember thinking black hair SSJ Goku was so awesome, filler I wish was canon lol. Now I see he's the animator that has those super aggressive facial expressions, very much an identifiable style.

[@gavinistheawesomest]

Well now I know who to thank for the amazing work. This is my favorite style.

[@qtippz]

This was my absolute FAVORITE design of Z. When I found out He was animating an episode I would be even more excited to watch it! His style was just sharp, thick and detailed that made the character look so unique. Shit was just dope lol!

[@SnackCannon]

Inspired me to boot up episode 179 again. I miss going through the episodes and digging through the animation. Love Masunaga.

[@HistoryandReviews]

Shut up you didn’t know who he was

[@AntwoneAntJackson]

Those key frames are so satisfying

[@KajinDMV]

He literally made my favorite parts of the 2nd half of Z

[@guacca]

When I was a kid, I was able to tell the different styles in each episode. I always referred to Keisuke's (didn't know his name or anything back then) as the "cool ones", and then used to rank the rest from good to awful.

[@primaryblend]

Bro I lived for this as a kid (these animated episodes). And was seen as an obsessive nerd and made fun of, my siblings swore there was no different styles.

[@HistoryandReviews]

Nerd

[@RigbyIsTheMan]

His episodes were always Godlike

[@myoldvan119]

I always loved the art of the gohan vs dabura scene! Then the next episode would continue and it would be nothing like masunaga lol