A thread full of Illustrators, Animators, and Mangaka who you should study.

(This list is subjective, all pictures were taken from books in my personal collection. I will update regularly & I hope you find this helpful)

Katsuhiro Otomo - A phenomenal storyteller, master of backgrounds, a groundbreaking director, and a true visionary whose ideas were far ahead of his time. Otomo is also the creator of "AKIRA". A story that is both culturally & historically significant to Japan and its people.

Kazuchika Kise - One of the greatest animators alive. Kise is a 30 year veteran of the anime industry, a fantastic character designer, and a brilliant painter. His works include Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Blood the last Vampire, xxxHolic, Evangelion & so many others.

Takehiko Inoue - A modern art legend, Inoue is arguably the best artist working in manga today. He is also the creator of Slam Dunk (the best selling & most critically acclaimed sports manga of all time). Currently working on REAL & Vagabond.

Yoji Shinkawa - The finest concept artist in all of modern gaming. Yoji Shinkawa designed the characters, mech's and weaponry used in Hideo Kojima's "Metal Gear Solid" series. His bold inks & stylish costumes, have made him a fan favorite among gamers worldwide.

Yoh Yoshinari - Animation superstar, and a true Gainax veteran. Yoshinari made his big break when Anno brought him on for Evangelion in 1995. Since then he has worked on some of the greatest anime of all time, including: Gurren Lagann, Kill La Kill, FLCL, Diebuster & many others.

Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - The genius who designed the cast of Evangelion & FLCL. He also drew the EVA manga to completion on his own. About as stylish as he is iconic, Sadamoto is a well known name to all who love anime.

Katsuya Terada - In a league of his own, Terada stands as at the very top of the industry, as one of it's best designers, inkers, painters, and mangaka. Incredibly skilled, terrifying, and wildly creative. Katsuya Terada is capable of drawing things that you would not believe.

Range Murata - Murata is an award winning illustrator, concept artist, and character designer, with a reputation for drawing loli's. He is both gifted & highly controversial, but whether you like him or not, Murata is the best at what he does. His resume speaks for itself.

Yukito Kishiro - Kishiro is tremendously talented, creative, and far more influential than we might ever give him credit for. Battle Angel Alita not only changed the cyberpunk genre, it has proven to be the most extraordinary action manga on shelves for almost 30 years now.

Daisuke Ishiwatari - Creator of Guilty Gear, and the man who changed fighting games for a generation. Not only is he a great artist, Ishiwatari also happens to be a legit composer with a passion for rock & roll. This combination of skill & heart, is what Guilty Gear is all about.

Tadashi Hiramatsu - Another Gainax veteran who should not be forgotten. Hiramatsu is an animator of the highest caliber, who consistently churns out some of the most memorable scenes in anime history. He often works with directors like Hideaki Anno, Tsurumaki & Hiroyuki Imaishi.

Kentaro Miura - Author of the #1 Dark Fantasy story in the world, and a twistedly, brilliant mangaka, who keeps on improving. Berserk is masterclass in every way imaginable, and despite his inconsistencies, there are only a handful of people who can draw as well as Miura.

Hirohiko Araki - One of the most fascinating people ever. Araki is a complete weirdo, and that works to his benefit, with stories that are unbelievably stylish & musically inspired. There's no one like him, and because of this, he is doing things we've never seen in manga before.

Tatsuyuki Tanaka - Tanaka is a Japanese animator, director, storyboard artist & character designer, famously known for his contributions to the legendary anime film AKIRA. Years later, he developed a cult following among horror fans, due to his work on the classic JRPG Linda³.

Tsutomu Nihei - It's impossible to talk about backgrounds in manga without mentioning Tsutomu Nihei. He has an incredible sense of scale, his linework is precise, and he fills every bit of space on the page with purpose. Nihei is more than a specialist, he might even be obsessed.

Tetsuya Nishio - Everybody loves Tetsuya Nishio. Personally picked by Kishimoto to work on the Naruto anime, drafted by Hideaki Anno to help animate each of the EVA films, and Nishio is also a close friend & frequent collaborator of the illustrious anime director, Mamoru Oshii.

Kunihiko Tanaka - Criminally underrated as a mangaka, and someone who’s work I highly respect. Kunihiko is the original character designer behind the Xeno series (Xenogears, Xenosaga & Xenoblade) as well as several 90’s Anime OVA’s, such as Ruin Explorer, and Key: The Metal Idol.

Atsushi Nishigori - A man of many talents, Nishigori came a long way from being an assistant at Gainax. He would eventually become a superstar, when he designed the cast of Hiroyuki Imaishi's "Gurren Lagann" and years later he would team up with him again on Panty & Stocking.

Hiroyuki Okiura - Winner of several awards for his outstanding achievements in animation, Hiroyuki Okiura is one of Japan's most valued director's and character animators. Okiura has worked in every iteration in the Ghost in the Shell series, Patlabor, and of course Jin-Roh.

Sushio - Toshio Ishizaki is considered a prodigy in the anime industry. Known for his stylish character work and love of Akira, Sushio has earned himself a strong following among casual fans, and sakuga enthusiasts. His works include FLCL, Diebuster, Kill La Kill & Evangelion.

Eguchi Hisashi - The king of pop art, highly respected as a mangaka, and a world famous fashion designer. Hisashi is also the creator of Stop Hibari-Kun, 1 the very first gender-bender manga, and even more impressive, he's still putting out some of his best work at the age of 60.

Hajime Katoki - If you have a favorite mobile suit, there's a good chance he probably built it. Katoki has been one of the lead mecha and character designer's on the Gundam franchise for 30 years now. He contributed to the Unicorn series, Wing, 08th MS Team, 0083 & Victory.

Hiroaki Samura - Known for his gritty, sketch-like designs, intense action scenes, and gruesome depictions of torture & sexual violence. Samura is one of the cruelest people working in manga. He's also the author of Die Wergelder & Blade of the Immortal, which won several awards.

Mutsumi Inomata - Inomata is a female mangaka, animator, painter, concept artist, and character designer. She is also the first woman to become the leading artist on the "Tales of" JRPG series.

Shirow Miwa - Author of "Dogs: Bullets & Carnage" and one of the lead character designers on Fate/Grand Order. Miwa is famous for his incredibly thin & precise line work, Jon Woo styled shootouts, and creative use of cinematic widescreen.

Yasuda Suzuhito - Co-Creator of Durarara, author of Yozakura Quartet, and the lead artist for DanMachi, Kamisama Kazoku, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, Digimon Cyber Sleuth. Suzuhito is among the busiest guys in the industry, his artwork is constantly in demand.

Ito Ogure - More commonly known under his pen name "Oh Great!". Ito is the creator of Tenjo Tenge, Biorg Trinity, Air Gear, and currently the artist on the manga adaptation of Bakemonogatari. Famous for his attractive character designs, and ridiculous amounts of fan-service.

Hayao Miyazaki - The hardest working man in Anime, and co-founder of the award winning Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki has been writing, directing, & storyboarding for over 35 years, he's a sensational painter, and even in his 70's he still does everything at an incredibly high level.

Satoshi Kon (R.I.P) - Legendary filmmaker, animator and mangaka. Kon studied under the great Otomo, and directed 3 award winning films that pushed the limits of storytelling in anime (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress & Paprika). He gave us so much in the short time he was here.

Hiroya Oku - Creator of Inuyashiki, Gigant, and the best selling Sci-Fi/Horror manga known as "GANTZ". Oku is also among the first to successfully combine 3D CGI models, and traditionally hand drawn panels in a comic (a technique that was once considered too difficult to master).

Q Hayashida - Mangaka, former assistant of Tsutomu Nihei, and the creator of Dorohedoro (the strangest Horror comic ever made). Hayashida has developed a cult following due to her wicked sense of humor, bleak world's, death metal aesthetic & colorful cast of psychotic characters.

Eiichi Shimizu & Tomohiro Shimoguchi - A Writer/Artist duo, who have been working together for over 15 years now. They invented the "4th Law of Robotics" as well the Linebarrels of Iron series, the Getter Robo: Devolution reboot, and the latest Ultraman manga.

Hiroyuki Imaishi - Revolutionary director, animator, storyboard artist, and the co-founder of Studio Trigger. Imaishi is the creator of Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking, Kill La Kill, Space Patrol Luluco, and most recently the anime film Promare.

Yasuo Ohtagaki - Award-Winning artist, writer & mecha designer on the critically acclaimed Gundam Thunderbolt series. Ohtagaki is highly commended for his efforts to bring the Gundam franchise back to it's roots by combining U.C lore with new characters, and jazz inspired ideas.

Yusuke Kozaki - As one of Japan's premier character designer's, Kozaki works on several anime & game design projects at the same time, such as: Fire Emblem, No More Heroes, Irohanihoheto & Pokémon. Kozaki is also 1 of the only artists known to publish sequels to his art books.

Shigeki Maeshima - There are very few mangaka who choose to draw their comics in full-color, and Maeshima stands at the very top of that list. Relatively unknown at the start of his career, Maeshima would gain fame for his contributions to Range Murata's "Robot" anthology series.

Akira Hiramoto - Winner of the Kodansha general manga award, and creator of the controversial sex-comedy "Prison School". In addition to his beautifully suggestive art works, Hiramoto has a talent for merging crude humor & fan-service, with surprising amounts of depth & maturity.

James Jean - A decorated Taiwanese American painter, and arguably the greatest cover artist of our time. James is mostly known for his work on the Vertigo Comics "Fables" series, for which he won a record breaking 6 Eisner Awards in a row.

Kinu Nishimura - Female illustrator, character designer & game developer, who spent the bulk of her career working on Street Fighter. Nishimura is also the creator of Jin Saotome, the protagonist of "Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness" and a fan favorite character in Marvel vs Capcom.

Bengus - A mysterious, and influential freelance illustrator/ character designer, who spent many years at Capcom working under multiple pen names (CRMK, Gouda Cheese). Most notably though, Bengus was the lead artist on Street Fighter Alpha, and the Darkstalkers trilogy.

Yuuya Kuusaka - Japanese author, painter, character designer and mangaka. Kusaka is the lead artist/creator of the acclaimed Fantasy series "Sorcerous Stabber Orphen". He is also a good friend & occasional collaborator to the Slayers author, Hajime Kanzaka.

Nick Dragotta - Freelance illustrator and comic book artist. Nick previously worked on both Fantastic Four & Superman: American Alien, but most notably he is the co-creator and lead artist on the Image Comics series "East of West".

Shouji Sato - Mangaka, character designer, co-creator of the best selling horror manga "High School of the Dead" and the former protege of Excel Saga author Rikdo Hoshi. Shouji is proficient in drawing firearms, clothing & gear. He also publishes hentai doujins in spare time.

Akiman - Akira Yasuda A.K.A "Akiman" is a Japanese game developer, animator, designer, and illustrator, who redefined the art & characters behind Capcom's iconic Street Fighter series. He also created Sakura Kasugano, and designed the cast of Yoshiyuki Tomino's Turn A Gundam.

Jim Lee - Korean American illustrator, and the most influential comic creator of the early 90's/2000 era. Jim earned several awards, shocked the industry with a groundbreaking run on X-Men, and later he raised the bar on superhero comics forever with his legendary Batman artwork.

Greg Capullo - With cartoonish grit, and terrific use of shadows, Capullo is easily among the top artists to ever work on Batman. Greg made his debut in the early 90's drawing X-Force & Spawn, before re-emerging in 2011, with a successful 5 year run as the lead artist on Batman.

Edayan - One of Capcom's brightest young talents, and mentored by some of their most elite. Edayan was hired by Capcom through a contest, and worked as an assistant, before stepping up as character designer for the cult classic fighting games "Rival Schools & Project Justice".

Frank Cho - Korean comic book writer, self taught artist, and a master of anatomy. Frank has a great understanding of the human figure, and he is well suited for showcasing the athleticism and physical attributes of the superhero body type.

Patrick Gleason - When it comes to drawing action scenes, Gleason is a cut above the rest. Patrick has drawn some of the greatest fights in comic history, and successfully covered all corners of the DC Universe, with acclaimed runs on Aquaman, Batman, Green Lantern & Superman.

Lenil Francis Yu - What Lenil Yu has to offer by drawing superheroes, is fantasy, with a touch of authenticity. He captures the action, scale & realism of a superhero film, within a comic. Which makes him the perfect pick for those massive crossovers, or event level storylines.

Haruhiko Mikimoto - Legendary illustrator, mangaka, and close friend of Shoji Kawamori. During the 1980's, Haruhiko became the first character designer to work on both the Gundam & Macross series, and later he joined Hideaki Anno on the critically acclaimed "Gunbuster" OVA.

Takeshi Obata - Long time veteran at Weekly Shonen Jump, winner of the Tezuka Cultural Prize, former mentor to Yusuke Murata, and one of the most skilled artists currently working in manga. Obata is also the co-creator of Death Note, Hikaru No Go, Bakuman & All You Need is Kill.

Makoto Yukimura - Award winning Mangaka, creator of Planetes, and highly praised for his profound character work, and rapily improving art on the best selling historical fiction manga, known as "Vinland Saga".

Chris Bachalo - Canadian illustrator, known for his unique style which varies between cartoony & surrealist. Bachalo entered comics in the 1990's, with the cult classic Death & Shade The Changing Man, before making his lionized run with "Generation X" at Marvel.