Katsumi Tamegai (Japanese: 爲我井 克美, Hepburn: Tamegai Katsumi; born 12 July 1965) is a Japanese animator, character designer, and animation director affiliated with Toei Animation. He began his career at Toei in the late 1980s and has contributed extensively to a number of prominent anime series and films.
Career and Notable Works
- Sailor Moon (1992–1997) – Tamegai served as an episode animation director for multiple episodes across all five seasons of the series, including key episodes such as the death of Rubeus (Sailor Moon SuperS) and the opening and concluding episodes of Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. He is credited with animation direction on the film Sailor Moon S: The Movie – Hearts in Ice (1994).
- Pretty Cure franchise – He worked as a character designer and chief animation director on several titles, including Yes! Pretty Cure 5 Movie: Kagami no Kuni no Miracle Daibouken!, Fresh Pretty Cure! Movie: Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!?, and Pretty Cure Max Heart Movie 2: Friends of the Snow-Laden Sky.
- Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003) – Contributed as a key animator on this animated music film produced in collaboration with Daft Punk.
- Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (2005) – Served as animation director for several episodes and provided key animation on others.
Professional Roles
Throughout his career, Tamegai has held various positions within the animation production pipeline, including chief animation director, episode animation director, key animator, and character designer. His work is characterized by a focus on fluid character movement and expressive visual storytelling.
Affiliations
Tamegai has been a long‑time staff member of Toei Animation, one of Japan’s leading animation studios, where he has contributed to many of the studio’s flagship series and feature films.
Recognition
While not a household name outside the animation industry, Tamegai’s contributions have been acknowledged by peers and fans for enhancing the visual quality of several influential anime series, particularly during the 1990s and early 2000s.