Veteran anime director Tsutomu Shibayama, best known for helming the popular television show Doraemon, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 84 after battling lung cancer.
Japanese animation studio Ajia-do Animation Works, which Tsutomu co-owned, announced the director’s death on their official website on Wednesday.
“Former CEO Tsutomu Shibayama passed away on March 6, 2026, from lung cancer. Shibayama supported works as the director of the TV animation and theatrical Doraemon for over 20 years and also served as the general director of the TV animation Nintama Rantarō. We sincerely thank him for his profound contributions during his lifetime, and we announce this with great respect,” the statement reads.
Born in 1914, Tsutomu Shibayama is regarded as a pioneer of animation in Japan. He directed 22 Doraemon feature films and served as the series director for the 1979 TV anime for over 20 years.
Shibayama began his career at Toei Animation in 1963 as an in-betweener before moving to A Production (now Shin-Ei Animation) in 1966. Some of his significant earlier projects during his time at Shin-Ei Animation include The Gutsy Frog (1972-1974) and the Tensai Bakabon series (1972-1977).
After wrapping up his journey at the Shin-Ei Animation in 1978, Shibayama founded Ajia-do Animation Works alongside Osamu Kobayashi and Michishiro Yamada.
He served as the Chief Director for the Doraemon television anime series from 1984 to 2005. Some of his popular Doraemon film projects include Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (1983) and Doraemon: Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey (2004).
His other significant directorials include Chibi Maruko-Chan (1990-1992), Nintama Rantaro (1993-2012), and Majime ni Fumajime Kaiketsu Zorori (2006-2007).
In 2012, Shibayama was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs for his indelible contribution to the anime industry.