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Names of 10 Kyoto Animation arson victims released, family and friends offer words of remembrance

Casey Baseel Aug 5, 2019
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Victims include a 61-year-old anime veteran and fresh-faced newcomer who just graduated from college.

Nearly three dozen Kyoto Animation employees perished in the fire at the company’s Fushimi studio on July 18, which was set by an arsonist seemingly upset over the rejection of his entry to Kyoto Animation’s annual novel-writing contest. Confirming the identities of a number of the victims required DNA testing, but investigators have now identified all 35 people who lost their lives. The names of 10 have been released by the Kyoto Prefectural Police Central Investigations Division, following consent given by their surviving family members and the completion of their respective funeral ceremonies, and they are listed below.

● Junichi Eda (34 years old)
Animator (Sound! Euphonium, K-On!)
Eda is survived by his wife and daughter. “When we would watch projects he worked on, he would tell me each scene that he drew,” his wife says. “He took pride in his craft, and put a lot of love into his work, and I truly believe he would have wanted to go on creating art.”

● Yuka Kasama (22 years old)
Kasama joined Kyoto Animation straight out of university. “Her mother told me that Yuka’s dream, since she was a young child, was to go into the animation industry,” says one of the family’s neighborhood acquaintances. “She was proud of her daughter, and it’s so sad to know that this happened to her right as she was taking her first steps in her career.”

● Yoshiji Kigami (61 years old)
Key animator (K-On!, A Silent Voice>, Free!), animation director (Lucky Star), episode director (Tamako Market, Violet Evergarden)
In addition to his work for Kyoto Animation, Kigami was also a key animator on landmark anime movies Akira and Grave of the Fireflies. “He was a true genius, who could draw both beautifully and quickly,” remembers one of Kigami’s classmates. “In his apartment, he was always drawing, like he wasn’t even conscious of doing it…He was soft-spoken, and never became angry.”

● Ami Kuriki (30 years old)
Animator (A Silent Voice/em>, Free! Starting Days. Sound! Euphonium)

● Futoshi Nishiya (37 years old)
Character designer (Free!, Nichijou, Hyouka)
“He loved to draw,” recalls one of Nishiya’s classmates. “He was a big fan of the Hiroshima Carp pro baseball team too, and we caught a game together about five years ago. I was praying that he was safe, but every time I tried to call him on the phone, there was no answer.”

● Yuki Omura (23 years old)
Omura was one of Kyoto Animation’s newest employees, having just graduated from university in the spring. “When we were in junior high, I asked him to draw my favorite anime character for me,” recounts a woman who also went to the same elementary and preschools as Omura did, “and he drew such a beautiful picture for me…When I saw his memorial photo at his wake, he was smiling just like he always did, and it really reminded us that his passing came far too soon.”

● Yasuhiro Takemoto (47 years old)
Director (Lucky Star, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Takemoto served as director for some of Kyoto Animation’s biggest breakout hits, which helped the studio establish the prestigious reputation it enjoys today. “The senseless loss of someone who was working so hard to provide hope and dreams to other is unforgivable,” said one of Takemoto’s long-time professional acquaintances.

● Sachie Tsuda (41 years old)
Color detailing, special effects (The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Free!)
Tsuda joined Kyoto Animation after graduating from animation school, working for the company for roughly 20 years. “Sachie suffered from asthma since she was a little girl,” says her father, “but I think looking at art helped lift her spirits. She was a quiet but thoughtful, earnest girl.”

● Mikako Watanabe (35 years old)
Art director (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Violet Evergarden)
In addition to her work as an art director, Watanabe was an instructor for Kyoto Animation’s Pro Training Group, which provides guidance to artists hoping to work as professionals within the anime industry. An elderly relative described her as “such a considerate, kind person” and adds “I hope that Mikako is resting peacefully.”

● Keisuke Yokota (34 years old)
Production manager (K-On!, Lucky Star, Clannad After Story, Free!)

In addition to the victims listed above, 25 more Kyoto Animation employees, whose names have yet to be released, lost their lives in the fire, and an additional 33 suffered injuries. An official bank account for charitable donations has collected over one billion yen, and remains open.

Sources: Yahoo! Japan News/Kyoto Shimbun via Jin, NHK News Web (1, 2), Anime@wiki
Top image: Wikipedia/L26
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