Anime Director Toyoo Ashida (“Fist of the North Star,” “Vampire Hunter D”) Passes Away

AnimeNewsNetwork.com is reporting that Japanese animation director/designer Toyoo Ashida passed away on Saturday July 23rd at the age of 67.

Ashida’s is best-known for his work with the Fist of the North Star franchise; he directed the movie as well as being the series director for the first two television series. He also served as director for the original Vampire Hunter D anime. He is also credited as founding the animation studio Studio Live in 1976, and co-founded the labor union Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) in 2007.