Today we learn that the gaming and anime industry has lost another beloved artist and creator. Mutsumi Inomata has passed away.
The well-known character designer, illustrator, and animator was aged 63 when she passed away on March 10.
The announcement was made on Inomata-sensei's official X (formerly Twitter) account by her sister, as you can see below.
The message doesn't explain the cause of Inomata-sensei's passing, but mentions that it was so sudden that she still had a sketch in the works. Her sister adds that she is positive that she's still drawing in heaven, surrounded by her beloved cats, creating more and more characters with cute, intense eyes.
She expresses her heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and loved Mustumi Inomata, hoping that they will continue loving her.
The funeral was held in private form, with only her close relatives.
In a follow-up Tweet, Inomata-sensei's sister mentions that her passing was so sudden that she still can't think of many things. She's going to keep the account open for a while, and she's confident that if fans sent messages via reply, they'd reach her sister.
Mutsumi-Inomata is known among video game fans for her work as one of the main character designers of the Tales of JRPG series by Bandai Namco. Her characters appear in Tales of Berseria, Zestiria, the Xillia series, Graces, Hearts, Innocence, The Tempest, Rebirth, Eternia, and the Destiny series.
She also worked as an animator, animation director, and character designer, and in other roles on many beloved anime including Urusei Yatsura, City Hunter, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Windaria, The Weathering Continent, Future GPX Cyber Formula, and Sacred Seven.
The news comes only days after we learned of the passing of another giant of Japanese animation, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. JRPG fans also recently mourned the death of Suikoden and Eiyuden Chronicle Creator Yoshitaka Murayama.
