KILLER INSTINCTS

October 2025

ImagineFX

Trevor Hogg gets the scoop on the character designs for hit action-comedy anime series Sakamoto Days...

Ver his career, Yo Moriyama has mainly been known for producing concept artwork and prop designs for shows such as Bubble and Lupin the Third: Goemon’s Blood Spray, but he has also been developing a reputation for crafting character designs.

That was the skill set he required for Netflix anime series Sakamoto Days. Based on the manga created by Yuto Suzuki, the adaptation is animated by TMS Entertainment and directed by Masaki Watanabe. The story revolves around a notorious assassin who falls in love, swears never to kill again, raises a family, and physically gets out of shape. However, the only retirement allowed by the organisation he used to work for is death itself.

“Designing the main character in the way I did for Sakamoto Days is probably my first time doing anything like that!” says Moriyama, who was officially credited as the show's character designer. “I have done more of the character concepts for projects outside of ones I've directed myself, but designing characters that actually come to life in an animation like this was a first time for me.”

MANGA STUDY

Moriyama was initially unfamiliar with the source material. “I actually hadn’t read it until I got the offer to work on this project,” he says. As a result, the original character designs from the manga were always a point of reference. “When I got the offer to work on the project and started, the manga was still at around 10 volumes or so and was gradually transitioning from the comical side to being a little more serious,” Moriyama adds. “I talked with the director about the balance between the two styles to match the action.

“One aspect that’s so loved about Sakamoto Days is the characters. They're already cool and I had to think about keeping that look and feel when animated.”