Gundam writer Hiroyuki Kawasaki Has Died at 60

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Hiroyuki Kawasaki, a well-known anime screenwriter who worked on numerous popular series, has died at the age of 60.

Hiroyuki Kawasaki passed away on January 23, 2026, and his death was announced publicly today, May 28, 2026.

The official cause of death for anime screenwriter Yoshio Kawasaki has not been released. The news of his passing was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by fellow screenwriter Takao Koyama, known for his work on series like Saint Seiya and Dragon Ball Z.

“I have just received the sad news that Hiroyuki Kawasaki (real name: Hiroyuki Kawasaki), a screenwriter and one of the first members of Brother Noppo, passed away on January 23rd of this year,” Takao Koyama said on X.

It’s incredibly sad to hear this news. He was a remarkably talented screenwriter and a valued member of the Noppo group. He was only 60 years old. As his mentor, and someone 17 years his senior, I’m deeply saddened by his sudden passing. I imagine he had so much more he wanted to accomplish, and I feel a similar sense of unfulfilled potential. I will honor his memory and do what needs to be done. May he rest in peace.

Hiroyuki Kawasaki has worked as an anime scriptwriter for almost 30 years, starting with Mashin Hero Wataru in 1988 and concluding with Sinbad: Night at High Noon and the Wonder Gate in 2016. He’s best known for his work in the mecha genre, and especially for his contributions to the incredibly popular Gundam franchise.

Kawasaki wrote and composed the music for After War Gundam X, a 1996 anime featuring giant robots. The series takes place in a world recovering from a devastating space war that ended 15 years prior.

According to the official Gundam website, the series Gundam X is described as uniting a generation through a shared, but ultimately false, belief in the concept of ‘Newtypes’.

What started as a fight for independence from one space colony quickly turned into a full-scale war between Earth and those colonies. Earth, the original home of humanity, was devastated by a colony attack, and nearly all of its 10 billion inhabitants perished.

After fifteen years of environmental turmoil, the planet is starting to recover. During this time, Garrod, a talented young orphan who’s an expert in mobile suits, meets Tiffa, a girl on the run because of her unique Newtype powers.

“Guided by her mysterious powers, he discovers the mobile suit, Gundam X.”

Beyond After War Gundam X, Kawasaki also worked on many other popular titles, including Brave of the Legend Da・Garn, Goldran the Brave of Gold, Martian Successor Nadesico, Silent Mobius, and Sakura Wars, among others.

Beyond his work in anime, Kawasaki contributed to live-action special effects series, including Gridman: The Hyper Agent and Madan Senki Ryukendo.

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2026-05-29 01:12