Hiroyuki Kawasaki, a Japanese writer known for his work on several popular anime series, died on January 23rd at the age of 60. The news was recently shared by fellow writer Takao Koyama on social media.
Kawasaki began his career as a co-writer on the 1986 anime Doteraman, and his last credited work was on the 2020 series Zoids Wild Zero, where he wrote three episodes. However, he was most famous for his contributions to the Sakura Wars series.
I’ve been a huge fan of the Sakura Wars series for years, and I always appreciated his work! While he wasn’t involved in every game, he really made his mark on a few key titles. He was the mastermind behind the scenarios for Sakura Wars 2 and 3, and then he actually wrote the script for Sakura Wars 4. He even contributed to the script for Sakura Wars V: So Long, My Love, though he played more of a supporting role on that one.
Kawasaki not only created the novels for the series, but also contributed to several of its anime adaptations. This involvement spanned from the 1997 OVA, The Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, through the 2004 OVA, Le Nouveau Paris, and included the 2000 TV series.
Sega shared their sadness over the passing of a key contributor to the Sakura Wars series with a message on the game’s official Japanese social media account.
脚本家・川崎ヒロユキ様のご逝去の報に接し、謹んで哀悼の意を表します。
『サクラ大戦』シリーズにおけるご尽力に、深く感謝申し上げます。
ここに生前のご功績を偲び、心よりご冥福をお祈り申し上げます。— サクラ大戦公式 (@Sakura_Taisen) May 29, 2026
Beyond his work on Sakura Wars, Hiroyuki Kawasaki contributed to Namco’s Tales of Eternia by writing a novel based on the game and helping to shape the story for its anime series.
He also contributed to many robot and mecha anime series that would eventually appear in the Super Robot Wars games.
- Mashin Hero Wataru (1988, in SRW X)
- Jushin Liger (1989, in SRW NEO & OE)
- The Brave of Legend Da-Garn (1992, in SRW Y DLC)
- Tekkaman Blade (1992, in SRW J & W)
- Tekkaman Blade II (1994, in SRW W)
- Brave Express Mightgaine (1993, in SRW V, X & T)
- Brave Police J-Decker (1994, in SRW 30)
- After War Gundam X (1996, in SRW α Gaiden, R, and Z series)
- Martian Successor Nadesico (1996, in SRW A, R, J, W, Impact, and BX)
- Marriage of God and Soul: Godannar (2003, in SRW SC2, K, L, and Gakuen)
- Marriage of God and Soul: Godannar Second Season (2004, in SRW K, L, and Gakuen)
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2026-05-29 21:56