Haruo Sotozaki

Haruo Sotozaki is a 30-year veteran in the Japanese animation industry and is best known as the director and animation director of parts of five features (and 44 TV episodes) in the Demon Slayer/Kimetsu no Yaiba series, starting in 2019 with Demon Slayer: Sibling’s Bond, which was a compilation of the first five episodes in the TV series version, the first two of which were directed by Sotozaki.

Sotozaki then directed the feature Demon Slayer: The Movie-Mugen Train (2020), a direct sequel to Demon Slayer’s previous TV season, starring the voices of Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, and grossing a knockout $507 million for producers Ufotable and distributor Toho. Sotozaki’s third feature in the series was Demon Slayer: Mt. Natagumo Arc (2020), followed by Sotozaki directing Demon Slayer: To the Swordsmith Village (2023), featuring the same voice cast, and serving as a sequel as well as a compilation of the previous TV season’s episodes, and grossing $56 million worldwide.

Haruo Sotozaki directed his next feature in the series, Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training (2024), which was also a combined sequel and a compilation of the TV series’ previous (third) season, and again starring the voice cast of Hanae, Kito, and Matusoka, and released by Toho/Aniplex, first in Japan and then in Brazil, Korea, Mexico, the U.S. and other world markets. Sotozaki worked in various capacities in animation production before becoming a director for anime TV production in 2002 with such series as X (2002-2003), Ninja Nonsense (2004), Tales of Symphonia: The Animation (2007-2012), and Tales of Zestiria the X (2016-2017).