Akira Yasuda

Akira Yasuda (安田 朗), also known by the pseudonym Akiman (あきまん), is a Japanese animator, character designer, game designer, and mecha designer born on July 21, 1964, in Kushiro, Hokkaido. He is a former employee of Capcom, which he joined in 1985, and is highly regarded for his work on major video game franchises such as the Final Fight series and Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, where he served as a planner and character designer. He is particularly celebrated for his skills as a pixel artist, having created iconic characters like Ryu and Chun-Li with distinct silhouettes and detailed graphics.

In addition to his career in gaming, Yasuda has made significant contributions to the anime industry. He served as the character designer for Turn A Gundam and has worked as a mecha designer for series such as Overman King Gainer, Code Geass, and Gundam Reconguista in G. After leaving Capcom in 2003, he became a freelance artist and has since been involved in various projects, including providing character designs for the Star Ocean video game series and the animated series Bodacious Space Pirates. His work has been featured in numerous art books, and he has influenced many prominent designers in the industry.