Hiroshi Takane
- Creative Director
- Screenwriter
- Director
Hiroshi Takane is a Tokyo-born Creative Director, Copywriter, Screenwriter, Producer, and Director with over 20 years of experience in storytelling-driven animation, games, advertising, and visual projects. He is the Founder, CEO, and Representative Director of Studio ONI Inc., a Tokyo-based creative studio known for blending Japanese traditional ink painting aesthetics with contemporary hand-drawn animation and narrative-focused visual expression.
After studying in Canada and France, Takane graduated from the Japan Academy of Moving Images, founded by legendary filmmaker Shohei Imamura. He began his professional career in 2006 as a founding member of Synthese Co., Ltd., contributing as a screenwriter and director to multiple projects, including the award-winning interactive drama 428: Shibuya Scramble.
As a screenwriter, Takane has worked on major game franchises such as Fire Emblem Fates, Fire Emblem Engage, and titles in the Ace Attorney series. As a creative director and director, his work spans animation, advertising, exhibitions, immersive experiences, and branded storytelling, collaborating with organizations and brands including Supercell, NHK, Canon Marketing Japan, LEXUS, SONY, Wacoal, BABYMETAL, Granblue Fantasy, and DeNA.
For Supercell’s Brawl Stars, Takane served as Director, Creative Director, and Producer for an official animation created using Studio ONI’s hand-painted Japanese ink painting animation approach. The project brought traditional ink brushwork, paper, ink, and human craftsmanship into the world of Brawl Stars.
Takane also contributed to the immersive edutainment facility Wonderia YOKOHAMA Supported by Umios, operated by DeNA at BASEGATE Yokohama Kannai, where he worked as a copywriter and narrative designer responsible for worldbuilding, narrative text design and direction, and writing more than 100 original Wonderia Tips. These texts range from creatures and food to the broader world of Wonderia, blending serious, pop, and comedic tones to create the distinctive narrative voice of the facility.
He also served as Creative Director for The Tale of Nagamasa Azai and His Family, a hand-drawn Japanese traditional ink painting animation produced as a satellite exhibition work for the NHK Taiga Drama Toyotomi Brothers! (BROTHERS IN ARMS). Created in collaboration with Canon Marketing Japan, Tanseisha, and Nagahama City, the work has been on permanent public display since February 1, 2026 at Azai Three Sisters’ Hometown "Gito Kizuna-kan" in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture.
In May 2026, Takane planned and structured Studio ONI Creative Experience, a special lecture and live demonstration program held in Tokyo for students and faculty members from Furman University in the United States. Under the theme How Does Traditional Culture Become Modern Anime?, he spoke to the next generation of creators about the meaning of human craftsmanship in the age of AI, Studio ONI's creative philosophy behind Japanese ink painting animation, the fusion of traditional culture and modern animation, and cultural storytelling for global audiences.
In June 2026, Takane also planned and spoke at a cultural exchange lecture in Tokyo for students from Rochester Institute of Technology, held as part of the Manga in Japan program led by Kofi Bazzell-Smith. Under the theme Dreams, he shared his gratitude for the American culture that shaped his creative roots, his passion for storytelling, and the meaning of passing the cultural baton to the next generation.
Studio ONI is also an official partner of The Manga Training Academy, a U.S.-based manga education platform founded by Kofi M. Bazzell-Smith, supporting the next generation of creators through education and cultural exchange.
Takane serves as a member of the international jury panel for The GIANT Hunt, a global anime and character design contest organized by IMAGE Infotainment Limited in India. The competition brings together creative professionals from Japan, India, the United States, and other countries to evaluate original character designs and discover emerging creative talent.
At Studio ONI, Takane leads original IP development and cross-cultural productions as Creative Director, Producer, and Director. The studio's flagship project, Operation ONI, is an original IP inspired by Japanese traditional ink painting, folklore, samurai legends, and yokai. Developed for international audiences, the project explores a distinctive form of hand-drawn animation that brings traditional Japanese visual expression into contemporary storytelling.
He also served as Associate Producer for Himitsu, a hand-drawn Japanese traditional ink painting and watercolor animation music video created in collaboration with Graphinica Inc., and for a Japanese traditional ink painting art exhibition at Kyoto Takashimaya S.C.
He is also a certified lifetime member of Creators HQ, an international creative network based in Dubai.
Takane continues to develop animation, art, immersive experiences, and narrative-driven projects that bridge traditional artistic techniques and contemporary global storytelling.
After studying in Canada and France, Takane graduated from the Japan Academy of Moving Images, founded by legendary filmmaker Shohei Imamura. He began his professional career in 2006 as a founding member of Synthese Co., Ltd., contributing as a screenwriter and director to multiple projects, including the award-winning interactive drama 428: Shibuya Scramble.
As a screenwriter, Takane has worked on major game franchises such as Fire Emblem Fates, Fire Emblem Engage, and titles in the Ace Attorney series. As a creative director and director, his work spans animation, advertising, exhibitions, immersive experiences, and branded storytelling, collaborating with organizations and brands including Supercell, NHK, Canon Marketing Japan, LEXUS, SONY, Wacoal, BABYMETAL, Granblue Fantasy, and DeNA.
For Supercell’s Brawl Stars, Takane served as Director, Creative Director, and Producer for an official animation created using Studio ONI’s hand-painted Japanese ink painting animation approach. The project brought traditional ink brushwork, paper, ink, and human craftsmanship into the world of Brawl Stars.
Takane also contributed to the immersive edutainment facility Wonderia YOKOHAMA Supported by Umios, operated by DeNA at BASEGATE Yokohama Kannai, where he worked as a copywriter and narrative designer responsible for worldbuilding, narrative text design and direction, and writing more than 100 original Wonderia Tips. These texts range from creatures and food to the broader world of Wonderia, blending serious, pop, and comedic tones to create the distinctive narrative voice of the facility.
He also served as Creative Director for The Tale of Nagamasa Azai and His Family, a hand-drawn Japanese traditional ink painting animation produced as a satellite exhibition work for the NHK Taiga Drama Toyotomi Brothers! (BROTHERS IN ARMS). Created in collaboration with Canon Marketing Japan, Tanseisha, and Nagahama City, the work has been on permanent public display since February 1, 2026 at Azai Three Sisters’ Hometown "Gito Kizuna-kan" in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture.
In May 2026, Takane planned and structured Studio ONI Creative Experience, a special lecture and live demonstration program held in Tokyo for students and faculty members from Furman University in the United States. Under the theme How Does Traditional Culture Become Modern Anime?, he spoke to the next generation of creators about the meaning of human craftsmanship in the age of AI, Studio ONI's creative philosophy behind Japanese ink painting animation, the fusion of traditional culture and modern animation, and cultural storytelling for global audiences.
In June 2026, Takane also planned and spoke at a cultural exchange lecture in Tokyo for students from Rochester Institute of Technology, held as part of the Manga in Japan program led by Kofi Bazzell-Smith. Under the theme Dreams, he shared his gratitude for the American culture that shaped his creative roots, his passion for storytelling, and the meaning of passing the cultural baton to the next generation.
Studio ONI is also an official partner of The Manga Training Academy, a U.S.-based manga education platform founded by Kofi M. Bazzell-Smith, supporting the next generation of creators through education and cultural exchange.
Takane serves as a member of the international jury panel for The GIANT Hunt, a global anime and character design contest organized by IMAGE Infotainment Limited in India. The competition brings together creative professionals from Japan, India, the United States, and other countries to evaluate original character designs and discover emerging creative talent.
At Studio ONI, Takane leads original IP development and cross-cultural productions as Creative Director, Producer, and Director. The studio's flagship project, Operation ONI, is an original IP inspired by Japanese traditional ink painting, folklore, samurai legends, and yokai. Developed for international audiences, the project explores a distinctive form of hand-drawn animation that brings traditional Japanese visual expression into contemporary storytelling.
He also served as Associate Producer for Himitsu, a hand-drawn Japanese traditional ink painting and watercolor animation music video created in collaboration with Graphinica Inc., and for a Japanese traditional ink painting art exhibition at Kyoto Takashimaya S.C.
He is also a certified lifetime member of Creators HQ, an international creative network based in Dubai.
Takane continues to develop animation, art, immersive experiences, and narrative-driven projects that bridge traditional artistic techniques and contemporary global storytelling.
