Takashi Yamazaki (山崎 貴, Yamazaki Takashi, born June 12, 1964) is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, he is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry. Yamazaki receives multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five Nikkan Sports Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over $523 million worldwide. Yamazaki found employment at the visual effects and animation studio Shirogumi in 1986 and has remained there throughout his career. His first directorial features were the science fiction films Juvenile(2000) and Returner (2002), for which he became known as the "Japanese James Cameron". He later gained further notice in Japan by directing film adaptations of popular anime, novels, and manga, including Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), The Eternal Zero (2013), and Stand by Me Doraemon (2014); the latter two films both earned a total of nine awards at the 38th Japan Academy Film Prize. Yamazaki's career advanced with The Great War of Archimedes, Dragon Quest: Your Story, Lupin III: The First (2019), and Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020). His 2023 kaiju epic, Godzilla Minus One, became the most successful Japanese Godzilla film of all time and one of his highest-grossing films. Yamazaki and the visual effects team also became the first Japanese crew to receive the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. In 2024, Yamazaki was included in Gold House's annual list of 100 Most Impactful Asians. Description above from the Wikipedia article Takashi Yamazaki, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- June 12, 1964 (62)
- Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
- Director and writer
- 22 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
What are Takashi Yamazaki's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 18
A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 3 · Dark 6
Grounded 2 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 3
Gentle 3 · Charged 9 · Intense 6
A split, not a type: Steady 9 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 2
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 3
Casual 5 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 7
Resolved 14 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet10
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Takashi Yamazaki's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).
- Crunchyroll
Subscription and free streaming for Takashi Yamazaki's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
38 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Grandgear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2028)
Godzilla Minus Zero(2026)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Foodlosslla (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Godzilla Minus One(2023)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Ghost Book(2022)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
It's a Flickering Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Stand by Me Doraemon 2(2020)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Lupin III: The First(2019)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Dragon Quest: Your Story(2019)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Fueled: The Man They Called "Pirate" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Tales of the Bizarre 25th Anniversary Autumn Special: Film Directors Collection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Parasyte: Part 2(2015)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Parasyte: Part 1(2014)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Stand by Me Doraemon(2014)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Fighter Pilot(2013)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Human Trust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Space Battleship Yamato(2010)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Ballad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The iDol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Genesis of Aquarion(2005)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows
Heat Guy J(2002)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Returner(2002)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Juvenile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Marina the Manga Artist Goes to Camelot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Nue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 38 titles, 35 of them dated from 1981 to 2024.
Biggest box office
Stand by Me Doraemon (2014)
Highest rated
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Most popular right now
Godzilla Minus Zero (2026)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
Won an Oscar in 2024, Best Achievement in Visual Effects.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Takashi Yamazaki's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up12
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th4
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Takashi Yamazaki's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Takashi Yamazaki work with?
People who share at least 2 of Takashi Yamazaki's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Naoki Satô shares the most, 14.
Directors
- Ryuichi YagiShared titles: Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020), Dragon Quest: Your Story (2019), Stand by Me Doraemon (2014), Friends: Naki on the Monster Island (2011)See all 4 shared titles with Ryuichi Yagi
Writers
- Ryôta KosawaShared titles: Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 5 shared titles with Ryôta Kosawa
- Ryôhei SaiganShared titles: Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 4 shared titles with Ryôhei Saigan
- Fujio F. FujikoShared titles: Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020), Stand by Me Doraemon (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Fujio F. Fujiko
- Hitoshi IwaakiShared titles: Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Hitoshi Iwaaki
Actors
- Shin'ichi TsutsumiShared titles: Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 5 shared titles with Shin'ichi Tsutsumi
- Hidetaka YoshiokaShared titles: Godzilla Minus One (2023), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 4 shared titles with Hidetaka Yoshioka
- Jun KunimuraShared titles: The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014)See all 4 shared titles with Jun Kunimura
- Hiroko YakushimaruShared titles: Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 4 shared titles with Hiroko Yakushimaru
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Naoki SatôShared titles: Godzilla Minus One (2023), Ghost Book (2022), Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020), The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014), Stand by Me Doraemon (2014), The Fighter Pilot (2013), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Friends: Naki on the Monster Island (2011), Space Battleship Yamato (2010) and 2 moreSee newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Naoki Satô
- Kôzô ShibasakiShared titles: Godzilla Minus One (2023), Ghost Book (2022), The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), The Fighter Pilot (2013), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Returner (2002)See all 10 shared titles with Kôzô Shibasaki
- Ryûji MiyajimaShared titles: Godzilla Minus One (2023), Ghost Book (2022), The Great War of Archimedes (2019), The Fighter Pilot (2013), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 7 shared titles with Ryûji Miyajima
- Jun'nosuke HogakiShared titles: Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Jun'nosuke Hogaki
Producers
- Shûji AbeShared titles: Godzilla Minus One (2023), Ghost Book (2022), Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020), Lupin III: The First (2019), Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014), Stand by Me Doraemon (2014), The Fighter Pilot (2013), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 11 shared titles with Shûji Abe
- Keiichiro MoriyaShared titles: Godzilla Minus One (2023), Ghost Book (2022), Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020), The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014), Stand by Me Doraemon (2014), The Fighter Pilot (2013), Friends: Naki on the Monster Island (2011), Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005)See all 10 shared titles with Keiichiro Moriya
- Takaaki KabutoShared titles: Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020), Dragon Quest: Your Story (2019), Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), Parasyte: Part 2 (2015), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014), Stand by Me Doraemon (2014), The Fighter Pilot (2013), Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012), Friends: Naki on the Monster Island (2011), Space Battleship Yamato (2010)See all 10 shared titles with Takaaki Kabuto
- Gô AbeShared titles: Godzilla Minus One (2023), Ghost Book (2022), The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017)See all 4 shared titles with Gô Abe