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Haruo Sotozaki

Haruo Sotozaki

Director · Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan

Haruo Sotozaki is a Japanese anime and film director best known for his work on the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series. He began his career in the animation industry in the mid-1990s, contributing as a key animator and storyboard artist on various projects. Sotozaki made his full directorial debut with the anime adaptation of Ninja Nonsense (2004). In 2019, he directed the critically acclaimed Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba television series, followed by the record-breaking film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (2020). His direction is noted for its dynamic action sequences and faithful adaptation of source material.

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Biography from TMDB.

From
Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan
Works as
Director
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 58 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 5% in 30 days

What are Haruo Sotozaki's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Self
20%
Survival
19%
Morality
13%
Ideas
11%
Society
6%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 0 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 0 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Melancholic
3
Thrilling
2
Dread
1
Warm
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 Haruo Sotozaki's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Crunchyroll (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Haruo Sotozaki'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

58 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page.

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle(2025)

    Director · Animation Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Special Edition Hashira Training Arc Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Special Edition Hashira Training Arc Part 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Special Edition Swordsmith Village Arc Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Special Edition Swordsmith Village Arc Part 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Infiltration Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Entertainment District Decisive Battle Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Tsuzumi Mansion Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Asakusa Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hashira Meeting Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mt. Natagumo Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train(2020)

    Director · Animation Director · Second Unit Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba(2019)

    Show 63 episodes · Director · Animation Director · Key Animation · Opening/Ending Animation · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Sibling's Bond(2019)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Tales of Zestiria the X(2016)

    Show 25 episodes · Series Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows

  • Tales of Zestiria: The Shepherd's Advent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Key Animation · Second Unit Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Magical Sisters Yoyo & Nene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Animation Director

  • Zetman(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • Eden of the East: Paradise Lost(2010)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike(2009)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood(2009)

    Show 2 episodes · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Inazuma Eleven(2008)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Antique Bakery(2008)

    Show 2 episodes · Animation Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • Tales of Symphonia: The Animation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 11 episodes · Key Animation · Series Director

  • Reideen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • Noein: To Your Other Self(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Animation Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel(2005)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Rupan sansei: Nusumareta rupan(2004)

    Animation Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Ninja Nonsense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • Samurai 7(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • New Fist of the North Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 3 episodes · Character Designer

  • New Fist of the North Star: The Cursed City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Animation Director

  • E's Otherwise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 2 episodes · Key Animation

  • Heat Guy J(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · Animation Director · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Naruto(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · Animation Director · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • eX-Driver the Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Key Animation

  • Rave Master (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • X(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Cowboy Bebop: The Movie(2001)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Fruits Basket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Animation Director

  • R.O.D: Read or Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • The SoulTaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • Star Ocean EX (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Key Animation

  • Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Key Animation

  • Initial D: Third Stage(2001)

    Animation Director · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Earth Maiden Arjuna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · Animation · Animation Director · Key Animation

  • Gensomaden Saiyuki(2000)

    Show 1 episode · Animation Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • Hunter x Hunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 4 episodes · Key Animation

  • You're Under Arrest: The Movie(1999)

    Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Legend of Himiko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Animation Director

  • Eat-Man '98(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · Animation Director · Key Animation

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows

  • AWOL -Absent Without Leave- (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 3 episodes · Key Animation

  • Rurouni Kenshin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 4 episodes · Key Animation

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 58 titles, 56 of them dated from 1996 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (2025)

$794M worldwide

Highest rated

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (2025)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing21 of 58: 16 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score99thOther crew42 of 58: 37 only other crew, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rd

58 titles, 5 with more than one role — other crew and directing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1990s6 · crew2000s29 · crew2010s7 · crew2020s14 · crew

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.

How do Haruo Sotozaki's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 10; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 98th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

99thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 24 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Mixed4

Most loved · director

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (2025)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

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.

Who does Haruo Sotozaki work with?

People who share at least 2 of Haruo Sotozaki's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Koyoharu Gotouge shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors