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Hayato Date

Hayato Date

Director · Born May 22, 1962 (64) · Japan

Hayato Date (伊達 勇登, Date Hayato, born May 22, 1962) is a Japanese animation director most known for the anime adaptations of Saiyuki and Naruto. After working as a cinematographer and assistant director, he made his first directorial debut (series) in 1999 with Rerere no Genius Bakabon. He has directed the "NARUTO" series, which began broadcasting in 2002, which had become a huge hit both in Japan and overseas. He has been participating in NUNOANI cram school since 2017. Since 2019, he is also in charge of directing promotion courses.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 22, 1962 (64)
From
Japan
Works as
Director
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 26 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 37 days to Oct 26Up 65% in 30 days

What are Hayato Date's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
33%
Self
26%
Morality
25%
Survival
8%
Society
5%
Ideas
4%
Friendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 1

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · 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 4 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Thrilling
4
Warm
3
Hopeful
2
Melancholic
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet3

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 Hayato Date's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Crunchyroll (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Hayato Date'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

26 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Magical Sisters LuluttoLilly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Ultramarine Magmell(2019)

    Show 13 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Convenience Store Boy Friends(2017)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • Road to Ninja - Naruto the Movie(2012)

    Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Honoo no Chuunin Shiken! Naruto vs Konohamaru(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Naruto: Shippuden(2007)

    Show 413 episodes · Director · Opening/Ending Animation · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Naruto OVA 3: Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow(2004)

    Animation Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Naruto: The Lost Story - Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Naruto(2002)

    Show 220 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Saiyuki Interactive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Tokyo Underground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 26 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Kaze no Yojimbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 25 episodes · Director · Series Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Saiyuki: Requiem - The Motion Picture(2001)

    Director · Second Unit Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Gensomaden Saiyuki(2000)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • Rerere no Tensai Bakabon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 24 episodes · Director · Series Director

  • Great Teacher Onizuka(1999)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • BuBu ChaCha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Orphen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

  • Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Storyboard Artist

  • Flame of Recca(1997)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Hikarian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Storyboard Artist

  • Revolutionary Girl Utena (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Midori no Makibaō (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Director

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles from 1996 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Road to Ninja - Naruto the Movie (2012)

$18M worldwide

Highest rated

Road to Ninja - Naruto the Movie (2012)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Gensomaden Saiyuki (2000)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing23 of 26: 10 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stOther crew16 of 26: 3 only other crew, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score65th

26 titles, 13 with more than one role — directing and other crew overlap on 13 of them.

By decade

1990s10 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s2 · 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 Hayato Date's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th6
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director

Naruto: Shippuden (2007)

62nd percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Great Teacher Onizuka (1999)

Midcredits 97th · 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 Hayato Date work with?

People who share at least 2 of Hayato Date's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Masashi Kishimoto shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers