Mangaka Takashi Okazaki wins Emmy for character design in Star Wars: Visions
In Los Angeles, United States, Japanese mangaka and visual designer Takashi Okazaki won an Emmy Award for character design in Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 — The Duel: Payback. The Japan Times reports.
Award for character design
The Television Academy named the 52-year-old Okazaki the winner in the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation category for character design. The award was announced during the second of three ceremonies of the 78th Emmy Awards. The first two ceremonies took place in Los Angeles on September 5 and 6, while the third is scheduled for September 14.
The Duel: Payback is an episode of the Disney+ anthology Star Wars: Visions, in which each installment tells a separate story inspired by the Star Wars universe. The third volume of the series was released in 2025 and returned to Japanese animation. Several studios that participated in the project’s first volume in 2021 were involved in its production.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The story of a former Sith
The film is predominantly made in a monochrome palette with colored accents. At the center of the plot is a former Sith known as the Ronin; the Japanese word “ronin” means a samurai without a master. The film was jointly created by the Japanese animation studios Kamikaze Douga and Anima.
While accepting the award, Okazaki told journalists that he had always sought to try new things. He also said that he loves Star Wars and is pleased to receive recognition for work connected with the franchise. The artist was previously nominated for an Emmy in 2009 for his work on Afro Samurai: Resurrection in the category of best animated program.
Previously, the Emmy Awards were divided into the Creative Arts Emmys and the Primetime Emmys, with the former recognizing artistic and technical achievements. This year, the Television Academy abandoned this distinction and collectively calls all three ceremonies the Emmys.
