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Kyoto Police Release Names of 10 Victims Who Died in Kyoto Animation Fire

The Kyoto Shimbun newspaper reported on Friday that Kyoto Prefectural Police released the names on Friday of 10 of the 35 victims who died in the fire at Kyoto Animation's 1st studio building on July 18. The police stated that they have released these names now that funeral services for the 10 victims are over and families have given consent for the police to release the names.

Police also added that they are not yet releasing the names of the other 25 victims due to DNA testing and other special circumstances, or at the requests of the victims' families. Police are taking into account the feelings of the bereaved families when considering how and when to announce more names. Police are working with relatives to ask for their understanding in releasing the names in the future.

The victims' names below are listed in Japanese alphabetical order.

Uda was 34 years old. He worked as an in-between animator on all of the works in the Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! franchise, as well as on K-ON!, several works in the Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club franchise, A silent Voice, Tamako Market, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Nichijou, HYOUKA, Liz and the Blue Bird, and most recently, Sound! Euphonium The Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day.

Ōmura was 23 years old. In 2016, Ōmura was awarded with an Honorable Mention Award at the 101st Nikaten Design Category. At the time, he was a second-year student at Tohoka University. Tohoka University posted a statement on Friday confirming that a graduate of the school's modeling program died in the fire. Ōmura graduated from the university in March.

Kasama was 22 years old. NHK reports that according to a woman in Kasama's neighborhood, Kasama loved to draw as a child, and from high school wanted to study art at university. Another woman in the neighborhood told NHK she heard from Kasama's mother that Kasama's dream was to enter the animation industry. Kasama was a graduate of Osaka Seikei University.

Kigami was 61 years old. Kigami also worked in the animation industry under the names Fumio Tada and Ichirou Miyoshi. In his long career he worked on dozens of anime as an in-between animator, key animator, character designer, storyboarder, animation director, and director. His director credits include Munto, Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time, Shin Dosei Jidai: Hawaiian Breeze, Last War of Heavenloids and Akutoloids, Sora o Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai, and Baja no Studio. Much of his work for Kyoto Animation is credited under the name of Ichirou Miyoshi, including his work as an episode director on Violet Evergarden, Tamako Market, Sound! Euphonium both seasons, K-ON!! second season, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Myriad Colors Phantom World, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, Beyond the Boundary, Clannad, Clannad After Story, Lucky Star, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, and Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club. Outside of Kyoto Animation he was a key animator on Grave of the Fireflies and Akira, and worked on many Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan films.

Kuriki was 30 years old. She was a key animator who worked on many of Kyoto Animation's recent works, including Violet Evergarden, Liz and the Blue Bird, Free! -Dive to the Future-, Free! -Take Your Marks-, High Speed! -Free! Starting Days-, Sound! Euphonium 2, A Silent Voice, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions! Take On Me, Myriad Colors Phantom World, Tsurune: Kazemai Kōkō Kyūdō-bu, and most recently, Sound! Euphonium The Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day.

Takemoto was 47 years old. Takemoto directed both the Lucky Star TV anime and the Lucky Star OVA, and was also the director of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya, HYOUKA, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid TV, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid OAV, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, Amagi Brilliant Park, High Speed! -Free! Starting Days, and Nyoron! Churuya-san. Takemoto also served as an episode director on such anime as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Sound! Euphonium, Tamako Market, Violet Evergarden, Tsurune: Kazemai Kōkō Kyūdō-bu, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, Myriad Colors Phantom World, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, K-ON!! second season, Clannad, Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club, Free! -Dive to the Future-, and Haré+Guu, among many others. He also worked as a storyboarder, key animator, unit director, and scriptwriter.

Tsuda was 41 years old. She worked in painting, finishing, clean-up animation, and special effects. She worked on such anime as Lucky Star TV, Lucky Star OVA, Clannad, Clannad After Story The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-ON! (both seasons), HYOUKA, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, Tamako Market, A Silent Voice, To Heart, Violet Evergarden, Tsurune: Kazemai Kōkō Kyūdō-bu, Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club, Free! -Dive to the Future-, Free! -Take Your Marks-, Free! Eternal Summer, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Liz and the Blue Bird, and most recently, Sound! Euphonium The Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day. She also worked on several Crayon Shin-chan and Doraemon films, as well as Kiddy Grade, Inuyasha, Pokemon 3 - The Movie, and Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, among many other works.

Nishiya was 37 years old. He was the character designer for the Free! franchise, and he also served as chief animation director for many of the franchise's installments. He also served as the character designer for the HYOUKA, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, and The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya anime. He was also an animation director on many of Kyoto Animation's works, including Clannad, K-ON! (both seasons), Sound Euphonium (both seasons), The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, and Beyond the Boundary -I'LL BE HERE- Future, among others. He also worked as a key animator.

Yokota was 34 years old. He worked as a production manager at Kyoto Animation, for such anime as Clannad, Clannad After Story, K-ON!, HYOUKA, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! -Heart Throb-, Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions! Take On Me, Sound Euphonium, A Silent Voice, Tamako Market, Violet Evergarden, Tsurune: Kazemai Kōkō Kyūdō-bu, Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club, Free! -Dive to the Future-, Free! Eternal Summer, High Speed! -Free! Starting Days-, Gekijō-ban Hibike! Euphonium: Todoketai Melody, Beyond the Boundary, and Beyond the Boundary -I'LL BE HERE- Future, among others.

Watanabe was 35 years old. She worked as a background artist and an art director. She served as an art director on such anime as Violet Evergarden, Beyond the Boundary, Beyond the Boundary -I'LL BE HERE- Future, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Myriad Colors Phantom World, and Amagi Brilliant Park. She also provided background art for such anime as Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, K-ON! (both seasons), Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club, Free! -Dive to the Future-, Free! -Take Your Marks-, High Speed! -Free! Starting Days-, Liz and the Blue Bird, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! -Heart Throb-, Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions! Take On Me, Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions: Rikka Takanashi Version, and Chūnibyō demo Koi ga Shitai! Lite, among others.

Source: Kyoto Shimbun via Nijimen