Murano Moribi (real name Satou Mamoru) was born September 5, 1941 in Dalian, China, though he relocated to Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture after the war ended. He built a career across multiple creative fields—animation, character design, screenwriting, and manga—becoming a respected figure in Japanese animation. He was hospitalized in January 2011 and died of heart failure two months later in March.