Naoko Yamada is a Japanese animator and director best known for her work at Kyoto Animation, where she helmed the K-On! and Tamako Market anime series alongside several acclaimed films including A Silent Voice, Tamako Love Story, and Liz and the Blue Bird.

She joined Kyoto Animation in 2004 doing in-betweens for Inuyasha before moving up to key animator work on Air and The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. Her directorial break came with a Clannad episode, but K-On! in 2009 is really where she made her mark as a director.

What sets Yamada apart is her distinctive visual style—she has a thing for using characters' legs and legwork to convey emotion in ways that feel natural but unmistakably her. Even when she's contributed to other people's projects, fans often cite her episodes as standouts: Hyouka #14, Free! Eternal Summer #12, and Violet Evergarden #5 are frequently called some of the best the series have to offer.

In 2020, she left KyoAni to join Science SARU, where she directed Heike Monogatari in 2021.