Yoshiyuki Tomino is a Japanese anime director, screenwriter, songwriter, and novelist best known for creating the Gundam franchise—arguably the most influential mecha series ever made.

Tomino started his career at Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Productions in March 1964 as a production assistant, but quickly moved into storyboarding and writing screenplays for Astro Boy. His directorial debut came in 1972 with Triton of the Sea, though he didn't really hit his stride until joining Sunrise studio, where he'd spend decades shaping the look and feel of anime.

The turning point came in 1979 with Mobile Suit Gundam, which fundamentally changed how mecha anime worked. Tomino stripped away the campy "Super Robot" tropes and introduced the "Real Robot" concept—grounded, military-focused storytelling where giant robots were treated as weapons rather than invincible heroes. It stuck, and the franchise exploded from there. He went on to direct countless series through the '70s, '80s, and '90s, cementing himself as one of Sunrise's most prolific and important directors.

Tomino's a bit notorious for hiding behind pseudonyms on his own projects. He's credited himself under names like Minami Asa and Minoru Yokitani for screenplays and storyboards, and Rin Iogi for theme song lyrics. It's an oddly humble habit for someone who basically invented modern mecha anime.

In 2021, he received the Person of Cultural Merit award, an official Japanese honor recognizing major cultural achievements.