Himeno Michi is a legendary Japanese animation artist and character designer, best known for her work on Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac). She's built her career around a distinctive elegant drawing style that's made her a standout in the industry.

She started collaborating with director Araki Shingo back in 1973 on Cutie Honey while both were at Toei Animation. The partnership clicked immediately—they went on to form Araki Productions together in 1974. The division of labor was pretty straightforward: Himeno handled the female characters while Araki focused on the male ones, and this split worked brilliantly across everything they made.

Throughout the late 70s and early 80s, she racked up some seriously successful credits. Lupin III (1977), The Rose of Versailles (1979), The Flower Child Lunlun (1979), Ulysses 31 (1980-81), Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX (1982), and the Fuuma no Kojirou OVA (1991) all featured her character work. But it was really Saint Seiya in 1986 that brought her international recognition. The show paired her refined character designs with Araki's dynamic action style, and the combination became iconic. That's the work that made her a name fans around the world actually know.