Dynamic Brushstrokes: Exploring the Impact and Craft of Sakuga in Anime
The Highest-Quality Animation.
In the fascinating world of anime, it's the mesmerizing, artistically complex scenes that captivate viewers the most, stealing our breaths away and imprinting themselves in our memory long after the episode ends. I’m talking about the times where it seems like the animators have all of a sudden gone from only animating characters’ mouths to orchestrating the flow of each strand of hair, or making a fight scene look like something out of a Bruce Lee film. This is the magic of “sakuga” (作画, lit. “drawing pictures”), a Japanese term reflecting the spectacular elevation of animation quality that transcends the narrative into an immersive visual experience.
Sakuga is the extraordinary blend of art, emotion, and motion that creates the unforgettable moments in your favorite works of anime. I want to walk through a basic rundown of how sakuga works behind the scenes at animation studios, then share a few of my favorite examples with you. Let’s get to it!
Understanding Sakuga
Ranging from intricately animated fight scenes to beautifully illustrated emotional outpourings, Sakuga lends depth and dynamism to the narratives of anime shows and movies through both action and atmosphere. It’s generally characterized by fluid motion, highly detailed artistry, and a distinct stylistic flair that sets it apart from regular animation.
Sakuga is often created by a team of animators who work together to craft a single scene. The team will usually be led by a key animator, who is responsible for creating the key frames of the scene. The key frames are the most important frames in the scene, and they are used to guide the other animators as they create the “inbetweens”—literally the frames that fill in the gaps between the key frames, which give the scene its smooth movement.
Here are some of the top key animators in the industry:
Yutaka Nakamura (Studio Bones)
Known For: Dynamic action sequences and “smear”-style animation.
Notable Works: Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist, My Hero Academia
Yoshimichi Kameda (Studio Bones)
Known For: His rough, exaggerated style of animation.
Notable Works: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, One Punch Man
Masashi Ando (Studio Ghibli, Madhouse)
Known For: Beautifully detailed background art and realistic character animation.
Notable Works: Spirited Away, Paprika, Your Name
There are usually a number of other animators who work on an individual scene as well. These animators may be responsible for creating the backgrounds, the effects, or the character animation. Each animator will have their own specialty, and they will work together to create a finished scene that is both visually appealing and technically impressive.
Sakuga is a vital part of anime, and it is what helps to make anime so visually appealing. The animators who work on these highly detailed scenes are true artists, and they deserve to be recognized for their work. If you're a fan of anime, then you should definitely check out some of the sakuga scenes that are out there—which leads me to our next section.
Sakuga Examples
Here are some of my favorite examples of sakuga from different anime shows and movies:
Ping Pong: The Animation
Headed by Masaaki Yuasa, one of the most innovative directors in anime, Ping Pong: The Animation's team pushes the boundaries of conventional animation techniques. The use of stylized visuals, unique camera angles, and dynamic character movements in the ping pong matches of the series create a visually stunning and visceral experience. The character designs may seem simple, or even strange, but the fluid animation brings out the emotion and intensity of the sport in ways that few other anime have managed to achieve. The final match between Smile and Peco is a particularly good example of the series' sakuga.
And I mean, just look at this intro:
Leaning on this post from Washi’s Blog: Ping Pong uses rough, lazy-seeming lines, and characters sometimes move in ways that could be perceived as unnatural. The animation doesn't always adhere to a set model, and the characters aren't meant to be traditionally attractive. This design choice, though it might be perceived as weird or unappealing to some, is part of the show's deliberate artistic approach.
The animation is characterized by wavy linework and characters that often appear misshapen, lending the visuals a kind of wonkiness. This is not a sign of poor production, but a deliberate choice that allows the animation to be more expressive and raw. By not adhering to strict character models and smooth, neat lines, the animators were able to deliver a distinct flavor of animation. In addition, the lack of highlights/shading in the animation and the simplicity of some design elements, like hair, give the series a crisp, clean, and modern look.
Naruto
Don’t roll your eyes—this series is known far and wide for having some of the best-animated and best-choreographed fight scenes around. The animation team for Naruto, led by Hayato Date and Hirofumi Suzuki, are lauded for their ability to produce exciting, high-energy battle sequences that are now iconic within the anime community.
Signature scenes include Rock Lee's showdown with Gaara and the epic confrontations between Naruto and Sasuke, like this one:
Check out this incredible analysis video by Howard Wimshurst on Naruto and Sasuke’s first fight if you really want a deep dive on sakuga from an animator’s perspective. As Wimshurst states in the video, Naruto animators would often “break the rules of physics” in order to emphasize the impact of punches, kicks, and special moves. The amazing thing is that when done by an expert hand, just like in jazz, breaking the rules actually creates something more beautiful and immersive than the “rules” ever could have produced in the first place.
Attack on Titan
The animation team for Attack on Titan, led by Tetsurō Araki and Kyoji Asano, crushes it with their intense, large-scale action sequences and their meticulous attention to detail. Their battle scenes are characterized by incredibly fluid and dynamic movements, especially in the depiction of the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear in action. This show is insanely violent, and yet, I find the animation so brilliant and captivating that I can’t help but watch.
Some memorable examples include every battle Eren has been a part of and Levi vs. the Female Titan:
In season 2, studio WIT heavily employed a technique called “Makeup Animation,” or “Special Effects for Living Beings” (生類視覚効果), which is a hilariously lengthy direct translation. This is a process where a select group of digital artists add extra detail and illustrative qualities to the animation after it has been inbetweened and scanned. This technique was used to make the titans feel more organic and increase the detail in the characters' eyes. Check out this article from Sakugabooru to read more about it.
Your Name
Under the direction of Makoto Shinkai and Masashi Ando, Your Name's animation team produced breathtakingly beautiful visuals. The sakuga moments in this film are most prominent in the intricate background details, stunningly lit landscapes, and the dazzling depiction of the comet. The meteor scene is gorgeous, but my favorite example is the kuchikamizake cave trip scene:
According to Sakugabooru, the animation style in Your Name was a notable upgrade from director Makoto Shinkai's previous works, employing a laser-focused imagery and an animation team of unreal skill. The team included lead animation director Masashi Ando, known for his previous work with Studio Ghibli, and a bunch of exceptional animators from various backgrounds including Production IG and freelance professionals. These talented individuals worked in synchrony to create characters that acted with a strong sense of purpose and deliberate movement.
An essential part of the animation style in Your Name was the portrayal of body language, especially due to the film's theme of body swapping. The animation was strongly character-coded, allowing viewers to determine who was in control of each body at any given moment purely based on their demeanor, which I think is incredible—and totally paid off. While this concept might sound simple, its execution was complex and meticulous, and the result was a strong resonance with viewers due to the effective delivery of the animation.
A Silent Voice
Directed by Naoko Yamada and Reiko Yoshida, the animation team for A Silent Voice is known for its deeply emotional storytelling and stunning use of visual metaphor. Their intentionality is particularly evident in the subtleties of facial expressions and body language, which are instrumental in portraying the complex emotional landscapes of the characters. Sakuga scenes such as the fireworks display and the final scene of the movie are stunning examples—but I’ll just point you to this trailer since the whole thing is gorgeous:
To paraphrase from this post by Sakugabooru: right from Shouko’s introduction, the animation of her communication is very tactile—because she’s deaf, and uses sign language. On top of that, conflict is introduced and escalated through bullying in the movie, making for some deliberately uncomfortable scenes, thanks to the extraordinary corporeal feeling of the animation.
To ensure the accurate depiction of sign language in the film, Kyoto Animation collaborated with various organizations like the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, Tokyo Federation of the Deaf, and Sign Language Island. They enlisted specialists, including a sign language supervisor, coordinators, sign language models for reference footage, and even an expert in hearing-impaired speech to guide Shouko's voice actress.
The film creates a tactile experience through the incredibly detailed animation of its dialogue scenes not just by accurately portraying sign language, but by making the animation responsive to touch and dense with secondary motion. This tactility extends to everyday scenes, helping create a believable feeling of physical presence. This level of realism is not just about getting the hand gestures right, but also about how it sets the tone for the animation effort throughout the entire movie.
Impact on Industry Practices
The use of sakuga reflects broader industry practices within the world of anime. Given the intensive labor and resources required, sakuga scenes are generally reserved for climactic moments or episodes, leading to the common practice of animators being allocated to specific episodes or scenes based on their strengths. Renowned animators such as Yutaka Nakamura, known for his dynamic action sequences in series like My Hero Academia, and Yoshimichi Kameda, famous for his visceral style in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, have made names for themselves in the industry through their exceptional work on such scenes.
However, while sakuga is generally appreciated by anime enthusiasts, it is not without controversy. Critics argue that the stark contrast between sakuga scenes and the standard animation can disrupt the visual continuity of the anime, making it feel disjointed. And it makes sense—the resource-intensive nature of sakuga often necessitates cost-cutting measures elsewhere, leading to issues of inconsistent animation quality throughout a series.
People will often make jokes about how a studio must have used all of its animation budget just to make “that one scene” or “that one fight” in the anime—interestingly, however, the amount of money that’s pumped into an anime project doesn’t have a huge scaling effect on the overall quality of the final product. Oftentimes it is the experience level of the animators involved (which money can influence but cannot completely fix, since famous animators are spread so thin across tons of projects), the passion of the staff as a whole, and very importantly, the amount of time that the studio has to animate the show that determine the end result. Check out this awesome article from Sakuga Brasil if you want to learn more on why money isn’t everything for animation in Japan: Does money affect the quality of an anime production? Understand!
Closing Thoughts
Sakuga, in its essence, is a celebration of the art of animation. It is an acknowledgment of the expertise, dedication, and creativity of animators who bring our favorite anime scenes to life. There’s an entire subculture of anime fans who gather together online just to talk about it—and look, here you are, reading my article about it right now.
Sakuga plays an integral role in shaping the anime industry's visual language, further cementing anime's place as a unique and innovative form of storytelling. As anime continues to evolve, sakuga will undoubtedly remain a significant piece of its narrative and aesthetic toolkit, continually pushing the boundaries of what is visually possible in the medium.