Akio Otsuka’s Typical Vibe
Signature vibe

Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
Akio Otsuka has 38 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. 2 sit in the Top 1% of all titles we track — including Ghost in the Shell.
Recurring themes

Appleseed
2004
Animation · Action

PSYCHO-PASS: The Movie
2015
Animation · Science Fiction

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
2009
Animation · Science Fiction

Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone
2014
Action · Animation

Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 1: Ghost Pain
2013
Action · Animation

Heavy Metal 2000
2000
Action · Adventure

Renaissance
2006
Action · Animation

Kid's Story
2003
Science Fiction · Animation

Howl's Moving Castle
2004 · Movie · Voice
Top 1%Max · Included

Ghost in the Shell
1995 · Movie · Voice
Top 1%Prime Video · Included

Sword of the Stranger
2007 · Movie · Voice
Top 5%Crunchyroll · Included

Mob Psycho 100
2016 · Series · Voice
Top 7%Netflix · Included

Dororo
2019 · Series · Voice
Top 7%Hulu · Included

Ghost in the Shell 2.0
2008 · Movie · Voice
Top 7%Prime Video · Included

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
Dir. Hayao Miyazaki · With Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
Dir. Mamoru Oshii · With Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Iemasa Kayumi

Pursued by formidable Chinese assassins, young Kotaro and his dog run into No Name, a mysterious stranger who gets pulled into the chase. The unlikely companions form a bond over saving the dog from a poison attack, but chaos erupts when the assassins find Kotaro, and No Name must face his past before a horrible fate is met again.
Dir. Masahiro Ando · With Tomoya Nagase, Yuri Chinen, Koichi Yamadera

Shigeo Kageyama, a.k.a. "Mob," is a boy who has trouble expressing himself, but who happens to be a powerful esper. Mob is determined to live a normal life and keeps his ESP suppressed, but when his emotions surge to a level of 100%, something terrible happens to him! As he's surrounded by false espers, evil spirits, and mysterious organizations, what will Mob think? What choices will he make?
With Setsuo Ito, Takahiro Sakurai, Miyu Irino

During the Warring States period, the young thief Dororo encounters Hyakkimaru, a strange, sightless boy who wields fearsome prosthetics in place of his missing limbs. Parts of Hyakkimaru’s body were traded to a group of 12 demons by his father in exchange for power, but thanks to a kindly medicine man, Hyakkimaru survived his horrifying ordeal. Now he roams the land in search of his missing body, and together he and Dororo will fight to survive in an unforgiving, demon-plagued world.
Dir. Osamu Tezuka · With Rio Suzuki, Hiroki Suzuki, Naoya Uchida

In the year 2029, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster'.
Dir. Mamoru Oshii · With Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Koichi Yamadera

Inspector Kei Mikhail Ignatov finds himself involved with an organization named Bifrost with the possibility of freeing his wife if he betrays Unit One. Koichi Azusawa coordinates an assault on the Public Safety Bureau tower using his hacker Obata, locking down the building and kidnapping Inspector Arata Shindo. Azusawa demands that governor Karina Komiya resign from her position.
Dir. Naoyoshi Shiotani · With Takahiro Sakurai, Junichi Suwabe, Yuichi Nakamura

In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.
Dir. Hayao Miyazaki · With Shūichirō Moriyama, Tokiko Kato, Bunshi Katsura VI

Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a research psychologist who uses a device called the DC Mini to enter her patients' dreams, wherein she adopts the alter-ego "Paprika". When the device is stolen, she must stop rogue elements from merging the dream and waking worlds.
Dir. Satoshi Kon · With Megumi Hayashibara, Tohru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori

as Baron Omatsuri (voice) · Voice
The Straw Hats visit a recreational island, run by Baron Omatsuri, who asks them to complete a series of ordeals if they wish to stay on the island. Luffy accepts and the Straw Hats work together to complete them, but as the island's mysteries unfold, their lives and friendships are put to the test. It's up to Luffy to stop the Baron's plot and keep his crew together.
Dir. Mamoru Hosoda · With Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura

Break-dancing but fierce warrior Mugen has to deal with the cold-blooded and conceited Jin, a samurai who believes he is above all. These sworn enemies are brought together by Fuu for a special task.
Dir. Shinichiro Watanabe · With Ayako Kawasumi, Kazuya Nakai, Ginpei Sato

as Michiru Tsuki (voice) · Voice
Netflix · Included
Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, and Rock Lee are assigned to protect the prince of the Land of the Moon, Michiru, during his world trip; other escorts had been hired, but quit due to being treated poorly. The Land of the Moon is a very wealthy nation, so Michiru tends to buy whatever he wants, and has a very materialistic worldview. His Hikaru, also acts in much the same manner.
Dir. Toshiyuki Tsuru · With Junko Takeuchi, Chie Nakamura, Yōichi Masukawa

as Yujiro Hanma (voice) · Voice
It's the ultimate showdown. The toughest fighters from "Baki Hanma" and "Kengan Ashura" clash in this unprecedented, hard-hitting martial arts crossover.
Dir. Toshiki Hirano · With Nobunaga Shimazaki, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Akio Otsuka

as Inuyasha's father (voice) · Voice
Tubi · Free w/ ads
Inuyasha and his brother, Sesshomaru, each inherited a sword from their father after his death. However, their father had a third sword, named Sounga, that he sealed away. Seven hundreds years after his death, Sounga awakens and threatens mankind's very existence. How will the children of the Great Dog Demon stop this unimaginable power?
Dir. Toshiya Shinohara · With Kappei Yamaguchi, Satsuki Yukino, Koji Tsujitani

While martial arts champion Baki Hanma trains hard to surpass his legendary father, five violent death row inmates descend upon Tokyo to take him on.
With Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kenjiro Tsuda, Takehito Koyasu

In the future when technological enhancements and robotics are a way of life, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 take care of the jobs that are too difficult for the police. Section 9 employs hackers, sharpshooters, detectives and cyborgs all in an effort to thwart cyber criminals and their plans to attack the innocent.
With Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Osamu Saka

Rakuro Hizutome only cares about one thing: beating crappy VR games. He devotes his entire life to these buggy games and could clear them all in his sleep. One day, he decides to challenge himself and play a popular god-tier game called Shangri-La Frontier. But he quickly learns just how difficult it is. Will his expert skills be enough to uncover its hidden secrets?
With Yuma Uchida, Azumi Waki, Yoko Hikasa

as Batou (voice) · Voice
The year is 2030, and an influx of refuges have effortlessly transformed themselves into a terrorist organization known as the "Individual Eleven." With a sadistic intent of mass destruction, will they triumph in victory or discover the gloomy pitfalls of defeat?
Dir. Kenji Kamiyama · With Atsuko Tanaka, Osamu Saka, Koichi Yamadera

To gain the skills he needs to surpass his powerful father, Baki enters Arizona State Prison to take on the notorious inmate known as Mr. Unchained.
With Nobunaga Shimazaki, Akio Otsuka, Rikiya Koyama

as Batou (voice) · Voice
Prime Video · Rent
The story takes place in the year 2034, two years after the events in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. Female cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi has left Public Security Section 9, an elite counter-terrorist and anti-crime unit specializing in cyber-warfare, which has expanded to a team of 20 field operatives with Togusa acting as the field lead.
Dir. Kenji Kamiyama · With Atsuko Tanaka, Osamu Saka, Koichi Yamadera

Shinpei Ajiro travels home to attend the funeral of a childhood friend, and finds the remote island plagued by a sinister, supernatural force.
With Natsuki Hanae, Anna Nagase, Saho Shirasu

Cyborg detective Batou is assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by gynoids—doll-like cyborgs, which all malfunctioned, killed, then self-destructed afterwards. The brains of the gynoids initialize in order to protect their manufacturer's software, but in one gynoid, which Batou himself neutralized, one file remains: a voice speaking the phrase "Help me."
Dir. Mamoru Oshii · With Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Koichi Yamadera

Narumi Katou is a middle-aged man who suffers from the bizarre ZONAPHA Syndrome: a rare and inexplicable disease that causes its victims to endure severe seizures at random, with the only cure being to watch someone laugh. One day, during Narumi's part time job, a young boy with a giant suitcase fleeing from three adults runs into him. The boy introduces himself as Masaru Saiga, the new owner of the famous Saiga Enterprises following his father's recent death. However, other members of his family are trying to assassinate him and claim the fortune for themselves.
Dir. Kazuhiro Fujita · With Chihiro Ueda, Rikiya Koyama, Megumi Hayashibara

The Fourth Holy Grail War has begun, and seven mages must summon heroes from history to battle each other to the death. Only one mage-and-hero pair will remain to claim the Grail and have their wishes granted! Kiritsugu Emiya was once an assassin but now fights in this war to save the world from those who would destroy it with the Grail’s power.
Dir. Gen Urobuchi · With Rikiya Koyama, Ayako Kawasumi, Akio Otsuka

In a world where magic reigns, Will Serfort can’t cast a spell. Though hardworking, Will’s classmates think less of him for it. However, he has a secret strength: his sword. Can Will defy expectations with muscle over magic and blade over wand? Find out in this epic sword-and-sorcery adventure!
With Kohei Amasaki, Akira Sekine, Reiko Suzuki

Follow the exciting adventures of Arsene Lupin III, the grandson of the world's greatest thief, Arsene Lupin. Together with Daisuke Jigen, Goemon Ishikawa and his love interest Fujiko Mine, he carries out the greatest robberies of all time, all the while evading the control of Inspector Koichi Zenigata.
With Kanichi Kurita, Akio Otsuka, Miyuki Sawashiro

as Volvona Forgner (voice) · Voice
Crunchyroll · Included
The story takes place several years after Lelouch's "Zero Requiem" plan. He gave up his life to save the world and protect the ones he loved. The day Lelouch vi Brittannia fell was the day this war-torn world found peace. Now, as his friends work to keep the peace, a terrorist attack could risk everything. Can the brilliant tactician outwit death and save them all? Or will Lelouch’s legacy fall here?
Dir. Goro Taniguchi · With Jun Fukuyama, Yukana, Takahiro Sakurai

as Jouichi Onishima (voice) · Voice
A disastrous school trip leaves four students stranded on an uninhabited island. Staying alive on a deserted island is easy for Homare, thanks to her survivalist father's training. While the others struggle, she shows them that being isolated may not be as dreadful as they thought.
Dir. Kentarō Okamoto · With Kiyono Yasuno, Azumi Waki, Mao Ichimichi

as Gruyere Solgest (voice) · Voice
Crunchyroll · Included
Prince Wein is ready to commit treason. And who can blame him? Faced with the impossible task of ruling his pathetic little kingdom, this poor guy just can't catch a break! But with his brilliant idea of auctioning off his country, this lazy prince should be able to retire once and for all. Or that was the plan...until his treasonous schemes lead to disastrous consequences-namely, accidental victories and the favor of his people!
With Soma Saito, Rie Takahashi, Sayaka Senbongi

The adventures of the demon hunter Dante who himself is half demon and half human.
Dir. Hideki Kamiya · With Toshiyuki Morikawa, Misato Fukuen, Akio Otsuka
Top Collaborators
Directors with 2+ shared titles, ranked by frequency