# Ikuko Itoh

Ikuko Itoh (Japanese: 伊藤 郁子, Hepburn: Itō Ikuko, born August 25, 1961) is a Japanese animator, character designer, illustrator and animation director best known for her work on Sailor Moon and as the creator of Princess Tutu.

## Career

Ikuko Itoh graduated at Tokyo Designer Gakuin College, and started working as key animator and animation director for various series and movies in 1980s.
From 1992 to 1994, she was recognized from her work as an animation director for various episodes of Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R). After R had ended, Itoh took over Kazuko Tadano's role as a character designer from Sailor Moon S in 1994 till the end of Sailor Moon SuperS in 1995.
After Sailor Moon, she character designed for Fushigi Mahou Fun Fun Pharmacy and Magic User's Club in late 1990s.
In 2002, she created and character designed Princess Tutu, a ballet fairy tale anime that is inspired from The Ugly Duckling and Swan Lake.
From 2006 and onwards, Itoh provided character designs for Living for the Day After Tomorrow, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, and Somali and the Forest Spirit.

## Works
### Anime

| Year | Title | Credit | Note |
| 1983 | Spoon Obasan | Key Animation | |
| 1987 | Bikkuriman | Animation Director | |
| 1990 | Magical Taruruto-kun | Animation Director (eps. 2, 8, 54, 74) | |
| 1992 | Sailor Moon | Animation Director (eps. 5, 18, 24, 31, 37, 45), Key Animation (eps. 5, 18, 24, 45) | |
| 1993 | Sailor Moon R | Animation Director (OP2; eps. 9, 12), Key Animation (eps. 9, 15, 22, 40) | |
| 1994 | Sailor Moon S | Character Design, Chief Animator, Animation Director (eps. 94, 104, 111, 124–125), Key Animation (eps. 111) | |
| 1995 | Sailor Moon SuperS | Character Design, Animation Director (eps. 139, 152, 159, 166) | |
| 1996 | Magic User's Club | Character Design, Chief Animation Director | OVA |
| 1998 | Fushigi Mahou Fun Fun Pharmacy | Character Design, Animation Director (eps. 1, 4, 9, 15, 21, 27, 33, 39, 43, 48), Key Animation | |
| 1999 | Magic User's Club | Character Design, Chief Animation Director | TV anime |
| 2002 | Princess Tutu | Original Creator, Character Design, Chief Animation Director, Animation Director (OP; eps. 21) | |
| 2004 | Jagainu-kun | Character Design, Chief Animation Director | |
| 2006 | Living for the Day After Tomorrow | Character Design, Chief Animation Director (eps. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11), Animation Director (OP, ED; eps. 1, 3), Key Animation (eps. 1) | |
| 2012-2013 | AKB0048 | Sub-character design, Chief Animation Director, Key Animation (eps. 1) | |
| 2015 | The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan | Character Design, Chief Animation Director, Key Animation (eps. 13) | |
| 2020 | Somali and the Forest Spirit | Character Design, Chief Animation Director (eps. 1–8, 12), Animation Director (OP) | |

### Anime film

| Year | Title | Credit | Note |
| 1991 | Magical Taruruto-kun | Assistant Animation Director, Key Animation | |
| 1993 | Sailor Moon R: The Movie | Key Animation | |
| 2002 | One Piece: Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals | Key Animation | |
| 2013 | Toriko the Movie: Secret Recipe of Gourmet Food | Key Animation | |
| 2016 | Pop in Q | Animation Director | |
| 2016 | Tamayura ~Sotsugyō Shashin~ -Part 4- | Animation Director | Film series |
| 2018 | Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walküre | Animation Director | |