# Akira Tsuburaya

Akira Tsuburaya (円谷 粲（あきら）, Tsuburaya Akira, born February 12, 1944) is a former Japanese film and television producer. The third son of special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, he began his career at his father's company Tsuburaya Productions while at Tamagawa University in 1966. Tsuburaya had an extremely prolific five-decade career in film and television, during which he worked on over 80 productions.

## Life and career

Akira Tsuburaya was born on February 12, 1944 in Tokyo. He was the third son of special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya and his wife Masano Araki as well as their first child to be baptized. While at Tamagawa University, Tsuburaya began his career working in film at his father's company Tsuburaya Productions on the domestically popular Ultra Q episode, "Kanegon's Cocoon" as an assistant director in 1965. He subsequently returned to work as an assistant director on the Ultra Q episode "Challenge From the Year 2020" and the following year worked in the same position on Ultraman (TV 1966-1967). He later served as the chief assistant director of special effects on Ultraseven (TV 1967) and was also an assistant director on Operation: Mystery! (1968).
Tsuburaya began working as a producer in 1970, receiving his first credit in that position on Chibira-kun in the same year. He continued working at Tsuburaya Productions on productions such as Triple Fighter (1972), Fireman (1973) Army of the Apes, Pro-Wrestling Star Aztecaser Ultraman Leo (both 1974), Dinosaur War Izenborg (1977), and Star Wolf (1978) until leaving the company in June 1989.
In July 1989, a month after leaving, he established Tsuburaya Eizo. He would serve as executive producer for many television shows by his company, including Babel II: Beyond Infinity (2001) and Genma Wars: Eve of Mythology (2002). In February 2002, he rejoined Tsuburaya Productions and became the head of the production department as vice president. In May 2005, however, he left Tsuburaya Productions once again and was appointed director of Tsuburaya Dream Factory that June.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Position | Notes |
| 1966 | Ultra Q | Assistant director | Episodes "Kanegon's Cocoon" & "Challenge From the Year 2020" |
| 1966 | Ultraman | Assistant director | Four episodes |
| 1967 | Ultraseven | Assistant director | Of special effects |
| 1968 | Operation: Mystery! | Assistant director | |
| 1970 | Chibira-kun | Producer | |
| 1972 | Triple Fighter | Producer | |
| 1973 | Fireman | Producer | |
| 1974 | Army of the Apes | Producer | |
| 1974 | Ultraman Leo | Producer | |
| 1976 | Star of Pro-Wrestling Aztecaser | Producer | |
| 1976 | Kyoryu Tankentai Born Free | Producer | |
| 1977 | Dinosaur War Izenborg | Producer | |
| 1978 | Dinosaur Corps Koseidon | Producer | |
| 1978 | Star Wolf | Executive producer | |
| 1979 | White Hand, Beautiful Hand, Cursed Hand | Executive producer | |
| 1980 | Bizarre! Golden-eyed Girl | Executive producer | |
| 1980 | Vengeful Spirit! Sneering Doll | Executive producer | |
| 1980 | Bokura Yakyu Tanteidan | Executive producer | |
| 1981 | All Robots Who Can Feel Gather | Executive producer | |
| 1982 | Princess Sakurako, the Evil Spirit | Executive producer | |
| 1982 | Cute Demon | Executive producer | |
| 1982 | Midare Karakuri | Executive producer | |
| 1983 | In the Eye of the Devil | Executive producer | |
| 1983 | The Legendary Ghost Cat | Executive producer | |
| 1983 | Picture Book of Sweets | Executive producer | |
| 1983 | The Lost Honor of Natsuko Aizawa | Executive producer | |
| 1983 | Adventurous Trip to the End of the Universe | Executive producer | |
| 1984 | Cursed Mannequin Doll | Executive producer | |
| 1984 | Popular Kaiju Parade | Executive producer | |
| 1984 | Two Women | Executive producer | |
| 1985 | The Night I Died | Executive producer | |
| 1985 | Demon Within | Producer | |
| 1986 | The Samurai | Executive producer | |
| 1987 | Fear of 3:00 AM | Executive producer | |
| 1988 | Sorry for the Wait! The Complete Works of Ultraman | Executive producer | |
| 1988 | Office Love | Executive producer | |
| 1989 | Pursue the 7 Mysteries of Ultraman! | Executive producer | |
| 1989 | Decision! Best Ten of Ultraman | Executive producer | |
| 1990 | Superman Detective Schwatch | Executive producer | |
| 1990 | Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars | Producer | |
| 1991 | Crystal Blue Shadow | Executive producer | |
| 1991 | Yōka Mandragora's Counterattack | Executive producer | |
| 1991 | Skyscraper Hunting | Planner | |
| 1991 | Mikadroid | Producer | |
| 1993 | Legendary Fairy Woman, Siren 1 | Planner | |
| 1994 | Legendary Fairy Woman, Siren 2 | Planner | |
| 1995 | Corporate Warrior Yamazaki | Planner | |
| 1995 | Prisoner Maria: The Movie | Producer | |
| 1995 | Female Prisoner Executioner Maria 2 | Producer | |
| 1995 | White Coat of Amazoness | Producer | |
| 1995 | Legendary Fairy Woman, Siren 3 | | |
| 1996 | Heisei Shameless Academy | Executive producer | |
| 1996 | Legendary Fairy Woman, Siren 4 | Planner | |
| 1997 | The Messiah from the Future | Planner | |
| 1997 | Devil Summoner | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | I Want to Play and Live for the Rest of My Life | Planner/Acting role | |
| 1998 | Kachiri the Locksmith | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | The Mysterious Transfer Student | Planner | |
| 1998 | Neptune in Dotsuki Dotsukare | Planner | |
| 1998 | Women Who Slept with Bubbles | Producer | |
| 1998 | Informant (Chikuri) Maru Backstory Investigation | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | Rosetta: The Masked Angel | Executive producer | |
| 1999 | Danger de mort | Planner | |
| 1999 | The Man Who Shot Don | Planner | |
| 2000 | Būba Sensei | Executive producer | |
| 2000 | Chinpira | Producer | |
| 2001 | STAR BOWS | Executive producer | |
| 2001 | Zombie Snake | Planner | |
| 2002 | Wild 7: another | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Barom-1 | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Genma Wars: Eve of Mythology | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Beast Fighter | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Demon Lord Dante | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Got Mars | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Babel II | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Submarine Super 99 | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Gun Frontier | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Cosmo Warrior Zero | Executive producer | |
| 2002 | Fortune Dogs | Executive producer | |
| 2004 | Eko Eko Azarak | Producer | |
| 2004 | Space Symphony Maetel ~Galaxy Express 999 Gaiden~ | Producer | |
| 2004 | Mysterious Case Special Investigation Team S.R.I Laughing Fire Daruma Man | Executive producer | |
| 2005 | Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater | Planner | Six-part film |
| 2006 | A Chain of Cursed Murders | Planner | |
| 2006 | Cat Eyed Boy | Planner | |
| 2008 | Bringing Godzilla Down to Size | Interviewee | |