Japanese animation director Yūji Yanase has passed away at the age of 59 due to a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. His death was announced on September 2, 2026, by MAHO FILM, the studio he had been affiliated with since 2023. Yanase had worked on a wide range of animated works, including Akira, Death Note, Hellsing, Chobits, Naruto Shippuden, and Pokémon XY, before directing many adaptations of manga and light novels. MAHO FILM noted that he had been working with the studio as a director since his debut, officially joining as an employee in 2023 and playing a key role in production management. His funeral was held in private with family members. Yūji Yanase's career in Japanese animation spanned nearly four decades. In the late 1980s, he contributed to the "in-between animation" of Akira, the groundbreaking film by Katsuhiro Otomo, which was adapted from his own manga. He later worked as an animator, animation director, storyboard artist, or episode director on many series, several of which are based on manga that have become major titles: Hellsing, from Kōta Hirano; Chobits, from the collective CLAMP; Death Note, by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata; and Naruto Shippuden, adapted from Masashi Kishimoto's manga. He also worked on Macross 7, Aria the Animation, Saint Seiya Omega, and Pokémon XY. Yanase truly moved into directing series in 2014 with Himegoto, an adaptation of the manga by Norio Tsukudani. In 2017, he directed the first season of In Another World With My Smartphone, based on the light novel by Patora Fuyuhara and Eiji Usatsuka. The drawn version is published in France by nobi nobi !, in a translation by Aurélie Brun. In 2020, he directed By the Grace of the Gods and its second season, an adaptation of the novels by Roy, themselves adapted into manga by Ranran. In 2022, he directed In the Land of Leadale, another series that originated as a web novel before becoming a light novel and then a manga. The drawn adaptation by Dashio Tsukimi, based on Ceez and with a composition by Ryō Suzukaze, is available in France with Doki-Doki. The first volume was translated by Pénélope Roullon-Ishihara. In 2023, he directed My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1, and in 2024, I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History, both broadcast in France by Crunchyroll. These works originated as web novels, then became light novels and manga before their animated adaptations. In 2025, Yanase also directed Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra, known to French readers as Mynoghra: Annonciateur de l'apocalypse. The work by Fehu Kazuno, which began as a web novel, led to an illustrated light novel by Navigavi and a manga drawn by Yasaiko Midorihana. Both versions are available in France, respectively at Maho Éditions and Delcourt/Tonkam. At the time of the announcement of his death, two series directed by Yūji Yanase were still being broadcast in Japan. The World's Strongest Rearguard, launched on July 5, 2026, adapts the light novel by Toowa and Huuka Kazabana, which also has a manga version drawn by Rikizo. The next day began The Insipid Prince's Furtive Grab for the Throne, broadcast in France by Crunchyroll: this series is also based on a novel, written by Tanba and illustrated by Yuunagi, adapted in parallel into a manga by Yukino Amagai. Several teams with whom he had worked paid tribute to him, noting his significant contributions to their projects. His career reflected the evolution of the anime industry, which has increasingly focused on adapting novels and web content into animated series.