Crunchyroll posthumously awarded influential director Tatsuya Nagamine, who passed away in 2025.
Crunchyroll presented its illustrious Global Impact Award, a newly minted award introduced in last year's ninth iteration of the ceremony, posthumously to acclaimed anime director Tatsuya Nagamine, who passed away in August 2025.
The awards ceremony honoured his legacy with a heartfelt tribute, recounting his career and his impact to the industry. His close personal friend and fellow colleague, Masayuki Sato, accepted the award on his behalf.
Who was Tatsuya Nagamine?
Tatsuya Nagamine was known for his work on the One Piece anime. He directed episode 892 (the beginning of Wano Kuni arc) through episode 1122, which was the end of the first part of Egghead Island arc before the anime went on a hiatus in October 2024. He was also the director of One Piece Log: Fishman Island Saga, which aired during the anime’s hiatus from October 2024- March 2025. He directed One Piece Film Z, the One Piece: Heart of Gold special. He was also the assistant director for the One Piece: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventure in Alabasta, which came out in 2007.
Nagamine directed the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie, and directed the Dragon Ball Super anime from episode 77 to episode 131. He was the assistant director for Dragon Ball Movie 4: The Path to Power, an animator for Dragon Ball Z Kai, and an assistant animation director for Dragon Ball GT. He also directed the Digimon Savers the Movie - Ultimate Power! Burst Mode Invoke!! film and was assistant director for the Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown movie.
Nagamine is also known for the Precure anime series, as he directed the HappinessCharge PreCure! anime and the Heartcatch Precure! Series. He was an episode director for several other Precure anime series as well as directed two movies. He was also an episode director for Saint Seiya Omega.
Nagamine passed away due to undisclosed circumstances on 20 August, 2025. His passing was publicly announced by his colleagues in November of the same year.
What is the Global Impact Award?
The “Global Impact Award” is a new category of award introduced by Crunchyroll in 2025 for its ninth iteration of the Anime Awards.
The distinction seeks to highlight and celebrate “visionary creators and groundbreaking works that have left an indelible mark on culture, history, and the hearts of audiences around the world.”
Isayama Hajime's “Attack on Titan” was the first to be awarded this distinction.