Yoshitaka Amano received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Concept Art Awards, presented October 24 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. His ZAN limited anime series is in production, and the pilot film was announced for Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 3.
Yoshitaka Amano's 2026 runs from his own anime project to recognition from the US concept art field. On October 24 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Concept Art Awards, held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. He is the third Japanese recipient, after Hayao Miyazaki in 2020 and Katsuhiro Otomo in 2022. The next day he appeared in the talk program "An Hour with Yoshitaka Amano" at LightBox Expo 2026.
The award followed a stretch in which ZAN, his long-running anime project, moved into production. Based on his 2010 art collection DEVA ZAN, it was announced as a film in 2010 and rebooted as a series in 2022; it is now listed as a limited anime series. Shigeyasu Yamauchi and Toru Yoshida direct, Ryosuke Takahashi handles series composition, and Kunio Okawara is mechanical designer, with staff drawn from Armored Trooper Votoms veterans. The pilot film was announced to premiere at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 3. Amano also established Yoshitaka Amano Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, which covers animation production, art management and licensing.
Print and product work surrounds it. Dark Horse will release a second edition of his Deva Zan artbook novel with a new cover by Amano; the first English hardcover came out in January 2013. YOSHITAKA AMANO PRIVATE WORKS, a 20-volume series of personal artworks, opened with a Medusa-themed Volume 1 on July 9 at 4,950 yen. Square Enix's Gallery Cards line starts with a Final Fantasy 40th anniversary set on January 8, 2027, whose rare tiers include an Amano-signed Ultima card.
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1d ago
Yoshitaka Amano received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Concept Art Awards, TWIN PLANET announced. The ceremony was held on October 24 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. Amano is the third Japanese recipient, after Hayao Miyazaki in 2020 and Katsuhiro Otomo in 2022. Amano appeared the next day in the talk program "An Hour with Yoshitaka Amano" at LightBox Expo 2026. The awards are organized by the Concept Art Association.
Sep 10
Square Enix will launch a new trading card series, Square Enix Gallery Cards, with a first set tied to Final Fantasy's 40th anniversary. The pack holds 180 card types across 97 illustrations and releases January 8, 2027 at 550 yen per pack, 5,500 yen per box. Y'shtola of Final Fantasy XIV appears on the package key visual, and rare tiers include a Yoshitaka Amano signed Ultima card, a Phantom hologram card, and an NFC Harmonic card.
Sep 3
Illustrator Yoshitaka Amano will receive the Lifetime Achievement award at The Concept Art Awards, held during LightBox Expo at the Pasadena Convention Center from October 23 to 25. Amano will also participate in an interview and signings. He is known for work on Vampire Hunter D, Final Fantasy, and Sandman: The Dream Hunters.
Jul 3
Dark Horse announced during Yoshitaka Amano's panel at Anime Expo on Friday that it is releasing a second edition of Amano's Deva Zan artbook novel. Amano is illustrating a new cover for the release. The first edition was released in English in hardcover in January 2013.
Jul 2
Yoshitaka Amano's long-gestating anime project ZAN, based on his 2010 art collection DEVA ZAN, has revealed its staff and will premiere a pilot film at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 3. The project, now listed as a limited anime series, was originally announced as a film in 2010 and rebooted as a series in 2022. The staff includes several mecha anime veterans who previously worked together on Armored Trooper Votoms. Shigeyasu Yamauchi and Toru Yoshida are directing. Ryosuke Takahashi is handling series composition. Moriyasu Taniguchi is chief animation director. Kunio Okawara is mechanical designer. Minoru Nishida is art director. The story follows a young samurai named ZAN from Sengoku-era Japan who is guided by a mysterious girl, Uzume, into a different world governed by the life symbol Trope and its ruler RIKKA. Alongside the announcement, Amano launched a new US-based company, Yoshitaka Amano Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, which will focus on animation production, art management, and licensing. An immersive exhibition called AMANO is also planned for global expansion starting in 2027.
Jun 23
On June 23, publisher ON THE SCENE Co., Ltd. announced YOSHITAKA AMANO PRIVATE WORKS, a 20-volume series collecting previously undisclosed personal artworks by Final Fantasy and Angel's Egg artist Yoshitaka Amano. Volume 1, themed on the Greek myth Medusa, releases July 9 at 4,950 yen. Film director Gen Iwama proposed the project after learning of the materials.
Jun 17
Artist Yoshitaka Amano announced he has established Yoshitaka Amano Inc., a Los Angeles-based company, and that production has begun on ZAN, a limited anime series based on his DEVA ZAN art. The project, previously announced as a film in 2010 and rebooted as a series in 2022, will debut its first trailer at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 3. The anime is part of a larger ZAN project that includes a blockchain game and NFT art.