Yoshitaka Amano is receiving the Lifetime Achievement award at The Concept Art Awards during LightBox Expo in Pasadena, October 23 to 25, 2026, and is scheduled for an interview and signings. His long-gestating ZAN anime project is in production as a limited series, with a pilot film and first trailer set for Anime Expo 2026, and he has established Yoshitaka Amano Inc. in Los Angeles.
Yoshitaka Amano's career reached a new public peak in 2026, with honors and active projects converging. He 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. He is also scheduled for an interview and signings there. The award cites his decades of work on titles including Vampire Hunter D, Final Fantasy, and Sandman: The Dream Hunters.
The centerpiece of his current activity is ZAN, a limited anime series based on his 2010 art collection DEVA ZAN. Originally announced as a film in 2010, it was rebooted as a series in 2022, and the project is now in active production. Its first trailer debuts at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 3, where a pilot film will also premiere. The staff includes mecha anime veterans who previously worked on Armored Trooper Votoms, with Shigeyasu Yamauchi and Toru Yoshida directing, Ryosuke Takahashi on series composition, and Kunio Okawara as mechanical designer. The story follows a young samurai named ZAN from Sengoku-era Japan, guided by a girl named Uzume into a world ruled by the life symbol Trope and its ruler RIKKA.
Amano has also formalized his business operations. He established Yoshitaka Amano Inc., a Los Angeles-based company focused on animation production, art management, and licensing. An immersive exhibition called AMANO is planned for global expansion starting in 2027. In publishing, Dark Horse will release a second edition of the Deva Zan artbook novel, with a new cover illustrated by Amano, following the first English hardcover edition from January 2013. Separately, ON THE SCENE Co., Ltd. announced YOSHITAKA AMANO PRIVATE WORKS, a 20-volume series of his previously undisclosed personal artworks, beginning with a Medusa-themed volume on July 9.
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5d ago
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.