is a Japanese filmmaker. Known for his tokusatsu blockbusters, Higuchi is considered one of Japan's leading filmmakers of the 21st century.
Higuchi became known for his work on Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, for which he won the Special Technology Award at the 19th Japan Academy Film Prize. In 2005, he made his feature directorial debut on Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean. His second feature film, Sinking of Japan (2006), was second place at the Bunshun Kiichigo Awards. His 2015 live-action two-part film adaptation of Hajime Isayama's manga series, Attack on Titan, won the Excellence in Theatrical Live Action Film award at the 2016 VFX-JAPAN Awards. In 2017, Higuchi and Hideaki Anno won the Director of the Year award at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize for their work on the 2016 kaiju film Shin Godzilla. His 2022 film, Shin Ultraman, was a major success in Japan, and has received generally positive reviews from critics internationally.
Biography
Early life
Higuchi was born on September 22, 1965, in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. When Higuchi was in junior high school, his aunt took him on a tour of Toho Studios, where she worked on commercials. Upon watching Toho's special effects crew at work, Higuchi became inspired and frequently visited the filming sets.
In 2019, Higuchi told French interviewers about his education: "At the end of high school, when I had to pass the entrance examinations to universities, I failed everything. But since I was in a very popular high school, the school leaders refused to let me leave empty-handed! [laughs] So they said to me: 'you have to pass an exam, any!' I ended up passing my entrance examination for the Japanese Post Office, as a civil servant. I was sorted, locked up in a warehouse."
Early career
Higuchi entered the Japanese film industry in 1984, working as an assistant modeler on The Return of Godzilla.
As a key Daicon/Gainax member, he played an important part in the creation of one of the most popular anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). He was a writer and art director/storyboarder for the series. He was also the namesake for the show's protagonist, Shinji Ikari. He later voice-acted a musician modeled after himself in two episodes of Karekano.
Higuchi made his directorial debut in 1992 with the disaster film The Day the Sun Fissured: The Great Tokyo Earthquake, which he produced for Tokyo Fire Department.
Personal affairs
Higuchi supports Japan's whaling and consumptions of whale meat in general, and has appeared in a 2023 pro-whaling documentary film by Keiko Yagi, the director of the 2015 film Behind The Cove. Yagi and Higuchi remarked that "Godzilla is closely connected to whales and environmental issues in naming of the character and other aspects", and expressed their supports for whaling and skeptical views towards veganism.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! SFX director
! Storyboard artist
! Notes
! Ref(s)
|-
|1984
| The Return of Godzilla
|
|
|
|Assistant modeler
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1988
|Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Gunbuster
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|1990
|Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
|
|
|
|Director of episodes 23–39
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1991
|The Cat
|
|
|
|One scene only; uncredited
|
|-
|Mikadroid
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|1992
|The Day the Sun Fissured: The Great Tokyo Earthquake
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1996
|Space Ship Remnant 6
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Gamera 2: Attack of Legion
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|1997
|The End of Evangelion
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|1998
|Love & Pop
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1999
|Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Betterman
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2000
|Sakuya: Slayer of Demons
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2001
|Pistol Opera
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
|
|
|
| Uncredited
|
|-
|The Princess Blade
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |2003
|Pokémon: Jirachi—Wish Maker
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Dino Crisis 3
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Dragon Head
|
|
|
|Visual effects designer
|
|-
|Kill Bill: Vol. 1
|
|
|
|Production co-ordinator
|
|-
|2005
|Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2008
|Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2010
|Monster Magnitude: 9
|
|
|
|Screenwriter
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2012
|Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|The Floating Castle
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2013
|Kill la Kill
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2014
|Garm Wars: The Last Druid
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2015
|Attack on Titan
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Attack on Titan: End of the World
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2016
|Shin Godzilla
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2018
|Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan
|
|
|
|Original story
|
|-
|2020
|The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8
|
|
|
|Original story
|
|-
|2021
|Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2022
|Ribbon
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Shin Ultraman
|
|
|
|Camera operator
|
|-
|Kamen Rider Black Sun
|
|
|
|Visual concept designer
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2023
|Baian the Assassin, M.D.
|
|
|
|Trailer creator
|
|-
|Baian the Assassin, M.D. 2
|
|
|
|Trailer creator
|
|-
|Kyrie
|
|
|
|Actor
|
|-
|2024
|Brush of the God
|
|
|
|Actor
|
|-
|2025
|Bullet Train Explosion
|
|
|
|Title sequence creator
|
|-
|}
Accolades
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Award ceremony
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Work(s)
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" | Note(s)
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
| rowspan="3" |Japan Academy Film Prize
|1996
|Gamera: Guardian of the Universe
|Special Technology
|
|
|
|-
|2013
|The Floating Castle
|Director of the Year
|
|With Isshin Inudo
|
|-
|2017
|Shin Godzilla
|Director of the Year
|
|With Hideaki Anno
|
|-
|Line News Awards
|2022
|
|Cultural Person
|
|
|
|-
|46th Japan Academy Film Prize
|2023
|Shin Ultraman
|Director of the Year
|
|
|
|-
|}