Akihiko Iguchi

Akihiko Iguchi (井口昭彦, Iguchi Akihiko) is a Japanese designer and art director. His real name is Akihiko Takahashi (高橋昭彦, Takahashi Akihiko). He participated in the design work of the Ultraman Series in the 1970s.

Career[]

When Iguchi was in the second grade of elementary school in Niigata Prefecture, his painting was awarded and displayed at Muikamachi Station, sparking his interest in design. Due to his father's job, he frequently changed schools and devoted much of his time to drawing. In high school, he attended a prestigious school in Nagano Prefecture and focused on creating art as part of the school's art club.^[1]

While studying fine arts at Musashino Art University, Iguchi worked as an art staff member for TBS Television. In 1966, he joined Tsuburaya Productions along with Noriyoshi Ikeya, contributing to the art direction of special effects works such as Ultraman and Ultraseven. He began his role as a designer with Mighty Jack in 1968.

In the 1970s, starting with Return of Ultraman, Iguchi took on more responsibilities as Ikeya left Tsuburaya to focus on film projects. Design work was temporarily handled by Ken Kumagai and later by Kako Yonetani. When Yonetani was reassigned to the Mirrorman production team, the design role passed to Iguchi. During this time, he not only handled art design for the series but also worked on mechanical and monster designs.

In 1972, Iguchi gained recognition for designing numerous "Terrible-Monsters" in Ultraman Ace alongside Yoshio Suzuki. After 1973, he left Tsuburaya Productions to work on Toho projects, contributing to the Godzilla series by designing iconic monsters such as Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus. In the 1990s, Iguchi returned to Tsuburaya Productions, designing monsters for Ultraseven: The Final Chapters and Ultraman Neos .^[2]

In the 21st century, Iguchi has frequently participated in interviews and events related to the Ultraman series. In 2020s, he held a solo exhibition.^[3] As of 2025, he remains one of the few surviving Showa-era monster designers.