Raito Nishizaka

is a Japanese director and illustrator known for his work on the Japanese feature film Aichaku and the Japanese comedy series The Benza and travel documentary series Getting Dirty in Japan.

Early life Nishizaka was born in Fukushima, Japan. In order to escape domestic violence by his father, he spent the fifth and sixth grades at Soma Aiikuen, a children's home in Sōma, Fukushima Prefecture. During his stay at the orphanage, he was deeply affected by the stories of child abuse and the harsh situations many of the young people faced after leaving the orphanage. He was returned to his mother soon after he entered junior high school.

Upon graduating high school, Nishizawa joined a newspaper scholarship program that allowed him to attend school while delivering newspapers. He used this scholarship to enter the directing course at Nikkatsu Art Academy, a film school in Tokyo. While in school, he directed a short film, “Like Back Then,” which won the Excellence Award at the West Tokyo Film Festival.

Career After graduation, he worked as an art assistant for special effects films and TV programs before becoming a freelance film director and illustrator including several picture books.

In 2014, he joined the Tokyo-based production company Tokyo Cowboys. In 2018, Nishizaka notably directed the short film version of the Amazon Prime Video comedy series The Benza that would go on to become the series' pilot episode. He additionally directed the entire first series of The Benza as well as episodes of the second series and the spin-off series Benza English. Nishizaka also directed several episodes of Tokyo Cowboy's 2023 travel documentary series Getting Dirty in Japan, which features several of the cast members and staff from The Benza including Janni Olsson and Christopher McCombs.

In 2023, Nishizaka co-directed with frequent collaborator Michael Williams his first feature film, Aichaku, which was released on Amazon Prime Video in 2025.

Nishizaka continues to work as an illustrator and has released several children's picture books as well as providing artwork for The Benza RPG, a retro-RPG spin-off of The Benza.

Philanthropy Affected by his time in foster care as a child, Nishizaka continues to promote issues surrounding the foster care system and child abuse in Japan through his work.

"Railroad Switch," a short film he produced and directed in 2018, depicts the story of several people who grew up in orphanages and issues they face with society. "Mother and Daughter," a short film Nishizaka directed in 2025, also looks at the cycle of generational abuse. He also lectures about the importance of providing support for young people who have left foster care and those who cannot rely on their parents.

In 2019, he began producing a YouTube program called “The Three Flags” with Masako Yamamoto and Satoshi Brojan who also experienced growing up in orphanages. The point of "The Three Flags" is to continue to increase awareness about social issues surrounding the foster care system in Japan as well as other social issues focusing on children.

Filmography

Television + Year Title NotesRef 2019 The Benza Series 1 2020 Benza English Co-directed with Michael Williams 2022 The Benza Series 2 Episodes 1, 2, 6, 7 2023 Getting Dirty in Japan Series 1 Episodes 1, 2, 5 2025 Getting Dirty in Japan Series 2 Co-directed with Michael Williams

Short films + Year Title NotesRef 2018 Railroad Switch 2025 Mother and Daughter

Feature films + Year Title NotesRef 2018 The Wheel Omnibus film, directed "The Sister" 2024 Aichaku Co-directed with Michael Williams

Video Games + Year Title NotesRef 2022 The Benza RPG Opening scene

Illustration Video Games + Year Title NotesRef 2022 The Benza RPG Monster Design, Battle Sprites