Shōko Ikeda

, known professionally as , was a Japanese animator and character designer who worked at Kyoto Animation. She worked as character designer and chief animation director for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and the Sound! Euphonium franchise, and after her death in the Kyoto Animation arson attack, she was posthumously credited for her work on the 2023 OVA Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble Contest and the anime's 2024 third season.

Career Shoko Ikeda, a native of Kyoto Prefecture, Inspired by the anime OVA Gunbuster to pursue a career as an animator, and she joined Kyoto Animation in 1996. During her early years in Kyoto Animation, she worked as an animation director for Inuyasha, for which the studio was a coloring subcontractor, during which she encouraged employees at the studio to "make works of higher quality than any other company".

In 2006, Ikeda was the character designer and chief animation director for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. At Anime Expo 2008, she won the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Award for Best Character Design for her work on the anime. She also worked as an animation director for Kanon, Lucky Star and K-On!, among others.

Personal life She was a fan of the Takarazuka Revue's productions of the musical Elisabeth, at one point doing a parody at Kyoto Animation's end-of-year party.

Death Ikeda was killed in the Kyoto Animation arson attack on 18 July 2019; her body was found on the second floor. She was 44 years old. 2006 Kanon (Kyoto Animation) 2006–2009 The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2007 Lucky Star 2007 Clannad 2008 Clannad: After Story 2009–2010 K-On! 2011 Nichijou 2012 Hyouka 2012–2014 Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! 2013 Tamako Market 2015–2024 Sound! Euphonium (posthumousin season 3) 2017 Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid 2018 Violet Evergarden Films Year Title Characterdesigner Chiefanimationdirector Animationdirector Animator 2010 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya 2013 Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!: Rikka Version 2014 Tamako Love Story 2016 Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Welcome to the Kitauji High School Concert Band 2017 Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – May the Melody Reach You! 2018 Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me 2019 Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day 2019 Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (posthumous) 2020 Violet Evergarden: The Movie (posthumous) 2023 Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble Contest (posthumous) 2026 Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie (posthumous)