Kouda Masayuki is a Japanese animator, anime director, character designer, and storyboard artist. Kouda began his career as an in-between artist for Studio Pierrot before making his genga (original drawing) debut in 2005. He is primarily known for his work in the Naruto franchise, yet was first recognized for his strong drawing ability as a animation director/animator for the show 'Blue Dragon' (2007), which translated into becoming a high priority animation director for Naruto Shippuden from 2010-2013. In 2014, Kouda made his debut as character designer and chief animation director for the show 'Baby Steps'. Following this, he made his directorial debut for Naruto Shippuden episode 469 (2016) and became a leading member of the franchise's staff moving forward.