Celebrated Tales of character designer Mutsumi Inomata has died at 63

Cherished Tales of character designer Mutsumi Inomata has passed away as confirmed by her sister on social media Monday. Her legacy includes working on multiple beloved Tales of RPG entries and anime series, with roles as an animation director and character designer.

As translated by Siliconera, the social media message from Inomata’s sister explained her passing was a “very sudden death.” No cause has been given. Unfortunately, Inomata has unfinished drafts she was working on. She added that Inomata is “probably surrounded by cats and creating more characters with strong eyes.”

The end of the message gives thanks to the fans for appreciating Inomata’s work over the years. The open letter also asks not to send flowers to the grieving family.

Inomata has been associated with the Tales of series since its second entry, Tales of Destiny. She has worked on 12 of the series titles and has certainly left a mark on the RPG genre, including both Tales of Xillia games. She’s known for her imaginative fantasy designs and watercolour-inspired art — a striking piece fans in the West may be most familiar with include her brilliant design on the Tales of Graces cover. The artist also worked on Brain Power and City Hunter anime series among many others.

“I admired Inomata-san’s beautiful paintings, and eventually became a part of the industry, and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with her on The Continent of the Wind,” said Space Battleship Yamato 2199 character designer Nobuteru Yūki on social media.

“I am who I am today because I was fascinated by Inomata’s paintings, and she gave me a lot of encouragement,” said Slayers character conceptual designer Rui Araizumi. “Thank you very much for all your wonderful works.”

The last game Inomata worked on was 2017’s Tales of Berseria. As of the time of writing, the game is currently 90% off on Steam until March 21.