Yoshinobu Nishizaki

Yoshinobu Nishizaki was best known as the co-creator of Space Battleship Yamato. He was born in 1934 and graduated from Nihon University Art Department.

In 1994 he designed Yamato 2520. But in the end he was sued by Matsumoto Leiji for breach of copyright. Since then he has been arrested for gun and drug offences. Later in 2002 the court ruled that Nishizaki was the original author and owner of the copyright for Uchuu Senkan Yamato. Matsumoto appealed but settled out of court in 2003 in agreement that Nishizaki was the author.

He passed away on November 7th, 2010 at the age of 75 when he fell from a research steamboat, named Yamato, to the sea near Chichijima island and drowned.

(Source: AniDB)