Mutsumi Inomata

Mutsumi Inomata (いのまたむつみ) was a Japanese illustrator and animator. She was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture on December 23, 1960, and passed away on March 10, 2024.

Works

Mutsumi Inomata worked in a good deal of anime and video games since the 80s as a freelance. She is best known for her work on the characters and cover art for the "Tales of" series from Bandai Namco.

Inomata's paintings had a very bright, distinct, colorful watercolor style.

Inomata and Dragon Quest

Inomata drew multiple illustrations for the Dragon Quest series. Her artworks served to illustrate the CD Theater dramas for the first six games in the series, as well as for some of the novelizations. She also illustrated the Rubiss novel series, giving the goddess a bright red hair color.

One of her most notable influences on the series as a whole is her portrayal of Psaro, giving him a bishonen look with wild long silver hair, an appearance close to that of Jareth, the character David Bowie portrayed in the movie Labyrinth (1986).

Gallery

Some of Inomata's work in the Dragon Quest series include the following:

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  The descendant of Erdrick.
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  The descendant wielding Erdrick's sword.
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  The Hero and Princess Gwaelin.
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  Protecting the princess from a dragon.
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  The Hero resting.
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  The Luminaries of the Legendary Line.
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  The Princess of Moonbrooke.
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  The Hero Erdrick and companions.
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  Goddess Rubiss as drawn by Inomata.
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  Ragnar McRyan.
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  Tsarevna Alena.
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  Kiryl & Borya.
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  Torneko Taloon.
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  Hero Solo
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  The Zamoksvans.
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  Mahabala sisters.
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  The Chosen united.
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  Hero Solo and Psaro.
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  Hero Solo facing Psaro.
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  Psaro and Rose.
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  Bianca and her hero.
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  The two as adults.
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  The Hero's children.
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  The Heroes of VI.
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  The Runaway Teen.
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  The Swordsman in Blue
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  The Swordsman and the Mysterious Girl
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  Cover art for Mutsumi Inomata's Dragon Quest Illustrations.
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  Cover art for the original Dragon Quest CD Theater.
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  Cover art for the second Dragon Quest VI CD Theater.
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  Dragon Quest III Cover art.
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  Cover art for the 30th anniversary of the Erdrick Trilogy novels.