Osamu Kobayashi (illustrator)

 (January 10, 1964 – April 17, 2021
) was a Japanese animator, illustrator, mechanical designer, and animation director primarily known for "BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad" and "Paradise Kiss"; his guest appearance as director of episode 4 of "Gurren Lagann", and, most recently, episode 15 of "Dororo". After graduating from high school, he worked as a designer and manga artist, but following his participation in "Grandia" he was mainly active in the field of animation. He originally directed avant-garde shorts and music videos for Studio 4°C and has more recently done two TV series for Madhouse Studios. He died of kidney cancer on April 17, 2021.
His name is occasionally rendered in full katakana to differentiate from Osamu Kobayashi, an unrelated anime episode director.