Thirty-five years dedicated to the same studio is the kind of career that in any other industry ends with a memorable farewell, some recognition, and decent compensation. In the anime industry, it seems, it can simply end with a closing door. A veteran animator who spent over two decades as a full-time employee at Madhouse shared publicly how his departure at the end of March went: without severance pay, without retention efforts, without any major ceremony.

A quiet exit with much to say

The animator was careful in the tone of his message. No explicit bitterness, no direct accusations. What he describes is a completely plain departure: he decided to leave, no one made any effort to retain him, and he received no compensation for his more than twenty years as a formal employee of the studio. Since late March, he has been working at another company, and his public message focuses more on the new beginning than on what he left behind.

In fact, the attitude he conveys is almost that of someone starting from scratch by choice. He mentioned that he is studying art collections from a recognized figure in the field and is dedicating himself to improving as if he were starting his career for the first time. He also clarified that he will not respond to direct messages or job offers, asking for understanding while he focuses on this new phase. It is a closure that, in form, sounds serene. At its core, it leaves important questions unanswered.

Because what the animator doesn’t explicitly say, the context perfectly conveys. Thirty-five years in animation, over twenty as a full-time employee, and a departure without retention or compensation is exactly the kind of case that fuels the conversation the anime industry has long been having about how it treats its most experienced creators. It’s not an isolated scandal: it’s a personal example within a broader pattern that includes low wages, lack of job stability, and a structure that has historically prioritized production over the well-being of those who make it possible.

Madhouse is one of the most respected animation studios in anime history. Founded in 1972, it has in its catalog titles like Death Note, Hunter x Hunter (2011), Claymore, No Game No Life, and One Punch Man (first season), among dozens of other works that defined entire generations of fans. Its creative reputation is enormous, which makes stories like this especially hard to ignore: behind each of those titles are people with long careers whose working conditions rarely receive the same attention as the productions they helped build.

Do you think the anime industry owes its veteran animators an unresolved debt, or is the problem too structural to be resolved on a case-by-case basis?