Veteran Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. After joining Toei Animation and then Tatsunoko Production, Wakabayashi finally landed at Studio Pierrot, where he was considered the backbone of the studio's animation in the 90s.
He is known for his bombastic animation style, which makes the designs he draws look malleable and often exaggerated. He was influenced by animators such as Takashi Nakamura and Kouji Morimoto, and he is also a friend of Norio Matsumoto. His direction is inspired by Japanese live-action cinema as well as French directors such as Luc Besson.
Wakabayashi gained considerable notoriety on the NARUTO series, which he was invited to work on by Hayato Date after a chance meeting at Pierrot. He is best known for storyboarding and directing episode 167 of NARUTO: Shippuuden: Naruto vs. Pain.
His main focus in anime these days is more on storyboarding, as he feels that the changes in the anime industry do not allow him to animate as freely as he used to.
