Naoko Yamada is a Japanese animator and director. Working at Kyoto Animation, she directed the anime series K-On! And Tamako Market, and the anime films A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird and The Colors Within. In 2021, she directed the original net animation The Heike Story under Science Saru. The series premiered on Japanese television in January 2022. She has won multiple awards for her work, as well as become world renowned for her stylistic choices in anime.