Kunihiko Ikuhara is a Japanese anime director, music producer, novelist, and manga creator, born on December 21, 1964, in Osaka Prefecture and raised in Komatsushima, Tokushima Prefecture. He is best known for creating and directing original anime and manga works that are celebrated for their bold symbolism, complex narratives, and distinctive visual style.

Ikuhara began his career at Toei Animation in 1986. He worked as an episode director on series like Kingyo Chuuihou! and gained prominence as the series director for the Sailor Moon franchise, starting with Sailor Moon R and continuing through Sailor Moon SuperS. He also directed the 1993 theatrical film Sailor Moon R: The Movie. Seeking greater creative control, he left Toei in 1996 and formed the creative group Be-Papas. This collective produced his first major original work, Revolutionary Girl Utena, for which Ikuhara served as the original creator and director of the 1997 anime television series. He also wrote the story for its 1999 theatrical film, Adolescence of Utena, and oversaw related manga and musical adaptations. After a period away from directing, during which he wrote novels and manga, Ikuhara returned to television with the original anime series Penguindrum in 2011. He followed this with Yurikuma Arashi in 2015 and Sarazanmai in 2019, serving as director and as the original creator for each project.

Beyond his anime work, Ikuhara has been directly involved as the original creator for several manga series. The manga adaptation of Penguindrum, illustrated by Isuzu Shibata, was published by Gentosha under the creative group name Ikunichawder, which is a credited pseudonym for Ikuhara. Similarly, the manga Sarazanmai: Reo and Mabu, which focuses on the two police officers from the Sarazanmai anime, is based on an original story by Ikuhara and was illustrated by Misaki Saitō. He has also provided the original story for other manga, including Nokemono to Hanayome, illustrated by Asumiko Nakamura, and Yuri Kuma Arashi, illustrated by Akiko Morishima. In novel form, Ikuhara co-wrote the Penguindrum novel series with Kei Takahashi and wrote Schell Bullet with Mamoru Nagano.

Recurring themes in Ikuhara's work include revolution against social systems, the nature of fate and destiny, and the bonds of love and family, which are often tested by societal pressures and past traumas. His artistic identity is characterized by the use of repetition, elaborate metaphors, and surreal imagery, including the frequent symbolic use of flowers and hands to convey character emotions. He has cited the Japanese classic Night on the Galactic Railroad by Kenji Miyazawa as an influence on Penguindrum, and his work is noted for engaging with serious historical and social issues, such as the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack being a central theme in Penguindrum.

Kunihiko Ikuhara is a significant figure in the anime industry, having risen from a prominent director of mainstream anime like Sailor Moon to become a highly respected auteur of original, thematically rich works. His creation Revolutionary Girl Utena is widely considered a landmark series that has influenced countless subsequent creators. After a decade-long hiatus from directing, his return with Penguindrum was met with critical acclaim, reaffirming his status as an innovative force whose work continues to challenge and expand the narrative possibilities of the anime medium.