Shoji Gatoh was born on July 11, 1971, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, and is a graduate of Chuo University. He is a Japanese author and anime screenwriter, best known as the original creator of the Full Metal Panic! franchise. His career began with the Full Metal Panic! light novel series, which first published on December 18, 1998, and became the foundation for a multimedia franchise including manga adaptations and multiple anime television series.

Gatoh is credited as the author for the manga Full Metal Panic! Sigma, which was illustrated by Hiroshi Ueda. This manga series, based on the events of the original light novels, ran from August 1, 2005, to September 20, 2013, and was published in Monthly Dragon Age magazine. Beyond this work, his notable original creations include the light novel series Cop Craft: Dragnet Mirage Reloaded, which began in November 2009, and Amagi Brilliant Park, which started in February 2013. More recently, he authored the light novel series MOON FIGHTERS!, published in 2023.

His role as an original creator extends deeply into anime production, where he frequently serves as a screenwriter and series composer. For the Full Metal Panic! anime adaptations, he worked as story editor on the first series, wrote screenplays for Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, and handled series composition for Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid and Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory. His work as a screenwriter is not limited to his own properties; he contributed series composition for Hyouka and wrote for episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star. He also took on series composition and script duties for the anime adaptation of his own Cop Craft, as well as the original television series Estab Life: Great Escape.

Gatoh has a long-standing professional relationship with director Koichi Chigira, which began with a chance meeting and later solidified during their collaboration on the Full Metal Panic! anime at Gonzo Digimation. In December 2019, he was involved in a public controversy following a tweet he posted about environmental activist Greta Thunberg. The remarks, which he later deleted, drew criticism and prompted a response from Tetsuro Kasahara, the illustrator of Full Metal Panic! Zero. Gatoh subsequently issued an apology for the post.