Hiroyuki Utatane is a Japanese manga artist and anime director born on June 15, 1966, in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. He is married to fellow manga artist Ryō Ramiya. Utatane began his career creating adult manga, with works such as Countdown marking his early presence in the industry. Over time, his body of work expanded to include seinen series, though he has continued to produce adult-oriented material as well.

Utatane is credited as the original creator for the anime adaptation of Countdown, which was released as the OVA series Yuuwaku Countdown in 1995. The same year, he served as director and creator for the Cool Devices OVA series. His work in anime also includes key animation for an episode of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S. Beyond these projects, he has been involved in official Neon Genesis Evangelion media, providing character refine designs and character illustrations for the Evangelion Anima novel series.

In manga, Utatane created the one-shot volume Temptation: Erotic Eccentric in 1993. He provided the art for the science fiction series Seraphic Feather, which began publication in 1994, with the story credited to Toshiya Takeda. His other manga works include Lythtis, Countdown: Sex Bombs, and the series Heaven's Prison, which was serialized in Ultra Jump. A more recent work is Bullet x Fang from 2019.

Utatane’s artistic style is noted for its quality in drawing the human form, with a particular emphasis on detail in erotic scenes. His visual approach has been described as incorporating elements reminiscent of ukiyo-e prints, and he demonstrates a careful attention to clothing design, whether depicting classical garments or futuristic attire. His career reflects a trajectory from early adult works to significant contributions to mainstream seinen manga, alongside occasional returns to his original genre.