Ayano Takeda is a Japanese novelist and manga author known for creating stories that focus on youth, music, and the intricate dynamics of school clubs. She was born in 1992 in Kyoto Prefecture and is a graduate of Doshisha University. Her career as a writer began in 2013 when her novel "Today, I'll Breathe with You" received an honorable mention in the 8th Japan Love Story Awards, which led to its publication as a "hidden gem" work.

Takeda is best known as the original creator of the Sound! Euphonium (Hibike! Euphonium) series. The first novel, "Sound! Euphonium: Welcome to the Kitauji High School Concert Band," was published in December 2013 and drew directly from her own five years of experience playing in a brass band during elementary and junior high school. The series became a major success after being adapted into an anime by Kyoto Animation. The television anime adaptation began airing in April 2015, and Takeda has been credited as the original author for the subsequent sequels and numerous theatrical films, including Gekijō-ban Hibike! Euphonium: Kitauji Kōkō Suisōgaku-Bu e Yōkoso, Gekijō-ban Hibike! Euphonium: Todoketai Melody, Sound! Euphonium The Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day, and Sound! Euphonium, The Final Movie.

Beyond the original novels, Takeda has been actively involved in the broader creative process of the anime adaptations. She has collaborated closely with directors at Kyoto Animation, such as Naoko Yamada, on films like Liz and the Blue Bird, which was based on a segment from her second-year arc novels. Takeda has described her working relationship with director Yamada as being like an "exchange diary," where they would draw inspiration from each other's work rather than relying on direct conversation. Her creative process often involves observing real-life relationships and emotional conflicts, particularly the complex and sometimes unstable feelings between young people, which she then channels into her characters.

In addition to the Sound! Euphonium series, Takeda has expanded her repertoire to include original manga series. She is the writer for the manga Flower and Asura (Hana wa Saku, Shura no Gotoku), which began serialization in Shueisha's Ultra Jump in June 2021. The story is set in a high school broadcasting club and was adapted into an anime television series that aired from January to March 2025. Her other published works include the "Row With You" canoe club series and several standalone novels, such as "Count the Blue Spring" and "It Doesn't Matter If You're Not Loved," the latter of which won the 42nd Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award for New Writers in 2021.

As a creator, Takeda holds a significant position in the anime and manga industry as a novelist whose work has formed the foundation for major multimedia franchises. She has served as a tourism ambassador for Uji City, the real-life setting for the Sound! Euphonium series, since 2016, highlighting the strong connection between her fictional stories and their real-world locations. Through both her original novels and manga, her work consistently explores coming-of-age themes, often using the framework of competitive school clubs to examine personal anxiety, friendship, and the pursuit of excellence.