Hiroko Utsumi is a Japanese anime director, animator, storyboard artist, and manga artist. She is a graduate of the Osaka Municipal College of Design. Utsumi began her career in the anime industry at Kyoto Animation, where she worked as an animator on numerous acclaimed series, including Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Clannad, and K-On!. Over time, she took on greater creative responsibilities, serving as a storyboard artist and episode director for shows like Nichijou, Hyouka, and Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions.

Utsumi's first major role as a series director came with the swimming anime Free!, which she also co-created and developed for Kyoto Animation's affiliated studio, Animation Do. She reprised her role as director for its sequel, Free! Eternal Summer. After leaving Animation Do, Utsumi continued to work as a freelance storyboard artist for various studios before being hired by MAPPA to direct the acclaimed adaptation of the manga Banana Fish. Her career then progressed to creating original anime series. She is the original creator and director of SK8 the Infinity, produced by Studio Bones. Her next original creation was Bucchigiri?!, for which she served as both the original creator and director at MAPPA. She is also the author of the ongoing manga series Super Carve!, which has been serialized in the magazine Animedia since 2016. Her body of work is characterized by a focus on original concepts and adaptations that explore intense male relationships and physicality, from competitive swimming and skateboarding to delinquent brawls. Utsumi is recognized as a significant creative force in the industry for her successful transitions between major studios and her ability to helm both acclaimed adaptations and popular original anime properties.