Sōichirō Hatano is a Japanese light novelist recognized as the original creator of the anime and light novel series Myriad Colors Phantom World. He resides in the Kyushu region of Japan. Hatano made his professional debut in December 2013 when his submitted work, originally titled Phantom World, won an award in a major writing competition. Specifically, his manuscript received the Incentive Award in the novel category at the 4th Kyoto Animation Awards in May of that same year. Following this recognition, the winning story was revised, retitled Myriad Colors Phantom World, and published under the KA Esuma Bunko imprint, marking his official entry into the publishing industry.

The most significant achievement of Hatano's career is the adaptation of his light novel series into a television anime. Myriad Colors Phantom World was broadcast in Japan from January to March 2016. The original light novel series is comprised of three volumes, with the first released in 2013 and the final volume following in 2016. In the afterword of his debut novel, Hatano candidly described his life before his success, noting that he lived ascetically, spending more on books each month than on food. While Myriad Colors Phantom World remains his primary and most recognized work, no other major original anime or manga creations are attributed to him in verified sources. His industry significance stems from being a recipient of a Kyoto Animation Award, a competition that has launched the careers of several other notable authors, and for having his work adapted into a full animated series by Kyoto Animation, a studio known for its high production values. His artistic identity is therefore closely tied to this single, representative fantasy series.