Naoko Yamada

Naoko Yamada () (山田 尚子, Yamada Naoko) is a Japanese animator and director. Working at Kyoto Animation until 2020, she has directed the anime series K-On! (2009–2010) and Tamako Market (2013), and the anime films A Silent Voice (2016), Liz and the Blue Bird (2018) and The Colors Within (2024). In 2021, she directed the original net animation (ONA) The Heike Story under Science Saru.

The series premiered on Japanese television in January 2022. Yamada has won multiple awards for her work, and has received widespread renown for her stylistic choices in anime. She was also one of the youngest directors at Kyoto Animation, getting her first directing opportunity around 4 years after finishing university and starting work for the studio.