Japanese episode director with extensive experience across anime productions. Iwai directed multiple episodes of Dragon Ball Super and episodes of Super Dragon Ball Heroes, bringing energy and precision to the franchise's tournaments and key battles.
Iwai directed eighteen episodes of Dragon Ball Super, including critical moments across the God of Destruction Beerus Saga, Golden Frieza Saga, Universe 6 Saga, and Universe Survival Saga. Notable episodes include Android 17 versus Goku, the dramatic Vegeta sacrifice, and the climactic battles with Gogeta and Hearts in the Universal Conflict Saga. He also storyboarded and directed episodes for Super Dragon Ball Heroes.
Iwai has built a prolific career directing episodes across numerous anime series, particularly specializing in the Pretty Cure franchise where he directed dozens of episodes. His consistent work demonstrates skill in maintaining visual quality and narrative clarity across diverse productions.

There are no women on Namek. That isn't an oversight, it's the biology. Why we handed Piccolo the one thing his own species rules out, and why it had to be trap soul....

Dragon Ball handed us a protagonist with no history and the internet named him John Dragon Ball. So we built him somebody to talk to....
Japanese episode director with extensive experience across anime productions. Iwai directed multiple episodes of Dragon Ball Super and episodes of Super Dragon Ball Heroes, bringing energy and precision to the franchise's tournaments and key battles.
Iwai directed eighteen episodes of Dragon Ball Super, including critical moments across the God of Destruction Beerus Saga, Golden Frieza Saga, Universe 6 Saga, and Universe Survival Saga. Notable episodes include Android 17 versus Goku, the dramatic Vegeta sacrifice, and the climactic battles with Gogeta and Hearts in the Universal Conflict Saga. He also storyboarded and directed episodes for Super Dragon Ball Heroes.
Takao Iwai is a Japanese director who has worked on the Dragon Ball franchise. Specifically, Takao Iwai is credited as Episode director for Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes.
Iwai has built a prolific career directing episodes across numerous anime series, particularly specializing in the Pretty Cure franchise where he directed dozens of episodes. His consistent work demonstrates skill in maintaining visual quality and narrative clarity across diverse productions.
Takao Iwai is a Japanese director. Japanese episode director with extensive experience across anime productions.
Looking for more on Takao Iwai? The Dragon Ball Wiki on Fandom has a dedicated page with community notes.
View on FandomThis content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Dragon Ball anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.
Rights holders
All rights belong to their respective owners.
Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:
Browse our episode guides:
Official resources:
Daddy Jim Headquarters maintains this encyclopedia. If you spot an error, a translation issue, or something that doesn't look right, let us know.