adolescence, Yuasa was encouraged by the early boom of Japanese animation aimed at adults spurred by the success of Space Battleship Yamato, and this led him to continue drawing. He graduated from Kyushu Sangyo University with a degree in fine arts and a focus on oil painting. During his college years, Yuasa worried he would not be able to make a living as an animator, but continued to study television animation as it aired and familiarize himself with animators whose personal styles resonated with him. Influences In his youth, Yuasa was initially drawn to the television animation series Mazinger Z (1972–1974) and Space Battleship Yamato (1974–1975). A crucial influence which led Yuasa to work in the industry was Hayao Miyazaki's landmark feature film debut Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979). In the 1980s, Yuasa began to focus on the study of individual animators, namely Takashi Nakamura and his work on Golden Warrior Gold Lightan (1981–1982). He also studied international animation, with particular influences being the works of Tex Avery, the British film Yellow Submarine (1968), The King and the Mockingbird (1980) by French filmmaker Paul Grimault, and Glen Keane's animation work on the climactic fight sequence in The Fox and the Hound (1981). Some of his other favorite animations include Unico in the Island of Magic (1983),Wicked City (1987), Aim for the Ace! (1979), Galaxy Express 999 (1979), Mazinger Z vs. The Great General of Darkness (1974), Fantastic Planet (1973), Pinocchio (1940), Sing (2016), Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), The Wrong Trousers (1994), Gamba no Bouken (1972), Future Boy Conan (1978), Tensai Bakabon (1970), Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures (1971-1972), Tom and Jerry, Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld (1984), The Man Who Planted Trees (1987), Hedgehog in the Fog (1975), 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976), Anne of Green Gables (1979), The Gutsy Frog (1972-1974), Doraemon: The Records of Nobita, Spaceblazer (1981), Kumo to Tulip (1943), The Animal Neighborhood Community (1941). Outside of animation, Yuasa was also influenced by the art of Salvador Dalí. Yuasa described his process of inspiration: I get inspired with a lot of things I see, hear, smell, and touch in everyday life... I often derive inspiration even from really modest visuals; a commercial, a cut from a movie, a movement from an anime as well