Ask John: Who is Hajime Yadate?

Question:
Who exactly is Hajime Yadate? Is he a person? I read somewhere that it is in reference to the animation staff at Sunrise. Can you shine light on the subject?

Answer:
Hajime Yadate (or Yatate) is not an individual person but a collective name for the anime and manga writers that work at Sunrise Studios. When two or more Sunrise staff writers work on a single project, they are usually credited as the singular “Hajime Yadate” instead of being named individually. Credits attributed to Hajime Yadate date back to at least the 1978 anime TV series Daitarn 3 and include the creation or co-creation of shows such as Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Z-Mind, Cowboy Bebop, Scryed, most of the Gundam series, Iron Leaguers, Cyber Formula GPX, Escaflowne, Outlaw Star, Brain Powerd, Big O, Ideon, Granzort, Ryu Knight, Dagwon, Dunbine, Raijin-Oh, Gaogaiger, and many other Sunrise produced anime series. Manga writing credits include, but aren’t limited to, the Big O manga, many of the Gundam W manga series, the Cowboy Bebop manga, and the Gekitoh! Crush Gear Turbo manga series.