Hiroki Hayashi is an accomplished director, screenwriter, and creator associated with AIC, a renowned animation studio. He began his career in the animation industry as an animator for iconic titles such as Thundercats and Silverhawks. Later on, he transitioned to directing anime classics including Bubblegum Crisis OVA 4, Gall Force 2, Sol Bianca 1 and 2 (which he also created), and Tenchi Muyo! for Pioneer LDC Japan. Hayashi's breakthrough came when he collaborated with Kajishima Masaki as the co-creator and director on Tenchi Muyo!. He later provided lead direction for Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, a show he had previously worked on in a different form. Since then, Hayashi has continued to create acclaimed titles such as El Hazard. In 2001, he was working on Mahou Yuugi, an entirely computer-rendered animated series.