Reddit AMA Recap: Jordan Bayes

American Artist/Animator Jordan Bayes recently did an AMA for the fans and to give you an idea of his track record, he’s worked with various anime companies in Japan such as Studio Pierrot (Tokyo Ghoul) and WIT Studio (Attack on Titan) to help bring various projects to life. Most notably, his works also include Black Clover, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and the brutal & bloody Viking-themed Anime series, Vinland Saga as well as the hardships he struggled with as a foreigner working in the industry itself.


On how long he’s worked for the industry and how difficult it was to get his foot in the door.

I have worked in the industry for almost a year now! I need to figure out the date soon actually haha. The most enjoyable part is when a cut really just comes together and you remember how much you love animation.

Getting into the anime industry is difficult in some ways but also not so bad in others. The biggest hurdle is just figuring out HOW to get work on a show. After that, the hurdle is, “Oh, okay, how is work on anime different than work on western animation?” And the answer is fairly different. Luckily there are some REALLY great people out there that work in anime that are willing to help newcomers figure out how to get started. Without the help of some people on Twitter, I wouldn’t have figured it out myself.

Something you would assume is difficult is the Japanese language element. Believe it or not, that’s not so bad these days with google translate and studios being willing to translate stuff to English for you. The industry is more inclusive than in the past.


On the challenges of getting into the anime industry as a foreigner, And If there’s more of them who work within anime outside of himself, and the amount of outsourcing Japan has done.

It was easier getting into the anime industry as a foreigner than it has been getting into the western industry! There’s are actual entry-level jobs in the anime industry. In America, everyone already needs to be pro and have years of experience. Makes no sense to me! A lot of animators are not from Japan! They outsource a lot to Korea. All of my work is done from home on my laptop or iPad!

There are way more foreigners working in anime than you would expect. I had no idea but there are at least dozens. The only reason there aren’t more is that people (outside of Japan) don’t know how to join the industry.


On some of the biggest obstacles when working as a layout/Genga artist for Pierrot and WIT.

Working in the anime industry is liberating in a lot of ways. As a freelancer, I have the option of working on so many shows and can basically bounce from one show to another within weeks. That freedom isn’t always so easy to find in the west and it’s even way harder to find an entry-level animation job in America. There are bad things about it though. Animators are paid pretty poorly and the way you receive your pay is seemingly random. You might be paid three months later for working on an episode as a freelancer. It makes it tough to be sustainable as a full-time job at a lower level. It is something I love very very much though so I make it work so that I can leave my own small mark on the industry.

On the most stressful scene, he’s ever worked on.

Hoo boy lol. I would say it would be a cut I did Genga for on episode 16 of Vinland Saga. Because working with Japanese studios means you typically get contacted in the middle of the night, you need to be up pretty late at times. I had just finished working and laid down to sleep when I got a message that I forgot to do an entire cut. It wasn’t a super challenging or important one but it was like, 4:00 am and I was JUST GOING TO SLEEP. I asked if it could wait but WIT needed it right away. SO. Had to wake up, get the tablet and computer set back up, and work through the rest of the night. Really not a fun experience when you miss work you needed to do haha.

On the brutal nature of the anime Industry.

It’s more brutal than I imagined haha. At least if you want to try making a living solely as an animator. The pay is low, the work never ends and the animators are underappreciated. If you see an animator let them know you appreciate them!

On wanting to work on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

If I don’t get to work on JoJo part 6 (Stone Ocean) I will quit being an animator.


On the parts of Black Clover he worked on, and what was it like to work on the series in general.

I worked on Charlotte’s confession to Yami in episode 126 and part of the fight with Gadjah in episode 128. It was better to work on than I expected! I really enjoy the manga so it was a lot of fun getting to animate the scenes I remembered well!


On the historically accurate research that was made for Vinland Saga. Such as no cow horns on helmets, weapons, and armor matching the time period, ships with matching sails and rigging, etc.

I believe that level of research was originally done by the manga artist! It was of course then the animation production’s job to keep that level of authenticity intact.

As an animator, you receive sheets with character details on them that show you exactly what a character looks like and all of their weapon details typically. Because of that you never have to worry too much about stuff like that!

On wanting to see Vinland Saga dubbed.

I would KILL to have Vinland Saga dubbed. I love watching anime in Japanese but Vinland Saga feels particularly fit for a dub. I, unfortunately, hold no power haha.

On why certain anime studios drop anime properties and never return to them.

If the show doesn’t have a manga running as well anymore there is a lack of marketing potential. There are exceptions of course but that’s one reason. I think a lot of it comes down to money but also if a studio is just dead tired of working on something. Seems like WIT just literally couldn’t make it work on Attack on Titan anymore. (Hence why Season 4 was recently announced to be it’s last despite the Manga still ongoing at the time of this interview.)


On the cliche anime tropes he’s not a fan of or generally dislikes.

1. The young girl but 1000 years old trope in most cases.

2. The oblivious guy that doesn’t know girls like him.

3. Sexualized fanservice when it’s out of place. Fire Force for example.

And 4. Scenes where EVERY CHARACTER has to say a line that also reiterates their single character trait. The peppy girl saying something peppy, the dumb guy not understanding what’s going on, etc.


On the early stages of learning to animate.

I made my first animation about 5 years ago! It was very bad and I had no idea about anything haha.

I was set to go to law school about 5 years ago but the day before classes started I decided to become an artist and follow my dreams! I packed up 6 months later and went to SCAD to learn animation. I learned a fair bit there but don’t think you need animation school to become an animator. While there I worked freelance on illustration and once I graduated I decided I really wanted to work on anime. A professor told me I wasn’t allowed to draw in that style because you can’t get a job in anime so I made sure to prove out of spite that I could do it!

I reached out to people on Twitter that work on anime and asked how they got in. They explained how to do it. I practiced for a few months. Learned how to do xsheets the anime way and dove in with the help of a friend that a Japanese professor. Since then it’s been one show after another nonstop. After you get that first job they never stop coming.


On dealing with burnout/stress/anxiety, and how do you get over those days where you can’t seem to get things right.

Never give up! Keep working hard and you can make any animation you can dream of! Study how other people make animation, practice life drawing, and never stop drawing!

I deal with burnout the best I can. It’s a huge problem sometimes so I took about a month off of anime earlier this year to just refreshing. I played games nonstop and went places and just didn’t think about work.

Getting over the days where you can’t get stuff right is tough tho. With deadlines, unfortunately, you have to learn to just get past it. Sometimes you can’t step away and come back another day.


Words of Wisdom to upcoming artists (and recent graduates) who do get in a similar position to his, and aspiring writers who want to get into animation.

A great way to improve is to join an animation discord focused on becoming an animator! There are some out there where people post daily and weekly to improve. Practicing drawing is of course the most important thing. If you can go to any life drawing sessions you will improve a lot. Get good at whichever you prefer! I do digital art mostly these days but nothing beats a piece of paper. Other than the undo button.

Work on knowing how to draw anatomy more than anything! If you can draw accurate anatomy from many perspectives you will become a god. The best way to make a move toward anime work is to post on twitter, follow foreign animators, and join an animation discord! I did that last June and had my first job in the anime industry within months. It takes a LOT of dedication but if you work hard you can do it too! You don’t need to be able to draw to create a show! If you can get someone to create your characters and make a pitch packet you could still have a show!

Thank you so much for all the comments, everyone! It was a blast talking with you and I hope you’ll check out Toonami tonight to see my work during Black Clover!

Follow me on Twitter to see more of my work and thoughts on the anime industry!