Yoshifumi Kondō (近藤 喜文, Kondō Yoshifumi, March 31, 1950 – January 21, 1998) was a Japanese animator who worked for Studio Ghibli in his last years. He was born in Gosen, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. He worked as an animation director on Anne of Green Gables, Sherlock Hound, Kiki's Delivery Service, Only Yesterday and Princess Mononoke. Kondō directed the animated film Whisper of the Heart, and was expected to become one of the top directors at Studio Ghibli, alongside Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and to become their eventual successor.
He attended Niigata Prefectural Muramatsu High School beginning in April 1965, where he was a member of the art club. His senpai was the future manga artist Kimio Yanagisawa. After graduating in March 1968, he began studying in theanimation department at Tokyo Design College. He began working in October 1968 at A Production (formerly Shin'ei Dōga), participating in the production of such shows as Kyojin no Hoshi and Lupin III.
Kondō moved to Nippon Animation in June 1978, working on Future Boy Conan, Anne of Green Gables, and other productions. He coauthored a textbook that same year for beginning animators titled Animation Book (アニメーションの本, Animēshon no Hon).
In December 1980, he began working at Telecom Animation Film, where he was the character designer for Sherlock Hound. After being hospitalized in 1985 for over two months for pneumonia, Kondō resigned at Telecome Animation. He began doing contract work for Nippon Animation in January the following year, and began working for Studio Ghibli in January 1987.
Kondō died of aortic dissection–alternately aneurysm–in 1998. His death is said to have been caused by excess work, and seems to be the main reason for Hayao Miyazaki's announcement of retirement in 1998. Although in the end Miyazaki didn't retire for another 15 years, Kondō's death seems to have influenced Miyazaki to work at a more relaxed pace.