Game Character Animator Needed — Japanese Horror Enemy (Unity, Keyframe Animation)

We are developing an indie narrative action-adventure game inspired by Japanese folklore and J-horror cinema. We are looking for a skilled game character animator to animate a unique enemy character for our project.

This role is keyframe animation only (no motion capture) and focuses on unnatural, eerie movement, hair-driven combat, and clear gameplay-readable attack telegraphs.

A detailed animation brief is attached to this job post. Please read it carefully before applying.

Project Overview

Engine: Unity 6

Render Pipeline: Built-in

Animation Type: Keyframed (no mocap)

Rig: Unity Humanoid

Character: Japanese ghost enemy (Noppera-bō)

Movement style inspired by The Ring (Ringu) and Ju-On

The character floats rather than walks, never fully touching the ground. Her long hair is a major part of her animation and is used directly in combat.

Scope of Work

You will be responsible for animating the character based on the attached animation brief, including:

Floating idle and locomotion animations

Hit reactions and stagger animations with strict timing

Hair-based attack telegraphs and strikes

Teleport and death animations

Clean animation loops and one-shots ready for gameplay use

All animations must be suitable for use in Unity’s Animator system and blend cleanly with one another.

Technical Requirements

Keyframe animation only (no mocap)

FBX exports compatible with Unity Humanoid

Clean looping animations where required

One-shot animations must return cleanly to idle

Comfort animating secondary motion (hair, cloth, flowing elements)

Ability to follow strict timing for combat animations (parry windows, hit reactions)

What to Include in Your Application

Please include:

A link to your animation reel (game animation preferred)

At least one example showing hair, cloth, tentacles, or similar secondary motion

The software you use (Blender, Maya, etc.)

Confirmation that you can deliver Unity Humanoid-compatible FBX animations

A short note confirming that you read the attached animation brief

Applications missing relevant animation samples will not be considered.

Selection Process

Shortlisted candidates may be asked a few brief follow-up questions regarding animation timing, combat readability, and approach to hair-based motion.

This project has the potential to become a long-term collaboration if the initial work goes well.

Important

⚠️ Please review the attached animation brief before applying. Proposals that do not reference the brief or do not include relevant work samples will not be considered.

start your proposal "Green"..