Inoue was born the child of Masaru Igami, a screenwriter known for his works on shows such as
Kamen Rider and
Akakage. Belonging to the fantasy literature Study Group at
Seikei University, a short story written by Inoue caught the way of
Toei Animation producer Shichijo Keizo, leading to his debut screenplay in 1981 with the 24th episode of
Dr. Slump, "Arale's Big Change!" Since then, he was the head writer of animated works such as
Galaxy Angel,
Kiba, and
Death Note. Like his father, Inoue also has done prolific work in the
tokusatsu genre. In 1991, he was the head writer of the Toei tokusatsu series
Chōjin Sentai Jetman, part of the popular
Super Sentai franchise. In 1996, he was the head writer of
Choukou Senshi Changéríon, writing the majority of its 39 episode run. He has also written extensively within the
Kamen Rider franchise, writing almost every episode for
Kamen Rider Agito,
Kamen Rider 555, and
Kamen Rider Kiva. During the production shuffle for
Kamen Rider Hibiki, Inoue was brought in to be the head writer from episode 30 onwards, including writing the series' movie,
Kamen Rider Hibiki & The Seven Senki. Inoue is also responsible for most of the Kamen Rider films within the 2000s, including two original films,
Kamen Rider the First and
Kamen Rider the Next, which were retelling of the original Kamen Rider series, and
Kamen Rider V3, respectively. In 2013, Inoue was appointed as the head writer of
Shougeki Gouraigan, created by fellow tokusatsu veteran
Keita Amemiya. Inoue's style of writing leans towards the skepticism of "complete integrity of the heroic ideal". His protagonists have a tendency to be calculative, have a scruffy attitude, or be generally flawed, allowing for "trauma" within the series. Interpersonal conflict is as important as the action within the series, with unity being difficult to achieve even among the heroes. The universal theme of "What is justice, love and friendship" is used as catharsis, placing the heroes against their antithesis. He is also influenced by the books of
Arsene Lupin and
Agatha Christie, wishing to give his stories a "touch of mystery". ==Filmography==