His style is marked by fast and frantic animation combined with elaborate storyboarding and punchy direction.

After drawing the manga for the doujinshi circle, Imaishi worked as a creator.

He worked at Gainax in 1995 as an in-between animator for Neon Genesis Evangelion.

His series director debut was Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007).

His main influence of being an animator and director are Yoshinori Kanada and his works, in which all his anime titles such as Dead Leaves, Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt pay special tributes to him and his art.