Stanley A. Pranin (July 24, 1945 – March 7, 2017) was an American martial artist, founding publisher, and editor-in-chief of Aikido Journal (formerly Aiki News).

He continued his training in 1963 under Isao Takahashi and Richard Taylor at the San Pedro YMCA, following the Koichi Tohei-led curriculum.

With a letter of recommendation from Rod Kobayashi, Pranin visited Japan for the first time in June 1969 and spent the summer practicing at the Aikikai Hombu dojo in Tokyo.

He attended classes taught by Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Koichi Tohei, Kisaburo Osawa, Seigo Yamaguchi, Yasuo Kobayashi and Morihiro Saito, and practiced at Shoji Nishio's dojo in Sugamo.

He audited Japanese classes at the institute and taught aikido at the nearby University of California, Santa Cruz with Robert Frager.

In May 1974, representing Northern California aikido schools with William Witt, Pranin attended a meeting in Los Angeles at which Koichi Tohei announced his resignation from the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo.

Ueshiba's association with Takeda lasted over 20 years, and Pranin's published research was instrumental in establishing the role of Daito-ryu Jujutsu in the creation of aikido.

Pranin interviewed Noriaki (Yoichiro) Inoue, nephew of Morihei Ueshiba and an early Aiki Budo pioneer in Tokyo, several times in 1987–88.

In Monterey, Pranin and Katsuaki Terasawa began translating Japanese-language serialized articles about Morihei Ueshiba published in the Tokyo Times in 1966.

For the next three years, Pranin published early interviews with Morihiro Saito, Kisaburo Osawa, Frank Doran and William Witt, translations of Japanese aikido documents and US-related events in Aiki News.

Aiki News was published in Japanese until 2005, when it was renamed Dou Magazine under editor-in-chief Ikuko Kimura and its focus shifted from aikido coverage.

In July 1963, Pranin was a member of a YMCA committee which organized an Athletic Circus with aikido, powerlifting and a bodybuilding exhibition by Bill Pearl.

Aiki Expos were martial-arts seminars, organized by Pranin, which assembled high-ranking teachers of aikido, Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, classical Japanese martial arts, karate and Systema.

Other teachers documented by Pranin are Morihiro Saito, Shoji Nishio, Noriaki (Yoichiro) Inoue, Koichi Tohei, Seigo Yamaguchi and Rinjiro Shirata.

Pranin's major events are recorded on video, and he has collected and filmed many hours of footage over several decades from the All-Japan Aikido Demonstrations sponsored by the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo.