Dezaki was the first to use the technique of repetition: a scene is repeated a few times in succession, to stretch out its significance and convey a sense of speed or impact.
His "Postcard Memories" technique became immensely popular and is now considered an anime staple, seen in most if not all shows.
He had an older brother, Satoshi Dezaki, who also works as a
director in the anime industry.
Dezaki was noted for strict and meticulous adherence to storyboards: he storyboarded about 90% of his work.
He was a notorious chain-smoker, which eventually brought about his terminal lung cancer.
He was big fan of Le Mans (French motor vehicle endurance races).