So this is more or less going to be an extension of my thread about favorite anime directors, extending it to 10 instead of 5. Also I'd like to mention that this list only covers people who are actually in the directing positions, so sorry Urobutcher-san :(. Also it's pretty biased, but yeah it's my list =/
1. Satoshi Kon [Paranoia Agent, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress]
-Easily my favorite anime director, his work always incorporates some sort of psychological theme, which is fairly rare in anime. The way his characters act and behave are also among the most believable I've seen in anime. Unfortunately he passed away in 2010 due to cancer :(. When I learned of his death I was really depressed and even considered giving up anime, thinking about it still makes me sad today. R.I.P. Also I hope Madhouse finishes Dream Machine one day.
2. Masaaki Yuasa [Tatami Galaxy, Mind Game, Kemonozume]
-Certainly one of the most experimental anime directors out there. His works are definitely not for everyone, but those that enjoy them often enjoy them a lot. I guess the main appeal for me, would simply be that his stuff is just so much different from traditional anime and feels very refreshing. He also tends to incorporate psychological themes into his works like Satoshi Kon. Even if your not a fan of experimental anime Tatami Galaxy (his most well-known work) is considered a classic among the majority of fans and definitely worth your time.
3. Mamoru Oshii [Ghost in the Shell, Jin-roh and the Wolf Brigade, Patlabor series]
-Ghost in the shell was one of the first anime movies I watched and it just completely blew my mind. I had no idea anime could be so complicated and dark. His works often incorporate many philosophical and religious themes. Due to the nature of his works though they are often fairly difficult to get to, because of the lack of comedy or lightheartedness in general ,obviously this isn't true for stuff like Urusei Yatsura or Patlabor[T.V], but in general his works tend to be very solemn and serious and for those of us that enjoy that sort of thing Oshii is really the best of his kind. Really hope to see something new from him someday.
4. Hayao Miyazaki [Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Nausicaa]
-A fairly obvious choice, I don't think I need to explain to anyone why this man is on a list of favorite anime directors. I will however praise him for managing to make works that are mainly aimed towards children, but still have important themes like preservation of nature and coming of age. I think hes past his prime at this point, but I still look forward to anything that he has in the works and also look forward to experiencing some of his previous works like Futureboy Conan.
5. Yoshiaki Kawajiri [Ninja Scroll, Vampire HunterD:Bloodlust, Cyber City Oedo 808] -An extremely biased pick on my part, considering his work was much of the reason why I started watching anime in the first place. I was drawn to the dark and gritty nature of his movies and enjoyed the "edginess" of how brutal and violent it could be. I'd also argue he had a knack for packing lots of awesome shit into a short short amount of time, android panthers, sand mantas, snake women, you name it, it's probably in one of his movies. Not to mention just the sheer volume of his work is pretty impressive.
6. Shinichiro Watanabe [Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo] -Do I really need to explain this choice? Even my least favorite of his anime (Sakamichi no Apollon) I really enjoyed, because I'm a fan of jazz. The only reason he isn't higher on my list is because he seems to like using similar character archetypes and developments (all of his works feature 2 main male protagonists and 1 female and they tend to have similar personalitie). That being said, I still really enjoy his works and I think most of them are masterpieces in their own right, despite how similar his stuff might be to each other.
7. Osamu Dezaki [Rose of Versailles, Golgo 13, Space Adventure Cobra]
- Another recently departed soul :(. This man was one of the most innovative directors of his time creating many techniques that are still used in anime today such as still frames and other various visual effects. His work has inspired many current anime directors. I have seen only a fraction of the anime hes directed, but what I have seen I've been extremely impressed with. I very much look forward to watching the rest of his many acclaimed works like Ashita no Joe and Onii-sama e...
8. Kunihuko Ikuhara [Utena, Penguindrum, SailorMoon]
While I'm not a fan of shoujo anime and definitely not very into mahou shoujo this man has proven that genre is often irrelevant when compared to quality. Both Utena and Penguindrum incorporate tons of symbolism and metaphor. While the more shoujo oriented bits didn't appeal to me as much, I still salute Ikuhara for making me have some interest in a genre I would otherwise never try. Also Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon, cause that cartoon has got the boom anime babes make me think the wrong things. :P
9. Sayo Yamamoto [Mitchiko to Hatchin, Lupin III: A woman named Fujiko]
-Another biased pick for me. Shes only officially directed 2 anime that I listed above, but I enjoyed both greatly. I just love her style and the flare that she adds to her anime. Mitchiko is such a unique experience in anime (combination of Latin american, Caribbean and Thai culture) and she managed to reboot one of the oldest and longest running anime series into something that can appeal to a whole new generation of fans yet still stay true to the original. Not to mention shes the only female director that I know of (probably because I avoid most shoujo anime) and its great that shes managed to succeed in such a male dominated industry.
10. Makoto Shinkai [5cm per second, Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo, Hoshi no Koe]
-A more recent director his works have taken me by surprise. I'm not really that into romance or drama in anime, but just the sheer beauty of his work demands my attention. Seriously you can freeze an frame of one of his movies and it would make a fantastic wallpaper. I think 5cm was his best work and he hasn't been able to reach such heights since, however the visual quality of his works has only improved with time. I very much look forward to what else this director has in store for us.
Honorable mentions: Yoshiyuki Tomino, Isao Takahata, Nakamura Kenji, Yasuhiro Yoshirua, Takeshi Koike, Koji Morimoto, Tetsurou Araki and Katsuhiro Otomo
Also would like to thank everyone that participated in the thread. Got to know about a lot of other great directors thanks to that.