An homage

The Artists

Every card in this gallery began as someone’s drawing — a brushstroke, a sculpture, a world in miniature. This page is for the hands behind the cardboard.

No. 1

Mitsuhiro Arita

Cinematic realism · 1996 – today · 600+ cards

The man behind the most famous piece of cardboard on Earth. Self-taught and endlessly curious about light, Mitsuhiro Arita has been drawing Pokémon since before the games even came out — from the original Charizard to today.

Charizard by Mitsuhiro Arita — Base Set 4/102 CharizardBase Set · 4/102Illus. Mitsuhiro Arita Pikachu by Mitsuhiro Arita — Base Set 58/102 PikachuBase Set · 58/102Illus. Mitsuhiro Arita Venusaur by Mitsuhiro Arita — Base Set 15/102 VenusaurBase Set · 15/102Illus. Mitsuhiro Arita

“People will still come up to me and say that that’s still their favourite Pokemon card.”

— on his Base Set Charizard (GamesRadar, 2018)

No. 2

Ken Sugimori

The original hand · 1996 – today · 900+ cards

He drew the original 151 — the watercolor hand every fan recognizes instantly. As Game Freak’s art director, Ken Sugimori didn’t just illustrate the TCG; he designed the visual language of Pokémon itself. More cards than any artist in the game’s history.

Blastoise by Ken Sugimori — Base Set 2/102 BlastoiseBase Set · 2/102Illus. Ken Sugimori Dark Charizard by Ken Sugimori — Team Rocket 4/82 Dark CharizardTeam Rocket · 4/82Illus. Ken Sugimori Blaine's Charizard by Ken Sugimori — Gym Challenge 2/132 Blaine’s CharizardGym Challenge · 2/132Illus. Ken Sugimori

No. 3

Atsuko Nishida

Soft airbrush light · 1997 – today · 400+ cards

She designed Pikachu. Before it was the most famous mouse on Earth, it was her squirrel-inspired sketch — and she has been painting its softer side ever since. Her airbrush work feels like sunlight through leaves.

Pikachu by Atsuko Nishida — Wizards Black Star Promos 27 PikachuWizards Black Star Promos · 27Illus. Atsuko Nishida Articuno by Atsuko Nishida — Wizards Black Star Promos 48 ArticunoWizards Black Star Promos · 48Illus. Atsuko Nishida Eevee by Atsuko Nishida — Team Rocket 55/82 EeveeTeam Rocket · 55/82Illus. Atsuko Nishida

“I hope people will feel closer to Pikachu by understanding the story behind its creation.”

— Yomiuri Shimbun, 2018

No. 4

Yuka Morii

Clay dioramas · 1998 – today · 200+ cards

She doesn’t draw her cards — she sculpts them. Tiny clay Pokémon in tiny handmade worlds, photographed like film stills. No other cards in the game look like hers.

Caterpie by Yuka Morii — Neo Discovery 53/75 CaterpieNeo Discovery · 53/75Illus. Yuka Morii Corsola by Yuka Morii — Neo Discovery 37/75 CorsolaNeo Discovery · 37/75Illus. Yuka Morii Kabuto by Yuka Morii — Neo Discovery 56/75 KabutoNeo Discovery · 56/75Illus. Yuka Morii

“My job is to appreciate and make small things.”

No. 5

Naoki Saito

Cute, confident, modern · 2010 – today · 250+ cards

A Duel Masters prodigy at nineteen, now one of the TCG’s most beloved modern hands. His Full Art Trainers are chase cards in their own right — cute, confident, unmistakably his.

Growlithe by Naoki Saito — HeartGold & SoulSilver 65/123 GrowlitheHeartGold & SoulSilver · 65/123Illus. Naoki Saito Pikachu by Naoki Saito — Roaring Skies 20/108 PikachuRoaring Skies · 20/108Illus. Naoki Saito Galarian Slowking by Naoki Saito — Chilling Reign 98/198 Galarian SlowkingChilling Reign · 98/198Illus. Naoki Saito

No. 6

Kagemaru Himeno

Storybook watercolor · 1997 – today · 600+ cards

Storybook watercolors with cotton-soft light — Kagemaru Himeno has painted Pokémon for nearly thirty years, 600 cards deep. Her early work practically glows.

Eevee by Kagemaru Himeno — Jungle 51/64 EeveeJungle · 51/64Illus. Kagemaru Himeno Dragonite by Kagemaru Himeno — Fossil 4/62 DragoniteFossil · 4/62Illus. Kagemaru Himeno Aerodactyl by Kagemaru Himeno — Fossil 1/62 AerodactylFossil · 1/62Illus. Kagemaru Himeno

No. 7

Tomokazu Komiya

Primitivism · 1998 – today · 270+ cards

Primitivism on cardboard: bold, childlike, gloriously deformed. Tomokazu Komiya paints like a cave wall that learned to laugh — and the TCG is weirder and better for it.

Slowpoke by Tomokazu Komiya — Neo Genesis 73/111 SlowpokeNeo Genesis · 73/111Illus. Tomokazu Komiya Moo-Moo Milk by Tomokazu Komiya — Neo Genesis 101/111 Moo-Moo MilkNeo Genesis · 101/111Illus. Tomokazu Komiya Galarian Slowking V by Tomokazu Komiya — Chilling Reign 179/198 Galarian Slowking VChilling Reign · 179/198Illus. Tomokazu Komiya

No. 8

sowsow

Painterly quiet moments · 2018 – today · 110+ cards

The quiet poet of the modern TCG. sowsow’s watercolors catch Pokémon in ordinary, lived-in moments — a peek into a day in their lives. From a debut Cubone to the most coveted Gengar of its era.

Cubone by sowsow — Forbidden Light 57/131 CuboneForbidden Light · 57/131Illus. sowsow Gengar VMAX by sowsow — Fusion Strike 271/264 Gengar VMAXFusion Strike · 271/264Illus. sowsow Pikachu by sowsow — SWSH Black Star Promos SWSH153 PikachuSWSH Black Star Promos · SWSH153Illus. sowsow

To every artist who ever picked up a brush, a pen, or a lump of clay for this game — thank you. This gallery is yours as much as it is ours.

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