The Artists Behind the Pokémon TCG

Every time you open a Pokémon booster, you're holding a piece of work by super-talented Japanese artists. Most fans don't even know their names — but every card is signed. Let's meet the main ones.

Mitsuhiro Arita — the father of Charizard

Eevee, one of the most illustrated Pokémon by Arita over the years

Mitsuhiro Arita is probably the most famous Pokémon illustrator in the world. He drew the Base Set Charizard (1999) — the card that became a collecting symbol and is worth over US$ 400,000 in 1st edition PSA 10. Arita is still active today, with over 500 signed Pokémon cards in his career.

You can recognize Arita's style: dynamic watercolor brushstrokes, lots of action, Pokémon with lively expressions.

Ken Sugimori — the visual father of the franchise

Ken Sugimori is the lead designer at Pokémon Company. He created the original designs for nearly every 1st-generation (Kanto) Pokémon. The "official" look you see across every product — from the anime to toys — was defined by him.

Atsuko Nishida — Pikachu's creator

Atsuko Nishida is the designer who created the original Pikachu in 1996. She signed the legendary Pikachu Illustrator — the world's most expensive card (US$ 6M+). Her art is known for a cute, delicate style with soft color palettes.

Kagemaru Himeno — the queen of emotional art

Jigglypuff, a Pokémon frequently illustrated in Himeno's soft style

Kagemaru Himeno has a unique style: beautiful settings, Pokémon in everyday situations, pastel colors. She illustrated Umbreon Full Art (2019) — one of the most coveted arts of modern TCG.

5ban Graphics — the modern TCG studio

5ban Graphics is the Japanese studio producing most modern TCG illustrations (2015+). They make the Full Art, Rainbow Rare and Alt Art that dominate recent sets. A 30+ artist team working together.

Fun fact: every card has the artist's name

Look at the bottom-left corner of any Pokémon card — you'll see the Illus. (illustrator) name. Older cards were signed by 1 artist; today many list "5ban Graphics" as collective studio.

How to collect by artist

Many collectors do "illustrator runs" — hunting ALL cards from a specific artist. A complete Mitsuhiro Arita set can have over 500 cards and take years. At PokeCardsClub you can scan and filter by artist.