Ken Sugimori
The character designs behind the cards
Ken Sugimori was responsible for the official character designs of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green and helped found GAME FREAK. The official Pikachu creators interview offers a useful window into that collaborative beginning: a small team balanced appearance, personality, and the practical demands of the games. His work is a reminder that a Pokémon’s familiar silhouette has a design history. Looking across his card illustrations is a way to revisit that visual foundation.
Explore 1143 credited catalog cards →Go to the source.
Read the original interview or explore the artist’s wider work.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-20. Profile by Binderpages.