Pokémon Creators, Artists at the World Championships
Two creators of Pokémon and two of the artists who make it so special appeared at the 2007 World Championships, signing autographs and meeting their fans.Tsunekaz Ishihara
President & Chief Executive Officer, The Pokémon Company
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In 1995, Mr. Ishihara established a game-planning/producing company, Creatures Inc.,
and produced the videogame
Pocket Monster Aka and Midori (Pokémon Red and Blue), the basis for future
Pokémon products. Ultimately, he nurtured these popular characters into a global
phenomenon that continues to this day.
In 1998, he participated in founding the Pokémon Center Co., Ltd. (currently The Pokémon
Company), where he assumed the post of president. Currently, he is involved in the Pokémon
Trading Card Game, adapted from the Pokémon videogames, as well as management of the entire Pokémon
brand, including the TV animation series and theatrical movies.
Ken Sugimori
Director, Pokémon Arts at GAME FREAK inc.
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As a graphic designer at GAME FREAK inc., Mr. Sugimori was involved in the
initial development of
Pokémon. In fact, he was the first person to graphically create the
world of Pokémon, and he has produced many of the most popular Pokémon characters.
For
Pokémon Diamond and
Pokémon Pearl, he designed the powerful Dialga and Palkia, and he created all of the
Pokémon illustrations used for the videogame software and strategy guide. Currently, he is an art
director for the Pokémon videogame series and manages the entire graphic design team.
For the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Mr. Sugimori not only works on illustrations of the
Pokémon themselves, but he also produces art for Trainer cards, expressing both the characteristics
of the cards’ functions and the unique personalities of the Trainers on those cards.
Hironobu Yoshida
Graphic Designer, GAME FREAK inc.
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Mr. Yoshida joined GAME FREAK inc. in 1997, and as a graphic designer, he has been involved
in the development of the Pokémon videogame series. For
Pokémon Ruby and
Pokémon Sapphire, he led the graphic design team.
He has designed numerous Pokémon characters, including the popular Deoxys and new Pokémon
Magmortar, and has illustrated many cards, including promo cards, for the Pokémon Trading Card
Game. Additionally, he has created many unique characters since beginning work as the main
character designer for the Nintendo GBA game,
Drill Dozer (published by Nintendo, developed by GAME FREAK inc.) in 2005.
He also designed the main art for the 2007 Pokémon TCG World Championships.
Takumi Akabane
R&D Director, Creatures, Inc.
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As creative director for the Pokémon Trading Card Game series, Mr. Akabane has been involved in
the development of the Pokémon Trading Card Game from the very beginning.
He oversees the entire team that handles a wide variety of game-related activities, including
developing specific product concepts, developing and implementing strategic game mechanics,
creating artwork, and managing events.