Who designed your favorite Pokemon?

[Yung Dramps]

One of the most common pastimes in the Pokemon community is discussing our favorite, well, Pokemon. But it's much rarer for people to discuss the people behind their favorite monsters. As such, let's have a thread where we can learn more about and show them off!

This is Hitoshi Ariga, the man who made Drampa. At 48 years old as of August 2020, he's had quite the long career illustrating for videogame tie-in media, namely dating back to the 90s with countless outings drawing for the Megaman series.

A brief gallery of his works there

Back cover of the 1996 Rockman Remix manga

Super Famicom cover art for Rockman and Forte

Old illustrations of his collaged together to celebrate the release of Megaman Zero/ZX Legacy Collection

As for his work on Pokemon, he began designing new creatures in X & Y. Some of his other notable creations since then include the Tyrantrum, Aegislash and Corviknight families as well as the Galar fossils.

 

[misterdarvus]

Good ol' Turner of course, because he's the one I can only remember. (and Golurk is cool)

 

[PsychicAcademic]

I'll hate myself to say this but... I am quite trying to follow cuteness as with Atsuko Nishida sensei. The one who made most of Vees (although not Eevee itself, it was Fujiwara), and Pikachu, and various other cute stuffs.

One of the most common pastimes in the Pokemon community is discussing our favorite, well, Pokemon. But it's much rarer for people to discuss the people behind their favorite monsters. As such, let's have a thread where we can learn more about and show them off!

View attachment 292183
This is Hitoshi Ariga, the man who made Drampa. At 48 years old as of August 2020, he's had quite the long career illustrating for videogame tie-in media, namely dating back to the 90s with countless outings drawing for the Megaman series.

A brief gallery of his works there

View attachment 292184
Back cover of the 1996 Rockman Remix manga

View attachment 292186
Super Famicom cover art for Rockman and Forte

View attachment 292187
Old illustrations of his collaged together to celebrate the release of Megaman Zero/ZX Legacy Collection

As for his work on Pokemon, he began designing new creatures in X & Y. Some of his other notable creations since then include the Tyrantrum, Aegislash and Corviknight families as well as the Galar fossils.

I can fondly remember this artist indeed. He made Inkay line too. And I admit, Zero was a deep story, me like. When finding his DA, I was surprised to learn Ariga sensei worked for the Blue Bombers too, particularly Zero era and beyond.
(Or was it around, finding out Ariga sensei worked for TPC while I played Zero?)

 

[Mova]

I know a lot of people either love or hate Turner, but I've taken a liking to his main style when he's not trying to imitate Sugimori's stock style. Has it been confirmed if he designed Melmetal or not?

 

[Bakugames]

Is there any proper list of all pokemon with confirmed designers? I'd love to know who designed orbeetle and turtonator

 

[Yung Dramps]

Is there any proper list of all pokemon with confirmed designers? I'd love to know who designed orbeetle and turtonator

Bulbapedia has the designers listed for Pokemon in the trivia sections for respective Pokemons' entries... However it seems this isn't the case for all of them (Turtonator and Orbeetle's pages don't have their designers listed in that section)

 

[Bakugames]

Bulbapedia has the designers listed for Pokemon in the trivia sections for respective Pokemons' entries... However it seems this isn't the case for all of them (Turtonator and Orbeetle's pages don't have their designers listed in that section)

Bulbapedia doesnt have a very complete selection either, as teddiursa and ursarings designer was confirmed a while back but they still dont have it.
I think it'd be a cool fan project to have a updated spreadsheet like that, but maybe thats too much work

 

[R_N]

I actually used to have a list of known artist-to-pokemon match ups but I've lost it. Big bummer, it was put together by someone who really scoured through interviews & everything.

Which comically meant we had about every gen 5 Pokemon accounted for and handfuls per generation otherwise.

 

[misterdarvus]

Is there any proper list of all pokemon with confirmed designers? I'd love to know who designed orbeetle and turtonator

Bulbapedia has the designers listed for Pokemon in the trivia sections for respective Pokemons' entries... However it seems this isn't the case for all of them (Turtonator and Orbeetle's pages don't have their designers listed in that section)

I actually used to have a list of known artist-to-pokemon match ups but I've lost it. Big bummer, it was put together by someone who really scoured through interviews & everything.

Which comically meant we had about every gen 5 Pokemon accounted for and handfuls per generation otherwise.

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/User:Altruis/List_of_Pokémon_by_their_designers

This one right?

By the way it said that Hironobu Yoshida is the one who designed Melmetal

 

[Bakugames]

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/User:Altruis/List_of_Pokémon_by_their_designers

This one right?

By the way it said that Hironobu Yoshida is the one who designed Melmetal

Weird how esicue isnt in james turner gen 8, when it was one of the first pokemon he said he designed iirc.

Ken sugimori made heatmor and durant what a chad

 

[Magnus0]

I think it's pretty interesting that all of the Rotom forms have a different designer.

 

[R_N]

I wonder if Ohmura also did the gen 7 box legends & Calyrex. It stuck out to me that he handeled the wolves, kubfu & urshifu (whose kind of the "box legend" of Armor) after just helping Sugimori with Xerneas & Ylvetal. Wonder if he's now the box legend design in general

e: He also did the kyurem forms!
my man rising through the box legend ranks

 

[pokemon4eva]

I can't find my boy Absol, neither Tyranitar, Metagross, Heracross My fav starter Incineroar, nada.

 

[King Feraligatr]

I really do not know who designed Gatr. Or any in its line. If anyone could tell me, that'd be a nice piece of trivia.

 

[Ransei]

Saya Tsuruta designed Audino, which is my favorite Pokemon.

She also designed Indeedee, which may explain how it happens to look a lot like Audino.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Weird how esicue isnt in james turner gen 8, when it was one of the first pokemon he said he designed iirc.

Where was this said? I think he said his first Pokemon was Phantump, something he drew in order to get hired which was then later made into an official Pokemon.

Anyway, it should be noted that since Turner was the Art Director for Sword & Shield he had a say in all the Gen 8 designs; just like Ken Sugimori for all prior gens. I think this is important to note because, unless they specifically said they designed the Pokemon, we shouldn't conclude they were the original designer if they explained some design aspects of a Pokemon they had put in.

As for my favorite Pokemon, it's Charizard and so was designed by... Atsuko Nishida?! I knew she designed the Gen I basic Starters by working backwards from the final forms, but I didn't realize she also designed seemingly the entire Charmander line herself. Sugimori made Venusaur, though no details on who made Blastoise, strange. Actually, we know from the Gen I Beta leaks that the Squirtle family and Blastoise were two seperate families, only later did they chop the Squirtle's final stage and replaced it with Blastoise who also had a prevo chopped. So when she said she worked backwards to make the Squirtle and Wartortle it must have been on the original final starter (which would explain why Wartortle looks nothing like a transition between Squirtle and Blastoise).

 

[Bakugames]

Where was this said? I think he said his first Pokemon was Phantump, something he drew in order to get hired which was then later made into an official Pokemon.

I mean it was the first design he said he made of all gen 8. First was eiscue, and later on he said he designed gmax gengar and centiskorch. Eiscue was a bit before the eiscue plush was announced, so you'd need to do some scrolling back. He usually only posts art of pokemon he designed + pikachu too, with few exceptions like swsh anniversary art

 

[woworiginal]

I mean it was the first design he said he made of all gen 8. First was eiscue, and later on he said he designed gmax gengar and centiskorch. Eiscue was a bit before the eiscue plush was announced, so you'd need to do some scrolling back. He usually only posts art of pokemon he designed + pikachu too, with few exceptions like swsh anniversary art

he made shadow lugia tho

 

[Gokuzbu]

Who designed Gardevoir? bulbapedia doesn't say. Kensaku Nabana gets my respect for Golisopod.

 

[Eonatator]

I can't seem to find any info on Swampert and Tyranitar. I do find it a shame that most designers don't seem to be credited with which Pokemon they designed. It should really be information that's more easily available although I guess it's not always easy to pinpoint who designed what as I imagine a cobination of different people can have some input on the design of a Pokemon during the design process.

 

[R_N]

Seems we can add 3 more to the list:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1341384533459910656

Yusuke Kozaki (who has done many many things, including Fire Emblem Awakening ,Fates & Heroes, No More Heroes, Demon Ex Machina, and some promotional artwork for things like Go as well as just many other things in genreal) designed Toxel, Toxtricity & Falinks