Atsuko Nishida

Character, personality, and small design decisions

Atsuko Nishida helped design the creatures of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, including Pikachu and Raichu. In Pokémon’s official creators interview, she describes making Pikachu directly as pixel art rather than beginning with an illustration on paper. Even its name grew from several ideas about sound, light, and scale. Her account makes a lovely companion to the cards: familiar characters emerge from playful experiments and many small, thoughtful decisions.

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