Ken Sugimori

is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, director , and co-founder of Game Freak alongside Satoshi Tajiri. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, including Pulseman. Sugimori drew and finalized most of the original 151 Pokémon. He also co-directed Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl and Black and White, as well as worked on various Pokémon films, trading cards, and other games like the Super Smash Bros. series.

Career From early 1981 until 1986, Sugimori illustrated a gaming fanzine called Game Freak, which had been started by Satoshi Tajiri. Eventually, the two decided to pitch an arcade game design idea to Namco; they reworked Game Freak into a development company and produced Mendel Palace. Sugimori is best known as the character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise and designed a large majority of the first 151 Pokémon with Atsuko Nishida, Motofumi Fujiwara, Shigeki Morimoto, and Satoshi Ota. He has worked on the various Pokémon movies, trading cards, and other games.

For Pokémon Black and White, Sugimori directed a team of 17 people in designing new characters for the games, though he always drew the final designs. He drew much of his inspiration from observing animals in aquariums and zoos. Sugimori has also written and illustrated original manga, including one which was distributed with pre-orders of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness. When he begins a new character, his process normally involves making a rough sketch, then tracing it onto film paper while polishing it and making the illustration more professional looking. After that, he draws the character many times, changing its proportions until he is satisfied. When designing a new Pokémon, Sugimori stated that "I do feel that I always want to show new Pokémon that people have never seen before. To do that, I think of ways that I can surprise the players."

Works Video games

Card games Pokémon Trading Card Game: main card artist

Anime Pokémon (anime): character design Pokémon: The First Movie: original character design Pokémon: The Movie 2000: original character design Pokémon 3: The Movie: conceptual character artist Pokémon 4Ever: conceptual character artist Pokémon Heroes: conceptual character artist

Manga Super Girl Namuko (One-shot published in Shōnen Sunday Zōkan July 15, 1984 issue) Dragon Blaster (One-shot published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday 1986 issue no. 44) Quinty (Mendel Palace) Jerry Boy (Smart Ball) Valkyrie no Bōken Gaiden: Futari no Megami (The Adventure of Valkyrie Gaiden: Two Goddess) Screw Breaker Gōshin Dorirurero (Drill Dozer) Pokémon Fushigi no Danjon Toki no Tankentai Yami no Tankentai (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness) Shin Maido Osawagaseshimasu