Atsuko Nishida

Atsuko Nishida (Japanese: 西田敦子) is a graphic artist who has been involved with several aspects of the Pokémon franchise since it began. She was part of the graphics team on Pulseman, one of Game Freak's most successful early titles, working alongside Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri and artist Ken Sugimori. During the development of the first Pokémon games, she helped design key characters and several Pokémon, also contributing to the conceptual design of characters that appeared in the first few Pokémon movies. Nishida has continued to work within many areas of the franchise, credited on the majority of the main series games, movies, and produced an array of original illustrations for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

According to an interview with Famitsu, translated by the UK's Official Nintendo Magazine, Nishida is a fan of Eevee and the Eeveelutions and personally designed Sylveon. She also designed Pikachu and Minccino.

Works

Games

Title Platform Release date Position
Pulseman Mega Drive 1994-07-22 Graphics
Pokémon Red and Green Versions Game Boy 1996-02-27 Character Design/Pokémon Design
Bazaru de Gozaru No Game Degozaru TurboGrafx-16 1996-07-26 Graphics
Pokémon Blue (Japanese) Game Boy 1996-10-10 Character Design/Pokémon Design
Pokémon Stadium (Japanese) Nintendo 64 1998-08-01 Pokémon Design
Pokémon Yellow Version Game Boy 1998-09-12 Character Design/Pokémon Design
Pokémon Stadium (English) Nintendo 64 1999-04-30 Pokémon Design
Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions Game Boy Color 1999-11-21 Pokémon Design
Grandia II Dreamcast 2000-08-03 "Carro" Design
Pokémon Crystal Version Game Boy Color 2000-12-14 Pokémon Design
Pokémon Stadium 2 Nintendo 64 2000-12-14 Pokémon Design
Grandia Xtreme PlayStation 2 2002-01-31 "Carro" Design
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions Game Boy Advance 2002-11-21 Pokémon Design
Pokémon Channel Nintendo GameCube 2003-07-18 Pokémon Design
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions Game Boy Advance 2004-01-29 Pokémon Design
Pokémon Emerald Version Game Boy Advance 2004-11-16 Pokémon Design
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness Nintendo GameCube 2005-08-04 Pokémon Design
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Versions Nintendo DS 2006-09-28 Pokémon Design
Culdcept Saga Xbox 360 2006-11-22 Illustration Artist
Pokémon Battle Revolution Wii 2006-12-14 Pokémon Characters Designed By
Pokémon Platinum Version Nintendo DS 2008-09-13 Pokémon Design
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions Nintendo DS 2009-09-12 Pokémon Design
Pokémon Black and White Versions Nintendo DS 2010-09-18 Pokémon Character Design

Animation

Title Release date Position
Mewtwo Strikes Back 1998-07-18 Original Character Design
The Power of One 1999-07-17 Original Character Design
Pikachu & Pichu 2000-07-08 Conceptual Character Artist
Spell of the Unown 2000-07-08 Conceptual Character Artist
Mewtwo Returns 2000-12-30 Character Conceptual Design
Pikachu's PikaBoo 2001-07-07 Conceptual Character Artist
Celebi: Voice of the Forest 2001-07-07 Conceptual Character Artist
The Legend of Thunder! 2001-12-30 Conceptual Character Artist
Pokémon Heroes 2002-07-13 Conceptual Character Artist
Gotta Dance!! 2003-07-19 Conceptual Character Artist
Jirachi: Wish Maker 2003-07-19 Conceptual Character Artist
Destiny Deoxys 2004-07-17 Conceptual Character Artist
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew 2005-07-16 Conceptual Character Artist
Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea 2006-07-15 Conceptual Character Artist
The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon 2006-10-13 Conceptual Character Artist
The Rise of Darkrai 2007-07-14 Original Character Design
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness 2007-09-09 Conceptual Character Artist
Giratina and the Sky Warrior 2008-07-19 Original Character Design
Arceus and the Jewel of Life 2009-07-18 Conceptual Character Artist
Zoroark: Master of Illusions 2010-07-10 Conceptual Character Artist
Best Wishes series 2010-09-23 Conceptual Character Artist

Work for the TCG

Nishida has produced illustrations for the TCG since the some of the earliest Japanese promotional cards, though her first in regular expansions was in the Team Rocket set. Nishida's style is distinctive, using an airbrush technique with a soft palette of colors that is easy on the eyes and convey the feeling that the portrayed Pokémon is at one with their environment. Light is also a large factor, using it to highlight key areas of the overall image to maintain the "soft" aspect. For a list of cards she has illustrated, go here.