Mitsuhiro Arita

Mitsuhiro Arita (Japanese: 有田満弘), born January 12, 1970 in Fukuoka Prefecture, is a freelance illustrator who has been providing artwork for the Pokémon Trading Card Game since its inception. In addition to Pokémon, he has also provided artwork for several other trading or collectible card games based on franchises such as Shin Megami Tensei, Monster Hunter, and Super Sentai. He has provided many illustrations for Final Fantasy XI online content, as well as producing written articles, featured works, and cover art across numerous publications. He likes to paint pictures while he travels, a hobby he calls "Mobile Painting," which he began doing while using a Pocket PC.^[2] Arita is completely self-taught in his artistry.^[3]

Arita in 2023^[1]

Work for the TCG

Arita has continued to produce illustrations since the very beginning of the TCG, and as a result, he is among the TCG's most prolific artists. Arita started doing art for the cards in their prototype stages, even before Pokémon Red and Green Versions had been released.^[4] At the time, the only reference material for Pokémon appearances was the original sprites.^[5] Not knowing if they would be a success, he did not know how long the job would last. He said of the experience, "I was honestly worried about finding another project before the end of my contract."^[3] He was invited to the project by Keiji Kinebuchi, and also designed the symbols for the first six Energy types.^[6] Arita has credited his work on the Base Set's Pikachu and Charizard for having a "big effect" on his career.^[7]

Arita’s coloring style has changed over the years. His earlier illustrations were often a mix of watercolor or pastel with distinct outlines, but he has developed a more fluid style that emphasizes the use of vibrant colors, as well as light and shadow to create dynamic and realistic looking images. Many of his images also use high and low angles or tilt to help achieve this. Arita attempts to depict Pokémon in everyday scenarios, as though they were appearing in a nature documentary, and he often draws Pokémons' expressions and backgrounds realistically to achieve this.^[5]^[8]