Which artist created Pikachu’s original design for the Pokémon games?

Atsuko Nishida created Pikachu’s original design for the Pokémon games.

Nishida designed Pikachu at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori. Fellow developer Koji Nishino encouraged the design to become cuter, and Sugimori finalized the artwork associated with Pikachu’s debut.

Pikachu was initially considered alongside Clefairy as a possible lead character for merchandising. Pikachu ultimately became the anime’s companion character because its friendly appearance, yellow color, and appeal to different audiences made it an effective mascot.

Players often associate the character’s look solely with Sugimori because he finalized and illustrated many Pokémon designs. However, the credited original designer of Pikachu is Nishida. Later games also introduced visual changes, including slimmer proportions and the larger Gigantamax form.