Which artist designed Pikachu for the Pokémon series?

Atsuko Nishida designed Pikachu for the Pokémon series.

Nishida was a graphic artist at Game Freak who created Pikachu during development of the first Pokémon games. Ken Sugimori then finalized the character’s artwork for the game and promotional materials. Pikachu’s simple silhouette, bright yellow color, pointed ears, and lightning-bolt tail made it especially recognizable.

Pikachu was not initially intended to be the global face of the franchise. The character became the anime’s primary companion for Ash Ketchum, which rapidly increased its visibility among television viewers who had never played the games.

The character’s name combines Japanese words associated with electric sparks and squeaking sounds. Pikachu is an Electric-type Pokémon in the original games and is listed as National Pokédex number 025.