Which video game designer created Pokémon?

Video game designer Satoshi Tajiri created Pokémon.

Tajiri conceived the idea after seeing the Game Boy and its ability to connect two systems with a cable. He imagined players trading creatures between handhelds, drawing on his childhood interest in collecting insects. That concept became the foundation for Pokémon’s collecting and trading mechanics.

Tajiri and illustrator Ken Sugimori had already worked together on Game Freak, a gaming fanzine that became a video game company in 1989. Tajiri pitched the Pokémon project to Nintendo, where Shigeru Miyamoto later served as an important mentor during development.

The first games took about six years to complete and placed heavy financial pressure on Game Freak. Tajiri also deliberately designed Pokémon to faint rather than die in battle, helping keep the games suitable for children. Sugimori illustrated the original creatures, but Tajiri is credited as Pokémon’s creator and original conceptual force.