Who created the original Pokémon concept and served as the creator of the franchise?

Satoshi Tajiri created the original Pokémon concept and is credited as the franchise's creator.

Tajiri grew up collecting insects, a childhood hobby that inspired the idea of collecting and exchanging creatures in a video game. The Game Boy's Link Cable suggested a way for players to trade those creatures between systems, turning a technical feature into a central part of the design.

Tajiri founded the video-game company Game Freak and pitched the project to Nintendo. Development lasted several years, and the eventual games became Pokémon Red and Green. Shigeru Miyamoto supported the project at Nintendo, but he was not Pokémon's creator.

Ken Sugimori was another important early figure: he led much of the artwork and helped define the visual identity of the creatures. Junichi Masuda later became a major composer, director, and producer within the series, but neither replaced Tajiri as its original creator.