Who illustrated most of the original 151 Pokémon?

Ken Sugimori illustrated and finalized most of the original 151 Pokémon.

Sugimori was a co-founder of Game Freak and became the franchise’s primary character designer and art director. He first connected with Satoshi Tajiri through the Game Freak video-game fanzine before the pair turned the publication into a development company.

Although Sugimori is associated with the original Pokémon artwork, he was not the sole designer of every species. Atsuko Nishida, Motofumi Fujiwara, Shigeki Morimoto, Satoshi Ota, and others also contributed designs.

Sugimori’s role therefore differs from Tajiri’s. Tajiri created the franchise and directed the early games, while Sugimori shaped the visual identity that made the creatures recognizable across games, cards, anime, and merchandise.