Hironobu Yoshida

Hironobu Yoshida (left) with Junichi Masuda

Hironobu Yoshida (Japanese: 吉田宏信) is a graphic designer who has been involved with several aspects of the Pokémon franchise for many years. Yoshida has been with Game Freak since 1997 and has had a hand in the development of the majority of main series Pokémon games, both as a graphic and Pokémon designer. Pokémon he is known to have designed include Wobbuffet, Dunsparce, Celebi, Deoxys and Magmortar. He is credited in several of the Pokémon movies within the character design department and has illustrated a handful of cards for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. He also designed the main art for the 2007 and 2011 World Championships.

Additionally, he created an array of unique characters and lent his voice to some of them for the Game Boy Advance game Drill Dozer, another Game Freak title directed by fellow Pokémon designer Ken Sugimori in 2005.

He has also branched into other media, performing a live-action version of the Poké Dude Show (an in-game tutorial featured in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen), dressing up as Primo, the Poké Dude, and giving advice on how to do various things in the Pokémon games. He reprises this role in the song Teach Me! Older Brother, in which he engages a group of children in the same manner as the in-game character and provides the main vocals.

Works

Games

Title	Platform	Date	Position
Pokémon Yellow Version	Game Boy	1998	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions	Game Boy Color	1999	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Crystal Version	Game Boy Color	2000	Pokémon Design/Pokémon Animation/Graphics Design
Pokémon Stadium 2	Nintendo 64	2000	Original Character Design
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions	Game Boy Advance	2002	Main Graphic Designer/Pokémon & Graphic Designer
Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire	Nintendo GameCube	2003	Designer
Pokémon Channel	Nintendo GameCube	2003	Conceptual Character Design
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions	Game Boy Advance	2004	Graphic Designer/Pokémon Designer
Pokémon Emerald Version	Game Boy Advance	2004	Graphic Designer/Pokémon Designer
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness	Nintendo GameCube	2005	Pokémon Character Design
Drill Dozer	Game Boy Advance	2005	Character Design/Graphic Design/Additional Voices
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Versions	Nintendo DS	2006	Graphic Design/Pokémon Design
Pokémon Platinum Version	Nintendo DS	2008	Graphic Design/Pokémon Design
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions	Nintendo DS	2009	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Black and White Versions	Nintendo DS	2010	Pokémon Design/2-D Graphic Design (lead)/Battle Graphic Design

Animation

Title	Date	Position
Pikachu & Pichu	2001	Conceptual Character Artist
Spell of the Unown	2001	Animation Producer
Pikachu's PikaBoo	2001	Conceptual Character Artist
Pokémon Heroes	2002	Conceptual Character Artist
Jirachi: Wish Maker	2003	Conceptual Character Artist
Destiny Deoxys	2004	Conceptual Character Artist
The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon	2006	Conceptual Character Artist
The Rise of Darkrai	2007	Original Character Design
Giratina and the Sky Warrior	2008	Original Character Design
Arceus and the Jewel of Life	2009	Conceptual Character Artist

Music

Title	Album	Date	Label
Teach Me! Older Brother	Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Music Super Complete	2004	Msi Music, Super D

Work for the TCG

Yoshida's art style has changed noticeably since his first illustrations. Originally, his style was very similar to that of Ken Sugimori, using light shades of color. He was still experimenting during this time, as his Wobbuffet from Neo Discovery and Murkrow from Neo Revelation are noticeably different, having much more defined outlines and solid areas of color. By Expedition Base Set, Yoshida had changed to giving his illustrations more tone definition and using much heavier outlines. He has continued to use this style in the few illustrations he has done since then. For a list of cards he has illustrated, go here.

He also appeared in a photograph on the card Poké Dude, dress as the Poké Dude.