Atsuko Nishida

Atsuko Nishida (Japanese: 西田敦子) is a graphic artist who has been involved with several aspects of the Pokémon franchise since it began. She was part of the graphics team on Pulseman, one of Game Freak's most successful early titles, working alongside Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri and artist Ken Sugimori. During the development of the first Pokémon games, she helped design key characters and several Pokémon, also contributing to the conceptual design of characters that appeared in the first few Pokémon movies. Nishida has continued to work within many areas of the franchise, credited on the majority of the main series games, movies, and produced an array of original illustrations for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

According to an interview with Famitsu, translated by the UK's Official Nintendo Magazine, Nishida is a fan of Eevee and the Eeveelutions and personally designed Sylveon. She also designed Pikachu and Minccino.

Works

Games

Title	Platform	Release date	Position
Pulseman	Mega Drive	1994-07-22	Graphics
Pokémon Red and Green Versions	Game Boy	1996-02-27	Character Design/Pokémon Design
Bazaru de Gozaru No Game Degozaru	TurboGrafx-16	1996-07-26	Graphics
Pokémon Blue (Japanese)	Game Boy	1996-10-10	Character Design/Pokémon Design
Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)	Nintendo 64	1998-08-01	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Yellow Version	Game Boy	1998-09-12	Character Design/Pokémon Design
Pokémon Stadium (English)	Nintendo 64	1999-04-30	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions	Game Boy Color	1999-11-21	Pokémon Design
Grandia II	Dreamcast	2000-08-03	"Carro" Design
Pokémon Crystal Version	Game Boy Color	2000-12-14	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Stadium 2	Nintendo 64	2000-12-14	Pokémon Design
Grandia Xtreme	PlayStation 2	2002-01-31	"Carro" Design
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions	Game Boy Advance	2002-11-21	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Channel	Nintendo GameCube	2003-07-18	Pokémon Design
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions	Game Boy Advance	2004-01-29	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Emerald Version	Game Boy Advance	2004-11-16	Pokémon Design
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness	Nintendo GameCube	2005-08-04	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Versions	Nintendo DS	2006-09-28	Pokémon Design
Culdcept Saga	Xbox 360	2006-11-22	Illustration Artist
Pokémon Battle Revolution	Wii	2006-12-14	Pokémon Characters Designed By
Pokémon Platinum Version	Nintendo DS	2008-09-13	Pokémon Design
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions	Nintendo DS	2009-09-12	Pokémon Design
Pokémon Black and White Versions	Nintendo DS	2010-09-18	Pokémon Character Design

Animation

Title	Release date	Position
Mewtwo Strikes Back	1998-07-18	Original Character Design
The Power of One	1999-07-17	Original Character Design
Pikachu & Pichu	2000-07-08	Conceptual Character Artist
Spell of the Unown	2000-07-08	Conceptual Character Artist
Mewtwo Returns	2000-12-30	Character Conceptual Design
Pikachu's PikaBoo	2001-07-07	Conceptual Character Artist
Celebi: Voice of the Forest	2001-07-07	Conceptual Character Artist
The Legend of Thunder!	2001-12-30	Conceptual Character Artist
Pokémon Heroes	2002-07-13	Conceptual Character Artist
Gotta Dance!!	2003-07-19	Conceptual Character Artist
Jirachi: Wish Maker	2003-07-19	Conceptual Character Artist
Destiny Deoxys	2004-07-17	Conceptual Character Artist
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew	2005-07-16	Conceptual Character Artist
Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea	2006-07-15	Conceptual Character Artist
The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon	2006-10-13	Conceptual Character Artist
The Rise of Darkrai	2007-07-14	Original Character Design
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness	2007-09-09	Conceptual Character Artist
Giratina and the Sky Warrior	2008-07-19	Original Character Design
Arceus and the Jewel of Life	2009-07-18	Conceptual Character Artist
Zoroark: Master of Illusions	2010-07-10	Conceptual Character Artist
Best Wishes series	2010-09-23	Conceptual Character Artist

Work for the TCG

Nishida has produced illustrations for the TCG since the some of the earliest Japanese promotional cards, though her first in regular expansions was in the Team Rocket set. Nishida's style is distinctive, using an airbrush technique with a soft palette of colors that is easy on the eyes and convey the feeling that the portrayed Pokémon is at one with their environment. Light is also a large factor, using it to highlight key areas of the overall image to maintain the "soft" aspect. For a list of cards she has illustrated, go here.