Hironobu Yoshida
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 & Pokémon LeafGreen: Super Music Collection | 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.
