Atsuko Nishida

Pokémon card illustrator

Atsuko Nishida is a Japanese graphic artist and character designer who worked at Game Freak and is celebrated as the creator of Pikachu's design — originally inspired by a daifuku sweet and later reworked around a squirrel, which gave Pikachu its cheek pouches. Her Pokémon design credits also include Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Eevee evolutions such as Glaceon and Sylveon, and she has illustrated many TCG cards. Famously private, she once spent an entire 2018 interview hidden behind a giant Pikachu plush.