Ken Sugimori facts for kids

Ken Sugimori (Japanese: 杉森 建, Hepburn: Sugimori Ken, born January 27, 1966) is a famous Japanese video game designer, artist, and director. He is best known as the main artist and character designer for the world-famous Pokémon series. If you've ever seen Pikachu, Charizard, or any of the original 151 Pokémon, you've seen his work!

Sugimori was in charge of the art for the first Pokémon games and drew the final designs for all the original creatures. He also helped create the look for other games like Pulseman and has worked on the Pokémon movies, trading cards, and even the Super Smash Bros. series.

Career

Starting Out

Long before Pokémon existed, Ken Sugimori was a teenager who loved video games. From 1981 to 1986, he drew pictures for a fan magazine, or "fanzine," called Game Freak. This magazine was started by another video game fan, Satoshi Tajiri. Sugimori found the magazine in a special shop and was so impressed that he decided to join the team.

Together, Sugimori and Tajiri decided to turn their passion for games into a real company. They named their company Game Freak, just like their magazine. Their first game was called Mendel Palace, which they created for the company Namco.

Creating Pokémon

Sugimori's biggest and most famous project was just around the corner. He became the lead artist for a new game idea: Pokémon. He worked with a small team to design the first 151 Pokémon. Sugimori personally drew the final official art for every single one of them, giving them the classic look that fans love.

Even for later games like Pokémon Black and White, Sugimori led a team of artists to create new Pokémon. He always drew the final designs himself to make sure they were perfect. To get ideas for new creatures, he often visited zoos and aquariums to study real animals.

His Artistic Style

How does Sugimori create a new character? He usually starts with a rough sketch. Then, he carefully traces the drawing, cleaning up the lines and making it look more professional. He often redraws the character many times, changing its size and shape until he is happy with the result.

Sugimori once said, "I always want to show new Pokémon that people have never seen before. To do that, I think of ways that I can surprise the players."

Famous Projects

Ken Sugimori has worked on dozens of games, but he is most famous for his art and design in the Pokémon series.

Pokémon Games

Sugimori was the main artist and designer for the games that started it all:

• Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue (1996)
• Pokémon Yellow (1998)
• Pokémon Gold and Silver (1999)
• Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002)

He continued to work as the art director and designer for many other titles in the series, including Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, and Sun and Moon. He also helped supervise the art for recent games like Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet.

Other Games and Media

Besides the main Pokémon games, Sugimori has worked on many other projects:

• Other Video Games: He was the director and designer for the action game Pulseman (1994) and the puzzle-action game Drill Dozer (2005).
• Pokémon Cards: He is one of the main artists for the Pokémon trading cards, creating the art for many famous cards.
• Pokémon Anime: He helped create the original character designs for Ash, Misty, and Brock in the Pokémon TV show and the early movies.
• Manga: Sugimori has also written and drawn his own manga (Japanese comics), including one based on the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games.

See also

In Spanish: Ken Sugimori para niños