Skip to content
Pop Culture Hall
  • Inductees
  • Brands
  • News
  • Community Supporters
  • Industry partners
  • Announcements
  • Causes we Support

Gotta Illustrate ’Em All: Mitsuhiro Arita joins PCHOF Class of ’20

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Ron Ruelle
Mitsuhiro Arita Pokemon

The world of Pokemon feels like it’s been around so long that characters like Pikachu (who is everywhere) and Charizard (much harder to spot) have been alive forever. But it’s only been a quarter century, believe it or not. 

Mitsuhiro Arita Pokemon The continuing cultural impact of those monsters is impossible to estimate. Mitsuhiro Arita, the artist credited with creating the illustrations of those characters for the original card game, is an Inductee to the Pop Culture Hall of Fame for 2020 as an Artist.

Like many artists on the project, he was a freelancer just looking for an extra gig. Pokemon has since become his career-defining work.  In many cases, character parameters and basic designs were figured out ahead and presented to him to turn into detailed art for the cards and other purposes. 

Arito has created hundreds of other illustrations, of course, but none that have become quite as legendary as those two right out of the gate. “I always thought that I’d probably never be able to draw cards that people liked as much as those two,” he says. “But I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on a recent Mewtwo, so maybe there’s a chance!” 

One of his favorite aspects of the Pokemon project has been that his art style naturally works for these creatures, so he has never had to worry about adhering to a particular style. Still, he studies modern art trends and practices incorporating new techniques and styles when possible without losing the spark that made his early work legendary.

Mitsuhiro Arita Pokemon

Arita remembers the beginnings humbly. “When I first began working on the Pokémon Trading Card Game, I had no expectations I’d be working on it over 20 years later,” he said in an interview years ago. Asked if he would have charged a bit more had he known the full impact of his contributions, he said, “Of course!”

Not that he’s complaining, of course. Twenty-five years and counting as a pop culture titan is a pretty nice run, and for that, he deserves his spot in the Pop Culture Hall of Fame.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Post navigation

 Gather ’Round: Richard Garfield joins PCHOF Inductee Class of ’20Perfect Fit: Tetris Lands in PCHOF Class of ’20 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

wp-puzzle.com logo

Newest Community Supporter

Newest Industry Affiliate

Announcements

  • Legion M Teams With The Actors Fund to Combat COVID-19
  • Final Fantasy Figures and a Fan Favorite Remake
  • Power Rangers Meet Ninja Turtles!

On Facebook

On Facebook

Twitter

Tweets by popculturehall
  • Contact Us

Get the Pop Culture Hall of Fame's latest news straight to your inbox

Copyright 2015 - 2023 - Pop Culture Hall

Pop Culture Hall of Fame

Get the Pop Culture Hall of Fame's latest news straight to your inbox