Fire Emblem artist Yusuke Kozaki reveals a set of Pokemon that he contributed in designing for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The Pokemon Company has been revealing official illustrations for the games, which ranges from the multitude of new Pokemon, to the gym leaders of Scarlet and Violet, and other relevant characters. Artists on Twitter who contributed to the game have also been posting which Pokemon they designed, including Kozaki, a regular contributor to Nintendo.
Kozaki has been a long-time character designer for many video games over the years, with his first most recognizable contribution being for the No More Heroes series. He would then gain even more prominence thanks to his contributions to Fire Emblem Awakening, where he provided the character designs and official artwork for the characters. Past interviews noted that it was his work on No More Heroes and its popularity overseas that landed him the job. He still regularly does work for Nintendo, serving as the character designer for Fire Emblem Fates and designing Pokemon that players can encounter in Scarletand Violet.
In a tweet on Kozaki’s personal account, he posted a fan art illustration of the four creatures he designed for Pokemon Scarletand Violet. According to a rough translation, it reveals that he was responsible for the designs of Cetoddle, Cetitan, Varoom, and Revaroom, under the supervision of Game Freak. The intent was roughly to create a design that will “make people around the world smile” and asks people to enjoy their journey throughout the Paldea region.
This piece of art shows all four Pokemon that he designed, with Cetoddle taking Revaroom for a ride, while a Cetitan chases it. In the background, a Toxel can be seen riding a Varoom in the background, with a somewhat unimpressed face looking back at it, while a Falinks looks on in shock. Fans commented on his tweet, stating how excited they were to see it was Kozaki who designed them, saying that they're some of their favorite creatures in Scarletand Violet.
Kozaki then thanked the many fans for their comments, noting it was quite fun to see the design take shape as it looked over between Game Freak and Ken Sugimori, the primary character designer for the Pokemon franchise. This isn’t the first time Kozaki has contributed to Pokemon, as he was responsible for the designs of Pokemon GO’s Team Leaders, Candela, Blanche, and Spark. Kozaki is also still a regular artist for the Fire Emblem series, especially the Fire Emblem Heroes mobile game. This includes designs for the main protagonists and antagonists of the game, like Alfonse and Veronica, along with character art for units like Brave Lucina and Brave Chrom.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
Source: Go Nintendo