Highlights

  • Mari Shimazaki designed 4 characters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, including Fidough, Dachsbun, and professors Raifort & Miriam.
  • Shimazaki, known for Bayonetta's character design, also contributed to Tekken 8's Jun Kazama & No More Heroes 3's Kimmy Love.
  • Fidough & Dachsbun are Fairy-type Pokemon, while Raifort & Miriam are trainers in the Academy Ace Tournament post-game.

Mari Shimazaki, the character designer of Bayonetta and Okami, reveals that she worked on four characters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, including the Pokemon Fidough and Dachsbun. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was first released in 2022, and is an open-world entry in the long-running franchise. Not only does it introduce a bunch of new Pokemon and characters, it also has new variants like Paradox Pokemon. The designs of the Pokemon were done by a variety of notable names and artists, such as former longtime designer James Turner, Fire Emblem character designer Yusuke Kozaki, and even Mari Shimazaki.

Mari Shimazaki is a Japanese artist who has worked on a number of video games, like Okami and SoulCalibur, but is best known for her work on the character design of the stylish Bayonetta. Some of the characters that Shimazaki has designed carry the same sense of style as Bayonetta, such as Tekken 8's version of Jun Kazama and new fighter Reina, or Kimmy Love from No More Heroes 3. Shimazaki has also revealed her specific contributions for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

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Shimazaki posted a sketch on Twitter in celebration of her beating Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The tweet's caption reveals that she was in charge of the designs of Fidough, its evolutionary stage Dachsbun, along with two professors that the player meets in the game, Raifort and Miriam. The sketch itself contains all four of these characters, with Raifort and Miriam being surrounded by Fidoughs and a Dachsbun. She notes that in her playthrough of Scarlet and Violet, she took a lot of detours, but had "finally" finished the game recently. She expressed how much she loved filling in the maps and found the game relaxing as well. Fans were happy to see that she was the one who designed Fidough and Dachsbun, as they are considered some of the cutest new Pokemon introduced in Scarlet and Violet.

Bayonetta Character Designer's Contributions to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

  • Fidough
  • Dachsbun
  • Raifort
  • Miriam

The Pokemon Fidough and Dachsbun are Fairy-type Pokemon native to the region, and are based off of pastries and dog breeds. When Fidough fully evolves into Dachsbun, it's best utilized as a physical attacker, based on its stat spread. The other characters that Shimazaki designed, Raifort and Miriam, are staff at the game's Naranja or Uva Academy, depending on the version of the game. Raifort is the history teacher, while Miriam is the school nurse.

Raifort and Miriam can be battled as Pokemon trainers in the Academy Ace Tournament of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's post-game. Raifort and Miriam both have well-balanced teams, along with the ability to Terastallize their best mons when they get the chance.