Ken Sugimori’s Hand-Drawn Color Licensed Illustration of “Pokémon”
On the Authenticity of Raichu

In November 1996, Carddass News announced that about 40–50 newly drawn Pokémon illustrations would be added.

This was during the early Pokémon boom, around the time Bandai released Pokémon cards in its trading card vending machine series, Carddass.
From September 1996 through 1997, Bandai rolled out the Pocket Monsters Carddass card sets (Parts 1 & 2 with 155 types total, Parts 3 & 4 with 151 types + special cards) and six types of Jumbo Carddass seal sheets. bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net The Part 3 & 4 illustrations were all newly created originals (completely drawn from scratch), making them unique Pokémon artwork for the Carddass series.

To conclude upfront: various sources confirm that the creator (illustrator) of these newly drawn Pokémon illustrations was Ken Sugimori. Sugimori, an art director at Game Freak, designed the characters and official illustrations for Pokémon Red and Green. At that time, most official full-color Pokémon artwork was handled by him, and the Carddass illustrations were no exception.

Multiple references confirm that all the color illustrations for Bandai’s Pocket Monsters Carddass (released 1996–1997) were drawn by Ken Sugimori. bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net dittodan.neocities.org. Bulbapedia explicitly states: “All colored illustrations in the Pocket Monsters Carddass sets released in 1996 and 1997 were by Ken Sugimori.” Fan analysis sites also note that “the front sides of Carddass Part 1 & 2 use Sugimori’s watercolor paintings.”

Therefore, the roughly 40–50 Pokémon illustrations announced in the November 1996 issue of Carddass News can be confidently attributed to Ken Sugimori.

These were not reused existing official images but completely original compositions. In Carddass Part 3 & 4, the Pokémon were depicted performing signature moves — unique portrayals not seen in other media dittodan.neocities.org.

Sources confirm: “The Part 3 and 4 card sets included new watercolors by Sugimori that were never reused in any other product.” dittodan.neocities.org

This shows that the color illustrations for Carddass were special, limited artwork created specifically for this project. Testimonies and records from the time support this. While direct official credits were limited, early Pokémon product development accounts mention that “Sugimori prepared official illustrations for all 151 Pokémon, including those that had no color artwork when the games first launched.” jp.mercari.com

In fact, Sugimori also created illustrations for all Pokémon in official guidebooks published after the game’s release, and the large number of new Carddass illustrations can be seen as an extension of this work. Thus, as the creator of Pokémon’s designs, Sugimori was at the center of the Carddass artwork production.

Fans and community recollections consistently evaluate the Carddass illustrations as “newly drawn by Ken Sugimori,” and now regard them as valuable pieces of Pokémon art history. jp.mercari.com Japanese fans also note: “Those Carddass illustrations by Sugimori are now rare and precious” (as mentioned in personal blogs).

The Pokémon color illustrations announced in the November 1996 issue of Carddass News were created by Ken Sugimori, the official Pokémon illustrator. All the original color artwork featured on Bandai’s cards was by Sugimori, with no evidence of involvement from other illustrators or external teams. As the creator of the original 151 official Pokémon designs, Sugimori himself also provided new color artwork for the Carddass project. Therefore, these color illustrations should be recognized as valuable Pokémon art directly drawn by Ken Sugimori.

I have already seen the information supplied by Mandarake and find it somewhat disappointing.

Firstly, it is unbelievable that a company such as Mandarake, who pride themselves on their 'authenticity', would cite websites such as Bulbapedia and "DittoDan" as reliable sources of information. Bulbapedia is an open-source web page that can be editted by anyone with an internet connection. Ditto Dan is a user who is obsessed with Ditto and currently has 144 followers on social media, I don't think they can be cited as an "expert" on Ken Sugimori. It is baffling that these two sources have been considered over the words of an actual employee at Bandai who has stated these are NOT drawn by Sugimori! This does not make Mandarake look like a company that undertakes extensive research into the products they auction.

The latest statement from Mandarake has been met negatively by a number of high-profile members of the Pokémon community and I am aware of at least two people who are currently preparing further evidence and seeking legal advice. I know that GameFreak/Ken Sugimori have been contacted by one member of the community who has a contact in the business.

Finally, I am attaching two more images for your perusal. The first is a auction lot of a Meowth Cardass illustration that was listed by Heritage Auctions in September 2024. This was another piece from the collection of the person who owns the Raichu. This piece was later pulled from auction after evidence surrounding the authenticity was bought to the attention of the auction team. The second image is from Yahoo auctions, sold by the original seller, as you can see there is absolutely no mention of Ken Sugimori in the title and the price sold was considerably less.

I am also once again attaching the images of the original sellers comments, the ex-employee of Bandai, who clearly states that these paintings were NOT drawn by Sugimori.

I hope once again that Mandarake consider re-evaluating whether auctioning this lot is worth the potential negative impact that it will have on their company and future auctions.

Kind regards,

First, allow us to explain how we handle information from fan sites such as Bulbapedia and DittoDan. We do not treat information from those unofficial sites as the sole basis for determining authenticity. Bulbapedia (a Pokémon fan encyclopedia) and DittoDan’s analysis site compile volunteer research on Carddas cards from that era, and we fully recognize that they are not official sources. Nevertheless, the content they present—for example, the statement that “all colour illustrations for the 1996–97 Pocket Monster Carddas were drawn by Ken Sugimori”—matches several sources and the circumstances of the time, so we have cited it as reference material. In fact, there are testimonies and records that corroborate that the illustrations drawn for Carddas were primarily produced under Mr. Sugimori’s direction (for instance, a notice of new illustrations in the November 1996 issue of Carddas News), and this is widely recognized within the fan community.
What is important is that our decision is based on a comprehensive assessment grounded in the careful examination and experience of our own experts and on the official and unofficial materials we have gathered both inside and outside the company. Information from Bulbapedia and DittoDan is treated as supporting data; we have not relied on these alone to determine authenticity. Based on the appraisal skills and knowledge we have cultivated over many years, we have arrived at our current conclusion through a holistic evaluation of the quality, drawing style and history of this original piece.

Next, regarding the testimony of a person claiming to be a “former Bandai employee.” According to some reports, a seller who once offered similar artwork on Yahoo! Auctions is said to have stated that “these illustrations were not drawn by Ken Sugimori.” However, this testimony was posted anonymously, and we cannot confirm its source or authenticity. Even if the speaker did indeed work on the project at the time, that information has not been officially verified and cannot be considered objective third‑party evidence.
When evaluating the authenticity of artwork or collectors’ items, we take a cautious stance toward primary information whose reliability cannot be confirmed. We do not definitively deny a work’s author based solely on comments such as “a former employee of company X said so.” It is essential to form a judgement based on multiple perspectives, such as official materials, credible testimonies and appraisal results of the piece itself. As far as we are aware, there is no decisive evidence objectively showing that someone other than Mr. Sugimori drew this piece; on the contrary, as explained above, we have concluded that, given the time frame and the techniques used, it is highly likely to have been created by Mr. Sugimori. Of course, if new information supported by official sources comes to light in the future, we will take it seriously and consider the necessary course of action. However, we hope you will understand that at this stage our position cannot be overturned by an anonymous “former employee” testimony alone.

Next, we will address the auction items cited as similar past cases. Regarding the Meowth original (Carddas No. 052) you mention, there was a case where it was scheduled to be offered by Heritage Auctions in the United States in 2024 under the title “Original Artwork (Bandai/Game Freak, 1997),” but the listing was ultimately withdrawn. As for the Snorlax original, there was a case on Yahoo! Auctions where it was listed as “Jumbo Carddas Sildas No. 4 Snorlax Used Original Art,” and the final winning bid amounted to around 2.8 million yen. These episodes have led some to wonder, “If these were really valuable originals drawn by Mr. Sugimori, wouldn’t they remain listed and fetch high prices?”
We would first like to emphasize that the circumstances and premises of each case differ. From the outside we can only speculate why the Meowth artwork was pulled from Heritage Auctions: it is unclear whether it was withdrawn due to authenticity concerns or for other reasons, such as the seller’s circumstances or contractual issues. One cannot simply conclude that “withdrawn listing = fake.” In the case of the Snorlax artwork on Yahoo! Auctions, the price can be affected by many factors, including the listing description at the time, the pool of bidders and market awareness. It would be premature to suspect it was fake just because the price was relatively low—market valuations fluctuate greatly depending on the information available and the level of demand at the time.
Furthermore, we obtained and scrutinized the publicly available information and images concerning the Snorlax artwork (or the piece said to be such) traded on Yahoo! Auctions. We observed clear differences in the linework and precision of colouring compared with the Raichu artwork currently on offer. In the Snorlax example, the outlines and colour gradations appeared rough, and we felt its level of finish as artwork was inferior to the present piece. This leads us to consider the possibility that the work circulated on Yahoo! Auctions may not have been produced by the same artist as our lot (in extreme cases, we cannot rule out the possibility that it was a reproduction or some kind of printed material). In contrast, we have inspected everything from the paper and the texture of the art materials to the brushwork in the Raichu artwork we are offering, and we judge that it clearly matches the quality of official original pieces from that period. Indeed, the gentle gradations of watercolour and lively brushstrokes evident in this piece share features common to early official Pokémon illustrations. From this viewpoint as well, we have confidence in its provenance and authenticity.

Allow us to summarize our evaluation of the Raichu original. Before putting it up for sale, our specialized staff carefully examined the actual piece. The state of the paper, the way the paint sits and the fineness and feel of the lines all exhibit the high quality unique to officially produced original artwork, and are consistent with the genuine originals we have handled previously. Moreover, this piece reached us through a reliable channel. For reasons of privacy we cannot go into detail, but this was not an item of unknown origin suddenly acquired on the market; rather, it is a collector’s item that has passed through a legitimate distribution route. Taking all of this into account, we have concluded that this is an original work officially produced, and we are listing it with confidence.
Since our founding, Mandarake has taken the utmost care in verifying the authenticity of collectors’ items and ensuring their appropriate distribution in the market. We will take seriously and carefully examine the concerns raised in this instance and, should we deem it necessary, we are prepared to disclose further information or amend the listing. At present, however, based on the findings of our internal investigation and our many years of experience, we maintain the view that this original is a newly drawn work by Ken Sugimori. We hope you will understand that this judgement is not a baseless assertion made for profit, but is grounded in the considerations described above.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who has shared concerns or opinions on this matter. We will continue to exercise utmost caution and fulfil our duty of explanation so as not to betray our customers’ trust. Should you have any new information or questions, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to your continued patronage of Mandarake Auctions.

Sincerely,