Yōichi Kotabe

Yōichi Kotabe is a legendary Japanese animator, character designer, and illustrator whose career spans several decades and plays a crucial role in the foundation of modern anime. He began his work in the early days of Japanese television animation, collaborating closely with Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata during their time at Toei Animation. Kotabe’s early contributions helped define the visual language of classic anime through expressive characters, clean line work, and strong emotional clarity.

Kotabe is best known internationally as the original character designer for the Pokémon franchise, where his work on the early films and official illustrations helped shape the iconic look of Pokémon characters recognized worldwide today. His designs balanced simplicity and charm with strong personality, making them accessible to audiences of all ages. Beyond Pokémon, he also contributed character designs and animation to influential works such as Heidi, Girl of the Alps, Future Boy Conan, and Lupin III.

In addition to anime, Yōichi Kotabe played a significant role at Nintendo, where he worked as an illustrator and character designer on major franchises, including The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario. His cross-industry influence and timeless artistic style have earned him immense respect, and he is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in character design, bridging classic anime, global pop culture, and video game art.