Which Pokémon card artists make the most valuable cards?

Collectors often say certain artists “always” make valuable cards. To test that, we matched 20,380 priced cards from 172 English sets (1999–2026) to the illustrator credited on each one, then asked a narrower question than “whose cards cost the most”: whose cards sell for more than comparable cards, meaning the same set, the same rarity, and the same Pokémon. That separates the artist from the two things that set most of a card’s price. The short answer: the artist is a small factor, but a handful of illustrators beat comparable cards far more often than chance.

Key takeaways

• Rarity and the Pokémon set most of the price. The rarity slot explains about 63% of the spread in hit-card prices and the Pokémon about 8%. The artist explains 0.9%.
• A few artists really do add value. Tomokazu Komiya, Hikaru Koike, Ken Sugimori, Atsuko Nishida, and Atsushi Furusawa have the most consistent records: 68% to 79% of their hit cards beat comparable cards, against 43% for the average artist.
• The biggest totals aren’t about the art. 5ban Graphics leads on total value ($56,560) through sheer volume, and Masakazu Fukuda is second because he drew the EX-era Gold Star cards.
• CG renders trail hand-drawn art. Cards credited to CG studios beat comparable cards 32% of the time, against 47% for individual illustrators.
• Watch Jiro Sasumo, OKACHEKE, AKIRA EGAWA, mashu, and Kuroimori. Their current Illustration Rares and SIRs sell above comparable cards. And beware one-hit wonders: KEIICHIRO ITO’s Moonbreon is 96% of their total value.

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Does the artist change what a card is worth?#

A little. We fit one model to every priced card that splits its price into three parts: its rarity slot (for example, Evolving Skies secret rares), which Pokémon is on it, and who drew it. The rarity slot does most of the work, because it decides how scarce the card is and how flashy the printing. The Pokémon comes second: a Charizard sells for about 9x a typical Pokémon in the same slot. The best artist premium is about 1.34x.

Poké Life · poke-life.com

The artist’s share roughly triples inside Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares, the cards that exist to show off the art. Even there, it stays smaller than the Pokémon’s. So a favorite artist can lift a card, but a popular Pokémon in a top rarity lifts it far more.

The artists with the most valuable cards#

Ranked by the combined market value of every card they illustrated. Volume matters here: an artist with a thousand cards will top this list even if each card is ordinary.

"Hits" are cards above Rare. Premium is how much an artist's hit cards sell for compared with cards from the same set and rarity showing the same Pokémon (1.20x means 20% more). Beat rate is the share of their hit cards that sell above that comparison; the average artist is 43%. Both need 20+ hit cards. Ungraded Scrydex market prices as of Oct 12, 2026.

The top two show why totals mislead. 5ban Graphics, a CG studio, has 1,734 cards, more than anyone, and the most $100+ cards (137). But its hit cards sell for 0.89x what comparable cards do, below average. Masakazu Fukuda is second because he drew every EX-era Gold Star card in our data, one of the rarest slots ever printed; his typical card sells for $0.95.

Which artists consistently beat comparable cards#

This is the ranking that answers “does this artist make valuable cards because of the art?” It covers the 67 artists with at least 20 hit cards and sorts them by how often their hit cards sell above comparable ones.

"Hits" are cards above Rare. Premium is how much an artist's hit cards sell for compared with cards from the same set and rarity showing the same Pokémon (1.20x means 20% more). Beat rate is the share of their hit cards that sell above that comparison; the average artist is 43%. Both need 20+ hit cards. Ungraded Scrydex market prices as of Oct 12, 2026.

The leaders are mostly veteran hand illustrators whose careers go back to the first sets. At the other end, the artists who most often trail comparable cards are dominated by CG studios, whose 3D renders fill most standard ex, V, and GX slots:

"Hits" are cards above Rare. Premium is how much an artist's hit cards sell for compared with cards from the same set and rarity showing the same Pokémon (1.20x means 20% more). Beat rate is the share of their hit cards that sell above that comparison; the average artist is 43%. Both need 20+ hit cards. Ungraded Scrydex market prices as of Oct 12, 2026.

Pooled together, CG studio cards beat comparable cards 32% of the time across 1,685 hit cards; individual illustrators manage 47% across 4,436.

Artist profiles#

Mitsuhiro Arita: consistent and valuable

One of the original TCG illustrators, best known for the Base Set Charizard. He has 726 priced cards, 86 of them worth $100 or more, and 236 hit cards. Those beat comparable cards 61% of the time with a 1.27x premium. His most valuable: Celebi from Skyridge (2003), $4,000.

Atsuko Nishida: the highest typical hit price

An original-era artist widely credited as one of Pikachu’s designers. Her median hit card sells for $84.92, the highest of the big names, and her hits beat comparable cards 69% of the time. Her most valuable: Umbreon from Skyridge (2003), $5,000.

Ken Sugimori: consistent, mostly low-dollar

Game Freak’s longtime art director and the designer of many original Pokémon, with 1,105 cards, the most of any individual. Most are commons, so his typical card is $1.54, but his 153 hit cards beat comparable cards 71% of the time.

Hikaru Koike: small but elite

Only 47 cards, active 2000–2006, mostly EX-era ex holos, and 32 of them are worth $100 or more. That’s the densest catalog of valuable cards of any artist with a real sample. Top card: Lugia ex from Unseen Forces (2005), $2,500.

Tomokazu Komiya: the most consistent

Known for an offbeat, instantly recognizable style. His cards rarely cost much (median hit $29.57), but 79% of his hit cards beat comparable cards, the highest rate of any artist with 20+ hits.

Ryo Ueda: the EX-era workhorse

93 cards worth $100 or more, the most of any individual illustrator, built on EX-era ex holos and staple Trainers. A steady 1.08x premium across 211 hit cards. Top card: Rocket's Zapdos ex from Team Rocket Returns (2004), $1,080.

The modern art test: Illustration Rares and SIRs#

Illustration Rares (IR) and Special Illustration Rares (SIR) have been printed since 2023. They’re the cleanest test of whether collectors pay for the artist, because the art is the whole point of the card. Across 742 of them by 194 artists, these illustrators carry the biggest premiums:

Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares from 2023 on, artists with 6+ of them. Premium compares each card with others of the same rarity, set, and Pokémon, and is pulled toward 1.00x for small samples. The average artist's beat rate here is 47%.

And these trail comparable cards most:

Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares from 2023 on, artists with 6+ of them. Premium compares each card with others of the same rarity, set, and Pokémon, and is pulled toward 1.00x for small samples. The average artist's beat rate here is 47%.

5 artists to keep an eye on#

These are current illustrators, all with cards in sets released since 2025, whose Illustration Rares and SIRs keep selling above comparable cards. We ranked them by how much that premium adds up across all their IR and SIR cards, so one lucky card can’t top the list. The clearest sign of an artist-driven price is a Pokémon that isn’t a chase favorite still selling well above its slot.

1. Jiro Sasumo

   First card 2022 · 13 cards in 8 sets since 2025

   10 IR/SIR (4 SIR) · 1.52x premium · beats comparable cards 80% of the time

   The highest art-slot premium of any artist with a real sample. Even a Trainer SIR and Illustration Rares of early-stage Pokémon like Servine and Piplup sell above comparable cards.

   • Leafeon ex SIRPrismatic Evolutions · $315.40
   • Wally's Compassion SIRMega Evolution · $21.09
   • Servine IRBlack Bolt · $15.42

2. OKACHEKE

   First card 2019 · 14 cards in 9 sets since 2025

   14 IR/SIR (3 SIR) · 1.30x premium · beats comparable cards 57% of the time

   The clearest case of the art carrying the card: Illustration Rares of Oshawott and Misty's Psyduck sell far above what those Pokémon usually fetch in that slot.

   • Oshawott IRWhite Flare · $79.86
   • Misty's Psyduck IRDestined Rivals · $44.87
   • AZ's Tranquility SIRChaos Rising · $20.26

3. AKIRA EGAWA

   First card 2019 · 13 cards in 9 sets since 2025

   14 IR/SIR (10 SIR) · 1.29x premium · beats comparable cards 71% of the time

   The best-supported pick, with more Special Illustration Rares than anyone else on this list and still a premium across all of them. Has kept landing SIRs in nearly every recent set.

   • Mega Darkrai ex SIRPitch Black · $145.85
   • Team Rocket's Moltres ex SIRDestined Rivals · $76.79
   • Mega Latias ex SIRMega Evolution · $72.50

4. mashu

   First card 2024 · 15 cards in 9 sets since 2025

   9 IR/SIR (2 SIR) · 1.36x premium · beats comparable cards 78% of the time

   One of the most prolific newer illustrators, with cards in almost every recent set. Their Illustration Rares of Leavanny and Bulbasaur price well above comparable cards.

   • Mega Venusaur ex SIRMega Evolution · $137.17
   • Leavanny IRWhite Flare · $38.89
   • Terapagos ex SIRPrismatic Evolutions · $28.42

5. Kuroimori

   First card 2024 · 8 cards in 7 sets since 2025

   7 IR/SIR (4 SIR) · 1.41x premium · beats comparable cards 86% of the time

   A newcomer with the highest typical IR/SIR price on this list. A Chandelure Illustration Rare selling on its art is a strong sign. The smallest sample here, so the most upside and the least proof.

   • Mew ex SIR30th Celebration · $85.02
   • Chandelure IRWhite Flare · $66.70
   • Iris's Fighting Spirit SIRAscended Heroes · $21.45

One-hit wonders#

Some artists are famous for one card. In every case below, that card is an alternate art of a fan-favorite Pokémon, and the rest of the artist’s catalog is mostly bulk that trails comparable cards. The Pokémon and the alt-art slot made the card; the artist’s name doesn’t carry over to their other work.

KEIICHIRO ITO is the clearest example. Their Umbreon VMAX alternate art from Evolving Skies, known as Moonbreon, is the most valuable Sword & Shield-era card in our data at $2,265. Their next-best card sells for $14.92, their Illustration Rares sell for 0.66x what comparable cards do, and their typical card is $0.20.

Not every big hit means a one-hit wonder. sowsow’s Gengar VMAX is 68% of their total, but their other hit cards beat comparable cards 72% of the time.

Too early to tell

These newer artists have one big Special Illustration Rare and only a handful of other cards. Their next few releases will show whether the hit was the art or the Pokémon.

Who led each era#

The artists with the most total card value in each era of the game:

• Vintage (1999–2003): Mitsuhiro Arita, Ken Sugimori, Atsuko Nishida. Most valuable card: Umbreon from Skyridge by Atsuko Nishida, $5,000.
• EX to HeartGold SoulSilver (2003–2011): Masakazu Fukuda, Ryo Ueda, Mitsuhiro Arita. Most valuable card: Mewtwo ☆ from Holon Phantoms by Masakazu Fukuda, $9,200.
• Black & White to Sun & Moon (2011–2019): 5ban Graphics, Naoki Saito, Ryo Ueda. Most valuable card: Latias & Latios-GX from Team Up by Sanosuke Sakuma, $3,917.
• Sword & Shield (2020–2023): KEIICHIRO ITO, 5ban Graphics, Naoki Saito. Most valuable card: Umbreon VMAX from Evolving Skies by KEIICHIRO ITO, $2,265.
• Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution (2023–2026): YOSHIROTTEN, 5ban Graphics, danciao. Most valuable card: Mew from 30th Celebration by YOSHIROTTEN, $6,000.

Older eras concentrate value in a few prolific artists. In the Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet eras, each big chase card tends to come from a different artist, so no modern artist dominates.

What this means if you collect by artist#

• Collect artists for the love of the art, not as an investment. Even the most consistent artists add a modest premium; the Pokémon and rarity matter far more.
• Hand-drawn veterans hold value best. Tomokazu Komiya, Hikaru Koike, and Ken Sugimori sell above comparable cards year after year.
• Watch for non-chase Pokémon selling high. When an Illustration Rare of an ordinary Pokémon sells well above its slot, that’s the artist’s following at work.
• Don’t chase an artist because of one famous card. Check the rest of their catalog first; our price tracker lists every card.

For the single cards worth the most today, see our Pokémon card price list, and for what each rarity symbol means, our rarity symbols guide.

Where these numbers come from#

Prices are ungraded Scrydex market prices for each card’s main printing as of Oct 12, 2026, the same prices behind our price tracker. Artist credits are the illustrator printed on each card, taken from the pokemontcg.io and TCGdex card databases. 309 priced cards with no credit, mostly basic Energy, Classic Collection reprints, and the Pokémon Rumble set, are left out, and Poké Ball and Master Ball pattern parallels count once with their base card.

“Hit cards” are anything above Rare: holos, ex/EX/GX/V cards, full arts, Illustration Rares, SIRs, secret rares, and Gold Stars. The model compares each card’s price on a log scale with its rarity slot, its Pokémon, and its artist at once, and pulls artists with few cards toward no premium so a single lucky card can’t top a ranking. Promo cards count toward totals but not the premium, because “Promo” is too mixed to serve as a rarity slot. Graded prices can rank artists differently.