Naoki Saito
Naoki Saito (Japanese: 齋藤直葵) is a digital illustrator who has provided art for the Pokémon Trading Card Game since the HeartGold & SoulSilver expansion, as well as art for a couple of Pokémon games. Saito is a graduate of Tama Art University and previously worked at Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. before becoming freelance. In addition to the Pokémon TCG, he has also provided illustrations for several other trading card franchises: Duel Masters, Monster Hunter, Juushinden: Ultimate Beast Battlers, and Eternal Wheel. For a list of cards that he illustrated, go here.
Saito's style is vibrant and surreal, and often juxtaposes or merges the organic with the geometric. He also puts emphasis on texture to give subjects character. His work within the TCG is similar but subtler, instead using highlights and contrasting colors to make Pokémon stand out. In addition to card illustrations, Saito provided the packaging art for the Garchomp and Hydreigon Half Decks, and the box art for Everyone's Exciting Battle. He also illustrated the Pokémon Tales book Crustle's Moving, available to read on the Pokémon Daisuki Club website.
Designs
Characters
The following are a list of characters designed by Saito.
Artwork
This is a collection of official Pokémon artwork drawn by Saito.
Works
Games
| Title | Platform | Release date | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs | Nintendo DS | 2010-03-06 | Oblivia map illustration Boss Pokémon illustration |
| Pokémon Black and White Versions | Nintendo DS | 2010-09-18 | Unova map illustration Castelia City illustration Black City/White Forest illustration |
Manga and other published work
| Role/Title | Release date | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Colorist for Worst | 2002-05-30 | Akita Shoten |
| Colorist for Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - The Myth of Hades | 2006-04-27 | Akita Shoten |
| Illustrations for Les Chroniques de Sillage Vol. 5 | 2008-04-25 | Delcourt |
| Colorist for Baki the Grappler | 2007-12-07 | Akita Shoten |
| Colorist for Grappler Baki: Scarface | 2009-05-08 | Akita Shoten |
| Colorist for The Strongest Introduction to Philosophy in History | 2010-04-14 | Magazine•Magazine |
| Eguzamurai CG Lithograph | 2010 | Shueisha |
| Colorist for Garouden Vol. 25 | 2010-12-22 | Kodansha |
| Co-author and illustrator for Contes cruels du Japon | 2011-08-24 | Delcourt |
External link
Chirarism, Saito's personal website (Japanese)
