Torchic ★

Masakazu Fukuda is the sole illustrator behind every Gold Star card in the Pokémon TCG — a distinction no other artist holds for any comparable card class. Before entering the Pokémon world, Fukuda spent eleven years in the video game industry handling character design and main graphics at game production companies throughout the 1990s.

His first Pokémon TCG illustrations appeared in 2003, but it was the Gold Star assignment that cemented his legacy. Fukuda deliberately exaggerates angles and colors in his Gold Star work, creating a dynamic, almost kinetic energy that makes each card feel alive. He describes his style as "cute, colorful, and vibrant."

His influences are fascinatingly eclectic: mecha designer Hajime Katoki, manga artists Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) and Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell). Outside of art, he's an avid motorcyclist, wide-angle photographer, and a fan of electronic music and late 1960s funk — particularly James Brown.