As one of Kotaku’s resident Pokémon guys, I’ve seen quotes from developers at Game Freak and creatives at The Pokémon Company floating around for decades. Today I’m thinking back on one from James Turner, the newly crowned Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design at TPC, having returned to the Pokémon world after leaving Game Freak in 2022. Turner’s return is either exciting or controversial, depending on how you feel about the various Pokémon and other characters he designed during his many years at Game Freak. But regardless of whether you have a crush on Scarlet and Violet’s hot professors or you harbor a strong dislike for the infamous ice cream Pokémon Vanillite, most Pokémon fans know that Turner knows (Poké) ball, and I want to highlight how he spoke about designing these critters in a 2019 interview.
Big news! I’ve started a new role as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design at The Pokémon Company International.
It feels great to be working in the world of Pokémon again, with a lovely group of people.
I’m very excited about what comes next!
🎨⚡#IWorkForPokemon pic.twitter.com/HHugqAxpZv— James Turner (@JamesTurner_42) August 24, 2026
Back in 2019, Game Informer was doing a cover story on Pokémon Sword and Shield, and while the Switch RPGs were a touchy subject for some fans at the time because this was when Game Freak stopped allowing players to catch and transfer every Pokémon in one game, we’re now distanced enough from them that a lot of folks look back on them more fondly. Turner was the art director on Sword and Shield, and designed a handful of the Pokémon that players met in the Galar region, as well as alternate forms of old favorites like the big Gigantamax Pikachu that harkens back to the electric mouse’s rounder days in the early years of the series.
In the interview, Turner talks about the design philosophy of creating Pokémon, and how artists have different, distinct styles that they have to, in some way, apply to the same universe’s rules and vibe. How do you make Pokémon like a cute little Pikachu and an intimidating literal god like Arceus look so different and yet still be part of the same universe? Turner’s explanation is one of my favorite summations of what makes Pokémon a universal experience, whether you like the cute, cool, terrifying, or weird little guys.
“I would say that an important thing is that every Pokémon you feel like you could be friends with,” Turner says. “They can’t just be intimidating, they can’t just be scary, there has to be something there that makes you think, ‘Oh, I could be friends with this Pokémon. They could be on my team, we could go into an adventure together.’”
The example he gives of a Pokémon that might be intimidating at first blush is Buzzwole, one of the Ultra Beasts from Generation VI that is quite literally meant to look otherworldly and almost un-Pokémon-like. It’s a bug/fighting-type monster that looks like a cross between a buff superhero and a mosquito, but according to Turner, that “silliness” makes something that could be terrifying look like something you could reasonably catch and pal around with.
Speaking as someone whose team of favorites includes the literal god of space, I feel like Pokémon has done a good job of making even the series’ monstrosities feel like something you can imagine your character having a connection with, and that plays a big part in the “every Pokémon is someone’s favorite” talking point. There are over 1000 of these creatures now, and even if there are some you think are ugly or annoying, there’s probably something that draws another fan to them, and I feel like Turner’s philosophy here illustrates why.
Turner’s created a lot of Pokémon and human characters over the years, and even if you don’t love every one he’s made, I do think having him back at the company is going to be a net positive. The guy just gets it, and he designed my Pokémon daddy Professor Turo, so he can do whatever he wants.
