Naoyo Kimura, an illustrator for the Pokemon Trading Card Game, has a credited career that reaches back to the Japanese Expansion Sheet Series 2 and the Neo Series era, through the Pikachu on Pokemon Card 151, to the 2023 Pokemon x Van Gogh art collaboration.
Bulbapedia credits Naoyo Kimura with 276 TCG cards illustrated to date, and the Limitless TCG database independently tracks 260 English-language prints and 172 Japanese-language prints under the same credit. This guide walks through what’s actually documented about Kimura’s career — the Neo Series and Southern Islands promotional set work, the picture-book work, the Van Gogh collaboration — and ends at the Kimura-credited PSA 10 prints we currently list.
Collectors researching an illustrator credit usually run into one of two problems: either the artist has almost no documented history and the profile has to be built from the card catalog alone, or the sources are extensive but scattered across a wiki, a set database, and whatever a set’s promotional materials happened to say. Kimura’s case is closer to the second problem — the record is long enough that it’s worth separating out what’s actually sourced from what’s simply repeated across fan sites.
Naoyo Kimura has illustrated 276 Pokemon TCG cards per Bulbapedia’s tally (Limitless TCG separately counts 260 English-language and 172 Japanese-language prints under the same credit), with a career reaching back to the Neo Series and the Southern Islands promotional set. Two mirror prints of Pikachu 025/165 from Pokemon Card 151 (SV2a) carry Kimura’s credit and are currently listed: the Master Ball Mirror at ¥83,408 (~$542) and the Monster Ball Mirror at ¥24,024 (~$156).
- Pikachu 025/165: both PSA 10 prints are currently listed — the Master Ball Mirror print at ¥83,408 (~$542) and the Monster Ball Mirror print at ¥24,024 (~$156).
- The lowest PSA 10 asking price on SNKRDUNK for the Master Ball Mirror print on September 24, 2026 was ¥100,000 (ungraded lowest ask ¥51,000). For the regular (non-mirror) Pikachu 025/165, SNKRDUNK’s lowest ungraded ask on September 24, 2026 was ¥1,000; no current SNKRDUNK PSA 10 figure in this update.
- Browse the full Pokemon Card 151 card list for the rest of the set this Pikachu comes from.
Who Is Naoyo Kimura?
Naoyo Kimura (Japanese: 木村直代, Kimura Naoyo) is an illustrator for the Pokemon Trading Card Game, per Bulbapedia, which cites the Van Gogh Museum’s own website for a birth year of 1960. Kimura’s first cards were Seel, Zapdos, and Graveler, released as part of the Japanese Expansion Sheet Series 2, giving Kimura a credited career reaching back to the game’s earliest Japanese releases. Kimura’s first cards released in English were the Wizards Black Star Promos Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, released alongside The Power of One.
Bulbapedia’s own count puts Kimura’s total TCG output at 276 cards illustrated to date, plus 53 cards in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket — a separate mobile-game database that Bulbapedia tracks apart from the main TCG tally. Limitless TCG’s independent database records 260 English-language cards and 172 Japanese-language cards under the “Naoyo Kimura” credit; these two counts overlap heavily (most illustrations appear in both languages) and should not be added together.
A note on pronouns: Bulbapedia’s own article is internally inconsistent, using “she/her” in its lead paragraph but “him” once in a later section. Because the source itself doesn’t agree, this guide refers to Kimura by name throughout rather than asserting either.
It’s also worth being precise about what the two card-count sources actually measure. Bulbapedia’s 276-card figure is the site’s own running tally, updated as new sets release. Limitless TCG’s 260 (English) and 172 (Japanese) counts come from a separate database that indexes each language’s card pool independently — a single illustration frequently appears in both an English and a Japanese printing, so those two numbers largely describe the same body of work counted twice, not 432 distinct illustrations. None of the three figures should be summed against another; each one is a complete count on its own terms.
For readers comparing artists across our illustrator series, Kimura’s catalog sits alongside KEIICHIRO ITO, Mitsuhiro Arita, and Teeziro — each with a dedicated guide covering their most notable printings.
Neo Series and the Southern Islands Set
Bulbapedia states plainly that Kimura “is notable for creating illustrations for the Neo Series and the Southern Islands promotional set” — two of the most collector-recognized eras in the game’s first decade.
Neither Bulbapedia nor Limitless names which specific Neo Series or Southern Islands cards belong to Kimura’s catalog beyond the general statement above, so this guide doesn’t attempt to list individual card numbers from that era — the point that matters for collectors is that Kimura’s credit reaches back into the game’s foundational Japanese sets.
Kimura’s first TCG credits (Seel, Zapdos, Graveler on the Japanese Expansion Sheet Series 2) predate the Neo Series and Southern Islands work referenced above, giving Kimura a credited career reaching back to the game’s earliest Japanese releases.
The Modern Catalog: Pokemon Card 151 and Beyond
Kimura’s catalog didn’t stop at the early sets. Limitless TCG’s Japanese database lists 172 cards under Kimura’s credit spanning from those early Neo-era prints through recent releases, including a Common-rarity Pikachu that anchors one of the most recognizable modern Japanese sets: Pokemon Card 151 (SV2a).
That range — a Super Rare (SR) Tag Team GX from Sky Legend, a Rare from Incandescent Arcana, an Art Rare from Black Bolt, and an Eevee from Terastal Fest ex — means this sample spans Common through Super Rare (SR), not concentrated in any one chase-card category. The individual Limitless card page for each of these confirms the “Illustrated by Naoyo Kimura” credit directly.
Also on the record: a Pikachu Promo card (SP 126) from the Sword & Shield Promotional Cards line, which puts Kimura’s credit on the promo side of the catalog as well as mainline set releases.
Each of the following carries the “Illustrated by Naoyo Kimura” credit on its Limitless TCG card page:
| Card | Set (JP code) | Number | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pikachu | Pokemon Card 151 (SV2a) | 025 | Common |
| Rowlet & Alolan Exeggutor-GX | Sky Legend (SM10b) | 056 | Super Rare (SR) |
| Eevee | Terastal Fest ex (SV8a) | 125 | — |
| Articuno | Incandescent Arcana (S11a) | 024 | Rare |
| Pikachu | Sword & Shield Promotional Cards (SP) | 126 | Promo |
| Litwick | Black Bolt (SV11B) | 100 | Art Rare |
Two things stand out in that list. First, Kimura is still actively credited on recent sets — Black Bolt, the source for the Litwick entry, is among the more recent releases in this sample, which means this is not a legacy-only credit. Second, the rarity spread in this sample runs from plain Common to Super Rare (SR).
Beyond the Cards: Picture Books and the Van Gogh Collaboration
Outside the trading card game, Bulbapedia documents Kimura’s work on multiple entries in the Pokemon Tales picture-book series, including Come Out, Squirtle!, Seel to the Rescue!, Beroringa Licks Everything, Fly On, Butterfree, Dragonite’s Christmas, and Don’t Laugh, Charizard.
More recently, for the 2023 “Pokemon x Van Gogh” art collaboration, Kimura contributed illustrations of Pikachu and the evolutionary lines of Honchkrow and Corviknight, inspired respectively by Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat and Wheatfield with Crows. It’s a notable pairing given Bulbapedia’s cited source for Kimura’s own birth year is the Van Gogh Museum’s website — connecting Kimura’s TCG work directly to an institutional art-world credit outside the Pokemon franchise.
Reading the picture-book titles and the Van Gogh commission side by side tells you something about the range Bulbapedia documents: children’s-book illustration built around a single Pokemon protagonist per title (Squirtle, Seel, Butterfree, Dragonite, Charizard among them) on one end, and a fine-art museum collaboration reinterpreting two of van Gogh’s most recognized paintings through Pikachu, Honchkrow, and Corviknight on the other. Both are sourced to the same Bulbapedia article.
Kimura has also illustrated 53 cards appearing in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, the mobile spinoff, per Bulbapedia.
Naoyo Kimura Cards We Have Listed
Two Kimura-credited PSA 10 prints are currently listed: both are prints of the same underlying card — the Pikachu Common from Pokemon Card 151 (SV2a 025/165).
| Product | Card | Price |
|---|---|---|
| PSA10 Pikachu 025/165 Master Ball Mirror | SV2a 025/165, Master Ball Mirror (Pokemon Card 151) | ¥83,408 (~$542) |
| PSA10 Pikachu 025/165 Monster Ball Mirror | SV2a 025/165, Monster Ball Mirror (Pokemon Card 151) | ¥24,024 (~$156) |
Both listings are graded PSA 10 prints of the same collector number, 025/165, and the same “Illustrated by Naoyo Kimura” credit applies to both — the Master Ball Mirror print and the Monster Ball Mirror print. None of the other cards discussed above — the Rowlet & Alolan Exeggutor-GX, Articuno, Litwick, or Eevee — currently have a graded PSA 10 listing.
For context on the market: the lowest PSA 10 asking price on SNKRDUNK on September 24, 2026 for the Master Ball Mirror print was ¥100,000 (ungraded lowest ask ¥51,000). For the regular (non-mirror) Pikachu 025/165, SNKRDUNK’s lowest ungraded ask on September 24, 2026 was ¥1,000; no current SNKRDUNK PSA 10 figure in this update.
Kimura’s Japanese-language catalog runs to 172 cards. If a specific Kimura-credited card from the table above is what brought you here rather than the Pikachu 025/165, sourcing requests go through the Quick Order page.
Where to Buy Naoyo Kimura Cards from Japan
PSA 10 singles ship from Tokyo. Pikachu 025/165: both PSA 10 prints are currently listed — the Master Ball Mirror print at ¥83,408 (~$542) and the Monster Ball Mirror print at ¥24,024 (~$156).
The Monster Ball Mirror print is viewable directly on its own product page. For the wider PSA 10 catalog, browse our PSA 10 card list or our PSA 10 collection to filter by set, illustrator, and price. If you’re comparing how different artists have handled the current Scarlet & Violet-era Japanese sets, KEIICHIRO ITO and Mitsuhiro Arita both have dedicated guides covering their own most notable printings. For anything not currently listed, sourcing requests go through the Quick Order page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Naoyo Kimura?
Naoyo Kimura (木村直代) is a Pokemon TCG illustrator whose credited career reaches back to the Japanese Expansion Sheet Series 2 and includes work on the Neo Series and the Southern Islands promotional set. Bulbapedia counts 276 TCG cards under Kimura’s credit, plus 53 cards in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket. Limitless TCG separately tracks 260 English-language and 172 Japanese-language prints.
What is Naoyo Kimura best known for in the Pokemon TCG?
Bulbapedia specifically notes Kimura for illustrations in the Neo Series and the Southern Islands promotional set — two of the most collector-recognized eras in the game’s early history. Kimura’s catalog also extends into modern releases, including a Pikachu on Pokemon Card 151 (SV2a).
Is the Pikachu 025/165 from Pokemon Card 151 illustrated by Naoyo Kimura?
Yes. The individual Limitless TCG card page for SV2a 025 shows “Illustrated by Naoyo Kimura.” Two PSA 10 prints of this card are currently listed — the Master Ball Mirror print and the Monster Ball Mirror print — both matching the same collector number and credit.
What other cards has Naoyo Kimura illustrated?
Kimura’s catalog includes Rowlet & Alolan Exeggutor-GX (Sky Legend, SM10b 056, Super Rare (SR)), Articuno (Incandescent Arcana, S11a 024, Rare), Litwick (Black Bolt, SV11B 100, Art Rare), Eevee (Terastal Fest ex, SV8a 125), and a Pikachu Promo card (SP 126), among many others.
Did Naoyo Kimura work on anything besides Pokemon cards?
Yes. Kimura illustrated multiple entries in the Pokemon Tales picture-book series, including Come Out, Squirtle! and Don’t Laugh, Charizard. For the 2023 Pokemon x Van Gogh art collaboration, Kimura illustrated Pikachu and the evolutionary lines of Honchkrow and Corviknight, inspired by two Van Gogh paintings.
Where can I buy Naoyo Kimura’s Pikachu PSA 10 cards?
Both PSA 10 prints of the Pikachu 025/165 (Pokemon Card 151) are currently listed, at ¥83,408 (~$542) and ¥24,024 (~$156). For the wider PSA 10 catalog, browse our PSA 10 card list or PSA 10 collection, or use our Quick Order page to request cards that aren’t currently listed.
500 Points Free on Sign-Up
CREATE FREE ACCOUNT1 pt = ¥1 at checkout · Points expire 30 days after they are earned · Import duties, taxes and customs charges are not included in the price and are collected on delivery, except for destinations we ship duty-paid.
Picked for this article
📩 Get member-only sale alerts & coupons
Sale alerts, coupons and restock notices by email — straight from Tokyo.
