Look closely at almost any Pokemon TCG card illustrated by Saya Tsuruta and there’s a good chance you’ll find a Poké Ball tucked somewhere in the background — a bit of scenery, a shadow, a reflection. It’s a signature move that’s become the artist’s calling card across a catalog that runs to 157 cards in the Japanese database alone.
Tsuruta’s TCG work spans nearly two decades, from a single Common Lotad in 2007 to Art Rare prints from the current Scarlet & Violet era, and it sits alongside a parallel career inside the Pokemon games themselves — location art, character design, and more, credited separately from the trading card work. That combination of longevity and range is part of why the name keeps surfacing for collectors who start paying attention to who actually draws these cards.
This guide covers who Saya Tsuruta is, the hidden Poké Ball trademark that makes her artwork a small scavenger hunt, a selection of her most notable verified cards, her work beyond the TCG, and the PSA 10 Eevee promo currently sitting in our Tokyo vault.
Saya Tsuruta has illustrated 157 Pokemon TCG cards in the Japanese database (123 in the English database), most carrying her signature hidden Poké Ball. We currently hold her PSA 10 Eevee SM-P 245 promo, listed at ¥15,883, with four copies in stock.
Who Is Saya Tsuruta?
Saya Tsuruta (鶴田沙綾) is a Japanese designer and illustrator who graduated from Tama Art University. Her first credited involvement with the Pokemon franchise was a Special Thanks credit on Pokémon Diamond and Pearl in 2006, a year before her first Pokemon TCG card appeared.
Tsuruta’s TCG debut came with Lotad, a Common print in the English-language Secret Wonders set, released November 7, 2007. It’s a modest starting point for a catalog that would go on to become one of the more prolific in the Pokemon TCG’s illustrator lineup — the Limitless database currently lists 157 cards under her name in the Japanese database and 123 in the English database. Those two numbers aren’t additive; they largely represent the same body of illustrations printed across Japanese and English releases, not two separate catalogs.
A debut Common in a 2007 English-language set is an unusual starting point for an illustrator whose catalog stretches across an unusually wide run of set eras, but that’s the trajectory the Limitless data shows: Secret Wonders in 2007, through the SM-era promo boom, and into Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet Art Rares.
The bulk of that output leans toward Commons and Uncommons of small, approachable Pokemon, alongside a steady stream of promo cards and shiny Secret Rares. Tsuruta’s work isn’t confined to any one TCG era, either — her catalog runs from the SM-era promos of the late 2010s through Art Rare prints in the current Scarlet & Violet sets, including an Art Rare Vullaby carrying an SV11B set code from the “Black Bolt” era. Neither the Japanese nor English database searches for her name turn up any Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket prints — the Limitless searches we ran returned physical TCG cards only, with no Pocket credits established.
Away from the card table, her favorite Pokemon is reportedly Vulpix.
Notable Verified Cards
Saya Tsuruta’s 157-card Japanese catalog is too large to cover in full, but a handful of prints stand out for their rarity, subject, or crossover with the English-language card market.
| Card | Number / Set | Rarity | Our Vault |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eevee | SM-P 245 | Promo | In Stock — ¥15,883 |
| Lotad | SW 92 (Secret Wonders) | Common | Not currently in our vault |
| Mimikyu | SM-P 198 | Promo | Not currently in our vault |
| Gengar | XY8b 24 | Rare | Not currently in our vault |
| Deoxys | SVEM 6 (EN: PAR 74) | Rare | Not currently in our vault |
| Quagsire / Zorua / Metang / Gible | SM8b 170 / 185 / 191 / 198 | Secret Rare (shiny) | Not currently in our vault |
| Ampharos | S7R 28 | Uncommon | Not currently in our vault |
| Vullaby | SV11B 144 (EN: WHT 144) | Art Rare | Not currently in our vault |
| Hoppip / Snover / Shinx / Mime Jr. / Doduo | SV4a 195 / 199 / 240 / 262 / 307 (EN: PAF) | Shiny Rare | Not currently in our vault |
The Vullaby print is one of the more recent entries in the catalog, carrying an SV11B set code from the “Black Bolt” era with a matching English-language print listed under the WHT set code — a current-generation Art Rare credit, not just an older reprint. The five-card SV4a shiny quintet, with an English-language counterpart in the PAF Shiny Rares, shows the same pattern on a larger scale: one Japanese set release generating a full run of English-language shiny prints under her name.
The SM8b shiny quartet — Quagsire, Zorua, Metang, and Gible, all Secret Rares from the same Japanese set — shows a different side of Tsuruta’s output than the Commons and promos: full shiny treatments of Pokemon that don’t typically headline a set on their own. The Ampharos print, an Uncommon carrying an S7R set code, is a reminder that most of the catalog sits at the quieter end of the rarity scale rather than the chase-card tier.
None of the cards in the table above other than the Eevee promo are currently in our PSA 10 vault — we’ve checked our own inventory against the verified catalog and confirmed only the single match. If you’re specifically hunting for one of these prints in PSA 10, the Quick Order page is the fastest way to flag a request for when a copy comes through.
Beyond the Cards: Saya Tsuruta’s Wider Work
Tsuruta’s Pokemon career extends well past the trading card table. Per Bulbapedia, she created all of the location preview art for Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and she went on to become a Pokemon character designer across multiple game generations, with credits spanning from Black and White through Sword and Shield.
That generation-spanning design work runs on a separate track from the TCG illustration catalog covered above — the same name shows up in the games’ character design credits and on the cards themselves, but the two bodies of work are credited independently. It’s a pattern that shows up with more than one Pokemon TCG illustrator: card work and in-game design work overlapping in one career without being the same job.
Bulbapedia also lists Tsuruta as maintaining a public presence on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter under the handle @saya_tsuruta, though we haven’t independently reviewed the content of those accounts.
If you’re building out a collection organized around illustrators rather than sets, our guides to Atsuko Nishida and Yuka Morii cover two more artists whose Pokemon TCG work we track in the same way.
Where to Buy Saya Tsuruta Cards from Japan
We source and grade Japanese PSA 10 singles out of Tokyo, and the Eevee SM-P 245 promo is currently the one Saya Tsuruta card we hold in graded condition.
For the wider PSA 10 catalog, browse our full PSA 10 collection or the PSA 10 card list to filter by set and price. For any of the other verified Saya Tsuruta prints covered above, the Quick Order page is the fastest way to build a request in case a graded copy surfaces.
If the hidden Poké Ball signature is what brought you here, the Eevee promo above is the place to start — four PSA 10 copies are in stock as of this writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Saya Tsuruta?
Saya Tsuruta is a Japanese designer and illustrator, a graduate of Tama Art University, who has illustrated 157 Pokemon TCG cards in the Japanese database (123 in the English database) since debuting with Lotad in Secret Wonders in 2007.
What is the hidden Poké Ball signature?
According to Bulbapedia, nearly every Pokemon TCG artwork illustrated by Saya Tsuruta contains a hidden Poké Ball worked into the background, with exceptions for plain-background Shiny Vault cards and collaborative pieces.
What is Saya Tsuruta’s TCG debut card?
Tsuruta’s debut Pokemon TCG card is Lotad, a Common print in the English-language Secret Wonders set, released November 7, 2007.
Is the PSA 10 Eevee SM-P 245 promo currently in stock?
Yes. We currently hold four PSA 10 copies of the Eevee SM-P 245 promo, illustrated by Saya Tsuruta, currently listed at ¥15,883.
What other Pokemon TCG cards has Saya Tsuruta illustrated?
Beyond the Eevee promo, her verified catalog includes Mimikyu SM-P 198, Gengar XY8b 24, Deoxys PAR 74, a shiny Secret Rare quartet (Quagsire, Zorua, Metang, and Gible) from SM8b, and an Uncommon Ampharos print carrying an S7R set code, among many others across her 157-card Japanese database catalog.
What has Saya Tsuruta worked on beyond the TCG?
Per Bulbapedia, Tsuruta created all of the location preview art for Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and has served as a Pokemon character designer across multiple game generations, from Black and White through Sword and Shield. She is also listed as maintaining public Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter accounts under the handle @saya_tsuruta.
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