1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Illustrator Holo CoroCoro Comics Pikachu - CGC 9 | Akabane Autograph

With its iconic artwork and storied history, perhaps no Pokémon card matches the Illustrator Pikachu's combination of popularity, rarity, and mythical status. Featuring the elusive double star rarity symbol found on the most coveted Japanese printings, the Illustrator Pikachu rightfully sits atop the upper echelon of Pokémon collecting. 

It has maintained this lofty standing for decades and will most likely continue to do so as long as collectors continue their quest to catch 'em all. Illustrated by artist Atsuko Nishida, one of the original character designers of Pikachu for the Game Boy video games, the Illustrator Pikachu was initially awarded to first and second-place winners of a CoroCoro Comics drawing contest in January 1998. The publication initially gave out 23 copies of the card. Subsequent art contests, which required participants to design their own Pokémon cards and judged them either on their artwork or their attacks, awarded another 16 copies to bring the total of officially distributed examples to a still-paltry 39, although several more copies have surfaced and been authenticated since. 

The card's design, which depicts Pikachu gleefully illustrating Charmander and Mew, harkens back to the origins of this now-famous card. A stunning CGC 9 example of the Illustrator Pikachu is enough to send a charge throughout the collecting community, but this listing offers a truly unique piece of Pokémon history thanks to it being, at the time of cataloging, the only known example signed by Takumi Akabane, one of the franchise's founding fathers. Considering its high grade and standing as the only known example of this legendary issue signed by Akabane, this is one Illustrator that's sure to draw the interest of prominent Pokémon collectors. 

This card has been authenticated and deemed to be in Mint condition by CGC. The autograph has been authenticated by CGC x JSA. 

The CGC certificate number for this card is: 6000633002.

Going Deeper - TCG, Pokemon, and Pikachu

A Global Sensation

When Tsunekazu Ishihara, Kouichi Ooyama, and Takumi Akabane considered Pokémon Trading Card Game prototypes in 1995, they surely could not have imagined the cultural revolution they would soon become a part of.

The era of modern trading card games (TCGs) was in its nascent stage, with Magic the Gathering released by Wizards of the Coast just two years prior in 1993, and the Pokémon video games, which the prototype’s visuals were based on, were in the final stages of development. The concept, inspired by Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri’s childhood love for bug collecting, was centered on a world in which people and creatures called Pokémon, who have a wide variety of special powers, join together to help teach each other about the world and themselves as well as take on life’s problems. 

What followed is history. The first Pokémon video games, Pocket Monsters: Red and Pocket Monsters: Green, were released in February of 1996 and introduced the world to the first 151 Pokémon. The first installment of the Pokémon trading card game was released in Japan in October of the same year and featured art by Mitsuhiro Arita, the creator of the iconic Base Set Charizard art, Ken Sugimori, and Keiji Kinebushi. Together these, as well as a number of other illustrators, provided strong foundations for the Trading Card Game’s collectibility as well as its global expansion, which was on the horizon.

1997 saw the release of the Pokémon anime as well as the manga, and then in 1998 Pokémon hit the rest of the world like a freight train. The anime and its introductory song that is emblazoned in the memory of so many 90s kids and parents saw its English debut in the United States on September 8, with the beloved Game Boy Games, Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Red (based on the updated Pocket Monsters: Blue released in Japan after the initial Red and Green release), coming out on September 28 in the U.S., with further global releases shortly thereafter. They were an instant hit and sparked a cultural frenzy that continues to this day. When the Pokémon Trading Card Game saw the first major English release on January 9, 1999 (there was a sample pack distributed to stores in late 1998), demand was feverish. Between January and September of 1999, Pokémon card sales totaled over $300M, and the demand has rarely let up. There are now over 1,000 different Pokémon and a world of collectors eager to find the best cards available for them. 

To date, Pokémon has sold more than 64 Billion cards and shows no signs of slowing, having released dozens of expansions since the one that started it all.

The Face of the Franchise

Pikachu has been the face of the Pokémon franchise since its very early days, and it is easy to see why. One of the original 151 Pokémon and among the first to achieve broader popularity, it was decided that Pikachu would be the mascot of the franchise, especially due to the judgment that all kids might like the cute electric mouse. That judgment, it turned out, was right on the money.

Pikachu has proven a boon for the franchise and been a focal point for Pokémon fans for nearly three decades. Pikachu was ranked by IGN as one of the 25 most important Pokémon of all time in 2021 and has become a transcendent character. Pikachu is the byword for Pokémon for fans and novices alike, adorning everything from t-shirts to airplanes and being the muse of collaborations with famous art museums, such as the Van Gogh Museum, as well as a focus for widely popular memes. 

Only appropriately comparable to the most beloved characters ever made such as Mario and Mickey Mouse, Pikachu exists in the public consciousness across nations and cultures. Though Pokémon has undergone many adaptations and evolutions, Pikachu appears poised to be a force in global media for decades to come.