Artist Spotlight: Yuka Morii

Did you know that the same artist, a lady named Yuka Morii, has made every single clay Pokémon card within the entire Pokémon TCG?

Aipom (Paradox Rift)

Morii is one of the longest-serving artists for the Pokémon TCG. She made her first card in the year 2000, and she is still making cards to this day. To date, Morii has made over 200 different cards for the Pokémon TCG.

All of Morii’s cards are made by creating tiny clay Pokémon by hand, and then photographing the Pokémon against scenic, real-world backgrounds.

Morii’s cards very rarely feature powerful or impressive Pokémon. Instead, her work encourages us to appreciate the little things. Almost all of her cards depict small, first-evolution or baby Pokémon.

In this blog, we will put Morii’s work in the spotlight. We will take a look at a selection of her cards from each era of her work, and pick out the top-six cards overall.

Morii made her debut in the Neo era of the Pokémon TCG. Her first cards were released in Neo Discovery, where she released four cards: Corsola, Caterpie, Kabuto and Omanyte.

Neo Discovery

Following Neo Discovery, Morii released another four cards in Neo Revelation, and then a total of seven cards in the final set of the Neo era, Neo Destiny. These cards again focused on the smaller and more basic Pokémon from each set. A selection of these cards is shown below.

Neo Revelation and Neo Destiny

After the Neo era, the next set to release was Pokémon VS. This was a Japanese-exclusive set that was never released in English. Pokémon VS featured the Pokémon of various Pokémon trainers. The same artist was used for each set of Pokémon belonging to each Pokémon trainer. Morii was assigned Bruno, the second member of the Elite Four in Kanto, who predominantly uses Fighting-type Pokémon. Morii produced a captivating and very consistent set of artworks.

Pokémon VS

Morii’s early work was rounded off by the e-Series era, which closely followed Pokémon VS. As well as some standalone cards, Morii created a number of evolution lines in e-Series, including the Poliwag – Poliwrath trio, the Hoppip – Jumpluff trio, Swinub and Piloswine, and Pikachu and Raichu.

e-Series

This period takes us from the start of the EX era (2003) until the end of the XY era (2016).

Morii’s work during this period took on a slightly sharper and more refined style. This fit perfectly with the modern and sleek style of cards from this period. Take a look at the below selection of cards, for example.

A Refined Style

During this era, we saw some almost impossibly clean cards, which really demonstrated Morii’s mastery of the clay medium. It also looks as though Morii may have obtained a higher quality camera during this time.

Sharp Photography

The EX era also gave us a match made in heaven – Yuka Morii and Ditto! We saw a number of brilliant cards in EX Delta Species, showing Ditto in all sorts of disguises. All of these Pokémon featured Ditto’s signature smile and blank eyes – its only giveaway. It made perfect sense that Morii should create these Ditto cards – after all, clay has a lot of similarities with Ditto.

Ditto in Disguise

The modern era takes us from the start of the Sun & Moon generation (2016) to the present generation (Scarlet & Violet).

In the modern era, Morii has further refined her style. Some of her clay models in the modern era are so flawless and immaculate that at first glance they almost look like 3D renders. However, the Morii is still employing the same method, and everything is 100% real. It also does not hurt that Morii seems to have once again upgraded her camera, with all her shots now in stunning high-definition.

Now, the modern era of the Pokémon TCG brought us one of the most important developments in the style of cards since the inception of the TCG: full-art cards. As the name suggests, full-art cards are cards in which the artwork takes up the full card, as opposed to being limited to the small box.

The introduction of full-art cards has allowed for Morii to produce some stunning artworks which really demonstrate the full potential of her skill and creativity. They also have the added bonus of having enough space to fit more than one Pokémon!

6. Caterpie (Neo Discovery)

Caterpie (Neo Discovery)

In sixth spot, we have Caterpie from Neo Discovery. This was one of Morii’s first cards, and it demonstrated her skill in drawing our attention to even the most basic of Pokémon.

5. Snorunt (Platinum Arceus)

Snorunt (Platinum Arceus)

In fifth spot we have this perfect Snorunt card from Platinum Arceus. This is a card that really commands our attention. The head-on shot and striking symmetry of the Snorunt’s pose serve to bring the Pokemon into sharp focus. Morii also does a great job of playing with the sense of scale in this artwork.

4. Bruno’s Hitmontop (Pokémon VS)

Bruno’s Hitmontop (Pokémon VS)

In fourth place we have Bruno’s Hitmontop from Pokémon VS. The Hitmontop model is expertly made, complete with very fine details and perfect colours. The lighting is also immaculate, with the Hitmontop popping out of the shadows and capturing the viewer’s attention.

3. Sewaddle (Legendary Treasures)

Sewaddle (Legendary Treasures)

In third place, we have Sewaddle from Legendary Treasures. This card is perhaps a subtle homage to the Caterpie that Morii created over 10 years earlier in Neo Discovery. Once again, Morii has made a fantastic use of a real-world environment to bring her clay model to life.

2. Trapinch (EX Dragon)

Trapinch (EX Dragon)

In second place we have Trapinch from EX Dragon. The way the Trapinch is sitting implies that the Trapinch has stopped digging to think about something. But what could the Trapinch possibly be thinking about? Is it stuck or lost? Or is it fed up with the fact that its only move is ‘Dig’ and it cannot fly yet?

Special Mention – Venusaur & Snivy GX (SM Black Star Promo)

Venusar & Snivy GX (SM Black Star Promo)

As a special mention, we have Venusaur & Snivy GX. This is one of the very few cards by Morii to depict a powerful Pokémon. The blurry leaves in the foreground and the mossy undergrowth make the card completely immersive. Once again, Morii somehow makes her models look like living and breathing creatures, rather than stiff and rigid models. The dynamic angle of the photo also draws us into the world on the forest floor.

It would be great if the Pokémon Company were to use Morii as the artist for more chase cards in the future. After all, who wouldn’t want to see a Shiny Rayquaza or a fearsome Charizard made out of clay?

1. Aipom (Paradox Rift)

Aipom (Paradox Rift)

In first place we have Aipom from Paradox Rift. This artwork really makes us feel as though we are deep inside the Pokemon equivalent of the Amazon rainforest. The layers of ferns and distant waterfall in the background create a real sense of depth. Additionally, the dark shadows at the bottom of the card contrast perfectly with the brighter lighting at the top of the card. This contrast in lighting creates atmosphere and gives the impression of sunlight filtering through a canopy of trees high above.

The deep greens of the ferns also make the perfect backdrop for the bright purple and yellow colours of the Aipom. Once again, Morii really manages to make her Pokémon pop out of the card and instantly draw our attention. Morii has also positioned the Aipom in an incredibly natural and lifelike way. The Nanab Berries in the Aipom’s tail are a nice finishing touch for the artwork.

Overall, the Aipom Art Rare is another great example of Morii’s ability to immerse us in the small and insignificant moments within the Pokémon world. The card does not depict a big battle between powerful Pokémon, or a rare legendary Pokemon. Instead, the card simply depicts two small Aipom playing in a rainforest. There is nothing rare or legendary or exceptional about the moment Morii has captured. It is just a small and playful moment, and nothing more. However, Morii manages to capture the magic of this small moment. After all, does life have to be all about the big things?

Yuka Morii is one of the longest running artists within the Pokémon TCG. Her work celebrates the little things – the small Pokémon and the small moments – that are really just as important as the big things.

We will hopefully see many more of Morii’s adorable clay Pokémon in the future. It is always exciting to see which small little Pokémon will get the clay treatment next. And now to pass the question to you – which clay Pokémon would you like to see next!?