The Pokémon Company urges fans to refrain from "criticizing" an illustrator amid allegations of plagiarism concerning the Pokémon TCG Pocket

The illustrator of two card designs withdrawn from Pokémon TCG Pocket due to plagiarism allegations should not be subject to "criticism or slander," urged The Pokémon Company.

Claims that the designs imitated a fan's artwork led to the recent removal of these cards from the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.

Skepticism arose over the Ho-Oh artwork from the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion after artist lanjiujiu shared a side-by-side of their 2021 commissioned piece, which appeared strikingly similar.

This prompted fans to accuse The Pokémon Company of copying lanjiujiu's creation, and they encouraged legal proceedings. One fan even developed a video comparison implying the design was traced without attribution.

Addressing these assertions, The Pokémon Company released a statement on July 29, citing a "production issue" with the Ho-Oh art for the cards Ho-Oh ex (3-Star) and Lugia ex (3-Star).

The company clarified that the issue stemmed from the card production team giving incorrect official reference materials to the illustrator.

As a corrective measure, the company is conducting an extensive review of the card designs and has substituted placeholders for the problematic cards until new artwork is available. These placeholders display details like Ho-Oh's stats and name, with a "New Art Coming Soon" note in place of the Pokémon's image.

In an update on the situation, shared on Pokémon TCG Pocket's Japanese X account, the company accepted responsibility for the alleged plagiarism. They explained that the error came from providing faulty concept sketches to the illustrator (translation via Google Translate).

Typically, illustrations represent the artist's unique style, but in this instance, the assignment required refinement from drafts made by the production team.

The company urged fans not to blame the artist, stating the illustrator adhered to the client's specific instructions.

Expressing regrets, the company apologized to Pokémon fans and the illustrators involved. They committed to enhancing quality control to ensure such issues do not happen again, aiming to maintain a secure and enjoyable environment for Pokémon card enthusiasts.