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Saya Tsuruta — signature work
ST Dudunsparce · Paldea Evolved · 2023
Illustrator 2007 – 2025

Saya Tsuruta

Saya Tsuruta is credited on Pokémon Trading Card Game cards since 2007, with artwork appearing through 2025. Their illustrations span series including Sword & Shield, Sun & Moon, and Scarlet & Violet, marked by playful, cartoonish character focus and vibrant, pastel-leaning color.

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Main period
2007 – 2025
Cards illustrated
123
Most represented era
Sword & Shield
Most valuable card
$97.45
Pikachu · 2017
§ I

About the artist

Saya Tsuruta has been credited on Pokémon Trading Card Game cards since 2007, with artwork appearing through 2025. In this index, their illustrations are seen across Sword & Shield, Sun & Moon, and Scarlet & Violet, with additional appearances in sets such as Fusion Strike and Burning Shadows. The body of work includes a wide range of Pokémon types, with frequent Water, Psychic, and Grass subjects.

Tsuruta’s card art is characterized by cartoonish, playful, and whimsical styling, paired with cheerful, lighthearted moods. Compositions tend toward balanced, clear staging with occasional dynamic motion, keeping attention on the featured character. Color is typically vibrant and harmonious, often supported by soft or pastel palettes. A representative card in this dataset is Mimikyu (SM163). Among the most sought-after cards illustrated by Saya Tsuruta is Pikachu (SM162).

§ II

Best cards by Saya Tsuruta

Curated reading of the corpus — composition, atmosphere, and lasting standing.

View all 123 cards →
Dudunsparce

Paldea Evolved

Dudunsparce 2023
Mimikyu

SM Black Star Promos

Mimikyu 2017
Cetoddle

Paldea Evolved

Cetoddle 2023
Fidough

Scarlet & Violet

Fidough 2023
Sliggoo

Fusion Strike

Sliggoo 2021
Blissey V

Chilling Reign

Blissey V 2021
§ III

Signature Pokémon

Creatures most associated with Saya Tsuruta’s body of work.

All Pokémon →
§ IV

Defining sets

The sets where Saya Tsuruta’s work appears most often.

All sets →
§ V

Visual affinities

Recurring elemental and thematic threads across the work.

  1. Water
    23
  2. Psychic
    22
  3. Grass
    19
  4. Lightning
    15
  5. Colorless
    14
§ VI

Iconic cards

Cards that travel beyond the archive — defining works, frequently cited.

Pikachu

Pikachu

SM Black Star Promos 2017
Magikarp

Magikarp

XY Black Star Promos 2013
Mew

Mew

XY Black Star Promos 2013
Blissey V

Blissey V

Chilling Reign 2021
§ VII

The full archive

12 of 123 cards · every credit, every era.

Audino

Black Bolt

Audino 2025
Vullaby

White Flare

Vullaby 2025
Lillie’s Cutiefly

Journey Together

Lillie’s Cutiefly 2025
Litwick

Twilight Masquerade

Litwick 2024
Spinarak

Twilight Masquerade

Spinarak 2024
Dhelmise

Temporal Forces

Dhelmise 2024
Torracat

Temporal Forces

Torracat 2024
Doduo

Paldean Fates

Doduo 2024
Hoppip

Paldean Fates

Hoppip 2024
Mime Jr.

Paldean Fates

Mime Jr. 2024
Shinx

Paldean Fates

Shinx 2024
Snover

Paldean Fates

Snover 2024