After looking at the most valuable Pokémon cards featuring the art of Ken Sugimori, our brains kicked into overdrive. Which other artists prominently feature on some of the most valuable Pokémon cards of all time? Our attention fell on Mitsuhiro Arita, who has provided artwork for the Pokémon Trading Card Game since the very beginning. With over 600 cards featuring Arita’s art, which are the most valuable? Let’s find out!
10. Charizard (Holo Rare) – Legendary Collection, 003/110
As the designer of the symbols for the first six Energy types in Pokémon, it could be argued on that alone that Mitsuhiro Arita has had a bigger impact on the aesthetic of Pokémon than almost anyone else. Yet when you learn that he also designed the look of Pikachu and Charizard, among other Pokémon, when the only visual reference was their in-game sprites, that argument becomes even stronger! So naturally, we are going to see plenty of Charizard on this list; not only is it one of the most popular Pokémon ever, but it frequently appears on lists of the most valuable cards. So of course it’s going to be on a list by its own designer! This card is a reprint of the original Base Set’s Charizard, from the Legendary Collection.
9. Charizard (Holo Rare) – Base Set, 004/102
Here we have the Base Set’s Charizard, in its holo rare form. You might have expected it to appear higher on this list, but we can assure you that you haven’t seen the last of this specific Charizard card’s variants!
8. Dark Scizor (Holo Rare) – Neo Destiny, 009/105
From 2002’s Neo Destiny set, this Dark Scizor is an even more threatening version of the already scary Scizor! Another classic design from the original 151 Pokémon, this is also a great showcase for how quickly Arita’s illustration style was evolving.
7. Golem (Secret Rare) – Skyridge, 148/144
Though the holo foil treatment on these cards makes it a little more difficult to see the art, this Golem from 2003 set Skyridge even further demonstrates Arita’s technique moving from more aggressive character portraits to nature documentary style, candid art of Pokémon in the wild. This is also a card from an e-Reader set, an add-on for the Game Boy Advance which allowed cards to be scanned for bonus material on Pokémon, such as sound effects and extended Pokédex entries.
6. Gyarados (Shadowless, Holo Rare) – Base Set, 006/102
A return to the familiar, iconic style of Arita’s early work here, with this Gyarados from the Base Set. It’s referred to as Shadowless, because the art box has no shadow; these variants tend to be more expensive, so you’ll see another at the end of this list!
5. Charizard (Secret Rare) – Stormfront, 103/100
There’s a level of detail here you don’t see on the earliest Mitsuhiro Arita cards; this one is, after all, from the 2008 set, Stormfront. It’s a fantastic Charizard card which really shows the Pokémon’s full power.
4. Umbreon (Holo Rare) – Aquapolis, H29/H32
Another e-Reader card, this Umbreon shows the popular Eeveelution Pokémon in gorgeously atmospheric artwork by Arita. It’s fair to say that none of these cards would hold their own competitively in-game these days, but fans are drawn by the nostalgic appeal of their design; Arita’s art is a very big part of that.
3. Clefable (Prerelease) – Promo, 01/64
Available during the prerelease events for Pokémon’s second set, Jungle, you’ll notice a distinctive feature on this Clefable card. In the bottom right of the artwork is a Prerelease stamp, which makes this an incredibly valuable, highly sought after card!
2. Celebi (Secret Rare) – Skyridge, 145/144
Another e-Reader card from Skyridge, this Celebi is a good, early example of a card which relied on a wide range of Energy types to be most effective. Which means it’s a good showcase for Arita’s Energy symbol design as well as Celebi itself!
1. Charizard (Shadowless, Holo Rare) – Base Set, 004/102
Finally, the most valuable Mitsuhiro Arita card overall is the shadowless, Base Set Charizard. Which should perhaps be no surprise, given the popularity of Charizard, shadowless Base Set cards and Mitsuhiro Arita himself!
Check out our list of the most valuable cards in recent set, Ascended Heroes. You can also check out our parent’s guide to playing with and collecting Pokémon cards!
