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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The Pokémon Company said incorrect production reference material led to disputed artwork on the three-star Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex immersive cards planned for Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket’s Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion. The company apologized, temporarily showed the cards with blank or placeholder illustrations, and said it would replace them with corrected art. A follow-up clarification placed responsibility on the production process—not commissioned illustrator Sie Nanahara.
What happened to the Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex cards?
On 29 July 2025, The Pokémon Company announced that a production problem had affected the immersive artwork planned for the three-star Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion. Its official notice said the card production team had supplied incorrect materials to the commissioned illustrator as if they were official documents.
The issue concerned these two cards’ artwork in the mobile game, not every Pokémon card or the Pokémon franchise generally. The company said both cards would temporarily appear with blank illustrations while replacements were prepared. The Japanese corporate notice, published on 30 July and updated on 31 July, also said corrected artwork would be substituted when ready and that the company was checking for similar issues elsewhere in the game (Japanese notice).
Who was responsible—and was the illustrator blamed?
A follow-up explanation reported on 31 July said some illustrations are developed by asking artists to redraw production concept sketches. In this case, the production team had given Nanahara an incorrect sketch, and Nanahara followed the request. The reported clarification attributed the defect to The Pokémon Company and Creatures, not to the illustrator’s independent use of another artist’s work. PokéBeach’s report explicitly urged fans not to blame or harass Nanahara; PocketGamer.biz’s 5 August report carried the same account.
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The Pokémon Company’s initial notice said: “After internal review, we discovered that the card production team provided incorrect materials as official documents to the illustrator commissioned to create these cards.” Its later explanation, as reported by PocketGamer.biz, said: “In this case, the request was for the latter, and the card production team provided the illustrator with an incorrect concept sketch. So, the illustrator faithfully produced the illustrations in accordance with the request.”
What fix did the company announce?
The immediate remedy was to show the two affected cards with temporary blank or placeholder art, then replace it once the correct illustrations were ready. The Japanese notice described that planned change, but the cited announcements do not establish the exact date the corrected artwork ultimately appeared in the game.
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The company also said it was reviewing whether similar problems existed elsewhere and promised stronger quality-control procedures. Its notice stated: “We are also conducting a broader investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game.” It apologized for the disruption: “We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What has not been publicly established?
- The Pokémon Company’s cited statements do not identify the original fan artist.
- The cited coverage does not establish a public licensing or compensation settlement.
- The exact date the replacement artwork went live in the game is not confirmed by these statements.
Those gaps do not change the company’s stated account of how the error occurred: the illustrator was given incorrect production materials presented as official reference, and the company said it was responsible for the failure.
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