Who is Mika Pikazo and how is she connected to Fire Emblem Engage?

The Fire Emblem series has always been known for its stylized characters and iconic designs, but fans of Fire Emblem Engage have noticed that many of the newest entries’ characters have a very specific feel to them. That’s because Intelligent Systems brought in a new lead character designer named Mika Pikazo, who has given her own creative spin on the Fire Emblem franchise. If her style feels somewhat familiar, it is because you’ve probably seen her work before.

Who is Mika Pikazo?

Mika Pikazo is a 30-year-old Japanese artist who was probably best known for her work illustrating the light novel Apocalypse Witch: Houshoku Jidai no (Saikyou) tachi e. Before working on Fire Emblem Engage, Mika was part of the art department for the Sakura Wars 2020 anime adaptation and did character designs for the Fate Grand Order mobile game.

Like many artists trying to find an audience, she began posting her own artwork to social media. Over the years, Mika Pikazo has become a popular artist in her own right, amassing more than one million followers on Twitter. More recently, she has also lent her art style to two popular figures on the VTuber scene, Kaguya Luna and Hakos Baelz. Both had their avatars designed by Mika, who has brought that talent for 3D modeling to the art department of Fire Emblem.

In the run-up to the Fire Emblem Engage release, Nintendo revealed that Mika Pikazo was the unanimous pick for the developers thanks to her flashy, colorful style and the vibrancy of her work. Specifically, the game’s director, Tsutomu Tei, cited her ability to appeal not just to veterans of the series but to younger players as well. For several years, even before her work on Fire Emblem Engage became publicly known, she worked with Intelligent Systems to give the new characters and returning favorites like Marth and Ike an updated, modern design.