Satoshi Tajiri
The design and art direction for Lucario was provided by Ken Sugimori, a friend of the creator of the "Pokémon" games, Satoshi Tajiri. In an interview, "Pokémon Diamond" and "Pearl" director Junichi Masuda noted Lucario's name as one of the most difficult to create, due to an effort to make it appealing to both Japanese and American audiences.