Pokémon creator stalked and ambushed for autographs by scalpers 

Japanese illustrator and Pokémon creator Naoki Saito has reported on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account that he has experienced being followed by car, surrounded and ambushed on several occasions by individuals seeking to profit off his signature. 

Naoki Saito is an illustrator known for his character designs for Pokémon Sun and Moon. He is also the author of numerous illustrations for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Among the cards he has worked on, “Lillie (Extra Battle Day)” and “Ganba Lillie” are among the most expensive cards in the market due to their rarity, and there have been incidents of copies signed by Saito being resold for astronomical prices (exceeding $100k USD), causing controversy and meeting with disapproval from Saito himself. 

Recently, Saito took to X to speak out about the harassment he has been experiencing. He starts by mentioning that he has always been happy to give out autographs to fans and has done his best to respond to every request. However, Saito reveals that he has been victim of organized stalking and ambushes on several occasions over the past year. These incidents would mostly occur at the end of events that he attended, and included being followed by car and being surrounded by 5 to 6 people at once. Individuals would also attempt to inquire about his schedule under false names. Saito says that the acts have been escalating in a way that makes him feel endangered, and that he will no longer be giving autographs personally until the situation is resolved. 

Writer and editor Shinya Kusaka, who was with Saito during the most recent incident of “autograph stalking,” also spoke out about the incident, mentioning how the perpetrators seemed skilled at tailing by car, even following the author into narrow alleys. He says that the behavior of people relentlessly trying to coerce Saito into giving autographs has caused him severe mental distress. Apparently, such individuals even resort to lying about “sick family members” to get autographs, but always ask for several copies, which gives away the fact that their goal is to make a profit.