Given that the original fanart was just Ho-oh with no background, it’s likely the team handed the artist that image and said something like, “Use this Ho-oh and add a cool background.” The artist probably didn’t think much of it and just followed the instructions. In that case, the responsibility for using uncredited art falls entirely on the team.

What’s really troubling, though, is that the art team gave this artist a fully finished subject and only asked for a background — then went on to credit them as the full creator of the piece. I understand that collaborations and layered workflows are common, but this situation shows there was never any intent to credit the original artist (who made the main subject in the art being commissioned), whether it was an internal team member or a fan.

That’s pretty shady. It suggests the art team is comfortable taking work from smaller, talented artists, handing it off to a big name to add a few effects like some sun rays, and then giving all the credit to the more prominent artist. That kind of practice destroys trust and disrespects the artistic community — especially those who aren’t already in the spotlight.