Yuri Yokomizo is a Japanese illustrator and graphic designer known as the original creator of the Sumikko Gurashi character franchise. Born in Tokyo, she developed an early interest in character design and pursued this passion by enrolling at Tama Art University. After graduating, she joined the character merchandise company San-X in the spring of 2011. It was during her time at San-X that she created the characters that would become Sumikko Gurashi, which debuted in 2012 and grew into a major commercial success.

Her work on Sumikko Gurashi led to multiple anime adaptations in which she is credited as the original creator. The first anime film, Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tsugihagi Kōjo no Fushigi na Ko, also known as The Mysterious Child of the Makeshift Factory, is the third feature film in the franchise and was released in Japan in November 2023. Yokomizo also holds the original creator credit for the television anime Sumikko Gurashi Sorairo no Mainichi, a series of five episodes that first aired in October 2023 as the franchise's first television anime adaptation. Additionally, she is credited for the short anime series Sumikko Gurashi: Koko ga Ochitsukun Desu, a collection of one-minute episodes that began airing in April 2025.

Beyond the Sumikko Gurashi franchise, Yokomizo is the creator of the Nandemo Ikimono characters, which depict a world where everything from animals and plants to food and objects are living beings. These characters are the basis for the anime Gekkan! Nanmono Anime, an ongoing series of short anime episodes that began releasing in April 2025. For this project, she serves as the original creator and general director.

Yokomizo left San-X in October 2020 to work as a freelance illustrator, though she continues to collaborate with the company on Sumikko Gurashi-related projects. Her creative identity is defined by the design of character-driven franchises with broad appeal, and she has maintained creative involvement in their adaptations, notably requesting that the Sumikko Gurashi characters not have speaking voices in their feature films to preserve their intended nature. Her work has achieved significant industry recognition, with the first Sumikko Gurashi film winning Best Animation of the Year at the 29th Annual Japan Movie Critics Awards.