Since Pokémon Japan was first introduced to the TCGplayer Catalog in September 2024, we’ve received widespread support and excitement from sellers looking to list Japanese Pokémon products. With Pokémon collectors and hobbyists increasingly showing interest in Japanese products, it’s no wonder that rare Japanese cards have become highly sought-after in the secondary market.
Currently, there are over 25,000 products available for sellers to list under Pokémon Japan across 417 sets. Navigating almost 30 years of main boosters, expansions, and special products can be overwhelming, so we’ve created a complete breakdown for our sellers to identify what makes Pokémon Japan unique compared to its international counterpart.
Comparing Releases
Release Dates
Pokémon releases tend to become available in the Japanese market several months before the official English release. Main boosters may be released in Japan up to 2 to 3 months prior to its international debut, with decks and other unique products releasing in between.
Additionally, the English version of a Pokémon release may merge the card lists for two or more Japanese releases.
For example, the upcoming English expansion Journey Together (releasing March 28, 2025) contains cards from the Pokémon Japan booster Battle Partners (January 24, 2025), as well as cards that appeared in the ex Start Decks that were released in November 2024.
Sealed Products
English Pokémon releases are somewhat infamous for including a large quantity of additional sealed products. A typical main booster, such as Surging Sparks, will usually boast the following alongside a standard Booster pack and box:
- Booster Bundle
- Build & Battle Box
- Elite Trainer Box (sometimes including an exclusive Pokémon Center version)
- Several single and three-pack blisters
However, standard Japanese Pokémon booster releases will typically only have a booster box and a booster pack included as part of the release.
Furthermore, the contents of the booster products vary significantly between a Japanese and an English release:
- Japanese booster packs include 5 cards while the English packs include 10.
- Japanese booster boxes contain 30 packs, while the English booster boxes contain 36.
Pull Rates
While it may seem like Japanese Pokémon releases offer less than their English equivalents, they are considered to have a higher value since they have better pull rates for rare card singles.
Japanese booster boxes are almost always guaranteed to include at least one card which is a Super Rare or higher rarity (including Ultra Rares and Special Art Rares). Additionally, they may also include several Full Arts, Art Rares and Double Rares.
As an example, the average pull rate for a Battle Partners booster box included 3 Art Rares, 4 Double Rares and 1 card that was Super Rare or higher in value.
Meanwhile, a standard English booster pack is guaranteed to have at least 3 foil cards, but the rarity and value of those foil cards is far more random. There is no guarantee that an English booster box will contain even one Full Art or Special Illustration Rare.
Set Breakdowns
Rarities
Both Japanese Pokémon releases and English Pokémon releases tend to have their own exclusive rare cards that set them apart from each other. Some of these unique Japanese rarities include Triple Rares, Super Rares, Character Rares, Character Super Rares, and Trainer Rares.
Additionally, the official names for some of the Pokémon rarities may change across Japanese and English releases. For example, Art Rares and Special Art Rares in Pokémon Japan are called Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares when reprinted in English.
Between exclusive rarities and the occasional mixing of Japanese releases in the English sets, the cardlists across Pokémon Japan and Pokémon International can look significantly different. The English set Stellar Crown, for example, can be broken down into the following rarities:
- 87 Commons
- 39 Uncommons
- 15 Rares
- 14 Double Rares
- 13 Illustration Rares
- 11 Ultra Rares
- 6 Special Illustration Rares
- 3 Hyper Rares
- 3 ACE SPEC Rares (for a total of 191 card types)
Meanwhile its Japanese equivalent, Stellar Miracle, contains the following:
- 48 Commons
- 34 Uncommons
- 9 Rares
- 8 Double Rares
- 12 Art Rares
- 12 Super Rares
- 6 Special Art Rares
- 3 ACE Rares (for a total of 132 card types)
Printing Foils and Variants
Pokémon International cards on TCGplayer tend to have two distinct foil types compared to their Japanese counterparts: Holofoil, and the English exclusive Reverse Holofoil. Meanwhile, higher-rarity English cards such as Illustration Rares and Full Arts feature a thumbprint-like texture to distinguish them as official Pokémon cards, and a rainbow holographic foil treatment on top.
The Japanese releases tend to feature unique foil patterns in their treatment on a more regular basis. For example, Mirror Foils have become a staple among recent Pokémon Japan releases, but the foil designs vary wildly between sets. These include:
- A holographic diamond pattern in the 25th Anniversary Collection
- A glittery polka dot pattern in VSTAR Universe
- A glitch-like pixel design in Shiny Treasure ex and Terastal Fest ex
- And the original Pokeball and Master Ball holographic foils
Card Distinctions
Yellow vs. Silver Border
The current silver border is considered among Pokémon TCG fans to be a welcome change and far more appealing compared to the original yellow border.
However, this change was made recently for the English version of the card game, with the first documented silver-border cards appearing regularly with the release of the Scarlet & Violet Base Set in 2023. Meanwhile, Pokémon Japan had already switched to using the silver border exclusively in 2010, with the introduction of BW1: Black Collection and BW1: White Collection.
Censored Cards
Some of the older Pokémon Japan cards feature unique and distinctive artwork compared to their English prints; this is because during their time of release, some of the artwork depicted in the Japanese card game and anime was considered inappropriate for children (especially in North America).
While there are less instances in modern Pokémon sets where artwork has been censored in this way, these original cards have become highly collectible in the international market.
For more information on censored Japanese Pokémon cards, check out our TCGplayer infinite article, 12 Pokémon Cards that Got Censored, and Why.
Acquiring and Selling Pokémon Japan
Since Pokémon Japan does not support international distribution for Japanese Pokémon products, finding a reliable source for Japanese Pokémon products can be hard to come by.
If you’re looking to purchase Japanese Pokémon products online, please make sure that the source is reputable by looking at reviews with verified purchases, and authentic product images.
Our Pokémon Japan Catalog is currently live on the TCGplayer Marketplace.
For more information on Pokémon Japan on TCGplayer, check out Now Available To List: Japanese Pokémon on our seller blog.
Have questions or feedback for our team? Contact us at catalog@tcgplayer.com.