Pokemon TCG: Best Japanese Card Sets (2024)

The Pokemon TCG is known for making playable cards incredibly accessible. While this might make it the key difference between opening boxes or buying singles, some collectors enjoy getting the box itself. However, there is a fundamental difference between buying a Western TCG box and a box from Japan.

Japanese sets are known for having some exclusive goodies that make them eye-catching for collectors. This could mean condensing the card pool so there is less filler or even getting a sneak peek at cards that have yet to be released. Here are the best Japanese card sets of the Pokemon TCG.

8 Pokemon Stellar Miracle And Other Current Sets

A Set For New Collectors

Every collector needs to start somewhere. Getting a Japanese set at the base price becomes harder as the years go by, and some sets will become harder to find. Stellar Miracle has plenty of valuable Pokemon from the Paldea region and beyond, including the mighty Hydrapple and the legendary Terapagos.

Stellar Miracle is a set that came out relatively recently, so whether you want to go ahead and pull some of your favorite Pokemon or invest in the boxes to sell them later, getting into the current set is the best way to go. There are, however, more valuable boxes if you’re willing to throw your money into the pits.

7 Pokemon 151

A Very Popular Set For Poke Boomers

One of the best sets, in general, is the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s 151 sets. This special collection of cards includes the original 151 Pokemon, making it one of the best sets to start getting back into the card game. That extra hit of nostalgia also helps move the product forward, with all the classics getting new printings.

From all three starters to the legendary birds, there are plenty of cards with special illustrations. The cards look even better with the original Japanese text. One notable difference in this set is that you can pull Mew EX as a special illustration rare. This card later came printed as a promo in America.

6 Pokemon Snow Hazard

A Cool Japanese Set

The interesting thing about the Pokemon TCG in Japan is that sets don’t always come out the exact same way as they do in America. Some sets are released under vastly different names and card lists, which make pulling certain cards somewhat easier, but at the same time, making select sets have the cards you actually want higher rarities of.

Snow Hazard includes the illustration rare printings of Chien-Pao EX and the Frigibax line. Many of the illustration rare cards in this set also just focus on Ice-type Pokemon and settings, making it an excellent set for those who love the freezing cold.

5 Pokemon Vstar Universe

Hisui, Unova, And More

Vstar Universe is one of the best sets to pull from if you’re looking for cards with beautiful illustrations in their original Japanese letterings. Besides having an abundant number of VSTAR cards in the card pool, there are also plenty of illustration rares to find and collect.

These illustration rare cards include Pokemon and Trainers from the Hisui period, such as Volo, Iridia, and Hisuian Zoroark. It also includes one of the most valuable Arceus cards in the Pokemon TCG. Even if Hisui isn’t your favorite, the set collects plenty of Pokemon from the original Kanto region all the way to the wilds of the Paldea region.

4 Pokemon Raging Surf

Drowning In Good Cards

Raging Surf is another set that was only released in Japan before being mixed in with other sets. The set focuses on Water-types, Bugs, Dragons, and Ghosts. While cards from this set were later split between Paradox Rift and Paldean Fates, Raging Surf served another purpose in Japan other than being a collector’s item.

These boxes were originally intended for use in sealed formats. This is where players open boxes to create an entirely new deck. The set has plenty of fascinating cards, such as Garchomp EX, Sapu Koko EX, and Gholdengo EX. All these cards also have illustration rare printings that can be pulled in the set.

3 Pokemon Triplet Beat

Paldean Starters Unite

Subsets are always neat since they contain fewer cards. It also has a more specific theme, with Triple Beat focusing mostly on the three starters from the Paldea Region. The Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Quaxly lines each have their own special illustrations for each stage that really capture life in Paldea.

This set also gives them ultra rare printings which see the final evolutions of each starter coated in gold. It doesn’t get any more premium than this. If you’re looking for a set to save for later or open up for instant gratification, then this is one Japanese set you don’t want to miss.

2 Pokemon Shiny Treasure

Shiny Pokemon Just Rock

Shiny Pokemon may not be any more competitively viable than their normal colorings, but their best patterns attract trainers everywhere. Pokemon TCG’s Shiny Treasure set is another Japanese exclusive set with cards you may be familiar with from the American Paldean Fates set.

The set has a whopping 360 cards to trade and collect, with over half of them being shiny Pokemon. The shiny coloring doesn’t just apply to the standard Basic Pokemon and their Evolutions, but the powerful EX cards and their full arts as well. Shiny Treasure is a set with a card list worth pulling. Due to the shiny Pokemon available, it is also one that is sure to spike in price later.

1 Pokemon Ruler Of The Black Flame

A Favorite For Collectors

Ruler of the Black Flame is possibly the best Japanese set you can look at. The set contains cards that you might remember from the Obsidian Flames set. However, with fewer cards, you can focus on trying to pull the ones that you really want rather than the set being bloated with filler.

This set includes many meta cards from the Scarlet and Violet era, such as Charizard EX and Pidgeot EX. If you’re looking for a set that’s already pretty valuable, then Ruler of the Black Flame is one of the best options to jump into and keep in storage for the next couple of years.