Japanese vs English Pokemon Cards: A Buyer's Guide

I collect English cards. I think Japanese cards are beautiful, but I don't collect them. Sometimes I open modern sealed Japanese product, because it's cheaper. So this guide sticks to what you can check: what the official sources say, and what eBay says about buying across borders.

The differences at a glance

The card back

The quickest way to tell the language of a card from a listing is the back. Pokemon's own tournament handbook says Japanese cards count as "marked" for tournament purposes because their card backs are different from the backs of all other Pokemon cards.

That helps you twice. A back photo confirms the language even when the title is vague, so ask for one if the listing has none. And when you hold a listing up against an official scan to check it is genuine, use a scan in the same language. A Japanese back next to an English scan will look wrong because it is different, not because it is fake. The full photo check is in How to Spot a Fake Pokemon Card Before You Buy.

The front, the size and the card stock

Since the Scarlet & Violet era began in 2023, English cards have used the gray border used in Japan instead of the old yellow one, Pokemon said when it announced the change. So on a modern card the front alone can look alike in both languages. Don't go by the border. Read the text and look at the back.

Collectors ask about card size and card stock more than anything else here. None of the official Pokemon pages cited here gives the dimensions or the stock for either language, and forum claims are not a source, so this guide makes none. If the feel or thickness matters to you, ask the seller for close photos of the edges, or buy the card in person.

Sets: different names, dates and numbers

Japanese and English sets are not released together, and the same card can have a different number in each. Pokemon 151 shows all three differences. Here is how TCGdex, a public card database, lists it:

• The Japanese set, ポケモンカード151, code SV2a, came out on 2023-06-16. The English 151 came out on 2023-09-22.

• Both have 165 numbered cards, but the Japanese set lists 210 cards in total and the English set 207, so the cards past 165 do not line up.

• The Charizard ex Special Illustration Rare is number 201 in the Japanese set and number 199 in the English set.

That is why a number from an English checklist will not always find the Japanese card. Look up the Japanese set code and number first, and put both in your search (see Card number (set number)).

Rarity: letter codes and English names

Japanese cards use letter codes for rarity. The official Japanese site, pokemon-card.com, uses AR for アートレア (Art Rare) and SAR for スペシャルアートレア (Special Art Rare), and says they first appeared in the high-class pack VSTAR Universe.

English cards use names and symbols. Pokemon's own announcement for Scarlet & Violet describes the Illustration Rare, shown with one shiny gold star, and the Special Illustration Rare, alternate-art versions of Pokemon ex or Supporter cards. TCGdex records the Japanese 151 Charizard ex (201) and the English one (199) with the same rarity, Special Illustration Rare.

Listing titles mix both systems. A seller in Japan may write SAR, and an English listing may write SIR or Special Illustration Rare. If you are not sure which the seller uses, search both (see Special Illustration Rare (SIR) and alt art).

Buying from a seller in Japan on eBay

eBay's help page for international purchases covers what changes when the seller is abroad. The parts that matter for a card:

• Read the Shipping and payments section. Every listing shows the estimated shipping cost, the shipping service, where the item ships from, and the countries the seller ships to. It may also show an estimate of customs and import charges. eBay says those charges are not final until you pay at checkout.

• Expect it to take longer. eBay notes that shipping from an international seller can take longer and cost more than buying in your own country.

• Know which shipping program the seller uses. eBay's page says sellers typically use eBay International Shipping when shipping from the US and Canada, so a seller in Japan will usually be on a different service. When a seller ships outside eBay's programs, you may still have to pay customs, duties and import fees when the item arrives.

• Check import charges yourself. eBay says it is the buyer's responsibility to check which customs and import charges apply and to pay them. They generally depend on the item's price, weight, dimensions and country of origin, plus your own country's taxes and fees. eBay suggests checking with your country's customs office before you buy.

• US buyers: watch for tariff changes. eBay keeps a tariff updates page for US buyers and sellers, and the rules changed during 2026. For a high-value import, the carrier may contact you for a tax ID number for US Customs.

• Money Back Guarantee still applies. eBay says international purchases are covered by the Money Back Guarantee as long as the other eligibility requirements are met.

• The Authenticity Guarantee does not. eBay's Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards requires the buyer to be in the US and the seller in the US or Canada, so a card shipped by a seller in Japan does not get it, at any price.

To see only listings from sellers in Japan, set a ChaseBoard watch's Item location to Japan.

Grading and condition for Japanese cards

PSA grades Japanese Pokemon cards. Its population report lists Japanese sets under their own names, such as 2025 Pokemon Japanese M1L-Mega Brave, separate from the English sets. PSA's grading standards page publishes one scale for cards and does not set separate standards by language (see PSA grading scale and How PSA Grading Works, and Is It Worth It?).

A raw card from Japan gets the same condition check as any raw card. Ask for sharp photos of the front and back, the corners and the edges, and compare them with the condition you want (see Near Mint and card condition (NM to DMG)). Ask before you pay, not after the card has crossed an ocean.

A checklist before you buy

• Check the back photo shows the language you want

• Match the set code and card number to the Japanese (or English) version you want

• Match the rarity code or name to the print you want

• Read the Shipping and payments section: cost, service, ships from, import estimate

• Find out whether import charges are paid at checkout or on delivery

• For a raw card, get clear photos of the corners and edges

• For a slab, make sure the cert number is visible, then look it up on the grader's site