Bulbasaur has never had a secret rare of its own. Its evolution has three of them from the same set.
That asymmetry is the whole story of collecting this line in Japanese Pokemon TCG. Bulbasaur stays modest — an art rare here, a promo there — while Venusaur carries the weight, from a 1996 Rare Holo in the original Japanese Expansion Pack all the way to a 2025 Special Art Rare that Mega Brave printed three separate times at three separate rarities. This guide walks the full evolution line: what each Japanese printing actually is, which set it really comes from (one of the numbers below gets misattributed constantly), and how the pieces fit together if you’re building toward the chase card.
We stock graded and raw Kanto-starter singles out of Tokyo, so every price and every set fact below is checked against what we’re actually shipping — not a generic price guide.
The chase card in this line is the PSA10 MEGA Venusaur ex SAR (087/063, Mega Brave) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥19,308. If you’d rather start on Bulbasaur’s side of the family, the PSA10 Bulbasaur AR (064/063, Mega Brave) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) is ¥8,042 — from the same set, same release day, a fraction of the cost.
Bulbasaur’s Side of the Family: AR and Promo
Bulbasaur’s best-known Japanese collectible right now is the Art Rare, 064/063, from Mega Brave — one of two paired Japanese sets (alongside Mega Symphonia) released August 1, 2025, that together make up the first expansion of the Mega Series. Combined, the two Japanese sets form the English release Mega Evolution (set code me1). Mega Brave’s main checklist runs 001–063, and the Bulbasaur AR sits in the secret-rare block just above it at 064/063 — the “/063” denominator, not “/132,” is the tell that you’re holding the Japanese print and not the English one.
That distinction matters because English Mega Evolution has its own, separate Bulbasaur checklist entirely: a Common at #1/132 and an Illustration Rare at #133/132. Same character, same set family, different cards, different numbers. If you’re cross-shopping Japanese and English listings, match the denominator before you match the artwork.
Bulbasaur’s other notable Japanese release is an SV-P promotional print, distributed as part of the “Venusaur, Charizard & Blastoise Pokemon Card 151 Card File Set” and the companion “Poke Ball Pokemon Card 151 Card File Set” merchandise campaign in June 2023 — the same wave that tied Bulbasaur’s promo card to the 151 nostalgia cycle rather than to a mainline booster set. We carry this print as well: PSA10 Bulbasaur SV-P promo (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥8,687, priced within a few hundred yen of the Mega Brave AR despite coming from a completely different release.
Both current Bulbasaur singles sit around ¥8,000–¥8,700. If two Bulbasaur cards in a listing are priced within a few hundred yen of each other, don’t assume they’re the same print — check whether it’s the Mega Brave AR or the 151 File Set promo before you buy.
The Chase Card: MEGA Venusaur ex SAR, 087/063
This is where a lot of listings get the set wrong, so it’s worth being precise: MEGA Venusaur ex SAR is 087/063 in Mega Brave — not Mega Symphonia. The two sets released together and share a numbering convention, which is exactly why the mix-up happens: slot 087/063 in Mega Symphonia is a different card entirely, Mega Gardevoir ex SAR. If a listing shows Mega Venusaur ex SAR under the Mega Symphonia set banner, that set attribution is incorrect — the card itself is real, it’s just filed under the wrong sibling set.
The Special Art Rare is the top of Mega Brave’s three Mega Venusaur ex prints (more on that below), and it’s the card most collectors are actually chasing from this release: full alternate artwork, the SAR treatment Mega Brave reserved for its headline evolutions, and a Japan-only status until the English counterpart caught up. We carry this exact print graded: PSA10 MEGA Venusaur ex SAR, 087/063 (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥19,308.
English collectors get this card too, eventually — Mega Evolution (me1) released September 26, 2025, carrying Mega Venusaur ex at #3/132 (Double Rare), #155/132 (Ultra Rare), and #177/132 (Special Illustration Rare). None of those English numbers line up 1:1 with the Japanese secret-rare slots, so treat the two checklists as related but distinct rather than interchangeable.
Why Mega Venusaur ex Appears Three Times in One Set
Mega Brave didn’t just print Mega Venusaur ex once and call it done — the card shows up at three separate rarities within the same 63-card set, each aimed at a different collector budget:
| Card # | Rarity | Role in the set |
|---|---|---|
| 003/063 | RR (base Pokemon ex) | Standard pull, mainline checklist |
| 076/063 | SR | Alternate-art secret rare, mid-tier chase |
| 087/063 | SAR (Special Art Rare) | Top-tier chase card, full alternate art |
This is a common pattern in current-era Japanese sets: the same evolution gets a “regular” ex print for the base checklist, then one or two escalating secret-rare treatments layered on top. It means “Mega Venusaur ex” alone isn’t enough information to price or identify a card — the card number after the slash is what separates a base pull from the set’s headline chase print. If you’re buying loose singles rather than sealed product, always confirm the full number (003/063 vs 076/063 vs 087/063) before comparing prices between listings.
For the complete Mega Brave checklist, pull-rate context, and how it pairs with Mega Symphonia, see our Mega Brave complete guide.
The 2016 Vintage Route: M Venusaur-EX 002/072
Before “Mega” cards had the current ex-tier full-art treatment, Venusaur had already had a Mega Evolution card once before — nearly a decade earlier. M Venusaur-EX, 002/072, comes from the Japanese BREAK Starter Pack (2016). Its English counterpart is Generations, card #2/83, released February 22, 2016 — a standalone English set built specifically to bring Japan’s XY-era Mega and BREAK cards over in one release.
Venusaur actually had an earlier Mega print too, and it’s easy to conflate the two: a separate Japanese Collection X (2014) printing at 002/060, whose English counterpart is the base XY expansion, card #2/146 (February 5, 2014). These are two distinct Japanese products mapping to two different English sets two years apart — “002/072” specifically means BREAK Starter Pack / Generations, not Collection X / XY, even though both are M Venusaur-EX cards with similar artwork conventions from the same broader Mega era.
We stock the BREAK Starter Pack print graded: PSA10 M Venusaur-EX, 002/072 at ¥35,020 — the most expensive card in this entire evolution line, vintage 2016 scarcity outweighing the newer Mega Brave prints.
Where It All Started: Base Set and the 151 Reprint
Venusaur’s Japanese history goes back to the very beginning of the trading card game. The original Japanese Base Set — released as “Expansion Pack” / “Starter Pack” on October 20, 1996 — carried Venusaur as card #15/102, Rare Holo. The English Base Set followed on January 9, 1999, with Venusaur at the identical number and rarity, #15/102 Rare Holo. It’s one of the rare cases in the franchise’s history where the Japanese and English numbering matched exactly, no offset, no rarity change.
The nostalgia loop closed in 2023 with the 151 expansion (English sv3pt5, September 22, 2023; Japanese subset “Pokemon Card 151”), which gave Venusaur an ex-tier reprint alongside the rest of the original Kanto roster. Here the Japanese and English checklists diverge at the top end:
| Rarity | English number | Japanese number |
|---|---|---|
| Double Rare (base ex) | 003/165 | 003/165 |
| Ultra Rare (EN) / SR (JP) | 182/165 | 184/165 |
| Special Illustration Rare (EN) / SAR (JP) | 198/165 | 200/165 |
The base ex print lines up 1:1 across languages, but the two secret-rare tiers shift by two numbers each in the Japanese release — a small but real gap that trips up anyone cross-referencing an English price guide against a Japanese listing. For the full pull-rate breakdown of this set, see our 151 pull rates and best cards guide.
Which Card Fits Your Collection
Laid out by spend, the Bulbasaur/Venusaur line breaks into four practical entry points:
- Under ¥9,000 — either current Bulbasaur single: the Mega Brave AR (064/063) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥8,042 or the 151 File Set SV-P promo (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥8,687. Both are graded PSA10, both are genuine entry points into the line.
- Around ¥19,000 — the MEGA Venusaur ex SAR (087/063) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), the current-era chase print and the card most people mean when they say “Venusaur chase card” right now.
- ¥35,000 — the 2016 M Venusaur-EX (002/072), for buyers who want the vintage Mega era rather than the current one — older, scarcer, and the top of this evolution line by price.
- Sealed / build-your-own — a Mega Brave booster box, if you’d rather chase the 003/063, 076/063, and 087/063 prints yourself rather than buying the graded single directly.
Bulbasaur and Venusaur aren’t the only Kanto starters getting the Mega-era treatment this way. If you’re building the full trio, our Charmander cards guide covers the fire-type side, and our Squirtle & Blastoise cards guide covers the water-type side — published the same day as this one, with the same set-attribution corrections applied.
Where to Buy Bulbasaur & Venusaur Cards from Japan
We ship Japanese sealed product and graded singles worldwide out of Tokyo with tracked delivery. If you want to chase the 003/063, 076/063, and 087/063 Mega Venusaur ex prints yourself rather than buying the graded SAR directly, sealed Mega Brave product is the way in — all three prints come out of the same box.
View Product → (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
For graded PSA10 singles across the wider Kanto starter line — Bulbasaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and beyond — browse our full PSA10 collection. Our Japanese PSA10 price guide covers how grading premiums work across sets like this one. And if you’re after a specific number not listed above, or want to build a mixed order across several of these cards at once, our Quick Order page is the fastest route.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most valuable Bulbasaur card from Japan?
The Mega Brave Art Rare, 064/063, released August 1, 2025 — a Japan-only print with its own numbering distinct from English Mega Evolution’s separate Bulbasaur checklist (#1/132 Common, #133/132 Illustration Rare).
What is the MEGA Venusaur ex SAR and which set is it actually from?
It’s 087/063, a Special Art Rare from Mega Brave — not Mega Symphonia, despite the two sets releasing together and sharing a numbering convention. Mega Symphonia’s own 087/063 slot is a different card, Mega Gardevoir ex SAR.
What’s the difference between the Bulbasaur AR and the Bulbasaur SV-P promo?
The AR (064/063) is from Mega Brave, released August 2025. The SV-P promo comes from a June 2023 merchandise campaign tied to the “Venusaur, Charizard & Blastoise Pokemon Card 151 Card File Set” — a completely different release two years earlier, priced within a few hundred yen of the newer AR.
Where does M Venusaur-EX 002/072 fit into Venusaur’s card history?
It’s from the Japanese BREAK Starter Pack (2016); its English counterpart is Generations #2/83. It’s distinct from an earlier Japanese Collection X (2014) print at 002/060, whose English counterpart is the base XY set (#2/146, 2014) — two different Mega Venusaur-EX products two years apart.
How does Venusaur ex from the 151 set differ between Japanese and English numbering?
The base Double Rare matches at 003/165 in both languages. But the next two tiers shift: English Ultra Rare 182/165 is Japanese SR 184/165, and English Special Illustration Rare 198/165 is Japanese SAR 200/165 — a two-number offset on both secret-rare prints.
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