Five letters, one dash, and a number — that’s the entire code you need to place Japanese Pokemon promo cards in time. XY-P. SM-P. S-P. SV-P. And, as of this year, M-P. Once you can read that prefix, a stack of promos stops being a pile of random Pikachu variants and becomes a dated, sortable set — and once it’s sortable, you can rank it.
The 49 graded Japanese Pokemon promo cards ranked here span five era prefixes plus the 25th Anniversary /025 track, ordered by the listing prices we recorded in August 2026.
A Japanese promo number carries a series prefix (XY-P, SM-P, S-P, SV-P, M-P, plus the separate /025 track) that tells you the era the card was distributed in. In the ranking, SV-P and M-P cards fill the bottom and SM-P and XY-P cards hold the top.
- Set reference: Japanese Pokemon card list.
Ordered by the listing prices we recorded in August 2026. USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate. Every card on this list is PSA 10.
How to Read Japanese Promo Numbers: XY-P Through M-P
Japanese Pokemon promos don’t get a set code the way a main expansion does — they get a running series prefix tied to the era they were distributed in. Five of those prefixes cover essentially the entire modern promo landscape, and once you know the date range each one covers, a card number tells you roughly how old the card is before you even look up the artwork.
- XY-P — XY through XY BREAK era, August 2013 to February 2017. Format:
XXX/XY-P. - SM-P — Sun & Moon era, starting November 18, 2016 through October 2019. Bulbapedia lists 437 individual SM-P cards across that run — a very deep pool to chase. Format:
XXX/SM-P, identifiable by a rectangular “PROMO” stamp. - S-P — Sword & Shield era, starting November 29, 2019 through December 2022. Format:
XXX/S-P. - SV-P — Scarlet & Violet era, starting November 18, 2022 through January 2026. Format:
XXX/SV-P. - M-P — the newest prefix, tied to 2026’s Mega-evolution-focused series. The format is
XXX/M-P, as on Pikachu 020/M-P — the newest of the five.
There’s also a sixth, narrower numbering track worth knowing: cards marked XXX/025 belong to a standalone /025 track sold as the 25th Anniversary promo pack, rather than sitting inside either prefix.
Side by side, those two cards are separated by roughly a decade of distribution history — but the numbering convention that ties them to their era is the exact same three-digit-slash-prefix format either way.
Japanese Pokemon Promo Cards Ranked, Lowest to Highest
The ranking runs from the lowest recorded listing price to the highest, and the series prefix shows how each era clusters — SV-P dominates the bottom, SM-P dominates the top.
| # | Card | Series |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iono’s Wattrel P, 232/SV-P | SV-P |
| 2 | Pikachu P, 291/SV-P | SV-P |
| 3 | Pikachu P, 197/SV-P | SV-P |
| 4 | Pikachu, 020/M-P: ¥14,868 (~$97) | M-P |
| 5 | Pikachu, 242/SV-P | SV-P |
| 6 | Pikachu, 120/SV-P Promo | SV-P |
| 7 | Eevee P, 245/SM-P | SM-P |
| 8 | Pikachu, 001/SV-P Promo | SV-P |
| 9 | Rayquaza P, 003/S-P | S-P |
| 10 | Pikachu Berkemeja Batik Promo, 101/SV-P | SV-P |
| 11 | Cosmog Promo, 081/SM-P | SM-P |
| 12 | Reshiram, 020/025 Promo | 25th Anniversary |
| 13 | Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex P, 043/M-P | M-P |
| 14 | Jolteon nagaba, 064/SV-P | SV-P |
| 15 | Vaporeon, 063/SV-P Promo | SV-P |
| 16 | Pikachu, 124/S-P: ¥35,461 (~$230) | S-P |
| 17 | Shining Magikarp, 010/025 Promo | 25th Anniversary |
| 18 | Showers (Vaporeon) EX Promo, 194/XY-P | XY-P |
| 19 | Fukuoka’s Pikachu P, 289/SV-P: ¥32,665 (~$212) | SV-P (regional) |
| 20 | Meowth VMAX Promo, 029/S-P | S-P |
| 21 | Tohoku’s Pikachu P, 260/SV-P | SV-P (regional) |
| 22 | Eevee, 033/SV-P Promo | SV-P |
| 23 | Celebi V Promo, 175/S-P | S-P |
| 24 | Groudon P, 144/XY-P | XY-P |
| 25 | Hiroshima’s Pikachu P, 261/SV-P | SV-P (regional) |
| 26 | Pikachu, 208/S-P (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) Promo | S-P |
| 27 | Pikachu P, 057/SV-P [Taipei Open] | SV-P |
| 28 | Umbreon, 012/025 Promo: ¥56,568 (~$367) | 25th Anniversary |
| 29 | Pikachu Promo, 207/SM-P | SM-P |
| 30 | Celebrate Fanfare P, 033/M-P | M-P |
| 31 | Espeon VMAX, 189/S-P Promo | S-P |
| 32 | Eevee & Snorlax GX Promo, 297/SM-P | SM-P |
| 33 | Clefairy, 381/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
| 34 | _’s Pikachu Promo, 007/025 [S8a-P] | 25th Anniversary |
| 35 | Pikachu Promo, 132/S-P: ¥119,080 (~$773) | S-P |
| 36 | Ash’s Pikachu, 074/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
| 37 | Manzai Play Pikachu, 407/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
| 38 | Charizard EX Promo, 030/XY-P | XY-P |
| 39 | Red’s Pikachu Promo, 270/SM-P | SM-P |
| 40 | Sapporo Pikachu, 005/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
| 41 | Pikachu Libre Promo, 247/XY-P | XY-P |
| 42 | Pikachu Wearing a Poncho, 203/XY-P Promo | XY-P |
| 43 | Boss Pikachu Team Plasma Promo, 195/SM-P | SM-P |
| 44 | Easter’s Pikachu Promo, 055/SM-P | SM-P |
| 45 | Pikachu, 400/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
| 46 | Eevee Munch Exhibition, 287/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
| 47 | Mario Pikachu, 293/XY-P Promo | XY-P |
| 48 | Psyduck Munch Exhibition, 286/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
| 49 | Pikachu Munch Exhibition, 288/SM-P Promo | SM-P |
Read top to bottom, the pattern in the series column tells its own story: SV-P fills six of the first eight rows, S-P and XY-P thread through the middle third, and SM-P dominates the ranking past row 35. SM-P had 437 individual cards to draw from over nearly three years.
The Accessible End: Newer SV-P and M-P Promos
The first seven cards on the ranking are six SV-P or M-P cards and one SM-P — the two newest prefixes lead the order, so this is where a first Japanese promo purchase realistically starts.
Worth noting: five of the first seven cards are Pikachu variants. Pikachu appears more often than any other species in the ranking, and that volume is why the species dominates the cheap end just as much as it dominates the expensive end — supply and specific-print scarcity are two different variables, and Pikachu shows up on both extremes for different reasons.
The Middle: Regional Promos, S-P, and the New M-P Prefix
This band is where the catalog gets genuinely mixed — S-P, XY-P, 25th Anniversary, and M-P all appear here alongside SV-P, and it’s also where our regional Pokemon Center Pikachu promos start to show up (Fukuoka’s Pikachu and Tohoku’s Pikachu). We’ve covered the full regional lineup, including the Kanazawa and Sapporo variants, in a dedicated Pokemon Center Pikachu regional guide — this ranking keeps it to a single line each.
Three M-P cards appear in the ranking: Pikachu 020/M-P, Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex P (043/M-P) and Celebrate Fanfare P (033/M-P).
The Top of the Ranking: SM-P and XY-P Grails
From row 36 onward, the ranking narrows almost entirely to SM-P and XY-P. Every card from row 36 on belongs to one or the other, which lines up with the numbering system — these are the two oldest, longest-running prefixes, and their standout distribution promos include movie tie-ins, event exclusives and magazine inserts.
The Mario Pikachu (293/XY-P) tops the XY-P prefix and is the third-highest card in the ranking. We go deep on that specific card’s distribution history and identification points in a standalone Mario Pikachu card guide.
The Eevee, Psyduck, and Pikachu Munch Exhibition cards (287, 286, and 288/SM-P) are the top three SM-P entries, and all three belong to the same limited five-card exhibition promo run. We cover the full five-card set, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum tie-in, and distribution details in our dedicated Munch Exhibition promo guide. They occupy rows 46, 48, and 49 of the ranking.
Below those three, Easter’s Pikachu, Boss Pikachu Team Plasma, and the plain Pikachu 400/SM-P round out the SM-P upper tier — none tied to a single famous exhibition, but each tied to its own Sun & Moon-era distribution.
Where to Buy Japanese Promo Cards from Japan
We ship graded and sealed Japanese Pokemon product from Tokyo. Our PSA 10 collection covers graded singles beyond this ranking. Sourcing requests for a specific card go through Quick Order.
For a broader look at what makes any of this material exclusive to the Japanese market in the first place — not just promos, but sealed product and regional variants — see our companion piece on Japan-exclusive Pokemon cards. And if you’re a wholesale or bulk buyer assembling a larger PSA 10 order rather than shopping one card at a time, our PSA 10 Japanese promo buying guide covers assortment strategy and risk controls for that kind of order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the letters in a Japanese Pokemon promo number mean?
They mark the era the card was distributed in: XY-P, SM-P, S-P, SV-P, and M-P, the newest prefix tied to 2026’s Mega-evolution-era promos. A separate XXX/025 numbering track covers a standalone 25th Anniversary promo pack.
Which prefixes sit at the bottom of the promo ranking?
SV-P and M-P, the two newest prefixes: six of the first seven cards are SV-P or M-P, and the first row is the Iono’s Wattrel P (232/SV-P).
Which Japanese promo card tops the ranking?
The Pikachu Munch Exhibition (288/SM-P) takes row 49. Psyduck (286/SM-P) and Eevee (287/SM-P) from the same five-card exhibition series also sit in the top four rows; we cover that series in a dedicated guide.
Is the Mario Pikachu card part of this ranking?
Yes — the Mario Pikachu (293/XY-P) is the third-highest card in the ranking and the top XY-P entry. We cover its distribution history in a standalone guide.
Are Pokemon Center regional Pikachu promos in this ranking?
Yes. Fukuoka’s Pikachu P (289/SV-P) and Tohoku’s Pikachu P (260/SV-P) both appear in the middle of the ranking. We cover the full regional lineup, including Hiroshima, Kanazawa, and Sapporo variants, in a dedicated regional guide.
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