There are two Pokemon characters named “Green.” One is a boy, one is a girl. One is called “Green” in Japanese and the other is called “Green” in English — and they are not the same person. If you’ve ever searched for Green Pokemon trainer cards and come back confused about which character you’re even looking at, you’re not alone, and the confusion is baked into the games themselves.
This guide untangles the naming problem first, then gets to the actual card collectors are usually after: Green’s Exploration, a Japanese Supporter card whose real Japanese name is “ブルーの探索” (Blue’s Search) — yes, really. We’ll walk through both of its Japanese printings, what each one is worth, and how to tell them apart.
“Green” in the West and “グリーン” (Green) in Japan refer to two different Pokemon characters whose names are swapped between languages. The TCG Supporter card sold internationally as Green’s Exploration depicts the Japanese “ブルー” (Blue) character and is titled “ブルーの探索” in Japan. We currently list two printings: the original SM9b Full Metal Wall SR at ¥76,771 and the reprinted SM12a Tag All Stars SR at ¥134,756.
Prices and links refreshed against current Tokyo listings. A related tag-team print, Green’s Tactics SR, is also covered in the Where to Buy section below.
The Naming Problem: Two Characters, Swapped Names
Before touching the card itself, the character names need sorting out, because Bulbapedia’s own reference pages exist specifically to prevent people from mixing these two up.
The first is the rival from the original 1996 Pocket Monsters Red & Green games. In the Japanese originals, this character is named グリーン (Green). When the games were localized into English, that same character was renamed Blue — specifically Blue Oak. Bulbapedia’s own entry opens with the identification directly: “Blue Oak (Japanese: グリーン Green) is the rival of the player in the Generation I games.”
The second is a completely different character introduced over two decades later, in 2018’s Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!. This is a young woman, unrelated to the Gen I rival, and in the Japanese version of Let’s Go she is named ブルー (Blue). In English, she was localized as Green. Bulbapedia’s entry for her states it plainly: “Green (Japanese: ブルー Blue) is a character introduced in Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!”
In other words, the two characters’ names are mirror images of each other across languages. The table below is the cleanest way to keep them straight.
| Character | First appeared | Japanese name | English name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen I rival (male) | Red & Green (1996) | グリーン (Green) | Blue (Blue Oak) |
| Let’s Go character (female) | Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee! (2018) | ブルー (Blue) | Green |
Bulbapedia’s disambiguation note for the Let’s Go character makes the distinction official rather than a fan convention: “If you were looking for the character who is known as Green in Japanese, see Blue (game)” — directing readers back to the Gen I rival’s page. There is also a third, separate character worth flagging so you don’t chase a fourth ghost: the playable female protagonist of FireRed and LeafGreen, commonly nicknamed “Leaf” by the community. She is neither of the two characters above and is outside the scope of this guide.
For readers who want the broader picture of how Japanese trainer/Supporter cards work as a collecting category before diving into one specific character, our Japanese trainer card guide is a useful starting point.
Which “Green” Is Actually On This Card
With the naming sorted, here is the answer that matters for buying: the Pokemon TCG Supporter card sold internationally under the English name Green’s Exploration depicts the second character — the Let’s Go woman, whose real Japanese name is ブルー (Blue). That is why the card’s actual Japanese title is 「ブルーの探索」 (Blue’s Search), not anything containing the word グリーン.
It does not depict the Gen I rival (Blue Oak / グリーン). If you’re specifically hunting for cards of the male rival character from the original Red & Green games, this is not that card, despite what the English name suggests at a glance.
On the physical card, the Japanese title reads 「ブルーの探索」. If a listing shows a card with that title and an artwork of a young woman in an explorer’s outfit, you’re looking at the correct card — regardless of which English or Japanese name a given marketplace happens to use in its own listing title.
Green’s Exploration: What the Card Does
Green’s Exploration is a Trainer card in the Supporter subcategory. Its effect: if you have no Pokemon in play with an Ability, search your deck for up to two Trainer cards and add them to your hand. It’s a consistency tool built for decks running few or no Ability-based Pokemon, letting them dig for the Items, Tools, or Stadiums they need without the Ability-dependent alternatives available to other archetypes.
The card first appeared in the Japanese Enhanced Expansion Pack SM9b “Full Metal Wall” in 2019, and was reprinted later the same year in the High Class Pack SM12a “Tag All Stars.” Internationally, the same card and effect were released as part of the Unbroken Bonds expansion (card #175/214 for the regular print, #209/214 for the full-art version) — so if you’ve seen “Green’s Exploration” in an English binder before, that’s the connection.
Every Printing & Price
Five Japanese printings of this card exist in total. Two — the SR versions — are in our current stock; the other three are not something we carry and are included here only for completeness.
| Printing | Set | Card # | Illustrator | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green’s Exploration SR | SM12a Tag All Stars | 196/173 | TOKIYA | ¥134,756 |
| Green’s Exploration SR | SM9b Full Metal Wall | 061/054 | Naoki Saito | ¥76,771 |
| Green’s Exploration (Uncommon) | SM9b Full Metal Wall | 048/054 | Naoki Saito | not listed |
| Green’s Exploration (Common) | SM12a Tag All Stars | 154/173 | Naoki Saito | not listed |
| Green’s Exploration (regular) | Sword & Shield Premium Trainer Box | 020/024 | — | not listed |
The two PSA 10 listings are the SM9b Full Metal Wall SR at ¥76,771 and the SM12a Tag All Stars SR at ¥134,756. Both are graded singles, not sealed product, so each listing is a single physical card — when a copy sells, that specific listing is gone.
The Original: SM9b Full Metal Wall
Green’s Exploration made its debut in SM9b “Full Metal Wall,” a 2019 Enhanced Expansion Pack, in two forms: a regular version at 048/054, and a Special Rare version at 061/054. Both use the same artwork, illustrated by Naoki Saito.
The 061/054 SR copy is the one we currently list, currently listed at ¥76,771 in PSA 10. It is the earliest printing of this Supporter, and as a single graded copy, once this listing sells it comes off the site. For the wider set structure and what else pulls from Full Metal Wall packs, our SM9b Full Metal Wall pull rates guide covers the full set.
The Reprint: SM12a Tag All Stars
Later in 2019, Green’s Exploration was reprinted in the High Class Pack SM12a “Tag All Stars” — again in two forms. The 154/173 copy is a Common reprint that reuses Naoki Saito’s original SM9b artwork. The 196/173 copy, however, is a Special Rare with entirely new artwork, credited to illustrator TOKIYA per Bulbapedia (the card’s individual entry on limitlesstcg was not reachable to cross-check independently; the card image itself is confirmed).
The 196/173 SR is the listing, currently listed at ¥134,756 in PSA 10 — the higher of our two listed copies. Because it carries unique artwork rather than reusing the SM9b illustration, it’s the version collectors specifically after the Tag All Stars alternate art tend to look for. It’s a single graded copy: once it sells, this specific listing closes. Tag All Stars is best known as a TAG TEAM GX set with its own chase cards; our SM12a Tag All Stars pull rates guide covers the rest of that set.
Why the Tag All Stars SR Costs More
The price gap between the two printings — ¥76,771 for the SM9b original versus ¥134,756 for the SM12a reprint, nearly double — comes down to what each version actually is. The SM9b 061/054 SR reuses the same artwork as its own regular-rarity counterpart in the same set; it’s the “first printing” of the card, but the illustration itself isn’t unique to the SR slot. The SM12a 196/173 SR, by contrast, pairs a reprint set with a brand-new illustration not found anywhere else — the artwork exists in exactly one printing.
That combination — a Special Rare slot plus artwork that has no earlier-printing equivalent — is a common pattern behind why certain reprint-set SRs outprice their originals in the Japanese secondary market. It isn’t about which set came first; it’s about how many distinct versions of that specific artwork exist.
Where to Buy Green’s Exploration from Japan
Both PSA 10 listings ship from our Tokyo location with tracked delivery. The SM9b Full Metal Wall SR is currently listed at ¥76,771, and the SM12a Tag All Stars SR with the exclusive TOKIYA artwork is currently listed at ¥134,756. Each is a single graded card, so availability changes the moment either sells.
we also currently list a PSA 10 copy of Green’s Tactics SR (193/173), another Trainer card from the same SM12a Tag All Stars set:
For other graded Japanese Supporter and trainer cards beyond these three, our PSA10 singles collection shows current stock and live JPY pricing. If you’re building a mixed order across multiple cards or sets, the Quick Order page is the fastest way to put it together in one pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Green’s Exploration the same character as the Gen I rival, Blue Oak?
No. Green’s Exploration depicts the female character from Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee! (2018), whose Japanese name is ブルー (Blue) — localized as “Green” in English. The male Gen I rival is a separate character, named グリーン (Green) in Japanese and localized as Blue Oak in English. The two names are swapped between the two characters.
What does Green’s Exploration do in the Pokemon TCG?
It’s a Supporter card. If you have no Pokemon in play with an Ability, you search your deck for up to two Trainer cards and add them to your hand.
What is the card’s actual Japanese name?
「ブルーの探索」(Blue’s Search). The English localized name, Green’s Exploration, reflects the character’s English name rather than a direct translation of the Japanese title.
What’s the difference between the SM9b and SM12a printings?
SM9b Full Metal Wall (2019) is the original printing, with the SR (061/054) using the same artwork as its own regular-rarity copy, illustrated by Naoki Saito. SM12a Tag All Stars (2019) reprinted the card twice: a Common (154/173) reusing the Saito artwork, and an SR (196/173) with new, exclusive artwork credited to TOKIYA.
Is there an English version of Green’s Exploration?
Yes. It was released internationally in the Unbroken Bonds expansion as card #175/214 (regular) and #209/214 (full art).
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