Raikou’s Amazing Rare from Vivid Voltage was such an efficient two-target attacker that it was banned from the Gym Leader Challenge format in September 2024 (per Bulbapedia). 30th CELEBRATION brings that same card back as Raikou 162/103, unchanged text and all.
The reprint keeps the Vivid Voltage original’s Amazing Shot attack, its Fighting weakness and the history of the format ban that followed, while graded prints of other Raikou cards, from the e-Series to the VSTAR era, give the wider context for where this Pokemon’s graded market sits.
Raikou 162/103 reprints the Vivid Voltage Raikou (#050/185, Amazing Rare, illustrated by Hideki Ishikawa) — Amazing Shot is unchanged. It is a Classic Collection reprint outside the current Standard regulation.
- Set reference: 30th CELEBRATION (M6a) card list.
- Sealed Japanese Pokemon booster boxes are listed on our store as of this update.
USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate. Prices checked October 23, 2026. Marketplace figures are dated SNKRDUNK asking prices, never past sales.
What Is the Raikou 162/103 Reprint?
Pokemon published the official card list for M6a 30th CELEBRATION on 9 September 2026, and it covers the main set (001–103), the Classic Collection (136–165) and the eight Basic Energy in full. Raikou sits inside that confirmed Classic Collection block, at card number 162/103, JP name ライコウ, illustrator Hideki Ishikawa — both the card number and the illustrator credit are in the official pokemon-card.com database.
Like the other 29 cards in the 136–165 run, Raikou carries no regulation letter and is not usable in the current Standard regulation per the official page — it’s a display and collecting card, playable only in whichever legacy format the original is legal in. Compiled checklists (thornberrymedia, derived from the official Japanese 30th site animation) list Raikou among the 30 Classic Collection cards.
The Original Print: Vivid Voltage Raikou #050/185
The card being reprinted is Raikou, Vivid Voltage (English), #050/185, released 13 November 2020 — an Amazing Rare (Bulbapedia’s infobox abbreviates the rarity as “A”) illustrated by Hideki Ishikawa. The Japanese original sits in the “Legendary Heartbeat” expansion at #015/076.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original set / number (EN) | Vivid Voltage, #050/185 |
| Original set / number (JP) | Legendary Heartbeat, #015/076 |
| Rarity | Amazing Rare |
| Illustrator | Hideki Ishikawa |
| Type / HP / Stage | Lightning / 110 / Basic Pokemon |
| Attack — Amazing Shot (1 Grass, 1 Lightning, 1 Metal) | 120 damage to your opponent’s Active Pokemon, and 120 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokemon |
| Weakness / Resistance / Retreat | Fighting ×2 / None / 2 Colorless |
Amazing Shot’s two-target damage split is the reason this card has a competitive history worth mentioning: Bulbapedia notes Raikou “was banned from the Gym Leader Challenge format starting September 1, 2024,” because hitting both the Active and a Benched Pokemon at once became overpowering “when combined with newer cards like Joltik and Crispin that rapidly accelerate energy attachment.” A three-type Energy cost (Grass, Lightning, Metal) looks awkward on paper, but modern search and acceleration tools made it trivial to assemble — which is exactly what got it banned from that specific format.
Why Raikou Made the Classic Collection Cut
The official card list published on 9 September 2026 gave no rationale for individual Classic Collection picks, Raikou included. The block as a whole spans Base Set through the Scarlet & Violet era, and Raikou is one of the entries representing the Sword & Shield era specifically, alongside other reprints from the same era in this run, such as Zacian V (161/103) and Mew VMAX (163/103). A card distinctive enough on the battlefield to earn its own format ban four years after release is a fitting pick for a “history of the game” block, independent of its collector value.
If you’re working through the wider Classic Collection block, our companion guides cover four more 30th CELEBRATION reprints released alongside this one: Buzzwole GX 159/103, Zacian V 161/103, Mew VMAX 163/103 and Arceus VSTAR 164/103. For the wider legendary-beast trio, our existing Entei, Raikou & Suicune cards guide covers other Raikou printings separately. Our 30th anniversary reprints list rounds up the Classic Collection.
Raikou’s Graded Market and M6a Asks
SNKRDUNK showed no live ask for the original Vivid Voltage Amazing Rare as of September 11, 2026. Graded listings of other Raikou printings give a general sense of where this Pokemon’s graded prints sit, not a price for the 30th print. The PSA10 Raikou EX SR :1ED [BW4 071/069, Dark Rush] is offered as a PSA 10 back order at ¥148,720 (~$966) and the PSA10 Raikou :1ED [e4 039/088, Split Earth] at ¥264,600 (~$1,718) — sourced to order; the product page shows the current terms.
Neither is the Vivid Voltage Amazing Rare reprinted at 162/103 — they’re a Black & White-era SR 1st Edition (BW4 Dark Rush) and an older e-Series 1st Edition print; the Raikou V SAR (s12a 218/172) is a modern VSTAR-era card. That spread shows how much printing and edition matter for this Pokemon’s graded market generally, but says nothing specific about where the Vivid Voltage Amazing Rare itself would land.
On SNKRDUNK the lowest asking price for a sealed M6a box went from ¥47,200 on September 1 to ¥28,200 on September 10, ¥23,599 on September 11, and ¥17,500 on September 16, 2026, the day the set released. These are asks, not sales.
Where to Buy
We ship Japanese sealed product and singles out of Tokyo. Raikou 162/103 is part of the M6a 30th CELEBRATION set; the M6a booster box (Sealed option) is currently listed at ¥26,449 (~$172), and the 30th CELEBRATION Premium Deck Set Espeon & Umbreon is ¥17,999 (~$117).
The PSA10 Raikou V SAR [s12a 218/172, VSTAR Universe] and the 30th CELEBRATION FUTURISTIC BOX are sold out at the time of this update — sourcing requests go through Quick Order. Browse our Pokemon card box collection, the wider Japanese Pokemon card collection, or the PSA10 collection for graded Japanese Pokemon singles. Our M6a booster box guide covers the box in more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Raikou 162/103 card in 30th Celebration?
It’s a Classic Collection reprint of the Vivid Voltage Raikou (#050/185, Amazing Rare), carrying the same Amazing Shot attack. The Japanese original is Legendary Heartbeat #015/076.
What does Raikou’s Amazing Shot attack do?
For 1 Grass, 1 Lightning and 1 Metal Energy, it damages the opponent’s Active Pokemon and 1 of their Benched Pokemon for the same amount in one attack, per the card text.
Why was Raikou banned from a format?
Bulbapedia notes it was banned from the Gym Leader Challenge format because Amazing Shot’s two-target damage became overpowering when paired with newer cards that rapidly accelerate Energy attachment.
Is Raikou 162/103 tournament legal?
No. Classic Collection cards carry no regulation letter and are not usable in the current Standard regulation per the official page; they remain legal only in whichever legacy format the original printing is legal in — and the Gym Leader Challenge format has separately banned this card outright.
Who illustrated Raikou 162/103?
Hideki Ishikawa, per the official pokemon-card.com card database — the same illustrator credited on the Vivid Voltage original #050/185 that the reprint reproduces.
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