Both of these are Japanese Pokémon booster boxes with a headline Charizard and a set-defining chase card, but they come from six years apart in the game’s history. The 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box (M6a) released worldwide on September 16, 2026. Shiny Star V (S4a) released in Japan on November 20, 2020. This guide lines up what is officially known about each box, what our guide and the official card database confirm about the chase cards, and what both are currently listed at.
Neither box is compared here on future price direction. The numbers below are pack counts, official prices, official and compiled card totals, and the two boxes’ asking prices on SNKRDUNK on September 18, 2026.
The 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box is a 2026 worldwide release built around 6-card foil packs and a guaranteed Basic Energy, with a chance at one of the 30 Pikachu illustrations. The Shiny Star V Booster Box is a 2020 Japan-only release built around 10-card packs, with shiny Charizard VMAX and Charizard V as its two headline SSRs (per our guide). Both are currently listed on our site; only one of them is a current-year release.
Store prices and availability checked September 25, 2026 at 13:48 JST. Marketplace observations retain their stated dates. USD conversions use ¥154 per US dollar.
USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate.
The Two Boxes at a Glance
| 30th CELEBRATION (M6a) | Shiny Star V (S4a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | September 16, 2026 (worldwide) | November 20, 2020 (Japan) |
| Pack price | ¥360 (official) | ¥550 (official) |
| Cards per pack | 6 foil cards, 1 Basic Energy guaranteed (official) | 10 cards (official) |
| Packs per box | 20 packs, ¥7,200 total (¥360 × 20; pack price is official, the box price is via Pokémon Center Online) | 10 packs (official via a companion bundle listing), ¥5,500 (¥550 × 10, derived — the box price is not printed officially) |
| Set size | 165 numbered cards plus eight Basic Energy (173 in all) | 326 cards — a 190-card base set plus a 136-card secret tier (official database count) |
| Top rarity | FUR (Futuristic Rare) — no published pull rate | SSR; no UR tier in this set |
| Our listing | Sealed ¥28,500 (~$185) / No Shrink ¥23,500 (~$153) | ¥19,890 (~$129) |
The pack price for both boxes is official Pokémon Company pricing. The box-level totals are not printed on either set’s official product page as a single line item — M6a’s ¥7,200 box price comes from Pokémon Center Online’s own listing, and S4a’s 10-packs-per-box figure comes from a companion bundle on the official products listing (ルリナセット, 2BOX / 20 packs).
30th CELEBRATION Booster Box: What’s Inside
Every 30th CELEBRATION pack is guaranteed six foil cards and one YOSHIROTTEN-designed Basic Energy, per the official product page. The set’s headline gimmick is a 30-card Pikachu holo subset (017–046), one illustration per artist, sitting inside the main 001–103 run. Above that sit the AR (Art Rare), SAR (Special Art Rare) and FUR (Futuristic Rare) blocks, plus a 30-card Classic Collection reprint run (136–165) that carries no regulation mark and, per the official product page, cannot be used in the current Standard regulation.
PokeBeach reported, from an official box opening shown before release, that one 20-pack box contained 20 of the 30 Pikachu (no duplicates), 2 Classic Collection cards, 4 AR, 1 SAR and 1 FUR. That is one reported opening, not a published pull rate, and The Pokémon Company has not published pull rates for this set. Our 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box pre-order guide covers the Sealed vs No Shrink listings in full, and our Booster Box vs FUTURISTIC BOX vs Premium Deck Set comparison covers the other two 30th-branded products.
Shiny Star V Booster Box: What’s Inside
Shiny Star V released in Japan on November 20, 2020, at what our guide records as a retail price of ¥5,000 plus tax (¥5,500 tax included) for a 10-pack box, 10 cards per pack. The base set runs 001–190: 163 regular commons, uncommons and rares, plus 16 RR (Double Rare), 8 RRR (Triple Rare) and 3 Amazing Rare cards. A 136-card secret pool sits above that, numbered 191–326, bringing the official database total to 326 cards. There is no Ultra Rare tier in this set — SSR is the top rarity, per our guide.
The chase cards below are described in text rather than pictured. Our Shiny Star V Booster Box buying guide has the full rarity breakdown.
Chase Cards Compared
| Set | Card | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| M6a | Mew ex / Mewtwo ex (FUR) | Futuristic Rare, YOSHIROTTEN illustration |
| M6a | One of 30 Pikachu (017–046) | Pikachu holo subset, one per 30 illustrators |
| M6a | Charizard 137/103 | Classic Collection reprint, no regulation mark |
| S4a | Charizard VMAX 308/190 | SSR |
| S4a | Charizard V 307/190 | SSR |
| S4a | Ditto VMAX 324/190 | SSR |
| S4a | Marnie 198/190 | SR (the set’s signature Supporter pull, per our guide) |
M6a’s chase run leans on the two FUR secret rares and the 30-Pikachu subset. Shiny Star V’s chase run leans on the shiny SSR treatment applied to Charizard VMAX and Charizard V, plus Ditto VMAX and Marnie Supporter.
Dated Market Snapshot
On SNKRDUNK, the lowest asking price for a sealed (shrink) M6a Booster Box moved ¥47,200 (September 1) → ¥28,200 (September 10) → ¥17,500 (September 16, release day) → ¥20,994 (September 18) — still roughly 2.9× the ¥7,200 MSRP. The Shiny Star V Booster Box had a lowest ask of ¥17,900 on SNKRDUNK on September 18, 2026, with no earlier dated figures collected in this update. These are seller asking prices on a resale marketplace, not sale prices, and neither figure predicts where either box goes next.
Which Box Fits You
- You want a current-year release with new secret rares and a set-exclusive gimmick: the 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box. It is the only one of the two still shipping as a worldwide 2026 release, with the 30-Pikachu subset and FUR cards unique to this set.
- You want an established chase card with five years of collecting history behind it: the Shiny Star V Booster Box. Its shiny Charizard VMAX and Charizard V are the set’s two headline shiny Charizard SSRs (per our guide).
- You want more cards per pack for the same box format: S4a packs hold 10 cards against M6a’s 6, though the two sets are not priced or structured the same way pack for pack.
Both boxes are Japanese-language products shipped from our Tokyo warehouse, so the choice comes down to which era and which chase cards you actually want, not to logistics.
Where to Buy
Both boxes are currently listed on our site and ship from Tokyo with tracked delivery.
The Shiny Star V Booster Box is currently listed at ¥19,890 (~$129), with a Damaged Box option (cosmetic outer-box wear only, cards unaffected) currently listed at ¥18,720 (~$122) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order). Browse the full Japanese Pokémon card collection, see the complete 30th Celebration card list, or use Quick Order to build a mixed order of both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the main difference between the 30th CELEBRATION and Shiny Star V booster boxes?
Release era. 30th CELEBRATION (M6a) released worldwide on September 16, 2026, with 6-card packs and a Pikachu holo subset. Shiny Star V (S4a) released in Japan on November 20, 2020, with 10-card packs and a shiny Charizard VMAX/V chase pair.
How many packs come in each box?
The 30th CELEBRATION box holds 20 packs (¥7,200 total, pack price ¥360 official). The Shiny Star V box holds 10 packs, confirmed by a companion bundle on the official products listing (ルリナセット, 2BOX / 20 packs) (pack price ¥550 official; ¥5,500 total is derived, ¥550 × 10 — the box price is not printed officially).
What are the headline chase cards in each set?
30th CELEBRATION’s headline cards are the FUR Mew ex and Mewtwo ex plus the 30-illustrator Pikachu subset. Shiny Star V’s headline cards are the SSR Charizard VMAX (308/190) and Charizard V (307/190), plus SSR Ditto VMAX (324/190).
What was each box’s lowest SNKRDUNK asking price on September 18, 2026?
The sealed 30th CELEBRATION box’s lowest ask was ¥20,994. The Shiny Star V box’s lowest ask was ¥17,900. Both figures are asking prices on a resale marketplace, not confirmed sale prices.
Can I buy both boxes from Samurai Sword Tokyo?
Yes. Both are currently listed: the 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box (Sealed and No Shrink) and the Shiny Star V Booster Box (regular and Damaged Box), all shipping from our Tokyo warehouse with tracked delivery.
Is the Shiny Star V Booster Box still a current release?
No. It released in Japan on November 20, 2020. It is not a new-release product the way the 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box is, but it remains currently listed on our site.
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