Pokémon TCG: Celebrations released in English on 8 October 2021 with 50 cards, and its 25 main-set headline chase cards — Flying Pikachu VMAX, Zacian V, Professor’s Research and the rest — started life two weeks later in a single Japanese release: S8a, the 25th Anniversary Collection. (The set’s other 25 cards, the Classic Collection block, reprint vintage English artwork directly and have no S8a counterpart — see the next section.)
If you’ve searched a Pokemon Celebrations card list and wanted to know what the Japanese versions actually look like, this guide maps the headline Celebrations cards to their S8a numbers, explains why half the English set has no Japanese counterpart at all, and shows where the S8a booster box sits if you want to chase these prints yourself. For the general box-buying rundown, see our companion 25th Anniversary Collection booster box guide — this article is the card-by-card English-to-Japanese mapping.
Celebrations’ 25 main-set cards map to a single Japanese release, S8a 25th Anniversary Collection, released 21 October 2021. If you want a chance at pulling the S8a versions of Flying Pikachu VMAX, Zacian V or Professor’s Research yourself, the S8A-25th Anniversary Collection Japanese Pokemon Booster Box is currently listed at ¥79,800 (~$502). For the general box-level rundown of this set, see our 25th Anniversary Collection booster box guide — this article focuses on the card-by-card mapping instead.
Prices below are our own Tokyo listings, converted at ¥159/USD (September 2026). We do not quote third-party market prices in this article.
Celebrations Chase Cards and Their Japanese S8a Prints
The table below maps each of Celebrations’ headline chase cards to its Japanese S8a number. Detail on each print follows underneath.
| EN card (Celebrations) | EN No. / Rarity | JP S8a No. |
|---|---|---|
| Flying Pikachu VMAX | #7, Triple Rare | S8a #24 |
| Surfing Pikachu VMAX | #9, Triple Rare | S8a #22 |
| Flying Pikachu V | #6, Double Rare | S8a #23 |
| Surfing Pikachu V | #8, Double Rare | S8a #21 |
| Pikachu (Mirror Holo) | #5, Holo Rare | S8a #1 |
| Mew (Mirror Holo / Secret Rare) | #11 / #25 | S8a #2 |
| Zacian V | #16, Double Rare | S8a #18 |
| Professor’s Research | #24, Ultra Rare | S8a #3 (also #29) |
1. Flying Pikachu VMAX — Celebrations #7, S8a #24
Flying Pikachu VMAX sits at the Triple Rare tier in the English set, numbered #7 of 50. Its Japanese source print is S8a #24, one of the two VMAX chase cards headlining the 25th Anniversary Collection.
2. Surfing Pikachu VMAX — Celebrations #9, S8a #22
Surfing Pikachu VMAX carries the same Triple Rare tier as its Flying counterpart in the English set, at #9. Its Japanese print is S8a #22, sitting two places below Flying Pikachu VMAX in the S8a run.
3. Flying Pikachu V — Celebrations #6, S8a #23
Flying Pikachu V is the Double Rare “pre-evolution” partner to Flying Pikachu VMAX in Celebrations, numbered #6. It maps to S8a #23, directly ahead of the VMAX version in the Japanese set’s own numbering.
4. Surfing Pikachu V — Celebrations #8, S8a #21
Surfing Pikachu V, Double Rare at #8 in the English set, is S8a #21 — the lowest-numbered of the four VMAX/V Pikachu chase cards in this mapping. See our Surfing & Flying Pikachu V (S8a) card guide for a closer look at this pair.
5. Pikachu (Mirror Holo) — Celebrations #5, S8a #1
The mirror-holo Pikachu is a Holo Rare in the English set at #5, and it corresponds to the opening card of the entire S8a set — #1. Its mirror-foil finish is the print detail that separates it from a standard holo, rather than a distinct rarity name on the Japanese side. See our Pikachu Mirror (S8a) card guide for the full print detail on this card.
6. Mew (Mirror Holo / Secret Rare) — Celebrations #11 & #25, S8a #2
Mew appears twice in the English Celebrations set — once at #11 with the same mirror-holo finish as Pikachu, and again as the set’s closing Secret Rare at #25. Both English entries trace back to the same Japanese print, S8a #2, the second card in the set. Our Mew Mirror (S8a) card guide covers this print on its own.
7. Zacian V — Celebrations #16, S8a #18
Zacian V is a Double Rare at #16 in the English set, and its Japanese print is S8a #18 — the only non-Pikachu, non-Mew Pokémon card in this eight-card mapping.
8. Professor’s Research — Celebrations #24, S8a #3 (also #29)
Professor’s Research is an Ultra Rare at #24 in the English set, and our sources record it against two Japanese numbers — S8a #3 and S8a #29. We’re recording both here rather than choosing one, since we couldn’t independently confirm which print detail separates the two. See our S8a 25th Anniversary pull rates and best cards guide for more on where this card and the others above rank within the set.
Rarity Names: English vs Japanese
English Celebrations spreads its small 25-card main set across several named tiers: Holo Rare (the mirror Pikachu and Mew), Double Rare (the V cards), Triple Rare (the VMAX cards), and Ultra Rare or Secret Rare (Professor’s Research and Mew at #25). The Japanese S8a side doesn’t mirror this naming. Its main-set numbering simply runs #1 through #25, and most cards aren’t given a separate named rarity tier the way the English release labels them — mirror and foil versions are distinguished by print finish rather than a rarity name. If you’re trying to match an English “Double Rare” or “Triple Rare” label to a Japanese equivalent from this specific set, the card’s S8a number is the more reliable identifier. For how this compares against Pokémon’s later 30th Anniversary naming, see our 25th vs 30th Anniversary Pokemon sets comparison.
Where to Buy the Japanese S8a 25th Anniversary Cards from Tokyo
We ship Japanese sealed product worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. If you want a chance at pulling the S8a versions of Flying Pikachu VMAX, Zacian V or Professor’s Research yourself, the S8A-25th Anniversary Collection Japanese Pokemon Booster Box is currently listed at ¥79,800 (~$502).
We currently list PSA 10 singles for six of the eight chase cards mapped above: Pikachu (S8a #1) at ¥9,107 (~$57), Mew Mirror (S8a #2) at ¥13,027 (~$82), Surfing Pikachu V (S8a #21) at ¥15,364 (~$97), Surfing Pikachu VMAX (S8a #22) at ¥17,558 (~$110), Flying Pikachu V (S8a #23) at ¥16,249 (~$102), and Flying Pikachu VMAX (S8a #24) at ¥17,794 (~$112), all PSA 10. For other S8a singles, sourcing requests go through Quick Order. For the broader box-buying picture, see our 25th Anniversary Collection booster box guide, and for the separate premium box from the same release window, our 25th Anniversary Golden Box guide. For other Japanese Pokémon boxes, browse our Japanese Pokemon booster box collection, or use Quick Order to build a mixed request for prints not covered above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Japanese version of Pokemon Celebrations called?
Celebrations’ main-set chase cards are taken from S8a, the Japanese 25th Anniversary Collection, released 21 October 2021 — about two weeks after the English set’s 8 October 2021 release.
How many cards are in the Japanese S8a 25th Anniversary Collection?
It depends on the source: Limitless’s own set index lists 37 catalogued cards, while Bulbapedia records the set at 30. We note both figures rather than asserting one is correct.
Do the Celebrations Classic Collection cards have Japanese S8a versions?
Not that we’ve verified. The 25 Classic Collection cards (CC1–CC25) reprint original English Base Set and Jungle-era artwork directly and sit outside the S8a mapping used for the 25 main Celebrations cards.
Which Celebrations cards map to which S8a numbers?
Eight headline pairs are confirmed: Flying Pikachu VMAX (#7) to S8a #24, Surfing Pikachu VMAX (#9) to S8a #22, Flying Pikachu V (#6) to S8a #23, Surfing Pikachu V (#8) to S8a #21, mirror Pikachu (#5) to S8a #1, mirror-holo/Secret Rare Mew (#11/#25) to S8a #2, Zacian V (#16) to S8a #18, and Professor’s Research (#24) to S8a #3 and #29. The full table is in the chase-cards section above.
Were Celebrations and S8a released at the same time?
No. English Celebrations released 8 October 2021, and Japanese S8a followed roughly two weeks later, on 21 October 2021 per Limitless’s set index (Bulbapedia records 22 October 2021 for the same release).
Can I buy the Japanese S8a booster box from Samurai Sword Tokyo?
Yes — the S8A-25th Anniversary Collection Japanese Pokemon Booster Box is currently listed at ¥79,800 (~$502), shipped from Tokyo with tracked delivery. We also currently list PSA 10 singles for six of the eight chase cards mapped above (Pikachu, Mew Mirror, Surfing Pikachu V, Surfing Pikachu VMAX, Flying Pikachu V and Flying Pikachu VMAX); see the where-to-buy section above for links.
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