Charmander 151: AR, Master Ball Mirror and Promo Guide

Charmander 151 means the Charmander cards in Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a), the Japanese Scarlet & Violet expansion pack released on June 16, 2023. Four Charmander items matter to collectors: the 004/165 base card, its Master Ball Mirror print, the AR numbered 168/165, and the mirror-finish promo in the card file sets.

For every card in the set, see our Pokemon 151 card list.

Updated November 12, 2026

What is Charmander 151 in the Pokémon Card 151 set?

Charmander 151 is the Charmander cards in the Japanese Pokémon Card 151 expansion, product code SV2a. The set covers 151 Pokémon from Bulbasaur to Mew in Pokédex number order, and the card number 004 reflects Charmander’s early place in that order.

The official set page describes the product as a Scarlet & Violet expansion pack with special illustration cards (AR, SAR and SR) and deluxe mirror-finish cards with a Poké Ball pattern (pokemon-card.com). Its Japanese name is 強化拡張パック「ポケモンカード151」, and the set is nicknamed Ichi-Go-Ichi in Japan. Charmander is one of the three original starter Pokémon, alongside Bulbasaur and Squirtle, a point the English-language Pokémon site also makes for its own 151 expansion (pokemon.com).

This guide stays with Charmander. In the Japanese set you will meet it in four places:

• The regular card, 004/165. A Basic Pokémon with HP 70 and two attacks.
• The Master Ball Mirror print, 004/165. Our shop lists a Charmander with this name and the same card number as the regular card.
• The AR, 168/165. An Illustration Rare that shows Charmander at the bottom of a valley.
• The promo card. A mirror-finish Charmander included in both card file sets.

The name table used throughout this article follows the official English names: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Charmeleon, Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise and Mew. On our shop, the graded copies are listed as PSA 10 cards. For example, the AR is offered as a PSA 10 Charmander AR [SV2a 168/165] back order, which is covered in the buying section at the end.

All cards discussed here are Japanese edition. That matters for the text on the card, the set code and the numbering, all of which follow the Japanese product rather than the English one.

The two other starters of the same trio appear in this set as well. Bulbasaur and Squirtle sit next to Charmander in the promo cards of the card file sets, and the Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise names appear in the title of the second card file set. When you search for Charmander 151, you are searching one third of that starter story, and the card number 004 is the quickest way to place it in the Pokédex order.

What are the key facts of the SV2a Pokémon Card 151 expansion?

SV2a is a Japanese-edition Scarlet & Violet expansion pack released on June 16, 2023, with 7 cards in each booster pack and a suggested retail price of 290 yen (tax included). The table lists the facts that matter for Charmander collectors, each taken from the official pages.

The official page also carries a “151 Challenge” quiz game. For a Charmander collector, the useful reading is simple: the set is a Kanto set, and its 151 Pokémon run in Pokédex order from Bulbasaur to Mew.

Two card numbers matter for this article. The regular card is numbered 004/165, and the AR is numbered 168/165. The Master Ball Mirror print carries 004/165 as well. If you keep a short checklist, it is: 004/165 for the regular card, 004/165 with Master Ball Mirror in the name for the mirror print, 168/165 for the AR, and the promo from a card file set.

The booster pack price and the card file set price are both stated with tax included on the official page. The set page does not tie either price to a particular Charmander card, so treat them as product prices in Japan, not as card values.

The total after the slash, 165, is larger than 151. The set covers 151 Pokémon, and the numbering of the AR, 168/165, runs past the 165 mark.

What does the Charmander 004/165 card do?

Charmander 004/165 is a Basic Pokémon with HP 70 that has two attacks: one deals no damage and discards the Stadium card in play, and the other deals 30 damage. These details come from the official card database page for the card in set SV2a (pokemon-card.com card page).

The official database lists the attacks under their Japanese names, Marujake for the Stadium-discard attack and Hi wo Haku for the 30-damage attack. Our PSA 10 listing for the AR shows the same two attacks in English as Blazing Destruction (“Discard a Stadium in play”) and Steady Firebreathing (30 damage, for two Fire Energy). The same listing gives the card as Fire type with Water weakness (×2) and a retreat cost of 1, and credits the illustrator as miki kudo (product page (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)). Treat those English attack names as the rendering used on our listing, not as an official English card text.

The listing also quotes the flavor text: a flame burns at the tip of Charmander’s tail from the time it is born, and its life would end if the flame were to go out.

A practical point for buyers of graded cards: the card number is the first thing to check. When a listing says “SV2a 004/165”, it is a Charmander from this set with the regular numbering, and you then read the rest of the name to see whether it is the Master Ball Mirror print. When it says “SV2a 168/165”, it is the AR.

Notice how the two Charmander cards line up on the printed data. The 004/165 card is a Basic Pokémon with HP 70, and our listing for the AR gives the same Basic stage and HP 70, with the same two attacks. The difference between them is the number, the rarity and the artwork, not the card’s play data as listed.

What does the Charmander AR 168/165 show?

The Charmander AR 168/165 shows Charmander at the bottom of a valley, looking up at the sky. The official set page describes this card as the first step of a three-stage series with Charmeleon and Charizard ex, where the illustrated location rises higher with each evolution (pokemon-card.com).

The illustration belongs to a sequence: Charmander starts in a valley, and the location rises higher with Charmeleon and again with Charizard ex. If you want the whole story told by the artwork, you need all three cards, not only the Charmander.

The card itself is listed on our site with these printed details: Basic, No. 168/165, Rarity: Illustration Rare, HP 70, Fire type. The illustrator credit on the listing is miki kudo (listing (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)). The English Pokémon site notes that illustrations by a single artist cover each evolution chain in its 151 expansion, which is a useful background point when you collect the three stages together.

For collectors who want a PSA 10 copy, our listing for this card is described in the buying section. For a wider look at the other Charmander cards across Japanese sets, see our guide to the best Charmander cards, including the 151 AR.

What is the Master Ball Mirror Charmander card?

The Master Ball Mirror Charmander is a Charmander numbered 004/165 that our shop lists as “Charmander C: Master Ball Mirror [SV2a 004/165]”. The official set page does not use the name “Master Ball Mirror”, so the name and the number in our listing are the reference for this card (product page).

The key point is that the card number does not change. The Master Ball Mirror Charmander carries the same number as the regular card, 004/165, so the words “Master Ball Mirror” in the name are what separate the two listings. When you compare listings, look for those words, because “004/165” alone does not tell you which one you are looking at.

The official card database gives card data (stage, HP, attacks) for the regular 004/165 card. For the mirror print, rely on the number and the name in the listing, and read the product page for the card you are ordering.

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We also keep a separate guide on Charmander PSA 10 Japanese Pokémon cards, which lists the Japanese prints we handle across sets, if you are deciding between this mirror print and Charmander cards from other releases.

Which Charmander promo cards come in the 151 card file sets?

Both 151 card file sets include a mirror-finish Charmander promo card. Each set costs 2,200 yen (tax included) and contains promo cards for Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, a card file, 5 booster packs and a catalog poster (pokemon-card.com).

The official page states that the two sets have the same contents, so the Charmander promo is the same Charmander whichever set you open. The promo cards in both sets are mirror-finish.

This means a Charmander collector can look at two separate items in the 151 line: the Master Ball Mirror 004/165 card listed in our shop, and the promo that comes in a card file set. They are different items with different origins, and the official page does not give the promo a card number in its text, so do not assume it shares one with either card.

The two sets are named differently. One uses the Monster Ball name; the other is named after Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise. The official page lists the same contents for both, including the 5 booster packs, so each set gives the same three promo cards.

Because each set also holds 5 booster packs, opening one gives you the promo, the card file and 5 packs of 7 randomly packed cards, which is 35 cards from packs. The promo is not listed as a graded card in the products used for this article, so there is nothing to buy for it here. Our 30th Celebration Card Set 1 guide covers a different Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle trio if you like collecting the three starters together.

How does the Japanese 151 set differ from English Scarlet & Violet-151?

The Japanese set, Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a), came out on June 16, 2023, while the English set, Scarlet & Violet-151, was released on September 22, 2023. The two share the same Kanto theme but are separate products with their own lineups.

Both pages describe the sets by Pokédex order. The English page notes that illustrations by a single artist cover each evolution chain, while the Japanese page describes the Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard ex sequence rising through one scene (pokemon.com).

For a buyer outside Japan, the practical difference is the edition. Cards in our listings are Japanese edition, with Japanese set numbering such as SV2a 004/165. If you want English text, that is a different product with a different release date. The English page lists some products, such as the Ultra-Premium Collection, the Alakazam ex and Zapdos ex Collections and the Mini Tin, as launching on October 6, 2023.

In this article, “Charmander 151” always means the SV2a cards.

Charmander 004 appears in other Japanese products too. Our guide to the Charmander eM 004/018 McDonald’s MinimumPack card covers a separate card, so check the set code and the total after the slash before you buy anything.

Where can I buy a Charmander 151 PSA 10 card?

You can order a Charmander 151 PSA 10 card from Samurai Sword Tokyo, which lists PSA 10 back orders for the Master Ball Mirror and the AR. A back order is not stock on hand: the card is sourced to order.

• The PSA 10 Charmander C: Master Ball Mirror [SV2a 004/165] is offered as a PSA 10 back order at ¥20,010, sourced to order.
• The PSA 10 Charmander AR [SV2a 168/165] is offered as a PSA 10 back order at ¥13,658, sourced to order.

Prices were read on November 12, 2026 and are shown in Japanese yen, the currency we charge in. The regular PSA 10 pages for the same cards are the Master Ball Mirror 004/165 page (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) and the AR 168/165 page (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).

On shipping, our policy lists FedEx International Connect Plus (usually 3-7 business days after dispatch) and FedEx International Priority (usually 2-5 business days), with the cost calculated at checkout. Most orders are processed within 5 business days after payment clears, and customs processing after handoff is outside our control. Payment is in yen through Wise, PayPal or cards via PayPal, and a 5% processing fee applies to PayPal and card payments but not to Wise. Full terms are in the shipping policy and on the payment methods page.

Each listing says the PSA case may have minor scratches or marks on its surface. Look at the card number and the “Master Ball Mirror” wording in the name before you order, since the regular card and the mirror print share the number 004/165.

More Charmander guides

• Best Charmander Cards: 151 AR, Pokekyun 1st Edition and More
• Charmander Pokemon Card CP3 003/032: Pokekyun Collection (1st Edition) Guide
• Charmander PSA 10 Japanese Pokemon Cards: Japanese Prints Listed

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