If you’ve pulled a Guzma or a Welder secret rare from a Sun & Moon-era Japanese pack, you’ve held a Hitoshi Ariga card — even if the name on the credit line meant nothing to you at the time. Ariga is better known outside the TCG as the creator of the Rockman comic series and the manga adaptation of The Big O, and inside the TCG as a support-card specialist whose secret rares have become some of the most recognizable “SR” pulls of the Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield eras.
This guide covers eight confirmed Ariga-illustrated Japanese cards, spanning Sun & Moon supporter secret rares, a Sword & Shield-era character super rare, and a 20th Anniversary promo — plus what’s known about Ariga’s work outside the card game. We don’t currently hold Ariga-credited singles in stock, so this is a sourcing guide: every card here can be tracked down through the sealed boxes it was pulled from, or requested directly through our Quick Order page.
Hitoshi Ariga has illustrated 218 cards in Limitless TCG’s Japanese database. Among the cards confirmed in this guide, most are Trainer-class Supporters at Secret Rare, including Guzma SR (GX Ultra Shiny) and Welder SR (Double Blaze), plus the character super rare Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX from VMAX Climax. We don’t stock Ariga singles directly — the fastest routes are the VMAX Climax Booster Box, currently listed at ¥39,900 (home set of the Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX CSR), or a sourcing request via Quick Order.
Card and set data verified against Limitless TCG’s Japanese database as of August 2026. We don’t currently carry Ariga-credited singles in stock — this guide is a sourcing reference, not a live inventory list.
Who Is Hitoshi Ariga?
Hitoshi Ariga is best known outside the Pokemon TCG as the creator of the official Rockman manga series — Mega Man Megamix and Mega Man Gigamix, published in North America by UDON — and as the artist behind the manga adaptation of the anime The Big O, published in North America by Viz. Ariga has been reported to have received an Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International, jointly with Kenichi Sonoda.
According to Bulbapedia, Ariga began illustrating Pokemon TCG cards in 2011, and later expanded into Pokemon design work for the core video game series starting with the X & Y generation — with Aegislash and Ogerpon cited as design credits. Corviknight has also been reported as an Ariga design in coverage of the artist’s crossover from comics into Pokemon. Ariga’s TCG card credits span roughly 218 entries in Limitless TCG’s Japanese database; the cards confirmed in this guide are mostly Supporters printed at Secret Rare — the kind of card that headlines a Sun & Moon or Sword & Shield-era pull.
That combination — a comics career with a reported industry award, a parallel design credit inside the games themselves, and a decade-plus of TCG illustration — makes Ariga one of the more unusual names on a Pokemon card credit line. Ariga arrived at Pokemon TCG illustration by way of manga.
Signature Works: Eight Confirmed Ariga Cards
Every card below is confirmed against its individual Limitless TCG card page. Ariga’s credit line runs almost entirely through Supporter and Trainer cards rather than Pokemon artwork — a pattern that holds across all eight entries here.
| Card | Number | Rarity | Set | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guzma | SM8b 152/150 | SR | GX Ultra Shiny | 2018-11-02 |
| Sabrina’s Suggestion | SM9 109/095 | SR | Tag Bolt | 2018-12-07 |
| Welder | SM10 106/095 | SR | Double Blaze | 2019-03-01 |
| Ball Guy | S4a 196/190 | SR | Shiny Star V | 2020-11-20 |
| Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX | S8b 221/184 | CSR | VMAX Climax | 2021-12-03 |
| Iscan | S10a 085/071 | SR | Dark Phantasma | 2022-05-13 |
| Brock’s Grit | CP6 100/087 | SR | 20th Anniversary Pack | 2016-09-16 |
| Lysandre’s Trump Card | XY4 095/088 | SR | Phantom Gate | 2014-09-13 |
Two things stand out across the list. First, seven of the eight cards are Supporters — the single-use Trainer cards that power most competitive decks — rather than Pokemon. Second, seven of the eight are Secret Rare, sitting above a set’s numbered print run. A Supporter SR pulling that kind of attention is unusual; Ariga’s Guzma and Welder are two of the more consistently recognized examples of it.
The Guzma and Welder Era: Ariga’s Best-Known Secret Rares
Guzma SR (SM8b 152/150) comes from GX Ultra Shiny, a Japanese high-class pack built around Alola-region trainers and shiny Pokemon GX cards. Guzma is one of the set’s Supporter cards given the secret-rare treatment, making the SR a natural chase card for collectors pulling the set.
Welder SR (SM10 106/095) comes from Double Blaze, a set built around Reshiram, Charizard, and Fire-type strategies. Welder is another Supporter card given the secret-rare treatment here, giving it the same kind of crossover appeal Guzma has, useful card plus chase pull.
Both cards also share a companion piece worth knowing: Sabrina’s Suggestion SR (SM9 109/095), from Tag Bolt, the set sandwiched between GX Ultra Shiny and Double Blaze. It confirms the same pattern — Ariga illustrating the SR treatment of a Supporter card across three consecutive Sun & Moon sets in under six months.
Supporter SRs are easy to misidentify next to a set’s Pokemon secret rares because they don’t always sit at the top of a checklist by chase-card demand. Confirm the card number against the set’s full print run — Guzma sits at 152/150 and Welder at 106/095, both past the set’s numbered total, which is the standard tell for a secret-rare Supporter.
From Iscan to Ice Rider Calyrex: Ariga’s Sword & Shield Prints
Ball Guy SR (S4a 196/190) is from Shiny Star V, the Sword & Shield-era set most known for introducing shiny-colored V and VMAX Pokemon at scale. Ball Guy is a Supporter card illustrated by Ariga at the set’s Secret Rare tier alongside its shiny Pokemon.
Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX (S8b 221/184) is the one Pokemon card in Ariga’s confirmed list here, and it’s printed at Character Super Rare — VMAX Climax’s character-focused illustration treatment for a set’s headline VMAX Pokemon. It’s a departure from the Supporter-heavy pattern elsewhere in this list, and it’s the highest-profile Pokemon (rather than Trainer) card Ariga has credited in the sets covered here.
Iscan SR (S10a 085/071) comes from Dark Phantasma, a set built around characters introduced in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Iscan is one of the Hisui-region NPCs from that game, and the Supporter card’s SR treatment continues the same pattern as Guzma and Welder — a character-focused Trainer card given the secret-rare slot in its set.
How to Spot an Ariga Card
The illustrator credit printed along a card’s bottom edge is the only reliable way to confirm Ariga’s work — the patterns below help you know what to look for, not replace checking the credit line itself.
- Trainer over Pokemon. Seven of the eight cards confirmed here are Supporter cards. If you’re trying to guess whether a card might be an Ariga credit before checking the print line, a character Supporter is a better bet than a Pokemon.
- Secret Rare is the default tier. Seven of the eight cards land at Secret Rare, printed past the set’s numbered total (152/150, 106/095, and so on). Ariga’s Character Super Rare credit on Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX is the exception, not the rule.
- Concentrated in the Sun & Moon and early Sword & Shield window. Six of the eight cards in this guide were printed between 2018 and 2022, with the 20th Anniversary Pack (2016) and Phantom Gate (2014) as earlier outliers.
- Character-driven subjects. Guzma, Welder, Sabrina, Ball Guy, Brock, Lysandre, and Iscan are all named human or NPC characters rather than Pokemon — consistent with Ariga’s manga-artist background and a useful pattern-match even before you check the credit.
When in doubt, match the exact card number and set code against Limitless TCG or Bulbapedia rather than relying on subject matter alone — illustrator credits on Supporter cards are easy to overlook next to a set’s headline Pokemon pulls.
Where to Source Ariga-Illustrated Cards from Japan
We don’t currently hold Ariga-credited singles in stock, so the direct route to these cards is sealed product from the set each one was pulled from, or a sourcing request through Quick Order for a specific single.
Two more sealed boxes cover Ariga cards from this guide directly:
- Dark Phantasma Booster Box — currently listed at ¥28,500 (~$175), home set of the Iscan SR
- Double Blaze Booster Box — currently listed at ¥105,000 (~$644), home set of the Welder SR
For Guzma SR, Sabrina’s Suggestion SR, Ball Guy SR, or any other Ariga single not listed above, our Quick Order page is the fastest way to put in a sourcing request — restock and sourcing requests move through the same page. For graded singles more broadly, browse our PSA 10 card list. If you’re comparing illustrators, our guides to Mitsuhiro Arita and Ken Sugimori cover two more artists in our catalog, and our PSA 10 vs. raw guide explains how grading affects what you should expect to pay when a single does surface. For the Sword & Shield-era set behind the Ice Rider Calyrex CSR, our VMAX Climax set guide covers the rest of the box’s chase cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hitoshi Ariga?
Hitoshi Ariga is a Japanese illustrator best known for the Rockman manga series (Mega Man Megamix and Mega Man Gigamix) and the manga adaptation of The Big O. Ariga has been reported to have received an Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International, jointly with Kenichi Sonoda. Ariga began illustrating Pokemon TCG cards in 2011 and has since credited roughly 218 cards in Limitless TCG’s Japanese database, according to Bulbapedia.
What are Hitoshi Ariga’s best-known Pokemon cards?
Guzma SR (SM8b 152/150, GX Ultra Shiny) and Welder SR (SM10 106/095, Double Blaze) are among the best-known of Ariga’s Supporter SRs — both secret-rare treatments of Supporter cards. Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX CSR (S8b 221/184, VMAX Climax) is Ariga’s highest-profile Pokemon, rather than Trainer, credit.
Does Ariga mostly illustrate Pokemon or Trainer cards?
Trainer cards, overwhelmingly. Seven of the eight cards confirmed in this guide are Supporter cards; Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX is the one Pokemon card among them.
Did Hitoshi Ariga design any Pokemon in the video games?
Bulbapedia credits Ariga with Pokemon design work starting in the X & Y generation, citing Aegislash and Ogerpon as examples. Corviknight has also been reported as an Ariga design in coverage connecting the artist’s comics background to Pokemon.
Where can I buy Hitoshi Ariga Pokemon cards from Japan?
We don’t currently stock Ariga-credited singles directly. The most direct route is sealed product from the card’s home set — VMAX Climax, Dark Phantasma, or Double Blaze boxes are all currently listed — or a sourcing request through our Quick Order page for a specific single.
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