There is no Japanese print of the Pikachu 172/151 AR card. None. If you have been searching Japanese set lists for it and coming up empty, that is not a gap in your research — the card was never printed in Japan at all.
Pikachu AR, card number 172/151, comes from Collection 151 (ATCG), the Simplified Chinese regional release built on the same Scarlet & Violet expansion that Japan knows as “Pokémon Card 151” (SV2a). China’s version added region-exclusive illustration-rare Pikachu cards that do not exist in the Japanese set, and 172/151 is one of them.
Pikachu AR 172/151 is a Simplified Chinese-exclusive illustration-rare card from the “Scare” wave of Collection 151 (ATCG). It is one of the region-exclusive AR Pikachu prints (170–173/151) made specifically for the Chinese release and is not part of Japan’s SV2a set.
- Set reference: Pokemon Card 151 (SV2a) card list.
- Sealed Japanese Pokemon booster boxes are listed on our store as of this update.
USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate.
What Is the Pikachu 172/151 AR Card
Pikachu AR 172/151 is an illustration-rare card — a paired-illustration style card that, per marketplace listings, also features Gengar in its artwork. It belongs to Collection 151 (ATCG), the Simplified Chinese-market product built on the same underlying Scarlet & Violet expansion that Japan released as “Pokémon Card 151” (SV2a).
The important distinction: Collection 151 (ATCG) is not a translation of the Japanese SV2a set. It is a separate regional product that reuses the SV2a expansion as its base and then adds cards that exist nowhere else — including 172/151. Calling this card “Japanese” would be inaccurate; it is a Chinese-exclusive print, full stop.
“AR” denotes illustration rare — a full-artwork treatment layered over the standard card frame, distinct from the plainer common and uncommon prints in the same set. It is the rarity tier that Collection 151 (ATCG) used for its region-exclusive Pikachu additions, which is part of why they read as a coherent sub-set of their own rather than unrelated inserts.
Collection 151 (ATCG): The Four-Wave Chinese Release
Collection 151 (ATCG) did not release all at once. It came out in phased boosters:
| Wave (Chinese name) | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Journey (旅) | January 17, 2025 | First wave |
| Hope (望) | April 18, 2025 | Second wave |
| Scare (惊) | July 18, 2025 | Third wave — contains 172/151 |
| Gather (聚) | October 17, 2025 | Fourth wave |
Pikachu AR 172/151 belongs specifically to the Scare wave, which released on July 18, 2025 alongside Alakazam ex (#189) and Mew ex (#191). If you are trying to date a copy or match it to booster art, Scare is the wave to look for — the other waves each carry their own exclusive AR Pikachu instead.
The Four Exclusive AR Pikachu Prints
Collection 151 (ATCG) added four illustration-rare Pikachu cards, one per booster wave: 170/151, 171/151, 172/151, and 173/151. They were made specifically for this Simplified Chinese release and do not appear in Japan’s SV2a set at all. Each is illustrated by Oswaldo KATO.
172/151 is the Scare-wave entry in that set. If you are assembling the full run, the other three come from Journey, Hope, and Gather respectively — but each is its own distinct card, not a reprint of 172/151 with a different number.
If a listing says “Pikachu AR” from Collection 151 without a card number, confirm it is 172/151 specifically before comparing prices — 170, 171, and 173 are different cards from different waves.
Why This Isn’t Part of the Japanese SV2a Set
It is worth being precise here because the two products are easy to conflate. Japan’s SV2a “Pokémon Card 151” and China’s Collection 151 (ATCG) share the same underlying Scarlet & Violet expansion — the same core card list, the same Kanto-151 concept. What China’s release does differently is bolt on region-exclusive AR Pikachu cards, numbered outside the standard 165-card SV2a range, that were never part of the Japanese product.
So 172/151 is not a Chinese reprint of an existing Japanese card, and it is not a translated version of anything. It is a card that exists in exactly one regional release. Japan’s SV2a Pikachu #025/165 and Pikachu AR #173/165 are different cards — neither is 172/151, and no Japanese equivalent of 172/151 exists.
Note the numbering, too: the Japanese AR Pikachu is #173 out of a 165-card base set (the “AR” cards run past the main numbering). China’s exclusive AR Pikachu is #172 out of a 151-card base — a different set, a different count, a different card. For the full Japanese SV2a card list, see our Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a) card list and Japanese 151 card list.
For collectors building a “151” collection, the practical takeaway is to treat the Japanese SV2a checklist and the Chinese Collection 151 (ATCG) exclusives as two separate lists rather than one combined set. A complete Japanese SV2a run will never include 172/151, and a complete Collection 151 (ATCG) run will never include a Japanese-only card — the two overlap in concept, not in contents.
How to Identify a Genuine 172/151
Because this card sits inside a Simplified Chinese product rather than an English or Japanese one, the first tell is the language of the card text itself — it will read in Simplified Chinese, not Japanese or English. From there, confirm:
- Card number: printed as 172/151 on the card. Confirm it is not 170, 171, or 173 — the region-exclusive AR Pikachu prints from the other waves.
- Illustration credit: Oswaldo KATO is the illustrator across the AR Pikachu prints in this release.
- Wave association: 172/151 belongs to the Scare (惊) wave.
Because grading pools for regional-exclusive Chinese prints are smaller and separate from Japanese SV2a grading pools, do not assume price behaviour that applies to Japanese 151 cards carries over here. This is its own market.
Where to Buy This Card
Our PSA10 Pikachu AR [151C 172/151] [CN] is sold out at the time of this update — sourcing requests go through Quick Order.
For the Japanese side of “Pokémon Card 151,” see our SV2a booster box buying guide and our 151 vs VSTAR Universe comparison. Looking for more graded Pikachu cards from Japan? Our PSA10 Pikachu buying guide and top 10 Pikachu cards list cover the wider field.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pikachu AR 172/151 a Japanese card?
No. It is a Simplified Chinese-exclusive card from Collection 151 (ATCG). No Japanese print of 172/151 exists.
Is Collection 151 (ATCG) the same set as Japan’s Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a)?
They share the same underlying Scarlet & Violet expansion, but Collection 151 (ATCG) is a separate Simplified Chinese release that adds region-exclusive AR Pikachu prints (170–173/151) not found in the Japanese SV2a set.
What set wave does 172/151 come from?
The “Scare” (惊) wave of Collection 151 (ATCG).
Who illustrated Pikachu AR 172/151?
Oswaldo KATO, who illustrated each of the region-exclusive AR Pikachu prints (170, 171, 172, and 173/151) in Collection 151 (ATCG).
Picked for this article
📩 Get member-only sale alerts & coupons
Sale alerts, coupons and restock notices by email — straight from Tokyo.
