Search “poncho Pikachu” and you’ll find at least thirteen different cards that fit the description — and in August 2026 the asking prices ran from tens of thousands of yen to millions of yen.
Between December 2014 and February 2017, Pokémon Center Japan handed out a run of Pikachu promo cards dressed in Mega Evolution costumes — ponchos shaped like Mega Charizard, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Slowbro, and half a dozen others. Every one of them was illustrated by the same artist, Kouki Saitou, and every one was tied to a specific store opening, campaign, or point-reward threshold rather than a normal booster pack. That distribution model is why asking prices across the series varied so widely.
The specific card most people mean when they say “poncho Pikachu” is 208/XY-P, the Mega Charizard Y version. Two closely related non-poncho Pikachu promos, Pretend Magikarp Pikachu and Mario Pikachu, turn up in the same searches.
“Poncho-wearing Pikachu” covers at least 13 confirmed cards across seven release events (2014–2017), all illustrated by Kouki Saitou. Card number is everything — 207 and 208 look almost identical but are two different Mega Charizard forms from two different boxes.
- Set reference: Japanese TCG card list hub.
- Store status: our 30th CELEBRATION (M6a) Japanese Pokemon booster box is currently listed.
Marketplace figures are snkrdunk asking prices dated August 2026, converted at ¥147/USD — asking prices, not sale prices. USD figures for our store listing convert at ¥154/USD, approximate.
Every Poncho & Costume Pikachu Printing
The series runs across two Japanese promo codes — XY-P and SM-P — and seven separate release events. Bulbapedia’s individual card pages list these printings as of August 2026:
| Card # | Poncho / Costume | Released | How It Was Distributed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 098/XY-P | Mega Charizard Y (“Mega Tokyo’s Pikachu”) | Dec 12, 2014 | Any purchase at Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo’s opening, through Jan 16, 2015 |
| 204/XY-P | Mega Charizard Y (2nd print) | Jan 16–17 | Pokémon Center Mega Battle + Creatures Challenge session participation, 40 players per session |
| 150/XY-P | Magikarp costume (not a poncho) | Jun 26, 2015 | Special Box, Pokémon Center Hiroshima opening |
| 151/XY-P | Shiny Gyarados costume | Jun 26, 2015 | Same Special Box as 150/XY-P |
| 203/XY-P | Mega Audino + Mega Lucario + Mega Slowbro ponchos | Dec 12, 2015 | “Pikachu Mega Campaign” — gift for ¥1,000+ of eligible TCG purchases at Pokémon Centers |
| 207/XY-P | Mega Charizard X poncho, Full Art | Jan 1, 2016 | Mega Charizard X Poncho Special Box, ¥2,500+tax |
| 208/XY-P | Mega Charizard Y poncho, Full Art | Jan 1, 2016 | Mega Charizard Y Poncho Special Box, ¥2,500+tax |
| 230/XY-P | Rayquaza poncho, Full Art | Jul 6, 2016 | Pokémon Center Skytree Town opening box (with 231/XY-P), ¥2,500+tax |
| 231/XY-P | Shiny (black) Rayquaza poncho, Full Art | Jul 6, 2016 | Same Skytree Town opening box as 230/XY-P |
| 274/XY-P | Mega Gallade + Mega Rayquaza + Mega Ampharos + Mega Mawile ponchos | Jul 23–Aug 31, 2016 | Reward for accumulating 3 Play Points at Pokémon Center Mega Battle events (1 of 2) |
| 275/XY-P | Mega Lopunny + Mega Diancie + Mega Gardevoir ponchos | Jul 23–Aug 31, 2016 | Same 3-Play-Point reward as 274/XY-P (the other of 2) |
| 037/SM-P | Alolan Vulpix poncho | Feb 1, 2017 | Alolan Vulpix & Vulpix Poncho-wearing Pikachu Special Box |
| 038/SM-P (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) | Vulpix poncho | Feb 1, 2017 | Same Special Box as 037/SM-P |
Two things stand out. First, “poncho-wearing Pikachu” is the printed Japanese card name (ポンチョを着たピカチュウ) on 203, 207, 208, 230, 231, 274 and 275, while 098, 204, 150, and 151 are technically different printed names even though they follow the same costume concept, and per Bulbapedia the whole series is described as following the trend the 098/XY-P Mega Tokyo release established. Second, several of these cards stack more than one Mega Evolution onto a single poncho — 203/XY-P has three (Audino, Lucario, Slowbro), and 274/XY-P has four (Gallade, Rayquaza, Ampharos, Mawile). Our full XY-P promo cards guide covers the wider XY-P code these all belong to.
The One Everyone Means: 208/XY-P, Mega Charizard Y
When people search “poncho Pikachu,” they usually mean 208/XY-P — Full Art, Pikachu wearing a Mega Charizard Y poncho, illustrated by Kouki Saitou. It came out January 1, 2016 inside the「スペシャルBOX メガリザードンYのポンチョを着たピカチュウ」(Special Box “Poncho-wearing Pikachu — Mega Charizard Y ver.”), priced at ¥2,500+tax, alongside a booster-heavy box config: a special kira Pikachu, four booster packs, a deck case, 62 deck shields, and a long card box.
It is easy to mix up with its twin, 207/XY-P, released the same day in the matching Mega Charizard X box — same Full Art treatment, same illustrator, same ¥2,500+tax price point, but a different Mega Evolution on the poncho. The X box’s bundled second promo is documented as 206/XY-P.
No official print run was ever published for 207 or 208. Whatever figure you see quoted for either card is community-reported, not an official number.
The difference is the form: X (207) is orange/black with wings; Y (208) is red/gold. Check which Mega Evolution the poncho depicts before assuming you have one or the other.
The Triple-Poncho: 203/XY-P and Its 275/XY-P Reprint
203/XY-P is the odd one out on the list: instead of one Mega Evolution, its poncho stacks three — Mega Audino, Mega Lucario, and Mega Slowbro. It was released December 12, 2015 as a “Pikachu Mega Campaign” gift at Pokémon Centers for any purchase of ¥1,000 or more in eligible TCG products — a much wider distribution net than the store-opening and event-reward promos elsewhere on this list, since it went out at ordinary retail counters rather than a single location or session.
The same artwork lineage reappears as 275/XY-P roughly eight months later (Jul 23–Aug 31, 2016), swapped to a different trio — Mega Lopunny, Mega Diancie, and Mega Gardevoir — and handed out as one of two 3-Play-Point Mega Battle rewards (the other being 274/XY-P’s Gallade/Rayquaza/Ampharos/Mawile version).
The Costume Sibling: Pretend Magikarp Pikachu 150/XY-P
Technically, 150/XY-P isn’t a “poncho” card at all — it’s a Magikarp costume, and its printed Japanese name is コイキングごっこピカチュウ (“Pretend Magikarp Pikachu”), not a translation involving “poncho.” But it shares the same illustrator (Kouki Saitou), the same store-opening distribution model, and it turns up constantly in the same searches.
It released June 26, 2015 in the “Pretend Magikarp & Pretend Gyarados Pikachu Special Box,” produced to commemorate the opening of Pokémon Center Hiroshima. The mascot choice isn’t random: Magikarp and shiny (red) Gyarados are Pokémon Center Hiroshima’s house mascots, a nod to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. The box paired 150/XY-P with its counterpart, 151/XY-P (Pretend Gyarados Pikachu, ギャラドスごっこピカチュウ), plus 62 sleeves, a deck case, a long card box, and five Bandit Ring booster packs.
Like the poncho cards, no official print run exists — it was a single-store commemorative box, produced once.
Related Search: Mario Pikachu 293–294/XY-P
The other card that constantly shows up alongside “poncho Pikachu” searches is Mario Pikachu — not a poncho or costume card at all, but a crossover promo from the same illustrator, Kouki Saitou, released October 29, 2016. Regular is 293/XY-P; Full Art is 294/XY-P. Both came in the Mario Pikachu Special Box, sold only in Japan at Pokémon Centers (a matching Luigi Pikachu box shipped alongside it, numbered 295–296/XY-P).
Per snkrdunk’s reporting, two PSA 10 asking-price listings for the Full Art 294/XY-P put the range at ¥5,700,000–¥8,350,000 (~$38,776–$56,803) — an asking-price spread. The regular 293/XY-P showed only single-listing asks (¥980,000 raw, ¥1,999,999 PSA 10) — too thin a sample to call a range. We go deeper on both cards, box contents, and distribution in our dedicated Mario Pikachu card guide.
What the Rest of the Series Was Asking in August 2026
For the other poncho printings, snkrdunk showed one asking-price listing each — reference only, not enough data points to call a market range.
| Card | Single Asking-Price Listing |
|---|---|
| 203/XY-P | ¥83,800 (~$570) |
| 207/XY-P | ¥1,080,000 (~$7,347) |
| 208/XY-P | ¥2,750,000 (~$18,707) |
| 230/XY-P and 231/XY-P | ¥800,000 (~$5,442) each |
| 274/XY-P | ¥780,000 (~$5,306) |
| 037/SM-P | ¥270,000 (~$1,837) |
| 038/SM-P | ¥239,700 (~$1,631) |
Sealed, unopened Mega Charizard X BREAK Special Box and Rayquaza Special Box listings showed asking prices of around ¥3,850,000 (~$26,190) and ¥3,980,000 (~$27,075) respectively.
Per SNKRDUNK’s reporting, 204/XY-P, the second Mega Tokyo print, is believed to have fewer than 1,000 cards in existence — community-reported and unofficial, but consistent with Bulbapedia’s documented distribution of roughly 40 participants per session across the January 16–17 event.
How to Get a Poncho Pikachu Card
None of these cards were sold in boosters, so there’s no pack to chase — every copy in circulation came out of one of the Special Boxes or event rewards, years ago, and the graded and raw singles market is the way in. Our PSA 10 listings for the 203/XY-P triple-poncho and the Pretend Magikarp Pikachu 150/XY-P are sold out at the time of this update — sourcing requests go through Quick Order.
For sealed Japanese Pokemon product from Tokyo, our 30th CELEBRATION (M6a) booster box, Sealed option, is currently listed at ¥26,449 (~$172).
Where to Buy Poncho Pikachu Cards from Japan
We ship graded Japanese singles worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery, and our PSA 10 collection gathers the graded Japanese singles on the store. Each listing shows the grade assigned by PSA on the holder. Beyond the poncho and costume series, our best Pikachu cards from Japan guide and top 10 Japanese Pikachu cards round-up cover the wider Pikachu chase-card landscape, including the Pokémon Center Pikachu promo guide for the broader campaign-and-event promo category these come from.
If you collect Pikachu promos more broadly, our guides to Detective Pikachu cards, Pikachu VMAX cards, and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX cover the modern side of the family. Sourcing requests for a specific card go through Quick Order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Poncho-Wearing Pikachu card?
“Poncho-wearing Pikachu” (ポンチョを着たピカチュウ) is a series of Japanese promo cards, illustrated by Kouki Saitou, depicting Pikachu wearing costumes shaped like various Mega Evolutions. At least 13 poncho and costume Pikachu cards were released between December 2014 and February 2017 across the XY-P and SM-P promo codes, each tied to a specific store opening, campaign, or event reward.
Which poncho Pikachu card do most collectors mean?
208/XY-P, the Mega Charizard Y poncho (Full Art). No official print run exists for any poncho Pikachu printing, so scarcity claims are community-reported, not official.
What’s the difference between 207/XY-P and 208/XY-P?
Both are Full Art poncho Pikachu cards released January 1, 2016 at ¥2,500+tax, illustrated by Kouki Saitou. 207/XY-P shows a Mega Charizard X poncho; 208/XY-P shows a Mega Charizard Y poncho. They came in matching but separate Special Boxes.
Is Pretend Magikarp Pikachu 150/XY-P part of the poncho series?
Not technically — its printed Japanese name is コイキングごっこピカチュウ (Pretend Magikarp Pikachu), a costume rather than a poncho card, released June 26, 2015 for the Pokémon Center Hiroshima opening. It shares the same illustrator and distribution model as the poncho cards and is frequently searched alongside them.
Is Mario Pikachu 293/XY-P a poncho Pikachu card?
No. Mario Pikachu (293/XY-P regular, 294/XY-P Full Art) is a separate Kouki Saitou-illustrated crossover promo released October 29, 2016, sold in its own Mario Pikachu Special Box. It regularly appears in the same searches as the poncho series but depicts a Mario costume, not a Mega Evolution poncho.
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