A card database search for Thundurus across the Japanese Pokemon TCG returns 19 results. This guide selects 11 documented prints from that broader result set, ranging from XY-era cards to a 2026 Uncommon print.
Japanese name ボルトロス (Vorutorosu), English name Thundurus. This guide walks the 11 selected prints era by era, explains why the vintage “Thundurus EX” cards from 2015 are a genuinely different card type from the modern Thundurus prints covered here, and lands on the one Japanese booster box currently on our site that carries a Thundurus pull: SV3 “黒炎の支配者” (Ruler of the Black Flame), where Thundurus sits at card #36, Rare.
We ship Japanese sealed product out of Tokyo every week. No single Thundurus card is currently listed on our site, so this guide treats the SV3 box as the direct route to a Thundurus pull, and points sourcing requests for the other prints covered here toward our Quick Order page.
This guide compares 11 selected Japanese Thundurus prints, from XY-era examples to the 2026 Storm Emeralda Uncommon. The modern SV3 Rare print (#36) comes from SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame Booster Box, currently listed at ¥17,160 (~$108). No Thundurus single is currently listed — sourcing requests for any print in this guide go through our Quick Order page.
The 11 Selected Japanese Thundurus Prints
The database search that anchors this guide returned 19 Thundurus results in the Japanese TCG; the table below is a selected comparison of 11 documented entries rather than a complete print list.
| Set | # | Rarity | Illustrator | EN equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SV3 (anchor) | 36 | Rare | GOSSAN | OBF #70 / PAF #139 |
| SV4a | 63 | Base print | GOSSAN | OBF #70 / PAF #139 |
| SV4a | 244 | Shiny Rare | Shin Nagasawa | OBF #70 / PAF #139 |
| M6 | 25 | Uncommon | Takumi Wada | Not verified yet |
| MC | 258 | Start Deck 100 print | hncl | SVP #209 / BLK #33 |
| SV11B | 36 | Rare | hncl | SVP #209 / BLK #33 |
| SV11B | 120 | Art Rare | Anesaki Dynamic | SVP #209 / BLK #33 |
| S5a | 22 | Rare | Souichirou Gunjima | CRE #52 |
| XY6 | 22 (Thundurus EX) | Double Rare | Eske Yoshinob | ROS #98 / #26 |
| XY6 | 79 (Thundurus EX) | Secret Rare | Ryo Ueda | ROS #98 / #26 |
| XY3 | 31 | Uncommon | Hajime Kusajima | FFI #33 |
Two things stand out. First, the two XY6 rows are the only “Thundurus EX” cards in this selected lineup — a Basic-EX card type that stopped being printed after the XY era. Every other row in this table is a standard, non-EX Thundurus print. All but one of them — every print from S5a onward — was released between eight and eleven years after the EX pair; the ninth, XY3, actually predates it. Second, the named rarity spread runs from Uncommon (M6, XY3) up through Secret Rare (XY6 #79), with Shiny Rare, Art Rare, Double Rare and Rare in between — six distinct named rarity tiers across four TCG eras.
If your card matches one of the two Thundurus EX entries covered here, it is an XY6 print from 2015. The nine non-EX prints in this guide, spanning XY3 through the 2026 Storm Emeralda release, are a different card type rather than reprints of that XY6 pair.
The Vintage Era: XY3 and XY6
An earlier print covered in this guide, Thundurus #31 from XY3, is a standard Uncommon — not an EX card — illustrated by Hajime Kusajima, with an English-set equivalent at Furious Fists #33.
XY6 (the Japanese counterpart to Roaring Skies) is where the EX version appears, and it did so twice in the same set:
- Thundurus EX #22, Double Rare, illustrated by Eske Yoshinob.
- Thundurus EX #79, Secret Rare, illustrated by Ryo Ueda — the higher-numbered secret print of the same card.
Both XY6 prints map to the same English release, Roaring Skies #98 / #26. The “EX” suffix on these two cards is the key identifier: no other Thundurus print in this guide carries it, and the EX card type itself was discontinued industry-wide well before the SV-era prints below were designed. Treat the XY6 EX pair and every non-EX print in this guide as two separate collecting lanes rather than a single continuous run.
Sword & Shield Era: Thundurus in S5a
One Sword & Shield-era release included in this guide is Thundurus #22 in S5a, Rare, illustrated by Souichirou Gunjima. Its English-set equivalent is Chilling Reign #52.
Scarlet & Violet: SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame and SV4a
SV3 “黒炎の支配者” (Ruler of the Black Flame), JP set code SV3, released 28 July 2023 with 141 cards, is where the modern Thundurus lineage starts. Thundurus sits at #36, Rare, illustrated by GOSSAN, with an English-set equivalent split across Obsidian Flames #70 and Paldean Fates #139. This is the print that comes out of the box we currently list — see the full SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame card list for where it sits among the rest of the set, or our SV3 pull-rates and best-cards guide for the set’s other chase cards. For how the SV3 anchor box compares with its companion release, see our SV3 vs SV3a box guide.
SV4a carries the same card twice: a base print at #63 (also illustrated by GOSSAN) and a Shiny Rare at #244, illustrated by Shin Nagasawa. Both SV4a prints share the same English-set equivalent as the SV3 anchor — Obsidian Flames #70 / Paldean Fates #139 — which places all three cards (SV3 #36, SV4a #63, SV4a #244) as Japanese-side counterparts of the same English artwork pair. For the wider chase-card lineup on the English side of that pairing, see our Obsidian Flames chase cards guide.
The Black Bolt Prints: MC and SV11B
Three prints share the same English-set equivalent here — SVP #209 and Black Bolt #33. MC #258, illustrated by hncl, is included in Start Deck 100 Battle Collection. SV11B “ブラックボルト” (Black Bolt), JP set code SV11B, released 6 June 2025 with 174 cards, carries Thundurus twice: a Rare at #36 (also illustrated by hncl) and an Art Rare at #120, illustrated by Anesaki Dynamic. The Art Rare is the higher rarity tier of the pair, sitting above the standard Rare the way SV4a’s Shiny Rare sits above its own base print.
The 2026 Return: Thundurus in Storm Emeralda (M6)
The newest print in this guide comes from M6 “ストームエメラルダ” (Storm Emeralda), JP set code M6, released 31 July 2026 with 76 cards. Thundurus sits at #25, Uncommon, illustrated by Takumi Wada. Unlike every other print in this guide, this one doesn’t have a confirmed English-set equivalent yet. For the rest of the set’s card list, see our Storm Emeralda M6 card list.
Chase Prints and What Makes Them Collectible
The named rarity tiers among the prints listed above form the following hierarchy. The SV4a #63 base print and MC #258 Start Deck 100 print are left outside this tier ranking because the table does not assign either one a named rarity tier:
- Secret Rare — XY6 #79, sitting above the set’s regular numbering.
- Art Rare — SV11B #120. A full-illustration treatment above the standard Rare slot in the same set.
- Shiny Rare — SV4a #244. An alternate-colour treatment of the SV3/SV4a base print.
- Double Rare — XY6 #22. The standard EX-tier rarity for the vintage print.
- Rare — SV3 #36, SV11B #36, S5a #22.
- Uncommon — XY3 #31, M6 #25.
What makes a print “collectible” in this lineup isn’t a single factor: the XY6 Secret Rare is scarce because of its rarity slot, the SV4a Shiny Rare and SV11B Art Rare are scarce because of their alternate treatment, and the SV3 anchor print is notable simply because it’s the print tied to a box we currently list.
Which Japanese Box to Open for Thundurus
The currently listed box connected to the prints covered here is:
The SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame Booster Box (Japanese), currently listed at ¥17,160 (~$108), is the box that carries the Rare Thundurus print at #36 covered above.
SV4a, M6, MC, SV11B, S5a, XY6 and XY3 — the other seven sets and products represented in this selected table — are not listed on our site at the moment; sourcing requests for boxes or singles from any of those go through our Quick Order page.
Where to Buy Thundurus Cards from Tokyo
We ship Japanese sealed product worldwide out of Tokyo with tracked delivery. For a shot at the modern SV3 Rare print, the SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame Booster Box, currently listed at ¥17,160 (~$108), is the direct route. For the wider range of Japanese Pokemon booster boxes we currently carry, browse the Pokemon card box collection. No Thundurus single is currently listed — whether you’re after the vintage XY6 EX pair, the SV11B Art Rare, or any other print in this guide, request a quote via our Quick Order page for a specific-card sourcing request.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Japanese Thundurus Pokemon card prints are there?
A card database search returns 19 results for Thundurus in the Japanese TCG. This guide compares 11 selected documented entries and does not present them as a complete print list.
What is the anchor Thundurus print in this guide?
Thundurus #36, Rare, from SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame (released 28 July 2023), illustrated by GOSSAN. It’s the print that comes out of the SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame Booster Box, currently listed on our site.
What’s the difference between Thundurus EX and the modern Thundurus prints?
The two Thundurus EX cards covered in this guide are the 2015 XY6 #22 Double Rare and #79 Secret Rare. The other entries covered here, from XY3 through the 2026 Storm Emeralda release, are standard non-EX Thundurus cards — a different card type, not reprints of that XY6 pair.
Which Japanese box should I open to pull the SV3 Thundurus?
The SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame Booster Box (Japanese), currently listed at ¥17,160 (~$108), is the box that carries the Rare Thundurus print at #36.
Does the SV3 Thundurus have an English-set equivalent?
Yes — Obsidian Flames #70 and Paldean Fates #139 are the confirmed English-set equivalents shared by the SV3 #36 print and both SV4a Thundurus prints.
Where can I buy Thundurus cards from Japan?
We ship Japanese sealed product from Tokyo with tracked delivery. The SV3 Ruler of the Black Flame Booster Box is currently listed for the modern Rare print; no Thundurus single is currently listed, so sourcing requests for any print in this guide go through our Quick Order page.
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