Collectors coming from the English side of the game know the Trainer Gallery by its “TG” card numbers, described in pokemon.com’s Brilliant Stars article (Mar 16, 2022). Collectors coming from the Japanese side know a family of cards called CHR and CSR — Character Rare and Character Super Rare — that show up in sets like VMAX Climax. Both groups of cards put Pokémon and their Trainers in the same illustration. Whether they are the same subset under two names, though, is not something either official page confirms in writing.
This guide lays out exactly what each official source says, where the two ideas clearly overlap, and where the facts run out.
Pokemon.com describes the English Trainer Gallery as “a special 30-card subset dubbed the Trainer Gallery, complete with its own numbering system (look for the ‘TG’ prefix in the card number),” per pokemon.com’s Brilliant Stars article (Mar 16, 2022). The Japanese equivalent concept, CSR (キャラクタースーパーレア) and CHR (キャラクターレア), is described on pokemon-card.com as cards where “ポケモンとトレーナーが一緒に描かれた” (Pokémon and Trainer are drawn together), notably in the High Class Pack “VMAX Climax” (S8b, ¥550/pack). Neither page states a card-for-card mapping between the two. A PSA 10 Umbreon VMAX CSR 245/184 is sold out at the time of writing (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).
Store prices and availability checked September 25, 2026 at 13:48 JST. Marketplace observations retain their stated dates. USD conversions use ¥154 per US dollar.
Official quotes below are as printed on September 18, 2026. Store prices are as listed on 2026-09-18; USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate.
What Is the English Trainer Gallery
Pokemon.com’s article on the subset (dated “Mar 16, 2022”) introduces it this way: “Among the 170-plus cards in the latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, Sword & Shield—Brilliant Stars, there’s a special 30-card subset dubbed the Trainer Gallery, complete with its own numbering system (look for the ‘TG’ prefix in the card number).” It goes on to describe the theme: “These lavishly illustrated cards mostly focus on Pokémon alongside their Trainers, and they each seem to be telling their own story.”
The key structural point from that quote: Trainer Gallery is a named, separately numbered 30-card subset within one specific English set, Brilliant Stars. It is an English-language product concept with its own “TG” numbering, not a rarity name attached to individual cards inside the main set numbering.
What Are Japanese CHR and CSR
The Japanese side works differently. Pokemon-card.com’s feature page (page shows update dates in November 2021) is titled “「VMAXクライマックス」に収録のCSR・CHRを連続公開中！” and explains: “ハイクラスパック「VMAXクライマックス」には、ポケモンとトレーナーが一緒に描かれた、CSR（キャラクタースーパーレア）とCHR（キャラクターレア）が登場します。” — the High Class Pack “VMAX Climax” contains CSR (Character Super Rare) and CHR (Character Rare) cards, each showing a Pokémon and a Trainer drawn together.
The official VMAX Climax product page gives two worked examples of what that looks like in practice: “ピカチュウVMAXのイラストでは、カントー地方のトレーナーであるレッドが、堂々と仁王立ちをしています” (the Pikachu VMAX illustration shows Red, a Trainer from the Kanto region, standing confidently), and “ハピナスVのイラストでは、ポケモンセンターのお姉さんが一緒になって歩いています” (the Blissey V illustration shows a Pokémon Center attendant walking alongside it). CHR and CSR, on this evidence, is a rarity concept — not a single numbered subset the way Trainer Gallery is, but a recurring rarity tier that groups Pokémon-with-Trainer artwork across a set.
Where They Overlap and Where the Facts Run Out
Both concepts share the same visual idea — a Pokémon illustrated together with a human Trainer or Pokémon Center staff member. That much is confirmed on both official pages.
What isn’t confirmed on either page is a card-for-card correspondence: neither pokemon.com’s Trainer Gallery article nor pokemon-card.com’s CHR/CSR pages state that a specific English TG card and a specific Japanese CHR or CSR card are the same printing under two regional names. Treat Trainer Gallery and CHR/CSR as two separately named rarity concepts — one English, tied to Brilliant Stars’ own 30-card subset numbering, and one Japanese, tied to the CHR/CSR rarity label used across multiple Japanese sets — rather than assuming a direct one-to-one map between them.
VMAX Climax: The Set Behind These Examples
The official VMAX Climax product page (pokemon-card.com) confirms the release facts: “ポケモンカードゲーム ソード＆シールド ハイクラスパック「VMAXクライマックス」” released “2021年12月3日（金）” at “550円（税込）”, with “1パック11枚入り” — 11 cards per pack. It’s a High Class Pack, and three of the six CHR/CSR examples below are drawn from it.
Our S8B-VMAX Climax Japanese Pokemon Booster Box is currently listed at ¥31,680 (~$206) if you’d rather chase these cards from sealed packs than buy a graded single.
Is the Artwork Textured?
Some higher Japanese rarities do carry an official texture statement — an early Sun & Moon–era official feature page describes SR cards this way: “ごくまれにSRというレアリティのカードが入っている。大迫力のイラストに特別な加工がされていて、とても高級感のあるカードだ” (an SR card gets a special finish applied to its dramatic illustration, giving it a premium feel). Neither the CHR/CSR feature page nor the VMAX Climax product page carries an equivalent sentence for CHR or CSR specifically. On the evidence available, whether CHR/CSR cards use a special physical finish is simply not stated by the official pages — only the SR statement above is confirmed in writing. Our companion guide on textured Japanese card finishes covers what is and isn’t confirmed for other rarities in more detail.
Currently Listed CHR/CSR Prints
Our PSA 10 CHR and CSR catalogue entries below show current prices or sold-out status:
| Card | Currently listed |
|---|---|
| PSA 10 Umbreon VMAX CSR 245/184 | sold out at the time of writing (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| PSA 10 Garchomp V 084/067 CSR | ¥19,240 (~$125) |
| PSA 10 Gengar 074/071 CHR | sold out at the time of writing (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| PSA 10 Pikachu 073/071 CHR | sold out at the time of writing |
| PSA 10 Mimikyu V 233/184 CSR | sold out at the time of writing (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| PSA 10 Vaporeon CHR 189/184 | ¥9,795 (~$64) |
Three of the six (245/184, 233/184, 189/184) are VMAX Climax prints; Garchomp V 084/067, Pikachu 073/071 and Gengar 074/071 are CHR/CSR prints from other sets.
Where to Buy
Availability varies among the CHR and CSR prints above; available copies show a price, and unavailable copies are marked sold out. Browse the full PSA 10 collection or the wider Japanese Pokémon card collection, or use Quick Order to ask about a specific CHR or CSR print that isn’t listed yet. For more on this rarity family, see our CHR Character Rare cards guide and our broader Japanese Pokemon card rarities explained. Our companion piece on PSA grading cost vs buying a PSA 10 from Japan covers what it costs to grade cards like these yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Trainer Gallery in Pokémon TCG?
A special 30-card subset with its own “TG” number prefix, mostly showing Pokémon alongside their Trainers, described in pokemon.com’s Brilliant Stars article (Mar 16, 2022).
What do CHR and CSR mean on a Japanese Pokémon card?
CHR is Character Rare (キャラクターレア) and CSR is Character Super Rare (キャラクタースーパーレア) — Japanese rarity labels for cards illustrated with a Pokémon and a Trainer together, per pokemon-card.com’s feature on the VMAX Climax set.
Is Trainer Gallery the same thing as Japanese CHR/CSR?
They share the same Pokémon-and-Trainer concept, but neither official page states a card-for-card mapping between the English Trainer Gallery subset and the Japanese CHR/CSR rarity family. Treat them as two separately named concepts.
Which set are the official CHR/CSR examples from?
VMAX Climax (S8b), a High Class Pack released December 3, 2021 at ¥550 per pack (11 cards per pack), is the set behind the official examples cited here. CHR/CSR cards also appear in other Japanese sets.
Are CHR/CSR cards textured or embossed?
Not confirmed. An official page does describe SR-rarity cards as receiving a “special finish” (特別な加工), but no official page we could check makes an equivalent statement specifically for CHR or CSR.
Where can I buy graded CHR/CSR cards?
Browse our PSA 10 collection for currently available CHR and CSR prints. The table above shows current prices and sold-out entries separately; Umbreon VMAX CSR 245/184 is sold out at the time of writing. Use Quick Order for a specific print.
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