VSTAR Universe Booster Box Guide: S12a Japanese Pokemon Box Prices

What’s Inside a VSTAR Universe Booster Box

The official product page prints the ¥550 (~$4) price per pack, tax included, and the 10-card count. It prints neither a pack count per box nor a box price; a Japanese media report (kagayakunumerugon.jp) gives 10 packs per box, which is a third-party figure rather than an official one. The page does state, in its header artwork, that every pack contains a V, VSTAR or VMAX card. The Pokemon Company does not publish pull rates for VSTAR Universe: the official page states only that cards are inserted at random.

The official database lists 351 rows for the set because 89 base numbers appear twice and 8 Basic Energy rows carry no collection number. The distinct numbers split into a 172-card base set and 82 numbered secrets:

Numbers 251–258 do not appear in the official database; the Basic Energy cards our catalog numbers 255, 256 and 258 are not numbered rows there. Two other points about the base set: the database prints no rarity icon on the Radiant cards (the six かがやく cards, such as 078/172 かがやくルチャブル), and VSTAR Universe shows no Character Rare (CHR) or Character Super Rare (CSR) rows — those tiers belong to S8b VMAXクライマックス, a different high-class pack.

For the complete card-by-card breakdown, see our S12a card list page or the companion VSTAR Universe (S12a) complete card list article.

The “high class pack” label matters for expectations. A standard 5-card expansion pack of the same era carries fewer cards per pack; a high-class pack like this one runs 10 cards per pack and is built around full-art AR and SAR secrets, with a guaranteed V, VSTAR or VMAX in every pack per the official page.

A Sample of the AR & SAR Art Pool

With 37 Art Rares and 35 Special Art Rares — 72 secrets between just those two tiers — VSTAR Universe’s art pool is wide, and it spans a long list of Japanese illustrators. Here is a cross-section, from a Radiant base-set card up through the SR Trainer tier:

かがやくルチャブル K 078/172

コロトック AR 174/172

マナフィ AR 178/172

ミュウ AR 183/172

メタモン AR 197/172

ネオラントV SAR 216/172

グレイシアVSTAR SAR 217/172

博士の研究 SR 248/172

The official database credits these cards to Masakazu Fukuda (078), Nurikabe (174), Taira Akitsu (178), Ryota Murayama (183), Miki Tanaka (197), Jerky (216), Gemi (217) and Sanosuke Sakuma (248). They show the range: full-art Pokémon like Mew, Manaphy and Ditto in the AR tier, V and VSTAR Pokémon like Glaceon VSTAR and ネオラントV in the SAR tier, and trainer cards like Professor’s Research reaching SR. The Mew AR has its own write-up in Mew VSTAR Universe (S12a) Pokemon Card Guide; the rest of the numbered secrets are on the S12a best cards guide and the full card list page.

Current VSTAR Universe Booster Box Pricing

VSTAR Universe launched on December 2, 2022 at ¥550 (~$4) per pack, tax included; the official page prints no box price. SNKRDUNK’s lowest ask for the sealed box was ¥25,999 (~$169) on October 2, 2026, and our listings sit close to it:

The 【No Shrink】 listing (sold without the original shrink wrap) is a separate product from the standard box, as is the Damaged Box; each has its own page and price, and requests for anything not listed can be flagged through Quick Order.

The combination of Pikachu AR, the Charizard VSTAR SAR pairing and two capstone URs (Giratina VSTAR, Arceus VSTAR) is why the box keeps being requested. If your goal is simply the cheapest route to AR/SAR-style pulls, compare box prices across sets in Japanese Pokemon Booster Box Prices 2026: Sword & Shield (S1–S12a) and in the head-to-head box comparisons.

Shop this setS12A-VSTAR Universe Japanese Pokemon Booster Box

¥25,335In stock

Ships from Tokyo with tracking

View product

VSTAR Universe vs Other High-Class Packs

If you’re deciding between VSTAR Universe and another SWSH or SV-era high-class pack, these head-to-head comparisons cover box contents, pricing, and chase cards for each pairing:

• VMAX Climax vs VSTAR Universe — the CHR/CSR-driven predecessor high-class pack against VSTAR Universe’s AR/SAR format.
• Tag All Stars vs VSTAR Universe — an earlier SM-era high-class pack for comparison against the newer SAR era.
• Terastal Festival ex vs VSTAR Universe — an SV-era high-class pack against the SWSH-era standard-bearer.
• Eevee Heroes vs VSTAR Universe — another SWSH-era pack, useful if Eeveelution SARs specifically are the draw.
• Shiny Treasure ex vs VSTAR Universe — a shiny-focused SV-era high-class pack against VSTAR Universe’s full-art format.
• Pokemon 151 vs VSTAR Universe — an SV-era box with a long track record against VSTAR Universe.
• Crown Zenith Pokemon Booster Box vs Japanese VSTAR Universe (S12a) — the English Crown Zenith box against the Japanese set.

If you already know you want Pikachu AR, the Charizard VSTAR SAR, or either of the two capstone URs, VSTAR Universe is the box that contains them. The alternatives are worth checking mainly if you are chasing a particular Pokémon or art style rather than this set by name. The sibling box guides carry their own official numbers and dated asks: Pokemon 151 Booster Box Guide (SV2a) and Eevee Heroes Booster Box Guide (S6a).

Frequently Asked Questions