Japanese TCG Set Codes Explained — Every Pokémon & One Piece Code

Japanese TCG Set Codes Explained — Every Pokémon & One Piece Code (SV, M, S, SM, OP, EB, PRB, ST)

Last updated: July 30, 2026 · Compiled and maintained by Samurai Sword Tokyo

Every Japanese TCG product carries a short set code — sv4a, m1l, OP-16, EB-01 — printed on the pack, embedded in every card number, and used by every price guide and marketplace. This page decodes all of them: what the letters mean, the full code-to-name tables for Pokémon and One Piece, and how each Japanese set maps to its English-language release. We stock most of these sets as sealed Japanese product, and where we stock a set, its row links to our full card list for that set.

Browse all card lists: All Japanese TCG sets · Pokémon · One Piece · Yu-Gi-Oh! — upcoming dates are on the release calendar.

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Jump to: Pokémon M · SV · S · SM · One Piece OP · EB · PRB · ST · JP→EN cross-reference · Confusing codes · FAQ

How Japanese Set Codes Work

Pokémon: the generation prefix (SM / S / SV / M)

The letters at the front of a Japanese Pokémon set code identify the era, and the numbering restarts from 1 with every new era:

Because the count resets, the same number exists in several eras: s6a (Eevee Heroes), sv6a (Night Wanderer) and sm6a (Dragon Storm) are three unrelated sets. Always read the prefix first.

What the suffix letters mean

No letter after the number = a main expansion pack (拡張パック), e.g. sv3 Ruler of the Black Flame or m2 Inferno X.

“a” (and occasionally “b” for a second one) = an enhanced expansion pack (強化拡張パック) — a smaller set released between main expansions, e.g. sv1a Triplet Beat or s6a Eevee Heroes. The year-end High Class Pack also uses this suffix style (sv4a, s12a), which is a frequent source of confusion — see below.

Paired letters = two sets released the same day as a pair, with the letters usually taken from the set names or their themes: s1w Sword / s1h Shield, sm5s Ultra Sun / sm5m Ultra Moon, sv1s Scarlet ex / sv1v Violet ex, sv11b Black Bolt / sv11w White Flare, and in the current era m1l Mega Brave / m1s Mega Symphonia.

“+” was used only in the SM era for interim reinforcement sets (sm3+ Shining Legends, sm5+ Ultra Force); later eras replaced it with “a”/“b”.

A few products sit outside the numbered line entirely: promo series (m-p), deck and box products (svk, mc), starter sets (svln / svls), and movie tie-ins (smp2 Detective Pikachu).

Why High Class Packs and special sets are a different animal

Once a year (usually November–December) Japan gets a High Class Pack: an all-foil, higher-priced set (¥550 packs vs ¥180–200 for regular packs) built around chase reprints and exclusive alt-arts — sm12a Tag All Stars, s4a Shiny Star V, s8b VMAX Climax, s12a VSTAR Universe, sv4a Shiny Treasure ex, sv8a Terastal Festival ex, m2a MEGA Dream ex. Their codes look like ordinary “a”/“b” suffix sets, but they are a separate product line, and they rarely map 1:1 to an English set: sv4a became Paldean Fates and sv8a became Prismatic Evolutions, while sm12a never received a single English equivalent at all — its exclusives were scattered across later English products. Special sets (s8a 25th Anniversary Collection, sv2a Pokémon Card 151 as an oversized enhanced expansion) follow their own rules too.

One Piece: OP / EB / PRB / ST

The One Piece Card Game uses one global system with four product families, each numbered sequentially since launch in July 2022:

OP-xx — main booster packs (121–132 cards), roughly quarterly, from OP-01 Romance Dawn onward. English releases keep the same code and set name.
EB-xx — Extra Boosters: smaller themed sets (61–87 cards) such as EB-01 Memorial Collection.
PRB-xx — Premium Boosters (“ONE PIECE CARD THE BEST”): high-rarity reprint compilations sold in ¥550 packs.
ST-xx — Starter decks, including the deluxe Ultimate Decks (ST-10, ST-13) and EX decks (ST-21, ST-30).

Handy for decoding singles: every One Piece card number embeds the set code it debuted in — a card numbered OP07-109 comes from OP-07, ST01-001 from ST-01 (promos use P-xxx).

Full Code Table — Pokémon

Japanese names and dates come from the official Japanese product data we track for our own inventory. EN names for Japan-only sets are the standard translations used by the international community; the official international English set names live in the cross-reference table. Sets marked Confirmed / Announced / Rumoured are not yet released; unknown values are shown as “—”. Click any column header to sort.

Full Code Table — One Piece

Code → English Set Name Cross-Reference (Pokémon)

Pokémon is the game where Japanese and English releases use completely different codes and names — searching an English store for “sv7” finds nothing, because that set shipped internationally as Stellar Crown (SCR). Use this table to translate either direction. One English set often combines two or three Japanese sets, and English releases trail Japan by anywhere from one week to a little over three months.

Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield era mappings follow Bulbapedia’s set pages; Scarlet & Violet and MEGA era mappings are cross-checked against Bulbapedia’s individual set pages and TCG news sources. “Built from” means the bulk of the English set’s cards debuted in those Japanese sets — individual cards can come from promos and other products.

One Piece needs no such table: the English release keeps the Japanese code and set name (OP-05 is Awakening of the New Era in both languages). The two exceptions are EB-04, which was folded into the English OP14-EB04 / OP15-EB04 releases instead of shipping on its own, and the six 2025 starter decks ST-23–ST-28, which actually reached English players three weeks before Japan.

Codes That Confuse People

sv4a is not “sv4 + a” — there is no sv4

The “sv4” slot was released as a pair: sv4k Ancient Roar and sv4m Future Flash (both Oct 27, 2023). sv4a Shiny Treasure ex (Dec 1, 2023) is the year-end High Class Pack — a completely different 190-card product that happens to share the number.

m1l and m1s are twins, not versions

Mega Brave (m1l) and Mega Symphonia (m1s) launched together on Aug 1, 2025 as the MEGA era’s opening pair. Neither is an update of the other, and both feed the same English set, Mega Evolution (MEG).

Japanese and English Pokémon codes are entirely separate systems

JP sv7 Stellar Miracle → EN SCR Stellar Crown. JP m2 Inferno X → EN PFL Phantasmal Flames. JP sv8a Terastal Festival ex → EN PRE Prismatic Evolutions. Never assume a Japanese code will match anything on an English product — check the cross-reference.

m3: one set, three names

The Japanese set ムニキスゼロ is known in English as Munikis Zero (also “Nihil Zero”), and the international set built from it is Perfect Order (POR). All three names refer to the same 117-card expansion — our card list is here.

m5 Abyss Eye vs “Pitch Black”

Abyss Eye is the Japanese set (May 22, 2026); Pitch Black (PBL) is its international English release (Jul 17, 2026). Same wave, two names — listings that mix them are talking about the same cards in different languages.

EB-04 exists only in Japanese

EGGHEAD CRISIS (Jan 31, 2026) never got a standalone English set: its cards were divided between the English OP14-EB04 and OP15-EB04 releases. If you are hunting the English versions of EB-04 cards, search those two sets.

ST-23–ST-28: the English decks came first

These six colour-series starter decks hit English shelves on Jun 6, 2025 — three weeks before the Japanese release on Jun 28, 2025. A rare reversal of the usual Japan-first order.

m6a 30th CELEBRATION ignores the gap entirely

Pokémon’s 30th-anniversary set is scheduled as the first-ever simultaneous worldwide release: Sep 16, 2026 in Japan and internationally on the same day. Expect “JP vs EN release date” rules of thumb not to apply to it.

FAQ

What does the “a” at the end of a Pokémon set code mean?

It marks an enhanced expansion pack (強化拡張パック) released between main expansions — e.g. sv1a Triplet Beat. The year-end High Class Packs (sv4a, sv8a, m2a) use the same suffix but are a separate premium product line.

Are Japanese and English Pokémon set codes the same?

No. Japan uses era-prefixed codes (sv7, m2); the international English releases use three-letter codes with different names (SCR Stellar Crown, PFL Phantasmal Flames). The cross-reference table translates between the two.

Do One Piece sets use the same codes in Japanese and English?

Yes — OP-16 is The Time of Battle in both languages. The exceptions: EB-04 (no standalone English release) and the ST-23–ST-28 decks (English shipped first).

What is a High Class Pack?

Japan’s annual premium set: all-foil ¥550 packs stuffed with chase reprints and exclusive alt-arts, released in the November–December window. Recent ones: s12a VSTAR Universe, sv4a Shiny Treasure ex, sv8a Terastal Festival ex, m2a MEGA Dream ex.

Why do some codes look almost identical, like s6a and sv6a?

Because numbering restarts every era. s6a is Eevee Heroes (2021, Sword & Shield era); sv6a is Night Wanderer (2024, Scarlet & Violet era). Read the prefix before the number.

What are the next set codes?

Pokémon: m6 Storm Emeralda (Jul 31, 2026), m6a 30th CELEBRATION (Sep 16, 2026, worldwide), and m7 Aura Seeker — known so far only from a trademark filing, with a Nov 27, 2026 date reported overseas but not yet confirmed in Japan. One Piece: OP-17 The World’s Strongest Warriors (JP Aug 22 / EN Aug 28, 2026) and EB-05 Heroines Edition vol.2 (October 2026, exact date TBA); OP-18 is rumoured for November 2026 but unannounced.