This guide compares four trading card games sold in Japan: Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Dragon Ball. They come from different publishers and launched at different points in the timeline, but all four sell in the same basic format: booster packs sealed inside a booster box.
This guide lines the four games up side by side: who publishes each one, when it launched in Japan, and how many packs and cards you actually get per box. We ship a Japanese booster box from all four games out of Tokyo, so every product mentioned below is one we currently list.
The four Japanese trading card games compared here span nearly three decades: the Pokémon Trading Card Game launched October 20, 1996, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game followed on February 4, 1999, the One Piece Card Game arrived July 8, 2022, and Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World is the newest of the four, launching February 16, 2024. A Japanese Pokémon M5-Abyss Eye booster box is currently listed at ¥7,475 (~$47), and a Japanese One Piece OP-16 booster box is currently listed at ¥12,360 (~$78) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).
Yen figures below convert at ¥159/USD (September 2026). Prices are a September 3, 2026 store snapshot — check the linked listing for the current number before ordering.
The Four Japanese Card Games at a Glance
Lined up by Japan launch date, the picture is nearly thirty years wide:
| Game | Publisher (Japan) | Japan launch date |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Trading Card Game | The Pokémon Company (originally Media Factory, 1996–2000) | October 20, 1996 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game (OCG) | Konami | February 4, 1999 |
| One Piece Card Game | Bandai | July 8, 2022 |
| Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World | Bandai | February 16, 2024 |
Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! are the two long-runners, both launched in Japan within three years of each other in the late 1990s and developed by Creatures Inc. (Pokémon) and Konami (Yu-Gi-Oh!) respectively. One Piece and Dragon Ball Fusion World are the newer pair, both published by Bandai and both released within the last four years.
Bandai publishes both the One Piece Card Game and Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World in Japan — the two newest games on this list share a publisher, even though the card games themselves are unrelated products with separate rule systems.
Pokémon Trading Card Game
The Pokémon Trading Card Game launched in Japan on October 20, 1996, developed by Creatures Inc. Publishing duties in Japan sat with Media Factory from 1996 to 2000, before The Pokémon Company took over publishing from 2000 onward — the arrangement that still runs today, nearly thirty years after the first Japanese pack shipped.
Sealed Pokémon product still follows the same booster-pack-inside-a-booster-box format the game launched with, though the exact pack count changes from set to set. Our own M5-Abyss Eye (Pitch Black) Japanese booster box is currently listed at ¥7,475 (~$47). For a wider look at sourcing Pokémon product from Japan, see our guide to buying Japanese Pokémon cards online.
One Piece Card Game
The One Piece Card Game is published by Bandai and launched in Japan on July 8, 2022, with the global release following on December 2, 2022 — roughly five months later. Bandai’s own official site frames the Japan launch as a release « to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ONE PIECE manga, » tying the card game’s debut directly to the source manga’s anniversary year.
Our current One Piece anchor is the OP-16 The Time of Battle Japanese booster box, currently listed at ¥12,360 (~$78) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order). For a full breakdown of the game itself, see our dedicated One Piece Card Game explainer; for sourcing strategy, see how to buy One Piece cards from Japan.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game (OCG)
Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game (OCG) is the second-oldest game on this list. Volume 1 released in Japan on February 4, 1999, with the game’s Official Rules following on March 6, 1999 — putting the OCG’s Japan launch a little over two years after Pokémon’s.
Our current Yu-Gi-Oh! anchor is the LOCR-Limit Over Collection The Rivals Japanese booster box, currently listed at ¥7,455 (~$47). For the full card list from this set, see our LOCR card list.
Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World
Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World is the newest of the four games covered here. Bandai’s Fusion World system launched in Japan on February 16, 2024. Fusion World runs as a separate system from the earlier Dragon Ball Super Card Game line, which Bandai has since branded as « Dragon Ball Super Card Game Masters » to distinguish the two.
Our current Dragon Ball anchor is the ST-01 Story Booster 01 Japanese booster box, currently listed at ¥23,000 (~$145) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order). See the full ST-01 card list, or our Dragon Ball Fusion World sets in order guide for the sets that followed it.
Booster Box Structure Compared
All four games sell sealed product as booster packs inside a booster box, but the pack count and cards-per-pack differ by game — and, for Pokémon, by set:
| Game | Anchor box | Packs per box | Cards per pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG | LOCR | 15 | 4 |
| One Piece Card Game | OP-16 | 24 | 6 |
| Dragon Ball Fusion World | ST-01 | 20 | 6 |
| Pokémon Trading Card Game | M5 | varies by set | varies by set |
One Piece and Dragon Ball both settle on 6 cartes par pack, though One Piece boxes carry more packs. Yu-Gi-Oh!’s LOCR runs the smallest pack count of the three fixed-structure boxes here, at 4 cartes par pack. Pokémon is the outlier: pack and box counts move with each new set rather than holding to one fixed number, so a typical modern Pokémon set such as SV9 runs around 30 packs per box — a useful reference point, but not a number every Pokémon set repeats.
Where to Buy Japanese Trading Card Games from Tokyo
We ship sealed Japanese booster boxes for all four games out of Tokyo with tracked delivery. If you’re starting a collection or picking up a box for each game, here’s where each anchor lives on our site:
- Pokémon M5-Abyss Eye (Pitch Black) booster box — currently listed at ¥7,475 (~$47)
- One Piece OP-16 The Time of Battle booster box — currently listed at ¥12,360 (~$78) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
- Yu-Gi-Oh! LOCR-Limit Over Collection The Rivals booster box — currently listed at ¥7,455 (~$47)
- Dragon Ball ST-01 Story Booster 01 booster box — currently listed at ¥23,000 (~$145) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
Browse the wider ranges through our Pokémon card box collection and One Piece card box collection, or send a mixed order — across any of the four games — through Commande rapide.
View Product → (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
Foire aux questions
Which four Japanese trading card games does this guide compare?
Pokémon Trading Card Game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game (OCG), One Piece Card Game, and Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World. Pokémon launched in Japan in 1996, Yu-Gi-Oh! in 1999, One Piece in 2022, and Dragon Ball Fusion World in 2024.
Which Japanese trading card game is the oldest?
The Pokémon Trading Card Game, which launched in Japan on October 20, 1996 — about two and a half years before the Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game.
Which Japanese trading card game is the newest?
Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World, which launched in Japan on February 16, 2024, making it the newest of the four covered in this guide.
Who publishes each of the four games in Japan?
The Pokémon Trading Card Game is published by The Pokémon Company (originally Media Factory from 1996 to 2000). The Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG is published by Konami. Both the One Piece Card Game and Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World are published by Bandai.
How many packs come in a Japanese booster box?
It depends on the game. Our LOCR (Yu-Gi-Oh!) box runs 15 packs of 4 cards; our OP-16 (One Piece) box runs 24 packs of 6 cards; our ST-01 (Dragon Ball) box runs 20 packs of 6 cards. Pokémon pack counts vary by set rather than holding to one fixed number.
Where can I buy Japanese booster boxes for these games?
We ship sealed Japanese booster boxes for all four games from Tokyo with tracked delivery, including the Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Dragon Ball anchors listed in this guide. For a mixed order across games, use our Quick Order page.
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