Pokemon cards came out in October 1996, when Media Factory published the first Pokemon Trading Card Game in Japan, built around the Pokemon Red, Green and Blue video games that had launched earlier that same year. The Japanese card game therefore predates the North American version, which Wizards of the Coast introduced in 1999.
Everything that followed traces back to that October 1996 launch: a change of publisher, a handover of distribution rights, more than a dozen named TCG eras, and over 85 billion cards printed worldwide. This guide follows the Japanese card game specifically, era by era, from its 1996 debut through the current MEGA series, and connects three decades of publishing history to what’s actually listed on our own shelves in Tokyo today.
Pokemon cards were first published in Japan in October 1996 by Media Factory, three years before Wizards of the Coast introduced the Base Set in North America in 1999. The Pokemon Company took over as Japanese publisher in 2000 — Media Factory kept handling distribution until 2012 — and by March 31, 2026, more than 85 billion Pokemon TCG cards had been produced worldwide. Our own Pokemon Card Game Classic (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), currently listed at ¥84,000 (~$528), was built specifically to reprint cards spanning that history, and the 25th Anniversary Golden Box, currently listed at ¥257,500 (~$1,620), marks one of the three anniversary milestones along the way.
Yen figures below convert at ¥159/USD (September 2026). Prices are a September 2026 store snapshot — check the linked listing for the current number before ordering.
When Pokemon Cards Came Out: October 1996
The Pokemon Trading Card Game was originally published in Japan in October 1996 by Media Factory, arriving on the back of the Pokemon Red, Green and Blue video games that had launched earlier that year. That’s the direct answer to “when did Pokemon cards come out” — Japan first, nearly three years before the North American launch.
Media Factory wasn’t a card-game specialist. It was a Japanese publishing house that took on the license and built the first sets around a small illustration team, which is part of why the earliest Japanese cards read differently — in art style and card text alike — from anything printed in later eras.
The First Sets: 1996–1999 and Their Illustrators
Between 1996 and 1999, Media Factory’s Japanese sets featured work from multiple illustrators.
Those years also introduced mechanics that didn’t exist in the video games, including “Dark Pokemon” and “Owner’s Pokemon,” cards tied to a specific in-fiction trainer rather than a wild species. Both were card-game inventions rather than video-game imports, and they set a pattern that has held ever since: the TCG doesn’t just illustrate the games, it builds its own characters and rules on top of them.
1999: The TCG Crosses the Pacific
Three years after the Japanese debut, Wizards of the Coast introduced the Pokemon Trading Card Game to North America in 1999 with the Base Set — the release many non-Japanese collectors think of as the origin of the whole game. It wasn’t. It was a translated, restructured take on cards that had already been circulating in Japan since 1996, using artwork and mechanics developed for the Japanese market first.
That gap between the two markets never fully closed, and it still shapes how the game is printed today. For a closer look at how a Japanese card and its English counterpart actually differ — layout, card stock, print details — see our Japanese vs English Pokemon cards guide.
2000–2006: From Media Factory to The Pokemon Company
The Japanese side of the game changed hands twice in its first decade. In 2000, The Pokemon Company replaced Media Factory as publisher of the Japanese TCG, starting with the Awakening Legends expansion — though Media Factory kept handling physical distribution in Japan until 2012, so the handover was gradual rather than a clean break.
On the English-language side, the EX Series (2003–2006) marked the point where TCG distribution moved off Wizards of the Coast: Nintendo of America took over distribution with the EX Series’ release, then handed full responsibility to Pokemon USA in 2006 — the company later renamed The Pokemon Company International, which still publishes the game internationally today. By the end of that six-year stretch, both the Japanese and English versions of the game sat under the same corporate structure that still publishes it today.
Japanese 1st Edition markings began in 2001, after the earliest Media Factory releases. Our Japanese 1st Edition Pokemon cards guide covers how those later print-run marks work.
Major Japanese TCG Eras Since, in Order
The following is a high-level sequence of major modern series rather than an exhaustive list of every Japanese product line: Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver (the “LEGEND” era), Black & White, XY, XY BREAK, Sun & Moon, Sword & Shield, Scarlet & Violet, and the MEGA series that followed in 2025–26. Specialist lines such as VS, Web and the e-Card era are outside this compact overview.
| Pesanan | Era |
|---|---|
| 1 | Original Series (1996–99, Media Factory) |
| 2 | Awakening Legends / early Pokemon Company years (2000–02) |
| 3 | EX Series (2003–06) |
| 4 | Diamond & Pearl |
| 5 | Platinum |
| 6 | HeartGold & SoulSilver (LEGEND era) |
| 7 | Black & White |
| 8 | XY |
| 9 | XY BREAK |
| 10 | Sun & Moon |
| 11 | Sword & Shield |
| 12 | Scarlet & Violet |
| 13 | MEGA series (2025–26) |
Listed products from the middle of that timeline provide useful reference points.
A PSA 10 Zekrom 009/027 [CP2] comes from Legendary Shine Collection, released on 18 July 2015 in the XY era — currently listed at ¥100,488 (~$632).
A PSA 10 M Charizard EX [XYA 002/021] Mega Battle Deck comes from a 2014-era, Japan-exclusive theme deck in the XY era — currently listed at ¥67,056 (~$422). Despite the similar name, this 2014 “M Charizard EX” has no connection to the 2025–26 MEGA series’ “Mega ___ ex” cards covered below; the two are eleven years and several eras apart, and the naming overlap is coincidental.
85 Billion Cards and Three Anniversary Sets
By March 31, 2026, over 85 billion Pokemon Trading Card Game cards had been produced worldwide, across every language the game has ever been printed in. That figure covers the entire span from the Original Series through MEGA, and it has grown alongside three anniversary milestones that Japan has marked with dedicated product lines.
The 20th anniversary landed in 2016 and included the Ginza Tanaka 24k gold Pikachu promo card. The 25th anniversary followed in 2021, with the “25th Anniversary Collection” and the “Golden Box” — our own 25th Anniversary Golden Box guide covers what’s inside that specific box. And the 30th anniversary is running through 2025–26 as part of the MEGA series, headlined by the M6a “30th CELEBRATION” set.
We cover the anniversary product lines themselves — what’s in each box, how the three releases compare — in a separate guide: our anniversary sets guide walks through the 20th, 25th and 30th anniversary releases as products. This article is the publisher-and-era timeline that sits behind them.
Buying a Piece of This History from Tokyo
Three decades of Japanese Pokemon card history isn’t just background — it shapes what’s actually available to buy today, and from where. A few entry points spanning different parts of the timeline above:
- Pokemon Card Game Classic (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) — currently listed at ¥84,000 (~$528) — a 2023-era set built specifically to reprint cards across the game’s history, from Original Series artwork through EX-era design.
- 25th Anniversary Golden Box — currently listed at ¥257,500 (~$1,620) — the physical product from the 2021 anniversary milestone.
- M6a 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box — currently listed at ¥27,000 (~$170) — a 30th-anniversary product from the MEGA series.
- PSA10 Zekrom 009/027 [CP2] — currently listed at ¥100,488 (~$632) — a graded single from the XY era’s 2015 Legendary Shine Collection.
- PSA10 M Charizard EX [XYA 002/021] Mega Battle Deck — currently listed at ¥67,056 (~$422) — a graded single from a 2014 XY-era Japanese theme deck.
For a specific slice of the timeline rather than a single product, our Japanese 1st Edition Pokemon cards guide covers print-run marks from the earliest sets, and our guide to how many packs come in a Japanese booster box is useful if you’re comparing eras by sealed product rather than singles. Sealed boxes from any era covered above sit in our Pokemon card box collection, and graded singles like the two above sit in our PSA10 graded card collection.
View Product → (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
If you’re after a specific print from any era covered above rather than one of the products listed here, our Quick Order page is the fastest way to build a mixed order across sealed product and singles.
Pertanyaan yang Sering Diajukan
When did Pokemon cards come out?
Pokemon cards came out in October 1996, when Media Factory published the first Pokemon Trading Card Game in Japan, based on the newly released Pokemon Red, Green and Blue video games. The English-language version didn’t arrive until 1999, via Wizards of the Coast’s Base Set in North America.
Who was the first publisher of Japanese Pokemon cards?
Media Factory published the Japanese Pokemon Trading Card Game from its October 1996 debut until The Pokemon Company took over as publisher in 2000, starting with the Awakening Legends expansion. Media Factory continued handling physical distribution in Japan until 2012.
When did Pokemon cards become available outside Japan?
In 1999, three years after the Japanese launch, when Wizards of the Coast introduced the Pokemon Trading Card Game to North America with the Base Set.
How many Pokemon cards have been produced in total?
Over 85 billion, as of March 31, 2026, across every language the Pokemon Trading Card Game has been printed in since its 1996 debut.
What is the newest era of the Japanese Pokemon TCG?
The MEGA series, which began in 2025–26 and includes the M6a “30th CELEBRATION” set marking 30 years since the game’s 1996 debut in Japan.
Is the 2014 M Charizard EX Mega Battle Deck related to the 2025-26 MEGA series?
No. The M Charizard EX Mega Battle Deck is a 2014 Japanese theme deck from the XY era. The 2025–26 MEGA series’ “Mega ___ ex” cards are a separate, more recent mechanic from a different era; the two only share similar English naming.
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