Ho-Oh Pokemon Card Guide: Every Japanese Print

Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex: The Heat Wave Arena Prints

Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex, SV9a 020/063, RR

Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex, SV9a 086/063, SAR

Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex is a Fire-type Basic, 230 HP, and the anchor card of Heat Wave Arena (SV9a), released March 14, 2025. Its ability sets up the rest of the deck: once per turn, it can attach up to two basic Fire Energy from hand to a Benched “Ethan’s Pokemon.” Its attack heals 50 damage from each of your Pokemon in play — a sustain effect built around keeping a Fire-heavy board alive turn after turn.

The same card exists in four printings on the same card number range: a standard RR at 020/063 illustrated by aky CG Works, an SR at 077/063, a Special Art Rare at 086/063 illustrated by Atsushi Furusawa, and an Ultra Rare at 090/063. It was reprinted again as an RR in Mega Dream ex (M2a) on November 28, 2025, keeping the original aky CG Works artwork. For the rest of the set’s headline cards, see our Heat Wave Arena best cards guide.

Because the ability specifically targets a Benched “Ethan’s Pokemon,” Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex functions best alongside the rest of Heat Wave Arena’s Ethan-branded support cast rather than as a standalone attacker — which is exactly where Ethan’s Adventure, the Supporter card covered next, comes in.

Ho-Oh V: The Incandescent Arcana Prints

Before Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex, the most recent standalone Ho-Oh was Ho-Oh V from Incandescent Arcana (S11a), released September 2, 2022. It’s a Colorless-type Basic, 230 HP, with an ability called “Blazing Rage”: if it’s in the discard pile, you can put it onto your Bench instead of ending your turn normally, and attach up to four basic Energy cards from the discard pile to it. Its attack, Rainbow Burn, deals 100-plus damage.

The standard RR is at 055/068, illustrated by AKIRA EGAWA; the SR at 080/068 carries a different composition illustrated by N-DESIGN Inc. The English equivalent is Silver Tempest #140 (standard) and #187 (illustration rare). Unlike the 2025 ex card, Ho-Oh V doesn’t lean on a named support line — its own ability is what gets it back into play once it’s already been discarded, which made it a self-sufficient recovery piece in 2022-era decks rather than one built around a Trainer partner.

Vintage Roots: LEGEND and the Neo Era

Ho-Oh’s Japanese card history goes back much further than the Scarlet & Violet era. Two vintage prints are worth knowing, even though their full specs sit outside what this guide can confirm.

The first is Ho-Oh LEGEND, from the HeartGold Collection (L1), released October 9, 2009. It’s a two-piece LEGEND card — card numbers 015/070 and 016/070 — that combine from hand into a single Pokemon on the Bench, a mechanic unique to the LEGEND card family from that era.

The second is an older Neo-era holo Ho-Oh, from Pokemon Card Neo 扩展包 3, “Awakening Legends,” released in Japan in November 2000 on the old card back. Its English counterpart is Neo Revelation (2001). This print predates the Japanese TCG’s card-numbering system, so its exact HP and attack text haven’t been independently verified here — what’s confirmed is the set and the release window. For more on how to identify cards from this era generally, see our Japanese old-back Pokemon cards guide.

Ho-Oh also has a long-standing tie to the three legendary beasts — Entei, Raikou, and Suicune — going back to the same Johto-era storylines that introduced Ethan as a protagonist. If you’re building out a Johto-legendary collection alongside Ho-Oh, our Legendary Beasts (Entei, Raikou & Suicune) cards guide covers all three in the same detail as this guide covers Ho-Oh.

Where to Buy Japanese Ho-Oh Cards

We ship Japanese sealed product and singles worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. For Ho-Oh specifically, our current graded stock covers the Heat Wave Arena Special Art Rare pair — Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex 086/063 (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) and Ethan’s Adventure 089/063 (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order). For other prints from the same set, or for the Incandescent Arcana, Champion’s Road, and Ninja Spinner versions, our Quick Order page is the fastest way to check current availability and build a mixed order.