Japanese Pokemon TCG release dates 2026: every set, price and English equivalent

Japan released five main Pokemon TCG expansions in 2026 and has one more announced. The Japanese Pokemon TCG release dates for 2026 run from Nihil Zero (ムニキスゼロ, M3) on 23 January to Hadou Seeker (ハドウシーカー, M7) on 27 November 2026, per pokemon-card.com as of October 2026. Pack prices went from ¥180 to ¥200 in May, and the 30th Celebration pack costs ¥360. Below is every set, deck and notable promo in date order, then the chase cards and what each set became in English.

Every Japanese Pokemon release of 2026, in date order

Dates, prices and pack contents come from The Pokemon Company’s product database on pokemon-card.com. Packs per box are not printed on the official pages; the box figures below come from Japanese retail schedules (TCG Pro, Snkrdunk, 25 October 2026). English dates are from Serebii and pokemon.com.

The ¥180 pack became ¥200 from Abyss Eye onward, so a box went from ¥5,400 (about $34) to ¥6,000 (about $38). 30th Celebration broke the format: ¥360 for six all-foil cards, 20 packs to a box, and one Basic Energy guaranteed in every pack.

Japanese shops list cards by these set codes (M3, M6a and so on), so they are the quickest way to confirm what a listing is. The rarity symbols guide covers the rarity codes.

Which 2026 Japanese sets matter most to collectors?

Prices here are Yuyu-tei’s shop sell prices on 25 October 2026 (raw, near mint) unless stated. They are asking prices at one large Japanese shop, not sale records, and they change daily.

Storm Emeralda (M6, 31 July)

The year’s biggest set. Mega Rayquaza ex SAR 110/076 listed at ¥29,800 (about $190) with 8 in stock, and the MUR 113/076 at ¥69,800 (about $445), out of stock. Those are far below release day: Samurai Sword Tokyo recorded Japanese asks of about ¥138,000 for the SAR and ¥298,000 for the MUR on 31 July 2026. Serebii lists 113 cards (76 plus 37 secrets).

Abyss Eye (M5, 22 May)

Mega Darkrai ex is the chase. The SAR 114/081 was ¥17,800 (about $113) and the MUR 118/081 ¥29,800 (about $190), both in stock. Serebii lists 118 cards; Mega Chandelure ex and Mega Zeraora ex fill out the secret rares.

Ninja Spinner (M4, 13 March)

Built around Mega Greninja ex. The SAR 114/083 was ¥17,800 (about $113), the MUR 120/083 ¥49,800 (about $317) and out of stock. 120 cards per Serebii. This was the last ¥180 set.

Nihil Zero (M3, 23 January)

The first set of the year and the first under the J regulation mark. Mega Zygarde ex SAR 113/080 was ¥2,480 (about $16) at Yuyu-tei, and the MUR 117/080 ¥19,800 (about $126), out of stock. A sealed box had a lowest Snkrdunk ask of ¥8,000 (about $51) on 29 September 2026 against ¥5,400 retail. 117 cards per Serebii.

30th CELEBRATION (M6a, 16 September)

The anniversary set introduced a new rarity, FUR (Futuristic Rare), for Mew ex and Mewtwo ex, both drawn by graphic artist YOSHIROTTEN, plus 30 Pikachu foil cards by 30 illustrators and 30 reissued historic cards that are not legal in Standard. Mew ex FUR 135/103 was ¥6,980 (about $44), and Pikachu ex SAR 127/103 ¥6,980, 9 in stock. Snkrdunk’s lowest ask for the Mew ex FUR was ¥6,000 on 7 October 2026.

The FUTURISTIC BOX (¥27,500) is where the money went. Its two FUR-style Pikachu ex promos, 131/M-P and 132/M-P, listed at ¥34,800 (about $222) and ¥29,800 (about $190) at Yuyu-tei on 25 October 2026, both out of stock, so each single card listed above the retail price of the whole box. For getting hold of Pokemon Center Online exclusives from abroad, see whether Pokemon Center Japan ships to the US.

What is still coming in 2026?

Two products have official pages and dates. The Special Deck Set MEGA (Mega Feraligatr ex, Mega Dragonite ex, Mega Gengar ex) arrives 13 November 2026 at ¥5,500 for three 60-card decks. Hadou Seeker (M7) follows on 27 November 2026 at ¥200 for 5 cards, and brings the first “Z” Mega Evolutions from Pokemon Legends: Z-A to the card game: Mega Lucario Z ex, Mega Garchomp Z ex and Mega Absol Z ex, plus a new Korrina Supporter. pokemon-card.com prints no box size for it; Snkrdunk lists the box at ¥6,000, which matches the other ¥200 sets at 30 packs. TCG Pro’s schedule calls Hadou Seeker the last confirmed Japanese product of 2026.

MEGA Promo Card Pack vol. 6 is handed out at Gym Battles from 1 November 2026, one promo per pack.

Is anything announced for 2027?

No. As of 25 October 2026, pokemon-card.com lists nothing past 27 November, PokeGuardian’s upcoming-sets page shows only Hadou Seeker and Delta Reign, and Samurai Sword Tokyo’s 2027 tracker states that no official page lists a 2027 date. The one widely repeated item is a MEGA x MEGA Parade high-class pack reported by PokeBeach for 19 February 2027 at ¥550 with 10 cards a pack, with Mega Raichu X and Y. Retailer placeholders show 17 or 19 February. Treat it as a report until an official page appears; TCG Pro notes that a January set is usually announced around 20 December.

How do the 2026 Japanese sets map to English sets?

The pattern this year was one English set per Japanese expansion, 8 to 14 weeks later, with 30th Celebration as the exception that launched everywhere on the same day.

The English sets are bigger. Perfect Order has 124 cards to Nihil Zero’s 117, Chaos Rising 122 to Ninja Spinner’s 120, and Pitch Black 120 to Abyss Eye’s 118 (Serebii). Delta Reign is listed at “over 135” cards by pokemon.com. The press release does not call it the English Storm Emeralda, but it names the same four Mega ex (Rayquaza, Golurk, Malamar, Golisopod) that headline the Japanese set, so collectors expect the Rayquaza art to cross over. Serebii’s page shows the English 30th Celebration as 18 September; the Japanese official site, Dexerto and ICv2 all say 16 September, and we follow them.

Box formats differ too: an English box is 36 packs of 10 cards, a Japanese box 30 packs of 5. Older eras are covered in Japanese Pokemon sets and their English equivalents; whether the Japanese version saves money is in are Pokemon cards cheaper in Japan.

More guides: where to buy Japanese Pokemon cards, Japanese rarity symbols explained, and the Pokemon hub.