Japanese cards mark their rarity with a short letter code printed at the bottom of the card beside the card number. English cards do the same job with symbols and names, which is why the two systems are so easy to mix up when you start buying Japanese.
Scarlet & Violet and Mega era rarities
These codes cover the Japanese sets released since early 2023, from the first Scarlet & Violet boxes through the Mega sets that began in August 2025.
| Code | Short for | What the card looks like | English name |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Common | Plain card with no foil | Common |
| U | Uncommon | Plain card with no foil | Uncommon |
| R | Rare | Holo foil on the artwork | Rare |
| RR | Double Rare | A regular Pokémon ex | Double Rare |
| AR | Art Rare | Full art illustration of a regular Pokémon | Illustration Rare |
| SR | Super Rare | Full art Pokémon ex or Supporter | Ultra Rare |
| SAR | Special Art Rare | Textured full art Pokémon ex or Supporter, usually the art people chase in a set | Special Illustration Rare |
| UR | Ultra Rare | Gold card | Hyper Rare |
| MUR | Mega Ultra Rare | Gold Mega Pokémon ex, the top rarity of the Mega era | Mega Hyper Rare |
| ACE | ACE SPEC | Magenta card limited to one per deck | ACE SPEC Rare |
| BWR | Black White Rare | Monochrome card from Black Bolt and White Flare | Black White Rare |
A few sets add rarities of their own. Mega Dream ex introduced MA, the Mega Attack Rare, a full art Mega Pokémon ex with its signature attack written across the art in large text. Shiny sets such as Shiny Treasure ex use S for shiny Pokémon and SSR, Shiny Super Rare, for full art shiny Pokémon ex.
Which rarity names swap between Japanese and English?
Ultra Rare is the one to watch. In Japanese UR is the gold card, the one English calls a Hyper Rare, while the English Ultra Rare is the full art card Japan marks SR. Art Rare and Special Art Rare simply become Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare in English.
Older Sword & Shield codes
Sword & Shield sets from 2020 to 2022, such as VSTAR Universe and Time Gazer, used some codes that have since been retired.
| Code | Short for | What the card looks like |
|---|---|---|
| RRR | Triple Rare | Pokémon VMAX, VSTAR and V-UNION cards |
| HR | Hyper Rare | Rainbow foil full art card |
| CHR | Character Rare | A Pokémon shown alongside a character from the games |
| CSR | Character Super Rare | The same idea for Pokémon V, VMAX and VSTAR |
| K | Radiant | Radiant Pokémon, limited to one per deck. K comes from kagayaku, the Japanese word for radiant |
| A | Amazing Rare | An Amazing Pokémon card with textured foil |
Does the rarity line up exactly with the English card?
The same kind of card sits in the same tier, but a Japanese rarity and its English equivalent do not always line up one for one. An English set can merge two Japanese sets, renumber the cards and change how the rarities are spread through the packs, so a card that is an AR in Japan can sit in a quite different set list in English.
What does rarity tell you about pull rates?
Pokémon does not publish official pull rates for Japanese sets. The figures you see online come from collectors recording their own openings, which makes them a rough guide rather than a promise. On our product pages we list a set's chase cards from the published set list and never promise one in any particular box. If you are comparing sets, the Japanese set list shows what comes in each box.
Ready to open one?
Every box here is sealed Japanese stock on the shelf in Sydney, dispatched in 1 to 3 business days with flat $14 tracked shipping.
Mega Dream ex
Black BoltKai Chai is a Pokémon card collector in Sydney and the founder of WOOPR, a shop that sells only sealed Japanese product. More about WOOPR.
Sources
- Tokyo Card Report, Japanese rarity chart
- Display Armour, Pokémon card rarity symbols explained
- Video Games Chronicle, Black Bolt and White Flare introduce a new rarity
- Video Games Chronicle, Mega Evolution to debut Mega Ultra Rare gold cards
- SNKRDUNK Magazine, the Mega Attack rarity
More guides
- Japanese Pokémon set list with English namesSet codes, Japanese release dates, English names and box contents in one table.
- The Mega Evolution era: every Japanese set so farEvery Mega era set with its English name, release date and headline card, plus the new rarities.
- The Scarlet & Violet era: every Japanese set we carryEvery Scarlet & Violet set we carry with its English name, release date and headline Pokémon.
- The Sword & Shield era: the Japanese sets we carryShiny Star V to VSTAR Universe, with rarities, box formats and top cards.
- Japanese Pokémon pull rates and box guaranteesThe typical box structure, collector pull rates for SAR, UR and MUR plus what that means for bundles.
- Master Ball mirror cards explainedWhat Poké Ball and Master Ball mirrors are, how to spot one and which sets have them.