Japanese Pokémon set list: every modern set and its English name

Japanese Pokémon sets come out first and under different names. The Japanese version of Prismatic Evolutions is Terastal Festival ex (SV8a), Phantasmal Flames is Inferno X (M2), Ascended Heroes is Mega Dream ex (M2a), Perfect Order is Nihil Zero (M3) and Chaos Rising is Ninja Spinner (M4).

The table below matches every modern English set to the Japanese set or sets its cards came from, with the Japanese set code and the price of the sealed Japanese box when we have one in stock.

English Pokémon sets and their Japanese equivalents

Why Japanese and English set names differ

• Japan releases first. A Japanese set usually arrives months before the English set built from it, under its own Japanese name.
• Two Japanese sets can become one English set. Scarlet ex and Violet ex became Scarlet & Violet; Clay Burst and Snow Hazard became Paldea Evolved; Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia became Mega Evolution.
• High Class Packs become English special sets. Shiny Treasure ex became Paldean Fates, Terastal Festival ex became Prismatic Evolutions, and VSTAR Universe became Crown Zenith.
• Some English sets add cards from a second Japanese set, so card numbers and set sizes rarely match one to one.

How to read a Japanese set code

Every Japanese box and card carries a set code. The letters give the era: SV for Scarlet & Violet, M for the Mega era, S for Sword & Shield and SM for Sun & Moon. A lowercase letter after the number marks a special or subset release, such as SV2a (Pokémon Card 151) or SV8a (Terastal Festival ex). Every set page and box listing on our site shows the code, so you can check you are buying the right set.

Japanese Prismatic Evolutions: Terastal Festival ex

Terastal Festival ex (SV8a) is the Japanese set behind Prismatic Evolutions. It is a High Class Pack set, so the Japanese box holds 10 packs of 10 cards rather than the usual 30 packs of 5. See the Terastal Festival ex set page for the box and singles.

Japanese Phantasmal Flames, Ascended Heroes, Perfect Order and Chaos Rising

The Mega era sets follow the same pattern: Inferno X is the Japanese Phantasmal Flames, Mega Dream ex the Japanese Ascended Heroes, Nihil Zero the Japanese Perfect Order and Ninja Spinner the Japanese Chaos Rising. Nihil Zero is also written Munikis Zero, from the Japanese ムニキスゼロ.

Buying a Japanese set: 3 steps

1. Find the English set in the table and note the Japanese set code.
2. Open the Japanese set page to see the sealed box and the singles we stock, priced in yen.
3. Compare the box price with the booster box price tracker, which shows 7- and 30-day moves for every Japanese box we stock.