Time for another ‘Pikachu around the World’ post. I will add the same quote again, which I’ll do for all parts:
The first two parts were Chinese (click here to go to that part) and Dutch (click here to go to that part).
Today, we have the third language, which has apart from Japanese the most Pikachu cards. I’m of course talking about English. This is one of the languages I don’t have complete yet unfortunately, but I’m getting very close with just one missing English Pikachu card at time of writing.
English:
Let me start with a picture of all English Pikachu cards again in my collection (minus a few I accidentally forgot: the five XY Evolutions Pikachu cards; the XY202 promo; and the SM194 Detective Pikachu promo… 
). Right now I have 222 out of 224 English Pikachu cards in my possession, with one more incoming (Special Delivery Pikachu SWSH074 promo), and just one left to find (one Art Academy Pikachu) - excluding some upcoming releases.
Since there are so many English releases, I’ve excluded deck releases and also won’t go over every promo release, like I did with the Chinese and Dutch parts, unless it’s relevant for Pikachu. 
Even then, with over 200 card you are guaranteed to have one huge wall of texts and pictures… Not that you’re not used to that by now when reading my posts, haha. 
The first English distribution of Pokémon TCG cards were the 24-card Demo Packs of December 1998, which contained 24 random Shadowless cards, including a potential yellow cheeks Pikachu. After that came the Trainer Deck A and B of January 1999 (which didn’t contain any Pikachu cards).
And on January 9th, 1999 the English 1st edition Base Set was released. The English Base Set was divided into four major releases: 1st edition; Shadowless; unlimited ©1999; and unlimited ©1999-2000. On which dates which versions were released exactly I’m not sure. The unlimited edition ©1999-2000 print which was printed in a printing facility in the UK were printed somewhere at the start of 2000. The Shadowless yellow cheeks Pikachu was also in those 24-card Demo Pack of December 1998 (here a video opening of that), so the Shadowless yellow cheeks Pikachu is the first English Pikachu Pokémon TCG card that was released.
For Pikachu in particular, there are A LOT of Base Set variations, as I’ve discussed in this Base Pikachu Artwork variations article of mine. We won’t go into detail about all misprinted variations yet, only official releases. For those, we’ll have these from left to right, top to bottom in the picture below:
- 1st edition (2D thick stamp) red cheeks 58/102 Pikachu;
- 1st edition (3D thick stamp) yellow cheeks 58/102 Pikachu;
- Shadowless red cheeks 58/102 Pikachu;
- Shadowless yellow cheeks 58/102 Pikachu;
- Unlimited edition ©1999 (yellow cheeks) 58/102 Pikachu;
- Unlimited edition ©1999-2000 (yellow cheeks) 58/102 Pikachu;
- Shadowless yellow cheeks 58/102 Pikachu printed on Japanese cardboard, released in the Pokémon Song Best Collection CD of January 1st, 1999;
- Unlimited edition ©1999 58/102 Pikachu with PokéTour1999 stamp, released inside ‘Tour Packs’ in September and October 1999 in Australia, distributed at locations visited by PokéTour members;
- Shadowless red cheeks 58/102 Pikachu with E3 stamp, given at the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) event in Los Angeles in May 1999;
- Unlimited edition ©1999 (yellow cheeks) 58/102 Pikachu with E3 stamp, given at the same E3 event;
- A Jumbo version of the Base Set Pikachu was also included in the February 2000 issue of the Top Deck Magazine.
In March 1999 an English Pikachu was included in the Japanese April 1999 issue of the Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic. This card had the same black star promo set symbol as other English promo cards, but printed in grey instead of black.
This same artwork was also printed as English WotC promo with number 1, given at the Pokémon League of July 1999. As you can see in the picture below of both cards, the layout and colors of the Japanese card on the left are also different than what you would expect from an English WotC promo.
The second English set was Jungle, released on June 16, 1999. This set contained both a 1st and unlimited edition Pikachu, with number 60/64.
In addition, the 1st edition Jungle booster packs could also contain the #1 WotC Promo ‘Ivy’ Pikachu with 1st edition stamp. For the longest time this card was considered a misprint, but based on some new evidence on both a Jungle prototype blister as well as in some Japanese magazines there is reason to believe this 1st edition Pikachu was inserted on purpose, and could be considered as the first ‘Secret Rare’ card in an English set.
The 1st edition Jungle card was also released with a golden W stamp, inserted in The Duelist Magazine of September 1999.
After that came the Fossil set on October 10th, 1999. This set is released in both 1st and unlimited edition (©1999) as well. All non-Holo cards in the set were also released with ©1999-2000 copyright date in Australian red logo packs/decks/boxes. The Fossil set doesn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
At the release of the first Pokémon movie (Mewtwo Strikes Back) in US cinemas on November 10th, 1999, four promo cards were released with golden “Kids WB Presents Pokémon The First Movie” stamp, of which number 4 was a Pikachu:
Then we had Base Set 2 on February 24th, 2000. This set only contained reprinted artworks, with a mixture of cards from both the Base Set and Jungle. This set also includes the Base Set artwork Pikachu, with number 87/130:
The next English released set we had was the Team Rocket set, released on April 24th, 2000. Again printed in both 1st and unlimited edition, but just like the Fossil set it didn’t contained any Pikachu cards.
The Gym Heroes set of August 14th, 2000 did contain a Pikachu however: Lt. Surge’s Pikachu with number 81/132. This set was also released in both 1st and unlimited edition:
The Gym Challenge set of October 16th, 2000 contained a Lt. Surge’s Pikachu as well, with number 84/132:
Between September and November of 2000, people could send in drawings of what their favorite Pokémon card would look like, and in return they received the English _____'s Pikachu (aka ‘Birthday Pikachu’) Holofoil promo with number 24.
A non-Holo version with golden tail stamp was also released as the English card in the set of nine for the Pikachu World Collection 2000 (released at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia on September 13th, 2000), which we’ve spoken about in the Chinese and Dutch parts as well. One interesting thing to note is that the artwork of the English Holofoil ‘Birthday Pikachu’ is zoomed in when we compare it to the non-Holo Pikachu World Collection 2000 version, or any of the other languages the Holofoil promo was released in.
When the second Pokémon movie (The Power of the One) was released on VHS and DVD, it also included a WotC promo Pikachu with number 27, also known as ‘Bumblebee’ Pikachu:
Then generation 2 started, with the first set being Neo Genesis, released on December 16th, 2000. This set was again released in both 1st and unlimited edition, and contained a Pikachu with the number 70/111:
The sets Neo Discovery of June 1st, 2001; Neo Revelation of September 21st, 2001; and Neo Destiny of February 28th, 2002 all didn’t contained any Pikachu cards. These were the last English sets to have both a 1st and unlimited edition print run. From the next set onward, only unlimited edition releases were done for English (and every other language except for Japanese).
At the Pokémon League of August 2001 three more Pikachu WotC promos were given. These non-holo promos are number 25 Flying Pikachu; number 26 ‘Snap’ Pikachu; and number 28 Surfing Pikachu. The number 26 promo is also the only English cards which states “Photo.” instead of “Illus.” where the illustrator name is printed.
The Legendary Collection set of May 24th, 2002 again contained reprinted artworks of previous sets, similar as the Base Set 2. Legendary Collection contains reprints of the Base Set; Jungle; Fossil; and Team Rocket. This set also had unique ‘firework’ Reverse Foils for each of its cards, in addition to the regular prints. This set does contain a reprint of the Jungle Pikachu artwork, with number 86/110:
Then we had the start of the e-Series sets, starting with Expedition Base Set of September 15th, 2002. From this set onwards, Reverse Holos were printed for all cards of English sets, with the exception of Ultra and Secret Rares. The e-Series sets, and some of the earlier EX era sets, also all feature r-Reader Dot Code strips on the non-Holo cards, which could be scanned with an e-Reader to show information, games, songs, pictures, and other things. This set contains the 124/165 Pikachu:
The second English e-Series set Aquapolis, released on January 15th, 2003, didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The third English e-Series set, and also the last set printed by Wizards of the Coasts, did contain a Pikachu card with number 84/144. This Skyridge set was released on May 12th, 2003.
After that, Nintendo took the English Pokémon TCG over from Wizards of the Coast. The first set they printed, which introduced the EX era for the English Pokémon TCG, was EX Ruby & Sapphire on June 18th, 2003. This set didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The second EX era set, EX Sandstorm of September 17th, 2003, did contain a Pikachu card with number 72/100. The EX era sets from EX Ruby & Sapphire to and including EX Delta Species all contain multiple codes on the non-Holo cards. For non-Holo Commons there are three different codes, and for non-Holo Uncommons and Energy cards there are either one or two different codes. All these codes can be found in this spreadsheet, compiled and shared on the Efour forum by @tonysandlin . The non-Holo EX Sandstorm Pikachu has the codes: 3AP-WH8-431; 3AP-WH8-7J9; 3AP-WH8-JTR, and all Reverse Holo versions of this card will have the code 3AP-WH8-BE5. I’m not sure what the purpose of these codes were for the start of the EX era and Japanese ADV era, but I think it has something to do with the Gameboy games. As you can see, only the last three characters are different for the same card, the first six are the same.
This same artwork was also included in the EX Trainer Kit - Latias Half Deck with number 6/10, which was released in June 2004 (this Pikachu card always has the code PBG-1P7-H6N, although these codes aren’t relevant outside of the set cards which can have multiple different codes, so I won’t mention them for other cards anymore from here on out, unless it’s relevant). Also note that the EX Trainer Kit version is missing the e-Reader Dot Code strip.
The EX Dragon set of November 24th, 2003 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The EX Series Collector’s Tin released in November 2003 as well did contain a Holofoil Pikachu promo, along with a Holofoil Meowth promo. This Holofoil Pikachu promo has number 012.
A non-Holo version with 10th Anniversary stamp was released a couple of years later in 2006, given to attendees of the Journey Across America tour venues between February 25th and July 22nd, 2006.
The EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua set of March 15th, 2004 did however, with number 43/95. For some reason this EX era set didn’t contained any different codes at the bottom-left.
Between February 16th and April 10th, 2004 there was the Poké Card Creator Contest. Kids in the US between ages five and fifteen could submit artworks for one of five Pokémon: Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Wurmple, and Pikachu. When the contest was over, 5250 copies of each card were made, packaged in a single booster pack. Fifty packs were given to each of the winners, and the remaining 5000 were distributed between other winners of the contest. The five grand winners were also given a 500 USD Target gift card. Here a picture of the Pikachu, with number 5/5:
EX Hidden Legends of June 14th, 2004 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards. From this set onward the e-Reader Dot Code strips weren’t present anymore, and Reverse Holos were also Reverse Holofoils instead, which continued until the end of the EX era.
Because the Pokémon TCG was decreasing in popularity around the time, they created the POP series. Nine mini sets released over a couple of years, each containing 17 non-Holo cards. As the name POP suggests, these booster packs were distributed through Pokémon Organized Play events, and were also added to some Value Packs. The first set of these was POP Series 1, distributed between September 2004 and August 2005, which didn’t contain any Pikachu card.
EX FireRed & LeafGreen of August 30th, 2004 did contain a Pikachu card with number 74/112. The codes of the non-Holo Pikachu cards in this set are: 8BK-DMT-B0P; 8BK-DMT-FB5; and 8BK-DMT-GF6 (and the Reverse Holofoil had the code 8BK-DMT-N3X).
EX Team Rocket Returns of November 8th, 2004 and EX Deoxys of February 14th, 2005 didn’t contained any Pikachu cards. From the EX Team Rocket Returns set onward for the remainder of the EX era, all Reverse Holofoils had the set name as stamp at the bottom-right of the artwork.
The EX Emerald set of May 9th, 2005 did contain a Pikachu with number 60/106. The codes of the Pikachu cards in this set are: S3Y-SDT-6MF; S3Y-SDT-71B; and S3Y-SDT-WCR (the Reverse Holofoil had the code S3Y-SDT-1UU).
The non-Holo version with code S3Y-SDT-6MF was also printed with Comic Con stamp, given at the Comic Con at the San Diego Convention Center between July 14th and 17th, 2005.
EX Unseen Forces of August 22nd, 2005 and EX Delta Species of October 31st, 2005 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards again.
The POP Series 2, distributed between August 2005 and April 2006 did contain a Pikachu card with number 16/17:
The EX Legend Maker set of February 13th, 2006 did contain a Pikachu card. This Secret Rare with number 93/92 was the box topper inside the English EX Legend Maker booster boxes, but couldn’t be pulled from the packs themselves.
The POP Series 3, distributed between April 2006 and August 2006 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The EX Holon Phantoms set of May 3rd, 2006 contained not one, but three Pikachu cards. Two Commons with numbers 78/110 and 79/110, and a Gold Star Secret Rare featuring a shiny Pikachu in the artwork with number 104/110.
In June 2006 the Value Pack was released, which contained a Holofoil Nintendo promo with number 035.
A non-Holo version of this English promo card was exclusively released in Sweden and Denmark inside the Scandinavian copies of the Pokémon Official Magazine Summer Special, released in the Summer of 2007.
EX Crystal Guardians of August 30th, 2006 and EX Dragon Frontiers of November 8th, 2006 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The POP Series 4, distributed between August 2006 and March 2007 did contain a Pikachu card with number 13/17.
In addition, a Holofoil version of this Pikachu card was inserted in EX Dragon Frontiers Two Pack Blisters in April 2007.
EX Power Keepers released on February 14th, 2007 did contain a Pikachu card with number 57/108. This set was also unique, in that the English release of many of the cards in this set came before their Japanese counterparts (which came in a set released in July 5th, 2007). This is also the last set of the EX era.
POP Series 5, distributed between March 2007 and September 2007 contained two Pikachu cards with the numbers 12/17 and 13/17.
A Holofoil version of the 12/17 Pikachu was also released inside DP Value Pack 1 blisters in September 2007, which contained five booster packs and either this Holofoil Pikachu, or a Holofoil Mew.
The first set of the next DP era, Diamond & Pearl of May 23rd, 2007, didn’t contain any Pikachu cards. From here on out the sets contain regular Reverse Holos again instead of the Reverse Holofoils we had in the EX era.
But the second DP era set Mysterious Treasures of August 22nd, 2007 did contain a Pikachu card with number 94/123.
In addition, the Reverse Holo version of that Pikachu card was also available with “Diamond & Pearl” stamp, released in the Burger King Collection that was available between July 7th and August 12th, 2008.
A Holofoil promo with number DP16 was made by the same artist as the Mysterious Treasures artwork. Both artworks contain the same two Pikachu cards from different perspectives. This Holofoil DP promo was released inside DP Value Pack blisters in November 2007, together with the DP15 Shinx Holofoil Promo.
A version with silver snowflake stamp was also released in the Pokémon Countdown Calendar of October 2008.
The POP Series 6, distributed between September 2007 and March 2008 contained a Pikachu card with number 9/17.
A Holofoil version of this Pikachu card was released inside DP Value Pack 2 blisters in November 2007, and again in Power Packs on July 9th, 2008.
A non-Holo version with Pokémon Day stamp was given at the Dutch Pokémon Day event on August 30th and 31st, 2008.
Secret Wonders of November 7th, 2007 and Great Encounters of February 13th, 2008 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The POP Series 7, distributed between March 2008 and September 2008 didn’t contained any Pikachu cards either.
Majestic Dawn of May 21st, 2008 did contain a Pikachu card, with number 70/100.
In addition, the Reverse Holo version of the Pikachu was available with “Platinum” stamp, again released as part of the Burger King Collection promotion, this time between June 1st and June 22nd, 2009.
The Legends Awakened set of August 20th, 2008 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards again.
Nor did the POP Series 8, distributed between September 2008 and March 2009.
But the Stormfront set of November 5th, 2008 did with the number 70/100.
After that the DP era was at an end, and the next era was the Platinum era, starting with a set by the same name in February 11th, 2009, which didn’t contained any Pikachu cards.
The second Platinum era set Rising Rivals of May 20th, 2009 did contain Pikachu cards however: three Secret Rares with the numbers 112/111, 113/111, and 114/111. These Holofoil artworks were recreations of the Base Set, Flying, and Surfing Pikachu promos.
The POP Series 9, distributed between March 2009 and September 2009 contained a Pikachu card as well, with number 15/17.
A non-Holo version with Pokémon Day 2009 stamp was given at the Dutch Pokémon Day event on August 29th and 30th, 2009.
The Supreme Victors set of August 19th, 2009 contained a Pikachu as well with number 120/147:
The Arceus set of November 4th, 2009 contained a Pikachu with number 71/99 as well:
On December 2nd, 2009 there was also a mini set of 16 cards, called the Pokémon Rumble in English. These cards are all Holofoil, and the artwork contain pretty blocky Pokémon, just like in the WiiWare game Pokémon Rumble. The Pikachu in this set has number 7/16.
And the first set of the next era, HeartGold & SoulSilver of February 10th, 2010 contained a Pikachu card as well with number 78/123.
This Pikachu artwork also had two cards in the HS Trainer Kit - Raichu Half Deck of May 2010, with the numbers 2/30 and 16/30.
And this Pikachu artwork was also released with Pokémon Day 2010 stamp, given at the Dutch Pokémon Day event held on August 28th and 29th, 2010.
Simultaneously with the HeartGold & SoulSilver set on February 10th, 2010 they also released Three Pack and Two Pack blisters. One of the Three Pack blisters contained a Holofoil Pikachu promo with number HGSS03. This promo was later also included in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Variety Blister.
The Unleashed set of May 12th, 2010 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
On July 8th, 2010 the Japanese version of the Pikachu World Collection 2010 set was released. Just like the Pikachu World Collection 2000 it contained nine Pikachu cards, each in a different language. Unlike the Pikachu World Collection of 2000 however, these of 2010 contained unique artworks, and were also all Holofoil. Something not very well-known is that the artworks in this set of nine contain the flags of the respective countries. The Pikachu World Collection 2010 that was released in Japan had the new Japanese back.
This Pikachu World Collection 2010 is also released in the US in November 2010. This version is the same at the front, but contains an English back instead.
The Undaunted set of August 18th, 2010 did contain a Pikachu card with number 61/90:
And the final set of the HGSS era, Triumphant released on November 3rd, 2010, didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The same applies to the only set of the next era: Call of Legends of February 9th, 2011.
The first set of the Black & White era, again by the same name and released on April 25th, 2011, did contain a Pikachu Secret Rare card with number 115/114. This card features an embossed lightning bolt in its description.
Emerging Powers of August 31st, 2011 and Noble Victories of November 16th, 2011 skipped on Pikachu cards again.
Next Destinies of February 8th, 2012 did contain a Pikachu card with number 39/99:
The Dark Explorers set of May 9th, 2012 and Dragons Exalted set of August 15th, 2002 lacked any Pikachu cards again.
And the Boundaries Crossed set of November 7th, 2012 did contain a Pikachu card:
Simultaneously with the Boundaries Crossed set of November 7th, 2012, there were again some Three and Two Pack blisters. One of the Two Pack blisters contained a Cosmos Holofoil Next Destinies 40/99 Raichu, as well as the non-Holo BW54 promo Pikachu.
Plasma Storm of February 6th, 2013; Plasma Freeze of May 8th, 2013; and Plasma Blast of August 14th, 2013 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
And the final BW era set, Legendary Treasures of November 6th, 2013 did contain a Pikachu card in the Radiant Collection portion of the set. These Radiant Collection cards could still be pulled from packs, but were in a different section of the set and had a special type of Reverse Holo pattern. The Pikachu has number RC7/RC25, and has a Reverse Holo pattern with lightning bolts, Pikachu heads, four-pointed stars, and hearts.
Next we had the XY era, which started with the mini Kalos Starter Set on November 8th, 2013. This set of 39 cards didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The second XY era set, which also goes by the set name XY released on February 5th, 2014, did contain a Pikachu with number 42/146.
This card was also printed with Cosmos Holofoil, given at The Lego Movie in cinemas, on February 7th, 2014.
A McDonald’s Holofoil version of this card was also included with number 5/12 in the McDonald’s Collection 2014 set, given between May 23rd and June 12th, 2014.
The Flashfire set of May 7th, 2014 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The Furious Fists set of August 13th, 2014 does contain a Pikachu card with number 27/111:
The Phantom Forces set of November 5th, 2014; Primal Clash set of February 4th, 2015; and Double Crisis mini set of March 25th, 2015 again lacked Pikachu cards.
But the Roaring Skies set of May 6th, 2015 did contain one, with number 20/108.
Mid-December 2015 a non-Holo version with Build-A-Bear Workshop logo was available for online and in-store purchases of a Pikachu plushie at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores.
This artwork was also featured with McDonald’s Holofoil in two McDonald’s sets, both with number 6/12: McDonald’s Collection 2015 of November 27th to December 23rd, 2015 and McDonald’s Collection 2016 of August 19th, 2016.
Between February 18th and March 29th, 2015 there was the Pokémon Art Academy Competition. Entrants could create an artwork within the Pokémon Art Academy game in Free Paint mode and upload it to Miiverse (the social media of Wii U and Nintendo 3DS). There were two categories: Dress-Up Pikachu and Your Favorite Pokémon. Three winners were chosen for each of these two categories, for both the North American and European/Oceanic competitions. In terms of Pikachu cards, this resulted in one Spanish and five English Pikachu cards. Winners were announced on June 8th, 2015. Each winner received 100 copies of the promo card featuring their winning illustration. Because of the limited amount of copies, and the fact all cards were given to a single person (the winners) - although some extra copies are floating around - these are one of the rarest English Pikachu cards to find. It is therefore also that I have four out of five English Art Academy Pikachu cards.
The Art Academy Pikachu card made by illustrator Ashley is the only English Pikachu card (excluding upcoming releases) that’s currently missing in my Pikachu collection.
The Ancient Origins set of August 12th, 2015 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
The BREAKthrough set of November 4th, 2015 did contain a Pikachu with number 48/162:
A Pikachu EX promo with number XY84 was released inside the Pikachu-EX Legendary Collection box on November 18th, 2015:
On that same day, November 18th, 2015, they also released the BREAKthrough Collector Chest, a tin briefcase containing five booster packs, a coin, two sticker sheets, a mini binder, a notepad, four pencils, a code card, and three Holofoil promo cards including the Pikachu with number XY89:
The BREAKpoint set of February 3rd, 2016 lacked a Pikachu.
The BREAKpoint Blisters that were released on the same day did however contain a Holofoil Pikachu promo. There were two Single Pack blisters and two Three Pack blisters. One of the Single Pack blisters contained the Holofoil Pikachu promo with number XY95:
And the Generations set of February 22nd, 2016 did contain two Pikachu cards, of which one Full Art in the Radiant Collection part of the set. These Pikachu cards had the numbers 26/83 and RC29/RC32.
The regular Pikachu card was also printed as two different Holofoil versions. One with “Toys “R” Us” stamp released in the US and Canada on the Pokémon Day of February 27th, 2016, and one with a 20th anniversary stamp released in the UK (March 25th, 2016 at GAME stores) and Australia (September 2016 at EB Games stores).
On April 27th, 2016 they also released the XY Trainer Kit: Pikachu Libre & Suicune, of which the Pikachu Libre Half Deck (to no surprise based on the name) contained two Pikachu Libre cosplay cards. A non-Holo version with number 14/30 and a Holofoil version with number 30/30:
Then we had the sets Fates Collide of May 2nd, 2016 and Steam Siege of August 3rd, 2016, which both didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
On September 14th, 2016 they released the Pikachu-EX Red & Blue Collection in the US/Canada and Europe. The box in North America only contained the Pikachu EX Full Art Promo with number XY124 and a Pikachu figure, but the one in Europe also contained a Jumbo version of this same card:
Two days later, on September 16th, 2016, another Pikachu EX released (this time not a Full Art). This Pikachu EX with number XY174 came in one of the Battle Heart Tins.
About a year later in August 2017, this same Pikachu promo was released again, this time alone with a Jumbo version in the Pikachu-EX Challenge Box, exclusively released in the US and Canada.
And the final set of the XY era is Evolutions of November 2nd, 2016. This set contained both new cards and reprints from the original Base Set artworks, including the Pikachu. The Pikachu in this set has number 35/108. The artwork is slightly zoomed in in comparison to the original Base Set artwork. There were also two non-Holo Secret Rares that were Pikachu cards, being the Flying Pikachu and Surfing Pikachu with numbers 110/108 and 111/108 respectively.
The regular Pikachu was also printed as Cracked Ice Holofoil version from the Pikachu Power Theme Deck that was released simultaneously with the Evolutions set.
There is also a final XY promo Pikachu, again a reprint from an earlier artwork. This XY202 Holofoil promo was a reprint of the WotC #4 WB promo, given at the Evolutions Season 1 of the Pokémon League at the end of 2016 and start of 2017.
Next we had the Sun & Moon era. Before any set release we had four promo cards, one of which was Pikachu with number SM04. A non-Holo version of this promo was given out at in the US at the Target’s Pokémon Sun & Moon launch event on November 19th, 2016, and in the UK to the first 250 customers of GAME stores on February 3rd, 2017.
This promo was reprinted as Sequin Holofoil in General Mills Sun & Moon Mini Packs inside General Mills cereals starting on August 22nd, 2017.
A McDonald’s Holofoil version with number 5/12 was also included in the McDonald’s Collection 2017, available from July to August 2017 in Australia; November 7th to December 4th, 2017 in the US; and January 3rd to February 6th, 2018 in the UK.
The first two sets Sun & Moon of February 3rd, 2017 and Guardians Rising of May 5th, 2017 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
Two non-Holo Pikachu cards were also included in the Sun & Moon Trainer Kit - Alolan Raichu Half Deck, released on April 21st, 2017, with numbers 14/30 and 29/30.
A Holofoil version of this artwork was released as promo with number SM86 inside the Shining Legends Collector Chest on November 17th, 2017.
A Sequin Holofoil version of this SM86 promo was also available in the second promotion of the General Mills Sun & Moon Mini Packs in February 2018, which were included in Fruit Roll-Ups and Pokémon Fruit flavored snacks.
And finally, a non-Holo version of this SM86 promo was made with Build-A-Bear Workshop stamp, given when purchasing a Pichu plushie at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in October 2019.
The third Sun & Moon era set Burning Shadows of August 4th, 2017 did contain a Pikachu card, with number 40/147:
On September 27th, 2017, a Pikachu Sidekick Collection box was released, alongside a similar box for Mimikyu. This Pikachu box contained a Holofoil promo with number SM98:
Next we had the Shining Legends set of October 6th, 2017, which had a Pikachu with number 28/73.
This Pikachu was reprinted in different Holofoil types a couple of times. One Water Web Holofoil inside the Shining Legends Special Collection - Raichu-GX box of January 5th, 2018.
A Cracked Ice Holofoil inside the Let’s Play, Pikachu! Theme Deck of May 3rd, 2019.
A Sequin Holofoil version inside General Mills Let’s Go, Kanto! Mini Packs of General Mills cereals starting January 15th, 2019.
And a McDonald’s Holofoil version with number 6/12 in the McDonald’s Collection 2019, released between October 15th and November 11th, 2019 in the US and January 1st and 28th, 2020 in the UK.
Released simultaneously with the Shining Legends set on October 6th, 2017 was the Shining Legends Pin Collection - Pikachu, which contained the Holofoil SM76 Pikachu promo:
And another product released on that same October 6th, 2017 date was the Shining Legends Super-Premium Collection box, which contained a Holofoil Pikachu promo as well, with number SM81:
The next set, Crimson Invasion of November 3rd, 2017 contained a Pikachu card as well with number 30/111.
This card was also printed as McDonald’s Holofoil version with number 4/12 in the McDonald’s Collection 2018 mini set, released between October 16th and November 12th, 2018 in the US.
On November 5th, 2017 the 20th Pokémon movie I Choose You! was released in US cinemas. At the cinemas, a non-Holo Ash’s Pikachu promo was given with number SM108:
Starting November 8th, 2017, customers who purchased for at least 25 USD on TCG products at GameStop stores in the US; EB Games stores in Canada and Australia; or Target, Toys “R” Us, Walmart, and Pokémon Centers stores online, would receive a pack containing three random Ash’s Pikachu promos. On March 16th, 2018, a similar action was done in the UK and Ireland at GAME, Waterstones, and Smyths stores when purchasing at least 19.99 GBP / euros respectively worth of Pokémon TCG products. These non-Holo Ash’s Pikachu promos had the numbers SM109, SM110, SM111, SM112, SM113, and SM114. Each card features a Pikachu with one of Ash’s caps from the anime: SM109 has the Original Cap from the Kanto, Indigo, Orange Archipelago, and Johto regions; SM110 has the cap that Ash wore in the Hoenn region; SM111 the Sinnoh region; SM112 the Unova region; SM113 the Kalos region; and SM114 the Alola region.
The Ultra Prism set of February 2nd, 2018; Forbidden Light set of May 4th, 2018; Celestial Storm set of August 3rd, 2018; Dragon Majesty set of September 7th, 2018; and Lost Thunder set of November 2nd, 2018 all lacked any Pikachu cards.
On November 2nd, 2018, two weeks before the release of the Nintendo Switch games Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! the Pikachu & Eevee Poké Ball Collection box was released, containing a Holofoil Pikachu promo with number SM157:
The Team Up set of February 1st, 2019 contained three however: two Ultra Rares Pikachu & Zekrom GX cards with numbers 33/181 and 162/181, and one Hyper Secret Rare with number 184/181 with a similar artwork as the number 162/181 Pikachu & Zekrom GX.
The 33/181 version was also included as non-Holo Ultra Rare in the World Championship Deck 2019 - Pikarom Judge, released on November 22nd, 2019. Four English exclusive World Championship Decks have been released every year from 2004 onward, featuring silver bordered and signed cards that were used by the winners of the Pokémon World Championships. These cards also have an unique back, a different one for each year. All these decks are released around October/November of their respective years, and this Pikarom Judge deck was the first (and thus far only) to include a Pikachu card.
Simultaneous with the Team Up release on February 1st, 2019, there were also some Team Up Blisters. One of the Single Pack blisters contained a Holofoil Pikachu promo with SM162 (which also features a Mimikyu in the artwork):
On March 1st, 2019 three Tag Team Tins were released. One of those tins contained a Pikachu & Zekrom GX promo with number SM168:
Next we had a mini set called Detective Pikachu released on March 29th, 2019, with screenshot artworks of the movie by the same name. Given it’s name, this set of course also contained a Detective Pikachu card, a Holofoil card with number 10/18:
On March 29th, 2019 there was also the Detective Pikachu Case File release in the Europe and also on April 6th, 2019 in the US. A Detective Pikachu Special Case File was also released at Target stores in the US. These boxes contained a Holofoil Detective Pikachu promo with number SM194:
The next set, Unbroken Bonds of May 3rd, 2019, contained a Pikachu card as well with number 54/214:
Simultaneous with the set, there were again Unbroken Bonds Blisters. The Single Pack blisters also contained a Holofoil Pikachu with number SM183:
On this same May 3rd, 2019 date, the Detective Pikachu movie was also released in cinemas. People who went to the movie in the US also received a Holofoil Detective Pikachu promo with number SM190.
On August 6th, 2019 this movie was released on DVD and Blu-Ray, which included this same SM190 promo with added Pokémon Detective Pikachu stamp, and Water Web Holofoil instead of Sheen Holofoil.
The Unified Minds set of August 2nd, 2019 contained not one, but two Pikachu cards, with numbers 55/236 and 56/236:
Simultaneously the Unified Minds Blisters were released on August 2nd, 2019. The Single Pack blister contained a Holofoil Pikachu with number SM206:
On May 17th, 2019 a Detective Pikachu Cagé Figure Collection box was released, which included a Holofoil Detective Pikachu promo with number SM170.
On August 9th, 2019 this same Pikachu promo was released again inside the Detective Pikachu On The Case Figure Collection box, this time with added Pokémon Detective Pikachu stamp and Sheen Holofoil instead of Cosmos Holofoil.
Hidden Fates August 23rd, 2019 contained a Pikachu as well with number 19/68.
This Pikachu was also reprinted four times inside the Pikachu Deck of the Battle Academy box of June 21st, 2020. These Pikachu cards have the same set symbol and number as the 19/68 Hidden Fates Pikachu, but also include a Pikachu symbol with small number. The Pikachu cards in this Deck have the numbers 2, 15, 30, and 55.
And the final set of the Sun & Moon era, Cosmic Eclipse released on November 1st, 2019, contained a regular Pikachu with number 66/236 as well as a Full Art Character Secret Rare with number 241/236. Character Secret Rares are unique to this set, and feature a trainer in addition to the Pokémon. For the Pikachu card, it includes character Red in the artwork.
Alongside this set, a Pikachu-GX & Eevee-GX Special Collection box was released on November 1st, 2019. This box contained a regular Holofoil Pikachu promo with number SM234, as well as a Full Art Pikachu GX promo with number SM232 both in regular and Jumbo sizes:
The last Sun & Moon era Pikachu promo was released on November 22nd, 2019 inside the Fall 2019 Collector Chest, a Holofoil promo Pikachu with number SM227:
After that the Sword & Shield era started, which is at time of writing still ongoing. The first set by the same name as usual of February 7th, 2020 did contain a Pikachu card with number 065/202. Note how the number starts with a leading zero now like Japanese sets, and the copyright information is also inside the bottom yellow border instead of just above it. Both of these changes are new since the Sword & Shield era for English sets.
The first figure collection of the Sword & Shield era, Sword & Shield Figure Collection of May 1st, 2020, contained a Full Art Pikachu promo with number SWSH020, which also features the three gen 8 starter Pokémon:
The Rebel Clash set of May 1st, 2020; Darkness Ablaze set of August 14th, 2020; and Champion’s Path set of September 25th, 2020 didn’t contain any Pikachu cards.
Although the Darkness Ablaze set itself didn’t contained any Pikachu cards. The Darkness Ablaze Blisters that were released alongside the set on August 14th, 2020 did contain a Holofoil Pikachu promo with number SWSH039 in one of the Single Pack blisters.
On September 4th, 2020 three V Power Tins were released. One of these three tins contained a Full Art Pikachu V promo with number SWSH063:
On November 9th, 2020, to celebrate the opening of the Pokémon Center website for Canada, customers who spend for 20 USD or more on the Canadian or US Pokémon Center webshops would receive the Holofoil Special Delivery Pikachu promo with number SWSH074. I don’t have this card in my possession yet, but it’s currently incoming in the mail. Here a placeholder picture for it for now:
The Vivid Voltage set of November 13th, 2020 on the other hand had Pikachu as main theme. This set therefore contained three Pikachu Full Art Ultra Rare cards: Pikachu V with numbers 043/185 and 170/185, and a Pikachu Vmax (featuring the Gigantamax form of Pikachu) with number 044/185, as well as a Full Art Hyper Secret Rare card with number 188/185, which has the same artwork as the Pikachu Vmax 044/185.
A Jumbo version with Vivid Voltage set stamp was also created for the Pikachu V 043/185 artwork to celebrate the launch of the set. This was available in Intertoys shops in The Netherlands on November 13th, 2020 and in GAME stores in the UK on December 4th, 2020.
And there you (finally…) have it: all English Pikachu cards released, of which I’m missing just one Art Academy card (and the Special Delivery Pikachu promo is incoming).
There are also some more upcoming English Pikachu card releases, which I plan to add in the near future. This includes:
- The non-Holo 001/005 Pikachu on the Ball card from the Pokémon Futsal Collection mini set, released exclusively in England to players of the Futsal competition, for which the distribution is currently delayed due to the pandemic.
- A SWSH Full Art Pikachu V promo in both regular and Jumbo size, which will release on February 19th, 2021 inside the Shining Fates Collection - Pikachu V box (I’ve already pre-ordered this box).
Greetz,
Quuador