I recently discovered the Japanese Double Crisis booster packs contains a Seviper, and since I already had the EX Sandstorm booster pack, the only English booster pack featuring a Seviper, I of course had to buy the only Japanese booster pack featuring a Seviper as well. Combined with the already amazing art of this booster pack, for my personal favorite set, it was a no brainer to buy it. Also, the one I have is a Two Pack version, which was even cheaper than some of the loose booster packs I was able to find.
And one other auction I won the other day is the unpeeled Gotta Magazine Pikachu. I’m not much of a fan of unpeeled promos, since you can’t see the artwork. And I was actually browsing for this same Pikachu unpeeled when I came across this one, but considering it’s a French glossy promo exclusively released in Japan I couldn’t resist bidding on it. It’s still such a weird and unique promo, and I still don’t really understand why they’ve released a French Pikachu in a Japanese magazine, but it’s definitely a great collector’s piece for that very reason.
Speaking of weird releases, I’ve currently also got an Italian Pikachu incoming that was exclusively released in France, but more on that later.
And right now I’m also working on the third ‘Pikachu around the World’ part, which will feature all English released Pikachu cards. Considering the currently 225 available English Pikachu cards (excluding misprints and unofficial releases), it will definitely be a huge wall of text and pictures…
I don’t think that honours the collection enough hands down the best pikachu collection in the world if not the best collection of a single pokemon overall
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. EDIT: No longer true, English has been 100% complete, even beyond the date I’ve stopped for the other languages: Feb. 27th, 2021 (I still have to update this part though, once everything has arrived).
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).
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, and the set symbol is also slightly smaller. In addition, the colors and font are different, and it’s also a Glossy card, which you usually won’t see on English cards.
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.
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 on November 14th, 2000, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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 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:
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).
I am just simply blown away by your latest post, from all the images of the different Pikas down to the description for each of images, it was a great read. I just see pure love for the hobby, I salute you.
Congrats on your accomplishment so far and I look forward to seeing your grow in the years to come
Thanks! And this is just the third part. Still about 15 more parts to come with my Pikachu collection, haha. And the Japanese part will be even bigger with over 300 Pikachu cards. But more on that later. In alphabetical order, French will be the next. Hopefully I’m able to find the final French card before I make that part in the near future.
When you continue to add new Pikachu cards to your collection, do you plan to edit the post for each respective language so that it’s all contained in one spot?
Yeah, I indeed thought about doing so in the future. I won’t do it for every new card added, but I might update all languages every six months or so with new releases. That way those 18 posts (14 languages; unofficial releases; misprints; autographed cards; altered cards) in total represent my entire Pikachu collection.
But for now it’ll take a while until I even finish this series in general. This English part, both taking the pictures and writing everything, took 6-7 hours (excluding in between breaks), haha. On the other hand, the English and Japanese parts may be the biggest by far, but their information is much easier to find. For the Dutch one for example, I had quite a bit of digging to do to find out the Base Set release date, as well as where that single promo came from. I’d imagine the same applies to most of the promos from other languages, although I doubt I’m able to figure out the origin for all of them tbh.
Second I guess. The one I’m missing is from one of the winners who hasn’t sold any copies yet a.f.a.i.k. I know a few people who have it, but they all come from CollectorsCache in the form of extra copies, just like the Queen of Hearts Pikachu I bought from CollectorsCache through eBay as well.
So yeah, with all five of the missing Art Academy Pikachu cards, I indeed just have to wait, keep my eyes open, and hope one day it pops up for a reasonable price. Most of the ones I already have were bought from the winners themselves, but the ones I’m missing either haven’t been sold by the winners yet, or they have sold a few copies but refuse to sell any more now (in case of the Japanese Space and Business Pikachu AA cards). Although there are some rarer Japanese cards, in English the Art Academy Pikachu cards are without a doubt the rarest and most expensive Pikachu cards to find, which is also why I’m missing one of those unfortunately.
The French SM190 Detective Pikachu with movie stamp arrived a couple of days ago. Despite being quite new releases, it’s one of the tougher French Pikachu cards to find, and even people within France have trouble finding it for their collections.
The SM190 Detective Pikachu promos with stamp were included in special editions of the Detective Pikachu movie DVDs (1 card) and Blu-Rays (2 cards). The English and German versions of these DVDs/Blu-Rays simply contained English and German copies of the promo cards respectively, as expected. For the French versions however (and I assume the Italian as well), the card included was one language at random. These French versions, released in France and some parts of Belgium, therefore only had a small chance of including the French version of this promo. I’ve been able to find one French DVD myself that was still in stock (it was sold out everywhere else I’ve looked), but unfortunately it contained a German copy which I already had.
Only later I discovered Italian versions of this stamped promo exist as well. The sealed copy on the right I was eventually able to buy from a France seller. Ironically, the raw French version on the left which arrived a couple of days ago I bought from an Italian seller, which I thought was pretty funny.
Anyway, I’m glad to have both of these in my collection now. If we look at all eras of Pokémon: WotC; ex; DP; Platinum; HGSS; BW; XY; SM; SwSh, I now have all Pikachu cards from the ex; DP; Platinum; HGSS; BW; and SM eras. Just 17 more officially released Pikachu cards left to find: nine from pre-2003 - which I would consider the WotC era (Japanese SNAP Photo Contest; Japanese unlimited E1; Japanese 1998 glossy Ivy Pikachu reprint; three German WotC promos; two Spanish WotC promos; and a French Jumbo from a Belgium tournament); five from the XY era (five Art Academy cards); and two from the SwSh era, excluding incoming cards or those that will soon release (both Korean cards).
Today, we have the fourth language: French. This is again one of the languages I don’t have complete yet unfortunately, but I recently found one (see the post above this one ) and am now just missing a single French Pikachu at time of writing to complete this language. EDIT: This language is fully complete, up to February 27th, 2021 (25th Pokémon Day), including the Base Set reprints after that date.
French
Let me start with a picture of all French Pikachu cards in my collection, a total of 172.
Just like in the English part, I will only go over the actual Pikachu releases, instead of the entire history like I did with Dutch and Traditional Chinese. I will also not mention set numbers and alike, unless it’s a French-exclusive release, since those can already be read at the earlier English part.
The first set with French Pikachu cards was again the Base Set, in both 1st and unlimited edition. The French Base Set was released on November 18th, 1999.
On April 5th, 2000 the first Pokémon Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back (simply known as Pokémon, the Movie in French) came in cinemas in France, where the four promos including the #4 Pikachu were available.
This same French card is also released as a Glossy promo in the Japanese GOTTA Magazine volume of July 2000, released in June 2000. Why a French card was released in a Japanese magazine I’m still not sure.. Below I also included the front and back of a sealed copy from my collection. The French texts translated to English state:
The #25 Birthday Pikachu promo was also released in French. How and when it was distributed I don’t know, though. Any information about this release is much appreciated. It’s definitely a lot harder to find than the English, Japanese, and Italian versions, but luckily not as tough as the German one (which I’m still missing in my collection at time of writing is still one of my most expensive bought cards thus far).
The Skyridge set was for some reason skipped in French, if we compare it to the English sets that contained a Pikachu.
So next we had the EX Sandstorm set, released in French on March 12th, 2004. Just like in English, the non-Holo Commons had three different codes (the same ones as in English).
The French EX Trainer Kit version was released on March 24th, 2006.
Some of the POP Series were also released in French, with the POP Series 2 containing a Pikachu. I’m not sure about the French release date for this mini set (the French pokepedia website incorrectly mentions the exact same release dates as the English releases on the French POP Series pages).
Next we had the EX Emerald set, released in French on August 26th, 2005, again with a Reverse Holofoil, and three non-Holo Commons with the same codes as in English.
In French, an additional version of this card was released, which is a non-Holo version with a green set logo in the artwork. According to the Miscellaneous Promotional cards page on Bulbapedia, these were released as part of a Toys “R” Us Aurora Ticket promotion. AuroraTicket was an event associated with the Pokémon FireRed LeafGreen and Emerald Gameboy games. Two of these AuroraTicket events were held in France: one for the Pokémon Masters 2005 on September 17th and 18th, 2005, and one for Toys “R” Us stores on Saturdays September 24th, October 1st, and October 8th, 2005, which is where you would receive this stamped Pikachu card.
The POP Series 4 was also released in French. Just like with the POP Series 2, I’m not sure about the French release date for this mini set.
A Holofoil version of this Pikachu was just like in English released in EX Dragon Frontiers Two pack Blisters (not sure when those were released in French).
The next set that contained a Pikachu card was the EX Legend Maker set, which was a box topper Secret Rare. This French set was released on September 1st, 2006.
We then had the EX Holon Phantoms set, containing three Pikachu cards including the Gold Star Ultra Rare. This French set was released on November 19th, 2006.
The DP16 Pikachu promo was only released with the silver snowflake stamp, from the Countdown Calendar. This box in French was released in November 2008. This DP16 Pikachu wasn’t released without the snowflake stamp in French.
The POP Series 9 was not released in French, but the Pikachu and some of the other POP Series 9 cards were available as Holofoil. I’m not sure on what date it was released, but the Pikachu came in three-pack blisters somewhere in 2009.
Next up is the Platinum era, with Rising Rivals being the first to contain three Secret Rare Pikachu cards. This French set was released on November 6th, 2009.
The Arceus set was not released in French, so that Pikachu was skipped.
Next up is the first HeartGold & SoulSilver era set, by the same name. This set was released in French on May 5th, 2010.
The HGSS Trainer Kit - Raichu Half Deck (which contained two Pikachu cards with this same artwork) was released in French as well, on November 5th, 2010.
Then the Black & White era started, again with a set by the same name, which contained a Secret Rare Pikachu. This French set was released on May 25th, 2011.
Followed by the next set to contain a Pikachu: Next Destinies, released in French on March 24th, 2012.
This artwork was also released as McDonald’s Holofoil in the French exclusive McDonald’s Collection 2013, available between October 13th and November 26th, 2013.
Then came the XY era, with again a set by the same name. This set was released in French on February 22nd, 2014.
This artwork was also released as McDonald’s Holofoil in the McDonald’s Collection 2014, available in French from April 2nd, 2014.
We then had Roaring Skies, released in French on May 23rd, 2015.
This artwork was also released as McDonald’s Holofoil in both the McDonald’s Collections of 2015 and 2016, available from October 14th, 2015 and December 14th, 2016. The 2015 set was available in French before the English versions, which were available between November 27th and December 23rd, 2015.
The next set containing Pikachu cards was Generations, with both a Common and Radiant Collection Full Art. This French set was released on March 19th, 2016.
Just like in English, the regular version had Holofoil prints with both Toys “R” Us and 20th Anniversary stamps in French. The exact release dates of these two French promos I don’t know.
The XY Trainer Kit with Pikachu Libre Half Deck was also released in French, containing both a Holofoil and non-Holo version. This French Trainer Kit was released on April 30th, 2016.
A French exclusive Pikachu Box was released on October 18th, 2016, containing both a regular and Jumbo-sized version of the XY95 Pikachu. The Jumbo version of this artwork was only released in French.
Another regular-sized and Jumbo-sized Pikachu promo (XY124) was released in the Pikachu EX Red & Blue Collection box, released in French on September 17th, 2016:
The Pikachu EX promo with number XY174 was only released as regular-sized card in French, released inside the Battle Heart Tins. The Pikachu-EX Battle Heart Tin was released on November 6th, 2016 in French.
And the final Pikachu cards of the XY era of course came in the Evolutions set, with a reprint of the Base Set artwork, as well as the Flying and Surfing Pikachu artworks. This French set was released on November 19th, 2016.
The Shattered Glass Holofoil version from the Pikachu Power Theme Deck was also released in French, on the same date as the set itself: November 19th, 2016.
Next came the Sun & Moon era, with the SM Trainer Kit - Alolan Raichu Half Deck being the first to contain a Pikachu. This Trainer Kit was released in French on May 15th, 2017.
Just like in English, the SM86 Holofoil Promo of this same artwork was also released in French, inside Shining Legends Collector Chests, released in French on November 21st, 2017.
From July 6th, 2017, the 20th Pokémon Movie: I Choose You! was available in cinemas in France. Just like with the English release of the movie, the SM108 Ash’s Pikachu promo was given:
The first actual Sun & Moon set with a Pikachu was the Burning Shadows set, released in French on August 19th, 2017.
This artwork was also featured in a French exclusive 40-card McDonald’s set in 2018, available between June 13th and July 10th, 2018. This French exclusive McDonald’s set had four non-Holo cards, and 40 McDonald’s Reverse Holo cards, including this 17/40 Pikachu.
Next we have the Shining Legends set. This French set was released on October 6th, 2017, on the same day as its English release.
Just like the English version, this card has a lot of different variations. There is the Shattered Glass Holofoil version from the Let’s Play, Pikachu Theme Deck, released in French on August 2nd, 2019.
The Holofoil version from the Shining Legends Special Collection - Raichu GX box, released on January 5th, 2018.
Another French exclusive 40-card McDonald’s set from 2019, available from October 30th, 2019. This set again contained 40 non-Holo cards, as well as 40 McDonald’s Holofoil cards (so not McDonald’s Reverse Holos like the previous year). The Pikachu had number 20/40.
And a McDonald’s Holofoil 6/12 Pikachu was also released in French. This card was exclusively released in the French-speaking parts of Canada and Belgium, and was never released in France. This Pikachu comes from the McDonald’s Collection 2019 as well, although I’m not sure about its release dates in Canada/Belgium.
Next we had Crimson Invasion, released in French on November 4th, 2017.
A McDonald’s Holofoil version was also released in the McDonald’s Collection 2018, only available again in the French-speaking parts of Canada and Belgium. I’m again not sure about the exact release date for those.
Starting from March 13th, 2018, the SM109-SM114 Ash’s Pikachu promos were given when spending at least 20 euros on Pokémon products at certain stores. For France, these stores included: Picwic; Toys “R” Us; King Jouet; Maxi Toys; Cultura; and JouéClub.
Next we had the Team Up set, with the three Pikachu & Zekrom GX cards. This set was released in French on February 1st, 2019, the same day as the English set.
The Detective Pikachu mini set was released in French on April 15th, 2019, in between its English (April 5th, 2019) and Japanese (April 26th, 2019) releases.
On May 8th, 2019, the Detective Pikachu movie was released in cinemas in France. People received a non-stamped Holofoil SM190 Detective Pikachu promo when visiting.
A stamped version was released inside special versions of the French Detective Pikachu movie DVDs and Blu-Rays, only sold at E.Leclerc stores in France. Both the DVDs and Blu-Rays were released with an error however, since instead of the intended French copies, it could contain English, German, French, and Italian copies at random. Since these special editions were only sold at a single type of store, and because of this error, this stamped French SM190 Detective Pikachu promo took me quite a while find, and is probably one of the rarest French Pikachu cards, despite it being a pretty recent release. Eventually I was able to buy my copy from an Italian seller, and coincidentally bought an Italian version from a French seller sooner after, so I’m pretty sure the Italian versions of these special DVDs and Blu-Rays contained the same four languages of this stamped promo at random as errors as well. The English and German versions of these DVDs and Blu-Rays contained the intended languages, so those are pretty common to find.
Then we had the Hidden Fates set of August 23rd, 2019 (again on the same date as the English set).
This artwork also had four cards in the Battle Academy box, which was released in French on July 31st, 2020 (also the same day as the English box).
On that same day, August 23rd, 2019, the Detective Pikachu On The Case Figure Collection was also released in French, containing the SM170 Detective Pikachu promo with movie stamp. A version without this stamp wasn’t made in French.
Then we had the Cosmic Eclipse set, with both a Common and Character Secret Rare Pikachu. This French set was released on November 1st, 2019, again matching the English release date:
Simultaneously, on November 1st, 2019, the Pikachu-GX & Eevee-GX Special Collection box was released, containing a regular-sized SM232 Ultra Rare promo Pikachu and SM234 Pikachu promo, as well as a Jumbo-sized version of the Ultra Rare:
Similarly, the SWSH063 Pikachu V promo was also released in V Power Tins like in English, but I again don’t know the release date they were released on in French.
Followed by the packed Vivid Voltage set with the four Pikachu V/Vmax Ultra/Secret Rare cards. This set was released in both French and English on November 13th, 2020.
Then we have the SWSH061 Pikachu V as both regular and Jumbo sized card, released inside the Shining Fates Collection - Pikachu V, on the same day as in English: February 19th, 2021.
And there you have it, all French Pikachu TCG cards released February 27th, 2021 (25th Pokémon Day), after which I’ve stopped collecting all languages.
We’re not done yet, though. There are still some Base Set reprints, which I still collect in all languages, as well as one French card which got leaked before this date, and I therefore included in my collection as well.
This French card was accidently leaked in US Vivid Voltage packs, released on November 13th, 2020 (therefore before the 25th Pokémon Day date), which is the McDonald’s Collection 2021 non-Holo version with number 25/25. This Pikachu has the same artwork as the Hidden Fates Pikachu. This McDonald’s set was released in English from February 9th, 2021. This French card was along with some of the other non-Holo McDonald’s cards (I’ve seen Pikachu; Charmander; Treecko; Piplup; Froakie; and Grookey) accidently leaked in English Vivid Voltage packs that were released in the US, most likely intended to be an upcoming French-Canadian release. This French Pikachu card was therefore available from the same date as the Vivid Voltage set: November 13th, 2020. Even though it’s official release date was April 14th, 2021 in France; April 26th in Canada; and June 9th in Belgium, all after the 25th Pokémon Day.
Then we have the first of the Base Set reprints, the French Jumbo Pikachu with holo 25th logo, from the First Partner Collector’s Binder. I’m not sure when it was released exactly, but it’s somewhere late February or early March 2021.
And finally we have another Base Set reprint, the full art Pikachu from the Celebrations set, released in French on the same day as in English: October 8th, 2021.
When I saw this in one of @sacari 's videos, I had to have one as well, even though I’m usually not that much of a fan of non-TCG Pokémon stuff. Love the pose, and although it’s a V, I consider it a 2 for second largest Pikachu collection in the world.
Very nice update. I find the attitude endearing. Also just curious, what separates you from the No.1 title? (or atleast equal it). Maybe you have posted somewhere and I missed it.
A collector from Belgium has about 75-100 more Pikachu cards than me, mostly autographed and misprinted cards. For official releases, we’ve got about an equal amount. He has some I’m still missing and vice-versa. We’re in contact and help each other every now and then (well, tbf, he helps me more than I help him unfortunately.. Usually when I hear about a new card he already has it incoming lol..)
Combined with the already amazing art of this booster pack, for my personal favorite set, it was a no brainer to buy it. Also, the one I have is a Two Pack version, which was even cheaper than some of the loose booster packs I was able to find.
hands down the best pikachu collection in the world if not the best collection of a single pokemon overall
). 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.
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. 
And the Japanese part will be even bigger with over 300 Pikachu cards. But more on that later. In alphabetical order, French will be the next. Hopefully I’m able to find the final French card before I make that part in the near future.
Most of the ones I already have were bought from the winners themselves, but the ones I’m missing either haven’t been sold by the winners yet, or they have sold a few copies but refuse to sell any more now (in case of the Japanese Space and Business Pikachu AA cards). Although there are some rarer Japanese cards, in English the Art Academy Pikachu cards are without a doubt the rarest and most expensive Pikachu cards to find, which is also why I’m missing one of those unfortunately.
