How Many Cards Are in a Japanese Master Set? Every Set Counted

A Japanese master set is not the Japanese version of an English master set, and if you budget for one expecting the other you will be wrong by hundreds of cards. Here is every Japanese set we hold counts for, 58 of them, with the same numbers for the 16 Simplified Chinese sets underneath.

The short answer

  • Japanese sets have no reverse holos. Not fewer, none. All 58 sets counted here. The reverse holo is an English-language invention, so the Japanese master set is simply the numbered run plus the secret rares above it.
  • That makes them far smaller. Between 75 and 360 cards, against 154 to 501 in English. Shield is the smallest, Shiny Treasure ex the biggest.
  • None of them need more than one binder at 360 cards a binder.
  • Japanese sets do not map one to one onto English sets. An English set is usually built from two or three Japanese ones, so "the Japanese version of Surging Sparks" rarely exists as a single product.

Why a Japanese master set is smaller

In an English set, most commons, uncommons and rares are printed a second time with a reverse holo foil across the card face. Collecting those doubles a large part of the set, which is why an English master set runs roughly 1.3 to 1.8 times the numbered count.

Japan does not print reverse holos. The chase above the numbered run is all secret rares: art rares, special art rares, super rares and the hyper rares at the very top. So a Japanese master set is the main set plus its secrets, and nothing else. It is a shorter build, but a much harder one, because almost every card you are missing at the end is a pull rate problem rather than a bulk problem.

New to the term? What is a master set explains it, and the English counts are here.

Japanese Mega Evolution era: every set counted

Set Code Main set Secret rares Master set Binders (360 cards)
Mega Brave M1L 63 29 92 one
Mega Symphonia M1S 63 29 92 one
Inferno X M2 80 36 116 one
Mega Dream EX M2A 193 57 250 one
Nihil Zero M3 80 37 117 one
Ninja Spinner M4 83 37 120 one
Abyss Eye M5 81 37 118 one
Storm Emeralda M6 76 37 113 one

Japanese Scarlet and Violet era: every set counted

Set Code Main set Secret rares Master set Binders (360 cards)
Scarlet ex SV1S 78 30 108 one
Violet ex SV1V 78 30 108 one
Triplet Beat SV1A 73 30 103 one
Snow Hazard SV2P 71 28 99 one
Clay Burst SV2D 71 28 99 one
Pokemon Card 151 SV2A 165 45 210 one
Ruler of the Black Flame SV3 108 33 141 one
Raging Surf SV3A 62 30 92 one
Ancient Roar SV4K 66 29 95 one
Future Flash SV4M 66 29 95 one
Shiny Treasure ex SV4A 190 170 360 one
Wild Force SV5K 71 29 100 one
Cyber Judge SV5M 71 29 100 one
Crimson Haze SV5A 66 30 96 one
Mask of Change SV6 101 32 133 one
Night Wanderer SV6A 64 30 94 one
Stellar Miracle SV7 102 33 135 one
Paradise Dragona SV7A 64 30 94 one
Supercharged Breaker SV8 106 32 138 one
Terastal Festival ex SV8A 187 50 237 one
Battle Partners SV9 100 32 132 one
Heatwave Arena SV9A 63 29 92 one
Glory of Team Rocket SV10 98 34 132 one
Black Bolt SV11B 86 88 174 one
White Flare SV11W 86 88 174 one

Japanese Sword and Shield era: every set counted

Set Code Main set Secret rares Master set Binders (360 cards)
Shield S1H 60 15 75 one
Sword S1W 60 15 75 one
VMAX Rising S1a 70 16 86 one
Rebellion Crash S2 96 19 115 one
Explosive Walker S2a 70 16 86 one
Infinity Zone S3 100 19 119 one
Legendary Heartbeat S3a 76 18 94 one
Amazing Volt Tackle S4 100 21 121 one
Shiny Star V S4a 190 140 330 one
Single Strike Master S5I 70 21 91 one
Rapid Strike Master S5R 70 21 91 one
Jet-Black Spirit S6K 70 25 95 one
Silver Lance S6H 70 25 95 one
Eevee Heroes S6a 69 32 101 one
Skyscraping Perfection S7D 67 23 90 one
Blue Sky Stream S7R 67 23 90 one
Fusion Arts S8 100 29 129 one
Star Birth S9 100 27 127 one
Battle Region S9a 67 26 93 one
Space Juggler S10P 67 21 88 one
Time Gazer S10D 67 21 88 one
Dark Phantasma S10a 71 28 99 one
Lost Abyss S11 100 27 127 one
Incandescent Arcana S11a 68 26 94 one
Paradigm Trigger S12 98 27 125 one

Simplified Chinese sets: every set counted

The Simplified Chinese releases are their own thing again. Most bundle cards from several Japanese sets into one product, so they line up with neither the Japanese nor the English count. Check the number before you assume a set matches its English name.

Set Code Main set Secret rares Master set Binders (360 cards)
Gem Pack Vol 1 CBB1 114 — 114 one
Collect 151 151C 192 — 192 one
Gem Pack Vol 2 CBB2 140 — 140 one
Fearless Terastal CSV3 130 35 165 one
Bonus Round CSV4 129 36 165 one
Black Crystal Blaze CSV5 129 35 164 one
Gem Pack Vol 3 CBB3 136 — 136 one
Paradox Veil CSV6 128 35 163 one
Blade Awakening CSV7 204 55 259 one
Gem Pack Vol 4 CBB4 196 — 196 one
Brilliant Illusions CSV8 207 57 264 one
Gem Pack Vol 5 CBB5 196 — 196 one
Stellar Crystal CSV9 208 58 266 one
Grand Crystal Gathering CSV9.5 208 51 259 one
Chasing Glory Together CSV10 222 65 287 one
Gem Pack Vol 6 CBB6 196 — 196 one

Questions people actually ask

Do Japanese Pokemon cards have reverse holos?

No. Every one of the 58 Japanese sets counted here has none. Some sets have a foil parallel of a specific subset, but not a reverse holo of the whole numbered run the way English sets do.

Is a Japanese master set cheaper than an English one?

Usually, because there are far fewer cards to find. The bulk is cheaper and the build is shorter. The top secret rares are not cheaper, and on a popular set they can be dearer than the English equivalent.

Which Japanese set matches an English set?

Often none of them exactly. English sets are assembled from two or three Japanese ones. Where there is a clean match we say so on that set's guide page.

Where do these numbers come from?

Our own card lists, built per set and regenerated whenever a set changes, the same source as the English counts. If a number here disagrees with an aggregator, it is usually a scope difference: we count the full numbered run plus everything printed above it.

Building one of these?

Download the free printable checklist for any set on this page, fill the gaps with placeholder cards so the pages look finished while you hunt, and keep the finished set in a printed binder.

Free checklists