Forty-two. That is how many Simplified Chinese-exclusive cards our catalogue documents as of September 2026 — and the number has more than doubled in a single year.
The question sounds like it should have a fixed answer, and it does not. “Simplified Chinese-exclusive” describes a relationship between an illustration and the print runs it appeared in, not a numbered set that closes when the last card is printed. Chinese-exclusive artwork arrives with new Simplified Chinese sets, and it has arrived faster every year.
What follows is the whole list we maintain, with the printed code, rarity and illustrator for every card on it — plus how the count grew, what the cards have in common, and why the total will look different a year from now.
What makes a card “Simplified Chinese-exclusive”
The test is narrower than the language and it is the test we apply before a card enters this list. Ignore the character on the card and ask: has this illustration been released in any other language?
- No — the card is Chinese Exclusive, and it belongs on this list.
- Yes, and the card is printed in Simplified Chinese — it is a Chinese card, not an exclusive one. It does not appear here.
- The card is printed in Japanese, English or another language — it is Other languages, and it does not appear here either.
That test is why some prominent Chinese cards are missing from the list. Victini ex 114/SV-P is a Simplified Chinese promo whose graded copies trade in four figures, but the same Special Art Rare also ran as a tournament prize in Traditional Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Korean — a Chinese card, not a Chinese-exclusive one. The Traditional Chinese 5th-anniversary Pikachu 153/SV-P is excluded for the same reason. The three branches explained walks through the full taxonomy.
One limit belongs in the open. “Not released in another language” is always a statement about what has been announced to date. Nothing on this list is a promise about the future, and no card here is fixed as exclusive for good.
The list: 42 cards
Every entry below is a card we currently source and grade, listed with the code printed on the card itself. The codes matter more than they look: a Gem Pack card is identified by group and treatment rather than a single set position, so CBB2C 07 15/15 is a complete identifier and 15/15 alone is not.
| # | Card | Set | Printed code | Rarity | Illustrator | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Captain Pikachu & Friede | Gem Pack Vol.1 | CBB1C 07 09/09 |
Illustration Rare | Yamazaki Rei | 2025 |
| 2 | Sprigatito & Liko | Gem Pack Vol.1 | CBB1C 01 09/09 |
Illustration Rare | Yasuda Shuhei | 2025 |
| 3 | Fuecoco & Roy | Gem Pack Vol.1 | CBB1C 03 09/09 |
Illustration Rare | Ito Kyoko | 2025 |
| 4 | Quaxly & Dot | Gem Pack Vol.1 | CBB1C 05 09/09 |
Illustration Rare | Yamazaki Rei | 2025 |
| 5 | Eevee | Gem Pack Vol.2 | CBB2C 01 15/15 |
Illustration Rare | HYOGONOSUKE | 2025 |
| 6 | Leafeon | Gem Pack Vol.2 | CBB2C 07 15/15 |
Illustration Rare | HYOGONOSUKE | 2025 |
| 7 | Sylveon | Gem Pack Vol.2 | CBB2C 09 15/15 |
Illustration Rare | HYOGONOSUKE | 2025 |
| 8 | Umbreon | Gem Pack Vol.2 | CBB2C 06 15/15 |
Illustration Rare | HYOGONOSUKE | 2025 |
| 9 | Gengar | Gem Pack Vol.3 | CBB3C 03 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | aspara | 2025 |
| 10 | Meowth | Gem Pack Vol.3 | CBB3C 02 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | Makura Tami | 2025 |
| 11 | Cubone | Gem Pack Vol.3 | CBB3C 04 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | Katsunori Sato | 2025 |
| 12 | Chandelure | Gem Pack Vol.3 | CBB3C 11 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | satoma | 2025 |
| 13 | Ceruledge | Gem Pack Vol.3 | CBB3C 15 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | kodama | 2025 |
| 14 | Ponyta | Gem Pack Vol.4 | CBB4C 01 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | MINAMINAMI Take | 2026 |
| 15 | Captain Pikachu & Friede | Gem Pack Vol.5 | CBB5C 01 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | Keita Hagiwara | 2026 |
| 16 | Floragato & Liko | Gem Pack Vol.5 | CBB5C 22 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | Lyu YiFei | 2026 |
| 17 | Crocalor & Roy | Gem Pack Vol.5 | CBB5C 23 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | Kouki Yanagihara | 2026 |
| 18 | Quaxwell & Dot | Gem Pack Vol.5 | CBB5C 24 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | Rei Yamazaki | 2026 |
| 19 | Pikachu (Journey) | Collect 151 | 151C 170/151 AR |
Illustration Rare | Oswaldo KATO | 2025 |
| 20 | Pikachu (Hope) | Collect 151 | 151C 171/151 AR |
Illustration Rare | Oswaldo KATO | 2025 |
| 21 | Pikachu (Surprise) | Collect 151 | 151C 172/151 AR |
Illustration Rare | Oswaldo KATO | 2025 |
| 22 | Pikachu (Gathering) | Collect 151 | 151C 173/151 AR |
Illustration Rare | Oswaldo KATO | 2025 |
| 23 | Mew ex | Lottery Promo | 003/SV-P |
Promo | satoma | 2025 |
| 24 | Arcanine | Fearless Terastal | csv3C 155/130 SAR |
Special Art Rare | Gemi | 2025 |
| 25 | Gholdengo ex | Reward Round | csv4C 162/129 UR |
Ultra Rare (gold) | 5ban Graphics | 2025 |
| 26 | Maushold ex | Reward Round | csv4C 158/129 SAR |
Special Art Rare | Yoshimi Miyoshi | 2025 |
| 27 | Rika | Reward Round | csv4C 159/129 SAR |
Special Art Rare | kantaro | 2025 |
| 28 | Larry | Dark Crystal Blaze | csv5C 157/129 SAR |
Special Art Rare | Kariya | 2025 |
| 29 | Gold Defiance Band | Dark Crystal Blaze | csv5C 164/129 UR |
Ultra Rare (gold) | inose yukie | 2025 |
| 30 | Iron Hands | True Mystery | csv6C 152/128 SAR |
Special Art Rare | Tonji Matsuno | 2025 |
| 31 | Pal Pad | True Mystery | csv6C 163/128 UR |
Ultra Rare (gold) | Studio Bora Inc. | 2025 |
| 32 | Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking | Blade Awakening | csv7C 245/204 SAR |
Special Art Rare | Taira Akitsu | 2026 |
| 33 | Carmine | Brilliant Fantasy | csv8C 255/207 SAR |
Special Art Rare | OKACHEKE | 2026 |
| 34 | Battle VIP Pass | Radiant Energy | cs5.1C 023/004 UR |
Ultra Rare (gold) | Toyste Beach | 2024 |
| 35 | Blastoise VMAX | Primordial Arts | cs3bC 160/122 HR |
Hyper Rare | 5ban Graphics | 2023 |
| 36 | Radiant Eevee | Gallant Galaxy | cs3aC 092/127 K |
Radiant (K) | Sanosuke Sakuma | 2024 |
| 37 | Venusaur VMAX | Primordial Arts | cs3aC 161/125 HR |
Hyper Rare | aky CG Works | 2023 |
| 38 | Radiant Blastoise | Overshadowed Radiance | cs5.5C 015/066 K |
Radiant (K) | Shin Nagasawa | 2024 |
| 39 | Radiant Venusaur | Gallant Galaxy | cs5bC 004/128 K |
Radiant (K) | Kouki Saitou | 2024 |
| 40 | Brock’s Scouting | Chasing Glory Together | csv10C 276/222 SAR |
Special Art Rare | Atsushi Furusawa | 2026 |
| 41 | Sylveon ex | Grand Terastal Gathering | csv9.5C 234/208 SAR |
Special Art Rare | rika | 2026 |
| 42 | Applin | Gem Pack Vol.6 | CBB6C 19 07/07 |
Illustration Rare | Jiro Sasumo | 2026 |
The list is weighted heavily toward one product line. Gem Pack volumes account for 19 of the 42 — Vol. 1 gives four, Vol. 2 four, Vol. 3 five, Vol. 5 four, and Vol. 4 and Vol. 6 one each so far. The volume-by-volume guide covers what is inside each of those six sets. Collect 151 contributes four, and the remaining 19 cards are spread across 14 other set lines.
How the number has grown
The most useful thing about this list is not the total — it is the shape of the growth. Simplified Chinese product began in mainland China in 2022, and exclusive artwork did not start arriving in volume until the format matured.
| Year | New exclusive cards | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | 4 | 6 |
| 2025 | 26 | 32 |
| 2026 | 10 | 42 |
Two cards in 2023, four in 2024, then twenty-six in 2025 alone. That jump is the whole story of Chinese-exclusive collecting: the product line went from occasional commissioned art to a steady schedule of it, and Gem Pack — the all-foil mini set that launched in 2025 — carried most of that volume. Two thirds of the cards on this list were released in the last two years.
It also means the list has a short history. There is no long back catalogue of Chinese-exclusive artwork to chase, because the category barely existed before 2025.
What the cards have in common
Split the 42 by the rarity printed on the card and the pattern is clear: this is overwhelmingly an illustration-driven list, not a power-level one.
| Rarity | Cards |
|---|---|
| Illustration Rare | 23 |
| Special Art Rare | 9 |
| Ultra Rare (gold) | 4 |
| Radiant (K) | 3 |
| Hyper Rare | 2 |
| Promo | 1 |
| Total | 42 |
Illustration Rares and Special Art Rares together account for 32 of the 42 cards, and both rarities exist because of the artwork rather than the card’s strength in play. Only six entries are gold or Hyper Rare treatments, and exactly one is a promo. That distribution is why the list reads more like an illustrator portfolio than a competitive card list: 33 different illustrators are credited across 42 cards, and the cards are grouped by who drew them at least as often as by which set they came from.
The four gold Ultra Rares are worth separating out, because they look different and are priced by a different mechanism. Gholdengo ex from Reward Round, Defiance Band from Dark Crystal Blaze, Pal Pad from True Mystery and Battle VIP Pass from Radiant Energy are all Ultra Rare (gold) treatments — three Trainer cards and one Pokémon ex, which is the opposite of how the rest of the list is built. What gold UR means on a Chinese card breaks the four of them down.
Why the total will change
Three things move the number, and only one of them is under anyone’s control.
New sets add new commissions. Every Simplified Chinese release that carries commissioned artwork adds to the list, and Gem Pack alone has added two new volumes in 2026. This is the main driver and it is not slowing down.
Promos and event cards are irregular. The Mew ex lottery promo on this list is the clearest example: 1,510 copies, distributed through a membership lottery rather than sold in a shop. Cards like that appear on their own schedule and cannot be anticipated by counting set releases.
The list can lose entries. If an illustration that was exclusive gets printed in another language later, it stops being exclusive and comes off the list. That has not happened to any card here as of September 2026, but the test is applied continuously rather than once.
Using the list
Two uses, and they pull in opposite directions. If you are collecting an artist, the list is the only place the full set of a commissioned illustrator’s Chinese work sits together — HYOGONOSUKE drew all four connected panels in Gem Pack Vol. 2, and Oswaldo KATO drew all four Collect 151 Pikachu Art Rares, so both names appear four times here by design rather than by coincidence.
If you are deciding what to buy, the practical signal is the code rather than the name. Two cards can share a Pokémon and differ entirely in what they are worth, because one is a commissioned exclusive and the other is a printing of an illustration that exists in five languages. Every card on this list carries a code you can check, and every card links to its own listing.
Everything here is in our Chinese Exclusive catalogue as a PSA 10 (Gem Mint) graded copy. If a card you want is not showing, send us a sourcing request with the set and the printed code — CBB3C 02 07/07 is enough to identify Meowth unambiguously — and we will confirm a price and a lead time before you pay anything.
Frequently asked questions
How many Simplified Chinese-exclusive Pokémon cards are there?
Our catalogue documents 42 as of September 2026, spanning 20 set lines from 2023 to 2026. It is a documented count rather than a closed official checklist: the number rose from 2 cards in 2023 to 4 in 2024, then 26 in 2025 and 10 more in 2026, and new Simplified Chinese releases continue to add exclusive artwork.
What is the difference between a Chinese card and a Chinese-exclusive card?
The exclusivity of the illustration, not the language. A Chinese-exclusive card is one whose artwork has never been released in any other language. A card labelled simply Chinese is printed in Simplified Chinese but carries an illustration that also shipped in Japanese, English or another language — so it is a different printing of the same card rather than a card that exists only once. Only the first kind appears on this list.
Which Simplified Chinese set has the most exclusive cards?
Gem Pack. Across the six volumes released so far, Gem Pack accounts for 19 of the 42 cards on our list — more than the next three set lines combined. Gem Pack Vol. 3 alone contributes five exclusive illustration rares. Collect 151 follows with four, all of them Pikachu Art Rares drawn by Oswaldo KATO.
Are all the cards on the list Illustration Rares?
No, but they dominate. 23 of the 42 are Illustration Rares and 9 are Special Art Rares, so 32 of 42 come from those two artwork-driven rarities. The remaining ten split into four Ultra Rare (gold) cards, three Radiant cards, two Hyper Rares and one promo.
Can the list get shorter?
Yes. A card comes off the list if its illustration is later printed in another language, which would make it a Chinese printing rather than a Chinese exclusive. No card on the current list has lost exclusivity as of September 2026, but the test is applied continuously rather than once.
Sources
Sources and further reading
- Red Cat Collectibles — Pokémon Gem Pack Vol. 2 Guide: Simplified Chinese Card List. CBB2C checklist and the treatment-based numbering used to identify Gem Pack cards. redcatcollectibles.com
- Red Cat Collectibles — Pokémon Gem Pack Vol. 3 Guide: Simplified Chinese Card List. CBB3C card identifiers and the five exclusive three-star cards. redcatcollectibles.com
- Collector Station — Top 15 Chinese Exclusive Pokémon Cards. Independent cross-reference for the exclusive artworks. collectorstation.com
- Kabuto Cards — Top 5 Chinese-exclusive Pokémon Cards You Might Not Know About. Distributor-side overview of the category. kabutocards.co.uk
- Bulbapedia — Pikachu (151 25). Collect 151 numbering, including 170/151 Journey, 171/151 Hope, 172/151 Surprise and 173/151 Gathering. bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net
- Elite Fourum — Raging Surf Sealed Battle Tournament Promos. Documents Victini ex 114/SV-P running in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Korean — a card excluded from this list. elitefourum.com
- Pokémon TCG S-Chinese Collection — Mew ex promo 003/SV-P, limited to 1,510. The documented print run and lottery distribution. pokemoncard.com.cn
Card names, set membership, printed codes, rarities and illustrator credits in this guide are taken from our own catalogue and the sources above. The count of 42 reflects the Chinese-exclusive cards we currently source and grade as of September 2026 — it is a documented list rather than an official or closed checklist. No price in this guide is a forecast.