Journey Together Chase Cards: Prices & Japanese Prints
A sealed Japanese “Battle Partners” booster box.
Released on March 28, 2025, Journey Together is an expansion set in the Scarlet & Violet series. It brought back Trainer’s Pokémon — trainer-and-partner combinations like N’s Zoroark ex, Lillie’s Clefairy ex, and Iono’s Bellibolt ex — to the modern era, and it contains 190 cards in total.
A year and a half after release, this set’s market looks nothing like it did at launch, and US and Japanese selling prices now differ card by card. Beyond “which cards are the chase cards,” this is a set where it pays to check both the US and Japanese price for each individual card.
This article ranks the Journey Together chase cards with current prices, then digs into how the set maps to its Japanese counterpart “Battle Partners” — and when it makes sense to buy which version. Prices are a snapshot taken September 28–29, 2026. Markets move, so check current listings before buying.
The Stars of the Set: Trainer’s Pokémon
One thing to know before we get to the rankings. The headline feature of Journey Together is its Trainer’s Pokémon — Pokémon ex cards bearing a trainer’s name, like N’s Zoroark ex, Lillie’s Clefairy ex, Iono’s Bellibolt ex, and Hop’s Zacian ex. The mechanic of putting a trainer and their partner Pokémon on a single card existed in earlier eras, and Journey Together revived it for the modern series.
Most of the top chase cards in this set belong to the Trainer’s Pokémon lineup — and as we’ll see below, the way US and Japanese prices diverge is also decided card by card.
Top Chase Cards at a Glance
| Rank | Card | Number | Rarity | US price (USD) | Japanese print price (JPY) |
| 1 | Lillie’s Clefairy ex | #184 | SIR | $95.88 | ¥23,800 (SAR 126/100) |
| 2 | Salamence ex | #187 | SIR | $53.57 | ¥5,280 (SAR 129/100) |
| 3 | N’s Zoroark ex | #185 | SIR | $42.30 | ¥7,980 (SAR 127/100) |
| 4 | Iono’s Bellibolt ex | #183 | SIR | $34.88 | ¥10,800 (SAR 125/100) |
| 5 | Hop’s Zacian ex | #186 | SIR | $28.60 | ¥3,280 (SAR 128/100) |
| 6 | Volcanion ex | #182 | SIR | $17.36 | ¥2,380 (SAR 124/100) |
| 7 | Articuno | #161 | IR | $16.76 | ¥1,580 (AR 102/100 — JP name: フリーザー)※ |
| 8 | N’s Reshiram | #167 | IR | $15.37 | ¥1,980 (AR 109/100) |
| 9 | N’s Zoroark ex | #189 | HR | $13.25 | ¥2,980 (UR 131/100) |
| 10 | Wailord | #162 | IR | $12.67 | ¥580 (AR 103/100 — JP name: ホエルオー)※ |
※ These cards are listed under their Japanese names on Japanese marketplaces. Prices as of September 28–29, 2026. US prices from The Hobby Bin; Japanese prices are selling prices at Japanese card shops. Japanese rarity labels differ from the English ones (explained below).
Top Chase Cards Ranked
1. Lillie’s Clefairy ex SIR (#184) — Lillie Is Still the Face of the Set
A Japanese リーリエのピッピex SAR (Battle Partners print) listing.
This is currently the set’s top card. This SIR shows Lillie and Clefairy surrounded by plush toys in a soft, storybook style, and it was the set’s poster card even before release. The Japanese SAR print is also the most expensive Japanese card in the set — on both sides of the market, this card is the face of Journey Together.
2. Salamence ex SIR (#187) — The Top Card Without a Trainer’s Name
The Japanese ボーマンダex SAR 129/100.
A widescreen SIR of Salamence soaring through an evening sky — the leading chase card among those without a trainer’s name.
3. N’s Zoroark ex SIR (#185) — The Card on the Box
The Japanese Nのゾロアークex SAR 127/100.
The SIR of N and Zoroark together — the pairing that fronts the set’s packaging.
4. Iono’s Bellibolt ex SIR (#183)
Iono’s Bellibolt ex SAR 125/100 (Battle Partners print) — don’t confuse it with the MEGA Dream ex print (236/193).
Iono and Bellibolt. One caution when hunting the Japanese print: a different SAR of Iono’s Bellibolt ex (236/193) also exists in MEGA Dream ex, and marketplace listings mix the two. Check for card number 125/100 to get the Battle Partners print.
5. Hop’s Zacian ex SIR (#186) — Don’t Confuse It with the Plain Zacian ex
The Japanese ホップのザシアンex SAR 128/100.
Hop and Zacian — a card aimed straight at the Sword & Shield generation. As covered below, a separate plain “Zacian ex” was cut from the English set, and the similar names invite mix-ups. Keep them straight.
6. Volcanion ex SIR (#182)
The Japanese ボルケニオンex SAR 124/100.
Volcanion’s SIR, the lowest-priced card in the SIR tier.
7–10. The IR and HR Tier
Articuno’s Japanese print: フリーザー AR 102/100 — the IR tier is labeled AR in Japan.
From #7 down, the list shifts to IRs and HRs: the Articuno, N’s Reshiram, and Wailord illustration rares, plus the gold-finish HR N’s Zoroark ex. Further down the price ladder, “supporting cast” cards like Lillie’s Ribombee and Hop’s Wooloo sell for a few dollars each — so you can collect your favorite trainer vertically, from SIR all the way down to illustration rares. It’s a collection style that fits this Trainer’s Pokémon–centric set especially well.
In numbers: 8 of the Top 10 are under $50.
Journey Together vs Battle Partners: What Matches and What Doesn’t
A sealed Japanese “Battle Partners” booster box (shrink-wrapped).
The Japanese counterpart to Journey Together is “Battle Partners” (SV9), released January 24, 2025 — a 100-card main set plus secret rares, out about two months before the English set.
But Journey Together is not simply Battle Partners in English. There are four differences worth knowing.
A. Most Cards Are in Battle Partners — Watch the Rarity Labels
Every major chase card has a Japanese print in Battle Partners. What needs attention is the rarity naming.
| English set | Japanese set |
| SIR (Special Illustration Rare) | SAR |
| UR (Ultra Rare / full-art ex) | SR |
| IR (Illustration Rare) | AR |
| HR (Hyper Rare / gold finish) | UR |
The confusing one is “UR”: UR in the English set and UR in the Japanese set are different rarities (English UR = Japanese SR, and English HR = Japanese UR). When searching Japanese marketplaces, use the Japanese labels — for example, “リーリエのピッピex SAR” (Lillie’s Clefairy ex SAR).
B. It’s Actually “Battle Partners Plus” — a Merged Set
Journey Together’s card list doesn’t come from Battle Partners alone. It also folds in cards from the Japanese “Start Deck Generations” (released November 22, 2024) that hadn’t appeared in English yet. So if you want Japanese equivalents of everything in this set, you’ll need to look beyond Battle Partners. When shopping the Japanese market, start from the premise that Journey Together does not map one-to-one to Battle Partners.
C. Two Cards Cut from the English Set — Zacian ex and Koraidon ex
The reverse also happened: some cards exist on the Japanese side but were dropped from the English main set. Zacian ex and Koraidon ex are not in Journey Together proper — they were moved to the promos bundled with the May 2025 “Slashing Legends Tins”. On the Japanese side, they come from “Start Deck Generations Zacian ex & Alcremie ex” and “Start Deck Generations Koraidon ex & Paldean Clodsire ex” respectively. In other words, you can open Journey Together packs forever and these two will never show up.
The tricky part is how this relates to Hop’s Zacian ex, one of the set’s chase cards. The card that was cut is the plain Zacian ex — Hop’s Zacian ex is in the English set as normal. They’re different cards with similar names, so check for “Hop’s” when reading lists and listings.
D. Six Cards Got a Rarity Upgrade in English Only
Butterfree, Ludicolo, Metagross, Lillie’s Ribombee, Regirock, and Noivern are uncommons in the Japanese set but were promoted to holo rares in the English set. The same card is “plain in Japanese, holo in English” — worth knowing if the look of your collection matters. For these six, buying the Japanese single will not get you the English shine.
Compare Prices Card by Card
Both markets’ selling prices are side by side in the table at the top. USD and JPY can’t be compared directly — convert at the exchange rate at your time of purchase. And make the buy-or-not call card by card, not set by set.
As for sealed boxes: Japanese Battle Partners booster boxes now sell well above MSRP (¥5,400). If you already know which singles you’re after, buying singles beats buying boxes.
Buying Battle Partners Cards from Japan
N’s Zoroark ex SR 117/100 — the “/100” denominator marks the Japanese print.
Search keywords: On Japanese marketplaces and card shop sites, search in Japanese:
- The set: 「バトルパートナーズ」 (Battle Partners), 「SV9」
- Single cards: 「リーリエのピッピex SAR」 (Lillie’s Clefairy ex SAR), 「Nのゾロアークex SAR」 (N’s Zoroark ex SAR), 「ナンジャモのハラバリーex SAR」 (Iono’s Bellibolt ex SAR), and so on
- Gold finish: 「ゾロアークex UR」 (equivalent to the English HR)
Check the card number: Japanese prints have “/100” as the denominator (e.g. 126/100). English cards (/159 numbering) appear in the same searches, so confirm the number in the listing photos.
Older-set caution: Condition varies widely among second-hand singles, and played cards are sometimes listed as “mint”. For expensive cards — especially Lillie’s Clefairy ex SAR — inspect the photos carefully and check the seller’s ratings. We cover how to spot fakes and scams in a separate article.
Where to buy: Japanese singles mostly circulate on marketplace apps like Mercari and in card shops’ online stores. Don’t stop at the cheapest marketplace listing — compare it against shop prices too.
Buying through Neokyo: Most Japanese marketplaces and shop sites don’t ship internationally. With Neokyo’s proxy purchasing service, you can buy those Japanese listings as-is and have them forwarded overseas. Purchases from multiple sellers can be combined into one parcel — a good fit for this set, where the smart play is picking off single cards from different Japanese sellers.
FAQ
Q. Are Journey Together and Battle Partners the same set?
A. Mostly, but not exactly. Journey Together merges Battle Partners with the not-yet-released-in-English cards from “Start Deck Generations” (released November 22, 2024), while Zacian ex and Koraidon ex were cut from the English main set and became tin promos. Six cards also got an English-only rarity upgrade.
Q. What’s the most expensive card?
A. In English, Lillie’s Clefairy ex SIR ($95.88); in Japanese, リーリエのピッピex SAR (¥23,800) — as of September 28–29, 2026.
Q. Are the Japanese prints cheaper?
A. It depends on the card. Take both prices from the table and convert at the exchange rate at your time of purchase.
Q. What are Trainer’s Pokémon?
A. Pokémon ex cards bearing a trainer’s name, like N’s Zoroark ex. The mechanic existed in earlier eras and returned to the modern series with Journey Together — most of this set’s chase cards (Lillie, Iono, Hop, N) belong to it.
Q. Is buying a booster box still worth it?
A. Sealed Japanese Battle Partners boxes trade well above MSRP. If you’re after specific cards, compare box and single prices and consider buying singles.
Summary
- The most expensive Journey Together card is Lillie’s Clefairy ex SIR
- Japanese prints are mostly found in “Battle Partners” — but parts of the set come from other products (2 cut cards, the Start Deck Generations merge, 6 rarity upgrades)
- Search the Japanese market with the Japanese card name + rarity label + card number (/100)
Any Japanese listing you find can be bought as-is through Neokyo’s proxy purchasing service.
