{"id":6920,"date":"2026-11-01T06:39:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T06:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/?p=6920"},"modified":"2026-11-04T08:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T08:46:28","slug":"banned-pokemon-cards-and-changed-japanese-artwork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/banned-pokemon-cards-and-changed-japanese-artwork\/","title":{"rendered":"Banned Pok\u00e9mon Cards and Changed Japanese Artwork"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The cards people call “banned Pok\u00e9mon cards” in English are really two different groups. One group is cards ruled out of official tournaments. The other is Japanese cards whose artwork was redrawn for the English release after it caused problems outside Japan. The cards with new artwork were never banned from tournaments, and the tournament-banned cards can still be bought and sold normally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article keeps the two apart. It shows which Japanese printings are the “pre-change” versions, and what they sell for in Japan. If you only want the tournament rules, jump to the “Cards banned from tournaments” section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information in this article is as of October 31, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Card (Japanese \/ English)<\/td>Type<\/td>Which version is affected<\/td><\/tr>
\u30ad\u30e7\u30a6\u79d8\u4f1d\u3001\u5909\u308f\u308a\u8eab\u306e\u8853 \/ Koga’s Ninja Trick<\/td>Artwork changed<\/td>The early Japanese printing (Gym booster 2, Challenge from the Darkness \/ \u95c7\u304b\u3089\u306e\u6311\u6226) has a manji. It was replaced in the English version (Gym Challenge 115\/132) and in the later Japanese printing<\/td><\/tr>
\u30ab\u30b9\u30df\u306e\u306a\u307f\u3060 \/ Misty’s Tears<\/td>Artwork changed<\/td>Different art in the Japanese versions (Hanada City Gym deck, and Gym booster 1, Leaders’ Stadium \/ \u30ea\u30fc\u30c0\u30fc\u30ba\u30b9\u30bf\u30b8\u30a2\u30e0) and in the English version (Gym Challenge 118\/132)<\/td><\/tr>
\u30e2\u30fc\u30e2\u30fc\u30df\u30eb\u30af \/ Moo-Moo Milk<\/td>Artwork changed<\/td>Different art in the Japanese Gold, Silver, to a New World… (\u91d1\u3001\u9280\u3001\u65b0\u4e16\u754c\u3078…) and the English version (Neo Genesis 101\/111). The Japanese reprints in Pok\u00e9mon Card\u2605VS (131\/141) and Card-e (029\/029) use the same art as the English version<\/td><\/tr>
\u30d9\u30c8\u30d9\u30bf\u30fc \/ Grimer<\/td>Artwork changed<\/td>The Japanese version (Team Rocket \/ \u30ed\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u56e3, LV.10, HP40, No.088) and the English version (Team Rocket 57\/82) differ in the direction of the eyes and in the attack effect<\/td><\/tr>
\u30ca\u30c4\u30e1\u306e\u773c \/ Sabrina’s Gaze<\/td>Artwork changed<\/td>Different art in the Japanese versions (Yamabuki City Gym deck, and Gym booster 2, Challenge from the Darkness) and in the English version (Gym Heroes 125\/132)<\/td><\/tr>
\u30eb\u30fc\u30b8\u30e5\u30e9 \/ Jynx<\/td>Artwork changed (color)<\/td>Against the Japanese Expansion Pack (\u62e1\u5f35\u30d1\u30c3\u30af, LV.23, HP70, No.124), the English version (Base Set 31\/102) has a changed face color<\/td><\/tr>
\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u30ea\u30e5\u30fc \/ Flapple<\/td>Banned in tournaments<\/td>Expanded outside Japan (from October 10, 2025), Japanese Extra (from August 1, 2025)<\/td><\/tr>
\u30c1\u30e3\u30fc\u30ec\u30e0V \/ Medicham V<\/td>Banned in tournaments<\/td>Expanded outside Japan (from April 10, 2026), Japanese Extra (from February 20, 2026)<\/td><\/tr>
\u30e0\u30a6\u30de\u30fc\u30b8\uff08SM10\uff09\/ Mismagius, \u30b8\u30e5\u30b8\u30e5\u30d9&\u30cf\u30c1\u30af\u30de\u30f3\uff08SM12a\uff09\/ Bellelba & Brycen-Man<\/td>Banned in tournaments<\/td>Japanese Standard (from September 1, 2020, at the time). Mismagius (SM10) is still unusable in Japanese Extra<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cards with changed artwork<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For all six cards, no official reason for the change of art has been given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koga’s Ninja Trick (\u30ad\u30e7\u30a6\u79d8\u4f1d\u3001\u5909\u308f\u308a\u8eab\u306e\u8853)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Koga’s Ninja Trick (Challenge from the Darkness): the early printing with the manji<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a Trainer card from Gym booster 2, Challenge from the Darkness (\u95c7\u304b\u3089\u306e\u6311\u6226), released June 25, 1999. There is a manji (\u534d) at the upper right of Ditto. Seen mirrored, it can look like the Nazi swastika, which caused problems in the United States. The Associated Press reported on December 3, 1999 that Nintendo of America would stop handling the card. That concerned imported Japanese copies; the card was not recalled inside Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the English version (Gym Challenge 115\/132) the manji was replaced with a different mark, and there is also a “corrected” later Japanese printing. Japanese listings separate the “manji version” and the “corrected version”. If the mark at the upper right of Ditto is a manji, it is a pre-change print.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A manji version was listed by a store at a current price of 8,650 yen (condition rank D, Buy It Now 9,600 yen), and a corrected version at a store Buy It Now price of 11,080 yen. The condition and the listing format differ, so this does not read as a price gap between the two versions. PSA 10 (graded) listings do not say whether the manji is there, so the printing cannot be told apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misty’s Tears (\u30ab\u30b9\u30df\u306e\u306a\u307f\u3060)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Misty’s Tears (Leaders’ Stadium)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The card is in the Gym deck Hanada City Gym \u2013 Misty (\u30cf\u30ca\u30c0\u30b7\u30c6\u30a3\u30b8\u30e0 \u30ab\u30b9\u30df) and in Gym booster 1, Leaders’ Stadium (\u30ea\u30fc\u30c0\u30fc\u30ba\u30b9\u30bf\u30b8\u30a2\u30e0), released October 24, 1998. The Japanese version shows the silhouette of a crying Misty. The English version (Gym Challenge 118\/132) is different art, with Squirtle stopping Misty’s tears. Outside Japan, the silhouette is reported to have been read as a nude figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Japanese versions use the silhouette art. The one with no rarity mark is the Hanada City Gym deck version, and the one with a mark is the Leaders’ Stadium version; that is what “with mark \/ without mark” in listing titles means. The Leaders’ Stadium version with the mark was listed by a store at a current price of 10,890 yen (condition C).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moo-Moo Milk (\u30e2\u30fc\u30e2\u30fc\u30df\u30eb\u30af)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Moo-Moo Milk (Gold, Silver, to a New World…)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It first appeared in Gold, Silver, to a New World… (\u91d1\u3001\u9280\u3001\u65b0\u4e16\u754c\u3078…), released February 4, 2000, with art of a Sentret drinking from a cow-patterned container held by a person. The English version (Neo Genesis 101\/111) is different art, showing milk cans lined up in a barn with a Cleffa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch out for one thing: some Japanese reprints also use the same milk-can art as the English version. Those are the version in Pok\u00e9mon Card\u2605VS (released July 19, 2001, 131\/141) and the Card-e version (029\/029). To look for the pre-change art, choose an old-back copy from Gold, Silver, to a New World… \u2014 old-back cards have the older design on the reverse. The VS version also has a different back, and the number 131\/141 tells it apart. A private listing that clearly stated \u300c\u91d1 \u9280\u65b0\u4e16\u754c\u3078\u300d (Kin Gin Shin-sekai e) had a current price of 950 yen, the most affordable of the six cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grimer (\u30d9\u30c8\u30d9\u30bf\u30fc, Team Rocket)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Grimer LV.10 (Team Rocket)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is “Grimer LV.10” from the fourth Japanese expansion, Team Rocket (\u30ed\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u56e3), released November 21, 1997, with HP40 and card number No.088. In the Japanese version the eyes look upward, while in the English version (Team Rocket 57\/82) the position of the pupils was changed. Some are reported to have read the art as Grimer peeking up the skirt of the girl behind it, but the illustrator himself has denied this. In the English version, the effect of the attack Poison Gas (\u3069\u304f\u30ac\u30b9) also changed from poison to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No.088 is the Pok\u00e9dex number, so the number alone does not identify the card. Check whether all of the following match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n