Look, if you’ve been hanging around the hobby lately, you’ve probably noticed something weird. Everyone is obsessed with Charizard. It’s always "Zard this" and "Zard that." But honestly? The real heart of the TCG—at least for those of us who grew up watching the anime on Saturday mornings—is Ash's Pikachu Pokemon card.
It’s not just one card, though. That’s the first mistake people make. They think there’s some "Ultimate Ash's Pikachu" tucked away in a vault. In reality, it’s a sprawling, slightly messy family of promotional releases that spans across decades of the game's history.
Some are worth five bucks. Others? Well, if you have the right Japanese exclusive, you’re looking at a car payment. Maybe two.
The "I Choose You" Promo Mess
Back in 2017, the Pokemon Company decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie franchise. They released Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You!, which was basically a soft reboot of Ash and Pikachu’s origin story. To celebrate, they dropped a series of "Ash Hat" Pikachu cards.
This is where things get confusing for casual collectors.
There wasn't just one hat. There were six. In Japan, these were given out via the "Ash's Pikachu GET Campaign." If you bought five booster packs, you got a special pack containing one of six cards. Each card featured Pikachu wearing one of the hats Ash wore across different regions: Kanto/Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola.
Later, a seventh version appeared—the "Partner Cap" Pikachu—which featured the specific hat from the 20th movie.
In the West, these were distributed mostly as SM Black Star Promos (specifically SM108 through SM114). If you went to the cinema to see the movie on November 5 or 6, 2017, you likely walked out with the SM108 promo. It’s a cool card, featuring Pikachu with the Rainbow Wing in the background, but because so many were printed, it’s not exactly the "Holy Grail."
You can usually find a near-mint copy of SM108 for about $15 to $30 today. It’s a great entry point, but it’s not the one that makes high-stakes collectors sweat.
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Why the Japanese Ash's Pikachu GX is a Different Beast
If you want the "Heavy Hitter" of this niche, you have to look toward Japan. Specifically, the Ash vs. Team Rocket Deck Kit released in April 2017.
This kit included a card that never officially made it to an English set: Ash's Pikachu GX (005/026).
Unlike the cute promo cards from the movie, this was a legitimate "GX" card with 170 HP and a "Thunderbolt-GX" attack that dealt 200 damage. It feels powerful. The art style is also distinct, looking much more like the modern Sun & Moon anime style than the classic TCG art.
Because it was exclusive to a specific Japanese deck kit, the supply is naturally lower than the movie promos. A PSA 10 copy of this card can easily fetch north of $130, and it's becoming increasingly hard to find in "raw" (ungraded) mint condition because the card stock used in those Japanese kits was notoriously prone to edge wear.
The VMAX Mystery and the "Fan Art" Trap
If you search for "Ash's Pikachu VMAX" on eBay, you are going to see a lot of shiny, rainbow-colored cards with 5,000,000 HP.
Avoid these. Seriously. There is no official "Ash's Pikachu VMAX" card that looks like the ones with Ash standing behind a giant Pikachu. Those are "custom" or "fan art" cards. They look cool on a shelf, sure, but they have zero value in the actual collecting market. They aren't real.
The closest thing we have to an official "Ash and Pikachu" VMAX is the Pikachu VMAX (TG17/TG30) from the Lost Origin: Trainer Gallery. It shows Red (the game version of Ash) standing behind the G-Max Pikachu. While it’s technically "Red's Pikachu," many fans treat it as the spiritual successor to the Ash cards. It’s a stunning card, currently sitting around $40-$50 for a raw copy, and it’s a must-have for anyone chasing that "Trainer and Pokemon" bond vibe.
Identifying the Real Winners
So, how do you know if you're looking at a valuable Ash's Pikachu Pokemon card or just another piece of bulk? You’ve gotta check the set symbol and the hat.
- The Stamps: Look for the "20th Movie" stamp on the artwork. Some Japanese versions have a specific logo that differentiates them from the standard promos.
- The Hat Style: The "Original Cap" (the Kanto hat with the 'C' logo) is almost always the most popular among nostalgic collectors.
- Condition is King: Because these were often handed out in clear plastic "cellophane" wrappers at theaters, many have a "print line" or a small dent where the wrapper was sealed. A copy without that "seal dent" is significantly more valuable.
Practical Steps for Collectors
If you're actually looking to buy one of these, don't just grab the first thing you see on a marketplace.
First, decide if you want the English SM Promos or the Japanese versions. The Japanese cards generally have better holo foil quality and "silver" borders which many people think look cleaner.
Second, if you’re buying a "Sealed" movie promo pack, be careful. Sometimes the card inside can shift and get damaged by the seal. It’s often safer (and cheaper) to buy a card that has already been professionally graded by PSA or CGC. This guarantees the condition and proves it’s not one of those "fan art" fakes.
Lastly, keep an eye on the World Championship cards. While not strictly "Ash's Pikachu," cards that feature Pikachu in various international costumes often follow the same price trends as the Ash-hat versions.
Basically, if you want a piece of Pokemon history that actually means something, skip the generic Pikachu cards. Go for the ones with the hat. It’s a direct link to the story that started it all.
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To get started with a serious collection, focus on acquiring the SM108 (Partner Cap) first to get a feel for the set, then move on to hunting a clean Japanese Ash's Pikachu GX. Check recent "sold" listings on eBay rather than "active" ones to see what people are actually paying, as prices for these specific promos can fluctuate wildly based on nothing more than a new YouTube video or a nostalgic Twitter post. Check the corners for whitening under a bright LED light before you commit to a "Near Mint" listing, especially with the Japanese card stock.