Trading card games in Japan - statistics & facts
Japan is the home of internationally renowned trading card game series, including the "Pokémon Trading Card Game" and "Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG". The Japanese trading card game market crossed the 100 billion Japanese yen mark in 2022 and was the major driver of growth in the domestic toy industry. The stay-home period during the pandemic allowed consumers to rediscover old passions, among which card games were a hobby young parents, who grew up during the boom of collectible card games in the 90s, could share with their children. While video games have long surpassed analog games in Japan, physical trading cards remain highly popular, supported by an estimated collector base of 430 thousand people and giving birth to dedicated card shops, a flourishing secondhand market, and tournaments on national and global levels.
Long-running, traditional series include the "Pokémon Trading Card Game", the best-selling trading card game in Japan, and "Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG", whereas "Magic: The Gathering" is a successful foreign entrant. Modern series like "Cardfight!! Vanguard" and "Weiß Schwarz", published by Bushiroad’s TCG business unit, and "Dragon Ball Super Card Game", have their origin in the 2010s, whereas many more were discontinued after failing to gain a following in a highly competitive market.
The colorful world of Japanese trading cards
Collectible card series spun off from popular media franchises have the largest draw in Japan, with the market sharing a symbiotic relationship with the anime and manga industries. Apart from being collectors items that can also be tied to digital card games, trading cards are a medium for engaging with the respective media franchises. World-building and integrating featured characters into a narrative is a prevalent driver for engagement as well as the strategic game design.Long-running, traditional series include the "Pokémon Trading Card Game", the best-selling trading card game in Japan, and "Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG", whereas "Magic: The Gathering" is a successful foreign entrant. Modern series like "Cardfight!! Vanguard" and "Weiß Schwarz", published by Bushiroad’s TCG business unit, and "Dragon Ball Super Card Game", have their origin in the 2010s, whereas many more were discontinued after failing to gain a following in a highly competitive market.
