{
  "url": "https://www.moonstonehq.com/articles/banned-pokemon-card-art",
  "slug": "banned-pokemon-card-art",
  "title": "Banned Pokémon Card Art: What Censorship Cost",
  "summary": "Twelve Pokémon cards were redrawn or withheld for the English release. Across 605 matched English and Japanese pairs, the five widest gaps are all art cases.",
  "section": "Quant research",
  "published": "2026-09-23",
  "readMinutes": 10,
  "publisher": "moonstone",
  "findings": [
    {
      "value": "605",
      "measures": "name-matched English and Japanese pairs",
      "basis": "seven Wizards-era expansions, asks on September 23, 2026"
    },
    {
      "value": "1.04x",
      "measures": "median Japanese ask against the English ask",
      "basis": "the whole panel"
    },
    {
      "value": "5 of 5",
      "measures": "of the largest ratios are documented art changes",
      "basis": "ranks 1 to 5 of 605"
    },
    {
      "value": "2 of 12",
      "measures": "of the English cards carry a recorded PSA 10 sale",
      "basis": "against 8 of 12 on the Japanese side"
    }
  ],
  "tables": [
    {
      "title": "Every documented English artwork change, with the page that documents it",
      "columns": [
        "Card",
        "English printing",
        "What changed",
        "Japanese printing",
        "Source"
      ],
      "rows": [
        {
          "Card": "[Grimer](/card/base5-57)",
          "English printing": "[Team Rocket](/set/team%20rocket) 57/82",
          "What changed": "Pupils repositioned; the Japanese art reads as Grimer looking up a Lass's skirt, which the illustrator has denied",
          "Japanese printing": "[Rocket Gang](/card/jat-575724)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Grimer_(Team_Rocket_57))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Koga's Ninja Trick](/card/gym2-115)",
          "English printing": "[Gym Challenge](/set/gym%20challenge) 115/132",
          "What changed": "The manji symbol removed and replaced",
          "Japanese printing": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575379)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Koga%27s_Ninja_Trick_(Gym_Challenge_115))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Moo-Moo Milk](/card/neo1-101)",
          "English printing": "[Neo Genesis](/set/neo%20genesis) 101/111",
          "What changed": "Bulbapedia: a Japanese illustration of a Sentret suckling on a cow-like udder, replaced with different artwork by the same artist",
          "Japanese printing": "[Moomoo Milk](/card/jat-575794)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Moo-Moo_Milk_(Neo_Genesis_101))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Sabrina's Gaze](/card/gym1-125)",
          "English printing": "[Gym Heroes](/set/gym%20heroes) 125/132",
          "What changed": "The hand gesture redrawn; Bulbapedia says the Japanese art can be interpreted as Sabrina giving the viewer the finger, and notes separately that the English card has her holding a Master Ball",
          "Japanese printing": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575320)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sabrina%27s_Gaze_(Gym_Heroes_125))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Jynx](/card/base1-31)",
          "English printing": "[Base Set](/set/base%20set) 31/102",
          "What changed": "Face recoloured from black to purple, lightened again on the [Base Set 2 printing](/card/base4-45)",
          "Japanese printing": "[Expansion Pack](/card/jat-575643)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Jynx_(Base_Set_31))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Card-Flip Game](/card/neo1-92)",
          "English printing": "[Neo Genesis](/set/neo%20genesis) 92/111",
          "What changed": "The Game Corner casino layout replaced by the game itself",
          "Japanese printing": "[Gold, Silver, to a New World](/card/jat-575848)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Card-Flip_Game_(Neo_Genesis_92))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Ruin Wall](/card/neo2-74)",
          "English printing": "[Neo Discovery](/set/neo%20discovery) 74/75",
          "What changed": "Japan printed two versions; only the [Kabuto](/card/jat-575445) one reached English, not the [Aerodactyl](/card/jat-575446) one",
          "Japanese printing": "[Crossing the Ruins](/card/jat-575445)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ruin_Wall_(Neo_Discovery_74))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Sabrina's Jynx](/card/gym2-57)",
          "English printing": "[Gym Challenge](/set/gym%20challenge) 57/132 and [Gym Heroes 59/132](/card/gym1-59)",
          "What changed": "Face recoloured from black to purple",
          "Japanese printing": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575389)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sabrina%27s_Jynx_(Gym_Challenge_57))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Misty's Tears](/card/gym2-118)",
          "English printing": "[Gym Challenge](/set/gym%20challenge) 118/132",
          "What changed": "Redrawn; Bulbapedia calls the Japanese art a silhouette of Misty that appears to make her look naked, and does not describe the English replacement",
          "Japanese printing": "[Leaders' Stadium](/card/jat-576829)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Misty%27s_Tears_(Gym_Challenge_118))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Arcade Game](/card/neo1-83)",
          "English printing": "[Neo Genesis](/set/neo%20genesis) 83/111",
          "What changed": "The Game Corner casino layout replaced by the arcade machine; the Japanese name is Slot Game",
          "Japanese printing": "[Gold, Silver, to a New World](/card/jat-575828)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Arcade_Game_(Neo_Genesis_83))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Sabrina's Gengar](/card/gym1-14)",
          "English printing": "[Gym Heroes](/set/gym%20heroes) 14/132 and [Gym Challenge 29/132](/card/gym2-29)",
          "What changed": "The graveyard background with crosses removed",
          "Japanese printing": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575343)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sabrina%27s_Gengar_(Gym_Heroes_14))"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Magmortar](/card/bw6-21)",
          "English printing": "[Dragons Exalted](/set/dragons%20exalted) 21/124",
          "What changed": "The cannon pointed at the viewer redrawn; the only case outside the Wizards era",
          "Japanese printing": "[BW5 Dragon Blade](/card/jat-601537)",
          "Source": "[Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Magmortar_(Dragons_Exalted_21))"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Japanese ask divided by English ask, 605 matched pairs, September 23, 2026",
      "columns": [
        "Percentile",
        "Japanese ask / English ask"
      ],
      "rows": [
        {
          "Percentile": "10th",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "0.39x"
        },
        {
          "Percentile": "25th",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "0.59x"
        },
        {
          "Percentile": "Median",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "1.04x"
        },
        {
          "Percentile": "75th",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "1.74x"
        },
        {
          "Percentile": "90th",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "2.60x"
        },
        {
          "Percentile": "95th",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "3.74x"
        },
        {
          "Percentile": "99th",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "9.08x"
        },
        {
          "Percentile": "Largest",
          "Japanese ask / English ask": "51.22x"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Median Japanese-to-English ask ratio by block",
      "columns": [
        "English block",
        "Pairs",
        "Median ratio"
      ],
      "rows": [
        {
          "English block": "[Neo Discovery](/set/neo%20discovery)",
          "Pairs": "54",
          "Median ratio": "1.83x"
        },
        {
          "English block": "[Fossil](/set/fossil)",
          "Pairs": "47",
          "Median ratio": "1.77x"
        },
        {
          "English block": "[Jungle](/set/jungle)",
          "Pairs": "48",
          "Median ratio": "1.76x"
        },
        {
          "English block": "[Team Rocket](/set/team%20rocket)",
          "Pairs": "65",
          "Median ratio": "1.29x"
        },
        {
          "English block": "[Base Set](/set/base%20set)",
          "Pairs": "101",
          "Median ratio": "1.09x"
        },
        {
          "English block": "[Neo Genesis](/set/neo%20genesis)",
          "Pairs": "96",
          "Median ratio": "0.83x"
        },
        {
          "English block": "[Gym Heroes](/set/gym%20heroes) and [Gym Challenge](/set/gym%20challenge)",
          "Pairs": "194",
          "Median ratio": "0.63x"
        },
        {
          "English block": "All seven",
          "Pairs": "605",
          "Median ratio": "1.04x"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "The fourteen largest Japanese-to-English ask ratios",
      "columns": [
        "#",
        "English card",
        "English ask",
        "Japanese printing quoted",
        "Japanese ask",
        "Ratio",
        "Art change?"
      ],
      "rows": [
        {
          "#": "1",
          "English card": "[Grimer](/card/base5-57), [Team Rocket](/set/team%20rocket) 57",
          "English ask": "$0.94",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Rocket Gang](/card/jat-575724)",
          "Japanese ask": "$48.15",
          "Ratio": "51.22x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, redrawn"
        },
        {
          "#": "2",
          "English card": "[Koga's Ninja Trick](/card/gym2-115), [Gym Challenge](/set/gym%20challenge) 115",
          "English ask": "$3.01",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575379)",
          "Japanese ask": "$112.03",
          "Ratio": "37.22x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, redrawn"
        },
        {
          "#": "3",
          "English card": "[Moo-Moo Milk](/card/neo1-101), [Neo Genesis](/set/neo%20genesis) 101",
          "English ask": "$0.96",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Gold, Silver, to a New World](/card/jat-575794)",
          "Japanese ask": "$27.32",
          "Ratio": "28.46x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, redrawn"
        },
        {
          "#": "4",
          "English card": "[Sabrina's Gaze](/card/gym1-125), [Gym Heroes](/set/gym%20heroes) 125",
          "English ask": "$1.41",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[City Gym Decks](/card/jat-614838)",
          "Japanese ask": "$33.76",
          "Ratio": "23.94x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, redrawn"
        },
        {
          "#": "5",
          "English card": "[Jynx](/card/base1-31), [Base Set](/set/base%20set) 31",
          "English ask": "$1.03",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Expansion Pack No Rarity](/card/jat-577070)",
          "Japanese ask": "$15.00",
          "Ratio": "14.56x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, recoloured"
        },
        {
          "#": "6",
          "English card": "[Butterfree](/card/neo2-19), [Neo Discovery](/set/neo%20discovery) 19",
          "English ask": "$3.93",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Crossing the Ruins](/card/jat-575415)",
          "Japanese ask": "$49.14",
          "Ratio": "12.50x",
          "Art change?": "No, rarity mismatch"
        },
        {
          "#": "7",
          "English card": "[Card-Flip Game](/card/neo1-92), [Neo Genesis](/set/neo%20genesis) 92",
          "English ask": "$1.72",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Gold, Silver, to a New World](/card/jat-575848)",
          "Japanese ask": "$15.61",
          "Ratio": "9.08x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, redrawn"
        },
        {
          "#": "8",
          "English card": "[Here Comes Team Rocket!](/card/base5-71), [Team Rocket](/set/team%20rocket) 71",
          "English ask": "$9.87",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Rocket Gang](/card/jat-575757)",
          "Japanese ask": "$68.75",
          "Ratio": "6.97x",
          "Art change?": "No, rarity mismatch"
        },
        {
          "#": "9",
          "English card": "[Ruin Wall](/card/neo2-74), [Neo Discovery](/set/neo%20discovery) 74",
          "English ask": "$0.53",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Crossing the Ruins, Kabuto](/card/jat-575445)",
          "Japanese ask": "$3.42",
          "Ratio": "6.45x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, variant withheld"
        },
        {
          "#": "10",
          "English card": "[Gengar](/card/base3-20), [Fossil](/set/fossil) 20",
          "English ask": "$40.69",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Mystery of the Fossils](/card/jat-575683)",
          "Japanese ask": "$240.52",
          "Ratio": "5.91x",
          "Art change?": "No, rarity mismatch"
        },
        {
          "#": "11",
          "English card": "[Super Energy Removal](/card/base1-79), [Base Set](/set/base%20set) 79",
          "English ask": "$3.30",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Expansion Pack](/card/jat-575632)",
          "Japanese ask": "$19.25",
          "Ratio": "5.83x",
          "Art change?": "No"
        },
        {
          "#": "12",
          "English card": "[Energy Ark](/card/neo2-75), [Neo Discovery](/set/neo%20discovery) 75",
          "English ask": "$0.39",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Crossing the Ruins](/card/jat-575398)",
          "Japanese ask": "$2.25",
          "Ratio": "5.77x",
          "Art change?": "No"
        },
        {
          "#": "13",
          "English card": "[Sabrina's Jynx](/card/gym2-57), [Gym Challenge](/set/gym%20challenge) 57",
          "English ask": "$2.72",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[City Gym Decks](/card/jat-614842)",
          "Japanese ask": "$15.66",
          "Ratio": "5.76x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, recoloured"
        },
        {
          "#": "14",
          "English card": "[Misty's Tears](/card/gym2-118), [Gym Challenge](/set/gym%20challenge) 118",
          "English ask": "$21.21",
          "Japanese printing quoted": "[Leaders' Stadium](/card/jat-576829)",
          "Japanese ask": "$119.73",
          "Ratio": "5.64x",
          "Art change?": "Yes, redrawn"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "PSA sold medians and verified sale counts, latest reading per card and grade",
      "columns": [
        "Card",
        "English PSA 10",
        "English PSA 9",
        "Japanese printing",
        "Japanese PSA 10",
        "Japanese PSA 9"
      ],
      "rows": [
        {
          "Card": "[Grimer](/card/base5-57)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "$46.22 on 24",
          "Japanese printing": "[Rocket Gang](/card/jat-575724)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$1,206.00 on 25",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "$175.25 on 54"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Koga's Ninja Trick](/card/gym2-115)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "$19.50 on 7",
          "Japanese printing": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575379)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$399.00 on 7",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "not recorded"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Moo-Moo Milk](/card/neo1-101)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "$52.38 on 6",
          "Japanese printing": "[Gold, Silver, to a New World](/card/jat-575794)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "not recorded"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Sabrina's Gaze](/card/gym1-125)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "$24.65 on 10",
          "Japanese printing": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575320)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$329.35 on 5",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "$91.50 on 7"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Jynx](/card/base1-31)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "not recorded",
          "Japanese printing": "[Expansion Pack](/card/jat-575643)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$127.46 on 9",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "$96.25 on 5"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Card-Flip Game](/card/neo1-92)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "not recorded",
          "Japanese printing": "[Gold, Silver, to a New World](/card/jat-575848)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "not recorded"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Ruin Wall](/card/neo2-74)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "not recorded",
          "Japanese printing": "[Crossing the Ruins, Kabuto](/card/jat-575445)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "not recorded"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Sabrina's Jynx](/card/gym2-57)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "$90.74 on 4",
          "Japanese printing": "[City Gym Decks](/card/jat-614842)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$221.25 on 32",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "$110.49 on 16"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Misty's Tears](/card/gym2-118)",
          "English PSA 10": "$1,047.89 on 3",
          "English PSA 9": "$70.00 on 15",
          "Japanese printing": "[Leaders' Stadium](/card/jat-576829)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$1,649.99 on 4",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "$216.50 on 19"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Arcade Game](/card/neo1-83)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "$89.77 on 3",
          "Japanese printing": "[Gold, Silver, to a New World](/card/jat-575828)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "not recorded"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Sabrina's Gengar](/card/gym2-29)",
          "English PSA 10": "$3,612.50 on 6",
          "English PSA 9": "$473.50 on 26",
          "Japanese printing": "[Challenge from the Darkness](/card/jat-575343)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$7,316.48 on 26",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "$1,547.25 on 77"
        },
        {
          "Card": "[Magmortar](/card/bw6-21)",
          "English PSA 10": "not recorded",
          "English PSA 9": "not recorded",
          "Japanese printing": "[BW5 Dragon Blade](/card/jat-601537)",
          "Japanese PSA 10": "$844.89 on 15",
          "Japanese PSA 9": "$367.47 on 10"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "charts": [
    {
      "title": "Japanese ask as a multiple of the English ask",
      "unit": "x",
      "note": "the six documented art changes that clear 5x, against the 605-pair median",
      "points": [
        {
          "label": "Grimer, Team Rocket",
          "value": 51.22,
          "basis": "$0.94 against $48.15"
        },
        {
          "label": "Koga's Ninja Trick",
          "value": 37.22,
          "basis": "$3.01 against $112.03"
        },
        {
          "label": "Moo-Moo Milk",
          "value": 28.46,
          "basis": "$0.96 against $27.32"
        },
        {
          "label": "Sabrina's Gaze",
          "value": 23.94,
          "basis": "$1.41 against $33.76"
        },
        {
          "label": "Jynx, Base Set",
          "value": 14.56,
          "basis": "$1.03 against $15.00"
        },
        {
          "label": "Card-Flip Game",
          "value": 9.08,
          "basis": "$1.72 against $15.61"
        },
        {
          "label": "Panel median",
          "value": 1.04,
          "basis": "605 matched pairs"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sections": [
    "The twelve cards",
    "The panel",
    "The ranking",
    "The graded side",
    "The cards that argue against this",
    "What this study cannot show",
    "What would overturn it"
  ],
  "method": [
    "The case list is taken from Bulbapedia card pages and its Cards with regional differences category, fixed before any price was read, and each row links the page it came from. Two digital Pokémon TCG Pocket prints pulled in July 2025 are named but not priced because they have no marketplace product. The panel is built from the `cards` and `price_history` tables in production on 2026-09-23, day 20719 since epoch. That day is chosen because our daily tape holds 25 days and nine of them, 2026-09-08 to 2026-09-17, are partial dumps carrying 35,700 to 50,400 rows against 51,822 to 52,378 on the rest; 2026-09-23 is both the latest complete day and the largest at 52,378 rows. Rows are deduplicated on the TCGplayer product id before anything is counted, because 1,212 product ids are claimed by two catalog rows each and an undeduplicated join double counts them; where two rows claim one product the lexically smallest card id survives. Seven English blocks are matched to their Japanese counterparts: Base Set to Expansion Pack and Expansion Pack (No Rarity), Jungle to Pokemon Jungle, Fossil to Mystery of the Fossils, Team Rocket to Rocket Gang, Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge together to Leaders' Stadium, Challenge from the Darkness, City Gym Decks and the Japanese Gym Challenge deck, Neo Genesis to Gold Silver to a New World and the two Neo Intro Packs, and Neo Discovery to Crossing the Ruins. The English sets are pooled with their Japanese counterparts at block level rather than set to set because the two sides do not split the same cards into the same boxes: matching set against set drops 41 and 49 English Gym cards that exist perfectly well on the Japanese side. Names are matched after folding: NFD normalisation with combining marks removed, curly and straight apostrophes removed, the gender signs rewritten as m and f, parenthesised and multi-character bracketed qualifiers removed, a trailing collector-number suffix removed, the spelling impostor folded to imposter, then everything but letters and digits removed. One row per English name per block, the cheapest priced printing, against one row per Japanese name, also the cheapest; cheapest on both sides pushes every ratio toward 1 and therefore understates the outliers this study is about. 605 English names matched a Japanese one and 16 did not: Dark Raichu (base5-83), six Gym-era basic Energies (gym1-127, gym2-128, gym2-129, gym1-130, gym2-131, gym1-132), six Neo Genesis basic Energies (neo1-106 to neo1-111) and three Neo Discovery Unown letters (neo2-50 N, neo2-67 E, neo2-69 O). 36 Japanese names had no English pair. The foil control classes a rarity string containing holo, shiny, super rare or star as foil, an empty or None rarity as unknown, and anything else as plain; 476 pairs agree on a known class, 98 disagree and 31 carry an unknown on one side. Graded figures are the latest reading per card and grade in `graded_snapshots`, which are eBay sold medians with the verified sale count beside them, keyed by both card id and product id because the cron path writes one and older rows the other. Registry figures come from `population_snapshots`; where a card's PSA 10 sold count exceeds its registry gem count the line is shared with other products and no population absolute is printed for it, which is the case for the Japanese Grimer and the Japanese Magmortar. Medians are the upper-middle value on even samples. Ratios are Japanese ask divided by English ask, both TCGplayer market asks, never sold prices."
  ],
  "terms": "Figures are moonstone's own recorded measurements, dated as published. Quote them with the population stated beside them. The article at `url` is the human form of this file."
}