What do the rarity codes on Japanese cards mean, and do they mean the same thing in every game?

The codes side by side

The names below are the ones the publisher's own pages use. A dash means no official page checked for this article explains the code.

Pokémon: AR, SAR, SR, UR and MA

Pokémon uses the codes in headings and doesn't rank them. The Japanese page for MEGA Dream ex (M2a, released November 28, 2025) names AR and SAR together and introduces MA as a new rarity: a special illustration of a Mega Evolution Pokémon using a powerful attack. The Pokémon Card 151 page (SV2a, June 16, 2023) has the heading "特別なイラストのAR・SAR・SR". UR turns up in a correction notice for Battle Partners, which tags N's Zoroark ex as "UR（ウルトラレア）".

On the card the rarity is a mark. The official how-to-play page says only that the mark shows how uncommon a card is and that it appears on cards from expansion packs. How the Japanese letters compare with the English symbols is in the AR and SAR guide.

One Piece: L through TR

The Japanese card list has a rarity filter with L, C, UC, R, SR, SEC, P, SPカード and TR. The English card list has no rarity filter (its filters are color, card type, illustration type and block icon), but each entry shows its code, such as "OP17-040 | TR | CHARACTER".

The product pages write the names out. The English OP-09 page lists Leader ×6, Common ×45, Uncommon ×30, Rare ×26, Super Rare ×10, Secret Rare ×2, Special Card ×10 and Treasure Rare ×1. The Japanese OP-09 page gives the same counts with スペシャルカード for Special Card, but lists no Treasure Rare: its total is 129+1 card types against the English page's 130+1. The filter's SPカード is the Japanese list's short form of that Special Card tier.

Alternate art is not a rarity. The English OP-09 page talks about Alt-Art Leaders, Super Alt-Art cards and a gold "Super Parallel", and the manga rare article shows OP01-120 Shanks with three Secret Rare entries that only the image separates. For finding a card's code in a set, see the One Piece card list guide.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: the code belongs to the printing

The Japanese card database lists each printing of a card with an abbreviation and a name that usually ends in 仕様 ("specification"). The Blue-Eyes White Dragon entry alone shows N, SR, HR (ホログラフィックレア), UR, UL (アルティメットレア), SE (シークレットレア), 20th SE, PSE (プリズマティックシークレットレア), QCSE, EXSE (エクストラシークレットレア) and PG (プレミアムゴールドレア), plus P (パラレル仕様), M (ミレニアム仕様) and KC (KC仕様) and combinations such as P+UR. YAS3-JP003 is listed as UR and NYC1-JP001 as QCSE.

The page for RARITY COLLECTION -QUARTER CENTURY EDITION- says its Super Rare and Ultra Rare cards also exist as Quarter Century Secret Rare, Extra Secret Rare, Secret Rare, Ultimate Rare and Collector's Rare versions. English names and foil descriptions are in the Yu-Gi-Oh! rarity guide, and the Quarter Century Secret Rare article covers QCSE. Each printing's row is explained in the card list guide.

Union Arena and Gundam: codes without definitions

Union Arena's product pages name four rarities plus Action Point cards. The Japanese Re:ZERO Vol.2 booster page (EX17BT, October 30, 2026) lists SR (スーパーレア) 12 types, R (レア) 12, U (アンコモン) 24, C (コモン) 25 and AP (アクションポイント) 8, and notes that the product has parallel cards without giving a count. The Japanese card list filter adds PcSR, PcR, PcC, UR, SP, PR and OBC, and nothing on the list or the product page explains them. The Union Arena beginner guide covers the game itself.

Gundam's English page for GD06 Stardust Trails (October 30, 2026) lists Common ×50, Uncommon ×36, Rare ×32, Legend Rare ×12, Special ×5 and Token ×8. The card list filter offers C, U, R, LR, LKC, LKU, LKR and P, with no explanation of LKC, LKU, LKR or P. The Gundam card list guide explains set codes.

Weiss Schwarz: the longest list

The Japanese NIKKE Vol.2 booster page splits 112 normal types from 158 parallel ones. On the parallel side it lists AGR (オートグラフレア, 1, first printing only), SEC (シークレット, 5), SSP (スーパースペシャル, 9), SP (スペシャル, 31), RRR (トリプルレア, 13) and SR (スーパーレア, 99). The normal side is RR (ダブルレア, 12), R (27), U (30), C (30) and CR (クライマックスレア, 13). The English page for the same set gives the same codes and counts.

So SR is 12 types in the Union Arena booster above, 10 in One Piece OP-09 and 99 here, where it counts as a parallel version. A Japanese notice dated March 1, 2026 also says SR on booster packs now comes in three levels, so on newer sets one code covers three looks. Box contents and that change are in the Weiss Schwarz box and rarity guide.