Cards from Japan

What changes between a Japanese OCG Yu-Gi-Oh! card and its English TCG version?

Published September 24, 2026 · By the Cards from Japan editors

Summary

The card name and art can match, but the OCG in Japan and the TCG in English run on separate release schedules, separate products, and separate Forbidden & Limited Lists. Blue-Eyes White Dragon first appeared in Japan on March 6, 1999, and in English on March 8, 2002. The JP or EN in a set number marks the region, though the earliest printings carry no such marker.

One card, two histories

Yu-Gi-Oh!'s official card database lists Blue-Eyes White Dragon's first English printing as LOB-001, with no EN in the number, from LEGEND OF BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON. The 2023 LC01 25th Anniversary Edition of that same set numbers it LOB-EN001. On the Japanese side, the first release in the STARTER BOX theater edition shows no set number at all, and LB-01 followed on May 18, 2000.

Recent Japanese printings carry JP in the number, as in QCCP-JP001 from QUARTER CENTURY CHRONICLE side:PRIDE, released March 23, 2024.

Different ban lists, different products

The current TCG Forbidden & Limited List took effect on September 21, 2026, with two changes held until September 28. Japan's current OCG list has applied since July 1, 2026.

Products do not always cross over. Japan released LIMIT OVER COLLECTION -THE HEROES- on February 28, 2026, and -THE RIVALS- on March 20, each at ¥385 for a 4-card pack, 15 packs per box, and 80 card types. No product by that name appears in the English card database's product list.

Sources

Details are as published on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the official page before you buy or submit.

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