Bandai: trading cards for collectors
Bandai is the toy and hobby arm of Bandai Namco Holdings, the Tokyo-based group formed when Bandai and Namco completed their merger in September 2005.
Most-collected ranges
Key facts
| Parent company | Bandai Namco Holdings, formed 29 September 2005 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Minato, Tokyo, Japan |
| Carddass launched | 1988, beginning with Saint Seiya |
| Dragon Ball Super Card Game | Launched 2017; Fusion World followed in February 2024 |
| Digimon Card Game | Japan 2020, English early 2021 |
| One Piece Card Game | Japan July 2022, English December 2022 |
| Gundam Card Game | Simultaneous English and Japanese launch, July 2025 |
About Bandai
In card collecting circles Bandai is best known as the publisher behind a growing stable of anime-licensed trading card games. Its strength lies in pairing hugely popular Japanese franchises with a fast, regular release schedule.
The company's card history goes back decades. In 1988 it introduced Carddass, a vending-machine card format that began with Saint Seiya and went on to cover series such as Dragon Ball, Digimon and One Piece; Dragon Ball cards alone had sold around two billion units by 1998. The modern Dragon Ball Super Card Game followed in 2017, and a relaunched Digimon Card Game arrived in Japan in 2020 before reaching English players in early 2021.
Bandai's biggest recent success is the One Piece Card Game, launched in Japan in July 2022 and in English that December, whose Manga Rares and alternate arts are among the most valuable modern TCG cards. It has since added Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World (2024), the multi-franchise Union Arena (English from October 2024) and the Gundam Card Game, whose starter decks and first booster launched simultaneously in English and Japanese in July 2025.
For collectors, Bandai's games share common traits: alternate-art parallels at the top of each set, Japanese and English editions that trade as separate markets, unpublished pull rates and organised play run through the Bandai TCG+ platform. Values are driven heavily by the underlying anime's popularity, so a new series, film or season can move prices quickly. For high-value cards, buying graded copies or from reputable sellers reduces the risk of fakes.
Sources
- Wikipedia – Bandai Namco Holdings
- Wikipedia – Carddass
- CGC – Every TCG Has a Story: Dragon Ball Super
- ICv2 – Bandai revives Digimon
- Twinfinite – When does the One Piece Card Game come out
- Dot Esports – One Piece Card Game English release schedule
- TCGplayer – Discovering Gundam Card Game
- TCGplayer – Union Arena now available on TCGplayer
- Dragon Ball Official Site – Fusion World digital version
Questions people ask
Is Bandai the same as Bandai Namco?
Bandai is part of Bandai Namco Holdings, the group created when Bandai and Namco merged in 2005. Bandai publishes the group's trading card games.
What card games does Bandai make?
Bandai's current line-up includes the One Piece Card Game, Dragon Ball Super Card Game (Masters and Fusion World), the Digimon Card Game, Union Arena and the Gundam Card Game, among others.
Which Bandai card game is most valuable?
The One Piece Card Game has produced the most valuable cards, with Manga Rares and top alternate arts fetching high prices. Dragon Ball Fusion World and Union Arena also have high-value chase cards.
Are Japanese Bandai cards worth more than English?
Not as a rule. The two editions trade as separate markets, and which is worth more depends on the specific card, its print run and demand.
Does Bandai publish pull rates?
Generally no. Bandai does not publish official odds for its top chase cards, so pull-rate figures you see online are community estimates.
What is Bandai TCG+?
Bandai TCG+ is Bandai's organised play platform, used to find and enter official events and build decks across its card games.
Pully Markets is for adult collectors (18+). It's an independent guide — not affiliated with any publisher named here — and nothing on it is financial advice. Card values can fall as well as rise.
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