Pikachu is one of the most famous characters in the world. Even people who don’t know much about Pokémon can usually recognize it! As the face of the Pokémon franchise and Ash Ketchum’s best friend, Pikachu has been featured on countless Pokémon Trading Card Game cards. From common cards to incredibly rare ones like the Pikachu Illustrator, it’s always been the character you see graded the most. However, that might be starting to change.
People often send their Pokémon cards to companies like PSA to have them professionally graded. This process protects the card and verifies its condition, which is appealing to collectors. More importantly, graded cards, particularly rare ones, usually sell for more money. Because of this, many players are submitting their most valuable cards for grading. By tracking these submissions – as GemRate recently did in a March 2026 report – we can see interesting trends. Currently, it appears Pikachu is the most frequently graded Pokémon character, and that lead isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
Pikachu Could Be Outpaced By Another Beloved Kanto Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Popularity
It’s not surprising that Pikachu is the most popular Pokémon featured on professionally graded trading cards. This original Pokémon has been around since the start and has appeared on over 220 different cards. Many collectors still submit their Pikachu cards for grading, with PSA grading over 136 in March 2026 alone. However, this number is actually down from previous months, suggesting another Pokémon might be becoming more popular with collectors.
Pikachu card submissions to PSA for grading decreased around 10% in March. However, Charizard saw a significant jump in popularity. While the Prismatic Evolutions set remains popular, it wasn’t Eevee or any of its evolutions driving the increase. Instead, 100 Charizard cards were graded by PSA in March—a 23% increase compared to February. If this trend continues in April, Charizard could become the most popular Pokémon card character.
It’s not surprising to see Charizard cards becoming so popular. Charizard is already one of the most valuable Pokémon cards, and a special, rare version from the recent Scarlet & Violet series is particularly sought after. Because of this, people who find a rare Charizard card often choose to have it professionally graded – either to preserve it in their collection or to potentially increase its worth.
Charizard is by far the most popular Pokémon character, and interest drops off significantly after that. Gengar, Mewtwo, Mew, and Umbreon follow in popularity, with Umbreon and Eevee being the only other characters in the top ten, despite Eevee’s important role as a franchise mascot. Interestingly, Bulbasaur and Venusaur, another favorite from the original games, are still quite popular with collectors, with 14 and 15 cards graded in March 2026, respectively. While they aren’t as popular as Charizard, it looks like Charizard may eventually surpass Pikachu in popularity – unless a special promotion featuring Pikachu, similar to the Grey Felt Hat Pikachu, comes along.
If you could add just one rare Pokémon card to your collection, would you choose a rare Pikachu or a rare Charizard? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-04-09 00:10