The Limited Dragon Ball Carddass Blog Index

What is Carddass? An introduction to the series

What are the Limited Carddass cards? + The purpose of this blog

A sample of some of the limited Dragon Ball Carddass gift cards

Carddass Limited gift cards index:

First Limited 3000 card (Part 2 Release Commemoration) / 限定第1弾 (2弾の記発記念限定)

Part 3 Release Commemoration Limited 3000 cards (6 prisms) / 3弾発売記念限定第2弾6枚組

Carddass Museum '92 Son Goku card / 92年ジャンプミュージアム『スーパーサイヤ人孫悟空』

Toriyama Akira Mechanko Project (10 prisms) / 鳥山明めちゃんこプロジェクト

Jump 25th Anniversary Multi World (2 prisms) / 少年ジャンプ25周年 スペシャルカードダス

Ultimate Exhibit 1994 Invitation ticket card / 究極博’94入場券

Part 20 Ultimate Exhibit Limited reversible prisms (2 prisms) / 第20弾リバースプリズム究極博版

Over 1 Billion Carddass Commemoration (5 prisms) / 10億枚突破記念5枚組

Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card / 究極博’95の入場記念 

Movie Special 1995 card / 1995劇場版限定カードダス 

Total n1000 Commemoration 3D card / TOTAL No1000到達記念 スペシャル3Dカードダス  

GT Carddass n0 Son Goku and Friends / GTカードダス №0 【孫悟空と仲間たち】

Tokubetsudan A-course Limited n82 card / 特別弾 82番 Aコース

Tokubetsudan B-course Limited Trading card / 特別弾 トレカ Bコース

Other rare and or limited gift cards:

Carddass Box Special Cards (12 prisms)

Special Carddass (6 prisms)

Tenkaichi Shikenkai Gold Certification card / 天下一試験会認定ゴールドカード

Multi World 1993 Certification card / マルチワールド認定証オフィシャルカード

Amada part 20 Limited 3000 (2 prisms) & part 28 Limited 3000 (3 gold cards)

 

Additional guides:

Release Dates for all Carddass parts

Where to shop for Dragon Ball Carddass cards

How to Find Out the Current Prices of Limited cards

The Complete Guide to Collecting the Carddass Limited 3000

The Toriyama Akira Mechanko Project Questionnaire

 

This index will stay at the top of the page for easier navigation. 

*Some photos reveal a diagonal grid (or box) type pattern in close ups (often in solid color areas). This is not found on the actual cards but is a problem with the phone camera's image processing. Thank you for your understanding.

Update 01/2023

Been delayed. By spring 2023 I intend to write about:

-  Carddass Box Special Cards (12 prisms) introduction

"Introduction" Tokubetsudan B-course Limited Trading card

 

Tokubetsudan B-course Limited Trading card

 

In September of 1997 Bandai released the final part of Dragon Ball Carddass cards, the Tokubetsudan (特別弾 in Japanese), which literally means "special part". It was meant to finalize both the mainline Carddass series, and the Super Battle series. 

For more information on the Tokubetsudan part please read the introduction to the Tokubetsudan A-course n82 card here.

The Tokubetsudan was officially introduced as a fusion between the two iconic series. The designs on the front of the cards were mainly based on the designs used in the Super Battle series (with some mainline Carddass design influences). As a result it's more commonly associated with the Super Battle series, but the Tokubetsudan can be regarded as both Carddass part 31, and Super Battle part 21.

Both Tokubetsudan backing paper variants for use in vending machines (from an auction listing)

Alongside the release of this very special part was also the announcement of a final contest to win one of two limited gift cards. The way it was described on the Carddass machine backing paper was as follows:

The Greatest Carddass campaign ever!

Fill out the empty circle(s) on the official postcard, and send it in with your name, address, age, and desired course! Then please send to the address below (followed by said address).

Course A (Aコース): A not for sale Dragon Ball carddass given to all applicants!

Course B (Bコース): A not for sale Dragon Ball Trading Card given by lottery to 1000 individuals!

Tokubetsudan B-course Limited Trading card back

The campaign ran from September 15 to December 5 of 1997. When the campaign ended a lottery was carried out selecting 1000 winners. Those who selected course B and won were sent this very cool Limited Trading Card!

The reason the card is referred to as a trading card has to do with the format of the card, the "trading card" format (very slightly bigger and with straighter angles instead of rounded angles). Please checkout RetroballZ's chart for a comparison.

The back of the card indicates it was printed in 1998 and features a monochrome Shenron with "Dragon Ball Carddass Special Issue Premium Card" written all in caps. Very elegant back in my opinion.

Tokubetsudan B-course Limited Trading card - Son Goku's name uses a golden print

The front of the card features Son Goku from different time periods in Dragon Ball. From his appearance as a child from early Dragon Ball all the way to SS4 Goku from Dragon Ball GT. Son Goku's name is printed on a special golden box that protects the card from being easily replicated. 

I really like the attention to detail, with all 7 Dragon Balls spread around the illustration (with the last one above Son Goku's name). SS4 Goku is preparing a Kamehamea with beams of light spreading all around. 23rd Tenkaichi Budoukai era Goku even brought his Nyoibou. SS Goku's pose is perfect, and Young Goku is dashing forward on Kintouun. So much nostalgia!

Later in 1998 V-Jump magazine offered their readers a chance to win an additional 100 of the B-Course Limited Trading card, again by lottery, resulting in the card having 1100 made in total.

Both of these cards were meant to be the last Carddass cards. Bandai wouldn't return to Carddass until over 15 years later. The Tokubetsudan B-course Trading Card was the ultimate card to mark the end of an era. It was a lasting, exciting, and magical journey for Dragon Ball fans!

 

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"Introduction" Tokubetsudan A-course Limited n82 card

 

Tokubetsudan A-course n82 gift card

In September of 1997 Bandai released the final part of Dragon Ball Carddass cards, the Tokubetsudan (特別弾 in Japanese), which literally means "special part". It was meant to finalize both the mainline Carddass series, and the Super Battle series. 

The Tokubetsudan was officially introduced as a fusion between the two iconic series. The designs found on the front of the cards were mainly based on the designs used in the Super Battle series (with some mainline Carddass design influences). As a result it's more commonly associated with the Super Battle series, but the Tokubetsudan can be regarded as both Carddass part 31, and Super Battle part 21.

 

Tokubetsudan backing paper used in vending machines (from an auction listing)

 

Alongside the release of this very special part was also the announcement of a final contest to win one of two limited gift cards. The way it was described on the Carddass machine backing paper was as follows:

The Greatest Carddass campaign ever!

Fill out the empty circle(s) on the official postcard, and write in your name, address, age, and desired course! Then please send to the address below (followed by the address).

Course A (Aコース): A not for sale Dragon Ball Carddass given to all applicants!

Course B (Bコース): A not for sale Dragon Ball Trading Card given by lottery to 1000 individuals!

 

The campaign ran from September 15 to December 5 of 1997. Those who selected course A were sent the card being introduced here, the Tokubetsudan limited card number 82, the last numbered card in the Tokubetsudan series.

 

Tokubetsudan A-course n82 gift card back

The back of the card indicates it was printed in 1998 and has the text "Dragon Ball Carddass Special Issue Premium Card" printed over a special red box. The center box has the character for "Ultimate". 

The back also numbers the card as the last card for both the mainline Carddass series (number 1292), and the last card in the Super Battle series (card number 962).

The front features SS4 Gogeta in the center, and SS4 Goku and SS4 Vegeta to the left and right in the background. The section on the front that reads "Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta" is printed in gold lettering, giving it a distinct appearance.

I'm a big fan of this card if only for being the only classic Carddass card featuring SS4 Gogeta. A very nice way for Bandai to celebrate the end of an era of collectable Dragon Ball cards!

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"Introduction" GT Carddass n0 Son Goku and Friends

GT Carddass n0 Son Goku and Friends card

Simultaneously to the beginning of Dragon Ball GT airing, Toei released one final Dragon Ball movie called "Dragon Ball: The Path to Power" (ドラゴンボール 最強への道 in Japanese). It was to be a retelling of Son Goku's early adventures fighting the Red Ribbon army. The movie came out on March 2 of 1996. This would be the last time Dragon Ball would be in theaters until 2013 with the release of Dragon Ball Z Battle of the Gods (ドラゴンボールZ 神と神 in Japanese).

Both to promote advance ticket sales to the movie, and to promote the brand new Carddass part 26 (featuring Dragon Ball GT for the first time) Bandai gave advance ticket buyers a present Carddass card: the GT Carddass n0 card (in most cases along with a movie poster).

The card features a wonderful group illustration of the Son family, with Trunks and Uub also included. The card is numbered card n0 (as Carddas GT cards began from 1 again), and is called the "Son Goku and friends" card. 

The edge reads: "I'm Goku! I've become smaller!". The lower box reads: "Look for a new part of DB! The beginning of Son Goku’s new adventure!!".

GT Carddass n0 Son Goku and Friends card back

 

This is only one of two "card prism" (hard prism) Bandai Carddass gift cards, the other being the "Ultimate Exhibit 1994 Invitation ticket card". It was also the last prism gift card, as the two limited present cards that followed were non prism cards (the A-course and B-course Tokubetsudan campaign cards).

There also exists a "seal type" (soft prism) version of this card, which was distributed in Hong Kong exclusively and is significantly rarer. I assume the distribution method of that version was the same as it was in Japan (a gift for purchasing advance tickets for the latest movie).

The back of the card uses the Carddass part 26 back design. The center character is the one for "dragon" (龍) and the lower right box reads: "Finally, the new TV original story Dragon Ball GT has started!"

I'm very fond of this card. The background with monochrome Goku and Uub and the other characters in the foreground in color is a really cool choice, and the end result feels so colorful! It was such an exciting time with GT Carddass cards beginning, and soon followed by GT Super Battle cards!

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"Introduction" Total n1000 Commemoration 3D card (Hologram card)

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card

In December of 1995 Bandai released Carddass part 25, the last part centered around Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga (The Dragon Ball GT anime was already in production and Carddass cards would return as GT cards from part 26).

To celebrate the release of the 1000th Carddass card (the last card of part 25, a wonderful reversible prism), Bandai launched a lottery contest to award 3000 lucky winners with a unique 3D hologram card featuring SS3 Son Goku!

This card would be the first and only Carddass card to feature a 3D hologram effect. Bandai's competitor Amada produced 4 hologram cards as part of the "Trading Collection" 1-part series earlier that same year. That collection was very popular for those incredibly cool cards. So imagine the surprise seeing this classic piece of Toriyama artwork converted to a 3D card!

Total n1000 Commemoration 3D announcement sheet found on auction

 

The lottery announcement sheet was intended for display on the right side Carddass vending machines, and presumably most commonly attached to machines containing Carddass part 25 (but perhaps also some Super Battle part 15 machines).

 

The instructions read: "Write your address, name, age, gender, and the name of the anime or manga you want Carddass cards on on a postcard and send it to the address below.". The deadline for applications was January 31st of 1996.

 

There's also a promotion for the upcoming Dragon Ball Carddass Perfect File 1, and the following mention: "For those who unfortunately missed the lottery deadline, 1000 will receive a refill pocket for the part 24 & 25 linked special cards."

 

French announcement flyer and reward letter, found on the "DBZ Museum Collection" group

The card was also distributed to 2000 lucky people in France. The card was officially referred to as the "Hologramme 3D serie speciale". Instead of doing a lottery, the card was distributed to the first 2000 people who sent in 5 empty pouches (empty card packs) of "Carddass series number 4". This would be the French release of Super Battle part 14.

The deadline for participating was October 31 of 1996. The winners were to receive the card 4 weeks later. As far as I know the 2000 cards distributed in France are indistinguishable from the 3000 distributed in Japan. Therefor although known in Japan as a Limited 3000 card, it is actually limited to 5000.

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card

The 3D effect of the card is hard to capture in pictures. Essentially the card has an effect of popping out. The effect is most noticeable when tilting the card from left to right. For example Goku's hand feels like it's reaching out of the card, but also the point of view on the entirety of Goku's body moves relative to the background!

When tilting the card SS3 Goku's aura shines in and out depending on the angle it is viewed at. The bottom box reads: "Super record thanks to everyone! Thank you for your continued support!!!". The edge of the card reads: "Dragon Ball Carddass Total No 1,000 has been reached!".

 

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card (from Carddas Nation's collection)

The card is originally green or yellowish green, despite the original flyer showing it more as brown. Although harmless to the hologram effect (or value of the card), in some rare situations some cards may have turned brown, but this was a more common occurrence with Amada's 3D hologram cards. 

Above is a photo provided to me by Carddass Nation from his personal collection. It's a very nice example of a brown Limited 3D Carddass card. As one can see the card's illustration and 3D effect remain strong and the color and vibrancy very clear.

 

 

Aura pulsing that appears from the sides on the Total n1000 Commemoration 3D card

In some very rare and unfortunate instances the card may have a bluish hue. The cause is unknown but the result is that those blue cards may suffer from a reduction in how well the 3D hologram effect can be seen.

 

The card is infamous for being extremely sensitive to natural damage. In most cases this presents itself as black dots or black streaks across the card. It's so common that it's practically impossible to find a card free or these imperfections.

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card back

The back of the card reveals that it is made in the USA. Perhaps the USA had the optimal plants for producing hologram cards? The back also reads "Not for sale".

This is easily one of my absolute favorite limited Carddass cards. Everything about it is outstanding, from the illustration itself, the design, the rendering, the presentation, every aspect is phenomenal!

This would be the last Buu era limited card, and the last Dragon Ball Z era limited card, but what an unforgettable way to celebrate 25 parts of fantastic Carddass cards!

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"Introduction" Movie Special 1995 card

The Movie Special 1995 card

On July 9 Toei released (in Japan) the 11th Dragon Ball Z feature film called "Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly" (ドラゴンボールZ 超戦士撃破!!勝つのはオレだ in Japanese). The movie was later released overseas. To promote the international release Bandai offered the "Movie Special 1995" card to viewers of the movie in Hong Kong.

The card features the original movie poster art illustration. Android 18, Goten and Trunks are featured in the forefront, and Bio Broly in the background. The edge has the title of the movie displayed. The lower box reads: "Is the Shaman of Natade Village involved in this battle?".

Front and back of the card included in its paper sheet posted on Facebook by Ben Ikki

Thanks to Carddass Nation for bringing this to my attention, we have here the front and back of the original paper sheet in which the card came in. Unfortunately as I cannot read Chinese I'm not able to provide a translation of the text.

Interestingly the gift sheet does have a number, in this case indicating the card was produced in at least around 5000 copies (possibly as many as 10k, or more, as there is a 0 infront). The front includes another artwork from a scene in the movie.

The Movie Special 1995 card back

The back of the card uses the same type of back as found on the then newly released "Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card". As a result it's possible to determine the card was released after, or around the same time as the Ultimate Exhibit of 1995. Of course it is printed in Japan, and mentions EDKO Films as a partner for this release.

This is a really nice card. The only official Carddass gift card made exclusively for the overseas market. It's the last gift card to use that classical light purple colored edges that was found on so many other limited gift cards. The movie poster illustration is rendered so nicely on the card, makes me wish they had done this for other of the Dragon Ball Z movies too!

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"Introduction" Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card

Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card

After the success of the first Ultimate Exhibit in 1994, Bandai decided to do a second such event in October of 1995. This time called Jump Character Carddass Ultimate Exhibit 1995 (ジャンプキャラクターカードダス究極博 in Japanese). Unfortunately they still used the inaccurate English translation of the event in the subtitle: "Super Museum".

This time the event was carried out at only three locations: Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. This decision must have been decided based on attendance levels at the locations of the Ultimate Exhibit of 1994.

Exact dates are not easily found online, but it lasted 5 days. Requests for invitations were probably made around July or August, after which lucky applicants who were selected to attend where sent this limited prism card. This would be shown at the admission counter when attending the event in October. Unlike the invitation card of 1994, there was no stamping of numbers at the back of the card this time. 

This time Dragon Ball Carddass parts were up to part 24, with 25 around the corner. Super Battle was at part 14 with 15 about to be released too. All parts were available for sale as full sets, and there were some rewards to be won such as a limited Jumbo card, and a limited Super Jumbo card. 

The ultimate rewards were a "Carddass part 1~24 Complete Set" and a "Super Battle part 1~14 Complete Set" prize rewards. Each one was given to one lucky recipient per day per event (total 15 per box for each). These came in standard black boxes with texts written in gold.

Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card back

The card features Son Goku, Trunks, and Pan. This illustration by Toriyama sensei is one of the first Dragon Ball GT illustrations, and the colors used on Goku are different from what ended up being on the show. The lower box reads: "What are the Dragon Ball that are neither Shenron nor Porunga?!". The edge reads: "Goku and friends new adventure begins!!".

The back of the card features a special type of back, that was also used on the Movie Special Card 95. The text in the box reads: "A few years since the events of before. Goku, Trunks, and Pan's adventure begins. It's a new TV original Dragon Ball story!! From part 26 DB Carddass too will meet the new development by introducing a new design!!"

A very nice card that is full of promise of what Dragon Ball GT might bring! I love the colors, and enjoy the differences in the expressions of the three characters. The fact that Goku's colors are different from the final designs makes it even more interesting to me. What a delightful card!

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