One Piece card rarities and alt-arts explained
What each One Piece rarity label means, how to spot an alt-art, SP card or Treasure Rare on the card, and why a set holds more versions than Bandai counts.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
A One Piece card’s rarity is the short label in a box after its card number, in the bottom right corner: C, UC, R, SR, SEC, or L for a Leader. Bandai adds three more kinds of card on top of those: Special cards (SP), one Treasure Rare (TR) in recent sets, and DON!! cards. It also prints alt-art versions of many cards, which keep the standard card’s number and label; on the recent alt-art images read, a small star sits above the label. Bandai counts card types, not versions, so OP-17’s 131 types (plus 4 DON!! cards) become 169 entries on its English card list.
What rarities does a One Piece set have?
| Rarity | How it is marked | Types in OP-17 |
|---|---|---|
| Common | C in the rarity box | 45 |
| Uncommon | UC | 30 |
| Rare | R | 26 |
| Super Rare | SR | 10 |
| Leader | L | 6 |
| Secret Rare | SEC | 3 |
| Special card | An SP mark before the card number | 10 |
| Treasure Rare | A TR mark before the card number | 1 |
| DON!! card | Counted apart, after the plus sign | 4 |
The first eight rows add up to 131, and the four of the last kind are the +4. A Leader is the card a deck is built around, so L names a card type as much as a rarity. Our guide to One Piece booster box contents gives the same breakdown for OP-16 and for the Extra Booster EB-05.
How has the mix changed from set to set?
In Bandai’s Japanese counts, the top of the ladder fills out. Rows run in order of Japanese release.
| Set | Japanese release | Card types | Special cards | Treasure Rare | Secret Rares | Also in the product details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OP-01 | July 2022 | 121 | None | None | 2 | 27 parallel versions |
| OP-04 | May 2023 | 124+1 | 5 | None | 2 | 25 parallel versions |
| EB-03 | October 2025 | 71+4 | 9 | None | 2 | No Uncommons |
| OP-14 | November 2025 | 128+1 | 6 | None | 2 | 2 third-anniversary specials |
| EB-04 | January 2026 | 67+1 | 6 | None | 1 | No Uncommons |
| OP-15 | February 2026 | 125+1 | 6 | None | 2 | None |
| OP-16 | May 2026 | 126+1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | None |
| OP-17 | August 2026 | 131+4 | 10 | 1 | 3 | None |
Three things stand out. Special cards, absent from OP-01, numbered 5 by OP-04 and 10 by OP-17. Neither Extra Booster lists an Uncommon. And only the two oldest pages say how many parallel versions a set holds, a gap the card list fills, as shown further down.
How do you read the rarity on the card?
Look at the bottom right corner, where the card number sat on every image read. Bandai’s English card list images show four patterns:
| Version | What the corner shows | Example on Bandai’s list |
|---|---|---|
| Standard print | The card number, then the rarity box | OP17-005, SR |
| Alt-art | The same number and box, with a small star above the box | The first alt-art of OP17-005: SR with a star |
| Special card | An SP box before the number, the original card’s rarity box, no star | OP12-056 in OP-17: SP, then SR |
| Treasure Rare | A TR box before the number, a star above the rarity box | OP17-040: TR, then R with a star |
On the images read, the circled number or X to the right of the rarity box matches the block icon, which Bandai’s card list files as a field of its own, apart from rarity.
Two cautions follow from the list:
- The text label can hide the version. On the lists read, an alt-art carries the same label as its standard print, so an entry marked SR can be the standard print or an alt-art. Only the TR and SP CARD labels name a version. Check the star and the art as well as the label.
- Some early alt-arts show no star. On Bandai’s images, the alt-art of OP01-013 and the alt-art of OP03-013 show no star, while the alt-art of OP04-013 has one. For the first sets, compare the art with the standard print.
What is an alt-art, or parallel, card?
In English, Bandai calls it an Alt-Art: a card whose special design differs from the standard card. Its examples include a shiny finish, a textured surface from special processing, and art that runs across the whole card. In Japanese, Bandai calls the same cards parallels (パラレル), and TCGplayer’s reports use both words, tagging one card (Alternate Art) and another (Parallel). Our entries on alternate art and parallels cover the terms across card games.
Bandai names two premium kinds for OP-17:
- Super Alt-Art. An alt-art with the whole card covered in designs from the One Piece manga.
- Super Leader Alt-Art. A Leader with art from the original manga. OP17-079, Monkey.D.Luffy, is the OP-17 example.
The name manga rare comes from the market. TCGplayer tags some listings (Manga), and its price report of July 14, 2026 mentions Manga Rare collectors. Bandai does not use the term.
A Super Alt-Art keeps its base card’s label. OP-16’s Super Alt-Art features the Three Admirals. On its card list, Kuzan (OP16-063) and Borsalino (OP16-073) carry R in every version, and Sakazuki (OP16-065) carries SR. Each admiral is listed three times: the standard print and two alt-arts.
What are Special cards and Treasure Rares?
Special cards. An SP card is a character card with a special design, different from an alt-art: decoration matched to the character, or art that covers the whole card. On OP-17’s English card list, each of the 10 SP entries carries a number from another product, such as OP12-056, ST31-004 or the promo P-084. EB-03 is different: its 9 SP cards carry EB-03’s own numbers. So in OP-17, the number on an SP card points to a different product from the pack it came from.
Treasure Rares. Bandai’s English card lists show no TR for OP-01 to OP-05, then one in each English booster from OP-06 to OP-17. Through OP15-EB04, each carries another product’s number: OP-06’s, for example, is a version of ST01-007, Nami. On the English lists, OP-16’s TR (OP16-011) and OP-17’s (OP17-040) carry their own set’s numbers, and each is a version of a Rare.
In Japan, OP-01 to OP-15 have no Treasure Rare, and neither do EB-03 and EB-04. OP-16 is the first to have one. The card differs too: the Japanese OP-16 puts its TR on OP16-042, while the English one puts it on OP16-011. So English and Japanese releases differ on when Treasure Rares began.
Why does a set have more versions than its type count?
Bandai’s type count includes each Special card and the Treasure Rare, but not the other alt-arts, so a set’s collectible versions run well past its printed total. OP17-062, a Super Rare of Kaido, appears four times in OP-17: the standard print and three alt-arts.
Does the label tell you what a card sells for?
No. TCGplayer’s report of July 14, 2026 counted only Near Mint copies with at least ten sales from June 8 to July 7, 2026. It put a gold DON!! card of Boa Hancock from EB-03 at a Market Price of $126.59, and DON!! cards are the kind Bandai counts apart, after the plus sign. The OP-16 admirals above show the same thing from the other side: a manga-art card can carry an R.
The version decides the price, and our guide to checking a One Piece card’s value shows how to price one. Secret rare and card number explain those terms across card games.
Does Bandai publish card rates?
No. It counts types only. OP-17’s cards are packed at random, multiples of one card may appear, and a full set may be hard to assemble. Our guide to booster box contents covers what that means for a box, and One Piece set release dates lists every booster from OP-01 to OP-18. For Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Lorcana, see the trading card hub and our guide to Lorcana rarities.
Frequently asked questions
Which characters have had Super Alt-Art cards?
Enel is the Super Alt-Art of OP-15, and Sanji made his Super Alt-Art debut in PRB-02.
Do DON!! cards come in special versions?
Yes. PRB-01 added 30 DON!! cards, some with gold foiling, and PRB-02 has alt-art and Super Alt-Art versions of its DON!! cards.
Do Event cards ever come as alt-arts?
Yes. PRB-02 has full-art, foil-stamped alt-arts of Event cards, and Japan's OP-15 adds 2 Event parallel cards.
What finishes can an alt-art have?
Some alt-arts carry art over the entire card, some a shining finish and some a special texture you can feel.