Seen by many anime fans as the pinnacle of manga-turned-anime series, Dragon Ball Z captured many hearts and imaginations when it was televised in 1989. Akira Toriyama was the artist responsible for the creation of the Dragon Ball sagas.
The massive popularity of the Dragon Ball franchise lead to the development of cool merchandise, video games, and trading card games. The focus of today’s article is the Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game (known by trading card enthusiasts in it’s shorthand form: DBZ CCG or TCG)!
We’ll run through the different types of Dragon Ball Z cards that can still be found on the market as well as their average value, and a list of the most valuable DBZ cards out there. We’ve also included a trading card buying and selling guide for your convenience.
Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game: Background
The Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game is an exciting trading card game which was originally based on the Dragon Ball volumes which were created by the famous manga artist Akira Toriyama. Several animated TV series were developed from this, they began to air in 1984.
Some of these series were based directly on Akira Toriyama’s original works, including the acclaimed Dragon Ball Z – the second volume in the original manga series. It was broadcast in 5 different countries: Japan, USA, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and India, between 1989 and 1996.
Several spin-off card games were produced, so while people widely refer to the Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game, it has been called the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game and the Dragon Ball GT Trading Card Game. It is not to be confused with the similarly named Dragon Ball Collectible Card Game! Here, the “Z” makes all the difference.
The aim of the game is to recreate the exciting and infamous battles from the anime series by using cards to battle your opponents.
This card game was released in 2000, starting with the classic “Saiyan Saga” starter decks, with several expansion packs and updates during the years. By 2016 there were 18 expansions and a whole host of promotional cards (“promos”).
Now the Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game is out-of-print, the cards are collectible. Let’s have a look at the different kinds of cards you can find on the market, and their respective values today…
Dragon Ball Z Card Types: Identification
There were 11 different releases, or “sagas”, of Dragon Ball Z cards over the years. Here, we will list them all with a little information about the booster packs and personality cards you can expect to find within each saga. For more complete information, check out the DBZ CCG/TCG database on CCG Trader.
1. Saiyan Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs, Hero Starter Decks, Villain Starter Decks
- Personality cards: Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, and Saibaimen.
Despite being the first release of the Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game, the Saiyan Saga cards were at first well-loved and then began to be disregarded as newer packs with updates wording and rules were released. Hence, fans tend to think of this first saga as “untuned”.
2. Frieza Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs
- Personality cards: Dodoria, Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Nail, Dende, Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, Guldo, Jeice, and Frieza.
The second saga was released only in Booster Packs and incorporated gameplay from the first Saiyan Saga and the Namek story arc from the anime series. This set was criticised for concentrating on certain sets of characters to the disadvantage of characters comprising the Ginyu Force and Frieza.
Some notable Hi-tech Redemption cards were released as a part of this set including: Frieza, Captain Ginyu, Garlic Jr, Spice, Vinegar and Trunks.
3. Trunks Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs, Hero Starter Deck, Villain Starter Deck
- Personality cards: Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Trunks, Vegeta, Jeice, Frieza, Dodoria, Captain Ginyu, Garlic Jr., King Cold, Spice, and Vinegar.
The scenes used in the Trunk saga card set were from the Frieza saga, Garlic Jr. saga and Trunks saga. Notable changes with the release of the third saga were the introduction of Mastery cards and the debut of Future Trunks.
Some Ultra Rare cards to look out for that were part of this card set include: “Where There’s Life There’s Hope”, “Villain’s True Power”, “King Cold” level 4 and “Goku” level 4.
4. Androids Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs
- Personality cards: –
Many Dragon Ball Z card game fans think of the fourth set produced by Score Entertainment as the best of them all. Of note are the cards marked with the iconic burning kanji symbol which demarcated key scenes from the personality card Future Trunks’ character timeline.
Keep an eye out for the Ultra Rare cards released as part of the Androids Saga: “The Hero Is Down” and “Trunks Guardian Drill”.
5. Cell Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs, Hero Starter Decks, Villain Starter Decks
- Personality cards: Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Trunks, Vegeta, Android 16, Android 17, Android 18, Android 19, and Android 20, and Cell.
The fifth saga saw the introduction of Stage 5 Personality cards, the highest level for a considerable period of time. There were some key 6-star Ultra Rare cards included as part of the Cell saga including: “Goku” level 5, “Vegeta” level 5, “Cell’s Presence”, and “Z-Warriors Gather”.
6. Cell Games Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs, Tuff Enuff Subset, Hero Starter Decks, Villain Starter Decks
- Personality cards: Trunks, Piccolo, Dende, Chiaotzu and Cell Jr.
With the release of the sixth saga, even more Level 5 cards were introduced. The notable 6-star Ultra Rare cards from the Cell Games saga include: “Trunks, the Battler” level 5 and “Piccolo, the Defender” level 5.
7. World Games Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs, Hero Starter Decks, Celestial Fighter Starter Packs.
- Personality cards: Goku, Gohan, Goten, Piccolo, Krillin, Vegeta, Kid Trunks, Grand Kai, Videl, Olibu, Arqua, Chapuchai, Froug, Maraikoh, Tapkar, Torbie, Pikkon, and Majin Spopovich
The seventh saga released introduced several new cards and concepts including the Celestial Fighters mechanic, “Sensei cards” (East Kai, North Kai, West Kai, and South Kai), “color-shifting”, and Freestyle Mastery. One criticism that many fans had of the World Games saga was the depletion of Villain cards
8. Babidi Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs
- Personality cards: Goku, Gohan, Android 18, Hercule, Videl, Supreme Kai, Majin Babidi, Majin Dabura, Majin Pui-Pui, Majin Yakon, and Majin Vegeta.
Some of the key changes made with the release of the eighth saga were the improvement of the Majin mechanic, and the exclusivity of Majin Personalities and their Allies.
Keep an eye out for the 6-star Ultra Rare cards which were included in this set: “Majin Vegeta” level 1 and “Majin Vegeta, the Malevolent” level 5.
9. Buu Saga
- Card sets: Booster Packs (including Uber Rares), Hero Starter Decks, Villain Starter Decks,
- Personality cards: Goku, Gohan, Goten, Kid Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, Dende, Hercule, Oolong, Bee, Korin, Gotenks, Majin Babidi, Majin Dabura, Majin Vegeta, and Majin Buu. Sensei cards in this set included Master Roshi and Elder Kai.
A few new concepts were introduced along with the release of the ninth set, the Buu saga. These included Alternate Dragon Balls, Fusion, a new type of high-tech card “gate-fold”.
The Uber Rares booster pack included some 7-star Uber Rare cards: “Gotenks” level 1 and “Gotenks, Super Saiyan” level 2. While the name suggested they were even rarer than Ultra Rare cards, they are in fact more common on the market. The 6-star Ultra Rare cards that can be found as part of the Buu saga include: “Goku, Super Saiyan 3” level 5, “Eternal Dragon’s Quest”, “Majin Buu” level 5”, and “Master Roshi Sensei”.
10. Fusion Saga
- Card sets: –
- Personality cards: Gohan, Yamcha, Gotenks. Vegito, Hercule-Goku, Den-Goku, Majin Buu, and Majin Buu’s Kamikaze Ghost.
The tenth card set, the Fusion saga, focused primarily but not exclusively on Fusion gameplay. New cards including 3 Fusion Personality cards were added, and the new concept of cards which blocked attacks and enhanced their defensive capacity in certain scenarios of gameplay.
The Fusion card personalities “Gotenks, Super Saiyan 3” level 3, and “Vegito” level 2 are the 6-star Ultra Rare cards included in the Fusion saga.
11. Kid Buu Saga
- Card sets: –
- Personality cards: Gohan, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Android 18, Vegeta, Kid Trunks, Yamcha, Yajirobe, Hercule, Videl, Majin Dabura, Uub, King Kai, Pan, Kid Buu, and Majin Bibidi. Sensei cards in this set included Goku and Piccolo.
The Kid Buu saga is the last set produced for the Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game. This set focused on Buu, adding new Buu Personality cards and featuring scenes from the 28th Tenka-ichi Budokai.
A few notable cards from the Kid Buu saga include the 36 card Bojack Unbound sub-set (an all-foil cards sub-set), and Broly (all 4 levels). The 6-star Ultra Rare cards included in this set are: “Piccolo Sensei” and “Earth’s Spirit Bomb”.
Dragon Ball Z Trading Card Game: Value
The most valuable Dragon Ball Z cards are those sold in a complete set, in mint condition – especially those in sealed boxes which have never been opened or used. Rare and limited-edition cards can also have a high value. The best way to work out the value of a particular card is to search for it on an online auction platform or specialist trading card/ collectible card marketplace. Search thoroughly for the card in question to get an idea of its current market value in different conditions.
Some of the best places to search include:
- CCG Trader – Marketplace
- Mavin
- eBay – Collectible trading cards section
Please note that any values stated are correct at the time of writing, but are subject to fluctuations with time and market demand.
Most Valuable Dragon Ball Z Individual Cards
2001 Score Dragon Ball Z Son Goku Champion Drill
The reason this card is at the top of our most valuable individual cards list is because it was part of a series in the early 2000s which had a very low print run, making it very rare. This particular card had a high grade, and sold for $3,350!
2000 Score Dragon Ball Z Frieza Saga Super Saiyan Goku Limited
Another card with a very high grade (BGS 8.5), this rare and unique card is highly sought after and comes up for auction very seldom. This particular card made an auction record when it sold for $3,090!
Most Valuable Dragon Ball Z Sets
All Vegeta Personality Cards
This complete set of Vegeta Personality Cards was sold for $3,313 in 2021! It included an Ultra Rare Goku.
Cartes Dragon Ball Z PP Card Limited Gold Cards
Limited edition gold cards are highly valuable, especially when sold as a complete set. These ones sold for $2,499 in 2020!
Saga Booster Box Factory Sealed
This complete Saga Booster Pack sold for $1,999.99 in 2020!
Dragon Ball Z Cards: Buying And Selling Guide
When it comes to buying or selling collectible trading cards, the first and most important tip is: do your research! Search thoroughly for the exact card you want to sell or buy, in the exact condition your card is in/the card you want is in. Scour eBay, Amazon, and Etsy for genuine collectible cards sold by reputable sellers.
Investing in rare and unique collectible trading cards can be a good investment for the future. Look at Pokemon cards for example – the value of these is going up pretty much continually as the years go on. The appetite for anime and manga is growing and growing, and this makes cards like Dragon Ball Z trading cards a potentially good investment for the future.
Some good general tips for buying collectible trading cards include:
- Set a budget for yourself
- What is your long-term goal? Investment or forming an awesome themed collection?
- Make sure you go for listings with plenty of details, sold by a reputable seller
- Don’t be afraid to ask the seller for more information
- Get up to speed on identifying fake collectible cards!
Some good general tips for selling collectible trading cards include:
- Set a fair price on your card/s – make sure it aligns with the current market value
- Include plenty of details in your listings such as the condition of the card, any damage, and authentication notes
- Sell through the right platforms – eBay, Card Market, and CCG Trader are good places to start
While this video guide is aimed at collecting Dragon Ball Super Cards, many of the tips and advice are applicable to the collection of Dragon Ball Z cards. Check it out!
