Red Cheeks Pikachu: why the Base Set Pikachu exists twice
Pikachu 58/102 exists with red and with yellow cheeks. Red only appears in the earliest English prints and costs many times more as a PSA 10.
Base Set Pikachu 58/102 always shows the same artwork by Mitsuhiro Arita. The difference lies in a single circle: on the red version the visible cheek is filled solid red-orange, on the yellow version it is pale yellow and barely stands out from the fur. Both versions have the small red sparks next to the cheek. They do not count, but they are a good colour reference in the same photo.
Red cheeks exist only in English and only in three prints: 1st Edition, unstamped Shadowless and the 1999 E3 promo. All three prints also exist with yellow cheeks. Unlimited with shadow, the “4th Print” with ©1999-2000, Base Set 2 and every later reprint up to the 2026 30th Celebration are yellow only. The Japanese original from 1996 and every other language of the WotC era, including German, have yellow cheeks.
Why the colour changed has never been officially explained. Neither Wizards of the Coast nor The Pokémon Company has commented. The popular story that WotC recoloured Arita's yellow cheeks red on its own comes from a collector forum. In 2018 the same forum told it the other way round. Asked about it, Arita only replied: “I think so, but not certain. Ask WotC if you want to know fact.”
The order is unclear too. For a long time the view was: red first, then yellow. Against this, the earliest English cards are yellow, such as the Pikachu from the December 1998 demo pack and the ghost stamp misprints from early Zap! theme decks. So yellow, then red, then yellow again is also possible. Because the change was intentional, the red version is a variant, not a misprint.
The E3 promo is the second red-cheeks appearance. At Nintendo's E3 booth in Los Angeles, 13 to 15 May 1999, visitors received the red-cheeked Pikachu with a gold E3 stamp. From September 1999 the same card came with yellow cheeks as a Nintendo Power insert.
How to check a red card: the cheek must be solid red and the layout shadowless, with no drop shadow on the right and bottom of the art frame. The copyright line reads “©1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK. ©1999 Wizards.” Red cheeks on a card with shadow, with ©1999-2000 or with the Base Set 2 symbol do not exist. Such a card is fake or altered. Be careful with warm light and filters, which quickly make a yellow cheek look orange.
PSA labels the red cards “1st Edition - Red Cheeks”, “Shadowless - Red Cheeks” and “E3 Promo - Red Cheeks”, the yellow ones mostly without a suffix. Older slabs without a suffix can still hold red Shadowless cards. According to the PSA pop mirror on pikawiz, a red 1st Edition received a 10 only 259 times, a yellow one 549 times. Red cards reach the top grade noticeably less often.
The price gap is large. On eBay in 2026 a red 1st Edition in PSA 10 sold for about €15,700 to €27,300, a yellow one for about €2,800 to €5,500. In PSA 9, red 1st Editions sit at about €2,000 to €3,100, yellow ones at €600 to €900. For unstamped Shadowless the gap is smaller: red PSA 10s recently brought around €2,300 to €2,700. When buying, look for “Red Cheeks” in the title and on the label. Last Sold lists the red versions as separate cards so their value is not mixed with the yellow ones.
Cards affected
#58 · Sources
- Bulbapedia: Pikachu (Base Set 58)
- Bulbapedia: Error cards
- Elite Fourum: Base Pikachu artwork card variations
- Elite Fourum: Question about Pikachu (Antwort von Arita)
- Elite Fourum: 1998 English Demo Pack Shadowless Pikachu
- Elite Fourum: Base Set 2 Red Cheeks Pikachu (Fälschung)
- PokéWiki: Pikachu (Grundset 58)
- Poképédia: Pikachu (Set de Base 58)
- pikawiz: PSA Pop Report Base Set
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