The Dragon Ball card games: Fusion World and Super Card Game

Bandai publishes two card games set in the Dragon Ball world. Dragon Ball Super Card Game is the older and more developed one, and Fusion World is the newer one, launched in 2024 with simpler rules and its own card pool. They share artwork and manufacturer but are not compatible, and that is the most important thing a new buyer needs to know before shopping.

Quick facts

Publisher	Bandai
Two games	Super Card Game and Fusion World
Compatible	No. The cards cannot be mixed
Number of players	2
Fusion World, deck size	50 to 60 cards plus a leader
Card size	Standard, 63 × 88 mm

The difference between the games

Fusion World	Newer and simpler. Leader cards, an energy system and quick matches. Built to be easy to learn.
Super Card Game	Older and deeper, with more mechanics and a much larger card pool.
Shared	Same world, same manufacturer, same card size.
Not shared	Rules, card pool, set codes and tournaments.

If you buy cards for the wrong game, you can't use them. So always check which of the two a product belongs to, which is shown by the set code and on the packaging.

How Fusion World works

1. You choose a leader that sits face up and gives the deck its colour and direction.
2. Energy builds up every turn, so more expensive cards come into play over time.
3. Cards battle each other, and damage that gets through hits the leader.
4. Combo cards are played from the hand to boost an attack or a defence in the moment.
5. The leader can be flipped to a stronger form when the conditions are met.

Release types

FB	Fusion World booster sets
FS	Fusion World starter decks
BT and EX	Super Card Game booster and themed releases
SD	Super Card Game starter decks
Promo	Cards from events and included with products

The sets

The sets are listed with the code first, and under each one it says which of the games it belongs to and what sets it apart from the others.

FB02 Blazing Aura

Blazing Aura was Fusion World's second booster set and has four new leader cards: Son Goku, Zamasu: Fused, Cell and Vegeta. Zamasu: Fused regains a life each turn when the player has two lives or fewer left, and Vegeta makes two energy cards active at the end of the turn. The set has 144 card types and 19 alternate art cards, and four previously released cards come in a special brush-style version.

The chase cards are the SCR cards Vegito and Golden Frieza.

FB03 Raging Roar

Raging Roar has five leader cards: Jiren, Son Goku, Piccolo, Babidi and Son Goku: GT. After awakening, Jiren takes at most one damage per battle, and Piccolo becomes active again when he deals damage as leader during an attack. The set has 143 card types and 20 alternate art cards, and three older cards return in a special design.

The chase cards are the SCR cards Son Goku: GT and Son Gohan: Youth.

FB04 Ultra Limit

Ultra Limit has five leader cards: Son Goku, Son Gohan: Adolescence, Vegeta, Majin Buu: Evil and Baby Vegeta/Super Baby 2. The Baby leader lets cards with the traits Brainwashed and Machine Mutant take part in combo even when they are rested, and the Majin Buu leader can make itself or an energy card active when a Majin or Evil Wizard card is KO'd. The set has 133 card types and 25 alternate art cards.

The chase cards are the SCR cards Son Goku and Vegito, both with an extra Super Alt-Art version in gold foil.

FS06 Son Goku (Mini)

The starter deck is based on Dragon Ball DAIMA, with the leader Son Goku (Mini): DA, who can give one of your own battle cards +5000 power and take 5000 from one of the opponent's. The box contains a ready-made 51-card deck, a bonus pack and a pack of Ultra Limit.

ST01 Story Booster 01

Story Booster 01 is the first booster in the Story Booster series, where the cards retell the story, and all 36 common cards have foil with Dragon Ball artwork. The set has 85 card types and three new leaders: Son Goten, who with the extra card Fate Transcending Generations can be returned to active after Kamehameha cards; Majin Buu in three forms with the extra card Demonic Maze, which gives card draw and power when attacking and lowers the energy cost of Majin Evolve; and Vegeta with Wicked Soul Discovered, who gains power from the Ki that Wicked Soul cards use up. The leaders Vegito from FB05 and Broly from FB08 are reprinted. Super rare and rare cards come as alt-art with artwork from animation cels and the story, the leaders' alt-art has foil on both sides, and twelve energy markers come in their own versions. An English pack has 12 cards.

Dragon Ball Daima Trading Cards

Panini's Dragon Ball Daima Trading Cards is a series of trading cards for the TV series Dragon Ball Daima, not Bandai's card game. The collection has 207 cards: 100 base cards, 35 puzzle cards, 20 episode cards, 43 cards with highlights from the series and nine lenticular cards with a 3D effect, plus nine Limited Edition cards numbered LE 1 to LE 9. The base cards come in the parallel versions Crystal Shard and Rainbow Spoke. A pack has six cards, a display has 24 packs, a fat pack has 24 cards and two bonus cards, a fat pack display has ten fat packs, and the eco blister has six packs with a Limited Edition card. The starter set has a card binder, three packs and Limited Edition card number 1. The collection was released in Europe during 2026, with other pack and box formats in Spain.

The chase cards are the nine Limited Edition cards, numbered LE 1 to LE 9, and the nine lenticular cards with a 3D effect.

FB11 Brightness of Hope

Brightness of Hope is a collaboration with the mobile game Dragon Ball Legends and has many collaboration cards, among them a yellow Beerus card with a design from Dragon Ball Legends. The set has five new leader cards, and one of the leaders has the restriction that cards with Evolve and an original energy cost of four or less cannot be played. All three secret rare cards come in super alt-art versions, and the Super Combo cards also have alternate art.

The chase cards are the SCR cards Son Goku, Shallet and Bardock, all of which have a Super Alt-Art version.

B32 Chromatic Ascension

Chromatic Ascension is the fifth set in the Ultra-Bout Series for Dragon Ball Super Card Game Masters and has 185 card types. In addition to the usual rarities there are Concept Rare, Special Rare, Special Leader Rare, Secret Rare, three God Rares and a single card in the Anniversary God Rare rarity. A display holds 20 packs, compared with 24 in its predecessor Impact Beyond Dimensions.

The chase card is the single Anniversary God Rare, printed in only 200 copies for the ninth anniversary of Masters. The set's three Secret Rare cards also come in their own God Rare finish.

FB12 Reach the God

Reach the God is the twelfth booster for Fusion World and follows Brightness of Hope. The release was set for December 2026, with the Japanese edition on the 12th and the English edition on the 18th. The set has 123 card types; an English pack contains 12 cards and a Japanese pack contains six.

FS13 The Saiyan Raised on Earth

The starter deck The Saiyan Raised on Earth has Son Goku as its leader and was released together with The Prince of Saiyan, which is based on Vegeta; the two decks show Goku and Vegeta in their different forms. The box contains a ready-made 51-card deck, a set of energy markers, play sheets with rules and a bonus card. The deck has 18 card types: one leader, 13 commons and four super rares, and the four super rare cards are printed in silver foil. The Japanese edition is dated December 2026 and the English edition January 2027.

FS14 The Prince of Saiyan

The starter deck The Prince of Saiyan has Vegeta as its leader and is the companion deck to The Saiyan Raised on Earth with Son Goku; together the two decks show the Saiyans in their different forms. The box contains a ready-made 51-card deck, a set of energy markers, play sheets with rules and a bonus card. The deck has 18 card types: one leader, 13 commons and four super rares, and the four super rare cards are in silver foil. The Japanese edition is dated December 2026 and the English edition January 2027.

Starter Deck EX (FS15)

The starter deck is a Starter Deck EX with Son Goku and Vegeta in many of their well-known forms, and every card in the deck has silver foil. The deck consists of 18 card types, one leader, 13 commons and four super rares, and each box has a bonus card where all 18 cards from the deck are available as variants.

Rarities

C	Common
UC	Uncommon
R	Rare
SR	Super rare
SCR	Secret rare
Alternate art	The same card with a different illustration, often the most expensive in the set

What makes a Dragon Ball card expensive

• Alternate illustrations of the most beloved characters.
• High rarities in early sets with smaller print runs.
• Tournament strength, which shifts quickly when new sets are released.
• The character's popularity, which carries a lot of weight in this series.
• Japanese editions with their own pricing and their own exclusive versions.

Getting started

1. First decide which of the two games you want to play.
2. Buy a starter deck for that game. It is playable right away.
3. Buy two if you have no one to play against, so you each have a deck.
4. Build on it with boosters in the same colour as your starter deck.
5. Sleeve the decks. The cards get shuffled a lot.

Common mistakes

• Buying cards for the wrong game. Fusion World and Super Card Game are not compatible.
• Mixing Japanese and English cards in the same deck at a tournament.
• Building a deck in too many colours.
• Opening packs to chase a specific card instead of buying it.
• Storing foil cards without sleeves.

Frequently asked questions

• Which game should I choose? Fusion World is easier to start with. Super Card Game has more depth and more cards.
• Can I mix the cards? No.
• Do I need to have watched the series? No, but the characters are more fun if you have.
• Which sleeves fit? Standard size, 63 × 88 mm.
• Are Japanese cards released first? Yes, usually.

Glossary for the Dragon Ball card games

Leader	The leader card that is face up from the start
Awaken	Flipping the leader to a stronger form
Combo	A card played from the hand to boost an attack or defence
Energy	The payment system in Fusion World
Life	The cards that serve as your life total
Battle card	A card that battles on the field
Extra card	One-time effect
Critical	The life cards taken by the damage go to the drop area instead of the hand

Building your own deck

1. Choose the leader first. The leader determines colour and play style.
2. Build an even energy curve so that every turn has a play.
3. Include enough cards with combo value to be able to defend yourself.
4. Stick to one or two colours.
5. Read the current restriction list before playing in a tournament.

Choosing between the games in practice

Fusion World is the game most new players encounter first. There are fewer rules, matches are shorter and starter decks are built to be playable right away without changes. The card pool is smaller, which is an advantage while you are learning and a limitation once you have played for a while.

Super Card Game has a considerably larger card pool and more mechanics layered on top of each other. That gives more depth but also a steeper learning curve, and it is harder to get into late because there are many years of cards to know.

A practical tip: check what people near you play. A card game is only fun if there is someone to play against, and here in particular there are two separate groups that don't overlap.

Read more about rarities, English or Japanese cards and pack types.

Shop: Dragon Ball at Bangerpack.

Written by those of us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.