Gundam Card Game and Union Arena: Bandai's newer card games
Besides One Piece, Digimon and Dragon Ball, Bandai publishes two more card games. Gundam Card Game is based on the mecha series of the same name and launched in 2025. Union Arena is a game where several different series share the same rules, so characters from separate stories can meet across the table. Both use standard size and are sold in the same kinds of products as Bandai's other games.
Quick facts
| Publisher | Bandai |
|---|---|
| Gundam Card Game | Launched 2025, based on the Gundam series |
| Union Arena | Several series under the same rules |
| Number of players | 2 in both |
| Card size | Standard, 63 × 88 mm |
| Compatible with each other | No |
Gundam Card Game
- You pair pilots with machines. The combinations decide how the deck works.
- Bases and shields act as life. Breaking through them is the way to win.
- Resources build up every turn, which means heavier machines come into play later on.
- The cards come from the various Gundam series, so collectors recognise both machines and characters.
- Starter decks are playable right away and are the intended way in.
Union Arena
The idea behind Union Arena is that a single set of rules carries many licences. Each series gets its own releases with its own cards, but the rules are the same, which means you can learn the game once and then choose which world you want to play with. The releases are marked with the series name, and cards from different series can meet in the same match.
| Rules | Shared by all series |
|---|---|
| Releases | One or more per licensed series |
| Play between series | Works fine, that is the whole point |
| Starting product | Starter deck per series |
| Collector value | Specially treated cards of popular characters |
The products
| Starter deck | Ready-made deck, playable straight out of the box |
|---|---|
| Booster pack | Pack with mixed cards from the release |
| Booster display | Box of packs |
| Promo cards | From events and included with products |
The sets
The sets in both games, and under each one what sets it apart from the others.
UEX01BT BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Vol.2
Vol.2 is the second Union Arena booster for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War and has cards that strengthen decks in the colours that already existed, so more scenes from the TV series can be recreated. This is where the title's first foil-stamped autograph cards arrived, signed by the voice actors from the anime. The set has 74 card types plus five Action Point cards, and each display has an extra foil card in one of six designs.
The chase cards are the foil-stamped autograph cards, the title's first, signed by the voice actors from the anime.
UE08BT Black Clover
The Black Clover set spreads the series across three colours: red cards revolve around Black Bulls, Asta and Yuno, green around Magic Knights and purple around Black Bulls and Dark Triad. Among the characters are Noelle, Yami, Mimosa and Dante, and there are foil cards with signatures from the Japanese voice actors. The set has 99 card types plus six Action Point cards.
The chase cards are the foil-stamped signature cards from the Japanese voice actors.
UEX02BT JUJUTSU KAISEN Vol.2
Vol.2 brings in characters from the Shibuya Incident arc and at the same time introduces the colour red for Jujutsu Kaisen. There are also new cards from Hidden Inventory/Premature Death and cards that strengthen decks built on that part of the series. One of the three-star card types comes in a serial-numbered version made in only 100 copies.
The chase card is the serial-numbered version of one of the three-star card types, limited to 100 copies.
ST02 Wings of Advance
Wings of Advance is the starter deck with Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, a ready-to-play 50-card deck with two Legend Rares. The Gundam Assemble edition also contains three mini figures of Gunpla models: two Leos and one Tallgeese.
The chase cards are the Legend Rare cards Wing Gundam and Tallgeese.
ST03 Zeon's Rush
Zeon's Rush is built on the Zeon side of Mobile Suit Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, with Zaku II at the centre. The Gundam Assemble edition has three mini figures: Char's Zaku II and two regular Zaku IIs.
The chase card is the Legend Rare card Char's Zaku II.
ST04 SEED Strike
SEED Strike is the starter deck from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, a 50-card deck with two Legend Rares and 14 commons. The Gundam Assemble edition includes mini figures of Launch Strike Gundam, Sword Strike Gundam and Skygrasper.
The chase card is the Legend Rare card Aile Strike Gundam.
ST05 Iron Bloom
Iron Bloom brought Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans into the game and at the same time introduced the colour purple. The deck has 50 cards with two Legend Rares and 14 commons.
The chase card is the Legend Rare card Gundam Barbatos 4th Form.
GD02 Dual Impact
Dual Impact has cards from After War Gundam X, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE and Mobile Suit Z Gundam as well as from Iron-Blooded Orphans and GQuuuuuuX. The set has 130 card types, 12 of them Legend Rare, plus ten resource cards and three token cards, and each pack contains 12 cards plus one extra.
The chase cards are the Legend Rare cards Gundam Epyon and Qubeley.
ST06 Clan Unity
Clan Unity is a green and red starter deck from Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, built to attack and overrun the opponent. The deck has 50 cards with two Legend Rares and 14 commons.
The chase card is the Legend Rare card Red Gundam.
UE20BT That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Special Booster
The special booster for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has an unusually large number of cards, 188 card types plus 13 Action Point cards, and covers seasons 1 to 3 of the anime. Four colours are included in the same release, so several different decks can be built from it. Among the characters are Rimuru, Milim, Shion, Benimaru, Veldora and Diablo.
The chase cards are the serial-numbered Action Point cards with handwritten signatures, a North American exclusive insert with extremely low odds.
UE21BT The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You
The set covers the entire first season of the anime and puts the six girlfriends Hakari, Karane, Shizuka, Nano, Kusuri and Hahari at the centre. The three-star cards together form one connected illustration. The set has 82 card types plus 12 Action Point cards, and hand-signed Action Point cards with serial numbers are found in packs at very low odds.
The chase cards are the hand-signed Action Point cards with serial numbers and the three-star cards that together form a connected illustration of the six girlfriends.
ST11 Aquatic Assault
Aquatic Assault is a blue and purple deck with mobile suits for underwater combat, among them Char's Z'gok, and aims to stay hidden in the depths and control the board with both attack and defence. It is one of four starter decks with the same release date, each with its own fighting style.
The chase cards are the Legend Rare cards Char's Z'gok and Shamblo.
ST12 Raging Onslaught
Raging Onslaught is a red and purple close-combat deck with Gundam Epyon at the centre, built to attack without pause and take control of the table. The deck works well one-on-one but also has many cards that come into their own when more than two are playing.
ST13 Silent Barrage
Silent Barrage is a green and red deck with Qubeley and other units that fight with bits and funnels, and it takes down opponents with long-range attacks. The box contains a 50-card deck, ten resource cards and four token cards.
The chase card is the Legend Rare card Qubeley, a separate printing distinct from Dual Impact's.
ST14 Heavy Dominion
Heavy Dominion is a green and white deck with heavily armed units such as The-O, built on hard hits and durable frames. Many of the cards are made for games with more than two players, although the deck holds up well one-on-one.
The chase card is the Legend Rare card The-O.
UE24BT Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
The Re:ZERO set has illustrations of Emilia and Rem in wedding dresses made exclusively for Union Arena, and foil-stamped autograph cards from Rie Takahashi, Yusuke Kobayashi and Inori Minase, among others. The set has 100 card types plus six Action Point cards. The starter deck of the same name was released the same day and has a promo pack with four rare cards found only in the starter deck.
The chase cards are the foil-stamped autograph cards from Rie Takahashi, Yusuke Kobayashi and Inori Minase.
UEX07BT Attack on Titan Vol.2
Vol.2 is the second Union Arena booster for Attack on Titan and takes its characters from Attack on Titan Final Season, among them Eren Jaeger, Levi, Hange Zoë, Gabi Braun and Falco Grice. The title gets the colour yellow here for the first time, and many illustrations are drawn for this particular release. There are foil-stamped autograph cards from six voice actors.
The chase cards are the foil-stamped autograph cards from the voice actors, among them Yuki Kaji as Eren Jaeger and Yui Ishikawa as Mikasa Ackerman.
GD06 Stardust Trails
Stardust Trails is based on Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. The set has 135 card types plus eight token cards, with 12 Legend Rares and five cards in the Special rarity.
UP01BT GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE Precious Booster
Precious Booster is a premium variant where all cards are foil, with four cards per pack and ten packs per display. It strengthens existing NIKKE decks and brings in new decks around Old Tales and Goddess.
UE01DC BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Advanced Deck
Advanced Deck is a ready-made 50-card deck where all cards are foil, intended as a step above a regular starter deck. It is aimed at those who missed Vol.1 and Vol.2 or are just starting to play. The box also contains three Action Point cards and a playsheet.
UEX08BT BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Vol.3
Vol.3 is based on the third part of the anime BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War and shows Ichigo's new abilities. Grimmjow, who first appears in that part, is included along with Aizen and members of the Sternritter.
The chase cards are the serial-numbered, hand-signed Action Point cards of Ichigo Kurosaki, signed by Masakazu Morita, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, signed by Junichi Suwabe.
UE25BT My Hero Academia Special Booster
The special booster for My Hero Academia brings together characters from seasons 1 to 6 of the anime in a release with 193 card types – 65 commons, 66 uncommons, 39 rares and 23 super rares – plus 15 Action Point cards, and it has cards with new text that are playable right away in the North American game environment. The cards also come as alt-art, and the Action Point cards have special alt-art versions. A pack has 12 cards and a display has 16 packs. The English edition is dated December 2026. In Japan, My Hero Academia was released as a regular booster in June 2023 (UA10BT), with 100 card types and six Action Point cards centred on class 1-A.
The chase cards are the special alt-art versions of the Action Point cards.
GD07 Blazing Fist
Blazing Fist is based on Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, and Gundam Ez8 appears in the publisher's presentation of the set. The English edition has 12 cards per pack and the Japanese six.
UE26BT GURREN LAGANN
The Gurren Lagann set has many new illustrations made for the release, with Simon, Kamina, Yoko, Nia and Viral among the characters. There are foil-stamped autograph cards from the anime's voice actors and serial-numbered Action Point cards in a limited print run.
The chase cards are the foil-stamped autograph cards from the voice actors and the serial-numbered Action Point cards in a limited print run.
UE27BT Umamusume: Pretty Derby
The Umamusume set has 22 horse girls, among them Special Week, Silence Suzuka, Tokai Teio, Oguri Cap and Gold Ship, and many cards are newly drawn with the characters in special outfits. Serial-numbered Action Point cards with the voice actors' signatures come in a limited print run.
The chase cards are the serial-numbered Action Point cards with the voice actors' signatures, in a limited print run.
UE28BT D.Gray-man
The D.Gray-man set has new illustrations that series creator Katsura Hoshino drew for the release, and a foil-stamped card with Hoshino's signature. Among the characters are Allen Walker, Kanda, Lenalee and Lavi.
The chase card is the foil-stamped card signed by series creator Katsura Hoshino.
UE29BT Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Puella Magi Madoka Magica came to Union Arena in Japan in November 2024 (UA31BT); the English edition UE29BT is dated April 2027. The set is built around the five magical girls Madoka Kaname, Homura Akemi, Mami Tomoe, Sayaka Miki and Kyoko Sakura, with newly drawn illustrations, and Ultimate Madoka and Demon Homura are among the motifs. The Japanese edition has 100 card types – 12 super rares, 18 rares, 35 uncommons and 35 commons – plus six Action Point cards, foil-stamped signature cards from the voice actors Aoi Yuki, Chiwa Saito, Kaori Mizuhashi, Eri Kitamura and Ai Nonaka, and serial-numbered Action Point cards in a limited print run. An English pack has 12 cards and a display has 16 packs.
The chase cards are the foil-stamped signature cards from the voice actors and the serial-numbered Action Point cards.
UE30BT Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation came to Union Arena in Japan in June 2026 (UA54BT); the English edition UE30BT is dated May 2027. Among the characters are Rudeus, Roxy, Sylphiette, Eris and Nanahoshi, and the illustrations were drawn specially for the release. The Japanese edition has 80 card types – 12 super rares, 12 rares, 28 uncommons and 28 commons – as well as 12 Action Point cards, foil-stamped signature cards from the anime's voice actors Yumi Uchiyama, Konomi Kohara, Ai Kayano, Ai Kakuma and Shion Wakayama, and serial-numbered Action Point cards in a limited print run. An English pack has 12 cards and a display has 16 packs.
The chase cards are the foil-stamped signature cards and the serial-numbered Action Point cards in a limited print run.
Getting started
- Choose a game and a series. That is the only choice that matters at the start.
- Buy a starter deck, or two if the person you will play against has no deck.
- Play a few matches before you change anything.
- Build on with boosters from the same release.
- Sleeve the decks in standard size.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up Bandai's different games. Digimon, Dragon Ball, Gundam and Union Arena have separate rules.
- Buying boosters before you have a deck to build on.
- Expecting official Union Arena tournaments in Europe, like the ones Gundam Card Game has.
- Storing foil cards without sleeves.
- Chasing special cards in packs instead of buying them as singles.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Gundam cards be played in Union Arena? No, they are two separate games.
- Can different series meet in Union Arena? Yes, that is the whole idea of the game.
- Which sleeves fit? Standard size, 63 × 88 mm.
- Do I need to know the series? No, but recognising them is a big part of the fun.
- Are the cards released in Japan first? Union Arena is. Gundam Card Game is released at the same time in Japanese, English and Simplified Chinese.
Four of Bandai's card games, side by side
| Digimon Card Game | Shared memory gauge and digivolution stacks. Its own rules. |
|---|---|
| Dragon Ball | Two games, Fusion World and Super Card Game. Leader cards and combos. |
| Gundam Card Game | Pilots and machines, bases and shields. Launched 2025. |
| Union Arena | One set of rules, many licences. Series can meet. |
All four use standard size and are sold in the same kinds of products, but none of them can be mixed with any other. Anyone who buys cards for the wrong game has bought something unusable, and it is the most common expensive mistake made in Bandai's range.
Buying the right thing
- Read the set code on the packaging. Each game has its own code system.
- Check that the game's name is printed, not just the series'.
- Check the language. In Union Arena, Japanese releases have their own codes and come out first.
- Buy a starter deck before boosters, always.
- If you are unsure: ask before buying rather than after.
What makes a card sought after
- Specially treated versions of popular characters and machines.
- Low pull rates, such as serial-numbered or hand-signed cards in some Union Arena releases.
- Cards from series with a large audience, which in Union Arena varies widely between releases.
- Tournament strength, to the extent a scene has had time to establish itself.
- Japanese exclusive versions that have not been released in English.
Collecting without playing
Both games work very well as pure collectibles. The Gundam cards show machines and pilots from a series with decades of history, and Union Arena's releases follow series with large audiences of their own. The artwork stands on its own whether or not the cards are ever put on a table.
If you collect that way: buy single cards instead of packs, and put the foil cards in sleeves straight away. They are the ones that scratch most easily and that carry the value.
Read more about rarities, Digimon, the Dragon Ball card games and English or Japanese cards.
Shop: Gundam Card Game and Union Arena 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.
