Last Updated: October 2026
Japanese Intro Pack Arcanine is one of the most interesting vintage Japanese Arcanine cards from 1999. Released as part of the Squirtle Deck of the Intro Pack, this card features beautiful artwork by Kagemaru Himeno.
At first glance, it may look like an ordinary vintage Arcanine. But there is a small detail that makes this card especially interesting: its Japanese name is incorrectly printed as ウィンディ instead of the standard ウインディ.
📌 Key Facts
| Release | July 30, 1999 |
| Set | Intro Pack – Squirtle Deck |
| Card No. | 32 |
| HP | 70 |
| Artist | Kagemaru Himeno |
| Rarity | None |
| Raw Market | Approximately $115–$200 |
| PSA 10 Market | Approximately $700+ |
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The Story Behind the Intro Pack Arcanine
This Arcanine was released in Japan as card #32 in the Squirtle Deck of the Intro Pack in 1999.
The Intro Pack was designed as an introductory product for new Pokémon TCG players. Instead of being pulled from a normal booster pack, the cards were included in a pre-constructed deck.
The card features 70 HP, is a Stage 1 Fire-type Pokémon, and has the attack Take Down, which does 50 damage while dealing 20 damage to Arcanine itself.
The artwork was illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno, one of the most recognizable artists from the vintage Japanese Pokémon TCG era.
The Strange Japanese Name Error
The most interesting detail on this card is hidden in its name.
The standard Japanese spelling of Arcanine is ウインディ. However, this Intro Pack card is printed as ウィンディ, with a small ャ/ィ-style character difference in the Japanese name.
This is a genuine printing error, not a collector nickname or a later alteration. The same error also appeared on the Japanese Arcanine from Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!.
Interestingly, when the same artwork was later reused for the Japanese Pokémon Web expansion, the spelling was corrected.
The Same Artwork Returned in Pokémon Web
This is one of the best reasons to collect this particular Arcanine.
The Intro Pack print was later reprinted in the Japanese Pokémon Web expansion using the same Kagemaru Himeno artwork. The Web version uses the later e-Card Series layout and is numbered 023/048.
However, the name on the Web version is corrected to the standard ウインディ.
This creates a fun little piece of Pokémon TCG history: the same artwork exists on two different Japanese cards, but the earlier Intro Pack printing contains the name error while the later Web printing corrects it.
How Much Is Intro Pack Arcanine Worth?
This card has become considerably more expensive in recent years. Current market data is around $200 for a raw copy, although the number of recent completed sales is limited and prices vary significantly depending on condition.
| Condition | Approximate Market Value |
|---|---|
| Raw | Approximately $115–$200+ |
| PSA 7 | Approximately $175 |
| PSA 8 | Approximately $130+ |
| PSA 9 | Approximately $200+ |
| PSA 10 | Approximately $700+ |
Recent completed-sale data is relatively thin, so these numbers should be treated as approximate market indicators rather than fixed prices. Current listings can also be considerably higher than actual completed sales.
As of September 2026, one market tracker lists the raw card at approximately $200, while PSA 10 is estimated at around $719. PSA’s population data shows more than 250 PSA 10 examples, so this is valuable but not an ultra-low-population card.
Why Collect This Arcanine?
- Released in 1999 as part of a Japanese-exclusive Intro Pack.
- Features artwork by Kagemaru Himeno.
- Contains the unusual Japanese name error ウィンディ.
- The same artwork was later used for the Pokémon Web Arcanine.
- The Pokémon Web version corrected the spelling.
- It is becoming increasingly expensive as interest in vintage Japanese Pokémon cards grows.
For collectors who enjoy obscure Japanese cards, printing errors, or completing every version of a Pokémon’s artwork, this is a particularly fun card to own.
Does an English Version Exist?
There is no identical English version of this Intro Pack printing.
The card was released as part of a Japanese-exclusive Intro Pack product. The later Japanese Pokémon Web version also does not have an identical English counterpart, making these Japanese printings particularly interesting to collectors of vintage Arcanine cards.
Final Thoughts
The Japanese Intro Pack Arcanine is a great example of why vintage Japanese Pokémon collecting can be so rewarding.
It may look like a simple 1999 Arcanine at first, but the card has a surprisingly deep history: Kagemaru Himeno artwork, Japanese-exclusive Intro Pack distribution, a genuine name-printing error, and a later Pokémon Web reprint using the same artwork.
If you are building a vintage Japanese Arcanine collection, this is definitely one to keep on your radar.
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