Pokémon Cards Aren’t Just For Boys—Meet the SG Gen Z Girls Taking Over The TCG Scene

More Singaporean Gen Z girls are collecting Pokémon TCG cards as a hobby

24-year-old Lee Sue Jean never thought she would become a Pokémon TCG enthusiast. However, her interest was sparked when her boyfriend persuaded her to download Pokémon TCG Pocket, a virtual mobile game. She soon took her hobby offline as she began appreciating the aesthetic nature of the cards. Collecting them was also much more space-efficient compared to her Pokémon stuffed toy collection. As the couple grew more invested, they attended their first trade show, even dedicating a part of their Japan holidays to hunting for Pokémon cards. They have amassed over 50 cards in their shared collection since starting their hobby in February this year.

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Sue Jean is one of the many girls subverting the notion that collecting TCG cards is a male-centric hobby. You may have seen more and more of them on TikTok—flipping through pink binders and displaying their meticulously curated collections. This rising trend signals how more women worldwide, especially Gen Zs, are contributing to the boom in Pokémon TCG card collection over the past year.

But while this trend brings joy and nostalgia, defying the “boy’s club” reputation that TCG card collection carries, it also comes with a darker side. From price gouging to compulsive spending spurred by social media, many budding female collectors now find themselves navigating both the thrills—and the challenges—of a booming and increasingly complex TCG collector’s market.

Why everyone’s talking about Pokémon cards again 

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The Pokémon Trading Card Game, developed by Creatures Inc. in 1996, has since grown into a multibillion-dollar global phenomenon. What began as a tabletop game has evolved into a cultural mainstay, with over 64.8BN cards produced worldwide as of March 2024. 

Many enthusiasts collect Pokémon TCG cards for their visual appeal as they feature elaborate artworks from different artists with unique styles. Some variations include holofoil, full art, illustration rare, trainer gallery, and more. Full art cards are characterised by special artwork that extends across the entire surface. Meanwhile, illustration rares are full-art, non-textured cards, while Trainer Gallery details both Pokémon and their trainers.

 

As with every TCG community, die-hard fans are willing to fork out large sums to purchase rare and expensive cards. In January this year, two men in California were filmed brawling over a box of cards at a neighbourhood Costco—representative of the ever-growing Pokémon TCG craze.

And it’s not just men getting in the mix. YX Soh, a Pokémon card seller and TikTok live streamer, has noticed a growth in the proportion of female to male viewers from when she first started her business in November last year. She thinks that the “For You Page” of the platform has contributed greatly to this new demographic, with many card collectors highlighting those with a cute aesthetic, the top chases of a certain set, and more. 

Gen Z girls are getting into the game

Like Sue Jean, many Singaporean girls rediscovered their interest in the franchise after downloading the Pokémon TCG Pocket. Since its release in October 2024, the game has been downloaded by over 60 million players. This phenomenon draws parallels to the release of Pokemon Go in 2016 which led to a spike in Pokémon’s virtual and real-world popularity. To play the TCG Pocket game, players open 2 booster packs a day, swiping to digitally rip open a pack and unleash a stack of cards. 

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According to Sue Jean, the game is an easy gateway to learning about Pokémon TCG cards as it is free and easy to play. She adds, “You get to earn in-game money to buy more packs so it motivates you to keep progressing.” 

The mobile game has inspired many girls who grew up with the anime series and games to reignite their love for Pokémon. The fact that one can curate aesthetic card collections—symptomatic of a TikTok-dominated culture where everything is aestheticised—is an added draw. 

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Social media personality, Kairi, grew up playing Pokémon games on her Nintendo Game Boy. She was unfamiliar with its TCG aspect until she started seeing card collecting all over social media. Spurred by the visual allure of Pokémon TCG cards, the influencer rekindled her interest in the franchise. “I find it a fun and accessible way to relive that nostalgia,” Kairi explains.

Similarly, 25-year-old Ari Wang has been a Pokémon fan since she was a child. However, she gradually lost touch with the fantasy universe as she grew older. Her interest was renewed when her friend and boyfriend—both Pokémon fanatics—encouraged her to open her first pack of cards from the 151 Ultra-Premium Collection. Ari found the experience exhilarating as she managed to draw a rare card, and from there on, developed a passion for collecting Pokémon TCG cards.

It’s not just about the cards—it’s a community

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Platforms like TikTok have not only made Pokémon TCG card collecting feel more approachable, they also help to foster a welcoming community off and online, where female collectors have managed to forge new friendships.

Kairi expresses that she has met many like-minded people thanks to her latest hobby. She gushes: “There’s just something so wholesome about sitting together and flipping through each other’s collections!”

Sue Jean also speaks of her positive experience at a recent Pokémon TCG tradeshow: “We saw people of different genders and from all walks of life. Sellers at the card show were really friendly, so it was easy to negotiate with them. We could also strike up conversations with other fans since we all share the same hobby.”

In a world where many hobbies still carry gendered expectations, the Pokémon TCG space is slowly evolving—thanks in part to social media—into a more inclusive and connected one, where girls aren’t just collecting cards, but finding their people too.

The flip side of the hype behind Pokémon TCG card collection

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Despite the girls’ positive experiences, the TikTok-driven hype has transformed the activity into a high-expense market with unethical sellers and scams—much like what’s seen in other popular collectables communities. 

A Singaporean scalper was exposed by Pokémon fans for reselling the highly sought-after Prismatic Evolutions booster bundle at $105, while they retail for $41.40 at the Pokemon Center. Meanwhile, resellers wipe out stocks in bulk and store them away, selling them at sky-high prices when there is demand. 

Collecting TCG cards has also turned into a form of gambling for many, leading to overconsumption. The repeated act of purchasing and opening new packs till one gets rare or desired cards leads to a potential addiction and financial strain.

To overcome this challenge, Sue Jean limits herself to buying single cards from her wishlist. This keeps her focused on saving up for specific cards rather than having to gamble on low odds to obtain them.

Based on her experience in the market, YX asserts that fans sometimes become obsessed with the idea of “getting the top chases, wanting to be the 1%”.  She believes that this is because of the monetary value that some Pokémon cards bring. However, approaching the hobby with intentionality— setting boundaries, prioritising long-term goals over impulse buys, and resisting the pressure to chase every rare pull—can help mitigate the addictive tendencies that often come with it. 

For relatively new collectors like Kairi, who have adopted the hobby for nostalgic reasons, the scalping and inflated prices can come as quite a shock. She shares, “I feel like Pokémon is about joy, a little nostalgia, and the love for the pocket monsters; not just profit, and I’d love for more people to keep that spirit alive!” 

Singaporean girls are proving that Pokémon TCG isn’t just for the boys

All 3 girls have expressed their desire to continue pursuing the hobby. Ari sees herself collecting mostly rarer, better quality, and prettier cards, while Sue Jean hopes to do themed collections in the future. 

Their passion is more than just a pastime; it’s part of a broader cultural shift where girls are claiming space in hobbies that are traditionally male-dominated. As social media continues to democratise access and reshape what a “typical” collector looks like, it’s clear that the Pokémon TCG community is evolving—one pink binder at a time.

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Pseudonyms have been used to protect real identities.

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