Since its release in Pokémon Silver in 1999, Lugia has remained as one of the most popular legendary Pokémon of all time. It is a dark and mysterious Pokémon, that has become an icon in the Pokémon universe.

Art by Wulierrr (Twitter)

When most people think of the first ever Pokémon card to depict Lugia, the answer would appear obvious: Lugia from Neo Genesis. Many would also consider Lugia from Neo Genesis to be one of the rarest of all Lugia cards.

Lugia (Neo Genesis)

However, there in fact exists a Lugia card that is even older and rarer than the Neo Genesis Lugia. It is a card that is as dark and mysterious as Lugia itself, with barely more than a handful of copies existing to this day. And it is a card that is so legendary and elusive that no copy has ever been graded as a perfect 10. The card looks like this:

First Appearance / Ghost Rare Lugia

This card is known interchangeably as the First Appearance Lugia or the Ghost Rare Lugia. The card depicts the first sighting of Lugia in the 2000 Pokémon Movie. Very little is known about the card, and it is actually not known when exactly the card was released (although it is likely that the card was released to coincide with the release of the 2000 Pokémon Movie, on 21 July 2000).

The purpose of this blog is to delve into the history and context of the First Appearance Lugia, and to provide some key information about the card to those who may be unfamiliar. This blog will attempt to shed some light on this elusive and little-known card, which otherwise rests within firmly within the shadows of the Pokémon card hobby.

Before we discuss the First Appearance Lugia card, it is helpful to set the scene by first examining the origin and history or Lugia itself. This will help to enhance our appreciation of the First Appearance Lugia card.

The origin of Lugia is dark and complex. Lugia only came into existence after an unlikely series of real-world events, and was the product of drugs, alcohol and internal chaos within the Pokémon Company in late 1997 – 2000.

Note: Much of the below information about Lugia’s origin was sourced from the work of Dr Lava (available here).

To understand the origin of Lugia, we must first go back to a fateful episode of the Pokémon anime that was broadcast in Japan on 16 December 1997. This was the 38th episode of the first season of the Pokémon anime, and was entitled ‘Electric Solider Porygon’. During the episode, a battle scene was depicted with a series of rapidly flashing red and blue lights. This repetitive visual effect induced photo-epileptic seizures in a substantial number of Japanese viewers, and resulted in more than 600 children being taken to hospitals across Japan.

Scenes from ‘Electric Soldier Porygon’

The fallout of this event was significant for the Pokémon Company, with Nintendo’s share value falling substantially. The Pokémon anime was suspended for a 4-month hiatus while the executives of the company scrambled to repair the damaged image of the company and appease investors.

In the midst of this chaos, the head-writer of the Pokémon anime, Takeshi Shudo, was tasked with creating the first ever Pokémon movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back. This movie was released on 18 July 1998, barely 7 months after the epilepsy incident. Due to the executives remaining preoccupied by the epilepsy incident, there was limited oversight over Shudo’s development of Mewtwo Strikes Back. As a result, Shudo found himself with much greater creative freedom than usual, and he made the movie much darker than the executives would otherwise have allowed. For those that have not seen it, the movie begins with Mewtwo gaining consciousness after being cloned and then killing the scientists around him, with the film exploring themes of cloning, genetic modification and existentialism.

Takeshi Shudo

Scenes from Mewtwo Strikes Back

Luckily for Shudo (and for the Pokémon executives) Mewtwo Strikes Back was a box-office success and it topped the charts on its opening weekend. The film grossed over $172 million in box-office sales and a further $58 million in VHS sales in 2000, with a budget of only $5 million. At the time, the movie was the highest-earning Japanese film to ever hit US cinemas.

Mewtwo Strikes Back Promotional poster

As a result of the extreme success of Mewtwo Strikes Back, Shudo was given almost total creative freedom for the second Pokémon movie: Pokémon the Movie 2000. This included almost total control over the writing and creative direction of the film. For this film, Shudo told the story of an avaricious Pokémon collector, named Lawrence III, who attempted to catch the legendary birds, resulting in disharmony in the natural world and requiring Ash to save the world from chaos. Once again, Shudo produced a stylistically dark movie. As Shudo himself later wrote in an online blog:

Looking back — even though the second Pokémon movie was intended for kids — it subtly dealt with topics hardly meant for children, such as ‘the existence of self’ and ‘coexistence.’

Scenes from Pokémon the Movie 2000

As well has having near-total control over the writing of Pokémon the Movie 2000, Shudo also had the power to create the new legendary Pokémon revealed in the film: Lugia. Lugia plays a central role in the film as the protector of the wind and the seas, and uses its powers to help Ash save the world from destruction. The origin of Lugia is therefore somewhat unique, as it is one of the only Pokémon ever created by a person other than Game Freak’s Pokémon design team.

It should be noted, though, that the actual design process of Lugia was more complex than Shudo simply creating the Pokémon. Although it seems that Shudo mostly came up with the concept and design, there is also evidence that many other staffers (including Ken Sugimori) also had input on the design of Lugia. The exact design process of Lugia was therefore complicated, and the full picture of Lugia’s origin will likely forever remain a mystery.

Adding to the mystery of Lugia’s origin is the fact that the inspiration behind Lugia is also unknown. Lugia’s counterpart, Ho-Oh, is very clearly inspired by the Chinese Phoenix. Lugia, however, has no clear real-world or mythological inspiration. It has been speculated that Lugia may be loosely based on Ryūjin, a dragon in Japanese mythology that lived on the ocean floor and was the god of the sea. Visually, Lugia appears to be a mix of a wyvern, plesiosaur and beluga whale. All of these connections would make sense given that Lugia is known as the ‘Guardian of the Sea’ in the Pokémon universe. However, the inspiration behind the design of Lugia has never been officially confirmed.

Depiction of Ryūjin

Additionally, the origin of the name ‘Lugia’ is also a mystery and has no apparent connection to any real word. The best guess comes from Bulbapedia, which states that the name may have stemmed from the word ‘Lugeo’, which means ‘to lie dormant’ in Latin. This would make sense given that Pokémon the Movie 2000 involved Lugia’s awakening, and given that Lugia may be loosely based on a dragon that lies dormant under the sea. But again, the inspiration behind Lugia’s name has never been confirmed.

A dark shadow is also cast over the origin of Lugia because of the impact that Lugia ultimately had upon Shudo himself. At the time he created Lugia, Shudo intended for Lugia to exclusively appear in the movie, and not in any video games or other Pokemon media. However, the executives at Pokémon had other ideas, and made Lugia the mascot of Pokémon Silver. This was apparently a last minute change, with Lugia taking the place of an entirely different Pokémon that had originally been planned as the mascot of Pokémon Silver. The Pokémon executives also went over Shudo’s head by choosing to give Lugia a male voice in Pokémon the Movie 2000, despite Shudo considering Lugia to be a more maternal Pokémon.

The Box Art Originally Planned for Pokémon Silver

In the years that followed the release of Pokémon the Movie 2000, Shudo became increasingly obsessed with these issues, and particularly with the male voice given to Lugia. Shudo wrote lengthy blogs on the topic, which outlined his views and provided insight into the inner workings of Pokémon in the late 1990s and early 2000s. On the topic of the male voice given to Lugia, Shudo later wrote:

Advertisements had already been aired. It was too late, we couldn’t suddenly change Lugia into a female… I was gulping down alcohol and drugs. I started to feel like I wanted to die.

The full blogs written by Shudo were translated by Dr Lava (available here and definitely worth the read). The blogs reveal Shudo as a troubled writer, who had many radical and eccentric ideas for the Pokémon franchise that never became reality.

Sadly, Shudo passed away on 29 October 2010, after collapsing the previous day in a train station smoking room in Nara, Japan. Shudo was a heavy drinker and openly admitted to using alcohol and prescription drugs before, during and after working on the Pokémon anime and movies. According to Shudo, the drugs and alcohol helped him to think more clearly and crystallise his thoughts during the creative process. Nevertheless, it is speculated that it was the drugs or alcohol that likely caused Shudo’s death. With Shudo’s untimely passing, many questions about Lugia’s origin became forever unanswered.

Notwithstanding its dark and mysterious origin, since its inception Lugia has remained one of the most popular legendary Pokémon of all time.

As a testament to its popularity, Lugia has been the subject of around 30 different cards within the mainline Pokémon TCG over the past two decades. Most notably, this includes Lugia from Neo Genesis (shown above), as well as the Crystal Lugia from Wind from the Sea, Lugia ex from Unseen Forces and Lugia GX from Lost Thunder.

Crystal Lugia / Lugia ex / Lugia GX

More recently, Lugia appeared as an Alternate Art V card in Paradigm Trigger (with a later English release in Silver Tempest). This card was an instant hit, and has commanded an extremely high price point since it’s release in October 2022.

Lugia V (Paradigm Trigger)

There are at least three reasons why Lugia has remained as one of the most popular legendary Pokémon of all time.

Firstly, there has always remained a sense of unresolved mystery behind Lugia. As discussed above, Lugia is a Pokémon with no clear inspiration. Although there are subtle hints as to what might have inspired it, Lugia has no clear anchor to the real world. And given that the main creator of Lugia, Takeshi Shudo, is now dead, the full picture of Lugia’s origin is unlikely ever to be known. These factors have led to an ongoing sense of mystique and intrigue around Lugia, and there has always seemed something dark and eternally unknowable about Lugia.

Secondly, because Lugia has no clear inspiration, its design is extremely original. Many Pokémon designs are very clearly derived from real-world animals, objects, or myths. Lugia, however, has a completely unique, and compelling, sense of identity. Lugia is really not like anything from the real-world; Lugia simply is Lugia. As such, over the years Lugia has become a legend in its own right. The uniqueness and originality of Lugia has enabled it to endure as one of the most popular legendary Pokémon to date.

The third and final reason for Lugia’s popularity is that, for many, Lugia is an incredibly nostalgic Pokémon. When Lugia and Ho-Oh were first released, they were only the third and fourth legendary Pokémon ever created (preceded only by Mew and Mewtwo from the first generation). Back then, legendary Legendary Pokémon truly felt legendary, in a way that the legendary Pokémon from more modern generations often fail to. There was something simple, beautiful and legendary about the duality of Lugia and Ho-Oh, as guardians of the sea and the sky. They are each highly memorable Pokémon.

It is against this backdrop that we can now appreciate the first ever Lugia card: the First Appearance Lugia. The following section will provide some key information about the First Appearance Lugia, focusing on the card’s background, artwork and symbolism, and its rarity

The First Appearance Lugia was printed by the Topps Company as part of a set simply known as Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards. These cards were released alongside the English release of Pokémon the Movie 2000, and featured various scenes and Pokémon from the movie. The set was entirely separate from the mainline Pokémon TCG, and was only ever manufactured in English. The cards were distributed in booster boxes containing 36 booster packs, with each pack containing either five or eight cards. There were 89 cards in the entire set.

Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards Booster Pack

Most of the cards from the Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards featured scenes from Pokémon the Movie 2000 and Pikachu’s Rescue Adventure (a short animation film released in 1999 depicting the solo adventures of Ash’s Pikachu). There were 72 cards of this kind, which could each be found in three variations: non-holo, silver-holo and rainbow-holo.

Cards from Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards Depicting Film Scenes

There were also 10 sticker cards in the Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards set, which could be placed together to make various pictures.

Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards Sticker Cards

Additionally, each booster box of Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards contained one ‘Authentic Film Frame’ card. These cards each contained one 35mm film frame from the Pokémon the Movie 2000 film. According to the Topps Company, a full 35mm film reel was cut into individual frames, which were then used to create the Authentic Film Frame cards. These means that every card contains a different unique film cell, and no two cards are the same.

Authentic Film Frame Card

Film Frame Examples

The main chase cards in the Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards set were six holographic ‘First Appearance’ cards. These First Appearance cards depicted six of the newly introduced second generation Pokémon: Hoothoot, Bellossom, Elekid, Ledyba, Slowking and Lugia. Of these six First Appearance cards, Lugia was numbered 1/6, and is considered the main chase card of the entire set.

‘First Appearance’ Cards

The First Appearance Lugia depicts the first sighting of Lugia. It is a beautifully simplistic card, which depicts an almost ghostly apparition of Lugia floating elegantly into view. The Lugia has a regal and exalted pose, and a piercing gaze, that perfectly befits its legendary status. The depiction of the first sighting of Lugia is somewhat reminiscent of the first sighting of Ho-Oh in the first episode of the Pokémon anime, where Ash briefly glimpses Ho-Oh flying through the clouds. 

First Appearance Lugia / First Sighting of Ho-Oh

What makes the First Appearance Lugia particularly striking is the simplicity of the artwork. There is no background behind the Lugia, no borders around the card, and the colours are muted to the point that Lugia appears like a ghost emerging from the darkness. The simplicity of the artwork helps to draw the focus entirely to Lugia, and gives a somewhat surreal feeling to the card – which is appropriate given that the first appearance of Lugia would be a surreal event.

The simplicity of the artwork is complemented by a subtle backdrop of holographic Pokéballs. This is a simple and timeless backdrop, which represents the fundamentals of Pokémon.

A Simple and Timeless Backdrop

It is interesting to note the very dark style of artwork of the First Appearance Lugia (as well as the other First Appearance cards). This dark and simplistic art style is a far cry from the colourful, detailed and vibrant cards that we know today. It is possible that the artwork was purposefully dark to reflect the darker style of Shudo’s movies. It’s also true that Pokémon as a franchise was simply much darker generally in the early days, and so the dark artwork of the First Appearance Lugia could perhaps be seen as a vestige of those darker days.

Symbolically, the First Appearance Lugia is an important card because the first sighting of a legendary Pokémon is a significant and auspicious event in the Pokémon world. Legendary Pokémon symbolise and encompass each generation of Pokémon. The player’s encounter with the legendary Pokémon takes the games beyond simply becoming the champion of the region. The encounter with the legendary Pokémon is a numinous and transcendental experience, which intertwines the player with the very lore of each story. The First Appearance Lugia is therefore a symbolically important card, that depicts the moment that our destiny crosses paths with the divine.

The First Sighting of Lugia (Pokémon HG/SS)

In the Pokémon anime and the Pokémon games, Lugia is considered an extremely elusive Pokémon, and it is rarely seen. In similar fashion, the First Appearance Lugia is an extremely rare and elusive card, that itself has obtained an almost legendary status since its release over two decades ago. There are two primary reasons for why the First Appearance Lugia is such a rare and elusive card.

Firstly, each booster box of Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards contained only one First Appearance card. This means that the First Appearance Lugia was only found in 1/6 booster boxes. It is not known how many booster boxes of the set were ever printed, but it is likely that the number would be only a very small fraction of the number of booster boxes that are printed of modern sets today. As such, it is likely that only a relatively small number of First Appearance Lugia cards were ever printed.

Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards Booster Box

Secondly, the First Appearance Lugia is extremely rare because it is highly likely that the majority of First Appearance Lugia cards that were ever printed were lost or destroyed. Although the card is today very valuable, when it was first printed (over two decades ago) nobody had any idea that it would one day be worth so much. It is unlikely that many people who obtained a First Appearance Lugia would have considered there to be much reason to keep it particularly safe. Additionally, a large number of the people who first obtained the card would have been children, and children rarely took good care of their cards in those days.

These two factors have combined to make the First Appearance Lugia an extremely rare card. Although it is not known how many copies of the card were ever printed, we do know that very few copies have survived over the last two decades. This is demonstrated most clearly by the extremely low population of First Appearance Lugia cards across the three major grading companies: PSA, BGS and CGC. At the time of writing, there have only been 85 copies graded by PSA, 43 by BGS and 9 by CGC. It is unlikely that many more ungraded copies of the card exist; even low-grade copies sell for thousands of dollars, and so most people who own a copy will have graded the card.

Population Reports for PSA (top) / BGS (middle) / CGC (bottom)

It is interesting to note that of the 137 graded copies of the First Appearance Lugia, no copy has ever received a perfect 10. This is because the Topps trading cards have a tendency to stick together in their packets, causing damage to many of the cards. The extent of damage varies from minimal to extremely severe, with most Topps cards having at least some level of damage. This has made clean copies of the First Appearance Lugia extremely rare, and there is currently no pristine copy in existence.

Example of a Damaged First Appearance Lugia Card

Now, this raises the question – is it possible that a pristine copy of the First Appearance Lugia does exist, but is lying dormant within an unopened booster box of Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards, out there somewhere in the world?

Well, given there are so few unopened booster boxes (or booster packs) of Pokémon the Movie 2000 Trading Cards in existence, it is unlikely that there are many unopened copies of the First Appearance Lugia left in the world. And of the small number of unopened copies, it is almost certain that all will have at least some level of damage. Unfortunately, the tendency of Topps cards to stick together in their booster packs only increases as time goes on. It is therefore overwhelmingly unlikely that a single copy of the First Appearance Lugia worthy of a perfect 10 exists anywhere in the world.

On this point, it’s worth noting that in the movie, Lugia is considered impossible to actually obtain. The movie’s antagonist, the greedy collector, Lawrence III, ultimately fails in his attempt to capture Lugia. Lugia therefore remains as a truly legendary Pokémon, that exists beyond the reach of any single human being. Similarly, and somewhat poetically, the perfect copy of the First Appearance Lugia is also impossible to obtain. It is something that no collector will likely ever possess. And while it is somewhat sad that a perfect copy of such a beautiful card will likely never exist, it is also somewhat fitting of a legendary Pokémon like Lugia.

Ultimately, the First Appearance Lugia is a rare and often overlooked relic from the earliest days of Pokémon. It is an elegant and simplistic card. Like Lugia itself, the card has a dark origin that is shrouded in mystery. The First Appearance Lugia perfectly symbolises the dark and elusive essence of Lugia, when it first appeared in the Pokémon universe in the year 2000.