Meltan’s Mezastar Card and the Arcade Game Behind It

Meltan Pokemon Mezastar Arcade Scan Card, Gorgeous Rarity (4-035G)

A Card Built for an Arcade, Not a Trading Deck

This is an arcade scan card from Pokemon Mezastar, a dedicated cabinet game found exclusively in Japanese game centers. It is a separate line entirely from the Pokemon Trading Card Game — the format, artwork style, and purpose are distinct. Along the right edge of the card sits a small notch, a functional detail engineered to fit the Mezastar machine’s card reader slot. The card code printed on the front, 4-035G, carries specific meaning: “4” denotes the fourth release in the series, referred to as the Super Star set, while “G” stands for Gorgeous, the rarity tier assigned to this card. Two numerical values also appear — a PoKe-Ene energy figure and an in-game parameter of 46 — both part of the game’s mechanics and part of the card’s visual identity for collectors.

Pokemon Mezastar launched in Japanese arcades on September 17, 2020, succeeding an earlier cabinet series called Pokemon Ga-Ole, which had run since 2016. The game is operated through a collaboration between Bandai Namco Amusement and The Pokemon Company, using Bandai Namco’s arcade hardware. The format follows a well-established Japanese arcade tradition: insert coins, play a round on the cabinet, and receive a physical card at the end of the session. Based on the series numbering, the fourth set — where this card originates — most likely appeared around 2021 or 2022, though the precise release schedule would need verification against official records.

Meltan’s Unusual Path Into the Pokemon World

The Pokemon featured here, Meltan, carries National Pokedex number 808 and belongs to the Steel type. Its origin story within the franchise is unlike almost any other: in 2018, unidentified creatures began appearing inside Pokemon GO, the global smartphone game, sparking immediate discussion across social media worldwide. That mystery was the deliberate reveal of a new species. Meltan was then formally brought into mainline Pokemon games through Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! — Nintendo Switch titles released in November 2018 — via a transfer mechanic that linked the smartphone game to the console. The crossover approach, bridging two separate platforms in a single character introduction, was a first for the franchise and generated significant attention at the time.

Visually, Meltan is defined by a hexagonal golden head and a gray, liquid-metal body, with the shape of a nut or bolt frequently cited as the design’s central motif. Its evolved form is Melmetal (No. 809). The broader Pokemon franchise traces back to the 1996 Game Boy RPG Pokemon Red and Green, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, with licensing now managed by The Pokemon Company across games, animation, trading cards, toys, and arcade titles.

What Pulls Collectors to This Card From Overseas

Mezastar cabinets are installed only in Japanese game centers. There is no equivalent machine abroad, which means the only way for international collectors to obtain these cards is through export from Japan. That limitation gives every Mezastar card a geographic specificity that purely domestic collectors may not think about, but international buyers notice immediately.

The card’s format reinforces that distinctiveness. The notched design, the arcade-specific layout with its pink background, and the Japanese text throughout produce something that sits apart from any Pokemon TCG card in a collection. Collectors who track down merchandise across multiple Pokemon product lines find Mezastar cards occupy a category of their own.

Meltan adds another layer of appeal. Because its debut played out simultaneously through Pokemon GO — a game with players across dozens of countries — the character was recognized internationally from its first appearance. Fans who followed that reveal and the subsequent Let’s Go crossover tend to have a clear memory of the moment, which gives Meltan a distinct place in the wider history of the franchise.