Shueisha issued a statement through its official X account on June 29 concerning the issue of the “Newly Illustrated Meta Knight Card,” a giveaway distributed by bookstores from July 1 at the summer comic fair “Natsukomi 2026,” having been listed at high prices on flea-market apps before distribution began.
The statement reported that it had “confirmed” listings on flea-market apps. It explained, among other things, that the signature on the card was “printed rather than handwritten,” but did not address the core of the issue, such as measures against reselling. On X, criticism has been mounting that no concrete measures were presented.
From the statement
Meta Knight Card specifications (from the official website)
Example listing on Mercari
Example listing on eBay
The Meta Knight Card is being resold in bulk at high prices on Mercari and is also being resold overseas through eBay, resulting in its circulation through “pre-release listings” (see related articles).
Shueisha’s statement explained that the card was “not a card for games such as ‘ONE PIECE Card Game’” and that “the artist’s signature on the card is also printed rather than handwritten.” It reiterated that the distribution period would run from July 1 to August 31 and urged people to refrain from contacting bookstores by telephone.
The statement did not address at all why the card was circulating before distribution or what measures would be taken to combat reselling.
On social media, criticism has gathered that the statement contains no concrete response, with calls for a reprint of the card and for an investigation into how it came to be listed on flea-market apps before distribution growing.
