Pokémon Kakumen Retsuden Menko Sets | Hidden Temple Collectibles

Kakumen Retsuden

Amada’s Pokémon menko series from the Advanced Generation era (~2003–2005). Pack size is not one figure across the line: Parts 1 and 2 were sold one menko per pack and Parts 3 and 4 five, with Rare and Special menko as the lucky pulls throughout. This page said five for the whole series until 2026-09-12. The catalog covers the base Parts and the revised “Kai” line.

How Menko Was Played

Menko (メンコ) is a Japanese schoolyard game centuries older than any modern trading card. The basic idea has not changed since the Edo period — thick printed paper discs are slammed onto a hard floor, and the impact and gust of air try to flip an opponent’s piece. Pokémon menko brought the tradition into the late 1990s and 2000s. Same flip game, new Pokémon faces, and on most modern sets, printed stat numbers so a single disc could settle a duel two different ways.

The Classic Flip

Slam & Turn

The original menko game, played for centuries.

Each player places one menko face-up on a hard, flat surface — tatami, a tile floor, or the corner of a school desk.
The challenger throws their own menko down beside the target with as much force as possible. The combined slap and gust is meant to lift it.
If the opponent’s menko lands face-down after the throw, the challenger captures it.
If it does not flip, the next player takes a turn. Play continues until one player has won the pile.

The Stat Battle

Numbers on the Back

Most Pokémon menko printed battle stats — an Attack value, a Defense, sometimes HP — turning the same disc into a deck-style duel.

Each player picks a menko from their stash and reveals it at the same time.
Compare your Attack to the opponent’s Defense. The higher number wins the round.
If a type symbol along the edge matches the opponent’s weakness, your damage counts double.
Ties are broken by a printed Level or Rarity marker, depending on the line.

Pack Mechanics

What You Got in a Pack

Pokémon menko were sold sealed, with Rare and Special pulls baked into the print runs.

Amada’s Kakumen Retsuden packs held 1 menko per pack on Parts 1 and 2, printed on the boards themselves as メンコ1枚入り beside the 30 yen price, and 5 menko per pack on Parts 3 and 4, with a slot reserved for a Rare and an occasional Special. The five was read off Parts 3 and 4 and carried backwards onto the whole series, and it is corrected here on 2026-09-12.
Round Maru Menko / Hyper Menko packs held about 7 per pack, on thicker stock than rival products.
Box-bottom and pack-art cards were treated as bonus pieces and not numbered into the booklet.
Special menko were holofoil-stamped or printed on heavier stock; these were the chase pulls of their era.

Two Shapes, Two Lineages

Kakumen vs. Maru

The disc shape was a brand decision and the formats coexisted.

Kakumen (角メン) — literally “rectangular menko.” Amada’s squared format slotted neatly into albums alongside trading cards.
Maru menko (丸メンコ) — round discs, the older traditional shape kept alive by the Hyper Menko line.
Both shared the play rules; the format choice was mostly storage and feel.