Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Midori Harada’s Brushstrokes: Exploring Kakuna and the Artist’s Wider TCG Footprint

Midori Harada’s signature touch graces Kakuna, a Grass-type Stage 1 from the Rising Rivals set. In the card’s art, you can almost feel the quiet patience of a Pokémon that’s moments away from blossoming into Beedrill. Harada’s work tends to emphasize subtle textures and soft lighting, turning a cocoon into a window of potential. For collectors and players alike, this Kakuna serves as a reminder that even “common” cards can carry a distinctive artistic voice that elevates a whole deck or binder spread ⚡.

Let’s place the card on the battlefield for a moment. Kakuna is a classic “cocoon to be” creature—evolving from Weedle and promising the move forward into Beedrill as the game progresses. Its HP sits at 80, a sturdy baseline for a Stage 1 Grass Pokémon in the Rising Rivals era. The card carries an eye-catching ability, Exoskeleton, which reduces any damage Kakuna takes by 20 after applying Weakness and Resistance. It’s a defensive trick you can lean on when tempo is tight and your opponent tries to push through with a string of less patient attackers 🔒.

What the card does on the table

• Name: Kakuna
• Set: Rising Rivals (pl2)
• Rarity: Common
• Type: Grass
• Stage: Stage 1 (evolves from Weedle)
• HP: 80
• Illustrator: Midori Harada
• Ability: Exoskeleton — Any damage done to Kakuna by attacks is reduced by 20 (after applying Weakness and Resistance).
• Attack: Dangerous Evolution — The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned. Flip a coin. If heads, search your deck for an Evolution card that evolves from Kakuna and put it onto Kakuna. This counts as evolving Kakuna. Shuffle your deck afterward.
• Weakness: Fire ×2 (represented as +20 in many printings)
• Retreat Cost: 2

Two elements stand out when you study Kakuna’s data closely. First, the ability Exoskeleton synergizes with the defensive tempo many Grass decks favored in Rising Rivals-era play—you’re insulating the cocoon while you plan the next stage. Second, the danger of Dangerous Evolution is that it’s not just a hopeful attack; it explicitly enables a targeted search for Beedrill or other evolution lines that begin with Kakuna, allowing you to accelerate your board presence even as you poison the opponent—an emblematic mix of control and aggression in the era’s strategy toolkit 🎴🔥.

How to track down more mighty artwork by Midori Harada

If you’re curious about other cards illustrated by Midori Harada, a practical approach is to use the card database tools you already rely on. Look for the illustrator field on card entries across sets. Harada’s contributions may appear in multiple expansions, not just within Rising Rivals, and cross-referencing card numbers or dex IDs can reveal a pleasing thread of her work through the TCG timeline. For collectors, this is a treasure hunt that blends strategy with art appreciation—each card you find adds a new page to her growing portfolio in your binder 📚💎.

Harada’s style tends to lean into clear character expressions and readable silhouettes, which makes her cards both satisfying to study during play and delightful to admire during collection seeks. If a card lists Midori Harada as illustrator, you’ve found a signature moment—whether it’s the calm of a cocoon, the momentum of a stamp, or the spark of a glossy finish in a holo variant. Always credit the artist, especially when you’re writing about their work in a community article or feature piece.

Collector note: market and rarity snapshot

As a Common in Rising Rivals, Kakuna typically sits at approachable price points for new collectors, yet market dynamics can still surprise. Data from Cardmarket shows a low baseline around €0.02–€0.09 for standard printing, with holo variants generally fetching higher numbers—from around €0.25 to beyond €0.90 depending on condition and market demand. On TCGPlayer, non-holo normal copies have reported low prices near $0.13 and mid prices around $0.27, with peak market prices for higher-visibility Beedrill evolutions climbing higher. This reflects a broader trend where commonly printed Pokémon cards remain affordable, while the appeal of iconic artworks and playable combinations can push certain print runs into stronger collector interest. For fans of Midori Harada, these Kakuna cards provide an accessible entry point to a broader quarry of her illustrated pieces while offering a practical deck-building foothold for a Grass-focused collection 🔍💨.

“Art is the quiet engine behind every moment you recognize on the battlefield—the moment when you realize Kakuna is more than a cocoon; it’s a plan in motion.”

From a gameplay perspective, the combination of Exoskeleton and Dangerous Evolution invites you to build toward an evolution strand that can reframe the board state in a single turn. The search effect—finding an Evolution card that evolves from Kakuna—points players toward Beedrill or other evolving lines that can accelerate pressure after a successful Poison. If you lean into grass synergy, you can weave in trainer cards and energy acceleration to maximize the odds of hitting the critical Beedrill upgrade when it matters most. It’s a thoughtful little engine: slow, steady, and ready to sprout wings in the right moment ⚡🎯.

And if you’re shopping for a new way to celebrate your TCG passion offline, the same spirit of careful, stylish construction shows up in practical accessories. The linked Slim Phone Case for iPhone 16 offers a sleek, glossy polycarbonate shell that keeps your device safe while you plan your next big play—or your next art find. It’s a playful reminder that collecting isn’t just about cards; it’s about cultivating a world where Pokémon, strategy, and community flourish side by side.

Slim Phone Case for iPhone 16 (Glossy Polycarbonate)

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