Paul Skenes Anime Card Image to be Released in Bowman

Topps will release anime cards for the second year in a row, presumably in 2025 Bowman. Topps announced that the anime cards would return by releasing an image of Paul Skenes' card. Last year, the cards were case hits and featured 15 players.
Image Courtesy of Topps
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Anime cards are back, and Topps announced it by revealing Paul Skenes' first anime card. First released in last year's 2024 Bowman product, the anime cards were fashioned after the wood border designs from 1955 Bowman and combined with the Pokémon aesthetic.

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While the base version of the cards are case hits, each player's card was also released in numbered versions — gold out to /50, orange out of /25, red out of /5, and a 1-of-1 Superfractor.

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While Topps didn't announce that the anime cards will be released in 2025 Bowman, like last year, it's assumed they will be. 2024 Bowman was released in May, and the anime inserts could only be found in hobby boxes, not retail blasters. Last year's cards were designed by Micah Solusod, a well-known anime voice actor, a freelance artist, and a baseball fan.

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The players featured in the inaugural '55 Bowman Anime inserts were a loaded mix of veterans, rookies, and prospects that included Elly De La Cruz, Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, Henry Davis, Mookie Betts, Marcelo Mayer, Corbin Carroll, Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, Masataka Yoshida, Julio Rodriguez, and Jasson Dominguez.

2024 Bowman '55 Bowman Anime Shohei Ohtani #BA-2
The most recent sales for the ungraded Shohei Ohtani '55 Bowman Anime card are for about $300. / Image Courtesy of COMC

Skenes will be the headliner for this year's anime series, but it'll be interesting to see who else gets a card. Early favorites to get an anime card could include Freddie Freeman, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Shota Imanaga, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Shota Imanaga pitching for the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles
Sep 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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Horacio Ruiz
HORACIO RUIZ