Prinplup evolves from Piplup at level 16 and into Empoleon at level 36. Its sturdy, flipper-like wings are strong enough to snap trees. It has a high sense of self-pride that prevents it from forming groups of its own kind, and it hunts for prey in icy waters, swimming gracefully with a singing voice compared to a roaring tide. Prinplup shares its Penguin Pokémon category with Piplup and Eiscue. Its name may mix prince with plup, the sound of a pebble dropping into water. Prinplup is based on a penguin, and the crests on its head suggest a crested penguin species, while its body resembles a tailcoat adorned with buttons.
A Prinplup appeared in Getting the Pre-Contest Titters under the ownership of Kenny, battling Dawn's Piplup in the following episode; it had evolved into an Empoleon by the time of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, revealed in Last Call - First Round!.
Prinplup's first card appeared in the 2007 Diamond & Pearl base set, illustrated by Ken Sugimori, who also drew its DP Trainer Kit (Manaphy) card later that year. Majestic Dawn and Platinum added further Uncommons in the Diamond & Pearl era, by Kent Kanetsuna and Mitsuhiro Arita. Dark Explorers and Legendary Treasures contributed Black & White era prints, and BREAKthrough followed in the XY era. Ultra Prism and Cosmic Eclipse added Sun & Moon era Uncommons, and Brilliant Stars gave it a Sword & Shield era printing. The Mega Evolution era's Phantasmal Flames added a Common by Atsuya Uki.
Prinplup's first card, a 2007 Diamond & Pearl Uncommon illustrated by Ken Sugimori.
Dark Explorers's Uncommon Prinplup, illustrated by Suwama Chiaki.
Phantasmal Flames's Common Prinplup, illustrated by Atsuya Uki.
Prinplup evolves from Piplup at level 16 and evolves into Empoleon at level 36.
Kenny's Prinplup battled Dawn's Piplup and had evolved into an Empoleon by the time of the Sinnoh Grand Festival.
Our catalog lists 11 Prinplup cards across 11 sets, from the 2007 Diamond & Pearl base set through the Mega Evolution era.
| # | Card | Set | Year | Rarity | Price | 30D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prinplup | Platinum | 2009 | Uncommon | — | $1.57guide | +9.0% |
| 2 | Prinplup | Diamond & Pearl | 2007 | Uncommon | — | $0.86guide | +13.2% |
| 3 | Prinplup | DP trainer Kit (Manaphy) | 2007 | — | — | $0.74guide | +8.8% |
| 4 | Prinplup | Majestic Dawn | 2008 | Uncommon | — | $0.56guide | +3.7% |
| 5 | Prinplup | Legendary Treasures | 2013 | Uncommon | — | $0.49guide | -3.9% |
| 6 | Prinplup | Dark Explorers | 2012 | Uncommon | — | $0.48guide | 0.0% |
| 7 | Prinplup | BREAKthrough | 2015 | Uncommon | — | $0.28guide | 0.0% |
| 8 | Prinplup | Ultra Prism | 2018 | Uncommon | — | $0.27guide | 0.0% |
| 9 | Prinplup | Cosmic Eclipse | 2019 | Uncommon | — | $0.24guide | 0.0% |
| 10 | Prinplup | Phantasmal Flames | 2025 | Common | — | $0.20guide | +66.7% |
Ranked by each card’s main print in near-mint raw condition. 1st Edition, Shadowless and other versions are priced on each card’s page. The table updates live.
Prinplup's most valuable cards trace back to the Diamond & Pearl era, and the most valuable Prinplup card is the Platinum print from 2009. All 11 Prinplup cards carry a market value, spanning 2007 to 2025, and the ten leading cards hold 98 percent of the total. The 2009 Platinum card sits ahead of the 2007 Diamond & Pearl card in 2nd, so Prinplup card value rests on a short list of prints.
The Platinum Prinplup from 2009 leads Prinplup card value by 2 times over the next card, the Uncommon from Diamond & Pearl in 2007. The 3rd card is the Prinplup from the 2007 DP trainer Kit (Manaphy). Majestic Dawn from 2008 holds 4th, and Legendary Treasures from 2013 holds 5th. The Platinum, Diamond & Pearl, Majestic Dawn and Legendary Treasures cards are all printed as Uncommon.
Four of the twenty-five leading Prinplup cards come from Diamond & Pearl, the largest share of any era. Black & White and Sun & Moon contribute two each, while XY, Sword & Shield and Mega Evolution have one apiece. The newest era's leader is the Phantasmal Flames Prinplup from 2025, which sits 10th overall. All ten leading cards are modern, and the twenty-five leaders split 11 modern to 0 vintage, since vintage means the WOTC era.
Among the ten leading Prinplup cards, eight are printed as Uncommon and one as Common, the Phantasmal Flames card at 10th. Widening to the twenty-five leaders, nine are Uncommon and one is Common. The leading Prinplup cards are standard Uncommon prints from sets running from Diamond & Pearl in 2007 to Ultra Prism, BREAKthrough and Cosmic Eclipse in the later eras.
By the value of its single leading card, Prinplup ranks 969th of 1020 species with priced cards. By the combined value of its ten leaders it ranks 735th of 753. Within the evolution line, Piplup ranks 72nd of 1020 by top card and Empoleon 92nd. The Prinplup card market is built from a run of closely grouped Uncommon prints, and the 98 percent top-ten share shows how much of the value they hold.
Written from market data as of October 29, 2026; the table updates live.

ポッタイシ
Water
PrinplupBrilliant Stars · 036 · Normal$0.140.0%36Quant score36 / 100
PrinplupDiamond & Pearl · 58 · Normal$0.860.0%73Quant score73 / 100
PrinplupPhantasmal Flames · 028 · Normal$0.200.0%64Quant score64 / 100
PrinplupCosmic Eclipse · 55 · Normal$0.240.0%51Quant score51 / 100
PrinplupUltra Prism · 33 · Normal$0.270.0%38Quant score38 / 100
PrinplupDark Explorers · 28 · Normal$0.480.0%37Quant score37 / 100