Kakuna

Kakuna is card 33 of 102 in Base Set, released in January 1999, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Grass-type with 80 HP.

As a Stage 1, it evolves from Weedle, which places Kakuna deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.

Illustrated by Keiji Kinebuchi. Kinebuchi contributed a smaller body of Wizards-era cards but is responsible for several memorable holos, with a warm, heavily textured style.

The Pokédex entry printed on Kakuna reads: "Almost incapable of moving, this Pokémon can only harden its shell to protect itself from predators."

The middle stage in the Weedle line. A yellow segmented chrysalis. Low-demand vintage Common. Easy to find raw.

Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $1.7 to $28 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $46 to $666. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $666. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-23.

Base Set produced three print waves that collectors track separately: 1st Edition (the launch print, with an Edition 1 stamp under the artwork), Shadowless (no stamp and no drop shadow on the right of the frame), and Unlimited (the long-running print with the drop shadow restored). On Kakuna, the price gap between these prints can run 10x or more, so confirm the variant before any purchase.

Kakuna grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.

Raw copies of Kakuna are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Kakuna is the practical move.