Often, it can be troubling, confusing, and ridiculous to try to talk to others about Japanese cards. This is mainly because there are a multitude of translators for the cards, and often different translators will come up with different ways of translating a name. Players who want translations end up remembering the translations that they read, and then the confusion begins. Additionally, with American cards now being released, cards now have yet another name.
The easy way to avoid all of this confusion is to include a card's "hyphenated code" with it every time you mention it. These codes can be found on the right side of a card under the picture. An example of such a code is "ME-78." Older cards have two characters, then a hyphen, then two more characters, which are usually numbers. New cards have three characters, a hyphen, and then 3 more characters, which are usually numbers.
The good thing about this system is that if you mention a code to someone, it is fairly simple for them to find the translation materials of their choice(I recommend Inquest #89 for it's simplicity, but others may prefer the internet), select the set that its code indicates, and locate the card.
However, don't be fooled. Certain cards appear in different sets. For example, there is a Black Magician card that comes in Premium Pack 4. There is also a Black Magician card that comes out of the Yugi Structure Deck. There is also a Black Magician Card that comes out of Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon packs. All three of these cards have different codes, even though they are the same card. It is correct to choose any code, but I would recommend using the code that you think others would have the least amount of difficulty finding.
While this is a great system, sometimes you will find cards that have no codes. The earliest sets and promos featured no codes, and this can make life tricky. However, because most of these cards have been reprinted in some form, they actually do have codes, but it will be tricky to find them. Truly, a basic knowledge of the sets is required to locate reprints, so you may be unable to.
Additionally, sometimes it can be helpful to look at a picture of the card. At the present, I don't have the kind of resources to hold pictures of every card on this site, nor do I own every card. However, there is a great website,
www.cardhaus.com, where, in their Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh! section, they have almost every card in their inventory. All of these cards have pictures. To find a card that you want, just decide which set your card is from(there's a handy table that I made to the right) and search that page for the code of the card you want to find. Click on the card's name, and you will be able to see a great picture of the card! By the way, Cardhaus is perhaps the best site on the internet for purchasing Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
Also, be warned: American cards and Japanese cards have different codes!
Note: to minimize confusion, I have done my best to include pictures of as many cards as possible. I hope this helps!
