Nintendo’s Many Video Game References to Hanafuda (and Karuta)

I made a list of all the times I could find that Nintendo referenced hanafuda in their video games and promo materials:

It was a lot of fun to put together and ended up being way more times than I ever thought there would be!

If I’m missing anything please let me know so I can add it! Thank you 🙂

I can’t post photos here so you can see everything at [https://gameluv.com/luv/9168/nintendos-many-video-game-references-to-hanafuda-and-karuta/](https://gameluv.com/luv/9168/nintendos-many-video-game-references-to-hanafuda-and-karuta/)

Appearances in Nintendo Games

Game Boy Camera Japanese version has a picture in the B Album

Pikmin 2 had you collecting real-life items, including a hanafuda deck

Hanafuda is available to play in both Clubhouse Games …games (as well as Clubhouse Games Express: Strategy Pack and the Japan only like, reduced version of clubhouse games called Daredemo Asobi Taizen). In the DS versions, it is called Koi-Koi, as that is the actual name of the game, and hanafuda is the name of the cards.

A hanafuda card shows up in Quite Puzzled microgame from the Japanese version of WarioWare: Touched! (It was replaced by a western playing card in the international versions)

Club Nintendo Picross Extra Puzzle 14 is some Hanafuda cards! Huge thanks to u/SuperNinjiGalaxy for pointing this out!

Super Mario Maker has a placeable bird chirping sound effect, complete with hanafuda imagery! Huge thanks to my friend Deadweight for pointing this out!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIDPRk9pQPc&t=152s&ab\_channel=YTSunny](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIDPRk9pQPc&t=152s&ab_channel=YTSunny)

There were a bunch of Hanafuda items added to Animal Crossing Pocket Camp

In Super Mario Odyssey, Bowser’s Kingdom Sticker features some Mario themed hanafuda cards. Also its industry is hanafuda cards according to the in-game map

The Nintendo Labo Variety Kit house has this picture of Napoleon from one of Nintendo’s hanafuda deck boxes

One of 9-Volt’s microgames in WarioWare Gold is based on hanafuda

Some hanggliders in Mario Kart Tour hanggliders are based on a real deck Nintendo produced

Pikmin Bloom (Though for some strange reason Nintendo calls them “Flower Cards” (which is what hanafuda literally translates to) in the game and promo stuff)

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Digital Appearances in Other Nintendo Stuff

Streetpass Mii Plaza got a hanafuda themed speech bubble

Swapnote got hanafuda themed stationery

There were also four hanafuda 3DS themes (plus a Nintendo history one)

Hanafuda – [https://youtu.be/luOe\_bTo-z8](https://youtu.be/luOe_bTo-z8)

Mario Hanafuda – [https://youtu.be/q3t2o\_a0xyo](https://youtu.be/q3t2o_a0xyo) (I love the Mario theme remix here : )

Club Nintendo Hanafuda – [https://youtu.be/i8SAOq9qGWk](https://youtu.be/i8SAOq9qGWk)

Pokémon Hanafuda – [https://youtu.be/aO7lTu\_0t8c?t=33](https://youtu.be/aO7lTu_0t8c?t=33)

Tokaigi 2015 “Nintendojo” Original Theme – 闘会議2015「任天道場」オリジナルテーマ – There was a special event called Tokaigi 2015 Nintendojo where if you beat one Dojo Master you won this exclusive theme! For more info (in Japanese) about this event check out [https://tokaigi.jp/2015/booth/nintendojo.html](https://tokaigi.jp/2015/booth/nintendojo.html).

Nintendo’s Line Account made this calendar for January 2016, and used the other image for their background that month

Nintendo Japan 2015 and 2016 wallpapers

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Real-life Hanafuda Merchandise

The Game Boy Micro got a hanafuda faceplate

And so did our other faceplate wearing system, the new 3DS!

Giftpia had hanafuda themed keychains that you got from pre-ordering it

Nintendo Company Guides – 2014, 2015, 2019 Huge thanks to [http://blog.beforemario.com/](http://blog.beforemario.com/) for documenting these!!

The entire 2014 book is based around hanafuda with many of Nintendo’s old toys drawn in hanafuda art, I highly recommend checking out the post at [http://blog.beforemario.com/2014/05/a-closer-look-at-nintendos-2014-company.html](http://blog.beforemario.com/2014/05/a-closer-look-at-nintendos-2014-company.html) to see all the photos!

My Nintendo Europe offered postcards based on the Napoleon Mario deck (they also sold the deck itself at the same time)

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Nintendo themed Hanafuda Decks

You can find a list of hanafuda decks that Nintendo has produced here:

[https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Japanese\_playing\_cards](https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Japanese_playing_cards)

Of course, the best ones are the video game themed ones

We have the Mario Napoleon set

Mario Wiki also pointed out two promo images that have teeny little hanafuda cards, what a treat

Toad is holding one on the left and I know it’s hard to see on the right, but it’s tucked away behind on the left of the chain chomp painting

Pokémon hanafuda deck – this set also got heavily merchandised with keychains, pins, and coasters

Set of Pokémon x Mario cards

Kirby also got a Hanafuda set \^\^

Finally, Club Nintendo offered another set of Mario themed hanafuda cards – This set is unlockable to use in Clubhouse Games 51 Worldwide Classics!

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Karuta

In Kirby Super Star Ultra there is a sub-game based on karuta card games, a different kind of Japanese playing card

[https://kirby.fandom.com/wiki/Kirby\_Card\_Swipe](https://kirby.fandom.com/wiki/Kirby_Card_Swipe)

There was a first party DS game based on the karuta card game uta-garuta called Touch de Tanoshimu Hyakunin-Isshu: DS Shigureden

[https://niwanetwork.org/wiki/Touch\_de\_Tanoshimu\_Hyakunin-Isshu:\_DS\_Shigureden](https://niwanetwork.org/wiki/Touch_de_Tanoshimu_Hyakunin-Isshu:_DS_Shigureden)

(thanks Torchickens 💚)

Club Nintendo Japan made an Animal crossing Karuta deck

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More resources for the exceptionally interested

For more general information about hanafuda and where it’s showed up in video games over the years (and where I got a lot of info from) [https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Hanafuda](https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Hanafuda)

Both NoA and NoE have PDFs of how to play Koi-koi currently up on their websites:

[https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/hanafuda\_en.pdf](https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/hanafuda_en.pdf) – NoA

[https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/other\_1/my\_nintendo\_store\_3/MyNintendoStore\_Manual\_Hanafuda\_MarioCards\_UKV.pdf](https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/other_1/my_nintendo_store_3/MyNintendoStore_Manual_Hanafuda_MarioCards_UKV.pdf) – NoE

Play Nintendo Japan got a short webcomic about hanafuda

[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/kids/sp/160525/hanafuda01/index.html](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/kids/sp/160525/hanafuda01/index.html)

It has cute art of Mario and Toad playing!

If you’re interested in Nintendo’s history with card games in general I recommend this post!

[http://blog.beforemario.com/2013/11/nintendo-iroha-karuta-part-1.html?m=1](http://blog.beforemario.com/2013/11/nintendo-iroha-karuta-part-1.html?m=1)

If you enjoy this stuff, I personally loved reading the Wikipedia article about karuta, which explains the many kinds of Japanese card games and where they came from : D [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karuta](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karuta)

There’s a bunch of not Nintendo hanafuda video games floating around too, I’m not that concerned with them, but you can find lists here [https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Hanafuda](https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Hanafuda) or here [https://www.giantbomb.com/hanafuda-card-games/3015-7399/games/](https://www.giantbomb.com/hanafuda-card-games/3015-7399/games/) if you’re interested though. I support that decision.

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Bonus non-Nintendo hanafuda sighting (this is my list I make the exceptions): The Hatsune Miku Project Diva games that have Close, Open, Demons and the Dead – In the music video, there are hanafuda cards scattered on the ground

by skyevlyn