Naruto Card Game vs Naruto Mythos: What's the Difference?

Naruto Mythos and the Naruto Card Game are two separate games from two different companies, and their cards don't work together. Naruto Mythos is made by Cicaboom in Italy, has been on sale in the UK since 13 March 2026, and you win on mission points after four rounds. Bandai's Naruto Card Game launches worldwide in June 2027, with no UK day announced, and you win by taking the opposing Leader's Life to 0.

What is the difference between Naruto Mythos and the Naruto Card Game?

Images: Bandai Card Games; Cicaboom / NARUTO Mythos TCG. © Masashi Kishimoto

Same character, very different jobs. Bandai's Naruto is a Leader with a Life total you have to protect for the whole game. The Mythos Naruto is a Character who costs 2 Chakra, brings 3 Power and fights over a mission.

Who makes Naruto Mythos, and who makes the Naruto Card Game?

Naruto Mythos comes from Cicaboom, a company based in Genoa, Italy. It's an officially licensed game, and it isn't a Bandai product even though some articles say it is. Set 1 reached Europe, the UK and Turkey in March 2026, and Set 2 followed in September.

The Naruto Card Game is from Bandai Card Games, the brand behind the One Piece and Gundam card games. It was announced on 18 June 2026 and nothing is on sale yet. Our Naruto Card Game release date guide has the full launch details.

How do you win each game?

Naruto Mythos: mission points over four rounds

A game lasts exactly four rounds. A new Mission arrives each round, and players take turns assigning Characters to Missions. Whoever has the highest total Power on a Mission wins it, and later rounds carry a bigger points bonus. Most Mission Points after round four wins, and the holder of the Edge token takes a tie. Our how to play Naruto Mythos guide covers it step by step.

Naruto Card Game: take the Leader down

You win by reducing your opponent's Leader's Life to 0, and both Leaders Bandai has shown start at 15 Life. Characters do the attacking, and some can use Ninjutsu by paying Chakra. Bandai hasn't published the full turn structure or combat rules yet, so that's as far as we can honestly take it.

In practice that points to a different kind of game. Mythos is a fixed four-round race for position, so you always know how long you have. Bandai's looks closer to a duel between two Leaders, and it ends when one of them falls.

How are the decks and Chakra different?

• Mythos deck: at least 30 cards, with up to 2 copies of a specific version of a card, plus 3 different Mission cards. Two of the three are picked at random for each game.
• Bandai deck: 51 cards, 5 Chakra cards and 1 Summon card, all built around a Leader whose colour decides which Characters you can use.
• Mythos Chakra: no resource cards. You get 5 Chakra each round, plus 1 for each Character you have in play.
• Bandai Chakra: your 5 Chakra cards are flipped face-down to pay. On the two demo Leaders, from the second turn you can rest the Leader to flip them all face-up again.
• Bluffing: Mythos lets you play a Character face-down for 1 Chakra, with 0 Power until you pay to reveal it. Bandai's version is face-down Support effects, activated with Chakra.

What can you buy for each game?

Naruto Mythos is on shelves. A Booster Display holds 24 packs of 10 cards, and the range also includes Starter Packs, Collector Binders, Special Packs and Team Sets. Set 1 comes in two editions with different Gold cards, which our editions and Gold cards guide explains.

The Naruto Card Game has three Starter Decks announced, themed on Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara, plus Booster Pack 01, "Enter: Naruto Uzumaki!". Bandai hasn't published what's in a pack or a box.

Is one game anime art and the other manga art?

No. You'll see that line repeated online, and it doesn't hold up. Bandai says its cards use "original illustrations created by various artists, as well as artwork from the anime and manga", and two of its sample cards put the original manga panels behind the character.

Cicaboom doesn't publish a breakdown of where its art comes from. What it does highlight is original card designs, introduced across the rarities in Set 2, and physical treatments: Legendary cards in 22-karat gold leaf, and POP cards with a lenticular holographic finish and a serial number. From Set 3, a new Kimono rarity replaces POP cards.

Images: Bandai Card Games; Cicaboom / NARUTO Mythos TCG. © Masashi Kishimoto

Where can you play each game in the UK?

Naruto Mythos is playable today with anything you buy. Cicaboom runs a store locator on its site and has a European Championship planned for March 2027. Our Mythos roadmap article has more on what's coming.

The Naruto Card Game gets its first UK date at a Tutorial Session at BCG Fest London, ExCeL, on 15 to 17 January 2027, with advance registration only. Premier Demo Events follow in participating stores from 5 February to 5 March 2027, though no UK stores have been named. Bandai says organised play after launch will run up to a World Championship.

Which Naruto card game should you start with?

Will Bandai's game replace Naruto Mythos?

Nobody has said so. We've seen no announcement from either company that Mythos is ending, and Cicaboom is still building: its roadmap has Set 3 in early 2027, new territories including the US, Canada, Latin America, Australia and South Africa, and that first European Championship. We can't tell you how two Naruto licences will sit side by side long term, because neither company has explained it.

Naruto Mythos vs Naruto Card Game FAQ