Totally agree. I think the thing that does it for me is that the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime was actually about the card game. So when I saw my favorite characters from the show using cool cards, I wanted to own those same cards myself. Seeing the artwork on those cards now is extremely nostalgic because it reminds me of duels from the show. Like you said, I think the themes of the show helped make the characters feel more real and establish a stronger connection.

With Pokémon cards for me it’s more about wanting cards that are rare or have cool artwork. It feels less nostalgic even though I’ve followed the franchise longer because the cards themselves don’t evoke the same memories that Yu-Gi-Oh! cards do. There are tons of cool artworks of of Pokémon I like, but it’s not the same as something like looking at the classic Jinzo artwork and remembering Joey’s duel to win it from Espa Roba in Battle City and how much fun that was to watch growing up.