Beyblade

Beyblade (爆転シュート ベイブレード, Bakuten Shūto Beiburēdo^?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Aoki. Originally serialized in CoroCoro Comic from 2000 to 2002, the individual chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon by Shogakukan. The series focuses on a group of kids who form teams with which they battle one another using highly powerful spinning tops called "Beyblades".

The manga is licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media. The manga was adapted into a three-season anime series. The first season, spanning 51 episodes, aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from January 8, 2001 to December 24, 2001. The second season, Beyblade V-Force, ran for another 51 episodes from January 7, 2002 until December 30, 2002. The third season, Beyblade G Revolution, also spanned 51 episodes (the 51st was a double-length special but was split into two episodes for the Western release) and ran from January 6, 2003, until its conclusion on December 29, 2003. The seasons are licensed by Nelvana for an English-language release in North America.

A new series of Beyblade has been released in 2009 (2010 in U.S.), entitled Beyblade: Metal Fusion (known as Metal Fight Beyblade in Japan). It features a new cast of characters and Beyblades. A sequel series has also been released in 2010 (2011 in U.S.), called Beyblade: Metal Masters.

Plot

Beyblade

A young boy named Tyson Granger enters the Japan Regional BeyBlade Qualifying Tournament. Tyson encounters Ray Kon (Rei Kon) and Kai Hiwatari, and after defeating them, they organize a team, known as the Bladebreakers, along with Max Tate (Max Mizuhara). The Bladebreakers tour China to register for the championships, while confronting the White Tigers, Ray's former team. It is seen that Ray's old team holds a grudge against him for leaving them, but towards the end of the Chinese Tournament, Ray and his ex-teammates make amends, and the Bladebreakers win the tournament. After this, Tyson and his friends arrive in the USA to fight the All Starz, who are coached by Max's mother. After winning the American league, the team find themselves stranded in Europe. In order to get to Russia to register for the World Championships, they must battle the Majestics who are Europe's top bladers. Once in Russia, Tyson and his friends find themselves up against the Demolition Boys, the Russian Champions, who are ruthless and obsessed with power. The Bladebreakers then discover that the Demolition Boys are merely tools for the BIOVOLT Corporation, run by Kai's grandfather, Voltaire, and Boris, a criminal mastermind. Initially, Kai was pursued by Boris to join the Demolition Boys in the ultimate quest for power, the Black Dranzer Bit-Beast which Kai was seeking to become the best Beyblader. However, he realizes his mistakes and rejoins the Bladebreakers. During the finals, Kai loses the first round and his Dranzer to Spencer and his bit-beast Seaborg. Ray barely manages to win against Bryan, but has to be taken to hospital after the injuries from the match. Tyson manages to defeat Tala, the Demolition Boys whose body had been modified by Boris to win the match, in the final round and manages to win the title of the BBA world champion.

Beyblade: V-Force

At the start of the second season the team has gone their separate ways, but their enemies reunite them quickly enough. Two different groups, Team Psykick and the Saint Shields, attack the Blade-breakers by trying to steal their bit-beasts for their own reasons. During the second season, Hilary Tachibana (Hiromi in Japanese) joins the Blade-breakers, but takes time to learn the fact that Beyblade isn't just a stupid game as she thinks it is. The first half of the second season ends with the Blade-breakers defeating Team Psykick, who were manipulating their friends Kane, Salima, Goki and Jimmy. The second half of season 2 deals with the truth of why the Saint Shields and Team Psykick are after their bit-beasts and about a rock that Max's mother found that contains bit-beasts, which is stolen by Team Psykick. The Saint Shields' reason is because they wish to seal the bit-beasts in a rock because they fear that the bit-beasts could get out of control like they did in the past. Team Psykick's reason is because the Psykick's leader, Dr. Zagart, wants the bit-beasts to turn his android son (an exact replica of his actual son who died in an accident) into a real human. After defeating the Saint Shields, Zeo, who is one of Tyson's new friends, learns the truth about his past and how he was created Dr. Zagart, so he uses the rock's strongest bit-beast, Cerberus (pronounced ker-bur-is), to get the bit-beasts. The world championships are coming to Japan, so Hilary separates the Blade-breakers into two teams: Tyson and Max for one, Kai and Ray for the other. However, during the tournament, Zeo and his partner Gordo, are destroying the competition. Soon enough, Zeo and Gordo eliminate Kai and Ray, taking Kai's Dranzer in the process. Tyson and Max face Zeo and Gordo in the final. Tyson manages to beat Gordo, but Zeo defeats Max and captures Draciel. During the final battle between Tyson and Zeo, the Blade-breakers find out that Zeo is actually an android, and about Dr. Zagart's reason for trying to use Zeo to get the bit-beasts. Tyson manages to convince him otherwise, and manages to defeat Zeo, making him and Max the world champions once again.

Beyblade: G-Revolution

Kai, Ray, Max and Tyson went their separate ways and rejoined their old teams so that they have a chance to beat each other at the World Championship. This leaves only Tyson, Hilary, and Kenny on the team, but a new character, Daichi Sumeragi, and Tyson's brother Hiro Granger, join them. One week after the results of the World Championships, Boris, the secondary villain from the first season, says things will return to the way they were before. But he declares that all the Beyblade shops must sell beyblades and their parts to BEGA associated Beybladers only, otherwise they will not be allowed to run the shops.

Tyson and the team find some parts at Max's father's store, which are insufficient. Then after sometime Kenny comes with the solution, he makes new type of Beyblades, using different type of parts. But they still needed one more blader, that's when Kai, who tried to join BEGA but lost severely to Brooklyn, rejoins the team. Daichi and Ray lose the first two matches to Ming-Ming and Crusher and Max ends the third match with Mystel in a draw. Then it was Kai's turn to face the unbeaten Brooklyn. Kai then beats Brooklyn in an awesome match but loses Dranzer later. Then Tyson beats Garland. And then Brooklyn who becomes insane due to his loss to Kai, faces Tyson. In an explosive match, Tyson then beats Brooklyn after his Beyblade Dragoon absorbs the power of all the Sacred Bit Beasts and evolves into the most powerful Beyblade on Earth. During the end scene Tyson and Kai go at it one last time.

Beyblade: Metal Fusion

Beyblade: Metal Fusion (originally known as Metal Fight Beyblade in Japan) follows a new protagonist, Gingka Hagane, as well as a completely new cast. Gingka is a boy from the Beyblading residence Koma Village as he travels the country searching for strong bladers. Early on he meets Kenta, who is a young and timid blader, and Madoka who is a bey mechanic-engineer, and the three become friends. They are also joined by Benkei Hanawa and Kyoya Tategami, who were both introduced as antagonists but they put aside their differences and develop friendly rivalries. Eventually, it is revealed that he is searching for the forbidden bey L Drago, after it was stolen from his village by Ryuga and Doji of the Dark Nebula organization. Dark Nebula plans to use the powers of L Drago to assume control of the world. Throughout the series, Gingka utilizes the Storm Pegasus bey, which once stopped the L Drago and was made from the same meteorite. When Gingka battles Ryuga everyone is rooting for him. Ryuga then went crazy and let out a strong attack. Then the spirit of Tsubasa, Kyoya, and Hikaru protect him. The season ends when Gingka beats Ryuga and Pegasus disappears.

Beyblade: Metal Masters

In Beyblade: Metal Masters, Gingka obtains the prototype of Storm Pegasus which is called Galaxy Pegasus. The WBBA announces the Beyblade World Championships and Gingka, Madoka, Tsubasa, Yu, and Gingka's new rival Masamune Kadoya represent Japan's team called Team Gan Gan Galaxy. They battle teams Wang Hu Zhong, Lovushka, Wild Fang, Garcias, Excalibur, and Star Breakers from all over the world to become the number 1 bladers.On January first, 2012, hasbro is coming out with a new type of beyblade called stealth battlers. These are beys that have spikes in them that pop out and hit the other bey when you are battling and slowing it down.

Beyblade: Metal Fury

In the Cosmos, an unusual event has occurred. Taking a break from their latest triumph over Faust and the Spiral Core, Gingka and Co find themselves saving a boy named Yuki from a mysterious youth named Johannes. Although Yuki is a boy genius and an astronomer, he is a Blader who owns Mercury Anubis. Yuki says that he has come to tell Gingka and his friends about the voice of the Star Fragment. He witnessed the Star Fragment (a meteor) fall from the sky one day. That single light dwells within Mercury Anubis and he says that he heard the voice of the Star Fragment that evening. A great evil is trying to revive the “Black Sun” and "Nemesis", the god of destruction, by using the unknown power of the Star Fragment and destroy the world. Gingka and his friends must fight again, just as soon as they get the hang of their new 4D system beys!. And Gingka then takes Madoka as his girlfriend.

Movie

(note that this movie ties in with the original series of Beyblade)

The story begins with the Blade Breakers enjoying their vacation with Tyson, Hilary and Kenny's teacher Ms. Kincaid, but are followed by an annoying kid named Daichi who wants a rematch from a humiliating defeat earlier in a tournament final against Tyson. Tyson Granger decides to ignore Daichi, but they finally have their rematch on a boat after he learns Daichi's reason he beyblades (His father gave him his beyblade and told him to become the best.). Meanwhile, an organization called the Shadow Bladers are intent on destroying the world using their Dark Bit-Beasts. After they capture Daichi and his bit-beast Strata Dragoon, the Dark Bit-Beast possess Daichi and use him for world domination. Tyson tries to save Daichi but ends up getting his bit-beast Dragoon sealed into stone where the dark bit-beasts were sealed away before, and the Shadow Bladers trap Tyson in a cave with Dragoon. Shortly after this, the Shadow Bladers start to attack Japan, where Kai is (Since he didn't come with the Bladebreakers on their vacation.). Dragoon, inspired by Tyson's will to escape, manages to free itself and Tyson from the cave. Meanwhile, Kai tries to fight off the Shadow Bladers but is quickly overwhelmed. The rest of the Bladebreakers come to Kai's aid and fight the Shadow Bladers, finding that the dark bit-beasts are shadow versions of their own bit-beasts. It should be an even match, but with a possessed Daichi on the Shadow Bladers side, the Bladerbreakers are outnumbered. Kai, Ray and Max charge the Shadow Bladers and defeat two of the five, but are knocked out in the process. Tyson manages to free Daichi from the Shadow Bladers, but seeing as Daichi was possessed at the time, he can't summon Strata Dragoon. Tyson tells him to talk to Strata Dragoon and Daichi manages to summon it. When Tyson was fighting Dark Dragoon, Dark Dragoon tempted Dragoon into joining with the Dark Side, but Tyson says that Dragoon was already complete when he was with him. Strata Dragoon and pesci manage to defeat the Shadow Bladers by using each others strength and the dark bit-beasts are sealed into stone once again, unable to cause any danger.

Media

Anime

A three season anime television adaptation was adapted from the series. The first season, spanning 51 episodes, was produced by Madhouse and aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from January 8, 2001 to December 24, 2001. The second season, produced by Nihon Animedia and titled Beyblade V-Force, ran for another 51 episodes from January 7, 2002 until December 30, 2002. The third season, Beyblade G Revolution was also produced by Nihon Animedia. It spanned 52 episodes and ran from January 6, 2003 until its conclusion on December 29, 2003. All three seasons are licensed for English adaptation, broadcast, and release in North America by Nelvana.

A new Beyblade anime series entitled "Metal Fight Beyblade" was made jointly by Tatsunoko and Synergy SP, and is based on the aforementioned Metal Fight Beyblade manga. It premiered on April 5, 2009.^[1] Nelvana has licensed the series, which was released in North America as "Beyblade: Metal Fusion".^[2] It premiered on Cartoon network in June 2010 with showings on Saturdays and Sundays.

Merchandise

Beyblade had a cult following in 2002 and 2003 when the series' popular spinning top toy was released. Now with the release of the fourth season, Beyblade Metal Fusion, a new toy line which consists of Beyblades from the anime including Big Bang Pegasus, Fang Leone, Flame Sagittario, Earth Eagle, Blitz Striker and many more have been released.

Video games

There have been several video games based on the show, spanning multiple consoles. They have generally been critically panned.

• Beyblade (Game Boy Color, Japan only)
• Beyblade (PlayStation)
• Beyblade 2 (PlayStation, Japan only)
• Beyblade: Super Tournament Battle (GameCube)
• Beyblade: G-Revolution (Game Boy Advance)
• Beyblade VForce: Ultimate Blader Jam (Game Boy Advance)
• Bakuten Shoot Beyblade 2002: Takao Version (Game Boy Advance, Japan only)
• Bakuten Shoot Beyblade 2002: Daichi Version (Game Boy Advance, Japan only)
• Beyblade V-Force 2 In 1 TV Game (Plug-and-Play)
• Beyblade: Metal Fight/Fusion (Metal Fusion/America, Metal Fight/Japan, Nintendo DS)
• Beyblade: Metal Fusion (Nintendo Wii)
• Beyblade: Metal fight Beyblade Portable: Chouzetsu Tensei Vulcan Horuoseus(PSP)

Reception

Beyblade was popular among children and younger adolescents, especially due to its toys and accessories. It gained notoriety in school playgrounds all across Australia, North America, Latin America and the United Kingdom during the early 2000s. The show was aired by Jetix and Cartoon Network in America as well as in parts of Asia, Europe, and Australia.

There have been many official Beyblade tournaments held across the world, just like in the anime. At official tournaments hosted by Tomy, Sonokong, Mani, or Hasbro, their companies advertise themselves as the World Beyblade Battle Association (WBBA) instead of their company name. Similar to how the WBBA is the company that hosts Beyblade tournaments in the anime.

There is a very popular Beyblade site called the World Beyblade Organization (WBO), where fans around the world can host their own tournaments. [1]

Top 5 BeyTubers

1. DrIgErGt
2. AkirasDaddy
3. BladEra123
4. BeybladeGeeks
5. Tris12311

References