Beyblade

Beyblade (爆転シュート ベイブレード) 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 volume 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" which are enchanted with magical spirits.

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.

Plot
A young boy named Tyson Granger (Takao Kinomiya) enters the Japanese Regional Beyblade Qualifying Tournament. Tyson encounters Ray Kon (Rei Kon) and Kai Hiwatari (Kai Kaido), and after defeating them, they organize a team, known as the Bladebreakaers, 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 leader whose body had been modified by Boris to win the match, in the final round and manages to win the title of World Champions for his team.

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 resurrect his son. After defeating the Saint Shields, Zeo, who is one of Tyson's new friends, learns about his true past that he is the son of Dr. Zagart, so he uses the rock's strongest bit-beast, Cerberus, 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. Sure enough, Tyson and Max are up against Zeo and Gordo. Tyson manages to beat Gordo, but Max loses to Zeo and loses 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 Champions. 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 klyn, 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 with the help of Kai's dranzer.

Metal Fusion
Set presumably in the future (Probably Set Around 20 or 30 year after from G-Revolution or 22nd century), Beyblade: Metal Fight (know as Metal Fusion in America) follows a new cast of characters. The protagonist; Gingka Hagane, meets a small boy named Kenta early on in the series after he saves him from the Face-Hunters.......?

Movie
Beyblade: The Movie - Fierce Battle, released as Explosive Shooting Beyblade The Movie: Battle!! Takao VS Daichi (爆転シュート ベイブレード THE MOVIE 激闘!!タカオVS大地) in Japan, is chronologically set between the end of the second season and before the third season. The prequel to the movie was introduced in Volume 14 of the Beyblade manga to promote the movie. 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

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" is currently in production. This series is being made jointly by Tatsunoko and Synergy SP, and is based on the aforementioned Metal Fight Beyblade manga. It premiered on April 5, 2009. Nelvana has licensed the series, which was released in North America as "Beyblade: Metal Fusion". It premiered on Cartoon network in June 2010 with showings on Saturdays and Sundays.

Beyblade
The original Beyblade anime series premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo on January 8, 2001. It ran for 51 episodes until its conclusion on December 24, 2001. A second season, called Beyblade V-Force (Beyblade 2002 in Japan) followed, with a sneak peak on December 27, 2001, and officially premiering on January 7, 2002 and running for an additional 51 episodes until it concluded on December 30, 2002. The series third, and final, season, followed after a short break, premiering on January 6, 2003 and running for 52 episodes until the series conclusion on December 29, 2003. The series was released to both VHS and DVD, with the first season released across eleven volumes. The first two volumes had three episodes each, and the remainder held five episodes. The second season was released across 18 volumes, and the third spanned 17 DVD volumes. Nelvana licensed the anime adaptation for release and broadcast in North America. It release the first season to DVD with English language dubbing. The second season was released as a box set, but only in Australia. Funimation acquired the license for the third season, releasing the first four volumes with the Nelvana English dubbing, then releasing two additional volumes with the original Japanese language tracks with English subtitles.

Merchandise
Beyblade had a cult following in 2002 and 2003 when the series' popular spinning top toy was released. Now in 2010 with the release of the fourth season, Beyblade Metal Fusion, there is going to be a release of a new toy line which will consist of Beyblades from the anime including Storm Pegasus, Rock Leone and Flame Sagittario.

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: GRevolution (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)

Reception
Beyblade was popular among all age groups especially due to its toys and accessories. It gained notoriety in elementary school playgrounds all across North America, Latin America and the United Kingdom during the early 2000s. The show was aired by Fox Kids in America as well as in parts of Asia, Europe, and Australia.