Bakugan Battle Brawlers (爆丸バトルブローラーズ, Bakugan Batoru Burōrāzu?) is a Japanese anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment and Japan Vistec under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto. The story centers on the lives of creatures called Bakugan and the battle brawlers who wield them. Consisting of fifty-one episodes, Bakugan Battle Brawlers debuted in Japan on
TV Tokyo in 2007. Nelvana Limited produced the English language version and premiered the series on the Canadian network Teletoon later the same year, but with 52 episodes. In February 2008, it was put on Cartoon Network, the consistent schedule now being Saturday morning at 11:00. In conjunction with the anime series, Sega Toys and Spin Master released a strategic game, called
Bakugan, using metal cards and magnetic spring-loaded miniature figures.Plot synopsis
Dan Kuso's life changed one day when random cards fell out of the sky. Some friends of his invented a game called Bakugan with those cards. Together with his friends Runo, Marucho, Julie, Shun and Alice the Bakugan Battle Brawlers are formed as they end up fighting for the fate of Vestroia against Masquerade, Hal-G, and the Bakugan Naga.
Characters
- Dan Kuso
- Dan is a boy who loves Bakugan. His greatest ambition is to be the number 1 battle brawler in the world. He is a Pyrus battler. He is very quick to temper. His guardian Bakugan is the Pyrus-attribute Dragonoid (nicknamed Drago). In the anime television series, Dan is voiced by Yu Kobayashi in the Japanese language and Scott McCord in the English language. Drago is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara in the Japanese language and Jason Deline in the English language.
- Runo Misaki
- Runo is not your typical pre-teen girl. Runo is a tomboy who loves playing Bakugan with people that have skills to show off. Runo is a Haos battler. Her Guardian Bakugan is the Haos-attribute Tigrerra, who is very obedient to her master and powerful in battle. Runo hates when people think that just because she is a girl, they can beat her. At the end of the series she and Dan are seen on a movie date. In the anime television series, Runo is voiced by Eri Sendai in the Japanese language and Julie Lemieux in the English language. Tigrerra is voiced by Atsushi Ono in the Japanese language and Stevie Vallance in the English language.
- Marucho Marukuros
- He is a wealthy boy who is very generous and smart. He is what you could call a walking encyclopedia. He loves to play Bakugan and he also likes to work on strategies. He used to be extremely obedient to his parents just because he wanted to please them, but that changed when he met the Brawlers. He now has no regrets for the past, realizing that he only wanted to make his parents happy. He is an Aquos battler. His Guardian Bakugan are the Aquos-attribute Preyas and the Haos Angelo/Pyrus Diablo Preyas. Preyas was sent to the Doom Dimension in Marucho's battle with Klaus Von Hertzon. Later Klaus shows up with Preyus. Dan and Runo find a way to get Preyas back through defeating him in battle. Preyas evolves into a two-sided Bakugan called Preyas Angelo (Haos) and Preyas Diablo (Pyrus). Unlike the other Bakugan however, Preyas multiplies when he evolves, so Marucho got to keep the old Preyas. He is short and small. Preyas also has a move called "Change of Attribute" with that he can take advantage of the opponent's gate card. In the anime television series, Marucho is voiced by Ryou Hirohashi in the Japanese language and Joanne Vannicola in the English language. Preyas is voiced by Shawn Meunier.
- Julie Makimoto
- Julie tries to stay happy even when the worst has happened (for example, when Billy ended up under the control of Masquerade), her acting happy after something terrible happened is generally just to cover up her real feelings. Julie forgets things easily, proving that she is a little scatterbrained at times. She is always up and happy with a positive attitude. She is a Subterra battler. At the beginning of the series, she is shown to have a crush on Dan (which led to some arguments with a jealous Runo), but later, she likes Billy and accepts a date offer from him and they start going out. Julie has a sister named Daisy who has bested her in everything since she was a child. Her Guardian Bakugan is Subterra-attribute Gorem. In the anime television series, Julie is voiced by Risa Mizuno in the Japanese language and Katie Griffin in the English language. Gorem is voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto.
- Shun Kazami
- Shun is the former 1st ranked Bakugan player who later moves down to sixth position. He is a master of Bakugan, and is also Dan's childhood friend. Shun is a loner, a boy of very few words, yet is willing to help his friends at every turn almost. He is a Ventus battler. He approaches Bakugan like a ninja. He lives with his grandfather (who used to be a famous ninja warrior) who once expected Shun to follow in his footsteps instead of playing Bakugan. His Guardian Bakugan is the Ventus-attribute Skyress whom Shun received from his comatose mother in the hospital. In the anime television series, Shun is voiced by Chihiro Suzuki in the Japanese language and Zachary Bennett in the English language. Skyress is voiced by Chiharu Suzuka.
- Alice Gehabich
- She is a girl from Moscow who doesn't play Bakugan, but knows almost everything about it. Michael Gehabich is her grandfather, but after learning that her grandfather became Hal-G and works with Naga, she constantly worried about him. Alice usually just gives advice to the brawlers, instead of battling. Alice and Marucho are the 2 brawlers who mostly use strategy. Although unlike Marucho, Alice gives her strategies to the brawlers. During season 2 she left the Brawlers after finding out that she was Masquerade out of intense guilt over what she did as him, but later returns in time to save Dan and Drago. In the anime television series, Alice is voiced by Mamiko Noto in the Japanese language and Emilie Barlow in the English language.
- Masquerade
- He used to be the number 1 Bakugan player before he left Alice's body. His goal is to send all Bakugan to the Doom Dimension with his Doom Card, so he can evolve his Hydranoid and have the Ultimate Bakugan. He is a Darkus battler. He is revealed to be Alice in episode 38 and his origin is revealed in episode 39. Masquerade came to life when negative energy changed Alice (who doesn't know she is Masquerade or what happens when she becomes him). He battles with Dan in episode 38 and loses. He is actually Alice, but Masquerade disappears from her body. In the anime television series, Masquerade is voiced by Souichiro Hoshi in the Japanese language and Lyon Smith in the English language.
- Joe Brown
- Also known as Webmaster Joe. He lived in a hospital with his mother. The Brawlers used to think he was working for Masquerade, but he actually sent a message to the Brawlers to warn them that Masquerade was plotting against them. When he met Dan, he said he would only tell him if he was working for Masquerade if Dan beat him in a battle. In the middle of the battle he fainted. When he woke up they asked him to be one of the Brawlers. He gladly accepted. Sometime after he moved to the Brawlers neighborhood, he found Wayvern who had the Infinity core inside her. Wayvern's attribute is Haos. Wayvern is Joe's Guardian Bakugan.It is also revealed that Wayvern is Naga's younger twin sister. At the end of the last episode of Bakugan Joe and Chan Lee are seen on a bench together holding hands. Joe is the first person to beat Masquerade at Bakugan. In the anime television series, Joe is voiced by Souichiro Hoshi.
Anime
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The fifty-one episode anime television series was produced by TMS Entertainment and Japan Vistec under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto in 2007. Bakugan Battle Brawlers made its debut in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 5, 2007 and was rebroadcast six days later on BS Japan. Nelvana Limited produced the English language version and premiered the series on the Canadian network Teletoon on July 2007 and then on Cartoon Network on February 24, 2008.[1]
Four pieces of theme music were used for the series; two opening themes by Psychic Lover and two closing themes. The opening theme for the first thirty episodes is "Number One Battle Brawlers" (ナンバーワン・バトルブローラーズ, Nanbā Wan Batoru Burōrāzu?); and the last twenty-one episodes is "Bucchigiri Infinte Generation" (ブッちぎり∞ジェネレーション, Bucchigiri Infinitto Jenerēshon?). The closing theme for the first twenty-six episodes is "Air Drive" by Elephant Girl; and the last twenty-five episodes is "Hello" (ハロー, Harō?) by Za Bon.[1]
Game
A strategic game, called Bakugan, was developed by Sega Toys and Spin Master and released in conjunction with the anime series. The game uses metal cards and magnetic spring-loaded miniature figures, called Bakugan. The objective of the game is to capture three of the opponent's gate cards or defeat all their Bakugan.
