Bakugan Battle Brawlers

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Bakugan Battle Brawlers (爆丸バトルブローラーズ, Bakugan Batoru Burōrāzu^?) is a Japanese action adventure 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 possess them.

Though initially a failure in Japan, the series became popular in the Canada and the US, prompting the creation of a second season, Bakugan Battle Brawlers: New Vestroia, which aired in other countries before being broadcasted in Japan. The third season, Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders, started broadcasting in the Canadian markets on May 23, 2010 and the US markets on May 29, 2010. A fourth season, Bakugan: Mechtanium Surge, started airing in the Canadian markets on February 13, 2011 and the US markets on March 5, 2011 respectively.

Plot

Dan Kuso's life changed one day when random cards fell out of the sky, where he and his friend Shun invented a game with called Bakugan. Together with his friends Runo, Marucho, Julie, Shun, and Alice, the group Bakugan Battle Brawlers is formed and its members are accidentally dragged into fighting for the fate of Vestroia (the Bakugan's home dimension) against the Doom Beings.

It is the story of a dimension called Vestroia which loses its natural balance and merges with the Earth and many other alien planets. An evil Bakugan called Naga was tempted and decided to take the Silent Core. So Dan and his friends decided to bring back balance by meeting new friends and allies in the other planets, learn more about the origin of the Bakugan; and facing Naga, who seeks to complete the Perfect Core.

List of Characters

Battle Brawlers

2011-04-14 1102 — The Battle Brawlers in the intro

Dan Kuso and Dragonoid

Voiced by: Yū Kobayashi and Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Scott McCord and Jason Deline (English)

The main protagonist in the series, Dan is a boy who loves playing Bakugan and gets frustrated easily. His greatest ambition is to be the number one battle brawler in the world. Dan is a Pyrus battler, and his Guardian Bakugan is a Pyrus-attribute Dragonoid (nicknamed Drago)(voiced by Keiji Fujiwara). His Drago loves Wavern, who holds the Infinity Core within her. Dan and Runo often argue with each other; Dan likes Runo but doesn't confess until the end of the series, when they are seen on a date together.

Runo Misaki and Tigrerra

Voiced by: Eri Sendai and Atsushi Ono (Japanese), Julie Lemieux and Stevie Vallance (English)

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 a Haos-attribute Tigrerra (voiced by Atsushi One), who is very obedient to her and powerful in battle. Runo hates when people think that they can beat her just because she is a girl. She helps her parents run their family business. When Alice comes to visit, she helps Runo's family with their restaurant, which leads to Runo becoming jealous as boys came just to see her, despite being best friends and having an unbreakable sisterly bond. She is one of Dan's best friends, and has a crush on him. At the end of the series she and Dan are seen on a movie date.

Marucho Marukura and Preyas

Voiced by: Ryo Hirohashi and Eiji Miyashita (Japanese), Joanne Vannicola and Shawn Meunier (English)

He is an extremely rich boy who is very generous and intelligent, a bit like a walking encyclopedia. He loves to play Bakugan and he also likes to work on strategies. He used to be very 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. Marucho is an Aquos battler, and his Guardian Bakugan is an Aquos-attribute Preyas and a 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 Preyas. 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. Preyas also has a move called "Change of Attribute" with that he can take advantage of the opponent's gate card. He was the temporary leader of the Battle Brawlers until Dan was fit to lead again.

Julie Makimoto and Gorem

Voiced by: Risa Mizuno (Japanese), Katie Griffin and Stephen R. Hart (English)

Julie is a girl who tries to stay happy even when the worst has happened; her acting happy after something bad happened is generally just to hide up her true feelings. Julie forgets things easily, proving that she is a little scatterbrained at times. Julie is a Subterra battler, whose Guardian Bakugan is a Subterra-attribute Gorem. At the beginning of the series, she is shown to have a little crush on Dan (which led to some arguments with a jealous Runo), but later, accepts that Dan and Runo are going out. At the end, she and Billy go on their first date. Julie has a sister named Daisy who has bested her in everything since she was a child.

Shun Kazami and Skyress

Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki and Chiharu Suzuka (Japanese), Zachary Bennett and Barbara Budd (English)

Shun is a boy who is the former first-ranked Bakugan Brawler who later moves down to sixth position, and then up to third 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. Shun is a Ventus brawler. His Guardian Bakugan is a Ventus-attribute Skyress (voiced by Chiharu Suzuka) whom Shun received from his comatose mother in the hospital. 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. Shun once leaves the brawlers when Dan says they don't need him. But after brawling Komba, Dan appears and asks for forgiveness which Shun accepts.

Alice Gehabich and Hydranoid

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto and Izō Oikawa (Japanese), Emily Barlow and Rob Tinkler (English)

She is a girl from Moscow. She knows almost everything about bakugan. 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 two brawlers who mostly use strategy. During the middle of Season 1 she left the Brawlers after finding out that she was Masquerade out of intense guilt over what she did as him, but later returns as Masquerade in time to save Dan and Drago. Once she saves them Masquerade permanently leaves her body (which Alice at first resents because she believed that she needs him), but leaves Alpha Hydranoid for her to control.

The Doom Beings

Naga

Voiced by: Hideyuki Umedzu (Japanese), John Stocker (English)

The primary antagonist in the entire series. A rogue Bakugan who wants to control all power in Vestroia, by stealing the completed Perfect Core.

Hal-G

Voiced by: Masaharu Satou (Japanese), Ron Pardo (English)

Hal-G is the alter-ago of Alice's grandfather Michael after he is exposed to the Silent Core just like Alice and Masquerade. He assists Naga in his quest to get the Infinity Core from Wavern. After Naga was destroyed, Hal-G regressed back to Michael.

Masquerade and Reaper

Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi and Susumu Akagi (Japanese), Lyon Smith and Peter Cugno (English)

He used to be the first-ranked 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 brawler. 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). Darkus Hydranoid is Masquerade's guardian Bakugan. He battles with Dan in episode 38 and loses. He is actually Alice, but Masquerade disappears from her body (although at first, Alice doesn't want him to leave).

Media

Anime

Main article: Episodes

The fifty-two 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 Enterprises 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.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers DVDs (Original Japanese)

Theme Songs

Opening

Number One Battle Brawlers (ナンバーワン・バトルブローラーズ, Nanbā Wan Batoru Burōrāzu^?) by Psychic Lover (1-30)
Bucchigiri Infinite Generation (ブッちぎり∞ジェネレーション, Bucchigiri Infinitto Jenerēshon^?) by Psychic Lover (31-52)

Ending

Air Drive by Elephant Girl (1-26)
Hello (ハロー, Harō^?) by Za Bon (27-52)

When the show adapted into English, the only changes were made are changing all the background music and a westernized theme.

Trivia

This is the only series not to have Bakugan Interspace in it.
This the only series without any alien brawlers.
This is the only season not to feature Aranaut or Ren Krawler.
This is the only series where a Brawler was not killed--only Bakugan.
- This is the only series where the main villain does not die.
This is the only series where regular Bakugan battled without an enhancement like Bakugan Traps, Battle Gear, or BakuNano.
- This is the only series where no Ultimate Formations were seen.
This is the only season where both the Haos and Subterra members of the Battle Brawlers are both female.
This is the only season where Drago's final evolution isn't his first form in the next season.
In the Arabic dub, Julie, Runo, and Alice's outfits were censored by having their midriffs and legs covered. Most of the names were also localized.