Beyblade

Beyblade (Japanese: ベイブレード ''Beiburēdo'') is a battling spinning top toyline and multimedia franchise developed by Takara Tomy. Beyblades were inspired by the old "beigoma" spinning tops in olden Asia. The first modern Beyblade was released in July, 1999. It was called "Spin Dragoon" and also was called "Ultimate Dragoon." Originally developed by Takara, it was first released in Japan in July 1999 along with a related manga series. Following Takara's merger with Tomy in 2006, Beyblades are now developed by Takara Tomy. Various toy companies around the world have licensed Beyblade toys for their own regions, such as Hasbro in most Western countries and Sonokong in South Korea.

In ''Beyblade'', participants compete in battles between two or more spinning tops called "Beyblades", or ''Beys''. A Beyblade typically consists of multiple parts, and players can combine parts to create their own combination. The parts from each iteration of ''Beyblade'' are incompatible with other iterations. Battles typically take place in a bowl-like stadium (called a ''Beystadium''), into which players release Beyblades using a handheld launcher. A player wins if their Beyblade spins for a longer period of time or if the opponent's Beyblade exits the stadium. In ''Beyblade Burst'' and ''Beyblade X'', players may also win if their opponent's Beyblade splits apart, known as "bursting".

''Beyblade'' has undergone four separate iterations, each with their own media continuity. The first series, known simply as ''Beyblade'', ran from 1999 to 2004. The accompanying manga series was adapted into an anime series produced by Madhouse and Nippon Animedia (a partnership between Takara and Nippon Animation), which ran for three seasons. A film, '' Beyblade: Fierce Battle'', was released in 2002. The second series, '' Beyblade: Metal Fusion'' (known as ''Metal Fight Beyblade'' in Japan), was introduced in 2008. Unlike the mostly plastic Beyblades in the original iteration, Beyblades released under the ''Metal Fusion'' series features components made of metal. Like before, an accompanying manga series was adapted into an anime, produced by Tatsunoko Production and SynergySP. Retroactively named ''Beyblade: Metal Saga'', the anime comprises four seasons. An action-adventure film, '' Metal Fight Beyblade vs the Sun: Sol Blaze, the Scorching Hot Invader'', premiered in 2010. The third iteration of ''Beyblade'', '' Beyblade Burst'', introduced the "burst" mechanic and ran from 2015 to 2021. The fourth iteration, '' Beyblade X'', began in 2023. A spinoff, ''BeyWheelz'', was released in 2012.

History

Both the toys and their names were inspired by the ''Beigoma'', a traditional Japanese spinning top. The concept is similar to Battling Tops, a spinning top game developed in 1968, and to the traditional spinning top games of topac, gasing pangkah, and pambaram and the previous Japanese toy line of Spin Fighters (1993–1997).

The toy line was introduced with an accompanying manga series of the same name in 1999. The manga ran from 1999 to 2004, while the anime only ran in 2001 with 51 total episodes. In 2002, Hasbro sold Beyblade toys internationally (under license from Takara) along with a coordinated country-by-country release of localized versions of the television show. On July 12, 2008, Takara Tomy released '' Metal Fight: Beyblade'', the second iteration of the toy. The third iteration, titled '' Beyblade Burst'', was released by Takara Tomy on July 18, 2015. The fourth iteration of the toy line, '' Beyblade X'', was released on June 2023.

Game and rules

Aside from informal play, the game has a set of published rules. In the official competition, at least two players engage in the game. Each participant is permitted a maximum of three Beyblades, and swapping out Beyblade parts is strictly prohibited once a match commences. Players can select any of their three available Beyblades for each battle within a game.

In ''Metal Fight Beyblade'', a points system was introduced. In the ''Beyblade Burst'' line of toys, Hasbro releases its own rule set for its toy line. In general, the first player to 3 points will win a match.
* One point is awarded if the opponent's Beyblade stops spinning (Sleep Out/Survivor/Spin Finish).
* One point is awarded if the opponent's Beyblade is knocked out of the stadium or falls into a pocket in the stadium (Stadium Out/Ring Out/Over Finish/KO/Knockout Finish).
* Beginning with ''Beyblade Burst'', two points are awarded if the opponent's top "bursts" upon collision with the Beyblade disassembling (Burst Finish).
* Beginning with ''Beyblade X'', Pocket Finishes or Bursts count for two points, and three points are awarded if the opponent's top is knocked through the Xtreme Pocket in the special Xtreme Stadium (Over-head Finish).
In the event of a draw (which results if both Beyblades either exit the ring simultaneously, stop spinning simultaneously, or burst at the same time), no points are awarded to either player. The stadium's pockets and entrance are sometimes referred to as an "extended play area" as opposed to a "primary play area" since if a Beyblade gets into one of the pockets but is able to escape, it will not count as a knockout. For the stadium's entrance, if a Beyblade flies there, gets caught there and goes around the stadium but doesn't fall out of the stadium, it will also not be counted as a knockout.

Types of Beyblades

There are four main types of Beyblades: the Attack, Defense, Stamina, and Balance types. The first three of those types have intransitive effectiveness, with Defense generally intended to be effective against Attack, Attack against Stamina, and Stamina against Defense. However, due to the high variability of custom configurations, this is not a hard rule.

; Attack
: Attack Beyblades are intended to knock out or burst other Beyblades. They usually have flat or rubber performance tips that cause them to move erratically around the stadium, along with protruding contact points that can knock back other tops. They also tend to be shorter than other tops to knock others off balance.
; Defense
: Defense Beyblades are intended to withstand attacks. They tend to travel slowly and are heavier than other types, resulting in opponents being deflected. Their weight also causes them to launch slower, resulting in less stamina. They tend to be made of thicker metals and have sharp cone-shaped performance tips.
; Stamina
: Stamina Beyblades are intended to outlast opposing Beyblades. They have wide ball-like performance tips and spin low to the ground, causing them to sit still in the center of the stadium and conserve inertia.
; Balance
: Balance Beyblades specialize in a combination of the other three types listed above. Some Balance Beyblades may be constructed several ways to bias certain Attack, Defense, and Stamina configurations, and their performance tips can vary.

Beystadium

An arena called a Beystadium is sold by both Takara Tomy and Hasbro. It is shaped like an overturned spherical dome but may have other features dependent on the purpose of the particular stadium. Different stadiums were released in different markets. Takara Tomy and Sonokong produce Beystadiums similar to those featured in the manga and anime adaptations, with open sections in the walls and openings on the sides to launch into. Hasbro produces stadiums with walls that are about tall and pockets that count as a ring-out instead.

Common features of a Beystadium include a circular shallow impression, which allows Attack Beyblades to move around quickly without accidentally knocking themselves out. Other features may be specific to the series that the Beystadium is released in, like the rails from the Beyblade Burst cho - Z toy system and the taller Speedstorm toy system.

The metal series stadiums have a "secondary slope", which is a flat area about two centimeters wide that causes Attack Beyblades to perform a looping pattern that goes through the center of the stadium and knock Beyblades that tend to stay in the middle. Due to its resemblance to a flower, the looping movement pattern is called the "flower pattern".

Launching

A Bey Launcher is used to rapidly spin the Beyblade and eject it into the stadium. Select launchers have different levels of power depending on the gears inside of them paired with the user's own launch strength. Launchers differ in size and shape, with some of them using Ripcords (long sticks of plastic with grips on the end and teeth on the sides to strike the gears of the launcher when pulled) and others using Strings (long strings with grips on the end that are connected to a gear that has a retracting mechanism to strike the gears of the launcher with slightly more power).

Launching is often accompanied by a catchphrase. In the Takara Tomy version, this would be . In the Hasbro version, it was ''"3, 2, 1, Let it Rip!"''

Burst series

These toys are designed so that the top may separate if it has sustained enough hits, which creates a "burst" due to an unlocking mechanism and a spring in the performance tip. The Burst System consists of 3 parts, the "Energy Layer", the "Forge Disc" that contains most of the weight, and the "Driver", which is the equivalent of the metal series "Performance Tip", that controls the behavior of the Beyblade.

Toys "R" Us started distributing this system in Canada in September 2016 and Hasbro started distributing the toys in the United States in January 2017.

As the longest-running ''Beyblade'' series, ''Burst'' has had considerably more subsystems than its predecessors. These are:

* The Dual Layer system, where the layers are made of two inseparable plastic parts.
*The God Layer/SwitchStrike system, where each "layer" has its own gimmick, and the introduction of the core discs: discs that can now be attached to plastic parts called frames that add weight to the bey and feature their own characteristics.
* Takara Tomy's Cho-Z Layer system, in which every "layer" features metal, increasing their weight.
* The SlingShock system, Hasbro's counterpart to the Cho-Z system, features tops with different modes, designed to climb rails when switched to SlingShock mode. All beys excluding Dread Hades and Breaker Xcalius, however, lacked the metal found in their TT counterparts. This system marked a turning point; Hasbro would start to do their own systems rather than releasing the same beys as Takara Tomy in their main line.
* The GT Layer system (GaTinko Layer System), which was released by Takara Tomy and featured customizable "layers", altering performance. Many "discs" in this system also began to have their own gimmicks.
* Hasbro's HyperSphere system, released as a counterpart to the GT system, features large, bowl-shaped "performance tips" designed to climb special HyperSphere walls and strike the other Beyblades while descending.
* Takara Tomy's Superking/Sparking system altered the construction of the tops by introducing "chassis", replacements for "forge discs" that heavily increased weight. In addition, new launchers were released, which gave off sparks when used, hence the name "sparking".
* The SpeedStorm system (Hasbro's equivalent to the Superking/Sparking system), features taller tops designed to gain speed or change direction in the SpeedStorm BeyStadiums.
* The Dynamite Battle Layer system, once again features customizable "layers", this time with both a "High" and "Low" mode, intended to shift the top's center of gravity. High Mode is more aggressive and is easier to knock over. Low Mode is more balanced and has more stamina.
*The QuadDrive system was released from Hasbro in replacement of the Dynamite Battle layer system. These layers have plastic weights, instead of metal armours, that allow the Beyblade to switch from "Core" and "Apex Mode". Their drivers also feature additional pieces (called Armour Tips) that increase the height and variation of how the Beyblade moves along the stadium. A new Stadium was also released that features levels of playing fields that alternate the bey’s path. This is the first system that was designed by Hasbro, and it is the first one that doesn't rely on the type of stadium to function.
*The Burst Ultimate Layer system would be the most current iteration which features the same concept as the Beyblade Burst DB system but is a different line of Beyblades that are callbacks to previous fan favourites which never got an upgrade like Chain Kerbeus or Xiphoid Xcalibur. These Beys do not get an anime season release but can be assumed to be used by their original users from the God Series.
*Like the Burst Ultimate Layer system, the QuadStrike system is supposed to be an upgrade from the QuadDrive system, however, the Armor Tips are now large and bowl-like, similar to the HyperSphere Drivers.

Popularity

Beyblades were the "most sought-after toy for Christmas 2003" in the UK, and won the British Association of Toy Retailers award for "Toy of the year" in 2002. They were the top-selling battling toys in the US in 2011. By 2003, more than 5 million Beyblade tops were sold in the United States.

See also

* Battling Tops
* Spinja
* Lego Ninjago
* Spin Fighters
* Battle Strikers

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beyblade (Toy)

Hasbro products
2000s toys
Spinning tops
Products introduced in 2000
2000s fads and trends
NewBoy