Just before the millennium, the Japanese toy company Takara released a brand-new spinning top toy that was going to take the world by storm. Enter the Beyblade. More than twenty years later the brand is still going strong and has amassed a following of dedicated fans who either love collecting the physical Beys, watching the accompanying anime, or both. These days there are Beyblade YouTubers who have millions of subscribers tuning in to see unboxings of the latest Beyblade sets, discuss the TV series, or watch each other battle. With all this content, a friendly community has spawned around the beloved franchise.

If you’ve never heard of Beyblade before and want to learn a thing or two, or perhaps you’re just rediscovering your old collection of Beys and BeyStadiums, this article will come in handy. We have put together the ultimate Beyblade guide for newbies. Since there has been a lot of anime and toy releases in the last 23 years, a handy easy-to-read guide should help put a few things into perspective.

When The First Beyblade Anime Was Released

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As previously mentioned, the first Beyblade spin-top toy was released in Japan in 1999 by Takara, but it wasn’t until 2001 that the first Anime was released. The original Anime Series was simply called Beyblade and was based on the Manga series, Explosive Shoot Beyblade, illustrated and written by Takao Aoki. The illustrator was approached by Takara to create a Manga to help promote the sale of the spinning tops' toy, and boy did it work, as both the Manga and the anime sparked a lot of mainstream attention. The series was split into three seasons: Beyblade, Blade V-Force, and Beyblade G-Revolution, which finished in 2003. It would take six years for the next saga to be released.

How Beyblade: Metal Saga Continues The Story

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Six years after the original series Beyblade fans were treated with the second installment, Beyblade: Metal Saga. This saga was again based on a Manga which was created by Takafumi Adachi. Adachi’s Manga was published in a monthly magazine, CoroCoro Comic, and included a brand-new cast of characters totally different from Aoki’s original. The Metal Saga also influenced the toys as Takara, which had now merged with the company Tomy, had started to include a metal hybrid wheel system which combined plastic and metal to make the Beys much stronger.

The Most Current Beyblade Anime

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Beyblade is still going strong today, and we are currently on the third iteration of the franchise. Beyblade Burst followed the Metal Saga and the toy line was the first Burst series item to be released. This was quickly followed by the Manga, this time illustrated and written by Hiro Morita and published in the magazine CoroCoro Comic. There are currently six seasons in the Beyblade Burst saga and in 2021 the Beyblade Burst QuadDrive anime was released and aired on the Disney Channel. The Beyblade Burst saga is the longest-running Beyblade series; therefore, it has spawned the widest selection of Beys, which are a lot more complex than the predecessors. The Burst system toys are designed to burst open if a Beyblade has sustained too many hits, which makes for exciting duals.

How To Start Battling

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If you are interested in Beyblade Battles you are going to need three main things, two Beys, two launchers, and a BeyStadium. Don't worry if you don't have everything, as these days there are plenty of brilliant Beyblade sets which include everything you need to get started. The player’s Beyblade is hooked up to a launcher, which usually has different levels of power, and is launched into a BeyStadium. The spinning tops then dual each other, colliding at high speed. If you have launched your Beyblade well it should have enough gusto to knock your opponent down. The last Beyblade spinning is the winner. It is that simple! Some players might use an alternate point system based on whether a Beyblade is knocked out of the ring or has fallen in a pocket. But to begin with, you can keep things nice and simple.

Different Beys will have certain characteristics and their power can be defined by three different traits. These traits are Attack, Defense and Stamina. Beys are usually dominantly strong in one particular category, so deciding what Beyblade to pick against your opponent’s Beyblade can be the key to winning the battle. Now that you know that, you can start battling, happy dueling!