Battle B-Daman


Battle B-Daman is a Japanese manga series by Eiji Inuki which ran in CoroCoro Comics by Shogakukan from 2002 to 2005. An anime adaptation was released in January 2004. It premiered in the United States in April 2005. It is the first show of the B-Daman series to be dubbed in English. In Japan, the second season, titled Battle B-Daman: Fire Spirits!, was superseded by Crash B-Daman, a new series with an all new cast and story. The toyline was originally manufactured by Takara and was licensed by Hasbro for release in United States.

Gameplay

Like other creature-based anime and manga, Battle B-Daman focuses on numerous in-universe games:
  • Six wall: Score points by knocking out numbered boxes. In the show, knocking out a wall tile causes a matching item to be dropped into a giant hot bowl. In the show, it is guarded by Pandoro.
  • Trap shooting: Shoot down target while running an obstacle course containing lakes, walls, poles. In the desert area, targets periodically disappear. In the show, it is guarded by Shigan.
  • Lion stage: A L-shaped stage. Player scores by firing B-DaBalls to the goal zone blocked by 2 spinning fences. This stage emphasizes rapid fire. In the show, it is guarded by Assado.
  • Phoenix stage: A T-shaped stage. Player scores 20 points by knocking down targets behind 2 spinning fences. This stage emphasizes rapid power. In the show, it is guarded by Joe.
  • Shield stage: A square stage separated by a fence, with right half separated by a spinning fence. Each half contains 3 targets. This stage emphasizes control. In the show, it is guarded by Sly.
  • Dragon stage: A zigzag stage with spinning fence in the middle. Player scores 1 point for every B-DaBall landed at opponent's field. This stage emphasizes rapid balance. In the show, it is guarded by Joshua.
  • Sword stage: A rectangle stage, played in direct hit battle rules. In the show, it is guarded by Cain.
  • Head to head ultimate strike: Each player fires at a rectangular formation of 5x10 pins, located at player's right end at opposite field. Winner is determined by how many pins left standing at the end of match, or who knocks out all pins in opponent's field first. In Yamato vs. Gray match, each player fires at a stage with backward moving track, with spikes at the end of each track. In Terry vs Liena match, player stands on moving wooden posts on a pool filled with vicious marine creatures.
  • Super ultimate strike: A game table invented by Armada involving scoring points by shooting at the moving targets at the end of the table. Between 2 ends of the table lies one of 3 obstacles that challenges different skills. Target barricades emphasize on accuracy, gate emphasize on power, and spinner emphasize on rapid fire.
  • Cannonball: A shot put type game of firing 5 shots to knock a giant pin furthest from starting point.
  • Power alley: Score points by shooting at the target at the opposite end of the table. The amount of score depends on the shot's strength. In B-Daman tournament, player competes in climbing a 100-story tower by shooting at the target, with the rate of elevation based on the score. However, a miss shot causes played to descend from the tower.
  • DHB: Direct Hit Battle, whoever hits the opponents B-Daman in a button below the barrel wins. This is the most commonly played variation.
The following games were introduced in season 2:
  • Mecha B-DaBattle race/Metal Shot battle race: A game type debuted in the Merimoke village metal shot Battle B-Daman tournament. B-DaPlayer rides a hover board to navigate obstacle course, consisting column, gas, giant B-DaBall. At the end of the course, player wins prize by shooting at the target on the giant Sun Moon-doll.
  • Target Road: A game hosted by Mr. Penguin, which is an obstacle course for shooting down all targets within time while running to the targets. The course is guarded by Parthenon, Mr. Penguin's chief of security.
  • Knock down block: Player knocks down the top pyramid by knocking down underneath square blocks, arranged in pyramid formation. Winner is decided by the ability of putting the top pyramid to the circle.
  • Target Battle: A variant of super ultimate strike game that does not have obstacle between player and target.
  • Battle Royal Hockey: A variant of B-Daman Invasion, but with 5 players. A player can be defeated by shooting the puck into the slot in player's side. During the course of the match, extra puck is dropped into the B-DaBattlefield. Under Haja's modification, tear-gas bombs are dropped into B-DaBattlefield, which explode when being fired.
  • Spider match: A unique battle involving players standing on a suspending arena made of ropes in spider web formation.

    Plot

Season 1

The show is about Yamato Delgado, who gets the legendary Cobalt Blade. He and his friends use the sport of B-Daman to fight the Shadow Alliance. This show takes place in the B-Da World, a Post-Apocalyptic wasteland where its inhabitants are humans, anthropomorphic animals, and robots. Using the legendary B-Daman, Yamato enters the Winners tournament organized by a group to become the B-Da Champion. However, he also ends up in fights against the Shadow Alliance.

Season 2 (Fire Spirits)

After the defeat of the Shadow Alliance, Yamato is in search of special B-DaBalls called Strike Shots, which originated from shooting stars. After a fight with the mysterious Haja and obtaining his Strike Shot, the Drive Shot, Yamato then met Gunnos, a rookie B-Da Player. He got his own Strike Shot to participate in the Winners Tournament along with Yamato's old friends and rivals. But little did they know, a terrible evil is about to put the B-Da World in peril once more.

Characters

Main cast

  • Yamato Delgado
  • Gray Michael Vincent
  • Bull Borgnine
  • Terry McScotty
  • Mie Delgado
  • Liena Grace Vincent
  • Armada
  • Tommi
  • B-DaMage
  • Meowmigos
  • '''Big Cheese'''

    Shadow Alliance

The Shadow Alliance are the main antagonists of Season One with goals of B-DaWorld Domination. Some members of the Shadow Alliance have a 3rd eye which is the symbol of the Shadow Alliance and is a sign that the character is under Marda B.'s control. There are two incarnations of the group: There was the original and the Neo Shadow Alliance. The members of this group are as following:
  • Marda B.
  • Ababa
  • Enjyu
  • Wen Yong Fa
  • Battle Crow
  • Monkey Don
  • Hounds of Chaos
  • Goldo
  • Mukade Benkei
  • Psy Baron
  • Shooting Galaxy
  • Shadow Alliance Foot Soldiers
  • Biarce
  • Cyber-Mosquito'''

    Neo Shadow Alliance victims

  • Castillo
  • The Longhorn Brothers
  • Manuel
  • '''Unnamed Pig, Monkey, and Water Sprite'''

    Super Five Field Guardians

This is the group from Neon City. They are:
  • Cain McDonnell Ruth / Cain McDonnell
  • Marilyn
  • Assado
  • Joe
  • Sly
  • '''Joshua'''

    Other characters

  • Sigma
  • Pete, Metra, Nibus
  • Hoxxe
  • Ms. Karat
  • Crust
  • Mr. Watts
  • Mr. Browbeaten / Mr. Beatenbrow
  • Cornell
  • Pandoro
  • Sanjuurou / Sanju
  • Sari
  • Mitsuo
  • Alex Ruth'''

    Fire Spirits Characters

Gunnos

Gunnos is a rookie B-DaPlayer who first appears in Season 2, episode 2. Despite being hotheaded, sarcastic and limited experience, he possesses amazing skill. His first B-Daman was a rapid-fire B-Daman named Gun Breaker which was a remake of Helio Breaker from Season 1. He enters the Winners Tournament for his village as he promises them that when he left that he would go and win. After encountering Yamato, he tags along and becomes part of the regular rivalry between the two. While he is rude and obnoxious to Yamato, he is extremely polite towards others such as Terry & Joe, even bowing down to them because he thinks they are 'cool and smart,' and he saved a village from bandits using his new B-Daman, Break Ogre and his Strike Shot, the Metal Shot. He is in love with a girl named Kiko, and dislikes the daughter of the highest man in their village.

Akyulus

Little is known about this boy. He has said that he is the last survivor of a clan who knows the secret of a special B-Daman move. His B-Daman was Revolver Hades. He is befriended by Bull, and slowly begins to accept him as a companion and friend. Bull then vows to make Revolver Hades, even better than Cobalt Saber Fire, in order to help Akyulus win the tournament. In the qualifying rounds of the 2nd Winners Tournament, Akyulus is Division 2 and the contestants had to navigate through a series of difficult obstacles to shoot their B-DaBall into the final hole - a B-Daman version of golf. Akyulus is the first to finish, using Revolver Hades' special spin control abilities, making him the first to qualify. In the quarter-finals, the 10 contestants that made it through, are regrouped into Set A and B. Akyulus is grouped into Set A where the five contestants enter a pyramid to face three challenges. They would have to hit a hovering blue ball to pass a challenge and that would transport them to a higher level and eventually out of the pyramid. Akyulus and Enjyu are the victors of this challenge and they come out together so the first to emerge is unknown. In the semi-finals, there are only four contestants left, Yamato, Gunnos, Enjyu and Akyulas. Enjyu and Akyulas face off in a game where they must defend their goal with their B-Daman while attempting to shoot their own B-DaBalls into the opponent's goal. Each player had to score ten goals before they would be declared the winner. Akyulas easily defeats Enjyu, but not before Enjyu finally uses all his strength to score one goal - tarnishing Akyulas' perfect 10–0 to 10–1. Akyulas is said to be a legendary battler from the spirits above. In the Winners Tournament that he joined, he battled last against Yamato. And thanks to that battle, he regained some of his memories, his past. And some of that past is bad. He remembered that 100 years ago, his village was destroyed by the evil side, causing his peaceful village into complete chaos. And, as being a Legendary B-DaPlayer, he also has the power to create Strike Shots. But, when he does that, he loses some of his energy. Thanks to this ability, he attracted the attention of Beadeus and was captured, later forced to create the Ultimate Gadeaum shot. Afterwards, he was released into a dark underground dungeon where Yamato found him. However, due to the creation of the Gadeaum shot, he lost his will and became an uncontrollable, demonic fighter. Also, the Revolver Hades had been upgraded to Gatling Hades sometime during his capture, and he used it to battle and nearly defeat Yamato. However, Yamato managed to rescue him by attacking and disabling Gatling Hades with the Stealth Drive Shot, which was the proof of his and Yamato's friendship. He later on decided to be with Yamato and the gang because Beadeus had already announced to the people of the whole B-DaWorld that Yamato's side and Beadeus's side will fight. In the beginning, Yamato thought that the battle was too easy. Until he found out that the evil sealed by Akyulas's ancestors had been awakened because of the Ultimate Gadeaum Shot that Akyulas had made. Galdezer has now been fully awakened. Now because of the creature's escape, he battled alongside Yamato to defeat Galdezer. He befriends Yamato, Terry, Gray, Gunnos, and all the others later on. Now, in the final battle, it's up to Yamato to succeed. Akyulas thought about Yamato and the Ultimate Gadeaum Shot. He thought that the Strike Shot was so powerful so he thought he should make another Strike Shot that would defeat it. Shin tried to warn him that when he created another Strike Shot, it will cost him his life. He said that he would never create a Strike Shot anymore and would live a happy and peaceful life with Yamato for the rest of their lives. But when he sleeps, he dreamed about Yamato being beaten by Galdezer. He then decided to disobey Shin and create the Ultimate Drive Shot. During the next day, he didn't appear to support his newfound friend, but when Yamato was almost beaten, he then appeared and gave Yamato the Legend Drive Shot. Shin now then knew that he had created another Strike Shot when he told Yamato to use it.