Updated 29th December 2023.
Having burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, Beyblade, also known as 'beyblades,' has gone through somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. If you haven’t heard of Beyblade yet, you're probably about to and we’re here to help and bring you up to speed.
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What Is Beyblade?
During the first half of the noughties, Beyblade was one of the world’s most popular children’s toys with over 100 million sold. Based on Beigoma, a traditional Japanese spinning top design to create a humming noise, Beyblade is a spinning top battle toy based on customisable, interchangeable parts.
The toy rose to such prominence with pre and early-teens (8-14) thanks to its coordinated release alongside a ‘manga’ (graphic novel), a TV series, and video game.
The Beyblade TV Series
In the TV and graphic novel series, a group of children harness the spirits of the constellations to power their Beyblade spinning tops as they seek to become Beyblade world champions.
Over three series between 2001 and 2005, fans saw main character Tyson Granger team up with Kai Hiwatari, Max Tate, Ray Kon, Kenny, Daichi, Hilary Tachibana, older brother Hiro, and Xander to form The Bladebreakers (during the third series, the team becomes BBA Revolution and later G-Revolutions).
The first series follows Tyson’s quest to become Beyblade World Champion for the first time. The team go their separate ways in series two, Beyblade V-Force, only to reassemble to defeat new rivals. In the third series, now with separate teams, the characters are forced to come up with a new type of metal Beyblade to overcome the main villain.
Beyblade made a comeback in 2009 with the new Metal Fusion series until 2012, and again with the introduction of the Beyblade Burst series in 2016.
Why Is Beyblade So Popular Now?
Like with so many toy franchises, the first generation of Beyblade fans are now old enough to have children of their own and are keen to pass on their love for the game and world of Beyblade. It’s a chance for parents to relive their youth and spend quality time with their children, encouraging them to learn about a whole new world of fun.
But beyond that there have been other reasons too.
Beyblade Parts Explained
The Beyblade, sometimes referred to as ‘Bey’, consists of three basic parts.
Photo Credit: http://wiki.worldbeyblade.org/
From right to left in the picture above:
The Magnacore System was introduced alongside the second series of the programme - a range of magnetic Spin Gears and Weight Disks to attract or repel Beys from each other. The G-series saw the introduction of Engine Gear Systems, which further affected how Beyblades would move during battle.
Following the innovation during the third series, Heavy Metal Systems replaced the plastic parts with metal ones, although the individual components remained largely the same.
2015 saw a new manga and toyline introduced. The Burst series introduced the concept of a Beyblade bursting if it sustained enough hits.
Types of Beyblade
There are four types of Beyblade:
Attack – Attack Beys focus on beating their opponent as fast as possible with fierce assaults.
Defence – Usually heavier and slower than Attack, Defence Beys focus on absorbing and deflecting onslaughts.
Stamina – Without obvious attack or defence strengths, Stamina Beys are designed to spin for longer, so they can outlast opponents.
Balance – A combination of the other three types, Balance Beys offering an even range of strengths but no glaring weaknesses.
The Attack, Defence and Stamina Beyblades operate in a rock-paper-scissors format. Attack Beys are stronger against Stamina Beys, Stamina is stronger against Defence, which is itself stronger against Attack.
Beyblade Essentials: Stadium, Launchers, and Rules!
Stadiums
The battles take place in arenas called stadiums, or ‘Beystadium’. Essentially a shallow plastic tub, different stadiums have a variety of different features. Different stadiums were released in different markets, but each have common features:
Cyclone ridge – Allows Attack blades to move quickly without knocking themselves out
Cyclone points – Recessed disks in the stadium floor that spin freely to add an element of surprise to the battle
Other versions of Beystadiums often correlate to the series they were released alongside with a variety of different features.
Launchers
A Beyblade Launcher is, as you might expect, used to launch the spinning top into the stadium and into battle. It is a handheld device with a plastic rip cord used to initiate the spin.
Launching your Beyblade can have a big impact on the outcome of the battle. There are several ways of launching your Bey at a variety of different angles to prompt an attack, dodge or longer spin than the opponent.
Rules
The most common questions around the rules of Beyblade as follows:
A Beyblade match takes place between two or more players, with the overarching aim to score more points than the opponent.
A normal match is typically won when a player scores either two or three points.
A normal match is typically won when a player scores either two or three points.
Points are awarded depending on how the battle comes to an end. One point is awarded when the opponent stops spinning before you, called a ‘Survivor’ or ‘Spin Finish’. One point is awarded if you manage to knock your Beyblade out of the stadium or into one of the stadium’s traps, called ‘Ring Out’ or ‘Over Finish’. Following the Beyblade Burst series, two points are awarded if an opponent’s Beyblade breaks into pieces, called a ‘Burst Finish’.
The 10 Best Beyblades
With such a vast array of options available, we’ve compiled ten of the best Beyblade products available online.
1. Bey Rail Rush Battle Set
Editors Review
“This gives you everything you need to get started in one purchase.”
This works perfectly as a starter set with a Rail Rush Beystadium, two Beyblades and two launchers giving you everything you need to get spinning. The stadium features a dual rail system that propels Beys through the rails and into battle. The Slingshock rail system fires the blades around curves to create flashpoints.
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