Battle B-Daman is a manga series by Eiji Inuki which ran in CoroCoro Comics by Shogakukan from 2002 to 2005. An anime adaptation was released in January 2004 in Japan, replacing Explosive Shoot Beyblade G Revolution in its 18:00 timeslot. It premiered in the United States in April 2005. Like its predecessor, it is themed around an enhanced version of a traditional children's game – whereas Beyblade was based around spinning tops, Battle B-Daman is a dramatized version of marbles. 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 In Japan, the second season, titled Battle B-Daman: Fire Spirits!, was superseded by Crash B-Daman, a new series with an all new cast and story.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 and by Sonokong for release in South Korea. The initial design of the B-Daman series was based on Bomberman, but the belt buckle was replaced with a "marble". The manga is published in English by Chuang Yi.
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 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
Grey 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:
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, Grey, 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.
Shin
He is a talking wolf who travels with Akyulas - seems to speak for Akyulas too. He's the one who first talked to Bull when they met. He sometimes annoys Bull, because Bull calls him a lot of names, like "spot", "doggie" and a lot of other names. He's like the secretary and speaker of Akyulas. He's the one who explained to Yamato and the gang, the past of Akyulas. Ironically, the last time Bull talked to him, Bull finally called him Shin, but he too reacted to the use of his own name as another insult coming from Bull.
Haja/Scorpious
He is a scorpion-haired B-DaPlayer. Obsessed with entering tournament, he took the Random Shot from Terry and defeated Joe. After losing in the Winners Tournament, he also tried to sabotage the tournament, but was stopped by Terry. Haja eventually lost to Terry in the spider match. Fortunately for him, he was able to recover, thanks to Beadeus and his servants. His mission is supposed to be stopping Yamato and his friends from rescuing Akyulas, but Haja disobeys his "master". He then destroys Beadeus's spy machines. He later "hires" Jinbee to be his loyal servant. Yamato and his friends were unsure of where he ended up to after he tried to stop him again. He was absorbed by Galdezer so that he could have maximum power. After Yamato defeated Galdezer, he was released and promised to everyone that he would never be evil anymore, but then denied it. After that, he was struck by an asteroid. He was the last character to appear in this anime. His B-Daman is the Gale Scorpion which has a quick loading core.
Yago
The B-Daman smith that made Break Ogre.
Kiku
Yago's granddaughter is shown to have interest in Gunnos after he helps save her village. She seems to be jealous of Hana after she met her at the Winners Tournament.
Aaron Toffler
The bandit leader who tried to take the Break Ogre, but was defeated by Gunnos with Break Ogre and the Metal Shot.
Bears
A B-Daman researcher who designed DHB advance core system.
Kia
A boy who saves Enjyu at the icy mountain so he can get back to the tournament. He heals Enjyu and helps him recover. Kia's robot, Loodo is killed by Enjyu when he realises the strikeshot is the chest of the robot. After that, Kia swears revenge on him and Enjyu tells him to do that he must become a strong b-da player. Later on, Kia forgives Enjyu and remains by his side at all times.
Loodo
A mechanical soldier who lived with Kia, guarding Black Drive Shot. Loodo was destroyed by Enjyu during a B-DaBattle against Enjyu.
A serious B-DaPlayer who had trained with Wen and Li before entering the town with his Spike Shot and his b-daman go-tiger. He is Wen's best friend. Kiba usually hates jokes, that's why when he usually hears one, he gets really angry which is good because it increases his power.
Winners Tournament
Hana / Hanna: Hanna is a green-haired girl that had met Gunnos during a summer, and was abandoned by Gunnos when Hanna showed a bug to Gunnos. Hanna eventually met Gunnos in the Winners Tournament. When Gunnos saw her again in the Winners Tournament, Gunnos promised her that he will win for her father. Also in the Winners, Hanna and Kiku saw each other, Hanna said to Kiku that she knew Gunnos a long time before Kiku does. Hurting Kiku, and letting Kiku watch they're "engagement" and "wedding". Kiku ran away but promised Gunnos that she will return.
Jeffrey the Kid: A-block round 1 player who specialized on speed. His specialty is ultra high speed rapid fire. He was defeated by Grey.
The Black Roses of Midnight: A trio of A-block round 1 players that specializes on collaborative battle, with technique Beauty Rose. The trio were defeated by Kiba. Their move was unknown to Yamato until later on, when Armada told them. Later they joined Bedeaus and tries to stop Yamato and gang on their way to rescue Akyulus by using their newly obtained Death Cartridge system. This time they were defeated by Wen and Li using their Double Rapid fire attack.
Killer M: A-block round 1 player, in the form of killer matsutake mushroom. His specialty is to 'accidentally' knock down pillar that rival B-DaPlayer stood on. Killer M was defeated by Enjyu by knocking down Killer M's own pillar.
Crab Gauger: A-block round 1 player, defeated by Killer M by shooting down the pillar.
Jinbee / Jinbi: A shark-suited player in the B-block 2nd round, defeated by Lienna in Battle Royal Hockey. Later on after being ignored by Yamato, he makes various attempts to defeat Yamato - even trying to poison him. When Yamato shows no reaction even after consuming a whole bottle of poison, Jinbee decides to try it himself and has to lock himself in a portable cubicle as a result. Jinbee's Strike Shot is the Impact Shot. When Jinbee joined Beadeus, he worked as a maid for Haja when Haja got well. He helped Haja in his every plan and also, backfiring it.
Other media
A video game for the Game Boy Advance, titled simply Battle B-Daman, was developed by Takara and published by Atlus. It was released on July 25, 2006.
