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Beyblade
Beyblade (ベイブレード, Beiburēdo, diminutive Bey, from the diminutive of beigoma) is a line of spinning-top toys originally developed by Takara, 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, Sonokong in South Korea, and Takara Tomy for most Eastern countries. HistoryBoth 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 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 Beyblade season 1. 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 July 15, 2023. Game and rulesAside from informal play, the game has a set of published specific rules. Such rules underwent occasional modifications based on the particular circumstances of the individuals participating. 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.[1]
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 BeybladesThere 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 the custom designs, especially in the metal series, this is not a hard rule. Balance types may be strong or weak to any of the others depending on specific parts. However, they generally don't exceed in any aspect.
BeybattleAn arena called a Bey Stadium 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 3.7 in (94 mm) tall and pockets that count as a ring-out instead. Common features of a Bey Stadium 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 Slingshock toy system, the large, almost bowl-like HyperSphere toy system, the noticeably taller Speedstorm toy system. The QuadDrive toy system features a Low mode and High mode similar to its Takara Tomy counterpart along with a detachable, separate Armor tip on the driver, while the similar QuadStrike toy system has armor tips and stadiums similar to drivers from the HyperSphere system. The metal series stadiums also have a "secondary slope", which is a small area about two centimeters thick (that isn't a curve) that exists between the tornado ridge and the centre of the stadium and is right next to the tornado ridge. The secondary slope allows Attack Beyblades to perform a circular pattern that goes through the centre of the stadium as opposed to circling around the Beyblade in the middle, which allows them to knock the Stamina Beyblades that tend to stay in the middle. Due to its resemblance to a flower, the pattern is called the "flower pattern". LaunchingA 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 "3, 2, 1, Go Shoot!" (3、2、1、ゴーシュート!). In the Hasbro version, this would be "3, 2, 1, Let it Rip!"[1] Burst seriesThese 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[2] 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:
PopularityBeyblades were the "most sought-after toy for Christmas 2002" in the UK,[3] and won the British Association of Toy Retailers award for "Toy of the year" in 2002.[4] They were the top-selling battling toys in the US in 2011.[5] By 2003, more than 5 million Beyblade tops were sold in the United States.[6] See alsoReferences
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