Beyblade

Beyblade (Japanese: ベイブレード Beiburēdo) is a battling spinning top toyline and multimedia franchise developed by Takara Tomy. Beyblades were inspired by the old "beigoma" spinning tops in olden Asia. The first modern Beyblade was released in July, 1999. It was called "Spin Dragoon" and also was called "Ultimate Dragoon." Originally developed by Takara, it was 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 and Sonokong in South Korea.

In Beyblade, participants compete in battles between two or more spinning tops called "Beyblades", or Beys. A Beyblade typically consists of multiple parts, and players can combine parts to create their own combination. The parts from each iteration of Beyblade are incompatible with other iterations. Battles typically take place in a bowl-like stadium (called a Beystadium), into which players release Beyblades using a handheld launcher. A player wins if their Beyblade spins for a longer period of time or if the opponent's Beyblade exits the stadium. In Beyblade Burst and Beyblade X, players may also win if their opponent's Beyblade splits apart, known as "bursting".

Beyblade has undergone four separate iterations, each with their own media continuity. The first series, known simply as Beyblade, ran from 1999 to 2004. The accompanying manga series was adapted into an anime series produced by Madhouse and Nippon Animedia (a partnership between Takara and Nippon Animation), which ran for three seasons. A film, Beyblade: Fierce Battle, was released in 2002. The second series, Beyblade: Metal Fusion (known as Metal Fight Beyblade in Japan), was introduced in 2008. Unlike the mostly plastic Beyblades in the original iteration, Beyblades released under the Metal Fusion series features components made of metal. Like before, an accompanying manga series was adapted into an anime, produced by Tatsunoko Production and SynergySP. Retroactively named Beyblade: Metal Saga, the anime comprises four seasons. An action-adventure film, Metal Fight Beyblade vs the Sun: Sol Blaze, the Scorching Hot Invader, premiered in 2010. The third iteration of Beyblade, Beyblade Burst, introduced the "burst" mechanic and ran from 2015 to 2021. The fourth iteration, Beyblade X, began in 2023. A spinoff, BeyWheelz, was released in 2012.