Beyblades: What You Need To Know - ReviewThis

If you haven’t heard of Beyblades, you probably didn’t have a teenager or preteen during the early 2000s. Between 2000-2005, Beyblades became one of the most popular toys in the world, with over 100 million of them sold worldwide. Partly responsible for their epic rise in popularity was the coinciding release of Beyblade, the TV series which ran from 2001-2005. In the series, a group of kids manage to harness the power of spirits from the constellations and use them in spinning tops that engage in battles of good and evil. A Beyblade comic strip was launched around the same time, as well as a video game for Gameboy systems by Nintendo. This winning combination made Beyblades a hugely popular toy.

Then in 2008, the best Beyblades were given a new look, and another surge in popularity took place when the original plastic versions were upgraded in a new generation of Beyblades with a metal outer layer. A new television series came out along with the toys.

Beyblades remain popular today, with some fans collecting and battling with Beyblades in a fashion that’s nearly cult-like and includes epic Beyblade tournaments.

But what exactly is a Beyblade, how do you use one, and where did they come from?

Toy Tops Get a New Spin

When you think of tops, what probably immediately comes to mind are the little spinning toys that toddlers enjoy playing with. The Beyblade, however, is not a toddler toy. These tiny whirling toys are designed to spin at high speeds for a long period of time and they are intended to “battle” another Beyblade, with the goal being for the best Beyblades to stop the competitor Beyblade, or even cause it to burst into the separate pieces that snap together to form a functioning Beyblade.

A Beyblade, sometimes called a “bey,” is a diminutive of the word beigoma—a small Japanese spinning top traditionally made of cast metal. Beyblades, as we know them, were released by the Japanese company Takara Tomy.

The best Beyblades have interchangeable parts and can be customized in many ways to produce a personalized Beyblade.

Beyblade for Beginners

The best Beyblades are composed of five parts: a face bolt, an energy ring, the fusion wheel, a spin track, and a performance tip, with the face bolt holding the Beyblade together. Beyblades come in four categories: balance, attack, stamina, and defense. Beyblades are used with launchers that send them spinning into action.

Each Beyblade comes with different features such as a variety of color combinations and designs.

Beyblades compete against other Beyblades in battles contained in the best Beyblade stadiums. A Beyblade stadium is typically a round plastic, bowl-shaped arena, which allows the competing Beyblades to spin in a contained space until one Beyblade stops the other from spinning and wins the competition. Beyblades can also be played in shallow bowls.

During each battle, the Beyblade that causes the competitor to stop spinning or spin out of the stadium scores a point. The first player to achieve seven points wins the battle. A Beyblade burst occurs when one player’s Beyblade causes the other to burst into three pieces, scoring two points.

In a battle royale, three or more players compete at the same time with the last Beyblade to remain spinning pronounced the winner.

Part of the process of trying to win a Beyblade match involves the way a competitor launches their Beyblade. There are several different launching methods, each of which offers different results and are part of the competitor’s technique and strategy to try to win. Launching methods include various angles from which the Beyblade is launched and causes the Beyblade to attack, dodge, or outspin an opponent’s Beyblade.

Are Beyblades Still Popular?

Today's best Beyblades remain popular, with the first generation of Beyblade gamers now being of an age to pass the fun along to children of the new generation. Beyblade tournaments still take place throughout the year in many locations, including an annual Beyblade burst world championship.

Beyblades are also seeing a resurgence in popularity as a way to engage children and young adults in gaming play that doesn’t involve screen time. Beyblading encourages knowledge about science concepts, social skills, cognition, and strategizing, as well as improving motor skills.

Beyblades are likely to remain popular for many more years to come. The fact that they can be customized makes them fun, as each Beyblade can be personalized in both appearance and function so Beyblade players can try to optimize their Beyblades to make them more likely to win. The fact that they are collectible, competitive, and inexpensive makes them highly marketable, and they are even collected by adult Beyblade fans.

Resources— bdolan.net, Adage.com, GamersPlanetForYou.com

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