Cardfight!! Vanguard
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese trading card game created in collaboration between Akira Itō (Yu-Gi-Oh! R
), Satoshi Nakamura (Duel Masters
), and Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani. A 2011 anime
television series based on the game was produced by TMS Entertainment and aired in Japan on TV Tokyo
starting on January 8, 2011. In addition to the anime, a manga series was also announced. On November 24, 2011 it was announced that a second season will follow in 2012, most likely in April after the first season concludes with episode 65.
The name of the card game is "Vanguard". The game takes place in a different planet called "Cray," and due to a never-before-seen play system, it becomes popular throughout the world.
Aichi, immediately attracted by Vanguard, meets friends such as Misaki Tokura and Kamui Katsuragi, along with other rivals. Through friendly rivalry with them, Aichi begins to enjoy a fulfilling life. Aichi, however, has a goal: to once again battle with a Vanguard Fighter by the name of Kai Toshiki, who is an aloof and cold-hearted high schooler who has outstanding abilities in the world of Vanguard. He is also the reason why Aichi started playing the game. For him, Kai is the person who saved him from his boring life and introduced him to Vanguard. In order to get better at Vanguard, Aichi puts his soul into it every day. He wishes that someday, he'll be able to battle Kai and have him recognize his worth.
Aichi Sendō
The main protagonist of the series. He didn't play Vanguard until he battled with Kai, telling him that the reason he was into Vanguard was because of Kai giving Blaster Blade to him. Aichi battles for the sole purpose of becoming strong so that he can have another fight with Kai at his best. Very shy and timid during his first few matches, he manages to gain a bit more confidence as a Vanguard player and enters the local card shop tournament to prove himself. He battles using a Royal Paladin Deck and his aces are Blaster Blade and later The King of Knights, Alfred and Soulsaver Dragon. Strategies usually involve using card skills to call powerful units and unleash massive attacks using the skills of called units. Rather talented at Vanguard, having a keen mind for deck building and using cards effectively, however his timid and extremely polite personality along with his lack of experience hampers his performance a significant amount.
In later episodes, Aichi is shown having the same ability as Ren Suzugamori, 'Psy Qualia', which allows him to foresee his own victory and the card that will help him win. Kai fears that Aichi will be consumed by this ability and end up like Ren. Aichi later has an encounter with Ren in the PSY card store, where Ren explains Aichi's abilities and tells him that only by gaining more power will Kai accept him. Aichi abandons his Royal Paladin Deck in exchange for a Shadow Paladin Deck given to him by Ren, a deck which corrupts him with an insatiable lust for power. He also starts to say "Final Turn" when he is dealing his finishing turn. When using the Shadow Paladin deck, Aichi's strategy changes from calling units to the field to sacrificing his rearguards to power up for his attacks. His Shadow Paladin aces are Blaster Dark and Phantom Blaster Dragon.
Toshiki Kai
One of the main protagonists, and a powerful Vanguard player. Before the start of the series, he gave Aichi Blaster Blade in the hopes of battling him in the future. After losing to Aichi, he concluded that he would probably be worth battling in the future, but that he was still weak and would not improve quickly. Kai only likes battling strong players who have the skill to back up their talk and hates weak players who talk big. When Kai plays, he adds "the" whenever he declares a move (examples - "Stand up! THE Vanguard!" and "Check THE Drive Trigger!")and also declares "Final turn" when he is positive he will win in that turn. He battles with a Kagero Deck that is based on Dragons, and his ace is Dragonic Overlord although he has also used "Blazing Flare Dragon". Strategies usually involve raising his units attack power while crippling the opponents rear guard and hand when dealing his final turn.
Although having a cold personality, Kai is shown to be concerned with Aichi, especially since he gained the same power as Ren. Kai realized Aichi was being Ren, as he tells Aichi he is getting weaker instead, and quits the team since he thinks he is going to make the same mistake once again. However, Kai's actions and words only serve to drive Aichi further down the path of darkness. It is revealed later that Kai's true intention for leaving the team is so he can train and become strong enough to defeat Aichi, who has already given in to the power of Psy Qualia. While training to become stronger, Kai has modified his deck to focus on Amber Dragon Kagero cards.
Misaki Tokura
The cashier for the "Card Capital" shop and another Vanguard player. She is not as "enthusiastic" as some players are when it comes to the game, but she enjoys it all the same. Normally, Misaki is calm and quiet, but she can become quite stern when she wants to, scaring almost everybody. She is the first person to beat Aichi in a game of Vanguard using her Oracle Think Tank Deck, based on mythology & cultures, that her uncle, Shin Nitta, the game shop's manager, made for her. It is revealed later she lost both parents when she was little and hasn't play Vanguard ever since until recently. Misaki's strategy involves using her cards' effects to learn what cards are at the top of both players' decks and in the opponent's hands so that she can make moves with full confidence, and she also has been shown to use her cards effects to superior call other cards. Her aces are CEO Amaterasu and "Full Moon Tsukiyomi".
Kamui Katsuragi
A grade schooler with a big mouth and the skill to back it up. He's very enthusiastic and energetic about Vanguard and doesn't care who is opponent is so long as they are not weak in his eyes. He hates being looked down upon because of his size and age. He also has a crush on Aichi's little sister, Emi, and constantly vies for her attention, even going as far as to refer to Aichi as his older brother. Kamui is almost always accompanied by two other kids; the one wearing glasses would make a comment, and the one with the topknot hair would abbreviate what was just said and end most of his sentences with "-ssu!" Kamui is the second person to defeat Aichi in a game of Vanguard. Kamui has commented that he likes to take the second turn at the beginning of a game as doing so gives him the first chance to attack. Kamui battles using a Nova Grappler Deck that is based on Machines, and his ace is Asura Kaiser. Strategies are usually just plain brute force while being supported with various card skills.
Antangonists
Ren Suzugamori
Primary antagonist and leader of Foo Fighters, which consists of about 500 members branched off in different teams. Ren is a powerful Vanguard fighter who is part of AL4, which is only open to the strongest members of Foo Fighters. He has a very sadist personality whenever he challenges his opponents and enjoys tormenting them mentally. He looks down on anyone he faces, claiming that there is no point in trying to beat him since his victory is assured. Ren is also one of the first people revealed to have Psy Qualia, which allows him to foresee his victory in his fights. As seen in flashbacks, Ren and Kai used to be on the same team, until his Psy Qualia awakened and soon corrupted him into who he is now. Along with Kai, Ren also announces "Final Turn" when he is about to deal the finishing blow on his opponents. He also seems to know when another person has Psy Qualia, noted when he meets Aichi at the PSY Cardshop to give him the Shadow Paladin Deck, which he also uses. The deck, as shown in Aichi's fight with Kourin, acts as the polar opposite of the Royal Paladin deck, which sacrifices allies to gain power instead of working together with them. Ren's, and now Aichi's, ace card is Blaster Dark.
Secondary Characters
Katsumi Morikawa
A classmate of Aichi's and a Vanguard player. In the beginning of the series, Katsumi was viewed as a bully as he stole Aichi's Blaster Blade card from him. However, after Aichi defeats Kai in episode 2, he and Aichi become friends. Katsumi likes to think he is a strong player, but in reality, he is terrible. He constantly blames his bad luck as the reason for his losses when it is actually because of his poor skill and imbalanced deck, which mostly consists of Grade 3 cards (but he can never use them since he barely has any Grade 2 cards to ride them). Morikawa also has an obsession for Kourin from Ultra rare, becoming agitated whenever he feels another guy likes her.
Yūta Izaki
Aichi and Morikawa's classmate. Like Morikawa, he was viewed as a bully in the beginning of the series, but he soon becomes Aichi's friend. His deck is a mix of the Kagero and Tachikaze clans. Unlike Morikawa, he is actually decent at Vanguard.
Taishi Miwa
A wise-cracking high-school student who attends the same school as Kai. He is one of the few people on friendly terms with Kai, but not even he knows much about him. Its revealed that he also have a Kagero deck as well was Kai's training partner from the past.
Emi Sendō
Aichi's little sister and a prep-school student. She is very caring for her older brother. When he gets into Vanguard, she starts to feel a bit neglected, but is happy to see Aichi becoming passionate about something. Emi first fight was in episode 15 and she also has a Oracle Think Thank Deck. She soon makes her own deck which is a mix with Oracle Think Thank and Bermuda Triangle. Recently, Emi becomes scared whenever Aichi's personality changes when he starts using Psy Qualia in his cardfights.
Shin Nitta
The Manager of Card Capital and Misaki's uncle. He enjoys it when people are having a good time in his card shop. He refers his pet cat as the Sub-Manager and even gets it to do certain tasks for him. Rather knowledgeable when it comes to Vanguard.
Mark Whiting
A teacher at Aichi's school, a foreigner, and a Vanguard player. Despite not being Japanese, he teaches Japanese history as he is a huge fan of the Sengoku period. Mark has a secret identity: Ninja Master M, in which he wears a ninja outfit, a tie, and a samurai helmet with a vizor that mask his eyes and talks in a feudal Japanese accent (e.g. he ends most of his sentences with "-degozaru"). He assumes this disguise at the Card Capital Shop Tournament, where he faces Aichi in the second round. While playing Vanguard, he declares his moves as if they are ninja techniques. Although Katsumi genuinely believes he's a real ninja, it does not take long for Aichi to see through his disguise. Nonetheless, Mark denies that he is Ninja Master M. His deck consists of units mostly from the Nubatama ninja clan, focusing on having card advantage over the opponent (i.e. forcing the opponent to discard cards from his/her hand). His ace is Stealth Dragon Voidmaster.
Kourin
A member of Ultra Rare, a group of three girl who act as popular idols for the card game Vanguard. Publicly, she is just an idol, but one of her true objectives along with the other members is to find people who have the power of Psy Qualia. The reason for finding these people are still unknown. She is a skilled player who uses a Royal Paladin deck, the same deck as Aichi. It is subtly hinted that she is somewhat interested in Aichi.
, TV Osaka
, and TV Setouchi
systems. The media-streaming website Crunchyroll
is also simulcasting the series to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Five pieces of theme music
are used for the series—two opening themes and three closing theme. The first opening theme is "Vanguard" by JAM Project
and the first closing theme is by Natsuko Aso
.
had a poor impression of the anime series. Carl Kimlinger complained about the crass commercialism of the trading card game shows and prayed that the series flops. Carlo Santos and Bamboo Dong gave equally scathing reviews. Chris Beveridge of Mania.com compares the series with other trading card game based shows and states that, while he sees lots of kids using the series to take notes and getting their game plan, the series still needs to work on being engaging and entertaining.
Yu-Gi-Oh! R
is a Japanese manga series that is a spinoff of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.Yu-Gi-Oh! R is published in Shueisha's monthly magazine V-Jump in Japan. The manga is made by Akira Ito. Yu-Gi-Oh! R is an alternate plotline which takes place after the defeat of Marik Ishtar.In Yu-Gi-Oh! R, the kōhai...
), Satoshi Nakamura (Duel Masters
Duel Masters
is a franchise based on a manga, anime and a trading card game. There is also a video game.-Trading Card Game:The card game originated in Japan, marketed by Takara Tomy. It was produced in English by Wizards of the Coast, who purchased the rights to the name Duel Masters from , which ran a...
), and Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani. A 2011 anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series based on the game was produced by TMS Entertainment and aired in Japan on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
starting on January 8, 2011. In addition to the anime, a manga series was also announced. On November 24, 2011 it was announced that a second season will follow in 2012, most likely in April after the first season concludes with episode 65.
Plot
The protagonist of this story, Aichi Sendo, is a timid boy in his third year of middle school. He had been living his life looking backward rather than forward, trying not to stand out. However, he had one thing that kept him going - the "Blaster Blade", a card from a card game that was given to him when he was little. That card is the reason why he begins to engage in Card Fights, something that changes his life drastically.The name of the card game is "Vanguard". The game takes place in a different planet called "Cray," and due to a never-before-seen play system, it becomes popular throughout the world.
Aichi, immediately attracted by Vanguard, meets friends such as Misaki Tokura and Kamui Katsuragi, along with other rivals. Through friendly rivalry with them, Aichi begins to enjoy a fulfilling life. Aichi, however, has a goal: to once again battle with a Vanguard Fighter by the name of Kai Toshiki, who is an aloof and cold-hearted high schooler who has outstanding abilities in the world of Vanguard. He is also the reason why Aichi started playing the game. For him, Kai is the person who saved him from his boring life and introduced him to Vanguard. In order to get better at Vanguard, Aichi puts his soul into it every day. He wishes that someday, he'll be able to battle Kai and have him recognize his worth.
Characters
Main CharactersAichi Sendō
The main protagonist of the series. He didn't play Vanguard until he battled with Kai, telling him that the reason he was into Vanguard was because of Kai giving Blaster Blade to him. Aichi battles for the sole purpose of becoming strong so that he can have another fight with Kai at his best. Very shy and timid during his first few matches, he manages to gain a bit more confidence as a Vanguard player and enters the local card shop tournament to prove himself. He battles using a Royal Paladin Deck and his aces are Blaster Blade and later The King of Knights, Alfred and Soulsaver Dragon. Strategies usually involve using card skills to call powerful units and unleash massive attacks using the skills of called units. Rather talented at Vanguard, having a keen mind for deck building and using cards effectively, however his timid and extremely polite personality along with his lack of experience hampers his performance a significant amount.
In later episodes, Aichi is shown having the same ability as Ren Suzugamori, 'Psy Qualia', which allows him to foresee his own victory and the card that will help him win. Kai fears that Aichi will be consumed by this ability and end up like Ren. Aichi later has an encounter with Ren in the PSY card store, where Ren explains Aichi's abilities and tells him that only by gaining more power will Kai accept him. Aichi abandons his Royal Paladin Deck in exchange for a Shadow Paladin Deck given to him by Ren, a deck which corrupts him with an insatiable lust for power. He also starts to say "Final Turn" when he is dealing his finishing turn. When using the Shadow Paladin deck, Aichi's strategy changes from calling units to the field to sacrificing his rearguards to power up for his attacks. His Shadow Paladin aces are Blaster Dark and Phantom Blaster Dragon.
Toshiki Kai
One of the main protagonists, and a powerful Vanguard player. Before the start of the series, he gave Aichi Blaster Blade in the hopes of battling him in the future. After losing to Aichi, he concluded that he would probably be worth battling in the future, but that he was still weak and would not improve quickly. Kai only likes battling strong players who have the skill to back up their talk and hates weak players who talk big. When Kai plays, he adds "the" whenever he declares a move (examples - "Stand up! THE Vanguard!" and "Check THE Drive Trigger!")and also declares "Final turn" when he is positive he will win in that turn. He battles with a Kagero Deck that is based on Dragons, and his ace is Dragonic Overlord although he has also used "Blazing Flare Dragon". Strategies usually involve raising his units attack power while crippling the opponents rear guard and hand when dealing his final turn.
Although having a cold personality, Kai is shown to be concerned with Aichi, especially since he gained the same power as Ren. Kai realized Aichi was being Ren, as he tells Aichi he is getting weaker instead, and quits the team since he thinks he is going to make the same mistake once again. However, Kai's actions and words only serve to drive Aichi further down the path of darkness. It is revealed later that Kai's true intention for leaving the team is so he can train and become strong enough to defeat Aichi, who has already given in to the power of Psy Qualia. While training to become stronger, Kai has modified his deck to focus on Amber Dragon Kagero cards.
Misaki Tokura
The cashier for the "Card Capital" shop and another Vanguard player. She is not as "enthusiastic" as some players are when it comes to the game, but she enjoys it all the same. Normally, Misaki is calm and quiet, but she can become quite stern when she wants to, scaring almost everybody. She is the first person to beat Aichi in a game of Vanguard using her Oracle Think Tank Deck, based on mythology & cultures, that her uncle, Shin Nitta, the game shop's manager, made for her. It is revealed later she lost both parents when she was little and hasn't play Vanguard ever since until recently. Misaki's strategy involves using her cards' effects to learn what cards are at the top of both players' decks and in the opponent's hands so that she can make moves with full confidence, and she also has been shown to use her cards effects to superior call other cards. Her aces are CEO Amaterasu and "Full Moon Tsukiyomi".
Kamui Katsuragi
A grade schooler with a big mouth and the skill to back it up. He's very enthusiastic and energetic about Vanguard and doesn't care who is opponent is so long as they are not weak in his eyes. He hates being looked down upon because of his size and age. He also has a crush on Aichi's little sister, Emi, and constantly vies for her attention, even going as far as to refer to Aichi as his older brother. Kamui is almost always accompanied by two other kids; the one wearing glasses would make a comment, and the one with the topknot hair would abbreviate what was just said and end most of his sentences with "-ssu!" Kamui is the second person to defeat Aichi in a game of Vanguard. Kamui has commented that he likes to take the second turn at the beginning of a game as doing so gives him the first chance to attack. Kamui battles using a Nova Grappler Deck that is based on Machines, and his ace is Asura Kaiser. Strategies are usually just plain brute force while being supported with various card skills.
Antangonists
Ren Suzugamori
Primary antagonist and leader of Foo Fighters, which consists of about 500 members branched off in different teams. Ren is a powerful Vanguard fighter who is part of AL4, which is only open to the strongest members of Foo Fighters. He has a very sadist personality whenever he challenges his opponents and enjoys tormenting them mentally. He looks down on anyone he faces, claiming that there is no point in trying to beat him since his victory is assured. Ren is also one of the first people revealed to have Psy Qualia, which allows him to foresee his victory in his fights. As seen in flashbacks, Ren and Kai used to be on the same team, until his Psy Qualia awakened and soon corrupted him into who he is now. Along with Kai, Ren also announces "Final Turn" when he is about to deal the finishing blow on his opponents. He also seems to know when another person has Psy Qualia, noted when he meets Aichi at the PSY Cardshop to give him the Shadow Paladin Deck, which he also uses. The deck, as shown in Aichi's fight with Kourin, acts as the polar opposite of the Royal Paladin deck, which sacrifices allies to gain power instead of working together with them. Ren's, and now Aichi's, ace card is Blaster Dark.
Secondary Characters
Katsumi Morikawa
A classmate of Aichi's and a Vanguard player. In the beginning of the series, Katsumi was viewed as a bully as he stole Aichi's Blaster Blade card from him. However, after Aichi defeats Kai in episode 2, he and Aichi become friends. Katsumi likes to think he is a strong player, but in reality, he is terrible. He constantly blames his bad luck as the reason for his losses when it is actually because of his poor skill and imbalanced deck, which mostly consists of Grade 3 cards (but he can never use them since he barely has any Grade 2 cards to ride them). Morikawa also has an obsession for Kourin from Ultra rare, becoming agitated whenever he feels another guy likes her.
Yūta Izaki
Aichi and Morikawa's classmate. Like Morikawa, he was viewed as a bully in the beginning of the series, but he soon becomes Aichi's friend. His deck is a mix of the Kagero and Tachikaze clans. Unlike Morikawa, he is actually decent at Vanguard.
Taishi Miwa
A wise-cracking high-school student who attends the same school as Kai. He is one of the few people on friendly terms with Kai, but not even he knows much about him. Its revealed that he also have a Kagero deck as well was Kai's training partner from the past.
Emi Sendō
Aichi's little sister and a prep-school student. She is very caring for her older brother. When he gets into Vanguard, she starts to feel a bit neglected, but is happy to see Aichi becoming passionate about something. Emi first fight was in episode 15 and she also has a Oracle Think Thank Deck. She soon makes her own deck which is a mix with Oracle Think Thank and Bermuda Triangle. Recently, Emi becomes scared whenever Aichi's personality changes when he starts using Psy Qualia in his cardfights.
Shin Nitta
The Manager of Card Capital and Misaki's uncle. He enjoys it when people are having a good time in his card shop. He refers his pet cat as the Sub-Manager and even gets it to do certain tasks for him. Rather knowledgeable when it comes to Vanguard.
Mark Whiting
A teacher at Aichi's school, a foreigner, and a Vanguard player. Despite not being Japanese, he teaches Japanese history as he is a huge fan of the Sengoku period. Mark has a secret identity: Ninja Master M, in which he wears a ninja outfit, a tie, and a samurai helmet with a vizor that mask his eyes and talks in a feudal Japanese accent (e.g. he ends most of his sentences with "-degozaru"). He assumes this disguise at the Card Capital Shop Tournament, where he faces Aichi in the second round. While playing Vanguard, he declares his moves as if they are ninja techniques. Although Katsumi genuinely believes he's a real ninja, it does not take long for Aichi to see through his disguise. Nonetheless, Mark denies that he is Ninja Master M. His deck consists of units mostly from the Nubatama ninja clan, focusing on having card advantage over the opponent (i.e. forcing the opponent to discard cards from his/her hand). His ace is Stealth Dragon Voidmaster.
Kourin
A member of Ultra Rare, a group of three girl who act as popular idols for the card game Vanguard. Publicly, she is just an idol, but one of her true objectives along with the other members is to find people who have the power of Psy Qualia. The reason for finding these people are still unknown. She is a skilled player who uses a Royal Paladin deck, the same deck as Aichi. It is subtly hinted that she is somewhat interested in Aichi.
Trading card game
A card game based on the anime was released sometime after the anime hit Japan.Anime
On July 2010, an anime television series based on the game was green-lit by TMS Entertainment under the directorial supervision of Hatsuki Tsuji. Music is composed by Takayuki Negishi while Mari Tominaga provided the character designs. The series began airing in Japan on TV Aichi beginning on January 8, 2011 and rebroadcast by AT-X, TV TokyoTV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
, TV Osaka
TV Osaka
is a TV station affiliated with TXN in Osaka, Japan. The mascot character is "Takoru-kun" .-Offices:*The headquarters - 1-2-18, Otemae, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan...
, and TV Setouchi
TV Setouchi
is a TV station in Japan.It is one of the TX Network stations, broadcasting in Okayama Prefecture and Kagawa Prefecture, and it is an only TXN's TV station in Chugoku-Shikoku region....
systems. The media-streaming website Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...
is also simulcasting the series to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Five pieces of theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
are used for the series—two opening themes and three closing theme. The first opening theme is "Vanguard" by JAM Project
JAM Project
JAM Project is an anime music genre "supergroup" based in Japan, originally founded on July 19, 2000 by famous 1970s theme song artist Ichirou Mizuki...
and the first closing theme is by Natsuko Aso
Natsuko Aso
is a Japanese actress and singer.- Biography :Aso began her career playing the role of Chisame in the Negima drama and as a member of the band pRythme. Later, she has appeared in a number of TV dramas and began a solo music career. Her single "Perfect Area Complete" was chosen as the opening song...
.
Episode list
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Reception
In its Winter 2011 Anime Preview Guide, the staff of Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
had a poor impression of the anime series. Carl Kimlinger complained about the crass commercialism of the trading card game shows and prayed that the series flops. Carlo Santos and Bamboo Dong gave equally scathing reviews. Chris Beveridge of Mania.com compares the series with other trading card game based shows and states that, while he sees lots of kids using the series to take notes and getting their game plan, the series still needs to work on being engaging and entertaining.
External links
- Official US Distribution Site
- Cardfight!! Vanguard at TV Aichi