Xcalibur is a CGI

Computer-generated imagery

Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...

 sword-and-sorcery TV story series set in a medieval-like kingdom.

Xcalibur was a French-Canadian production about a long quest for great justice, and aired on YTV

YTV (Canadian TV channel)

YTV is a Canadian English-language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth, available nationwide through cable and satellite television. Presently it is wholly owned by Corus Entertainment and Shaw Media. The "YTV" name is thought by some viewers to be an abbreviation for "Youth Television",...

. The series was also aired across Asia on AXN

AXN Asia

AXN Asia is a pay-tv, cable and satellite TV channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It is available in throughout the 18 countries around the Asia-Pacific region...

.

Premise

King Edwin, ruler of a medieval-like Kingdom is assassinated by his brother and regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

, Bragan, who has sold his soul to the devil, Kwodahn. The murder is witnessed by Prince Erwann who carries out the dying King's final orders; to take Xcalibur and hide it in a safe place. After hiding the sword, Kwodahn curses Erwann, turning him to stone. Erwann's feisty teenage daughter, Princess Djana befriends Herik, a young apprentice of the exiled Shogis, a sect of sorcerers, who has been entrusted with the Book of Life, the collected knowledge of the Shogis. Together, they retrieve Xcalibur, however upon reaching the Royal Palace, they learn Bragan has taken control of the Kingdom as regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

 to Arthus, the 10-year old sovereign, too young to rule himself, and confiscated Prince Erwann's lands as his own, falsely branding him as the assassin.

Unable to convince the lords or Arthus that Bragan is a traitor, Djana goes on the run with Herik, Tara - a member of the People of the Sea, often referred to as Barbarians - and Wip, a small dragon, and are branded outlaws

Outlaws

Outlaws or The Outlaws may refer to:* Outlaw, a person living outside the law-Music :* Outlaws , an American southern rock band* The Outlaws , a 1960s band featuring Ritchie Blackmore* Outlawz, a rap group...

 by Bragan. Djana's resistance to Bragan's alliance with Kwodahn sparks a rebellion in the kingdom, assisted by the people of the villages of Mallory and Quinn, and (later), secretly assisted by Prince Duncan, one of the lords of the Kingdom.

Characters

• Princess Djana — the fiery daughter of Prince Erwann, strongly opposed to Kwodahn and Prince Bragan. Her mother mysteriously disappeared, leaving Djana alone. She takes the sword Xcalibur to protect the innocent and to free her father from the curse.

• Herik — a young Shogi apprentice, rebellious by nature. During Bragan's attack on the Shogi Monastery, he is entrusted with the Book of Life by the Grand Magus. He befriends Djana and helps her to retrieve Xcalibur, going on the run with her.

• Tara — a messenger sent by the People of the Sea. She is sent to negotiate with Prince Erwann, who was the go-between for negotiating a peace treaty between King Edwin and her people; peace in exchange for a place to settle in the kingdom. She arrives too late, and is declared an outlaw
  Outlaw
  In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
  
   along with Djana and Herik.

• Wip — a small, flying dragon who was once the Totem of Sapphire.

• Prince Bragan — King Edwin's younger brother, who has him assassinated. He is in league with Kwodahn, and attempts to subvert his nephew Arthus to become king.

• King Arthus — the 10 year old sovereign, son of the late King Edwin. He is naive, easily led by his uncle, Bragan who believes his story that Erwann assassinated the King to steal Xcalibur.

• Kwodahn — the Devil, who lives in a flying castle. He carries out his plans for domination through Bragan and Walka, who have sold their souls to him.

• Wolf — the leader of the People of the Sea, raiders who attack the Kingdom for food and riches. King Edwin attempted to negotiate with them, offering them a land to settle in return for peace, however his assassination prevents this from happening. He eventually discovers that Herik is his son.

• Walka — the Plant Sylph who leans towards serving Kwodahn. She is banished from the Sylphs by Fedora, who turns into a Medusa-like creature. As a Sylph, she possessed the Sylph Bracelet. She eventually redeems herself by freeing Queen Lorna, and defying Kwodahn. Her Totem is a Two-Headed Serpent.

• Fedora — Sylph of Time and Queen of the Sylphs. She possesses a Sylph Necklace, and a wand. Her Totem is a Unicorn.

• Sapphire — a Flame Sylph and Djana's mother. She possesses a Sylph Ring.

• Mussi — governess
  Governess
  A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
  
   to King Arthus. She is devoted to the care of Arthus.

• Queen Lorna — King Arthus' mother and rightful regent
  Regent
  A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
  
  of the Kingdom. Bragan decided to get rid of Lorna first, and gave the task of assassinating her to her godmother; Walka. Unable to kill her goddaughter, she hid Lorna in Mussi's body. She is eventually released by Walka in a bout of redemption, and replaces Bragan as the regent.

• Prince Erwann — Princess Djana's father. He was Chief of King Edwin's Army and his close friend, who worked as a bridge between Edwin and Tara, representing the People of the Sea. It is implied he had a relationship of sorts with Tara. He is cursed by Kwodahn and turned to stone when he refuses to hand over Xcalibur to him.

• King Edwin — the late ruler of the Kingdom and Arthus' father. He is portrayed as a just and fair ruler, who wanted to make peace with the People of the Sea.

• Zek — Wolf's subordinate.

• Zoldan — a Shaman who accompanies the People of the Sea. He is often used as a pawn by Kwodahn for his plans.

• Morgan — an experienced Shogi who leads the exiled Shogis to a new life on the Shogi Island. He is a close friend of Herik.

• The Shogi Master — sometimes called the Grand Magus, a powerful sorcerer and leader of the Shogis.

• Silkar — a citizen of the village of Mallory, and one of Djana's allies. He eventually becomes a prominent figure in the rebellion against Bragan.

• Arped — a citizen of the hamlet of Quinn, and another prominent figure in the resistance against Bragan.

• Will — one of the leaders of the Wandering City, a city which floats above the sea, inhabited by pacifists.

• Erin — one of the inhabitants of Quinn. She is initially a spy for Bragan, passing on information about the rebellion's plans to attack Bragan's camp and kill him. However, she redeems herself and becomes a close friend of Djana.

• Prince Duncan — also known as the Green Prince. He becomes Djana's most powerful and trusted ally within the Council after she helps to save his lands from Kwodahn's magic. He is strongly opposed to Bragan's plans.

• The Red Prince — one of the lords of the Kingdom. He is Bragan's closest ally on the council.

• The Yellow Prince — another of the Kingdom's lords.

Episode list

The following is a full list of episodes in the order they are presented on DVD. Some of the episodes are not in their correct chronological order.

1. The Sword Of Justice
   
2. The Barbarian
   
3. The Heart Of The Beast
   
4. The Request For The Just
   
5. A Charming Prince
   
6. The Hexed Chessboard
   
7. The Destiny of the Shogis
   
8. The Wandering City
   
9. The Broken Sword
   
10. The Test of Blood
    
11. The Slumbering Palace
    
12. A Second Chance
    
13. The Lure
    
14. Nadja
    
15. I Have Faith in You
    
16. The Seventh Crystal
    
17. The Forbidden Elixir
    
18. The Toll Of The Past
    
19. The Enchanted Forest
    
20. The Kiss
    
21. The Strange Sickness
    
22. The Dragon's Breath
    
23. The Promised Land
    
24. The Ice Fortress
    
25. The Secret of the Sylphs
    
26. The Return
    
27. The Night Of Two Moons
    
28. Eyes Of Gold
    
29. The Tournament
    
30. Presumed Guilty
    
31. The Invisible Monastery
    
32. Initiation
    
33. Inheritance
    
34. The Ice Shogi
    
35. Vivid Memory
    
36. One Day
    
37. Love And Duty
    
38. In The King's Service
    
39. Quest For Redemption
    
40. The Ultimate Battle
    

DVD Availability

Anchor Bay released the series on DVD in the UK on 15 November 2004 in the form of a ten-disc box set with four episodes per disc. The set contains an episode guide on the packaging but no other extras. It has a listed running time of 16 hours.

Unfortunately, Anchor Bay's release features an error in the ordering of episodes, meaning that the correct chronological order has not been maintained. This particularly applies to the episodes The Secret of the Sylphs (episode 25) and The Return (episode 26), which should in fact immediately precede Love and Duty (episode 37).