Little Battlers Experience

Did You Know?

• Development of the franchise began in 2008 under the working title 'LEVEL5 VISION 2008'.
• Bandai released a series of plastic models featuring the mecha from the game.
• The anime was initially set for 2010 but was delayed to air on March 2, 2011.

Plot

In AD 2046, technological innovation has advanced worldwide, and the creation of fortified cardboard—a material resistant to all impacts—has transformed delivery methods. By 2042, this super-strong cardboard began serving as battlefield material for LBXs, specialized miniature robots originally made by Tiny Orbit in the 2040s. LBXs were initially banned for their destructive power but regained popularity after the introduction of fortified cardboard, becoming both a collector's hobby and a global competitive sport. In AD 2050, four years after fortified cardboard's creation, middle school student Van Yamano receives the LBX "AX-00" from a mysterious woman, who tells him it contains a Platinum Capsule. Van learns that his father, the inventor of LBXs, is still alive and that his reported airplane accident was faked; his father is being held by an evil organization called Innovators. Van must protect the LBX and the Platinum Capsule, whose contents could change the world. LBXs are roughly hand-sized and highly customizable, with three core components: the Core Skeleton, Armor Frames, and Core Box, which houses memory units, battery, motor, and other parts.

Characters

Van Yamano is a 13-year-old boy obsessed with LBX toys. His father, the inventor of LBXs, disappeared in a faked airplane accident and was captured by Innovators. Van receives the LBX Achilles from a mysterious woman and sets out to find his father and defeat the evil organization. Amy Cohen, also 13, is Van's classmate and a walking encyclopedia on LBXs; she obtains the LBX Pandora by solving its mystery. Kaz Walker, Van and Amy's best friend, is a cynical but loyal strategist skilled in long-range shooting. Hanz Gordon initially steals Achilles's armor frame using a fake cash card but is defeated by Van; in the second season, he joins Van's group to fight the Directors. Justin Kaido, grandson of Yoshimitsu Kaido, is a mysterious and emotionless loner known as "Sudden Death Emperor" for never taking more than ten seconds to defeat an opponent; he loses only to Van and later becomes his friend and teammate. Nils Richter is an LBX player first appearing in 2050 Artemis, controlled by Innovator until Jin restores him; he later joins Ban in LBX W. Dak Sendō is known as the "Magician in the Box" and is the second to defeat Gouda. Hiro Hughes, the second protagonist of Danball Senki W, has sharp reflexes and a natural talent with LBXs; under stress, he can predict the future. Laura Hanasaki is also a character in the series.

Media

The first anime series, produced by Oriental Light and Magic and directed by Naohito Takahashi, aired on TV Tokyo from March 2, 2011, to January 11, 2012, totaling 44 episodes. A sequel series aired from January 18, 2012, to March 20, 2013, with 58 episodes. A third series, Wars, aired from April 3, 2013, to December 25, 2013, with 37 episodes, concluding the anime. Dentsu Entertainment USA licensed the series for the U.S., airing on Nicktoons from August 24, 2014, but the dub was abridged from 44 to 26 episodes, with questionable content merged or skipped; the dubbed episodes are listed under LBX: Little Battlers eXperience. The sequel series, Little Battlers eXperience W, premiered as the second season on Nicktoons on October 18, 2015. A spinoff, LBX Girls (Sōkō Musume Senki), was announced at AnimeJapan 2019 by DMM Pictures and aired from January 7 to March 25, 2021; Funimation licensed and streamed it with an English dub released on January 19, 2022. A movie crossover, Inazuma Eleven GO vs. Danbōru Senki W, premiered in theaters on December 1, 2012. A manga adaptation ran in CoroCoro Comic from February 2011 to March 2013, collected in six volumes and distributed in the U.S. by Viz Media. Additional manga adaptations include Danball Senki Kaidō Jin Gaiden by Hiroyuki Takei and a Danball Senki Wars manga.