Jade Armor
A teenage girl inherits a mystical superhero mantle.
Jade Armor is a French animated series from TeamTO that first aired on September 5, 2022. It centers on Lan Jun, a teenager who becomes the legendary superhero Jade Armor and battles supervillains while navigating everyday teenage life. A second season has been confirmed.
The story follows Lan Jun, who inherits the mystical Jade Armor mantle. She faces villains like the Crimson Lord, with help from four magical animal companions called Beasticons. Her household includes her father, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her friends Alisha Gray and Theodore Khan support her.
The show draws from Chinese mythology, kung fu movies, magical girl anime, and superhero comics. It was created by Chloe Miller and executive producer Corinne Kouper, based on a concept by M. Pongo Kuo, and co-developed by Mary Bredin. M.J. Offen served as head writer, Ghislaine Pujol as story editor. Development began at TeamTO around 2016, with multiple rewrites of the pitch bible and scripts.
Originally conceived as an action series with a male lead, the show shifted focus after Miller joined. Lan Jun, initially the male protagonist’s best friend, became the main character. The creators wanted her to be an “ordinary girl” who is both feminine and strong, avoiding stereotypes or a tomboy archetype. They also added more comedy and emphasized family and heritage.
The fictional city is inspired by Taiwan. A Chinese cultural consultant advised on elements like kung fu. The art style is “graphic and minimalist,” using 2D computer animation with sharp-edged linework by artistic director Pierre Croco. Denis Do, a Wushu practitioner, co-directed. A stunt coordinator filmed action scenes with French kung fu martial artists to help storyboard artists visualize fights, which were then translated into magical, larger-than-life sequences inspired by films like *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*.
Finding Asian voice actors and dubbers for other languages proved challenging. TeamTO’s École Cartoucherie Animation Solidaire partnered with Frog Box and Titrafilm to create a dubbing course. A pitch bible and trailer were released at Kidscreen Summit in 2016. The second season entered development in June 2023.
Season 1 aired in 2022, and Season 2 is scheduled for 2025.
- Premiered
- 5 September 2022
- Age demographic
- 6–12 or 7–12
Lore & Background
The series is inspired by Chinese mythology and was created by Chloe Miller and executive producer Corinne Kouper based on a concept by M. Pongo Kuo. It was co-developed by Mary Bredin, with M.J. Offen as head writer and Ghislaine Pujol as story editor. French animation studio TeamTO began developing the series around 2016, with the pitch bible and scripts being rewritten several times during development. The original concept was an action series with a male protagonist; after Chloe Miller joined, Lan Jun, originally the male protagonist's best friend, became the main character. The showrunners wanted her to be an 'ordinary girl' who was both feminine and strong, without relying on gender stereotypes or a 'tomboy' archetype.
Reader's Guide
Jade Armor represents a notable shift in children's animated action series by centering a female protagonist who is both feminine and strong, deliberately avoiding stereotypes. The series draws on Chinese mythology and kung fu cinema, with a fictional Taiwanese-inspired setting and cultural consultation to inform its representation. Its development process—spanning over a decade from 2011 to its 2022 premiere—involved multiple rewrites and a change from a male-led concept to a female-led story. The show's broadcast across multiple territories (HBO Max, Cartoon Network, France Télévisions, Super RTL, ABC Australia, and Canadian channels) and its renewal for a second season indicate sustained interest. The series also highlights industry challenges in finding Asian voice actors and dubbing talent, prompting a training initiative. Its significance lies in its blend of magical girl and superhero genres, its deliberate character design philosophy, and its international distribution reach.
Did You Know?
- The series was originally conceived with a male protagonist; Lan Jun was created as his best friend before becoming the main character.
- A Chinese cultural consultant was hired to advise on the representation of cultural elements like kung fu.
- The show's producers had difficulty finding Asian voice actors and dubbing talent, leading to a partnership to create a dubbing course.
- The series's choreography was inspired by the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
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