Beyblade Zero-G

Beyblade Zero-G logo

Unofficially called "Metal Fight Beyblade Zero-G" and dubbed as "BEYBLADE: Shogun Steel" by Hasbro starting in fall 2013, Beyblade Zero-G is a whole new series. It is associated to Metal Fight because of similarities in the Beyblade structures as well as because the Zero-G anime and manga take place in the same universe as Metal Fight Beyblade, but this new series marks the end of Beyblade as it's been known up until now. Indeed, the main distinctive point of Beyblade Zero-G is its innovative Stadiums, but some parts were also altered to be unique to this series. These elements will be elaborated in this article.

Beyblade Zero-G's official release date is March 31st 2012 for TAKARA-TOMY, with its accompanying anime starting on April 8th 2012. This series' goal is to provide a completely fresh gameplay to Beyblades.

Components of Zero-G

Zero-G Beyblade Parts Schema

Like with Metal Fight Beyblades, the components of Zero-G Beyblades are:

• Stone Face: Unlike the MFB Faces, Zero-G Faces are diamond-shaped. They connect all the parts of a Beyblade together by screwing into the Track. There are also metal Faces called Metal Stone Face. Stone Faces are approximately 1cm longer than regular MFB Faces, probably to accomodate the Synchrom system. In fact, when Synchrom is achieved, only a Metal Stone Face or a regular Stone Face can be used to screw all the Beyblade's parts together.
• Chrome Wheel: Instead of having a plastic ring on top of the Beyblade in order to prevent launcher prongs breakage, the first layer of Zero-G Beyblades is a Chrome Wheel with considerably detailed designs. This is helped by the voluntary decision made by TAKARA-TOMY to design Chrome Wheels that are asymmetrical. One side has fewer interesting details but has a big hole for the "crystal", and the complete rest of the side is free to have all the physical features it wants without being symmetrical.
• Crystal Wheel: It is a plastic part that goes underneath the Chrome Wheel, but it can also be flipped and placed on top of the Chrome Wheel in a mode change, or not even flipped. These two modes are called Chrome Up Mode and Crystal Up Mode. Seeing as it barely protrudes from the sides of the latter part, the plastic piece mostly serves aesthetic purposes in the normal mode, notably by filling the hole in the Chrome Wheel and forming the "crystal". On this crystal is engraved an icon of the element the Beyblade represents. For example, Shinobi has Fire.
• Track/Spin Track: The Track is the component of the Beyblade that connects the Wheel and Bottom. The Track determines the height of the Beyblade. Their names (when read with a decimal before the last digit) determine their height in millimeters. For example, Pegasis' Track is called 105, which stands for 10.5 MM. Some Tracks have gimmicks which help make multiple good customizations since some of them are significantly heavier than others, like Flame Sagittario’s C145 Track.
• Bottom/Performance Tip: The bottom of the Beyblade. It has interchangeable tips which the Beyblade spins on. Movement patterns can be altered with the differently shaped tips that can be used. It is similar to the Blade Base from plastic Beyblades or the Running Core from HMS. The Bottom is indicated by the (sometimes two) last letter(s) of a Beyblade’s name: for instance, Capricorne 100HF, where HF is the Bottom and stands for Hole Flat. Some Zero-G Bottoms incorporate wider elements such as a big plastic ring around them, in CF's case, to help stabilise the Beyblade in these new swaying stadiums.

Synchrom

This system is a new element in the Metal Fight Beyblade toyline and it certainly introduces considerably more customizability. Synchrom consists of the capacity to combine one Chrome Wheel with a second Chrome Wheel to form a double, metal ring. As such, it is possible to create Saramanda Ifraid as the combination of the Saramanda Chrome Wheel and the Ifraid Chrome Wheel, without any need of a Crystal Wheel anywhere. Each Chrome Wheel has a round tab on its underside, and this protrusion fills the hole in the other Chrome Wheel where the crystal is supposed to fit, and vice versa.

Similar to the nomenclature used in all of Metal Fight Beyblade, the name of a combo using Synchrom will always start with the Chrome Wheel at the bottom, then the one at the top. Even if the Clear Wheel is always atop the Metal Wheel except in L-Drago Beyblades, the latter part is always named first, like in Storm Pegasis 105RF. Likewise, a Zero-G Synchrom Beyblade with Begirados below a Goreim is called "Begirados Goreim"; if flipped, it becomes "Goreim Begirados".

Unlike in previous Metal Fight Beyblade systems, left-spin parts can be matched with normal, right-spin pieces. At current times, Dragooon is the only left-spin Chrome Wheels. If placed at the bottom in a Synchrom combination with a right-spin Chrome Wheel, the overall Beyblade will spin towards the right, while if it is positioned at the top, it makes the whole Beyblade spin towards the left. Two Dragooon's can be combined as well.

New Zero-G Stadiums

Zero-G Stadium Attack Type

The particularity of this new series is its stadiums, which appear to all sway. Instead of having a firm base on the ground, the only part of the Zero-G Stadium that touches the ground is the very bottom of the bowl shape. Because of this lack of stabilizers on the sides, this shape allows the Zero-G Stadiums to sway from side to side, on all sides, following the rotation of the Beyblades battling inside it. This is a true revolution in Beyblade.

Unlike all of Takara/TAKARA-TOMY's previous BeyStadiums, knock outs are not achieved in an upward direction. Instead, there are three holes at the base part of the stadium, equidistant from each other, and shaped like elongated, smoothed triangles.

Because of these two attributes, there are now 3 ways to knock out opponents:

• 1: Attack them while right next to an exit;
• 2: Make the stadium tilt to send the opposing Beyblade moving right into an exit just by the force of the launch, literally swiping the floor under its feet (officially known as Zero-G Attack);
• 3: Quickly bring the top at the top of the stadium into an exit.

An official video demonstration of the Zero-G Stadium Attack Type by TAKARA-TOMY

The Zero-G Stadiums have two components:

• The main, bowl part at the bottom which contains the holes;
• The cover, which has a wide hole in its center to allow the Beyblades to be launched inside the stadium.

Those two parts are put together by three plastic clips.

Types

The same four types from Metal Fight Beyblade can be found in Beyblade Zero-G:

• Stamina
• Balance
• Attack
• Defense

However, Defense Bottoms such as WD are now considered by TAKARA-TOMY Stamina Bottoms, and Defense Bottoms, for the company, are now incarnated by Sharp tips. This reflects the important change of gameplay Beyblade Zero-G introduces, where stability is always challenged.

Size

Zero-G Beyblades should be as big as Metal Fight Beyblades, especially considering the huge variety in size the latter had. Since Tracks and Bottoms are cross-compatible though, Zero-G Beyblades cannot differ too much in size.

Shooters

Where in Metal Fight Beyblade the smallest launcher possible was the Light Launcher, Zero-G still pushes the concept further. There are now Zero-G Compact Launchers available in Starters and Sets. These Compact Launchers are quite small, and they seem to incorporate the Tool used to assemble Beyblades into their design, mostly at the top. They can only be used with the newest Winders in Metal Fight Beyblade, which appeared with the release of the Sniper Launcher. The Zero-G Compact Launcher L is the left-spin version of these small launchers, and it only comes with the Dark Knight Dragooon LW160BSF Starter.

Zero-G Light Launchers also exist, and they are meant to have 1.1 more revolutions than Zero-G Compact Launchers. These can be bought separately from Starters.

A Beylauncher equivalent was released as the Zero-G Launcher. It generally has more power than all other Zero-G launchers, similar to the proportion between the Beylauncher and the Light Launchers in Metal Fight Beyblade. This shooter uses a string.

Initial releases

• BBG-01 Starter Samurai Ifraid W145CF (March 31st, 2012)
• BBG-02 Synchrom Booster Shinobi Saramanda SW145SD (March 31st, 2012)
• BBG-03 Start Dash Set (March 31st, 2012)
• BBG-04 Zero-G Stadium Attack Type (March 31st, 2012)
• BBG-05 Zero-G Light Launcher (March 31st, 2012)
• BBG-06 BeyCarrier Zero-G (March 31st, 2012)
• BBG-07 Zero-G Launcher Grip (March 31st, 2012)

Complete list of Metal Fight Beyblade Zero-G releases

Conclusion

While it is completely new and generally untested, Beyblade Zero-G offers the freshness Beyblade needed to avoid going into a second hiatus, as it did after Bakuten Shoot Beyblade. This series will introduce the development of multiple new launching techniques and strategies, and invariably display Beyblade battles like never seen before.