Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a Japanese action adventure anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment and Japan Vistec under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto. The story centers on the lives of creatures called Bakugan and the battle brawlers who possess them. Though initially a failure in Japan, the series became popular in the United States and Canada, prompting the creation/order of several follow-up seasons, (New Vestroia, and Gundalian Invaders) which aired in other countries before Japan. The fourth season, (Mechtanium Surge) is currently broadcasting in the Canadian and U.S. markets.
PLOT
Season 1
The Battle Brawlers were originally separated and were only able to communicate through the internet. However, once Masquerade was becoming a major threat, they all came together to battle him and the Top Ranked Brawlers. They started searching for the Infinity Core, where they met Joe and he became a member after proving he wasn't working for Masquerade. After their battle with the Top Ranked Brawlers, Alice, Shun, and Julie decided to stay together, in case Masquerade showed up. After the final brawl with Masquerade, the Battle Brawlers split up, going back to their homes. Meanwhile, Alice disappeared because she discovered that she was Masquerade. Dan, Runo, and Marucho soon got Shun and Julie to go to Vestroia and help defeat Naga and his Doom Beings.
Season 2: New Vestroia
The Brawlers (Dan and Marucho) return to New Vestroia and discover that it has been colonized by an alien race called Vestals, who are unaware that the Bakugan are intelligent beings. Three Vestals: Mira, Ace and Baron, however, later on they encounter Shun who was an old friend so he knew the truth and form the Bakugan Brawlers Resistance. While battling against the evil Vexos, the Brawlers destroy each of the three Dimension Controllers that keep the Bakugan in their ball form, liberating New Vestroia. The Resistance part but reunite six months later when they discover that King Zenoheld of Vestal has attacked the Six Ancient Warriors in an attempt to steal the Attribute Energies. In desperation, the Ancient Warriors give the Resistance Bakugan their attribute energies to protect them from Zenoheld who has had a machine built to wipe out all Bakugan, the Bakugan Termination System, but needs the energies to power it. After losing half the energies, the Brawlers decided to attack instead, engaging a temporary alliance with Spectra Phantom, the former leader of the Vexos, along with his sidekick Gus Grav. However, the remaining energies are taken and the Brawlers rush to New Vestroia to evacuate all the Bakugan. Drago, however, refuses to give up and manages to destroy the BT System and evolves again into Dragonoid x. Things quiet down until Spectra resurfaces again to battle Dan and when he loses, he concedes that Dan is number one and joins the Brawlers, returning to his original persona, Keith Clay. Keith reveals that Zenoheld is working on a powerful weapon called the Alternative System and helps construct Battle Gear for Drago. Meanwhile, the Vexos begins crumbling from within as both Volt and Lync decide to leave, feeling that Zenoheld and his son Hydron have finally gone too far but are quickly disposed of by Prince Hydron. In the final battle, the Brawlers with Gus, who joins as their newest member, manage to destroy the Alternative and the Resistance go their separate ways.
Season 3: Gundalian Invaders
After defeating Zenoheld, the Brawlers return to Earth and with the help of newcomer Ren, they set up Bakugan Interspace. However, Ren is not all that he seems to be and reveals that he is an alien in need of help, saying that his planet Gundalia, is under attack by Neathia. Shun is not convinced and discovers, that Ren is lying once Princess Fabia showed and proved Ren's story wrong. The Brawlers agree to help Fabia and head to Neathia to help fight off the Gundalians. Meanwhile, Ren begins showing signs of distrust for Barodius (Gundalia's Tyrannical Emperor) and eventually defects to rejoin the Brawlers. Unfortunately, Jake is captured by Kazarina (Gundalia's leading Bakugan biologist) and brainwashed, so the Brawlers head to Gundalia to rescue him along with Ren's imprisoned team mates(who were imprisoned for faliure), joined by Nurzak (a former advisor to Barodious, who turned against him when he saw he would lead Gundalia to ruin) and Mason Brown(a team mate who had escaped imprisonment, who have also sided with Neathia. Once they do, the Twelve Orders mount a final attack on Neathia. The Brawlers rush back in time to defend the planet while Dan and Barodius engage in their final battle. Ren and Mason's team mates Jesse Glenn, Lena Isis and Zenet Surrow are freed from their brainwashed state after Kazarina's demise. Linehalt uses his Forbidden Powers to restore the war torn Neathia, while Barodius and Dharak are destroyed by an overload of power from the Sacred Orb (which they tried to take anyway, despite Dan and Drago defeating them), which grants Drago new powers and evolves him into Titanium Dragonoid and granting him the status of ruler over all Bakugan.
Season 4: Mechtanium Surge
The Brawlers' reign as number one in Bakugan Interspace is killed by two new powerful teams: Team Anubias and Team Sellon. To make matters worse, Dan and Drago continuously suffer from visions sent to them by Mag Mel and Razenoid. These cause them to lose fans rapidly when Drago loses control in battle several times, threatening the lives of all the children in Interspace. Shun and Marucho find themselves unable to help as Dan is keeping everything to himself. When Dan loses control once again and nearly kills Anubias in battle, all of Dan's fans abandon him and he leaves for New Vestroia to train. Shun, meanwhile, takes the reins of leader of the Battle Brawlers and charges himself with the task of returning the Brawlers to their former glory. He becomes more and more uncaring and brushes off all opinions but his own while Marucho tries to help him be a better leader. Paige and Rafe show up to learn from them, but find them in disarray. Meanwhile, Dan and Drago fix their problem and prepare to come back. Eventually, Dan controls Drago's powers as Marucho and Shun reunite and join up with Paige and Rafe. When the Chaos Bakugan start destroying Interspace, Spectra appears out of nowhere to help the Brawlers out and destroys many of the Chaos Bakugan. Afterwards, Dan returns, but is out of sync and accidentally defeats his fellow brawlers with Zenthon. He tells them later about Mag Mel (Spectra left beforehand, disappointed in Dan having changed). Shun walks out and dismisses Taylean's words. Dan later has a vision (which is true) about Gundalia being attacked by Mag Mel (who is now free). Dan arrives and tells them about Gundalia, which Paige confirms unexpectedly. The Brawlers dismiss Dan and don't let him go, but Dan says somewhat angrily that he's not asking; he's telling them that he is an original brawler and isn't gonna be cut from this fight. They let him come along and save Ren's home world.
Then they face Mag Mel and discover Interspace being destroyed and go back to Earth to save it but they are trapped and must figure a way to save the gate and key and the battlers and interspace. Just then, Anubias and Sellon reveals themselves as artificial life forms created by Mag Mel to assure his resurrection and succeeded in taking Dan's Key. In a new battle, Dan find out that Mag Mel is actually Barodius, who survived his last encounter on Neathia after being transported to the dark reversed dimension crated by Code Eve. He later plans to destroy the planet Earth, Gundalia, Neathia, Vestal and New Vestroia by sending every civilizations to the dark reversed dimension. Before "disappearing", he says that his final demise will cause another disaster to befall on Dan and Drago.