Zoids Battle Card Hunter has added a new set! This time they've differentiated it as a new 'series' of sets, so we'll see what it beholds. You can view the current lineup on the official website. So far, the legendaries remain Blade Ligers.

- Wild Liger Crystal!

    TakaraTomy Arts has uploaded a commercial for the new arcade game set. Most interesting, it includes a Wild Liger Crystal, which will be obtainable by redeeming part of the Beast Liger card as a lottery ticket. There doesn't seem to be an official campaign page yet, but it should be coming up soon.

    Battle Card Hunter has a series of new cards, both limited and otherwise. We mentioned this before, but a special Beast Liger M was available at McDonalds when buying the Happy Set All-Star Water on August 31st ~ September 1st. This set also included a limited DVD with a number of series on it, but we don't yet know what was on this. Probably advertisements. TT posted a custom painted model to advertise the card.

The Fang Tiger White Tiger Form limited card has also been retired, and replaced with the Hunter Wolf Flame Wolf. Similar to the prior card it has a foil embossed flame effect, allowing the fire to shift colors depending on the angle. This card became available on September 5th, with only 10 cards available from each machine.

There's also a new campaign starting from September 19th, where users will be able to encounter the Death Rex Death Metal Ver. As a final note, the Death Rex Buster, a Zoid first seen as a custom model in Zoids Wild Battle Wars (a CoroCoro diorama battle story, which never got off the ground) has joined the game. Like normal BCH Zoids, it has a N, R, SR, and WR card. You can view them all on the main site.

    TakaraTomy has posted a new PV for Zoids Wild Zero! This video was originally shown at the C3AFA Tokyo event, where photography was not allowed. Now that it's posted online there's so much to take in! We see a lot of new colored Zoids or those with weapon customizations. Cockpits appear to materialize around pilots, with a much more complex user interface. We see two logos for the Republic and the Empire. The animation is amazingly detailed in all regards, and all in all, it's shaping up to be an excellent series!

- Preview Video

- Discussion

    So, with the trailer having so much interesting content, I thought it'd be fun to take a closer look at it. Everything in this discussion section is pure speculation. I've got no insider info, it's just random stuff observed while rewatching the trailer!


    As we enter the trailer we see a lot of beautiful background art. Some of the shots stand out as a prestine urban environment with carefully groomed grass, well kept streets, and a skyline made of glass. Yet, as you look to the background of Image 1, we see a devastated ruin environment. The city facing away from it. This ruin zone seems to be heavily policed by Zoids of the Empire.



    This ruin environment isn't just inhabited by the Empire, however. It seems skeletal Zoids, lacking in armor also roam the streets, exhibiting extreme aggression towards humans. This may very well be because of their tension with the Imperial army Zoids, but the animation for them is excellent. Even the raptor in the background seems to shy away, reluctant to attack as its allies get gunned down. We can certainly hope to see more of this in the show, with an animation style that seems to imply an overall budget increase for this second series. Furthermore, what is this green substance that seems to glow from inside the Zoids?



    We know from earlier interviews that the series will consist of two major groups, a Republic and an Empire. This power balance echoes earlier series, and the character designs definitely echoe a civilian Vs. Empire mind set. We catch a glimpse of their logo on the pilot interface, as well as an obscured shot of the Republic's logo behind the Republican Army text.



    In an interesting turn of events it seems as if pilots of the Empire, at least, link up to their Zoids to activate the Machine Blast. Not only do we see a suit diagram, but two large screws on the back of Luc's suit appearing to bolt in a cable that likely links to the Zoid. Upon the activation of the Machine Blast, the visor that covers the Zoid's natural eyes generates a glitchy graphic and the ability activates.



    This link setup seems to be absent for Leo, who pilots the Beast Liger. While he's left with basic controls, it seems that cockpits for both Zoids (regardless of alliance) are forged of energy and appear to generate around the pilot once the interface is activated. This open air look will provide a lot more immersion for the pilots.



    Last but not least, it's apparent through most of the trailer that Leo is piloting a customized Liger, featuring two large tanks on its back. How does this relate to the Beast Liger he's piloting later in the episode? Does it perhaps "evolt"? Is it a full customization? And why is Leo out in the ruin zone to begin with?


    There are a lot of things to look forward to with Zoids Wild Zero, and many unanswered questions. The environment looks interesting and engaging, especially to old time fans who often like these opposing environments. The Zoids are well animated, and post processing has taken a big step to better blend them with a dynamic environment. The character art is so reminescent of older series, and while I found the character designs underwhelming to begin with, this trailer makes them really grow on you. It's exciting to watch. Perhaps I'm way overhyping a simple trailer, but there are a lot of things for us older fans to love about this, and I hope people don't mind the long ramble here on the news page!

    Once again, the series is scheduled to start airing on October 4th! Let's look forward to seeing this exciting new development for the Zoids franchise!

    TakaraTomy hosted a booth at the recent C3AFATokyo (Anime Festival Asia) event, announcing some new details about Zoids Wild Zero! This upcoming anime had several subsequent articles from various sources that were posted around the same time. The booth itself hosted an impressive Beast Liger 3-dimensional display, where users could view the Zoid going through some of its animations. Thanks to Vig for capturing this video!

The booth also had a BCH machine near by, and gave out event-limited Hunter Wolf cards along with cooling pads, to help battle the hot weather. Several staff and voice actors were announced, which we'll list below.

    The series was announced to begin broadcast on October 4th, at 5:55 pm (JST) on TV Tokyo.

- Staff

    There are some big names returning to the franchise, including the director, lead writer, and character designer from Chaotic Century and New Century /Zero. The character design in particular is notably the "Zoids" outfit style, and it's nostalgic to see so many familiar faces after such a long time.

    Director: Takao Kato (Director of Chaotic Century & New Century /Zero)
    Character Designer: Tadashi Sakatsuki (Character designer of Chaotic Century and New Century /Zero)
    Lead Writer: Kenichi Araki (Lead writer of Chaotic Century and New Century /Zero)
    Acoustic Director: Yuki Matsuoka (Zoids Wild and Wild Zero)
    Music: By Yoshihisa Hirano

    One of the most notable names dropped is Takao Kato, who is returning as the director. Takao was also the director of Zoids Chaotic Century and New Century /Zero. Character designer Tadashi Sakatsuki and lead writer Kenichi Araki will also be returning, having worked on the two earlier series as well.

- Voice Actors

    A list of voice actors was noted in articles and event information, with a list below. An article from Natalie notes that the lead VA, playing the part of Leo, also watched Zoids back in elementary school. They never dreamed that after 20 years they'd be playing the lead role in the new series.

    Leo Conrad: (Beast Liger Pilot) Played by Naoki Minamo
    Sally Land: Played by Hazuki Chida
    Buzz Cunningham: Played by Makoto Homura (Also Deed in Fuzors)
    Jo Aysel: (Raptoria Pilot) Played by Yoko Hikasa
    Christopher Giller: Played by Toshiki Masuda

- Teasers

    Dengeki Hobby Online posted an article during the event showing off some brand new screen shots! This even shows a new version of Beast Liger, which shares simularities to the underwater variant shown in the booklet, with some key differences in the leg armor design. The background art, from what little we can see seems to be a big improvement, with post processing effects really bringing out the dynamic action shots that we've seen.

    While the Anime Site technically opened a short while ago, they officially launched during the event. A new story page was added, giving some fascinating looks at earlier lore! It's very possible that Wild Zero will pick up on the Concept Art Book lore. Falcarius was kind enough to provide the translation below.

    "Zoids are metal lifeforms with the will to fight, which live on the far side of the galaxy. With their planet coming to its end, mankind aimed for Earth as a second home, but due to runaway Zoid Factors and an unforeseen time warp, Zoids suddenly appeared on 21st century Earth. Earth was temporarily devastated by repeated tectonic shifts and destruction from the Zoids.

    "Leo excavates the Beast Liger, and with it as his partner, he sets out on an adventure with a girl called Sally that will affect the future of Earth."

    Starting on August 29th, the Awakened Fang Tiger Saber will be appearing as a limited time boss in Battle Card Hunter! The BCH twitter has also posted the Blade Liger Secret Rare card, which features Blade Liger fighting against the Geno Breaker in the style of the Concept Art Books.

    Zoids Wild has posted two of its big weapon sets online! The ZW30 and ZW31 designation numbers are reserved for these two different sets, but it doesn't end there. Zoids Official has been subtly teasing us with photos of Wild customs, which have weapons that'll be featured in future releases, either through sets or promotional products. Two mentioned here are the Long Assault Cannon and the Mega Lance.

    The versitility of these weapons is excellent. They all have pegs and holes that allow them to be combined, stacked, etc. There's truly no limit to what they can be used for.

- ZW30 Assault Boost Unit

    ZW30, the Assault Boost Unit is the first officially designated weapons set released for Zoids Wild. It is scheduled for an October 5th release, for a price of 972 yen. The set features several weapons that were originally modeled on the Beast Liger and see in the September issue of CoroCoro.

    ZW30 Assault Boost Unit: Image reference
    A-Z Anti-Aircraft 4 Barrel Cannon x1 (bottom left)
    A-Z Impact Cannon x2 (upper left)
    All Weather High Power Booster x2 (bottom right)
    Ultra Electromagnetic Blade x2 (upper right)

    Now, I'd be remiss not to point out that we saw leaked silhouettes of ZW30 much earlier through a youtube video that has since been removed. The AZ 2-Barrel Cannon (upper right) was moved to the ZW31 Buster Radar Unit, and the chain saw was removed. The large cannon also appears to have some differences, if it is the same weapon. These were replaced with 2 additional weapons, perhaps because they fit well together. We do see a chainsaw on the Gilraptor custom (linked above) but the design is different.

- ZW31 Buster Radar Unit

    ZW30 is immediately followed by ZW31, the Buster Radar Unit. It has the same release date (October 5th) and price (972 yen), and was first seen modeled on the Sniptera in CoroCoro's September issue. This set has a surprisingly larger part count for being the same cost, with 11 equipment items compared to ZW30's 7 count. It also includes 2 articulated arms, which will be amazingly useful for customizing. It gives weapons free movement similar to the claws of the Geno Breaker.

    ZW31 BUster Radar Unit: Image reference
    A-Z 2-Barrel Cannon x2 (upper right)
    A-Z 3-Barrel Cannon x2 (lower left)
    A-Z 10-Shot Maneuver Missile x2 (center)
    A-Z Anti-Aircraft Gun x2 (upper left)
    Extensive Radome (disc)
    Flexible Arm x2 (bottom)

    CoroCoro has posted a build video of the Sniptera! This includes the build of the model kit as well as a full review of its motorized features, from start to finish. The video confirms a long hoped ambition from fans that the Sniptera would be our first pteranodon to feature actual wing walking. This motorized gimmick is very clever, using the wheels on the side to simulate natural movement. While those same wheels look a little odd in flight mode, the actual animation of how the wings and body move are superb.

    In celebration of Zoids Wild 2, which came out in the September issue, CoroCoro is posting the Japanese pages for Zoids Wild Volume 1 and 2 online! These are from the previous manga, and currently only up to chapter 3 has been published beforehand. Now you can view up to chapter 8! I highly recommend checking it out even if you don't know Japanese, because some of the Zoids art is awesome.

Chapters:
    - Chapter 1
    - Chapter 2
    - Chapter 3
    - Chapter 4
    - Chapter 5
    - Chapter 6
    - Chapter 7
    - Chapter 8

    We've added a new section under Games for Zoids Wild: Battle Card Hunter. This area isn't entirely up to date, and doesn't include everything we hope to do with it yet. For now it includes a section for Set 1 & 2, with checklists of the ones I've personally collected (sorry for the obnoxious grayed out images.) There's also a page for special armors and products related to the game.

    Finally, after eons, our first Zoids Wild kit review! I've not been keeping up with reviews in quite some time, but am working on getting back into it with the newer kits. Unlike earlier reviews, the Wild reviews will be split into several pages, with easy navigation at the top and bottom of the page. The page will default to an info page, which includes the official TT information, build video, etc. Reviews (detailing kit opinions) will be on their own page, and so will instructions. Instructions are separated a bit differently; instead of chronological order they're in categories, so that you can find the exact page that you need easier.

    The final page is a Modify page. Here I'll be posting various part combinations, such as swapping around different armor colors, swapped weapon examples, etc. Right now it includes a basic guide on swapping out the middle claw part of the Wild Liger's backpack, so that it matches the swapped parts. Later I'd like to include other basic info, such as which kits share similar parts (and this armor placement).

    Before we ever saw the teaser on Zoids Wild Zero, we knew another manga series was about to begin. Information before now introduced us to the main character, Kai, and the rest of the cast. It's clear that Wild 2 will contain an entirely separate set of characters from Wild Zero, and that's all the better! Two unique storylines, running at the same time. CoroCoro posted an introductory article, announcing that the manga will begin in the September Issue (released this month.) The Zoids Official twitter has posted a couple of teaser pages and the artist posted some others, all of which were seen in the August issue of CoroCoro Comic.

- Chapter 1 Free Online!

    CoroCoro has also posted Chapter 1 online, available for free viewing! This introduces us to the main character, a young boy named Kai, and how he meets his partner: The Beast Liger! Falcarius has provided a character list for Chapter 1.

    Zoids Command Force: a Zoid crime countermeasure organisation, uses Raptorias as mooks

    Juuki Kai: the new protagonist, a ZCF maintenance worker with a multipurpose robot "Z-Arm" and an encyclopaedic knowledge of Zoids

    Juuki Shuuza: Kai's older brother and ZCF's number-1 ace "Beast Knight"

    Davis Miles: ZCF's governor-general

    Red Cerberus: a Zoid terrorist group wanted globally, uses weaponised Zoids such as Bazootle

    Preddy Rhapsody: a Red Cerberus member who rides a Cannon Bull

- Official Teaser

    A recent article from CoroCoro introduced the Gatling Fox "Metallic Blue Ver.", which will be the next silver-peel present in the October issue of CoroCoro (released September 14th). This not only introduces a new variant, but is our first look at the Gatling Fox's entire design. The Metallic Blue Ver. seems to include metallic blue armor, bright yellow parts, and a transparent black body.

    Sniptera has been posted the TakaraTomy Mall! This includes the box art, which interestingly seems to feature the red Sniptera as a commander machine, followed by some ghostly blue color variations. It also shows off the Machine Blast, in which the mouth opens up to reveal a new sniper rifle and the crest flips forward to serve as a laser sight.

    There's been some more coverage on the Sniptera. With the CoroCoro limited (the Killing Red Version) coming out soon, CoroCoro has also posted a video introducing the Zoid. This shows off some of its motorized action, though not a lot of detail is given about the Zoid just yet.

    Raptoria is scheduled to be released on August 24th for 1,500 yen, so we've got some new information on the Zoid! First, you can view it in the TakaraTomy Mall where you can see stock images and box art. They also posted a tweet with a comparison shot. The official product page contains a bit more information and a build video was posted by CoroCoro (seen below).

    Bazootle is scheduled to be released on August 24th for 3,000 yen. You can view it on the TakaraTomy Mall where you'll also find box art and product photos! The TT Website includes a bit more information, and it seems CoroCoro posted a build review showing off the Zoid and its Machine Blast details.

    The third bulletin of Battle Card Hunter was launched a while ago, and you can view most of the cards on the official website. This even lists the limited time cards. The limited armor kit for the third bulletin is the Fang Tiger Saber! Now that the second bulletin is over, the secret card art for Death Rex has been posted. An article by Dengeki Hobby discusses some of these cards.

- New Limited Game Cards

    Starting from August 8th, the Wild Rare card Fang Tiger "White Tiger Form" will be available! This card is based on the CoroCoro limited armor.

    The Command Liger (featured from Zoids Wild Battle Wars) will also be available from August 15th through September 11th. This is an interesting choice, since Battle Wars itself never quite took off. It includes all the basic cards: Normal, Rare, Super Rare, and Wild Rare.

- CoroCoro Limited Card!

    The CoroCoro September 2019 issue comes with a limited edition card, which features the Beast Liger. It contains a scannable code on the back of the card, which if scanned into a Battle Card Hunter machine, will award the exclusive card "Meeting a Partner"!

- McDonalds Campaign!

    On August 31st and September 1st, visitors of McDonalds in Japan can obtain a Beast Liger M by purchasing a Happy Set All-Star with Water. By using the limited battle code on the back of the card, you can also get the Death Rex M, and a mysterious subtype of Zoid called the "Blue Knight"! An article from Dengeki Hobby details the Death Rex card.

    Exciting news! A few months ago we saw some leaks for Zoids Wild kits, including Zoids like the Cannon Bull and Beast Liger. TakaraTomy has announced these kits officially, boasting them as the second generation of Zoids Wild during the Tokyo Toy Show 2019! This implies a large continuation of the series, and with the reveal of a new Gilraptor, we have confirmation of kits up to ZW34. Articles on Dengeki Hobby Online and Figsoku take a more in depth look at the event. A preview of the diorama setup for the next commercial was also posted on Twitter.

- Beast Liger & Cannon Bull

    With the announcement of these two Zoids, TT has published their images and box art. They both have a retail price of 3,500 yen with a release date of July 28th. Beast Liger features a two-part Wild Blast, first functioning as a standard Wild Liger, and later with the claws extending. This is an awesome addition to the earlier gimmick. It's noted to have an "Evo Blast" instead of a Wild Blast, which has some interesting implications for the series story. There's a video of the walk cycle and Wild Blast on Twitter. Rakuten is running a special sale where you'll receive weapon remodeling parts for pre-ordering Beast Liger.

    Cannon Bull is a clear callback to the earlier Dibison, even having a different type than its actual name, and featurs many similarities in design. Except, it's actually called a bull now. Nice! The Wild Blast features gun firing motions for the barrels on its back, and a plate of metal covers the pilot to act as a bullet shield. TT Toys has a video of the walk cycle and Wild Blast.

- Gilraptor Rare Bone

    This unique version of the Gilraptor was previewed at the Tokyo Toy Show. While the color scheme itself is interesting, it's also listed as ZW34. This means there are 3 other kits (31 ~ 33) that we have no idea the species of yet! This particular unit will be available for pre-sale at the Dino Expo in July, and receive a wider public release at an undetermined future date.

- Zoids Wild Weapons & Customization

    One of the most requested things of Zoids Wild was the ability to customize our Zoids, and it seems TakaraTomy has listened! Aside from the ZW30 weapons set we've seen leaks of, a large number of weapons were previewed at the Tokyo Toy Show. Not only do these weapons attach to the numerous pegs on Wild kits, but they're also designed with pegs on the weapons themselves. This means you can combine the weapons in a variety of ways, creating your own unique combinations. These weapons are designed to fit the common pegs and socks of Wild Kits.

    Aside from these additional weapons, TT has previewed many part combinations between the Beast Liger and Wild Liger, implying more interchangeable parts in the second series. It is unclear at this time how many Zoids this applies to.

- CoroCoro Zoids

- Wild Liger "Dual Thunder Gun Armed Ver."

    CoroCoro has announced a Beast Liger variant as part of its upcoming silver peel campaign. This particular Beast Liger comes with two gold chromed Thunder Guns. This will likely include a default Beast Liger to go along with them, but it's interesting as it's the first Zoids Wild limited from CoroCoro to feature unique weapons. The next closest was the Wild Liger Extreme Release Form, which included a set of transparent Twin Fangs.

- Hunter Wolf Flame Wolf Form

    TT Toys posted a video of the Flame Wolf's walk cycle, while Zoids Official posted a couple of pictures of the model kit.

    The Next Generation World Hobby Fair is upon is, only one day after the Zoids Wild anime is scheduled to end! Like earlier WHFs, there will be a featured Zoid Building event. This time, for a brand new Kuwaga Rare White. During this build event you can use a variety of new weapons to arm your Zoid! There'll also be pre-sales of the Beast Liger at this event, giving visitors a chance to grab this Zoid early.

    The summer DLC has been released, introducing 6 new Zoids into the game! Each Zoid has 2 'variations' with 2 colors each. These variations are color swaps with stat modifications. An official preview is posted below. This DLC is free, and available as a game update. A trailer can be viewed on the Zoids Official twitter.

- King of Blast DLC PV

- DLC Final Info Video

- King of Blast Tournament

    A tournament was recently held featuring the King of Blast DLC! The whole thing was live streamed, and winners could win an assortment of prizes. Most notable is a Death Rex Purple Dragon Form, which was available to the 1st place winner. The follow up won a Wild Liger Guren Ver. (WHF edition) and 3rd place won a Gilraptor Commander Machine.