Although this is somewhat old news, TakaraTomy recently posted their Annual Report 2019, which had some interesting bits of information regarding Zoids. We're going to include all of the relevant info below.

    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.

    The release date for the Shield Liger DCS-J has been pushed back to November. So those who are expecting to pay this month, remember to set that money aside!

    Some new details have surfaced about the Chaotic Century manga. In particular, Ueyama's tweets regarding why old fans won't be unhappy about purchasing the new release! He also drew a cute picture of Fine and Sally, from Zoids Wild Zero!

    #1: Volume 3 will include the brand new chapter "The Storm of Port Town", which was featured in CoroCoro Aniki earlier this year. This chapter was not part of the original publication.

    #2: The end of the volume will include color illustrations from the Battle Card Game as well as the Zoid Core Box, printed in high quality.

    #3: The cover features a full color illustration of Liger Zero Caesar the King! This is the first color illustration since it first appeared in 2001.

    #4: Because of the greater width of the book, pages now have a further cut off point. This means you'll see more details from the original artwork, as well as losing less to the page gutter. The comic is also printed in sharper detail.

    The second chapter of Zoids Wild 2 was just released in the October issue of CoroCoro! To spread the news, Zoids Official over on twitter has posted the color picture, as well as a couple of teaser pages. These pages introduce Shuuza's Zoid, the Gatling Fox!

    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!

    Kotobukiya posted a blog post detailing some of their recently released Zoids, as well as discussing a few upcoming reissues. They confirmed that there will be no further update to the designs of the Geno Saurer and the Shield Liger, which is something many people have wanted, as both kits are known to suffer from some stability issues.

This also debunks any hopes that the DCS-J will feature an improved mold with better parts fitting. While Kotobukiya is aware of the wish for small updates like this, they also feel that the expectation for new kits is stronger than ever, and they hope to focus on expanding the HMM line as much as possible going forward, starting with the group of Zoids announced at the Second Stand River Battle.

    A very subtle footnote at the bottom of this post shows a teaser for the Godos Old Republican Spec., with more information expected in September.

    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.

    The covers for the Chaotic Century second and third reprint volumes have been published! Volume 2 features an awesome rendering of the Geno Saurer. It's a unique look at the Zoid, with purple energy radiating from the vents. Volume 2 will also include several extras, including an interview with Michirou Ueyama, answering various questions about the manga, such as why Irvine pilots a Stealth Viper instead of a Command Wolf, and why Zoids of Planet Zi have nicknames. There will also be brand new character concept sketches which have never before been published, such as sketches for Schwarz. A small bonus comic, which was originally published in the appendix for CoroCoro Comic November 2000 issue will be added to the volume, along with the relevant color images that were originally posted in CoroCoro.

    Volume 3 features a beautiful rendition of Liger Zero Caesar The King. This is our first official print of Caesar's colors, which seem to be a nice in between of the old Zoid Girl art drawn by Ueyama in the 2000s and the concept art posted more recently on his twitter. We're not yet sure what extras Volume 3 will include, but CoroCoro made an interesting note that Caesar can fly...! Along with having an unparalleled E-Shield and strong blades. I guess he does have a lot of hang time in the comic, but always just assumed it was fancy jumping and comic physics!

    The hype for Zoids is well underway, and CoroCoro Online is steamrolling ahead with at least one new article a day. As part of their "Zoids Fest" event, they've published brand new artwork from Takao Aoki, one of the earliest manga artists to ever work on Zoids! This mostly features the Gold Liger from the earlier manga.

    Image 1: Post
    Image 1: Update
    Image 2: Post
    Image 2: Update

- Zoids Wild 2 Artwork

    In the same vein, Moricha, the artist of the Zoids Wild manga as well as the upcoming Zoids Wild 2 manga, is posting artwork as part of Zoids Fest. This includes a scene with the two series of Wild characters getting together for a fun day at the beach, with updates piece by piece each day. It surprised us with Shuuza (Kai's big brother) having such bright blue hair! It also introduces us to the heroine of Wild 2, Toujou Elly, seen by Penne.

    Image: Base
    Image: Update 1
    Image: Update 2
    Image: Update 3

- History of Zoids in CoroCoro

    CoroCoro has continued its article series "The Thorough Dissection of the History of Zoids", which looks back over the years and years of CoroCoro content for the franchise. We've included a list of articles below. CoroCoro has some cool pictures in the magazine that may interest older fans!

    Part 6: (2000 ~ 2001) Let's go, Liger! Liger Zero, nicknamed the "New Beast King!"
    Part 7: (2001 ~ 2002) Zoids BLOX, which allow transformation and unison appear!
    Part 8: (2004 ~ 2005) "Unison" and "Evolt" change Zoids into new forms!
    Part 9: (2018) "Zoids Wild" starts with a big impact!
    Part 10: (2018) "Zoids Wild" goes to a new stage!

- Zoids Super Picture Book

    The afforementioned articles aren't the only thing of note. CoroCoro also posted a new article set consisting of two parts, titled "Zoids Super Picture Look Looking Back At Earlier Kits!!" These articles showed off clean digital box art from the earlier series, providing an excellent look at Zoids of the past. Phase 1 Series (1983 ~ 1990) includes much of the "OJR". The article includes commercials that've been uploaded to CoroCoro's channel over the years, with a by-year release list. The Phase 2 (RZ - EZ) Series article, spanning from 1999 ~ 2000 covers stock photos for much of the NJR, also organized by year.

- Special Interview

    A final series running at the moment, but by far one of the most interesting is the article series "Zoids Wild Planning And Development Special Interviews", which is so far a 3 part series that talks to the staff of Zoids Wild. This includes so many interesting facts about the series, such as Fang Tiger being the originally intended hero Zoid. Even if you're using automatic translation it is well worth a read!

    Part 1: Link
    Part 2: The Latest Work Is Related To Zoids of Past Series!?
    Part 3: Past Revealed? The Future To Be Spun? Discussing Anime "Zoids Wild ZERO" & Manga "Zoids Wild 2"!!

    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

    CoroCoro has started a new article series called the "Thorough Dissection of the History of Zoids", where they go over their history with the franchise. This includes pictures of earlier volumes of corocoro and a look at some of the kits, manga, models, etc. Older fans may find it interesting to flip through, and it brings back memories! We'll continue to update this list as more are added.

    - Article 1: (1984) Mechanical Life Forms "Zoids" Land In CoroCoro Comic!
    - Article 2: (1985) Clash!! Helic Republic Vs. Zenebas Empire!
    - Article 3: (1987) Zoids Appear In TV and Videogames! The World View of Zoids Appears To Be Expanding!
    - Article 4: (1988) Make Your Own Zoids!?
    - Article 5: (1999) New Manga, Hobby Restart! The 2nd Zoids Series Is Starting With The Anime "ZOIDS!"

- CoroCoro Twitter Gift Campaign!

    CoroCoro has also launched a twitter campaign called the 12 Days Consecutive Zoid Super Present Festival, where they're giving away rewards to people who retweet and comment on their campaign article posts. These presents are almost certainly limited to Japan, but their progress will be noted below! This post will be updated as we get more information. So far there are only a couple winners per post.

    - Day 1: Death Rex Purple Dragon Form (2 winners)
    - Day 2: Wild Liger (2 winners)
    - Day 3: Gilraptor
    - Day 4: Gannontoise
    - Day 5: Gabrigator
    - Day 6: Grachiosaurus
    - Day 7: Knuckle Kong
    - Day 8: Triceradogos
    - Day 9: Stegosage
    - Day 10: Beast Liger
    - Day 11: Cannon Bull
    - Day 12: Zoids New Century /Zero BRBox + Limited Liger Zero

    Exciting news! The second season of Zoids Wild has officially been confirmed! This season veers back towards our traditional Zoid roots, with older characters that sport familiar design styles, long ranged equipment, and even some basic, stylized cockpits. Wild fans can still enjoy the continuation of the model kit series, and older fans can feel more at home with the familiar design model. The new series is slotted to start airing on TV Tokyo Network in October, and will feature a different cast from the upcoming manga, Zoids Wild 2.

    A teaser video has been posted, and can be viewed below! Funny enough, it uses some flavor text in the background that was lifted directly from the Zoids Wiki article of the Zoid Eve. Some fans have taken this to mean that it has a direct connection to Chaotic Century, but please be aware that all indication is that this is text lifted to be used as filler. Background text also includes some lorem ipsum, with notes about it being dummy text.

    There's an new official anime site for Zero, as well as a TV Tokyo specific website located here. The main visual for the series can be viewed on the anime site. Falcarius was kind enough to translate the official information that we do have, directly from the video. You can view it below!

    After being ravaged by large-scale crustal shifts and the sudden appearance of out-of-control Zoids, the Earth began to walk a new history. It was a world where the Republic Army, which sought to coexist with Zoids, and the Empire Army, which demonstrated its strength by weaponising Zoids, fought for supremacy over the Earth. As the flames of battle spread, a boy who specialises in customising Zoids meets a girl who holds the key to restoring the Earth, and they set off on a journey to save the Earth along with their Zoids. To create the future, as they each hold their own feelings in their hearts, a new Zoids story begins: ZOIDS WILD ZERO.

    Leo Conrad: A boy who specialises in customising Zoids.
    Beast Liger: A legendary Zoid with a white and red mane. Has extremely high combat abilities.

    Jo Aysel (Republic Army)
    Raptoria: Specialises in close-range attacks, cutting up enemies with its six claws.

    Lieutenant Colonel Diaz (Republic Army)
    Triceradogos Kai: A Triceradogos customised for anti-air firing.

    Squad Leader Luc (Empire Army)
    Cannon Bull: A weapon Zoid that performs powerful mid-range bombardment. Specialises in attacking with missiles and cannons.

    Sergeant Shell (Empire Army)
    Bazootle: Has high defensive strength and specialises in firing from the rear lines with five types of weapons.

    First Lieutenant Giller (Empire Army): Nicknamed the Red Reaper.
    Sniptera: One of the few aerial combat Zoids, specialising in precise sniping from the sky.

    Buzz Cunningham: Works with Leo in an older brother-type role.
    Sally Land: Has a mysterious pendant and holds the key to restoring the Earth.

- Official Teaser

    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.

    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).