Dragon Drive

Dragon Drive
ドラゴンドライブ (Doragon Doraibu)
Genre	Adventure, Comedy, Science fiction
Manga
Written by	Kenichi Sakura
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	Viz Media
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Jump
Original run	August 3, 2001 – January 5, 2006
Volumes	14
TV anime
Directed by	Kim Ki Du, Noriyuki Fukuda, Takahiro Umehara
Studio	Madhouse, NAS, Bandai Visual
Licensed by	Bandai Entertainment
Network	TV Tokyo
Original run	July 4, 2002 – March 27, 2003
Episodes	38
Anime and Manga Portal

Dragon Drive (ドラゴンドライブ, Doragon Doraibu^?), a Japanese manga by Kenichi Sakura, was published by Shueisha and serialized in the manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Jump. Publication ended on January 5, 2006, with a total of 14 volumes. Viz Media, leading publisher in Weekly Shōnen Jump (Shueisha) and Shōnen Sunday (Shogukukan), acquired the rights to distribute the Dragon Drive manga in North America.

An anime adaptation directed by Toshifumi Kawase began airing on TV Tokyo on July 4, 2002, running a total of 38 episodes, the last episode aired March 27, 2003. In 2004, the anime series was released by Bandai Entertainment in North America. There are no VHS releases, only DVDs. The DVDs are uncut and bilingual. All the opening and ending credits seen in the openings and endings are left out unchanged and untranslated. At the end of each DVD, there is a credit scroll showing all the crew that made the anime. The anime is targeted at older children. Some violent scenes such as characters being slapped are left in.

Dragon Drive follows lazy junior high school student Reiji Ozora who routinely gives up on everything he starts and is terrible at his school work. Tired of seeing him give up at everything and continue to perform so poorly at school, his childhood friend Maiko Yukino shows Reiji the virtual reality game called Dragon-Drive. It is a fighting game in which players and their dragon partners face off within a virtual reality city. Reiji's general lazy personality and lackluster school performances lead him to gain a seemingly equally lazy small dragon whom he calls Chibi. Only later do both of their true strengths show as Chibi, despite being small and sleeping in his first appearance, turns out to be the rarest dragon in the game, a discovery which leads Reiji and his friends to another world called Rikyu.

Summary

Anime/Manga, Part 1

Reiji is a quitter at everything but is turned on to Dragon Drive by a friend. after meeting chibi and wanting to make himself and chibi stronger Reiji is taken to a secret training room in the D-Zone when Maiko, and Daisuke sneak in when a strange dragon appears in the sky. Somehow this creature sucks them into the other Earth known as Rikyu. They are met by Meguru, a girl who was also transported to Rikyu, who takes them to a village. There, the elder of the village explains that RI-ON and the group behind Dragon Drive, is trying to obtain the Jinryusenki stone which can be used to control all the dragons in Rikyu.

In their attempt they use the game of Dragon Drive to train kids to be their soldiers. If they are successful they will end up destroying both Rikyu and Earth. This is where Chibi, who is actually the legendary dragon Senkoukura, the savior of Rikyu, and Reiji become important to both worlds. In order to protect the Jinryuuseki stone and save both worlds, Reiji and Chibi must enter the Dragonic Heaven tournament and win, a tournament RI-ON has already sent someone to enter and win.

Remembering that Agent L is an employee of RI-ON, and that she was the woman who helped him through his first few Dragon Drive games, Reiji is torn between which side to fight for and against. He does not believe that either Agent L or the employees of RI-ON are bad people, but he also believes the elder and Megaru are speaking the truth.

In the end, he doesn't truly chose either side, but instead resolves to fight in order to learn the truth about RI-ON, Rikyu and Dragon Drive.

Manga, Part 2

Time has passed since Reiji and his friends returned to Earth during which Maiko's little brother, Takumi, has received severe warnings to never play Dragon Drive. One day when hiding from a storm he obtains his first set of Dragon Drive Cards from a strange old man he meets. After receiving his cards Takumi finds his new calling by showing strong determination and the mysterious ability to talk to dragons, forming a strong friendship with his strongest dragon Raikoo, as he works to help him gain his memories back.

After a dream one night Takumi discovers Raikoo is one in ninety nine special dragon cards called Raikoo's, that were given to various players of the game, being called Raikoo masters. Soon a group going by the name of RI-IN enters the scene, and all the people with the exception of the ones in the Dragon Drive gaming stores vanish, leaving dragons in their place. Left behind in this rapidly changing world, Takumi, Raikoo, and their new friends must rally the remaining Raikoo masters together, in hopes of restoring Earth and bringing the people back.

Members of the original Season 1 cast have cameos - including Reiji, Maiko, Daisuke, Hikaru, Meguru, Chibi - offering aid to Takumi in his quest.

With the end of Part 2, the manga series concludes with a special ending.

Manga, Part 2: The Special Ending

In order to save the world, Rikyu and Earth join to become one, and the dragons disappear completely to become spirits. Twenty-seven years later, the game of Dragon Drive is relaunched.

Anime vs. Manga

The anime series has many characters that do not appear within the manga series. Additionally, the anime series, unlike the manga series, has not followed up with Part 2. As well as this, in the manga Reiji scores 31 on a test, where as in the anime he only scores a mere 27 points. Also noteworthy, Reiji, have after acquiring Shinsaber, only uses the sword a few times in the manga. However, he uses it several times in the anime.

Characters

All character names are same between the Japanese and English versions except for some of the monster names. For instance, Chibi is known as Chibisuke in the Japanese versions.

Anime/Manga Part 1

Human

Reiji Oozora (大空レイジ, Oozora Reiji^?) [Anime/Manga]

The main protagonist character. Due to his short attention span, he is renowned as a lazy quitter that never keeps any of his promises and is nicknamed 'The Tardy Champion'. Blackmailed by Maiko, he was dragged to Dragon Drive against his will, but became obsessed with the game after his first taste of victory. He has the ability to tame almost any dragon. His dragon is Chibi (Chibisuke in Japanese). When Chibi is fighting it can seems that Reiji and Chibi's actions are the same. Chibi gains a special sword in one of the episodes after he defeats a legendary dragon, Shinsaber. Many conflicts happens in his journey and he gains many allies.

Maiko Yukino (雪野麻衣子, Yukino Maiko^?) [Anime/Manga]

Reiji's childhood friend. She is always hugging and dragging Reiji to do things with her. She is tough and dislikes being patronized, often striving to prove herself as an equal to her comrades. She has a crush on Reiji that she is probably unaware of, and often gets jealous when any other girl appears to be showing signs of affection toward Reiji, such as Sayaka and Meguru.

Daisuke Hagiwara (萩原大介, Hagiwara Daisuke^?) [Anime/Manga]

A fellow schoolmate of Reiji and Maiko, he initially holds a grudge against Reiji for stealing Maiko's affection, but the two eventually become close friends. He thinks of Reiji as a rival, but Reiji does not think much of him, especially after Reiji's victory over Daisuke in their first battle against one another. In the earlier episodes, he often hangs around Kyoji, a popular jock at their school who is desired by the school's sports teams and girls. As an experienced Dragon Drive player, Daisuke is able to receive the Elemental Shift card, which he immediately tests out in a Dragon Drive match against a few virtual dragons. However, Chibi is the one who uses the card to defeat the strongest of the said dragons. Daisuke ends up in Rikyu along with Reiji, Chibi, and Maiko when Jigen Jouka opens a dimensional portal at the Dragon Drive training room's virtual simulation. He originally intends on competing in the Dragonic Heaven but is injured during the qualifying round by Lyn and Sue's dragons. Daisuke is a dependable ally of Reiji's who battles against the likes of Kohei, Guancu, and Shinryu. Daisuke usually says "My Sweet Honey" when referring to Maiko; he once scares her when his pants undo itself in front of her as he tries to cheer her up while Reiji is away on a quest to face Shinsaber.

Kyoji Tachibana [Anime]

Known as Reiji's best friend, he is an awesome Dragon Drive player who wants to challenge Reiji himself. He is impressed with Chibi's abilities. He is also the champion of A Block. Kyoji and Sayaka are seen together often; after growing suspicious of RI-ON and the game of Dragon Drive, they sneak into a room containing a dimensional portal machine owned by RI-ON and use the machine to enter Rikyu. Kyoji fights alongside Sayaka and Mukai in the Dragonic Heaven and then helps Reiji and the others in the fight against RI-ON. He is the one who finds an old feather that once belonged to Raitonaitsunaito, which not only implies that Kohei has been in Rikyu in the past but leads to Mahiru finding out that Kohei was the one responsible for the death of Yako, not Rokkaku. Towards the end of the anime, Kyoji makes a suggestion to Sayaka in which he will go out on a date with her after the two worlds are saved.

Sayaka Towa [Anime]

The best female Dragon Drive player in the world. Her dragon is even weaker in attack power than Chibi, but her dragon's attack makes her enemies fall victim to their own power. She seems to have a crush on Reiji, which makes Maiko unhappy. Sayaka wants to go to Rikyu because her dying grandmother told her that the Jinryuuseki could be used to grant wishes. However, she later learns from Obaba that the Jinryuuseki cannot grant wishes. Because Kohei had the Jinryuuseki, Sayaka decides to join him and betray Reiji and the others. Reiji later confronts her and tells her that she is very important to him and his friends. Once she hears this, Sayaka rejoins Reiji and the others. Towards the end of the series, Sayaka is asked out by Kyoji and says yes to him. She is the champion of C Block.

Hikaru Himuro (氷室 ヒカル, Himuro Hikaru^?) [Anime/Manga]

The super but rather violent champion of dragon drive player and Reiji's biggest rival. He was recruited by RI-ON as a soldier, but doesn't seem to care for anybody or anything. His true intentions are unknown, and Reiji is the only person he sees any interest in. He later defects from RI-ON to pursue Reiji with the intention of challenging him to a showdown. Himuro later goes on the same quest as Reiji to gain the power of Shinsaber, but Reiji was successful in gaining this particular power. Nevertheless, towards the end, he is a big help in the fight against RI-ON and Shinryu. He is shown somewhat afraid of ghosts and supernaturals, because he fainted when he saw the skeleton dragon on the abandoned mansion with Reiji.

Ichiro Sumishiba (純柴 一郎, Sumishiba Ichirō^?) [Anime/Manga]

One of Reiji's rivals who works for RI-ON. Struggling to fulfill his family's high expectations, he strives to defeat Hikaru and take his place as the number one Dragon Drive player in the world. Ichiro fought alongside Kohei and Himuro during the Dragonic Heaven. He later betrays RI-ON and joins up with Reiji's comrades to save the two worlds. The main reason why he went to Rikyu was because Agent L wanted him to bring Meguru back home. Prior to the events in the series, Agent L helped a struggling Ichiro become a great Dragon Drive player; it is later suggested that he developed feelings for her. Ichiro acts as Meguru's protector and is a dependable ally once he joins Reiji's side. He has the habit of saying to defeat his opponents in 10 minutes. He is the champion of B Block.

Agent L [Anime/Manga]

The announcer of Dragon Drive matches. Ever since Reiji's first lucky victory against Daisuke, she has been keeping a constant eye on him. Encouraging his progress, she introduces him to a special training simulation room to boost his skills. Agent L has a little sister named Meguru who she wishes to see even after Meguru became a traitor to RI-ON. At first, Agent L willingly goes along with RI-ON's plans of putting Earth and Rikyu at risk for the sake of resurrecting Shinryu; she even disregards Meguru's warnings about how evil and dangerous RI-ON is. As the anime progresses, Agent L realizes that Meguru's warnings about RI-ON were true and works towards stopping them, at the cost of Saizou Toki having her locked up in a storage closet. Towards the end of the anime, she herself enters Dragon Drive and saves Meguru from falling off Jigen Jouka by grabbing her arm. In the final episode, Agent L allows Meguru to remain in Rikyu and promises to visit her; in the epilogue, Agent L continues to announce Dragon Drive matches.

Agent S [Anime/Manga]

A mysterious member of RI-ON. Not much is known about him, except that he is close friends with Agent L, a chain smoker, and a superb computer programmer. He acts as a double agent for RI-ON and Agent L; once, under Saizou's orders, he loads a dimensional portal for Kohei and Hideaki to use to return to Earth, yet, using his computer skills, he unlocks the code used to keep Agent L locked inside the storage room. In the epilogue, Agent S changes the program that uses personality data to match Dragon Drive players with dragons in order to avoid Chibi from being involved in Dragon Drive again. However, this doesn't work because Chibi is once again matched with Reiji.

Rokkaku (ロッカク^?) [Anime/Manga]

from Rikyu. He first challenges Reiji to a showdown for stealing his spot in the tournament, but quickly agrees to join his team and help him. He is a strong foe who went crazy during the last tournament, and seeks revenge on Kohei who took out one of his eyes and killed his best friend Yako. Usually a rough, uncouth drunkard, he has a strong sense of righteousness, and is greatly loyal to his comrades. Rokkaku fights alongside Reiji and Maiko in the Dragonic Heaven; when Reiji and the others go to Gwanku's castle to defeat Gwanku, Rokkaku stays behind at the tournament, unable to fight against Kohei, Ichiro, and Himuro in the final round because the rules state that in order to fight in the tournament all teammates must be present. Rokkaku often battles with Mahiru, who believes that he was the one who caused his brother Yako's death. He has 2 brothers: Hakkaku and Gokkaku. In the epilogue, Rokkaku gives Thunderbolt to Gokkaku and gains ownership of Shadow Fang, the late Mukai's dragon.

Mahiru [Anime]

Yako's little brother. He blames Rokaku for his brother's death and seeks revenge, so he teams up with Kohei to get closer to him. However, unaware to him, Kohei is the one responsible for Yako's death. Later in the series, Kyoji finds an old feather that once belonged to Raitonaitsunaito, suggesting that Kohei has been in Rikyu in the past. Once Kyoji tells his friends this surprising news, Mahiru learns the truth that Kohei caused his big brother's death and allies himself with Reiji and the others. When Maiko asks Rokkaku why he didn't tell Mahiru the truth from the start, he said that Mahiru wouldn't have believed him anyway. Although Mahiru fought alongside with Rokkaku against Kohei, he still wasn't ready to forgive him for what happened to Yako.

Miss Sue [Anime/Manga]

She is the younger of the two twins that Reiji faces. She, like her brother, was possessed by Darxs because she felt she was alone in the world. The only one that she and her brother could trust was their guardian Sally.

Master Lyn [Anime/Manga]

He is the older of the two twins. He was also possessed by Darxs because he too felt he was alone in the world. Like Sue, the only one Lin could trust was their guardian Sally.

Sally [Anime/Manga]

The guardian of the twins. She knows that Sue and Lin were never paid attention to by their parents, even though they were bought everything they wanted. Although she follows their orders, she seeks Reiji's help to save Sue and Lin from the dark influence of Darx, knowing that she will consequently be killed by RI-ON for betraying them.

Kohei Toki (戸岐航平, Toki Kōhei^?) [Anime/Manga]

Working for RI-ON, he is the son of RI-ON's President Saizou Toki. He has been trained to fight in Dragon Drive ever since he was little, proving to be a very powerful elite and the strongest of his team. Toki seems to try to gains his father's love by doing whatever his father tells him to, though he is not fully aware of what will happen when his father has the Jinryuuseki. While his main dragon is Raitonaitsunaito, he also has Darxs and attempts to control Shinryu in the anime, instead becoming possessed by the dragon itself. Kohei is very successful in winning the Dragonic Heaven, acquiring the Jinryuuseki, and resurrecting Shinryu. In volume seven of the manga, he calls Reiji annoying and attempts to kill him. Later, however, it is he who nears death, is picked up by his father, and is told that he was "truly the hero." In the anime, Kohei comes to the conclusion that Saizou was never his biological father and that he was only adopted by him in order to help achieve RI-ON's ultimate goal: to resurrect Shinryu. Once he becomes one with Shinryu, he not helps the dragon tap into its full power but also lets him squeeze Saizou and his dragon to death inside one of his claws. Once Senkoukura finally defeats Shinryu, Kohei dies along with it without regretting his evil deeds.

Saizou Toki [Anime/Manga]

The president of RI-ON and the adoptive father of Kohei and Hideaki. Years before the events in the series, he visited Rikyu and loved how peaceful and pure the world was. However, he soon ended up back at Earth and realized that it was riddled with war and destruction. Saizou then came to the belief that if Shinryu was resurrected, both worlds would become a paradise. In the anime, Saizou never showed any love toward his sons. When Kohei returned to Earth after winning the Dragonic Heaven and obtaining the Jinryuuseki, he was slapped by his father because he was supposed to stay in Rikyu and finish his mission. Towards the end of the anime, Saizou had Hideaki temporarily removed from Dragon Drive after the boy learned that he was a computer program created only to help RI-ON achieve its goals. Saizou is later crushed to death along with his dragon by Shinryu, still believing that the evil dragon can create a paradise for Earth and Rikyu, not contribute to the destruction of both worlds.

Mukai [Anime]

Mukai is one of the sole living member of his clan, that came under the attack of an evil dragon named Gwonku. He is looking for his mother and trying to avenge the destruction of his clan by searching for Gwonku. He has a crush on Sayaka Towa, who he mistakes for his mother when they first met and uses him to get closer to the Jinryuuseki. His team in the Dragonic Heaven consists of himself, Sayaka, and Kyoji; this team is defeated by the team made up of Reiji, Maiko, and Rokkaku. Mukai is finally able to avenge his mother's death by defeating Gwonku, with the help of Reiji, Maiko, Daisuke, Kyoji, and Sayaka, at the cost of Kohei's team winning the Dragonic Heaven and Kohei gaining possession of the Jinryuuseki. He is killed when he takes a blow for Rokkaku from Kohei and dies by the waterfall. At his burial place, the pendant containing a picture of him and his mother is placed around a rock that acts as his tombstone.

Gokkaku [Anime/Manga]

Rokkaku's little brother and the true successor to Senkoukura. Trying to prove himself worthy as the true successor, he steals Chibi and goes on a quest of bravery. However, he fails to even release Chibi's true form of Senkoukura. When Reiji comes to his rescue, Gokaku finally recognizes him as the true master, no longer hindering him and later helping him. Although he acts like a spoiled brat, he only wants to help everyone, but is constantly ignored because he doesn't truly own a dragon. In the epilogue, Gokkaku is seen riding on Thunderbolt while Rokkaku is seen riding on Shadow Fang, implying that Gokkaku now owns Thunderbolt while Rokkaku now owns Shadow Fang.

Meguru (メグル^?) [Anime/Manga]

Agent L's younger sister and a traitor to RI-ON. She once tried to help in the plot to take over Rikyu, but she defected when she was saved by the people of Rikyu and came to realize the truth about Dragon Drive. She has made a home for herself in Rikyu, and is the chosen heir for Rikyu's leader. Meguru is seen riding a red dragon a few times in the series but uses Jigen Jouka twice, once to bring Reiji, Maiko, and Daisuke to Rikyu and once to create a dimensional portal for Reiji and his friends to use to leave Rikyu to stop Kohei from resurrecting Shinryu and RI-ON from destroying both worlds. In the final episode, Meguru tells Agent L that she loves Rikyu and its people and wishes to stay there; Agent L allows her to stay and promises to visit her. In the epilogue, Meguru is seen studying in a library in Rikyu with Obaba.

Hideaki [Anime]

A young boy transported to Rikyu by RI-ON. When he first arrives in Rikyu, he lies to Reiji and the others that he is a Dragon Drive champion; Reiji and the others are surprised that he could be a champion at such a young age and come to the conclusion that he is very powerful. He also tells Kohei that he is his younger brother. He's even stronger than Kohei and tricks Reiji and the others into trusting them (although Chibi took an instant dislike to him). He then betrays them and reveals he is with RI-ON. He is in love with Meguru and always wants to prove his strength. However, something isn't quite right with him. A running gag in the anime involves Hideaki not using honorifics (-san and -kun for example) when referring to Kohei; this tends to irritate Kohei, who thinks that Hideaki should be more respectful towards him given that he is the "older brother". Hideaki helps Kohei until they leave Rikyu and arrive in the virtual city in Dragon Drive. Once Saizou arrives in the virtual city, Kohei comes to the conclusion that he was never their biological father. In addition, it is revealed that Hideaki is actually a computer program that was created only to help further RI-ON's plans. Once Hideaki learns the truth, Saizou has him temporarily removed from Dragon Drive. However, Hideaki is able to return to Dragon Drive and help Reiji and the others defeat Kohei and Shinryu. After Kohei and Shinryu are defeated, Hideaki says farewell to Meguru and remains in Dragon Drive.

Shiro Kurosawa [Anime]

A young man who only appeared in Episode 19 and has a habit of ending most sentences with the suffix "-su". He was accidentally transported to Rikyuu through no fault of his own and met Eager-Striker, a dragon who became his first friend. When the group met him, he claimed he hated dragons and had locked his own partner away in a cave due to a misunderstanding between them (he thought Eager-Striker had attacked him, but Eager-Striker was trying to destroy a type of miniature dragon that drinks human blood). He and his dragon eventually become friends again, with the wish that Kurosawa would become worthy of his dragon.

Silver [Manga]

A girl who first appeared in volume five when Reiji ended up in a dungeon while searching for a place to spend the night. She made a promise to a dragon king, Kobakukono, that she would protect his child, Kokko, but later found out that the "child" was actually a reincarnated, younger form of the king.

Hysteric Rose [Manga]

The leader of the organization Ninety-Nine Gorgeous. She hunts for rare dragons and slaughters the rest for huge amounts of money, but also wants to protect her turf from RI-ON. Rose hunted for Kobakukono, asking him to transform in a stronger, younger body so he could fight with her.

Sun Wols [Anime/Manga]

The previous champion of the Dragonic Heaven tournament. He immediately takes a liking to Reiji and calls himself "Reiji Oozora's Number One Fan". In his first appearance in the anime, he disguises himself and keeps his identity a secret by wearing a big dark blue hat and big orange sunglasses; in addition, he wears a toothy grin on his face. He finally reveals his true identity when he and his dragon save Reiji and his friends from three gang members and their dragons the night before the first round of the Dragonic Heaven. San Waltz is very helpful to Reiji and his friends because of his knowledge of Rikyu. For example, later in the series, he tells them about Bloody Mary, a woman who was once a great dragon master. In the current Dragonic Heaven tournament, San Waltz's teammates and their dragons are easily defeated by Kohei's Raitonaitsunaito. In the epilogue, San Waltz is seen practicing with a wooden sword near a waterfall.

Dragons

Chibisuke/Chibi (チビスケ) a.k.a. Senkoukura (The Chosen One) [Anime/Manga]

Light-elemental. Reiji's dragon and the long awaited savior of Rikyu. As Chibi, he appears to be the weakest dragon, but in his true form as Senkoukura, he is the most powerful of all dragons, and worshipped as a deity by some. He is also able to change his element such as dark or fire. He looks like a traditional European dragon, only upright, in his true form. His "chibi" form is a small white dragon with tiny wings and fur. His strength and abilities can alter depending on Reiji's emotional state. His signature attack is a devastating blast of energy, "Lightning Wave", that destroys everything in its path. In the manga, it is revealed that Chibi was named after a white dog Reiji used to have.

Cholaoo/Goraoh [Anime/Manga]

Earth-elemental. Maiko's dragon partner. Goraoh is very loyal and protective of its partner. He is a dragon with the appearance of a shisa (a lion dog guardian). Even though it has wings, it cannot fly.

Medina Heaven [Anime/Manga]

Light-elemental. A little unicorn-type dragon that accompanies Maiko and her friends on their quest. Maiko calls it Rinrin (Rinrin-chan in Japan). Said to bring good luck to those who see it.

Jigen Jouka [Anime/Manga]

Light-elemantal.Capable of opening portals to other worlds.

Kanpa [Anime/Manga]

Ice-elemental dragon. Very loyal, Kampa resembles a cross between a wolf and a dragon. In the manga, Kampa can create blizzards freezing everything in the area. He belongs to Daisuke Hagiwara, and is Reiji's first opponent in Dragon Drive.

Air Blast [Anime]

Water-elemental. Kyoji's dragon. Very powerful against liquid dragons. He has the basic oriental wingless dragon form, although several small wings surround his head.

Floral Fern [Anime]

Earth-elemental. Sayaka's dragon. A rather avian dragon, with the lowest attack of any dragon. However, Floral Fern fights by altering the opponents abilities.

Kokao [Anime/Manga]

Light-elemental. Hikaru's first dragon, but its use was abandoned after its defeat to Senkoukura. Capable of creating illusions and mirages.

Kanopus [Anime/Manga]

Dark-elemental. Hikaru's second dragon in place of Koakoh. Is said to be capable of shapechange.

Junranshi [Anime/Manga]

Dark-elemental. One of Ichiro's many dragons. Has infrared eyesight and can hear sounds humans can't, making it an excellent tracker.

Hayate Slash [Anime/Manga

Wind-elemental. One of Ichiro's many dragons, and is often favored for its high speed and power.

Thunderbolt [Anime/Manga]

Lightning-elemental. Rokaku's second dragon. Originally belonged to Yako. Has the same basic body form as Senkoukura. Like Rokaku, Thunderbolt is missing an eye. Will charge straight at enemies and taunt them. Its special attack can cripple even the Senkoukura.

Kashiniki [Anime/Manga]

Fire-elemental. Sue's dragon.

En-ouji [Anime/Manga]

Ice-elemental. Lin's dragon. Uses deadly white flames to incinerate everything.

Darx [Anime/Manga]

Dark-elemental. Kohei Toki's ghost-type dragon and companion. Darx considers himself to be a dragon that isn't a dragon and a ghost that isn't a ghost. Capable of possessing people by feeding on the darkness in their souls. The darker the soul, the stronger the possession. In episode 10, it is revealed by Sally that Master Lyn and Miss Sue are being possessed by Darx. Darx then reveals himself to Reiji and Senkoukura and says that if he is killed, the twins will die along with him. Fortunately, Reiji and Senkoukura defeat Darx, and Lyn and Sue are released from his control. After Kohei wins the Dragonic Heaven and gains the Jinryuuseki, he has Darx eat the three priests who act as referees in the tournament and who lead him to the Jinryuuseki in order for him to see it. Darx is last seen in a nightmare Reiji has in which he fails to save Maiko from being kidnapped by Kohei, who is riding on the dragon.

Raitonaitsunaito/Light Night Knight [Anime/Manga]

Wind-elemental. Kohei Toki's phoenix-type dragon. Extremely durable and quick, it can shoot feathers at high speed and create barriers at will. In the manga, Raitonaitsunaito was a light dragon who evolved into a dark one. In the anime, Reiji and his friends' dragons are never able to defeat Raitonaitsunaito; Kohei uses it until he decides to become Shinryu's host towards the end of the series.

Shadow Fang [Anime]

Dark-elemental. Mukai's dragon. Has regenerative abilities.

Guan-Coo/Gwancoo [Anime/Manga]

A large rotund evil dragon who rules over the city of Yaudim. In the anime version, he rules the city on his own, is the sponsor of the Dragonic Heaven, and has captured Mukai's mother, holding her prisoner, until Daisuke finds her dead. In the past he destroyed a town, killing all of its citizens, including Rin-Rin's original owner. When the final round of the Dragonic Heaven took place, Reiji, Maiko, Daisuke, Kyoji, Sayaka, Mukai, and their dragons went to Guan-Coo's castle and defeated him with Shadow Fang delivering the final blow. In the manga, he rules Yaudim, but is actually very childish and has a close human advisor who actually handles all internal affairs, making him seem less evil. He also has a crush on Maiko, who resents his advances until she learns of the relationship he once had with the female singer who originally owned Rin-Rin.

Guancu (Deadly Form) [Manga]

Dark-elemental. Guancu's true form that emerges from the belly of the original. A stark contrast to his rotund form as this body is highly muscled and berserk. He transforms into this after the palace was attacked by Kohei. He risked his life to protect Maiko and Sumishiba by using his true form to shield the flower garden from Kohei's Dynamo Spark dragon's powerful beam, although neither of them saw his true form since he had hid the two in a shelter under the tombstone in the garden prior to the attack.

Eager-Striker [Anime]

Kurosawa's dragon. His right arm is much bigger than his left and uses it as his primary means of attacking (he can fire off his claws and retract them on rope-like structures). He does not appear to have a breath weapon like other dragons.

Crystal Gene [Anime]

Hideaki's dragon. He is purple with green crystal structures jutting out of his head and shoulders. His crystals are the main source of his attacks, being able to fire beams of energy and project strong forcefields. He is a balanced offense/defense dragon.

Kobakukono/Kono [Manga]

Silver's dragon. He is proud and regal, and fights only for himself. When taken by Rose, he promised Silver that he would return to her if he should die. He also told her to raise his "child", Kokko. Later, it is revealed that he had no child after all, but was simply in the form of one. Kono is a bird-like dragon, although not as much as Raitonaitsunaito: his head is that of an eagle's, his body is covered in feathers, and his paws are similar to that of talons. He is also one of the few dragons that can talk.

Shinryu [Anime/Manga]

A dragon whose very awakening means the end of the world, Shinryu is the very void itself and was awoken at the true power of Senkoukura. It was said that he twice nearly destroyed rikyu but was sealed away by the shishin ryu, senkokoura and shin-saber. He was reawakened by Kohei but when senkokoura's true powers were revealed he unwillingly released the seals on shinryu. He was defeated by Reiji when Hikaru arrived with shin-saber which fused to senkokoura's arm and they once again sealed shinryu away. In the anime Shinryu needed a host in order to tap into his hidden power; Kohei willingly agreed to be the host and consequently became one with him. Once Shinryu regained his power, he easily killed Saizou Toki and his dragon by squeezing them to death in one of his claws. Reiji and his friends had a difficult time defeating Shinryu given that he was ten times bigger than all of their dragons. In Episode 37, Shinryu teleported Reiji, Maiko, Daisuke, Meguru, Kyoji, Sayaka, and Ichiro out of the virtual city in Dragon Drive and back to Earth in order to get rid of them, leaving Rokkaku, Mahiru and San Waltz (all of whom are from Rikyu) to battle him. Luckily, Reiji and his friends were able to return back to the virtual city. Shinryu also has the ability to create a dark Shinsaber, which he attempted to use to defeat Reiji and Senkoukura. Shinryu, along with Kohei were finally defeated by Senkoukura in its true form.

Manga Part 2

Humans

Takumi Yukino

Maiko's little brother, and the new protagonist. A habitual daydreamer, he prefers activities like bonsai, napping and others that are preferred by much older folk. After receiving his first set of Dragon Drive cards, he decides to give the game a try. For fear of his sister's wrath, he passes off as "Matsu Goro", but gets found out by Agent L. He vows to restore Raikoo's memory.In the epuloge it is revealed he married Arisa and has two children.

Kenji Koto

One of the Dragon Drive's original competitors, he wanted revenge on "Matsu Goro" for smashing his face in (an accident on Takumi's part). However, because of his underestimating the newbie, he was defeated and lost his placing in the competition. Later, after finding out about "Matsu Goro's" true identity, he forgives Takumi for the earlier incident, and soon becomes one of his best friends.

Hiyoshi

A rich, charismatic Dragon Drive player who passes off as a gentle, sweet-natured boy, but is actually a bully who steals high-leveled cards in order to defeat his opponents. After getting caught red-handed by Takumi, he attempted to frame Takumi and steal his cards. However, after a showdown between the two, Hiyoshi's true nature was revealed, and he fled the building before Takumi could beat him.

Koizumi-tenchou

The barrel-chested storekeeper of one of the Dragon Drive outlets. After Agent L redirected Takumi to his store, he eventually took Takumi under his wing and became his mentor, teaching him how to become a powerful Dragon Drive player.

Maria Tsukimi

A girl with a habit of violently plucking grass when she's frustrated. After getting cruelly dumped by Taro, she swore to defeat him in Dragon Drive and make him submit to her punishment once and for all. Although powerful, she underestimated the combined strategies of Takumi and Taro, and was defeated quickly.

Taro Otohime

A lazy Dragon Drive player with a short attention span. Because he is often bored and takes interest in few things, he passes the time by sleeping (even in the middle of a national Dragon Drive competition). However, he is one of the top players, and is next to unbeatable. He commands a Raikoo named Anima.

Bunroku Azuma

A short, but impressive young man, and leader of a large gang. He loathes being belittled, and often strives to prove himself as a true man. One of the top players, he is Taro's rival, and originally planned to defeat him in the national competition. However, because Takumi forfeited his placing and left the competition, Azuma was offended and decided to hunt Takumi down and fight him.

Neko Chihoda

She was first found in the park by Agent A after RI-ON made its move. She freaks out when she sees the damage that was done. She hates being left alone and prefers to stick with Takumi. She's also good with computers.

Makoto Rikudo

A backstreet Dragon Drive player. He inheirited both the identity and the Raikoo card of a backstreet champion named Komei so other people would leave him alone. In the end, he agrees to join Takumi's group and helps them recruit more Raikou Masters for their cause.

Arisa

A mysterious girl who makes use of special Dragon Drive boosts and anti-Dragon weaponry in order to become a powerful hunter. Originally detained by RI-IN, she was released on the condition that she find Takumi's party and eliminate them. Despite her fighting ability, she has a lousy sense of direction.In the epuloge it is revealed she married Takumi and had 2 kids

Tetsuya

Arisa's older brother and one of the original members of RI-ON's Rikyu Invasion Team, who was later taken off. He joined the RI-IN project for riches and glory, but ended up trapped in Raikoo's mind as a creature called 'Bug'.

Commander Araki

The leader of RI-ON. He believes that humanity needs to evolve and become like the dragons in order to bring about the "ideal" world. He and a number of followers have already successfully evolved into a human/dragon hybrids.

Agent L

Still the famous announcer of the Dragon Drive game, and still unwilling to admit her age. After Takumi accidentally won a placing in the upcoming Dragon Drive National Tournament, she sent him to Koizumi-tenchou's store to train.

Agent A

An old man who used to work under RI-IN as a scientist, but defected when he learned of Araki's dangerous plans. He was the one who gave Takumi his first set of Dragon Drive cards, and taught the boy to understand his new dragon and the world of Rikyu.

Agent I

One of the agents working for RI-ON. He is considered one of the leaders appointed by Araki, and commanderes other agents to apprehend any defectors and take back the cards Agent A distributed.

Agent S

One of the agents working for RI-ON. Under Agent I's supervision, he continues to do what he does best by keeping track of the important data.

Agent J

One of the agents working for RI-ON. A hopelessly lazy slacker, he attempted to bomb a Dragon Drive center in order to make his job easier. However, Takumi and Reiji managed to foil his plan, though he did not appear to care about it.

Agent V

One of the defecting agents. Agent J managed to apprehend him, but he escaped in a chaotic situation involving a berserk dragon. In the aftermath of that same chaotic situation, he found and aided Takumi's group for a short while before going into hiding once more.

Maiko Yukino

While searching for her "missing" brother, she was called by Meguru to return to Rikyu and help defend the two worlds once more. She also helped Meguru to convince Takumi to gather all the Raikou-ou masters at Mt. Fuji to be transported to Rikyu. Although more composed and mature, she is still a tough, hardy character who cares about her brother and is unafraid to say her piece.

Daisuke Hagiwara

While helping Maiko look for Takumi, he too was called by Meguru to return to Rikyu and help defend the two worlds once more. He still has a heavy crush on Maiko, and showed much jealousy toward Ichiro's friendly encouragement to her.

Ichiro Sumishiba

He was called by Meguru to return to Rikyu and help defend the two worlds. No longer as arrogant as in his younger days, he is a thoughtful character who cares about his friends. He also appears to have a friendly relationship with Maiko, and gives her encouragement.

Meguru

Now the leader of Rikyu. She called Reiji, Maiko, Daisuke and Ichiro via Agent L's email to meet up with her. Because Reiji was late, Meguru only brought Maiko, Daisuke and Ichiro with her back to Rikyu. With the three of them and Hikaru's help, she managed to open a portal to allow the Raikou-ou masters on Earth to come to Rikyu as well.

Reiji Ozora

Still as lazy as ever, he has hardly changed since his younger days. Because he overslept and missed the meeting with Meguru, he did not go back to Rikyu straight away. Instead, Agent S managed to bring him back to Earth to help fight against RI-ON's power.

Rokkaku

Although no longer as drunk, he is still loud and uncouth. More powerful than before, he took it upon himself to train the Dragon Drive players from Earth and prepare them to fight against RI-ON.

Hikaru Himuro

Having stayed behind in Rikyu since the last world crisis, he has been training himself for his showdown with Reiji. At Meguru's request, he returned to Earth to do two things: to open the portal that would lead the Raikou-ou masters into Rikyu, and to return Chibi to Reiji. Hikaru's Mentor, Jaden, told him to keep his eyes closed so that he could read movements with his "soul".

Master

Owner of the shop and Agent L's Brother

Dragons

Chiwawan

Fire-elemental. A small dog-like dragon. First appeared in Kenji's and Takumi's first battle, but was destroyed easily by Hishagurebekko.

Hishagurebekko

Wind-elemental. Kenji used his Dragon during his first match with Takumi.

Tenrai

Lightning-elemental. A large black wingless dragon that was first used in Kenji's and Takumi's first battle.

Maitowein

Shell-elemental. A powerful, sword-wielding dragon which Hiyoshi uses.

Purantomijinko

Lightning-elemental. Small dragons that attack in groups; they were used to weaken Maitowein's sword.

Haikadoki

Earth-elemental.

Little Kraken

Water-elemental. Appeared briefly in the Hiyoshi vs. Takumi fight, but was knocked out (K.O.).

Sunoragen

Water-elemental.

Penmarun

Water-elemental. A penguin type dragon.

Suikoo

Water-elemental.

Palight

Light-elemental. A dragon that attacks with bright light which hypnotizes the opponent.

Gust Attacker

Wind-elemental. Can create wind which knocks out multiple opponents.

Hinder

Earth-elemental. A stealthy dragon controlled by Bunroku.

Dokudenpa

Lightning-elemental. A dragon that was chasing Neko, until Raikoo defeated him.

Aruen

Light-elemental. Koizumi-tenchou's wolf-type dragon.

Gon

Dark-elemental. A dragon belonging to a young unnamed raider.

L Air Strike

Earth-elemental. A bomb-dragon created by RI-IN that operates in packs. Used by Agent J to strike at a Dragon Drive center.

Orca Eel/Denki-Okautsubon

Lightning-elemental. Although weak, this eel-type dragon is highly intelligent. The one in Takumi's card set even directed its very own television broadcast in order for Takumi to alert all of Japan's Raikou-ou masters.

RFD-103A Gladius

Non-elemental. Created by RI-IN to aid Arisa, it is capable of flight as well as storing all of her anti-dragon weaponry.

Canopus

Dark-elemental. Having newly reincarnated in Rikyu, Canopus has become more powerful, capable of taking out one of RI-IN's anti-dragon missiles with a single blast.

Clabat

Dark-elemental. One of RI-IN's human/dragon hybrid agents that was sent to destroy the portal and prevent the Raikou-ou masters from leaving Earth.

Chibisuke a.k.a. Senkoukura

After full recuperation in Rikyu, Chibisuke was returned to Reiji by Hikaru under Megeru's request. However, Chibisuke was initially unable to become Senkoukura, and was stuck in its much, much weaker form.

Thunder Bolt

Since its last upgrade, Thunder Bolt remains the supreme of might in terms of lightning power, easily disciplining the Raikou-ous while resuming their training.

Gouraou

Upon Maiko's return to Rikyu, the two were reunited. Gouraou appears to have evolved since he was last seen in Season 1.

Kanpa

Upon Daisuke's return to Rikyu, the two were reunited. Kanpa is probably stronger, but Daisuke's excitement over impressing Maiko caused a few slip-ups in the midst of battle.

Hayate Slash

Upon Ichiro's return to Rikyu, the two were reunited. Hayate Slash is stronger as well, and holds out well in battle.

Genryu

A dragon whose power may even be greater than Shinryu's. After taking a fatal attack from Senkokura and Reiji, Genryu summoned the Jinryu Stone to merge with it, combining itself with Shinryu, and making it the ultimate dragon.

Raikou-ou

Raikou-ou (Raikou-ō): There are 99 listed Raikou-ous all over Japan, each slightly different. Some are of other elements, but most of them are lightning-elemental.

Raikou-ou/Raikou-ou Idea

Lightning-elemental. The main Raikou-ou that Agent A placed in Takumi's care. Raikou-ou has lost his memory of the past, which has been locked away together with his power as Raikou-ou Idea.

Raikou-ou Anima

Water Elemental. A Raikou-ou used by Taro. Capable of manipulating water in all its forms, her power is determined by how many of Taro's dragons were defeated before she was materialized.

Raikou-ou Schumacher

Wind Elemental. A Raikou-ou previously used by Koumei, a Reverse DD champion, now passed to Makoto and then Kenji. His speed, if not faster, is as fast as Edea's.

Raikou-ou Flashness

Light Elemental. A Raikou-ou used by Takashi Himetone, another Reverse DD champion. Has a glowing body and remarkable speed. Able to shoot light wave to damage the enemies.

Raizoo

A tiny one horned dragon that stays with Neko most of the time. Raizoo is somewhat of a baby Raikou-ou as when Raikou-ou Idea lost all of his energy, he reverted back into a tiny dragon that looked like Raizo.

Black Raikou

Void elemental. After Araki obsorbed Idea's powers he transformed into a Black Raikou, it traveled to Rikyu to capture, and absorb the remaining Raikous, then it returned to Earth to capture Idea, afterwords it transformed into Genryu.

Manga Part 2: The Special Ending

This ending follows up on twenty-seven years after Rikyu and Earth joined to become one. Despite the entirely new cast of characters, the series of Dragon Drive has been declared as "complete", and there has been no claims toward another season as of yet.

Takuro

The firstborn son of Takumi and Arisa. He takes after his father completely in terms of appearance as well as personality.

Alice

The younger sister of Takuro, and daughter of Takumi and Arisa. She takes after her mother in terms of appearance and personality, and shares a close relationship with her older brother Takuro.

Reichi

The firstborn son of Reiji and Maiko. He takes after his father completely in terms of appearance as well as personality. In addition, he has an older brother complex that causes him to react greatly to his little sister's boyfriend.

Mariko

The younger sister of Reichi, and daughter of Reiji and Maiko. She takes after her mother in terms of appearance, but is a little less of a tomboy than Maiko had been.

Hagiwara-sempai

The son of Daisuke. He takes after Daisuke in appearance, but acts more casually than his father. Good friends with Rai-ichi and Kouhei, he is also Mariko's "boyfriend", and often keeps her company.

Toki

Reichi's best friend. More carefree and innocent than the Kouhei of Anime/Manga Season 1, he looks no different appearance-wise.

Sumishiba-sempai

The son of Ichiro. He takes after his father both appearance and personality-wise, and is rather cocky.

Akari

The son of Hikaru. He takes after his father both appearance and personality-wise. Reiji and Hikaru's rivalry has also passed down to their sons, and the two continue to compete with each other.

Ikkaku

A look-alike of Rockaku (not stated as Rockaku's son). He is fond of Kouhei and often takes care of the younger boy.

Agent L

Hired back to once again announce Dragon Drive games. It is confirmed to be the original Agent L, but, surprisingly, she has not aged at all (with Agent S and Koizumi calling her a monster). She is also the same personality-wise. She, Agent S and Koizumi-tenchou continue to share a close relationship.

Agent S

Hired back to once again oversee the data and technicalities behind Dragon Drive. He's still as much a chain smoker as before. He, Agent L and Koizumi-tenchou continue to share a close relationship.

Koizumi-tenchou

Hired as one of the staff for the main Dragon Drive game center. He, Agent L and Agent S continue to share a close relationship.

President Takumi Yukino

The new leader behind Dragon Drive's relaunch. He hired back the original as well as new staff in hope of once again reviving the game and bringing the dragons back - perhaps this time without any more threats to the world's welfare.

Dr. Reiji Ozora

Now heading his own private veterinary clinic.

Misc

Art submissions

At the end of almost every manga volume, two to four pages of thumbnail-scans containing submitted artwork for Dragon Drive are displayed for the reader's viewing pleasure (in the American release, the pages are divided, with one at the end of each "chapter"). There is also mention of the winning piece along with "character commentary".

Mini-manga

In the manga series, Ken-ichi Sakura adds a little section of mini-manga at the end, between the actual storyline and the art section.

Usually, it's just a fictional, light-hearted spoof off his life as a manga artist. His cast consists mainly of vegetables, although there is some confusion as to what Ken-ichi Sakura portrayed himself as tangerine. There is also a two-legged dragon, a humanoid rabbit, and a law enforcer/angel of unidentified species among his strange cast of characters.

Toward the end of the manga series, another mini-Manga is added, following the comical story of a character - always dressed like a cowboy with a pet penguin as his sidekick - in his great quest to become a legendary Dragon Drive player. Along with the manga series, this Manga came to an end in book 14.

These mini-manga are usually very funny, usually making fun of Ken-ichi Sakura.

Voice actors

Character	Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Reiji Ozora	Romi Paku	Brad Swaile
Chibisuke	Chinami Nishimura	Tabitha St. Germain
Maiko Yukino	Yūko Sasamoto	Brittney Irvin
Daisuke Hagiwara	Michael Shitanda	Samuel Vincent
San Waltz	Yūki Matsuda	Andrew Toth
Hikaru Himuro	Kenichi Suzumura	Michael Adamthwaite
Kyoji Tachibana	Tomokazu Sugita	Andrew Francis
Sayaka Towa	Yukana	Willow Johnson
Ichirō Sumishiba	Issei Miyazaki	Bill Switzer
Meguru	Sayaka Ohara	Chiara Zanni
Ensui	Kiri Yoshizawa	Pam Hyatt
Rokkaku	Takehito Koyasu	Lee Tockar
Gokaku	Tomo Saeki	N/A
Komaki	Hikaru Tokita	N/A
Mahiru	Kenji Nojima	N/A
Kōhei Toki	Kōhei Kiyasu	Richard Ian Cox
Saizō Toki	Ryūzaburō Ōtomo	Scott McNeil
Agent L	Emi Shinohara	Lisa Ann Beley
Agent G	Jun Fukuyama	Ted Cole
Mukai	Rica Matsumoto	Michael Coleman
Gwonku	Kazuo Oka	N/A
Agent S	Takaya Kuroda	Adam Henderson
Sally	Akemi Okamura	Nicole Leroux
Sue	Miyu Matsuki	Chantal Strand

Video games

Several video games have been released based on the Dragon Drive franchise. They include Dragon Drive: Tactics Break for PlayStation, Dragon Drive: World D Break for Game Boy Advance, and Dragon Drive: D-Masters Shot on GameCube.

External links

Anime and manga portal

• Dragon Drive on TV.com
• Dragon Drive (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Dragon Drive (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Dragon Drive at Shueisha (Japanese)
• Dragon Drive at Carddas (Japanese)