The first anime inspired by Bandai's Battle Spirits trading card game. It premiered in Japan in 2008 as part of TV Asahi's Sunday Morning Kids block. There was also a manga series serialized in Kero Kero Ace about about the same time. The anime was lighter and softer than both the manga, and its successor, Battle Spirits Shonen Gekiha Dan.The series focuses on Toppa Bashin, a 12-year-old idiotred-headed hero in love with Battle Spirits. Of course, his favorite attribute is red. He goes through daily school life and battles his friendly rivals J, Striker and Suiren. It's a slice of life series, with very little ongoing plot, but things do get more serious at about the half way point.Also see Battle Spirits Heroes for the 4th series in the franchise.This show provides examples of:
Accidental Athlete: When Bashin runs down a track one episode to try and catch a runaway Aibou, beating all his school’s runners, all the sports teams try to recruit him. Of course, he has no interest in joining any team.
Actually, I Am Him: Subverted in Bashin’s first meeting with Suiren, as he’s too oblivious to realize that she’s actually My Sunshine.
A Day In The Lime Light: Used a couple times. Ep. 16 is about Aibou, and ep. 32 is about Bashin's mother. They're also the only episodes with no battles. Also, ep 37 is devoted to the pets.
Affably Evil: Pretty much all of Thousand Spirits Group
Affectionate Nickname: Card Sensei's nickname for Masako is Ma-chin and she calls him Kyo-chin.
All Girls Want Bad Boys: J is seen to be very popular with girls in canon, considering all the merchandise of him, including plushies and half-naked pictures.
Becoming the Mask: Apparently, giving the task of “watch over Bashin” to Thousand Spirits Group members is a dangerous idea Considering the effect it had on Card Sensei and Number Eight.
Beware the Nice Ones: Believe it or not, Meganeko turns out to be one of the best players in the show
Dark Is Not Evil: Suiren uses a purple deck, wherein all the cards are zombie skull creatures.
Did Mom Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: A variant on this, where Aibou is very disturbed to find Bashin's mother having a fancy dinner on Number Nine's yacht.
Defeat Means Friendship: After spending about 10 episodes as a member of Thousand Spirits Group, J quits once he loses to Bashin.
Defictionalization: Both of the ED singles were released as if the actual artist was My Sunshine. While the second was actually performed by her seiyuu, the first was not. Also, the bonus track on the 2nd ED single is the first ED theme, actually sung by My Sunshine.
Dragon with an Agenda: Although Smile is the last Number to remain fully loyal to Nine, he’s actually opposed to Nine’s plans. He just wants the opportunity to defeat Bashin and J in battle, proving that he and J would be a stronger tag.
Dreadful Musician: Number Eight, apparently. Aibou too, but that’s expected because he’s a mouse.
Also, Meganeko made a plushie of Guraguri for Card Sensei
Evil Costume Switch: When J joins Thousand Spirits Group, he wears a black cape as opposed to his white one. Once he returns, he immediately does a GoodCostumeSwitch back to his normal cape.
Also, Nine’s reveal as the big bad is marked by him changing into a blood-red suit.
The Faceless: King Uchuuchouten Until the last episode.
Fake Boss: This is an interesting one. Of course Uchuuchouten is the final boss, until Number Nine turns out to be nuts, betrays him, possesses all the Numbers, and plots to ruin and conquer the world. However, after Nine tries to steal Uchuuchouten’s source of power, he transfers his soul into Uchuuchouten, who ultimately ends up the final boss, trying to carry out Nine’s plan for real.
Flung Clothing: Done on several occasions, for characters to switch into their alter-egos.
Friendly Enemy: Although he becomes an official member of Numbers Elite Seven was and still is Bashin’s sempai and friend.
Masako is generally friendly with her students, despite her initial unhappiness towards her mission. Ultimately, she joins as a temporary 6th member of Bashin’s team.
Improbable Hair Style: Where to begin? Striker deserves a special mention though, for having a scythe growing out of his head.
Informed Ability: Thousand Spirits Group. Supposedly elite and powerful, but they lose a whole lot. Especially Number Eight, who is completely unable to win until paired with Striker in an offscreen tag match. And you would think game designer Michael Elliott would have better skills at his own game, but he never wins a single match.
In the Hood: Suiren does this to escape performing a concert as My Sunshine. Later, this is mimicked by Meganeko and Card Sensei to keep their identities a secret while entering a tournament.
Interspecies Romance: Joked about in Striker’s dream, where in all the female characters love him, including J’s cat, Okyou.
Intertwined Fingers: Card Sensei and Masako’s hands are seen like this when sitting together in a flashback of their past.
Love Dodecahedron: Not that romance is a big deal at all in this series, but if you look at it, Bashin likes his childhood friend Meganeko, as well as idol My Sunshine and ojou Kyouka. Meganeko and Suiren (My Sunshine’s alter ego) both have crushes on Bashin. As well, J seems to have a thing for Bashin. Kyouka may like J in more than just a sibling way, and Smile is a bit too obsessed with J. Striker is also infatuated with My Sunshine and likes Kyouka.
Love Makes You Evil: The main reason Number Eight is loyal to Thousand Spirits Group, seeing how she doesn’t even agree with Nine’s plan, is pretty much out of spite for her ex-boyfriend for leaving the organization.
Loves My Alter Ego: Bashin and Striker both love My Sunshine rather than Suiren, despite the evidence that Suiren is interested in both of them.
Number Two: Manabu is called Setsuko's number two. Though Elliott is "Number Two" of Numbers Elite, Number Nine really seems to take the role of Uchuuchouten's number two.
Oblivious Younger Sibling: Striker's brothers don't seem to know that he battles in an alternate world and talks to his parrot. Averted with Kyouka, who knows basically everything.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Okay, so after Kyouka gets Card Sensei's stone in order to help get her brother back, she never actually uses it. She does, however, apparently get to own Number Nine, but we don't get to see the actual battle.
Plot Based Photograph Obfuscation: Bashin's father is always hidden from view in his family photo Not that anyone could tell he was Uchuuchouten anyway, as Uchuuchouten wears a full-body disguise and his physical appearance underneath is changed as well.
Polly Wants A Microphone: Even before actually gaining the ability to talk, Cap was learning how.
Portmanteau Series Nickname: Batosupi. Though, it was used by the card game first, and all the characters use it in canon.
Relative Error: Bashin misinterprets the relationship between J and Kyouka in the episode where Kyouka is introduced.
Rescue Arc: To an extent, the last arc. While the overall purpose is to defeat Nine and win the King Uchuuchouten Cup, Nine also captures and brainwashes most of Thousand Spirits Group, and as they lose, most of Team Shomen Toppa is also captured.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: Aside from the squadron of pets, most of the yellow cards are pretty darned cute.
Right-Hand Cat: After J joins Thousand Spirits Group, Okyou fits this role.
Ring of Power: The rings worn by the members of Numbers Elite can actually open the gate to Isekai World.
Secret Identity: This trope is practically abused. Where to begin?
My Sunshine is Suiren
Temporarily, Meganeko puts on a Suiren mask and calls herself Kiiroko, along with Card Sensei, who is Master Yellow.
Number Eight actually uses her real name (Masako Inogashira) to disguise herself as a teacher. And as it turns out, that was her original appearance without makeup.
The Smurfette Principle: While the chosen card battlers are surprisingly gender-balanced for this type of show, equally so once Card Sensei hands his stone over to Kyouka, the only female member of Numbers Elite is Number Eight.
Spell My Name with an S: Galaxy Seven is based off the mascot Galaxy Watanabe, so you'd think the spelling is obvious. Plus it’s, you know, an actual word. However, the show usually romanizes it as Garaxy.
Trailers Always Spoil: The extended next-episode previews on the R2 DVDs are terrible in many cases, to the point where you might as well not watch the next episode.
Training from Hell: Exactly how does Card Sensei’s training of Smile make you a better card battler?
Transfer Student Uniforms: While Bashin and his friends start wearing school uniforms in middle school, Smile, who transferred from America, still wears the clothes he always did. It's somewhat similar to the proper uniform, but greener, and he wears the jacket like a cape.
Transformation Sequence: The usual intro sequence with Meganeko and Suiren was replaced in ep. 37 with Suiren having a magical girl transformation into My Sunshine. This was only in the tv broadcast, and omitted from the DVD release.
True Companions: Bashin, J, Striker and Suiren. Later adding Meganeko.
Tsundere: Suiren, Setsuko, Masako. All are type A.
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