Bakugan is the latest TV inspired craze captivating our children. It is an anime series about creatures of the same name and the battle brawlers who control them. The spin off collectible, action game is a strategic card game that is played with magnetic, spring loaded marbles. These exploding spheres (which is what ‘Bakugan’ means if you translate it from Japanese) pop open when thrown onto the metallic cards to form the Bakugan creatures hidden inside.

The aim of the game is to capture three of your opponent’s gate cards. To capture the cards you must win the battle. The battle starts when two Bakugans pop open on the same gate card. Who wins is determined by adding together ‘G power’ points from the Bakugan toy and the gate card.

The show only started in 2007 but has since grown hugely in popularity to the point where there are now over 100 of these transforming spheres to buy and collect. In addition there are other Bakugan accessories, including launchers, play mats, and storage cases, and branded merchandise such as video games, puzzles and books. To give yourself a heads up when buying Bakugan toys, read on to check out our list of your top 5 choices.

Top 3 Bakugan Toys

#1 Bakugan Battle Pack
#2 Bakugan Battle Arena
#3 Bakugan Deka

#1 Bakugan Battle Pack

  • Multi Bakugan starter pack with six action figures
  • Collectible action game
  • Cost effective way to buy

Tipped as a top 12 Christmas toy this year, the Bakugan Battle Pack is great for a two player battle as it contains 6 Bakugans, 6 metallic cards and 6 ability cards. You need to use strategy when you set the cards up before the battle. You then need to master your battle skills to ensure your Bakugan lands on the best card to score points. Learn the game and brawl away.

Our thoughts

There are many different Bakugan to choose from in a range of colours and creatures. They can be bought individually when you know which specific one you want or in various packs where the marble is chosen at random, such as the Starter Pack which includes three Bakugan or a Booster Pack which contains one. The Battle Pack is ideal as it contains six of everything you need for a good price. The Bakugan marbles themselves are durable when being thrown across the battle cards and are fun to collect and trade. Children will have hours of fun with the challenge of rolling them correctly to earn points and watching them suddenly transform into warrior mode. The game combines the skill of rolling your Bakugan with the strategy of placing the cards effectively but even without the game, these toys are fun as they can be played with just like normal action figures. The marbles are small enough for your child to carry around or out and about and cheap enough individually to buy extras from pocket money. They are also good to help with maths as you have to work out whether yours or your opponent’s Bakugan is stronger and how much more power is needed to win. The only downside of this pack is that you do not know which Bakugan you are getting as the allocations to each box are random.

#2 Bakugan Battle Arena

  • Battle ground for 4 players to play Bakugan
  • Large surface area with rubber walls to stop Bakugan rolling away
  • Quick and easy to set up

The Bakugan Battle Arena provides the ultimate battleground for playing against three opponents. There is a large surface area where the metallic game cards are placed and little rubber walls around the edge to stop the Bakugan escaping once they have been rolled into play. The arena folds out and the bumpers snap into place on each side. The open corners are where the Bakugan are launched into the arena. This Bakugan accessory enhances game play but does not come with any marbles or cards which need to be bought separately first.

Our thoughts

The Battle Arena is easy to set up and this can be done in less than a minute. You only need to unfold the plastic arena and erect the walls using the side slots. The walls are very useful as they stop the Bakugan from rolling off and the included instructions lay down the rules for game play if you are new to this craze. The arena is not that sturdy but does provide a good battle field for your children to make more of the marbles. It also keeps them from rolling the Bakugan all over your floors. Bakugan is the sort of game that you can just whip out and play anywhere so the arena may seem superfluous, but it does add to the ambiance of the game play.

#3 Bakugan Deka

  • Super size Bakugan
  • 10cm warriors but still lightweight
  • Rare so a good buy for any Bakugan collection

The Dekas are the big boys of the Bakugan world and as such are more fun to play with. They are no longer pocket sized like the original versions but are still great to battle, collect and trade. They do everything the smaller ones do and once opened the figures are about 10cm tall but still lightweight.

Our thoughts

All children seem to love these supersized Bakugans. They are rarer so the children with them will have others looking over their shoulders. No instructions come with the Bakugan Deka so children that are new to Bakugan will need either the Starter Pack or Battle Pack so get them started. These large spheres are solidly built and more durable than their smaller counterparts. Also being bigger they are less likely to get lost. When playing the game with them though they are a bit more awkward to roll and getting them to land on the metallic cards is challenging!

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#4 Bakugan New Vestroia 7-in-1 Maxus Dragonoid

  • Big and powerful new Bakugan toys
  • 7 pieces combine to form a giant dragon robot
  • Individual pieces can also be used to play the standard Bakugan game

The recently launched Maxus Dragonoid is one of the biggest and most powerful Bakugan toys yet and is featured in the new ‘New Vestroia’ cartoon sequel. It is made up of one Bakugan warrior and six trap pieces that are used to protect the Bakugan. Traps are not round and do not roll but do open on the metal cards. They are used to increase points scored during the game. The pieces in this set are unique and cannot be bought elsewhere and once transformed can be assembled into a giant dragon robot. When not in monster mode, the seven Bakugan can be played with as normal in the strategy game although they only come with one ability card and one metal gate card. The ability card is special so will offer extra help when coming up with a strategy to beat your opponent.

Our thoughts

To play the normal Bakugan game you will need more marbles and cards than are included in this set. As such it is not a beginners set but a great addition to an existing collection. The traps are useful to play with along with other figures in your collection. The price point is a bit on the high side but is worth it for a special gift. Supposedly there are more single Bakugans coming out shortly that will also connect to the beast which will enhance its playability. The box includes the seven figures separately so you need to follow the graphical instructions to assemble the Dragonoid. The process is quite complex and can take around 20 minutes. Once assembled the toy is interesting and unique although a bit unsteady on its feet if you do not stand it correctly and not as big as it looks in the picture. It is also quite delicate so not recommended for young or heavy handed children.

#5 Bakugan Official Handbook

  • 112 pages of Bakugan fun
  • Includes tips on how to play the game
  • For children aged 9-12 years old

Any children that are into Bakugan have to get this 112 page paperback handbook. It is the ultimate read for any fan. Inside they will find everything they need and want to know about this hot game. It’s a guide to the best brawlers, the fiercest Bakugan, and the biggest brawls. It also includes tips on how to play the game. The reading age of this book is 9-12 years old.

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