Vanguard takes over Tokyo trains in aggressive new advertising campaign

Bushiroad promotes new series by celebrating seven years of animation.

Original image uploaded by Comic Natalie.

For two weeks from March 22nd to the 29th, trains operating on the JR Yamanote Line will be sporting Cardfight!! Vanguard advertisements on their exteriors. More than 129 designs will be featured, highlighting every existing season of the Vanguard anime series and concluding with key visuals from the 2011 manga and 2018 rebooted anime series. A full schedule can be seen below.

• 03/22 - Cardfight!! Vanguard and Asia Circuit
• 03/23 - Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker
• 03/24 - Cardfight!! Vanguard: Legion Mate
• 03/25 - Cardfight!! Vanguard G, GIRS Crisis, and Stride Gate
• 03/26 - Cardfight!! Vanguard G: NEXT 
• 03/27 - Cardfight!! Vanguard G: Z
• 03/28 - Original comics and new anime series key visual

The Yamanote Line is Japan's busiest and most commercially important railway system, running around the economic epicenter of the nation to connect with every major station in Tokyo. Operating for approximately twenty hours around the clock, at peak hours one train departs every two minutes from one of its 29 stations. More than one million people use the line daily, and all but two of its stations connect to other railways. Bushiroad's move to canvas the line in Vanguard advertising is part of a hard push to get the franchise in the public eye in advance of its next season.

Vanguard banner at Toshimaen waterpark, July 2011.

Despite being comparatively smaller than its contemporaries Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, and Magic: The Gathering, since 2011 Cardfight!! Vanguard has developed stronger visibility with the general public through similarly grand-scale advertising campaigns. While Konami, TPCi, and Wizards of the Coast, have generally downplayed the importance of explicit commercials to promote their trading card games--favoring TV anime series and/or a greater brand name to push their product--Bushiroad has always emphasized traditional television commercials, posters, and other forms of public advertising to reach out to new audiences that aren't already engaged with TCGs. Nearly every individual booster set and trial deck receives its own preview video to promote it, while for the past seven years most of the company's competitors have limited their PV output to one to two major videos per year.

2011 billboard advertisements for BT02: Onslaught of Dragon Souls, set up along a railway.

The result is that many casual consumers of Vanguard in Japan mistakenly believe it to be bigger than its contemporaries, as they live in a landscape shaped by the brand. When the game first launched seven years ago, Bushiroad partnered with three of the nation's biggest waterparks to turn their pools into giant Vanguard advertisements for one summer. Parkgoers could dry off and walk right into a teaching workshop for the game, then leave with the first chapter of the manga for free. Throughout the Asia Circuit arc Bushiroad made a point of advertising around university campuses, on billboards and at train stops. And at one point, the company even owned the variety TV program Vanga-Road, created specifically to promote Cardfight!! Vanguard using the crossover celebrity appeal of its cohosts, actress Kitta Izumi and musician Naitou Daigo.

January 2013 wall advertisement for Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker.

The new anime series, codenamed "Origin," will begin airing May 5th, 2018, on TV Tokyo and affiliated stations. It will be simulcast with English subtitles on YouTube and Crunchyroll. Trial Deck 01: Sendou Aichi and Trial Deck 02: Kai Toshiki will launch in Japanese May 11th, 2018, and in English June 8th, 2018. BT01: UNITE! TEAM Q4! will launch in Japan May 25th, 2018, and in English June 22nd, 2018.

Spotlight: Uemura Shouhei/上村昌平

Fighter's Spotlight is an ongoing project concerned with tracking real-world professional cardfighters across the globe.

Uemura Shouhei/上村昌平
Age: Unknown
Titles Won: Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament Event Champion (Osaka), Fighter's Road 2013 National Runner-up
Current Status: Fighter's Road 2013 National Runner-up
Deck Type: Narukami (Eradicator)
Uemura Shouhei was one of the leading fighters of 2013, first appearing as the victor in the Osaka Memorial Tournament held in March of that year. Uemura proved to be a trendsetter for his time, with his deck prompting many cardfighters to follow suit in adapting a Dragonic Descendant-based Narukami deck as a replacement for Dragonic Overlord The End, who had been restricted in January. Regarded as one of the most influential cardfighters of his period, Uemura used his qualification to contend for the Japanese national title, coming in second behind one of his former imitators Kokubo Hikaru. While other fighters, Kokubo included, would drop away from the Eradicator deck after the new restricted list was set in place to limit its key card to 2, Uemura remained with the build throughout the tournament season.

Decks and Play Style
Uemura's deck as a whole evolved from the standard Narukami build of the time, based out of Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD." Spark Kid Dragoon as Narukami's first vanguard and the eight-critical four-draw trigger setup were already endemic to Uemura's format as a normal part of playing his clan. Rising Phoenix was likewise a holdover from the Vermillion build that had emerged during the previous Trio Fest tournament, used to take advantage of the clan's multiple 11000 base grade 3s and build on the lead in advantage from their limit breaks. Uemura's innovation came from adapting the framework for the Eradicator subgroup and applying his keen understanding of what needed to change versus what needed to be left alone.

Uemura chose to avoid the break rides that were projected to be dominant in his format, opting for a faster paced game by combining Dragonic Descendant and Gauntlet Buster Dragon. As a result, there is no bad grade 3 ride for his deck, and their 11000 bases allow them to still act as useful rearguards. Both units have skills that can be activated outside of their limit break, which gives them greater use throughout the entire match rather than just in the endgame, and discourages the opponent from baiting them by leaving the fighter at three damage. Gauntlet Buster's especial counterblast 2 forces the opponent to retire a unit, while his limit break gives him +3000 power and +1 critical whenever an opponent's unit is retired. Meanwhile, Descendant's counterblast gives him +5000 power, and his limit break acts as Narukami's The End, discarding 3 Eradicators in a battle in which his attack did not hit to stand and gain +1 critical. Uemura, knowing that both of these units had skills which gave them power and critical, recognized the Photon Bomber Wyvern that had long been a staple of Narukami decks as superfluous and chose not to run the unit at all, bringing out greater consistency and especial counterblast synergy with additional Eradicator units like Castor.

Dragonic Deathscythe on the other hand, was a unit that firmly supported Gauntlet Buster and gave Narukami better control of the field. Uemura's Eradicator deck retained it for this reason, showing some powerful foresight and mastery over the clan. In general, Uemura's build was not wholly Eradicator or standard Narukami, but represented a skilled fusion of the two to better play to the deck's strengths.

Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FV)
x4 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x1 Dust Storm Eradicator Tokou
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunderboom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x3 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Uemura eventually came in second place for the national championship, continuing to use his original Eradicator deck after having modified it to account for the restricted list. This new build adapted many of the strategies that other Eradicator cardfighters had developed in the interim period, using cards from BT11: Seal Dragons Unleashed and BT12: Binding Force of the Black Rings. Uemura made the transition to a much more Eradicator-like deck in this period, using the new Cho-ou to retire the opponent's rearguards and build up soul for Rising Phoenix and maintain better overall synergy, as well as Zuitan to unflip his damage and again build that soul. Castor and Phoenix together allowed Uemura to see many cards from his deck in a game and dig through for one of those Dragonic Descendant copies, with Vowing Sword Dragon sometimes employed as a buildup ride prior to reaching limit break.

Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FV)
x1 Eradicator, Blue Gem Carbuncle DT
x3 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
x3 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
Grade 2
x3 Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Cho-ou
x2 Supreme Army Eradicator, Zuitan
x4 Dragonic Deathscythe
x2 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x1 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon

News: Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament Hakata Results, Doctor O's Picks

Closing the Memorial Tournament that previously visited Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo, the Hakata stage of the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament is ending on a slight overturn, as the Eradicators that seemed to be set to maintain steady dominance throughout the tournament were relegated to "just" second place in Hakata. Beaten out by an Ezel-based deck that incorporates Gancelot as its break ride, the upset is further emphasized because the runner-up may be the reigning national champion Nakamura Seishirou, who took the title in the previous year's Fighter's Climax 2012 tournament. Photographs of the tournament have not yet surfaced, but this name and particular combination of kanji are both rare and somewhat old fashioned; although not as unique as Rikino Sakura, there is a high probability that it's the same fighter. Nakamura previously played a Majesty Lord Blaster-based Royal Paladin deck, but his build was crippled by the January-on restricted list that Bushiroad instituted following his victory.

To finish the tournament, Doctor O also picked his favorite decks remaining from the top 8 of each tournament, amending the decklists previously uploaded to CF-Vanguard in the process. These decks did not make it to first or second place, but are simply decks that he liked.

Prizewinner: Fukuoka Koushirou/福岡幸四郎
Grade 0
x1 Crimson Lion Cub, Kyrph (FVG)
x4 Elixir Liberator HT
x4 Speeder Hound DT
x1 Flame of Victory CT
x2 Dantengal CT
x2 Silent Punisher CT
x3 Liberator of Hope, Epona CT
Grade 1
x4 Sleygal Dagger
x4 Knight of Elegant Skills, Gareth
x4 Halo Liberator, Mark
x3 Disciple of Pain
Grade 2
x4 Knight of Superior Skills, Beaumains
x4 Knight of Passion, Bagdemagus
x2 Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane
Grade 3
x3 Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel
x3 Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel
x2 Solitary Liberator, Gancelot

Runner-up: Nakamura Seishirou/中村誠志朗
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (FVG)
x1 Malevolent Djinn CT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
x4 Demonic Draogn Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x3 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
Grade 1
x2 Raging Phoenix
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Doctor O's Pick: Itou Kazuma/伊藤和真
Grade 0
x1 PR♥SM-Smile, Koro (FVG)
x4 PR♥SM-Miracle, Timor HT
x1 Gunslinger Star, Florida CT
x1 Drive Quarter, Shuplu CT
x1 Comical Rainie CT
x4 PR♥SM-Miracle Canaria CT
x2 Heartful Yale, Fundy DT
x3 PR♥SM-Miracle, Adria DT
Grade 1
x4 Mermaid Idol, Erie
x2 Mermaid Idol, Felucca
x3 PR♥SM-Romance, Mercure
x2 PR♥SM-Promise, Leyte
x3 PR♥SM-Image, Clear
Grade 2
x2 PR♥SM-Smile Liguria
x4 PR♥SM-Romance, Lumiere
x2 PR♥SM-Promise Celt
x1 PR♥SM-Image, Rose
x2 Pearl Sisters, Perla
x1 Girls' Rock, Rio
Grade 3
x4 PR♥SM-Promise Labrador
x3 PR♥SM-Image Vert

News: Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament Nagoya Results

Today the results of the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament, Nagoya Stage, were made public through cf-vanguard JP. Continuing the trend of Narukami dominance and the current format's adamant avoidance of the break ride mechanic, the Eradicators now have a stranglehold on the Japanese professional scene. Gauntlet Buster Dragon and Dragonic Descendant have come out as the most prolific units of the 2013 tournament season, and because of a certain controversy surrounding today's tournament results, their deck is being pointed to as the new "The End" of the format.

Event champion Kokubo Hikaru's Eradicator deck is notably a card-for-card copy of Uemura Shouhei's first place deck from the Osaka championship. As the results of the Osaka event were publicized on March 19th and the Nagoya stage took place on the 30th, there was ample time for Kokubo to have read Uemura's decklist. Meanwhile, runner-up Samura Naoya is getting attention as the first Narukami cardfighter to use Vowing Sword Dragon in an official tournament, and the first to make use of Dragonic Descendant's superior ride.

The Memorial Tournament operates under special rules which require cardfighters to use more than four grade 3s in their deck, shutting down one of the major strategies of the late 2012 format. Widely believed to be an attempt at closing off the kind of play that had been steadily gaining ground among pro fighters since the end of the winter championship, this modification seems to have become a kingmaker scenario for the Eradicators, as the Kagawa-style Magatsu Storm and revived Blaster deck that had been so prominent during this year's opening Trio Festival have been crippled by the new rule. This has left Dragonic Descendant to take center stage as the major self-standing vanguard of Japan's current tournament season, much like Dragonic Overlord The End and--in the EN format--Spectral Duke Dragon before him.

Prizewinner: Kokubo Hikaru/小久保光
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x1 Dust Storm Eradicator Tokou
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunderboom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x3 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Runner-up: Samura Naoya/佐村直也
Grade 0
x1 Eradicator, Strike Dagger Dragon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x4 Sword Dancer Eradicator, Hisen
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x2 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunderboom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x4 Conquering Eradicator, Zuitan
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x1 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon
x2 Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon

News: Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament Tokyo Results

Yesterday evening the Japanese Cardfight portal released the top two decklists for the Tokyo branch of the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament, held in commemoration of the end of the controversial second season of the Cardfight Vanguard!! anime. Following up what the Osaka tournament began, the event operates under special rules which require all participating cardfighters to have more than four grade 3s in their deck, in response to pro cardfighters Tachibana Souten and Nakamura Mitsuaki emulating contenders from the previous year's national title in creating decks with less than that number. These pros made use of specific search skills to dominate their respective tournaments, on a smaller scale than the Tsukuyomi-based cardfighters of previous years had done before them. Speculation abounds that the Memorial Tournament rules, if successful, could become standardized rules for professional Cardfight as a whole, permanently bringing a close to this trend in deckbuilding.

With two more stages yet remaining--in Nagoya and Hakata--the Memorial Tournament has so far been dominated by the new Eradicator subgroup, in contrast to the underground success of the Shadow Paladins in the current format. The Eradicators are a subgroup of the retire-based Narukami clan, and focus on maintaining a static critical for the vanguard line each turn, as well as on standing their vanguard like Kagerou did before them. Tokyo has seen an upset in the pattern, as second place was taken by a Battle Sister-based variation on the soulless CoCo deck, retooling it for the modern format built around base 11000 vanguards. Note that while the Tokyo winners share a surname, they are currently believed to be unrelated. On the Narukami side of things, all of the Eradicator decks seen thus far are extremely similar in build, but Uemura Shouhei from the Osaka tournament seems to be coming up as the more influential cardfighter, having worked out the "blueprint" for the Eradicators.

The Nagoya and Hakata stages of the Memorial Tournament are to take place on March 30th and April 6th, respectively. The winners of the Memorial Tournament will have an invitation to the Fighter's Road 2013 national championship.

Prizewinner: Itou Hiroaki/伊藤寛明
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seiobo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x2 Eradicator of True Flames, Kougaiji
x3 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x3 Eradicator, Thunder Boom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Sparkrain Dragon
x4 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x3 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Runner-Up: Itou Yuki/伊藤翔
Grade 0
x1 Little Witch, LuLu (FVG)
x4 Oracle Guardian, Nike CT
x4 Psychic Bird CT
x4 Battle Sister, Ginger CT
x4 Lozenge Magus HT
Grade 1
x4 Oracle Guardian, Gemini
x4 Battle Sister, Chocolat
x3 Dark Cat
x2 Battle Sister, Omelette
x1 Red River Dragoon
Grade 2
x4 Battle Sister, Mocha
x3 Promise Daughter
x2 Silent Tom
x2 Battle Sister, Macaron
Grade 3
x4 Battle Sister, Cookie
x4 Scarlet Witch, CoCo

News: Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament Osaka Results

Today the Osaka regional tournament results for the Asia Circuit Memorial Tournament were made public, giving the first look at how the BT11-on format plays out in an official tournament setting. Both first and second places were taken by Narukami cardfighters, and as these Dragonic Descendant-Gauntlet Buster Dragon decks are very close in design, predictions are already coming out that the self-standing Descendant deck may replace The End as the dominant pro deck of the season. Critics of this view point to the recent Hobby Station unofficial tournament for contrast, where the new Eradicator subgroup flopped in face of a Shadow Paladin deck reworked around The Dark Dictator.

The Memorial Tournament is being held to commemorate the conclusion of the second season of Cardfight!! Vanguard, and will extend to three other locations, with the Tokyo tournament taking place on March 23rd, Nagoya's on the 30th, and Hakata's on April 6th. These tournaments operate on special rules which require fighters to have more than four grade 3s in their deck, most likely in response to the Osaka Trio Festival results in which C Block Champion Tachibana Souten's Majesty Lord Blaster deck emulated the tactics of national third place runner-up Tanaka Shouta's Tsukuyomi deck in running four grade 3s, effectively defeating the restricted list that had been placed on the Blaster deck. This had been followed up by the Tokyo Trio Festival, where Tachibana's idea had been similarly used in Nakamura Mitsuaki's Blaster deck, and in Murakumo cardfighter Kagawa Hitori's Magatsu Storm build. The winners of the Memorial Tournament will have an invitation to the Fighter's Road 2013 national championship.

Prizewinner: Uemura Shouhei/上村昌平
Grade 0
x1 Spark Kid Dragoon (FVG)
x4 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x1 Dust Storm Eradicator Tokou
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunderboom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x3 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

Runner-Up: Nishiyama Daiki/西山大希
Grade 0
x1 Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu (FVG)
x3 Eradicator, Dragon Mage DT
x4 Eradicator, Yellow Gem Carbuncle CT
x4 Demonic Dragon Eradicator, Seioubo HT
x4 Divine Spear Eradicator, Pollux CT
x1 Malevolent Djinn CT
Grade 1
x2 Rising Phoenix
x4 Eradicator of the Ceremonial Bonfire, Castor
x4 Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld
x4 Eradicator, Demolition Dragon
Grade 2
x4 Eradicator, Thunderboom Dragon
x4 Eradicator, Spark Rain Dragon
x3 Dragonic Deathscythe
Grade 3
x4 Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant
x4 Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon

News: Season 3 Details, Aichi to Attend High School

Japanese anime, manga and game news resource Otalab has recently published an article releasing new details surrounding the much-speculated upon third season of Cardfight!! Vanguard. The third season will be starting in January of 2013, and will, as previously promised, once more follow main character Sendou Aichi, this time as he enters into high school. This plotline appears to be based on recent chapters of the manga, in which Aichi transferred back into Miyaji academy for high school, joining Misaki and his sister Emi at the academy with Tatsunagi Kourin as his new classmate. Unlike in the anime, Miyaji was not stated to be an all-girls' school; whether Aichi will enroll in Miyaji or Hitsue High for the third season is unclear, as is whether or not Misaki will be cutting her hair as she did in the manga.

The third season has just recently been established as having Japanese rock band Psychic Lover perform its opening, making this the first opening sequence not performed by JAM Project. The January air date has confirmed the idea that the Circuit will end at under 65 episodes, unlike the first season. Currently about to air its 35th episode with only five air dates remaining and three more episodes currently announced, the Circuit is projected to end at ride 104, for 40 episodes in the season.

(via otalab, matibari)

News: Bushiroad Press Conference 7/4/2012

At 1:00 PM JST, Thursday, Bushiroad conducted a special live conference over NicoNico Douga concerning their Tantei Opera Milky Holmes and Cardfight!! Vanguard properties. Drawing over 17,000 viewers and more than 14,000 comments over the course of an hour, the conference revealed key details about upcoming episodes of the anime's second season, Asia Circuit, as well as upcoming promo card releases and collaborations between Bushiroad and NJPW, whom they bought out earlier this year.

Previews of Cardfight's ED07 "Fighting Growing Diary," drove the viewers wild with what appear to be an image of an older Sendou Emi and Katsuragi Kamui, as well as Kamui's friends Reiji and Eiji in the back. How these elementary-school characters would appear when scaled up with the series' primarily middle- and high-school class has been a popular subject, and Emi's grown appearance is surprisingly consistent with the fans' image of her.

 

Celebrated actor and musician Daigo made a special video appearance, explaining his role in the upcoming eighteenth episode of the Asia Circuit, Ride 83: "A Legendary Fighter" (ＲＩＤＥ　１８「伝説のファイター」.) His character is designed to emulate Aichi's first season appearance, as well as Daigo's appearance in many of Cardfight's TV commercials and national tournament award ceremonies. Amusingly, it was not lost on fans that Daigos animated character bore a resemblance to characters designed by his sister Eiki Eiki, a professional mangaka.

Several additional details were made available regarding Daigo's animated portrayal. The character in question is being set up to fight the newly-introduced Sohryuu Leon, the series' first Aqua Force cardfighter, who is also getting the same treatment as many main characters through a much-anticipated trial deck release. Daigo is currently set to use the Royal Paladin clan; how this will fit into the Circuit's current storyline is not currently clear.

Regarding Leon himself, preview images of his trial deck showed a previously-unseen draw trigger.

A special Midnight Bunny alternate artwork card, illustrated by the artist behind the Mini-Van omake comics, Quily, will soon be available as a promotional item.

Finally, Bushiroad CEO Takaaki Kidani made an appearance to announce additional information regarding the Vanguard World Tournament (ヴァンガード世界大会), discussing the inclusion of the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia in the running for the 2012 crown. With these accounted for, there are twenty qualifiers being held worldwide across thirteen countries.

Related to this, the official English website was today updated to include prize details for the NA national championship. The top two finishers of each qualifier will gain entry into the North American championship via invitation, with travel fees being provided by Bushiroad. The top four finishers at the championship will gain an invitation to the world championship in Tokyo, where they will compete to determine the world's first Vanguard national champion. Concerning Asia-Oceania championship, it has now been established that the Korean champion will have an automatic invitation into that competition. Any fighters who already possess an invitation upon winning at a qualifier will have their prize passed down to the next in line.

The conference was highly successful, garnering a 68.8% most positive rating from NicoNico Douga's viewers. 25.5% felt that it was okay, 2.7% did not think that it was very good, and just 3% fell into the most dissatisfied category.

News: Asia Circuit to Air on Crunchyroll

Today it was announced at Anime Expo 2012 that the second season of Cardfight!! Vanguard, Asia Circuit, will as with its preceding season, be simulcasting on Crunchyroll. Asia Circuit has already begun airing and the initial three episodes are available to all viewers, while the remaining ten are available to paying members. Available to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, remaining territories outside of these countries have yet to see the shows' doors opened to them.

Previously, the series' absence from Crunchyroll's lineup sparked a wildfire of controversy among fans, who until this evening had no access to the second season except through fanmade subtitles. Bushiroad's announcement that negotiations with Crunchyroll had ceased all but destroyed remaining hope for an official subtitled release. The appearance of an official YouTube channel led to alternative means of distribution being proposed; it appears however, that Bushiroad has settled on hiring outside translators to make the Circuit available overseas.

With Vanguard restored to its original place on Crunchyroll, hope is now spreading that the "dark age" of Cardfight is over and past.

News: Bushiroad Cuts Ties with Crunchyroll, Appears at Anime Expo 2012, VGE-BT03/04 Release

Bushiroad has recently issued a statement on their official blog that the negotiations with Crunchyroll over the second season of Cardfight!! Vanguard, Asia Circuit Hen, are at an end. The producers of the anime are currently looking into alternative options to releasing season 2 to the English-speaking world; with the recent addition of Cardfight!! Vanguard's English dub to their YouTube page, digital distribution via streaming websites appears to remain the favored method. Due to its advertisement in web banners, it is possible that the dub is being used as a testbed for distribution model based in YouTube.

In other news, Bushiroad will be hosting a booth at Anime Expo 2012, with the renowned artists Foo Midori and Adachi Yousuke attending. These are just two of the mastermind artists behind Cardfight, with Adachi having illustrated a wide range of famous Royal Paladin cards like Wingal Brave, Durangal and Epona, as well as the Narukami's entire Djinn series. Foo Midori is the illustrator of CoCo, Commodore Blueblood, Player of the Holy Bow Viviane, Flame of Hope Aermo and many others. Also in attendance will be Misaki and Suiko's respective voice actors, Kitta Izumi and Terakawa Aimi. Those present at the event will be able to buy booster packs, and get a free DVD preview of Cardfight!! Vanguard, as well as the first English chapter of the manga. An art gallery will be hosted as well.

In a reply on the official Cardfight!! Vanguard facebook page, Bushiroad suggested the possibility of a surprise announcement concerning VGE-BT03 and VGE-BT04, "Demonic Lord Invasion," and "Eclipse of Illusionary Shadows." When asked about an English release of these sets, Bushiroad stated that there may be an announcement with "dark tidings." This has set off speculation that these two sets will see an English release in the near future--the "dark" being taken as a reference to Blaster Dark of BT04, and the Dark Zone nations that BT03 supports.

Speculation: Asia Circuit's Alternate Timeline

This article is an unconfirmed theory. Please do not treat it as fact.

One of the earliest speculations regarding Vanguard's second season is that it is an alternate universe to the "main" timeline presented by season 1. This theory provides for the possibility that the characters in season 2 have not just had their memories altered, but in fact are remembering actual events that did take place. Advocates of this theory will generally agree that the Aichi we see throughout season 2 is still the same Aichi from season 1, and therefore not from the Asia Circuit timeline.

Spoiler warning: Season 1 and Asia Circuit details follow.

Outline of the Theory
This theory states that at the beginning of ride 66, Tatsunagi Takuto made an altercation to the timeline during his fight with Kai Toshiki, changing history so that Kai has always used a Narukami deck instead of a Kagerou one. Rather than "erasing" the past however, this constructs a new past that branches off from the old one. If this were the case, the exact timeline branch would have to have taken place at least two years ago (one year before the year that season 1 covered) as that is the first time that Kai is known to use a Kagerou deck, just as he encounters Ren.

In the new timeline, Takuto did not fight Kai, as he already had a Narukami deck exactly as Tatsunagi desired. Takuto instead met up with Aichi at Card Capital, and made an additional change by modifying history further so that Sendou would never use the Royal or Shadow Paladins. In their place, Takuto inserted his own Gold Paladin composite clan. If the alternate timeline theory is true, then the timeline now branches off from the main one five years in the past, when Kai first gave Aichi his Blaster Blade.

Evidence For

• Takuto's disappearances. After his fight with Kai, Takuto has seemingly disappeared and Kai does not recall fighting him. The alternate timeline theory provides that the actual point in the branch is two years ago--as such, if Takuto were to make the change two years in the past, he would never need to confront Kai Toshiki in the present of this timeline. Hence, in the Asia Circuit timeline, their meeting did not actually take place, and Takuto is not at the table. He never "disappeared"--because the changes he intended to make had already taken place, Takuto did not face Toshiki that day, and instead sought out Aichi. He later pulled the same "disappearing" act on Aichi, this time never leaving his office in Singapore. Takuto would go on to announce the VF Circuit the next day. It would be otherwise improbable for Tatsunagi to be able to travel to Japan by plane, have two cardfights at two separate locations, then travel back to Singapore to announce the Circuit in an afternoon broadcast within a span of approximately 36 hours. (Note that a flight between the two countries takes around 7 hours.) When Aichi and company left for Singapore by plane in the morning, by the time they arrived it was only a few hours shy of dusk.
• Fallible memory loss. Shin, Misaki, Izaki, Morikawa, Miwa, Kai, Kamui and Kourin do not recall Aichi having used the Royal Paladins. If their memories were merely modified, then their version of events could be disproven by viewing reruns or online recordings of the televised broadcast of Aichi's fight with Ren. We know for certain that these broadcasts are rerun after their original air date, because in ride 41's flashback Kyou watched a rerun of Ren's speech following his final match at the first national competition--during a total downpour in the dead of night. That speech was given in the daylight hours during fair weather, meaning it was not a live broadcast that Kyou was viewing. Furthermore, it was mentioned in ride 26 that there are Vanguard magazines which talk about pro cardfighters like AL4's lineup, and these would presumably talk about those fighters' clans and signature cards as well. If the modifications were simple memory rewrites, Aichi could make his case through a multitude of video and print media readily available to him. Some of it would even be stocked on Card Capital's shelves, within arms' reach. As an extension of this, if Takuto were to modify the memories of those associated with Team Q4, he would also have to modify the memories of every Vanguard fan and viewer across Japan who watched any of the national cardfights.
• Kai remembers limit break. He used his Narukami cards flawlessly in ride 68, showing complete knowledge of their skills and how to make use of Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion's limit break counterblast. This would suggest that he has used the cards at least as long as he had done so with his Kagerou deck. Toshiki shows none of the problems that Aichi has with using his own new deck.
• Except for Aichi, none of Team Q4 remembers PSY. When entering the card shop PSY in ride 69, Kamui and Misaki behave as if they had never seen it before, and Aichi is the only person to specifically recall having been there. Misaki says that she's interested in checking out other card shops, something that she had already done with PSY on Shin's orders in ride 23. Conspicuously, Aichi is the only character to address the Ultra-Rare members by name, and Rekka introduces herself to Misaki when Tokura should already know the girl's name from ride 45. There are problems with Takuto attempting to modify these specific memories; the least of it being that Suiko herself would be, as is explained in depth further on, immune to his memory modifications. Unless the two are directly working together, her unmodified memory is inherently dangerous to him. Since this shop was where Misaki first noticed Aichi's Qualia hurting him, if she did not remember PSY, then she would be unable to report these early symptoms to Kai in ride 40. If Kai did not get these early warning signs, he never would have left Q4. The false memories create a hole in the characters' lives that they should be fully able to notice.
• Kourin does not recall the Royal Paladins. As far as has been shown, Takuto can only achieve his goals through a direct cardfight with his target. Aichi and Kai's decks had to be replaced through a face-to-face confrontation with them. If he could simply replace Kourin's deck without her noticing, then it would be a contradiction that he could not do the same with Aichi and Kai. If however, the Royal Paladins never existed because of a branching timeline, then Kourin never would have wielded them in the first place.

Evidence Against

• Kai remembers Blaster Blade. In ride 68 he can tell that something is wrong with Aichi's deck, and his memories of Aichi's Blaster Blade ride attempt to resurface. However, there are alternate explanations in that the new timeline cannot resolve itself properly without Kai giving Blaster Blade to Aichi. Thus, Toshiki is a walking paradox--he gives Aichi a card that sets off the events of season 1, and so no version of the timeline can exist without that moment, but the card itself and as a result that moment do not exist in the Asia Circuit timeline. This leads to a "yes and no" scenario where the moment must have happened, creating his memories of it, but it is impossible for it to have taken place, at the same time excluding his memories.
• Kamui does not remember limit break. In ride 69 Kamui and Team Handsome are shocked when Garmore's limit break activates and gives him an additional power boost. On the other hand, this may be countered by the possibility that it was not limit break they were shocked at, but Garmore's limit break. It is entirely possible that the group had never seen Garmore before, and so he did not know that it possessed a limit break despite knowing what limit break is in the new timeline. Ergo, Kamui was not expecting it.
• Kamui remembers the Royal Paladins. During their cardfight in ride 69, Kamui recognizes that something is wrong with Aichi's deck. He cannot however, recall exactly what went wrong.

Derived Ideas

• Because the theory provides that Takuto was able to be in "two places at once," by modifying the timeline in his fight with Kai and then meeting Aichi at the same time to modify the timeline again, Ride 66 takes place on a single day. This is an important difference from the traditional interpretation of Asia Circuit--because of how the characters' days are set out, Takuto does not have enough time to go to both the shop that Kai was at and to Card Capital. Normally the characters go to school, then go to their shops, then go home. None of the normal attendants of Card Capital such as Shin, Misaki or any of the shop regulars are present when Aichi and Takuto fight, because of how early in the day it is. Takuto fought Aichi after Kai (relative to how Takuto is experiencing time), and it is doubtful that Kai's shop would open earlier than Card Capital.
• Since two modifications were made to the timeline, Asia Circuit is actually in its third timeline, not second as would be typically interpreted. The second timeline is the one where only Kagerou is sealed; in the third timeline, Kagerou, the Royal Paladins and the Shadow Paladins are all sealed.
• Takuto can only modify the timeline relative to the person he is fighting, and only when using Garmore's limit break.
• There are two probable causes of Aichi and Kai's recessive memories from the first timeline; first, both had prolonged contact with PSY Qualia. Second, each individual with recessive memories had their deck modified.
• It is unknown if Takuto retains his memories of the first and second timelines, but if the PSY Qualia theory proves true, he may be immune to his own changes.
• Suiko has not been stated to not remember season 1. As her ability to see Aichi and Ren's visions, as well as sense individuals bearing PSY Qualia suggests that she herself possesses some form of latent Qualia, it is highly probable that she is likewise immune so long as those two are.
• Because the three clans are sealed in the new timeline, the Royal-Shadow civil war never took place. The Gold Paladins are a solidified clan without internal struggles. Because PSY Qualia now hinges on the breaking of the seals rather than on the outcome of the civil war, there is no need for Earth to be synchronized with Cray until the Asia Circuit; as a result of this, the synchronization of Cray and Earth never took place, and Aichi and Ren's PSY Qualia never became dormant. This idea, while not the centerpiece of the alternate timeline theory, is certainly an important point because it means that Aichi is unknowingly still host to his "other self" and Suiko is likely planning a second (or from the third timelines' perspective, first) synchronization.

Episode Guide: Asia Circuit, Ride 70: The Curtain Rises! The VF Circuit

This article is under construction. 

Spoiler warning: Asia Circuit details follow.

Story Synopsis: The episode opens at the airport, where Team Q4 is taking photos before their plane takes off. Emi is still worried about Aichi being in another country for the first time, but the plane does finally take off for Singapore.

Once in the country, Shin begins taking photos of the group, although Misaki refuses to participate--only to covertly take her own after the others have moved on. The team spends some time trying Singapore's food before checking out a nearby card shop, where they find Mitsusada Kenji of Team Caesar being called a history otaku. (Note that the posters in Singapore are for the English card game rather than the Japanese one) With the two teams meeting up once more, Team Caesar shows their juniors around, bringing them to Singapore's own cardfight university, where students majoring in Vanguard studies go to begin their careers.

Inside Kamui meets several of the students, some of whom are his own age. Chris, a Great Nature cardfighter and the leader of Team Genius' three grade-skipping 12-year-olds, quickly befriends him. As Caesar and Q4 part ways to go to their respective hotels, Aichi catches sight of Tatsunagi Takuto in his limousine, and breaks away from his friends to chase the boy all the way to the Tatsunagi corporation headquarters. He pleads with the receptionist to let him past as Takuto slips into an elevator, but as he doesn't have an appointment the security guards stop Sendou at the desk.

At the Hotel Marina, the rest of Team Q4 worries over Aichi. Kamui is surprised to find that the two individuals running the place bear an extreme resemblance to Gouki and Nagisa.

As rain becomes to come down outside the Tatsunagi spire, Kourin appears to share her umbrella with Aichi. He explains the situation with Takuto to her, after which Kourin assures him that so long as he wins at the circuit, Aichi will be able to speak with Takuto directly. As the weather clears and the two part, Kourin presents Aichi with a new card, the Incandescent Lion, Blond Eisele.

When Aichi finally rejoins the team at Marina, he immediately spreads out his deck to rebuild it in preparation for the upcoming tournament. Thinking back to her defeat in the previous episode, Misaki joins him, prompting Shin to finally bring out his briefcase of cards to help strengthen their decks.

Meanwhile at Ultra-Rare's hotel, Rekka is surprised that Kourin assisted Aichi.

The following day, Team Q4 is shocked to see that Team Genius is also in the Circuit. MC Miya announces the start of the VF Circuit on live television. Miwa watches on from Card Capital, while Shizuka and Emi see the broadcast in their own home. Takuto wonders how far Sendou will get in the tournament.

The next episode preview shows Misaki riding Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi, Kamui riding Divine Beast, Azure Dragon, and Spirit Exceed facing off against one of them.

Today's Card was Circular Saw, Kiriel. Rekka described the unit's limit break skill.

Episode Guide: Asia Circuit, Ride 69: The Challenge from PSY

This article is under construction.

Fight Analysis

Tokura Misaki vs Rekka

 

Spoiler warning: Asia Circuit details follow.

Story Synopsis: The episode opens at the Sendou household. Aichi asks his sister Emi and his mother Shizuka for permission to go overseas and attend the Asia Circuit. Emi opposes this, believing that Aichi will get lost, but after careful thought Shizuka allows him to travel with Q4.

Later, Aichi goes shopping with Misaki and Kamui in preparation for their trip. Aichi explains that Kai will not be attending the Circuit on their team. At Sendou's suggestion, the three of them take a train to the card shop PSY--while Kamui thinks that it's to prepare their decks for the tournament, Sendou has personal reasons to go. He intends to confront Ultra-Rare about the cards they gave him, the King of Knights, Alfred and Majesty Lord Blaster, as well as those cards' disappearance and just what the Gold Paladins are. Despite Kamui initially wondering if it's okay for a Card Capital employee to be visiting a rival shop, Misaki insists that it's fine.

At PSY they find Rekka struggling to pack the idols' suitcase in preparation for the Circuit. Suiko explains that the shop will be closed for some time, while the three of them take leave for Singapore. Aichi quickly slips in a question to Kourin about if she still uses a Royal Paladin deck, but Kourin is unable to recall any such clan. While Ultra-Rare has no issues with Aichi going, Rekka mocks his choice of teammates, challenging Misaki to a fight. Kourin protests, but Suiko gives her approval and the two begin a confrontation at the shop's fight system.

(Note that based on Suiko's behavior, she may still recall the Royal Paladins. However, nothing was explicitly said regarding whether she does or does not remember them.)

Rekka floors Misaki with her Angel Feather deck, maintaining total control of the fight throughout. As the group leaves Rekka wishes them well, but assures Team Q4 that they "definitely won't win."

"Have fun at the Circuit! Though, I don't think you'll have much..."

The episode preview shows the return of Team Caesar, the introduction of the brand-new Team Genius, Takuto's scheming and Burning Lion, Blonde Eisele.

Today's Card was the Great Silver Wolf, Garmore. Aichi went over his limit break skill.

Episode Guide: Asia Circuit, Ride 68: Team Q4 Again

Fight Analysis

Sendou Aichi vs Katsuragi Kamui

The fight opens on Aichi's turn, riding from Prairie Wind, Sagramore (6000) to Knight of Divine Skill, Gareth (8000).

Kamui rides from Beast God, White Tiger (5000) to the Screamin and Dancin' Announcer, Shout (7000), moving Tiger to his left front rearguard circle. He then calls two Almighty Reporters (6000) as boosters. Kamui first attacks with Tiger boosted by Reporter (11000), using Reporter's skill to return it to his hand when Tiger's attack hits. Aichi damage checks Weapons Dealer, Gwydion (DT +5000 Draw 1) giving the effect to his vanguard (13000) and drawing 1 card. Shout (13000) drive checks Genocide Jack, and the second Reporter returns to his hand.

Aichi rides the Knight of Divine Skill, Bohman (10000) then calls Assaulting Chariot Knight (9000) with Chargegal (6000) as Bohman's booster. Chariot Knight attacks, gaining +3000 power due to Aichi's hand being lower than Kamui's. Kamui damage checks Prometheus (CT +5000 +1 Critical) giving all effects to his vanguard (13000.) Bohman (16000) drive checks the Vanquishing Knight, Hougang.

Kamui rides Marvelous Honey (7000), calling Genocide Jack (11000) and two Almighty Reporters (6000) as boosters for Tiger and Honey. Kamui counterblasts 1 to rev Jack into full gear, then attacks with him. Aichi guards with Weapons Dealer, Gwydion (S15000). Marvelous Honey (13000) is guarded by Elixir Sommelier (S20000) but drive checks a new, unidentified stand trigger (ST +5000 Stand 1), standing Jack and giving the power to White Tiger. White Tiger (16000) attacks, and Aichi damage checks Silent Punisher (CT +5000 +1 Critical) giving all effects to his vanguard (S15000). Almighty Reporter returns to Kamui's hand. Genocide Jack retires Assaulting Chariot Knight.

Aichi rides the Great Silver Wolf, Garmall (10000) and counterblasts 2 to superior call the Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemea Lion (8000.) He then calls Storm of the Battlefield, Sagramore (10000). Nemea is guarded by Almighty Reporter (S12000). Chargegal boosts Garmall; Sendou soulblasts Sagramore to activate Chargegal's skill, giving Garmall +4000 power in addition to Chargegal's boost. Garmall (210000) twin drives into the Knight of Divine Skill, Bohman and Weapons Dealer, Gwydion (DT +5000 Draw 1), giving the power to Sagramore and drawing one card. Aichi counterblasts 1 for Sagramore as he attacks, giving it +3000 power (18000), and Kamui damage checks Tough Boy.

Kamui rides Asura Kaiser (11000) then moves White Tiger to the back and calls Moai the Great (10000), as well as Tough Boy (8000) for Jack's support and Almighty Reporter (6000) for Asura Kaiser. Genocide Jack (18000) is guarded by Nemea's especial intercept (S20000). Asura Kaiser twin drives into Moai the Great and Asura Kaiser, using his Kaiser's skill to stand both Genocide Jack and Tough Boy. Almighty Reporter returns to Katsuragi's hand. Aichi damage checks Vanquishing Knight, Hougang. Genocide Jack attacks once more, and Aichi damage checks Assaulting Chariot Knight. Moai the Great gains +2000 power when boosted by a Nova Grappler (17000 total), but Aichi guards with Haugang and Gwydion (S20000).

Aichi calls Bohman (10000) with Gareth (8000) as his support, then Blessing Owl (6000) for Sagramore, using Blessing's skill to give Sagramore +2000 power. Bohman (18000) is guarded by Kamui's new stand trigger (S21000). Garmall attacks with Chargegal's skill soulblasting Gareth for +4000 additional power, and limit breaks for +5000 power (26000). The Great Silver Wolf twin drives into Slaygal Double-Edge and Elixir Sommelier (HT +5000 Heal 1), giving the power to Sagramore (17000) and healing one damage. Kamui damage checks Genocide Jack. Boosted by Blessing Owl, Sagramore counterblasts 1 for +3000 additional power (21000); Kamui damage checks Death Army Guy.

Aichi's victory.

Spoiler warning: Asia Circuit details follow.

Story Synopsis: Aichi, Shin, Misaki, Morikawa and Izaki marvel over the invitation to the VF Circuit, a competition where fighters from all across the world will gather. Aichi asks the manager to let them participate; however, Shin points out that Aichi needs to assemble two more members for Team Q4, as the team has not technically been established since the end of the previous national. The rules of the invitation are that it extends to the team it is given, so the final lineup to attend the Circuit must consist of at least 1 original member--the other two can be anybody. Misaki quickly agrees at his request, but Sendou is shocked to learn that Kamui has left to join Team Handsome.

Returning to Handsome's shop for the first time in a year, Aichi shows Kamui the invitation. Although filled with dreams of glory, Kamui is obligated to stay with his current teammates and participate in the domestic competition. Daimonji Gouki makes Aichi an offer; if he can best both Gouki and Nagisa in a fight, then Kamui will be able to join Q4 at the Circuit. Instead of Gouki or Nagisa challenging Aichi however, Kamui insists on going against his former captain himself.

During their fight, Kamui gets a sense of deja vu, but can't place just what's wrong with this fight. Sendou surprises them all with his Garmall's limit break skill. Defeated but excited to see the Circuit with his own eyes, Katsuragi is relinquished to Q4.

Important note: The episode preview shows Rekka cardfighting Misaki in ride 69, using the Angel Feather clan. The grade 3 unit she checks is not one of the revealed Angel Feathers that we know of; its name contains kanji not present in Adriel or Gunieru and it doesn't resemble Feather Palace or Kiriel in the slightest. The katakana in the name appears to read "Calamity Flame" but this is from squinting at pixels.

News: Status of Asia Circuit and Crunchyroll

Alarm bells rang off this week when it appeared that the final TBA spot for Crunchyroll's Spring 2012 lineup had filled, with no second season of Vanguard in sight. This was after nearly a week's silence on the part of Bushiroad, and the airing of ride 67, the second episode of Vanguard's second season. With the license for Asia Circuit seemingly up in the air, fans have continued to petition Bushiroad for more information.

Today, the company published a statement on their official English blog, that due to conditions having changed since the first season, problems have surfaced between the involved parties. No further updates on the matter can be posted until the issues between companies have been resolved, however Bushiroad is clearly still working to make Asia Circuit available through Crunchyroll. Exactly which company is the source of the disagreement is unknown--the prime suspect forum outcry is arising against is Crunchyroll itself.

In the interim, many fans both individual and in groups are working to release their own subtitles for Asia Circuit. Fansubs, while widely known as being profitable in the long term as free advertisement for both the company and viewers, are associated with the same problems of any uncontrolled method of distribution. While it would be impossible to obscure authorship of Vanguard without the deliberate intent to do so, the short-term profits gained from ad cross-promotion tend to suffer the most where fansubs are concerned. It has been demonstrated in the past however, that unless an official alternative is provided fans will continue to create their own methods of distribution.

Official Gold Paladin Translation Leaked

As seen at right, the unit that has given so many fan translators trouble is being officially named Blond Eisele. Eisele is from a short form of the name Isenhart, an Old High German surname that draws its roots back to the words for "iron" and "hardy" or "strong." This confirms the connection previously speculated on between Blond Eisele and Arthurian myth. In Le Morte D'Arthur, Sir Ironside was an antagonistic character who was persuaded by Gareth to join the Knights of the Round Table, a character connected by allegory to Vanguard's Knight of Fine Skill, Gareth. Ironside was also known as the Red Knight, just as Eisele is known as the Burning Lion and the grade 0 associated with him is the Crimson Little Lion, Cliff.

Episode Guide: Asia Circuit, Ride 67: Activate! Limit Break!

Fight Analysis

Sendou Aichi vs Kai Toshiki

The fight opens on Kai's turn, riding from Lizard Soldier, Sisin (6000) to Red River Dragoon (8000).

The turn passes to Aichi. He opens with Prairie Wind, Sagramore (6000) riding into Vanquishing Swordsman, Hougang (7000) then calling Whirlwind of the Cliffside, Sagramore (6000) as his support, and the Knight of Fine Skill, Gareth (8000) as a rearguard attacker. Hougang (13000) drive checks Chargegal, Kai damage checks Lightning Stone Jinn. Sagramore's skill activates, and Aichi drops Chargegal to draw one card. Gareth goes unguarded, and Kai damage checks Thunder of Hope, Helena.

Kai rides Thunder Storm Dragoon (10000), calling Gale Thunderclap Jinn (8000) and Bright Jet Dragon (8000). Bright Jet gains +3000 power while attacking via his skill. Aichi damage checks Slaygal Sword. Thunder Storm Dragoon (10000) drive checks Lizard Soldier, Riki. Aichi damage checks Assaulting Chariot Knight. Gale Thunderclap is guarded with Blessing Owl.

Aichi rides the Knight of Divine Skill, Bohman. Gareth moves to the back rearguard, and Sendou calls Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemea Lion (8000) in front of Gareth. Nemea (16000) is guarded by Wind Marquis Boy, Hayate (S20000). Bohman (16000) goes unguarded, and Kai damage checks Old Dragon Mage (DT +5000 Draw 1), applying the power to Dragoon and drawing one card.

Kai rides Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion (11000), calling Lizard Soldier, Riki (7000) to support Vermillion. Bright Jet is guarded by Whirlwind of the Cliffside, Sagramore (S20000). Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion (18000) twin drives into Red River Dragoon and Yellow Gem Carbuncle (CT +5000 +1 Critical), giving the power to his Jinn and the critical to Kaiser. Aichi damage checks Storm of the Battlefield, Sagramore and Fortune Bell (ST +5000 Stand 1), standing Nemea and giving the power to Bohman (15000). Gale Thunderclap Jinn attacks and gains +2000 power through its skill (15000). Aichi damage checks the Vanquishing Knight, Hougang.

Aichi rides the Storm of the Battlefield, Sagramore (10000), calling Slaygal Sword (9000) to his right with Elixir Sommelier (5000) as its support. Aichi counterblasts 4 for Slaygal Sword's skill, four times over; because he controls at least 4 Gold Paladin units, Sword gains +2000 power four times. Slaygal Sword (22000) attacks, Kai damage checks Thunder Break Dragon. Sagramore (16000) is guarded by Yellow Gem Carbuncle and Wyvern Transport Corps (S26000). He twin drives Knight of Fine Skill, Gareth and Silent Punisher (CT +5000 +1 Critical). Aichi gives all effects to Nemea (15000 +1 Critical). Nemea (21000 +1 Critical) is guarded by Old Dragon Mage and Red River Dragoon, as well as Bright Jet's intercept (S26000).

Kai calls Lightning Stone Jinn (7000) to the back and calls Plasma Bite Dragon (10000) in front of it. For Kaiser Vermillion, he limit breaks 4, counterblasts 3 for +2000 power. Vermillion attacks all of Aichi's frontline units, twin driving into Shield Blade Dragoon and Thunder Storm Dragoon. Sendou damage checks Sacred Guardian Beast, Nemea Lion.

Kai's victory. 

Spoiler warning: Asia Circuit details follow.

Story Synopsis: The day begins with Emi waking Aichi up as normal, albeit in her new outfit. Appearing drained and unenthusiastic, Aichi mulls over his new Gold Paladin deck, Garmall in particular. Disappointed that his deck is really gone, Sendou skips breakfast and walks to Card Capital--but, pausing at the door, heads for the park (the same one seen in rides 2 and 33) instead. Like in previous episodes, Kai finds him here, but when shown Sendou's new deck, he merely asks what's wrong with it. Like the rest of the cast, Kai has no memory of Aichi ever using a different clan.

Looking at Kai's deck, Aichi is shocked to find that it's not his friend's Kagerou deck, but a Narukami deck. Aichi asks if Kai remembers using a different clan--but Kai denies this, stating that this has always been his deck. Still, he appears to feel ambiguous about what he's remembering, and the two go to a nearby stage to cardfight.

In their battle Kai's old memories briefly resurface. When Aichi rides the Knight of Divine Skill, Bohman, he anticipates Blaster Blade instead of Bohman, and recalls the unit's visual appearance as Aichi's avatar. However, this does not last, and Kai ultimately cannot recall the Royal Paladins. Insisting that Sendou needs to consider his own limits, Kai calls final turn on the boy and brings out Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion's limit break to finish their fight.

As it draws to a close, the screen at their backs lights up, and none other than Tatsunagi Takuto appears to advertise the upcoming Vanguard Fight Circuit in Singapore. Aichi pleads with Toshiki to remember, but Kai walks away from him, unable to remember the past Sendou is recalling, and saying that Sendou should find his own path to Takuto as Kai is finding his. Ride 67 ends with Aichi at Card Capital, learning that Team Q4 has received a formal invitation to the VF Circuit.

(In the event that the viewer is unaware of Singapore's location, the anime helpfully points it out)

Episode Guide: Asia Circuit, Ride 66: Gold Paladin

Fight Analysis 

Tatsunagi Takuto vs Kai Toshiki

The scene opens on Kai's turn; both he and Takuto are at grade 2, Kai as Nehalem (10000) and Takuto the Knight of Divine Skill, Bohman (10000). Kai rides Dragonic Overlord (11000) but whatever moves he makes on this turn are repelled. Takuto proceeds to ride an unseen grade 3, ending the fight.

Tatsunagi Takuto vs Sendou Aichi

This fight starts on Takuto's turn. He opens with Prairie Wind, Sagramore (6000) and rides the Knight of Fine Play, Gareth (8000) before passing the turn over to Aichi.

Sendou opens his own turn with Wingal Brave (5000). He rides the Little Sage Marron (8000); Brave's skill calls it to the back rearguard circle to Marron's left. Sendou calls the Knight of Friendship, Kay (7000) who with Wingal's boost (12000) attacks Gareth. Takuto damage checks Vanquishing Swordsman, Hougang. Marron drive checks the Lake Maiden, Lien, and Takuto damage checks Slaygal Sword.

Tatsunagi rides the Knight of Divine Skill, Bohman (10000) and calls Guardian Holy Beast, Nemea Lion (8000). Bohman drive checks Silent Punisher (CT +5000 +1 Critical) giving the critical to Bohman and the power to his Lion. Aichi damage checks Solitary Knight, Gancelot and Blaster Dark. Nemea Lion (13000) attacks but is guarded by Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine (S18000).

 

Back to Aichi. Sendou rides Blaster Blade (9000) and counterblasts 2 to retire Nemea Lion, then calls Lien for Blaster's support. Blaster Blade attacks (16000) and drive checks the Bringer of Good Luck, Epona (CT +5000 +1 Critical) giving the critical to Blaster Blade and the power to Kay. Takuto damage checks Assaulting Chariot Knight and Blessing Owl. Boosted by Brave, Kay attacks, using his own skill to gain +3000 power (20000); Takuto guards with Weapons Dealer, Gwydion and Silent Punisher (S25000).

 

Takuto rides Great Silver Wolf, Garmall (10000) and activates his limit break (4). The fight ends prematurely.

Spoiler warning: Asia Circuit details follow.

Story Synopsis:  The episode opens with a fight between Kai Toshiki and Tatsunagi Takuto. However, it ends when Takuto rides his grade 3 unit, and Kai's Kagerou deck is transformed into a Narukami deck.

Later at Card Capital, Aichi encounters Takuto as well. Tatsunagi introduces himself as a first-time player with a Gold Paladin deck. Having just settled back into his normal routine after coming home the national champion, Aichi offers to teach Takuto the rules. Takuto, wielding the new limit-breaking clan, passes off Sendou's play style as "old."

 

As their fight goes on Aichi is drawn by Takuto into a vision of the planet Cray, where he witnesses firsthand the sealing of the Shadow Paladins, Royal Paladins and Kagerou clans. When Sendou awakens, he finds himself in a strange alternate timeline; his Royal Paladin deck has been replaced by a Gold Paladin deck, Takuto is nowhere in sight, and his friends are convinced that Aichi has always used a Gold Paladin deck. Unsure of what to do, the episode closes with Sendou overwhelmed by this strange turn of events.