Winter 2024 Anime: Cardfight!! Vanguard DivineZ

Synopsis

One day, six cards known as the “Six Desires” were born with the power to change fate.
Six fighters were chosen, and would come to possess those six cards.

What awaited them was the “Fated Clash“, where they would fight each other until the end, and the last one standing would have any wish granted. A youth named Akina Myodo, who wants to help his frail sister, participates in the Fated Clash to have his wish granted.

And thus, he throws himself into battles with powerful fighters.

Comments

Alif Naufal H. (The Indonesian Anime Times)

Ever since its first season in 2011, Cardfight!! Vanguard has been able to maintain its core fanbase for 13 years, mainly those who, as kids, loved the anime and became interested in the card game the characters are playing. Flash forward to 2024, many of those kids are now becoming adults, and while some of them still engage with the franchise actively, some of them don’t. The question now is, how will the franchise try and attract a new generation of fans to it?

Recently, it seems like Bushiroad is trying to answer that question. Back in 2021, Bushiroad introduced what they called the ‘D series’, a clean reboot of the anime which starts with Cardfight!! Vanguard overDress. It brings an entirely new cast of characters and new game mechanics with it, which makes it clear that Bushiroad is trying to revitalize the franchise. On the trading card game side of things, they released a bunch of new products designed for beginners, and alongside the overDress and will+Dress anime series that started in 2021 and ended in 2023, they keep releasing products that are designed to be playable out of the box so that new players who are interested in the game after watching the anime can play the game straight away. 

The problem is, though, that the first season of Cardfight!! Vanguard overDress doesn’t seem to try to cater to newcomers at all. The show barely explains what the game rules are, and the story itself wasn’t exactly engaging. It only starts to get good in season 2. By that time, the only people watching are probably existing fans. It baffles me that the first ‘tutorial episode’ of the D series is shown in the 3rd season, Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress. All of this makes it hard for me, a fan of the franchise, to recommend the show to my friends in any capacity.

Because of this, I’m really happy to see how Bushiroad tries to answer the question with Cardfight!! Vanguard DivineZ. Although it is technically a continuation of the D series—being the sixth season for it by now—it introduced a new cast of protagonists with some returning characters in it, which makes it easier to get into for newcomers, while keeping existing fans excited to see their favorite characters’ involvement in the new story DivineZ has to offer. 

Compared to previous D series seasons, the premise of Cardfight!! Vanguard DivineZ is much more ‘fantastical’; It is a card game tournament between six people to have their wishes fulfilled. It brings a lot of potential for the story moving forward–They can explore the characters’ wishes and their motivations to join this tournament, as well as the mystery of who gathered these six people in the first place, along with the possible penalty if a player loses the game. It also included a very good ‘tutorial episode’ in episode two for newcomers who might be interested in the game, covering the basics of the game as well as more advanced concepts such as the importance of sequencing your attacks so you can get more from your cards’ effects. It’s by far the best tutorial fight in the D series, and is perfect to teach newcomers how to play the game. 

The introduced characters so far are also interesting: Akina Myodo is a really fun protagonist just because of his banters with the characters around him, but also has some depth within his character that can be explored. He seemingly cares too much about the people around him over himself sometimes, which is shown when he willingly sacrifices his lunch to save his classmate, Suo Yobitsugi, from being bullied at school. The depth is also shown by his wish, which is to cure his frail sister from her illness. Another character, Nao Inabe, is Akina’s reliable senpai character. She’s also a card game nerd who aims to become a professional player someday. It seems like her wish relates to that in some way or another. There’s not much to say about the other four main characters for now, but just from the protagonist alone, I feel like there’s much to be explored about how Akina, someone who naturally cares about other people, will deal with the fact that he’s going to deny other people’s wish for his own.

If you’re a fan of Cardfight!! Vanguard already, the way Cardfight!! Vanguard DivineZ starts its story might be really nostalgic for you. There are parallels to be made between Akina Myodo, the protagonist of DivineZ, and the protagonist of the original series, Aichi Sendo. They are both blue-haired, weren’t familiar with the game at first (both of their decks belong to the Keter Sanctuary), and are taught the game by someone who uses a deck belonging to the Dragon Empire. When Akina is being taught the game by Nao, she tells him to imagine their fight in Planet Cray, just like what Kai Toshiki told Aichi Sendo in the original series. In a lot of ways, it managed to feel very nostalgic for its fans while also being its own thing.

Cardfight!! Vanguard DivineZ seems to be everything I asked for in terms of being a newcomer-friendly series, but also being a really fresh new chapter for the franchise as a whole. Accompanied by new beginner products for the trading card game, a new Cardfight!! Vanguard manga for the CoroCoro Comic magazine (a monthly manga magazine for elementary school-aged boys), and also their focus on making teaching events at 300 card shops in Japan, it seems like Bushiroad is investing more in the new generation of fans than ever before. It makes me excited to see the future of Cardfight!! Vanguard from now on. Maybe there will be a time when I teach the game to my kids if the franchise continues to be a success.

Facts and Figures

Screenshots and Trailer

The Indonesian Anime Times