At Anime Expo 2024, I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Katsuhito Akiyama, the executive director of the new Beyblade X series. With the help of a translator, we discussed the latest anime series about everyone’s favorite series about spinning top battles as well as his experience in the world anime from mecha series to earlier series of Beyblade as well as his thoughts on the new protagonists.
At the panel today, you mentioned something I never thought about – you treat Beyblades as a mechas, which makes the series more akin to Gundam, Code Geass, and all these other series. When I was growing up, I said Beyblade was my favorite sports anime. How do you feel about kids that see Beyblade as a sport as well as any other genres?
Katsuhito Akiyama: So let’s say this first, I think it’s a sports anime and there are clubs and teams and team competitions in Beyblade X, as well. And I’ve always been involved in robot or mecha animation. Unfortunately I was not involved in Gundam, but I was involved in Macross. The techniques and methods of expression are probably based on the bey action of Beyblade. So that kind of robot or mecha animation experience, it helped me to create more intense bouts as seen in X.
That makes a lot of sense. I know the difference from typical mecha is these kids that pilot the robots are in danger. In Beyblade, they are just playing a sport, trying to become the very best, it’s all very safe and enjoyable. What experiences have you had from Beyblade Burst helped prepare you for what it’s like now with Beyblade X?
Katsuhito Akiyama: So it’s been very helpful because I had experience with Burst, however it’s very interesting and exciting to create a brand new world in X because now it takes place in a pro league. It’s a professional world of Beyblade. And of course, it’s a sports anime, so it has a little bit of a higher level feel because it does take place in a Pro League now. So I’m having a lot of fun watching it and it’s fun for me to express the animation of fighting in a more advanced way.
The animation process sounds long and complicated from storyboarding to character design to the computer graphics, what is your favorite part of the animation process?
Katsuhito Akiyama: So I like the entire process. However, my least favorite part is storyboarding because that’s where you have to come up with the concept and that’s the most difficult. However, it’s worthwhile.
In what ways do you relate to the characters that have been created in the series of Beyblade, whether Burst or X? What do you like about them?
Katsuhito Akiyama: I can relate to the characters, that some characters are enigmatic to me. For instance, Blader X really exemplifies the theme of his work which is that having fun is very important or maybe the most important. And I can relate to that. I think Blader X is a complete character in my mind, but opposed to that, Robin is still up and coming, so to speak. So he really is struggling and that’s where kids can really relate to Robin because they see themselves in Robin. In that sense, Robin is really easy to relate to as well and I think he is really central to the story that I create from his character.
Episodes of Beyblade X are streaming on Hulu, Netflix, and DisneyNOW.
And if you’ll be at this year’s Anime Expo, the World Championship Qualifiers will take place on July 5, 2025 at 10 AM. Registration opens an hour before and only the first 128 Bladers will compete. Be sure to visit booth E-25. Bring your best 3 Hasbro Beys (onsite loans will be limited), and the winner of the tournament will be crowned the US Open Class National Champ and will receive a paid trip to Tokyo for the World Championships.
