Dennis Limmer
Various anime and manga are based on a toy line or card game, adding a unique dimension to the property. Having physical collectibles and memorabilia adds to the enjoyment of these shows, almost with a 4th wall or interactive element built into it. If you’re ready to experience this form of entertainment or are looking for something fun to collect, here are the top 10 toys based on anime & manhwa for your enjoyment.
Bakugan
After the failure of the first series of this toy battling game, the franchise was revived a few years back with a new anime series, more transforming toys, and a trading card game. Along with the “big two,” Bakugan has all the similarities with Pokemon and Digimon, but what makes Bakugan stand apart are the miniature transforming toys that go from ball mode to creature battle mode after being rolled over a magnetic source. After this automatic transformation, you can manually morph your Bakugan back into its spherical shape. New gimmicks are being introduced all the time, such as new geometric-shaped Bakugan, combiner Bakugan, and even LED light-up effects. If you enjoy following the anime, you’ll easily enjoy collecting the toys and playing the trading card game. The trading card game is a nice cross between Magic the Gathering and the Pokemon TCG, but requires the dexterity to roll your Bakugan over magnetic cores to open them up and do battle. Sadly, as of this article, it appears that the trading card game aspect is on hiatus, which might be permanent. However, even if you don’t follow the anime or play the TCG, these little guys are great for any toy collector who likes transforming robots, mecha, kaiju, and miniatures. Definitely check them out and get yourself a few while you’re at it!
Super 10
The most recent CGI manhwa from South Korea and Young Toys, Super 10 launched in February 2022 and follows the journey of a young teenager named Benji and his two friends Skyla and Aiden (English dubbed names). This series is a spin-off and pseudo-evolution of Young Toys’ earlier series Metalions and features transforming robot mecha that turn into various animals that combine into a powerful giant robot. It’s a premise almost any anime fan will be familiar with, but will be hard-pressed to find a modern anime story with the formula of fun and lighthearted appeal that Young Toys is improving on all the time. At the center of the earth is a super stone that keeps the earth in balance, and an evil villain named Omega wishes to absorb the last super stone he needs from earth. A family-friendly cartoon, it will please anyone who wants to watch something easygoing and adventurous, and this series is now currently available in English dubbing on streaming services. The toy line is similar to the quality and awesomeness of Young Toys’ other hit franchise, Tobots, but focuses more on animal mecha and combiner robots. With additional weapon accessories to collect, this series also takes inspiration from Super Sentai / Power Rangers. Official American toys have not yet made their way to the US market, so currently you’ll have to import these toys if you want them sooner than later.
Hello Carbot
Hello Carbot is a South Korean CGI manhwa for kids that continues the success of the first mecha manhwa Tobots, albeit from a different studio. Hello Carbot was released in 2014, but it’s not simply another clone. Hello Carbot stays consistent following the adventures of one main protagonist, Chatan, a young boy who receives a mysterious package that turns out to have a cube capable of transforming into a car robot. From there, more Carbots enter Chatan’s life and help him with any challenges he faces in daily life, and they also take him on regular adventures. This is not a typical good guy versus bad guys story, rather, there are a variety of different plots to keep things surprising and interesting. The toy line features large transforming robot mecha that look impressive on a larger scale when compared to most toys on the market. The earlier generations of Hello Carbot toys possessed an inspired homage to the original G1 transformers from Takara Tomy, and the more recent releases have become more kid-friendly with simpler designs and transforming sequences. Sadly, there has been no English translation yet, but hopefully, that changes in the future. Regardless, if you like anime toys, transforming robot mecha, and sci-fi; there are plenty of Hello Carbot toys to check out and add to your collection today.
Tobots
South Korea’s new wave of CGI manhwa for kids has begun to reach International success thanks to English-dubbed episodes and toys released in the US. Taking a cue from Transformers and heroic cartoons, Tobots was created by Young Toys in South Korea in 2010 and has spanned multiple seasons based on three different timelines. The original Tobot series spans four seasons and follows two young boys Ryan and Kory Char (English dubbed names) along with their father Franklin who created Tobots to help him and his sons after tragically losing his wife in an accident and becoming paralyzed. In the next timeline, Athlon, an elementary kid named Kyle Hughes joins a robot racing league with three Tobots built by his mom. The most recent timeline, Tobot V Galaxy Detectives, follows the kid Tyler King after he discovers an alien galaxy weapon that can shoot a limited amount of vehicles and bring them to life as Tobots. The second season continues with a new protagonist, Victor, and all timelines feature dastardly and hilarious villains. The toy line from this franchise features relatively large-scale transforming toys that are high-quality, colorful, and glossy. Unlike Transformers, this toy line is primarily built with kids in mind but easily looks awesome on any adult collector’s shelf next to Transformers and other anime toys and statues. Tobots may not have a more expensive collector’s line, but their excellent build quality and unique designs give them an attractive presence. Best of all, when compared to a majority of Transformer toys, Tobots are more intuitive and enjoyable to transform back and forth between their vehicle and robot modes. Give Tobots a try if you like watching family-friendly cartoons and pick these toys up if you enjoy collecting robot mecha.
Beyblade
Beyblade has been going strong since 1999 and continues to shake up the world of toy battling games. As a matter of fact, it’s the number one toy battling game and remains uncontested after all this time. The actual game of spinning tops and trying to knock out opposing tops can be traced to ancient civilizations all over the world. But leave it to Japan to create manga and anime that blends a kid’s adventure with fantasy elements into a hero’s journey to be the best battler. Starting with the metal fusion series, Beyblade has undergone an evolution of both the cartoon series and the toy line. Currently, the Beyblade Burst anime series has recently ended, but the Burst Ultimate toy line is still completing its run with future lines planned. There’s plenty to enjoy here from the fun story, but the real action begins when you get yourself some of these toys and battle them against your friends. Hasbro currently makes cheaper Beyblade toys that are easier to get and fun to play with, but you’ll want to import the authentic Takara Tomy Beyblades from Japan to get higher-quality Beys with more anime-inspired gimmicks and customization options. Everyone should give Beyblade a try because it can make for a fun distraction in-between longer boardgames on a family/friends game night or make for a serious competitive hobby with tournaments being held worldwide.
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is nothing short of a legendary series that’s one of only the few manga to achieve the upper echelon of trans-media expansion and International success. Spanning multiple seasons of manga-adapted anime, the canon has even expanded into original off-shoot anime series and a completely brand new Xenoverse brought about by the action RPG video games. The franchise has also journeyed into the realm of professionally competitive 2D fighting games. To top it all off, Bandai relaunched the trading card game that easily stands as arguably the best anime-themed TCG of all time, full of thematic battles and complex strategies. When it comes to the toy line, it’s hard to find another series that capitalizes on action figures. Outlasting any American toy brand and easily growing in popularity on an International level, there are more than enough toys and memorabilia that you can get your hands on based on the Dragon Ball cast. Bandai regularly releases highly-articulated and detailed characters, as well as sculpted statues that capture epic moments from the anime. If you’re a Dragon Ball fan, you’ll be able to collect and play an awesome card game and display epic action figures from the franchise.
Gundam
The most famous mecha anime of all time, the storyline of Gundam continues to expand its timeline with an epic assortment of characters and plots. Bringing a dramatic sci-fi space opera to audiences, the universe of Gundam is diverse in its tone and sub-genres; there’s something for every anime or sci-fi fan to enjoy. Gundam plastic modeling kits, better known as Gunpla for short, are the mainstay of the series’ toy line. Although there is a growing assortment of fantastic pre-assembled action models and statues to choose from, hardcore fans prefer to buy these boxed Gunpla kits and assemble them themselves. The reason this has become so popular is a phenomenon, but there is a unique reward for investing the time to intimately remove the plastic parts from their sprues, and then carefully snap them (and sometimes glue a select few) together. Once fully assembled, Gundam models look excellent out of the box with some included stickers, but many advanced builders accentuate details with a rapidograph pen and modeling paint. Although it sounds like a daunting task, there are different levels of Gunpla kits that range from cheap beginner-friendly builds to Perfect Grade (PG) sets that require plenty of investment and patience.
Super Sentai / Power Rangers
Although not technically an anime nor a manhwa, Super Sentai belongs on any toy franchise list because it’s one of the oldest and longest-running shows in Japan that’s inspired countless anime and superhero action stories worldwide. Episodes are entertainingly formulaic and provide plenty of flashy martial arts action and giant robot fights. In the American adaptation, the characters are usually high school or college students, have generic stories, and barely evolve over the season. The original Japanese show is a whole different story. Each season offers more variety of characters of different ages and backgrounds, and satisfying character interaction and development. Every season, fans are treated to a new team of heroes each representing a color and robot mecha that combine into their team’s super giant robot. Over the years, there have been many different variations to this formula, but one thing remains certain; toys are the main driving force of the show. The toy line usually includes action figures representing the Super Sentai Power Rangers action figures, but if it doesn’t, the toy line always has large kid-size replicas of their weapons and the entire lineup of their robot mecha. The toys have very simple transformations but offer the most combinations and reconfigurations of any toy line other than ones like Lego. Depending on the season, Super Sentai toys from Bandai Japan can offer multiple ways to combine and customize your toys to satisfy your creativity. No other toy line based on transforming mecha can boast about the features and successes that Super Sentai has achieved with their variety of action figures, real-life weapon replicas, and transforming plus combining robot mecha. It’s definitely worth checking out the original Japanese Super Sentai seasons if you can find them as they offer more satisfying characters and stories akin to a good anime and live-action series. The toys change every season so you’re bound to see something that captures your imagination, and you’ll enjoy putting them on display on your shelves.
Transformers
Part of the beginning of the toy craze during the 1980s, Transformers were the first to successfully combine a toy line and animated cartoon based on robot mecha for American audiences. Gobots and Machine Robo were close, and are also an amazing franchise to check out and collect. To this day, Transformers keeps trucking with new CGI animated cartoons and a seemingly never-ending live-action movie series. Together with fans of retro toys, Takara Tomy has another hit on their hands with Hasbro as they release toys for kids and adult collectors based on past and present Transformers. Like Beyblade, Hasbro keeps sending Transformers toys to local stores in the US and there are plenty of internet vendors that carry the higher-priced and more advanced toys from Takara Tomy in Japan. Almost any kid from the ’80s has played with one, and new Transformers fans are popping up thanks to the new CGI cartoons and live-action movies. Transformers proves that the appeal of robot mecha is hugely culturally significant, and largely embedded in our collective consciousness.
Pokemon
It’s no surprise that Pokemon is arguably the greatest and most successful franchise due to the sheer amount of products being pumped out. There’s a huge variety of products, including video games, a trading card game, mobile apps, clothes, plushies, action figures, models, and so much more. You name it; nearly everything has been branded by Pokemon at one point or another. The card game revolutionized collectible cards for audiences of all ages, and although it’s a fun and competitive game to play, a majority of players only buy cards to collect Pokemon. The Nintendo video games made handheld gaming part of everyday life for many, even before the rise of smart phones. Thanks to the Pokemon franchise, Nintendo continues to command a leading presence in the video game and toy industries. So, there you have it. These are the top 10 toys based on anime & manwha that you’ll need to check out if you’re interested in collecting memorabilia and other fun things to display and use for entertainment. If you’re a fan of anime, manwha, adventure, sci-fi, and fantasy, make sure to watch some of these series, check out the toy lines they produce, and you’ll be surprised at how addicting they are.
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