It’s an exciting week for sports fans as the FIFA World Cup is set to kick off in just a few days. Incidentally, this week also sees the premiere of the the much-anticipated anime inspired sports fantasy series Dragon Striker. Produced by French animation studio La Chouette Compagnie in association with Disney Television Animation, the series is a unique blend of European fantasy and Japanese animation. Set in a world where sports and magic combine, the story follows farm boy Key, goalkeeper Ssyelle, and the rest of their scrappy team at an elite school on their journey to becoming champions all while discovering dark secrets and uncovering an ancient evil
DRAGON STRIKER – (Credit: Josselin Azorin Lara)
CHARLES LEFEBVRE
DRAGON STRIKER – (Credit: Mariam Hachmi)
SYLVAIN DOS SANTOS
Ahead of the premiere this week, we had chance to chat with co-creator/executive producer Sylvain Dos Santos and co-creator/director Charles Lefebvre about the developing Dragon Striker series as well as their long-term story plans.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Taimur Dar: As many have noted, the release of Dragon Striker coincides with the World Cup. Obviously, animation is a long process but I’m curious when and how timing the premiere with the World Cup came about?
Charles Lefebvre: It’s magic-like. The project was planned two years ago originally but we went through some project complications. It was delayed. We wanted to keep the quality at a high standard and we were luckily backed by Disney. It was actually good luck to be so close to the World Cup. We just finished. I have white hair. I hope [the World Cup] gives a big boost to it because we spent a lot of passion to this project. I hope all the stars align for us to bring more seasons.
DRAGON STRIKER – “Revelations” (Disney)
KEY
Taimur Dar: Dragon Striker is obviously influenced by fantasy anime and manga but also sports. I’m not particularly drawn to sports stories but I do appreciate the genre. What were some of the inspirations in terms of anime and manga?
Sylvain Dos Santos: My favorite sports anime and manga is Eyeshield 21. Obviously and Inazuma Eleven and Captain Tsubasa. In terms of shōnen I think my strongest influence is One Piece.
Charles Lefebvre: In terms of anime, one the first anime to air in France was Captain Tsubasa. I think we hint at it like the field enlarging depending on the action. It’s the type of heritage we have from this type of anime. I watch a lot more action anime. You have sports anime and I think the project is the mix of that. If you love soccer you will find something for you. What I used to tell the team when we were working on it, it’s like a gladiator arena with a ball in the middle. We filled the match with danger.
DRAGON STRIKER – “Dragon Fever” (Disney)
ODWARD, SSYELLE, KEY, MILO, AMELINE
Taimur Dar: In the show there are four teams; the Dragons, Shades, Bards, and Roses. How would you describe each team and how did you develop each one?
Sylvain Dos Santos: There is a bit of Harry Potter in it. To keep this medieval theme, we chose the names based on medieval things like dragons and knights. We created the banners to respond to each other. The Dragons are about competition and [are] ruthless. They put victory at the top. The Bards are more introspective. The Rose are the best defense. The idea was make each banner unique.
Charles Lefebvre: To add to that, I don’t know if use it so much in the show but I remember each has a sentence to define their creed. The Shades tried to win the game before it started so they don’t have any problem using any vice or malicious technique to win. Some want to play shiny, some want to play dirty. They all have different ways of playing the game.
DRAGON STRIKER – “Welcome to Kal Asterock – Part 1” (Disney)
DRAGON STRIKER
Taimur Dar: This first season consists of 22 episodes. Is it a standalone season or do you have a larger plans to continue beyond this initial season?
Sylvain Dos Santos: We definitely have plans to continue. The idea is not to be standalone. We actually consider the first season as 11 episodes. After that and [the other 11] we have a lot of plans to build the story. We’re thinking five seasons but we can do way more if the audience likes the show and we’re lucky enough. We worked a lot to create a universe that is consistent and there is a lot of story to tell in this universe.
Charles Lefebvre: The first trial by fire is the audience and whether they follow the show or not. We hope people will be there to be support the show. We have a lot to explore in this universe. The idea is to increase the stakes with each season.
DRAGON STRIKER – Key Art. (Disney)
Dragon Striker premieres June 9th on Disney XD and June 10th on Disney+
