DinoZaurs / DinoZone
ダイノゾーズ, Dainozōzu / ダイノゾーン, Dainozōn
It’s been five years since Michael Lindsay (known for the original Kisuke Urahara in Bleach, the original Joe Kido and Greymon in Digimon Adventure including Digimon Adventure 02, and Kanetsugu Naoe in Warriors Orochi and its sequel1 and Samurai Warriors 32 before retiring in 2012) passed away. Why not bring this forgotten anime to Substack?
DinoZone was created by Bandai in cooperation with anime studio Sunrise (later known as Bandai Namco Filmworks). The toys were presented as clear dinosaur-like robots that can change form into a robot mode called Progress Mode, with the main gimmick of the toys having clear colored plastic alongside die-cast metal parts, to represent a reconstructed fossilized dinosaur. Each toy has an individual weapon as its accessory, though certain toys in the toy line can act as weapons to be equipped such as Dino Pachy or Dino Arch.
Mid-summer 2000 saw Bandai partnering with Saban Entertainment (now closed) to bring the anime series to America, changing the name to DinoZaurs, and Sunrise produced an animated series to promote the toys alongside new character designs that were not present in the original Dinozone toy line. The 26-episode animated television series aired on Fox Kids from July 28, 2000 to November 30, 2000.
I never watched the anime as a child since it was aired. Wikipedia (English) describes the anime series’ story:
65,000,000 years ago, aliens known as the Dragozaurs came from space to Earth in order to absorb the planet’s life force. The planet responded by converting a select number of prehistoric animals, including dinosaurs, into the Dino Knights in order to defend it. The Dragozaurs resurface in the present day to collect the planet’s life force, and the Dino Knights re-awaken from their long slumber in order to stop them.
The anime series describes the characters:
Dino Knights
When the Dragozaurs first attack Earth, the planet converts a select number of prehistoric animals into the Dino Knights (ダイノソルジャー, Dinosorujā, Dino Soldiers in Japan) in order to fight them. Normally fossilized, a Dino Knight assumes a more metallic form when re-animated. The command to power up the Dino Knights with the Dino Daggers is “Dino Power, Energize!”. The Dino Knights’ fossil forms reside in the Dinotarium.
Dino Tyranno (v.b. Toshiyuki Morikawa in Japanese; Kim Strauss in English) is the leader of the Dino Knights. He wields the Silver Sword (Grand Slasher). He has a rivalry with Gigano Dragon since prehistoric times. He is knocked into an erupting volcano by Dark Dragon, but becomes an Ultimate Dino Knight when Dino Rhamph’s energy boost revitalizes him and grants him the Mega Blade Broad Sword, with which he uses the “Fire Flame Strike” attack. His dinosaur form is a Tyrannosaurus. Only a toy version of his regular form was made.
Dino Brachio (v.b. Tesshō Genda in Japanese; Tom Wyner in English) is the Second-in-command of the Dino Knights. Dino Brachio serves as Tyranno's advisor and is the biggest, oldest, and wisest of the Dino Knights. Brachio would prefer to settling the Dragozaur problem peacefully. Wields the Axe of Valor (Grand Axe). His dinosaur form is a Brachiosaurus.
Dino Tricera (v.b. Show Hayami in Japanese; Joey Camen in English) wields the Tricera Spears of Jade (Bone Daggers). He becomes an Ultimate Dino Knight when Dino Rhamph’s energy boost revitalizes him and grants him the Triple-Threat Halberd, with which he uses the “Lightning Bolt Strike” attack. Like Stego, his favorite pastime is fighting the Dragozaurs. His dinosaur form is a Triceratops. Only a toy version of his regular form was made.
Dino Stego (v.b. Hōchū Ōtsuka in Japanese, albeit, no relation to fellow Japanese seiyuu Akio Ōtsuka; Peter Lurie in English) is the “tough guy” of the Dino Knights. He likes nothing better than fighting the Dragozaurs. His weapon is the Stego Skeletal Revolution (Spinal Bone) where his chest rotates, spinning any enemy around and around. His dinosaur form is a Stegosaurus.
Dino Sabre (v.b. Kenji Nojima in Japanese, Doug Erholtz in English) is one of the youngest of the Dino Knights and doesn’t mind having fun with the Dragozaurs as well. He wields the Saber Wailing Whip (Tiger Whip). His prehistoric mammal form is a Smilodon.
Dino Ptera (v.b. Hideo Ishikawa in Japanese, Lenore Zann in English, most episodes, Philece Sampler (deceased) in English in the final episode) is one of the few female Dino Knights3, Dino Ptera serves as an aerial recon for the Dino Knights and is often the one who fights Drago Wing in aerial battles. She attacks with the Ptera Bristle Boomerang (Wing Boomerang). Her pterosaur form is a Pteranodon.
Dino Mammoth (v.b. Hiromi Sugino in Japanese, Beau Billingslea in English) is a very sane and competent member of the Dino Knights, Dino Mammoth wields the Mammoth Tusks of Vigor (Big Tusk Spear). His prehistoric mammal form is a Mammoth.
Cerazaur Brothers
The Cerazaur Brothers are three Dino Knights that were found by Rick. By the command “Triblade fusion! Integrate!”, they can combine to form Dino Triblades (Great Swordsman Triblades in Japan) who wields the Triple Fossil Star Sword and is the largest of the Dino Knights.
Dino Centro, a.k.a. Dino Centros in Japan (v.b. Kōsuke Toriumi in Japanese, Wally Wingert in English) is a Centrosaurus who wields the Fossil Sun Sword. He forms one of the arms of Dino Triblades.
Dino Toro, a.k.a. Dino Chasmos in Japan (v.b. Katsuya Shiga in Japanese, Daran Norris in English) is a Torosaurus and the brother of Dino Centro who wields the Fossil Moon Sword. He forms one of the arms of Dino Triblades. In the Japanese version, Dino Toro was a Chasmosaurus.
Dino Stryaco a.k.a. Dino Stryas in Japan (v.b. Yasunori Matsumoto in Japanese, Richard Epcar in English) is a Styracosaurus and is Centro and Toro's older brother. Styraco wields the Styraco Sword of Stealth. He forms the head, main torso, and legs of Dino Triblades.
Dragozaurs
The Dragozaurs (デスイーター, Desu Ītā, Death Eaters in Japan) are an alien race who are the antagonists of the series. They feed off of a planet’s life force, causing the planet to be lifeless and in ruins.
Diamond Ryugu (v.b. Ikuya Sawaki in Japanese; Catherine Battistone in English) — The primary antagonist of the series. Diamond Ryugu is the leader of the Dragozaurs. Only her eyes are seen and her voice heard, usually leaving Drago Wing, Gigano Dragon, and Dark Dragon to do her bidding. Her dinosaur form is a gigantic Ankylosaurus with her warrior form coming out of its back.
Gigano Dragon (v.b. Tomomichi Nishimura in Japanese; Bob Papenbrook (deceased) in English) is Dino Tyranno's rival, armed with a blade on his left arm called the Gigano Sword in the Japanese version. His creature form is a Chinese dragon, he is a vicious fighter who is indifferent to Diamond Ryugu's plans and would rather focus on getting his revenge against Tyranno, which leads to his death.
Drago Wing (v.b. Masato Hirano in Japanese; Steven Jay Blum in English) is the field commander to the Dragozaur Armies, Drago Wing can drain any opponent of their life force as seen in one episode where he ambushed Dino Ptera and drained her life force enough to reduce her back to her fossilized form. His animal form is a giant vampire bat.
Dark Dragon (v.b. Daran Norris; missing JP voice actor, 14–24) is a Dragozaur wizard who once betrayed the Dragozaurs. Dark Dragon is an old enemy of the Dino Knights. His normal form is a humanoid one. When fighting, Dark Dragon changes into a European dragon with a blade on its right wrist. He also has the ability to manipulate and produce bats as well as other powers. Dark Dragon is very intelligent and relies on subtle manipulation for his plans.
The Dragozaur Army Forces (v.b. Michael Sorich, Ardwight Chamberlain, David Lodge, Peter Lurie, and Kirk Thornton in English, all of which are missing JP voice actors) are foot soldiers modeled after the forms of Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Pteranodon and cannot change into warrior forms. Dark Dragon also calls forth bats from thin air to form his version of the Dragozaur Army Forces. Every one of them is destroyed along with Drago Tigra when the room they were in is blown up.
Main humans
Kaito Tatsuno (竜野 海斗, Tatsuno Kaito; v.b. Sayaka Aida in Japanese; Jason Spisak in English) is a teenager who is less interested in actual dinosaurs even when his father helps to design the Dinotarium, a place that is a tribute to dinosaurs. When he stumbles upon the Dragozaurs stealing local life force, his cry for the sake of life reawakens the Dino Knights and since then, he has been their ally. He possesses one of three Dino Daggers that can restore a Dino Knight's strength. Kaito has brown hair and black eyes and is consistently clad in a red and yellow tank top over a white shirt, blue calf-length jeans with a large pocket on the right side (though he rolls them down in one episode), and red and white Vans Knu Skool-inspired sneakers (albeit without socks, though he does wear black socks in one episode).
Rena (レナ, Rena; v.b. Philece Sampler (deceased) in English; missing JP voice actress) is Kaito’s friend since kindergarten. She shares Kaito’s secret about the Dino Knights. Rena possesses the second Dino Dagger. She can’t swim and has a fear of scorpions, spiders, and ghosts. Rena has short red hair and black eyes and is consistently clad in a green short-sleeved jacket, a white T-shirt, burgundy cycling shorts, white socks, and green Chuck Taylor-inspired high-top sneakers. She is essentially the tomboyish version of Digimon Adventure’s Mimi Tachikawa.
Rick (v.b. Michael Lindsay (deceased) in English; missing JP voice actor) is a cowboy from the West who is good with a lasso and travels on a horse named Lightning. Since the death of his parents, he protects the two fossils that turn out to be two of the three Cerazaur Brothers while living with his grandfather. Only his Dino Dagger can restore their strength. Throughout the series, he becomes close to the Cerazaur brothers, even being accepted as their “fourth brother”. When he is trapped by Dark Dragon and the Drago Clones in the Ninja Castle, Styraco gives up his life force to save Rick, but Rick and the other Cerazaur brothers save Styraco. After being saved, the Cerazaur Brothers give Rick a scroll stating that he truly understands the concept of Bushido.
Other humans
Taki (though not to be confused with the Soulcalibur character, v.b. Doug Erholtz in English; missing JP voice actor) is a bully who bothers Kaito on different occasions. Despite that, he is a coward when it comes to different occasions like when Rena mentioned he was afraid to arm-wrestle her. He tries to prove the existence of revived dinosaurs.
Dr. Naomi Abrams (v.b. Miyuki Matsushita in Japanese; Mona “the original Izzy Izumi from Digimon Adventure” Marshall in English) is the tour guide at the Dinotarium. Whenever she sees that the Dino Knights are missing, she gets someone to look and the Dino Knights are back she is told to need a vacation which she herself sometimes also believes. Naomi gets along great with Kaito and Rena as they often come to visit the Dinotarium. She is called Naomi Kimura (木村 ナオミ, Kimura Naomi) in the original Japanese release.
Ronnie Tatsuno (v.b. Wendee Lee in English; missing JP voice actress) is Kaito’s little brother.
Though the English dub survives on YouTube in its entirety for all to enjoy, which is more than can be said for the OVA, the anime will sadly not be available on streaming services such as Crunchyroll. Maybe this website (Japanese only) will help… or maybe not. Instead, the anime series is now considered as a lost media.
This article was originally posted on Medium on May 27, 2023.
Known as Musō Orochi and Musō Orochi: Rebirth of the Demon Lord in Japan, respectively
Known as Sengoku Musō 3 in Japan
Dino Ptera (Dino Knights) and Diamond Ryugu (Dragozaurs) both use female pronouns in the English dub, as opposed to the male pronouns in the original Japanese release since LGBT characters in anime, manga, and video games were frowned upon by North American society at the time.