The official Japanese website for Spin Master's new Bakugan Battle Planet television animation series revealed a new visual, the Japanese cast, and the series' April 1 Japanese premiere on Wednesday. (Note: The site is also streaming a promotional video that is region-locked to Japan.)

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo and its affiliates on April 1. Rie Takahashi will play Dan Kouzo, and Shunsuke Takeuchi will play Dragonoid.

The anime premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on December 23, and in Canada on Teletoon on December 31. Kazuya Ichikawa ( Monster Strike the Animation ) is directing, and U.S. studio Man of Action ( Monsuno ) is writing the story. TMS Entertainment is providing the animation.

Spin Master describes the new series:

When Bakugan began emerging from the earth's crust in a mysterious worldwide "awakening," Dan and his friends find themselves at the epicenter of a new age. Dan and Company quickly learn that they must grow into more than just suburban kids looking for quick fame in the post-Bakugan era. They must learn how to work with their Bakugan and deploy them in battle in order to survive the seemingly endless forces out to control, enslave or just plain destroy the mysterious race of alien creatures. Dan and his friends will evolve into bona fide heroes by protecting their Bakugan, the Earth and ultimately the incredible secrethidden beneath our feet: Our planet has merged with another, living planet... Vestroia!

Canadian toy and media company Spin Master, in collaboration with TMS Entertainment and Corus Entertainment's Nelvana subsidiary, formally announced their relaunch of the Bakugan franchise on October 9. In addition to the series, Spin Master noted that it will have "additional short form content" available online.

The Bakugan franchise is based on Spin Master and Sega Toys ' combination of metal cards and marble-like magnetic toys that automatically transform into figures during gameplay. The franchise has been a bestseller in North America, and it won honors at Toy Fair's annual Toy of the Year Awards in 2009.

America's Cartoon Network began airing the first Bakugan Battle Brawlers anime series in February of 2008. Three sequel television series— Bakugan Battle Brawlers: New Vestroia , Bakugan Gundalian Invaders , and Bakugan: Mechtanium Surge —followed, the last of which premiered in Canada and the United States in 2011. Baku Tech! Bakugan Gachi , a spinoff series adapting a manga by SHINGO, premiered in Japan in 2013.