TV Review: "Dragon Striker" Is an Anime Series for Everyone — Even Non-Anime Fans
There's a moment in Dragon Striker that feels ripped from the pages of every great fantasy, the scene when a hero rises to their destiny. In this case, it’s a scrappy group of misfits raising a tattered old banner in a ceremony hall as they add their fire to the cauldron, causing every flame in the arena to turn blue. It's the kind of image that helps drive the viewer forward, a sense that you’re about to go on an exciting and worthwhile adventure, beginning June 9th on Disney XD and June 10th on Disney+ and Hulu.
Created in France and steeped in anime tradition, Dragon Striker follows farm boy Key (voiced by Akshay Kumar), who arrives at Kal Asterock — an elite school for students with extraordinary abilities — and discovers he may carry the power of a legendary Dragon Striker, just like the mother he never knew was a player. From there, he falls in with a core group of lovable outcasts: the brilliant, determined goalkeeper Ssyelle (Rebecca Lachance), the self-doubting Milo (Yeukayi Ushe) whose jelly tama turns out to be something remarkable, the enigmatic and endearing Ameline (Evanna Lynch), and Milo's reluctant older brother Odward (Waylon Jacobs), a former top dog humbled into becoming an underdog.
The ensemble is the show's greatest strength. Each character arrives with a distinct arc and a compelling reason to root for them, and the dynamic between them crackles with warmth and friction in equal measure. Ssyelle in particular stands out as a born leader who refuses to shrink; her decision to turn down offers from established teams and build something new from the ground up is noble and inspirational.
Visually, Dragon Striker is stunning. The show blends fantasy and sci-fi aesthetics in a world that feels like a mosaic of Star Wars planets, Middle-earth grandeur, and Hogwarts mystique — all drenched in gorgeous color and painterly lighting that gives it the warm, magical quality of a Studio Ghibli film. The sports sequences are especially inventive: the camera dives, spirals, and chases players across the pitch in ways that make the Goro Tama matches feel genuinely kinetic and exciting, even if you've never cared about sports in your life.
The score matches the world's eclecticism. Ethereal strings giving way to driving rock and electronic textures. The two bookending songs, "Power of the Dragon" and "The Very End," feel instantly iconic in the way the best anime themes do.
Five episodes in, Dragon Striker has already built a mythology worth caring about, characters worth loving, and visual set pieces worth rewatching. Whatever secrets it's still holding, and it's holding quite a few, the show has more than earned the right to reveal them on its own terms. It’s guaranteed to be an exciting watch for all ages, whether it’s your first anime or just one of the first you watch this month.
I give Dragon Striker 5 out of 5 stars.
Dragon Striker premieres with a full-season marathon on Friday, June 9th, at 5/4c on Disney XD. The entire season begins streaming Saturday, June 10th, on both Disney+ and Hulu.