You mean the band of the same name?
Dragon Force (Gāngtiě Fēilóng, 钢铁飞龙) is a Chinese superhero CGI-animation franchise created by Guangzhou Bluearc Culture Communications Company, aka Bluearc Animation. The first season started airing in 2012 with 52 episodes, then followed by a 2013 movie released in Japan in collaboration with Kazuya Hatazawa. The franchise is also infamous for the bootleg Ultraman controversy which started in 2017 and ended in 2019, due to UM Corporation's involvement in the production of the unauthorized Ultraman-related media made by the studio.
The franchise has aired over four seasons and three movies:
- Seasons:
- Season 1 (2012): The story revolves around the team of superheroes of the same name investigating Earth's energy crisis caused by evil aliens.
- Season 2: Power of Ultraman (钢铁飞龙2之奥特曼力量. 26 episodes, 2018): An unauthorized-crossover season featuring the infamous bootleg Ultraman as one of the heroes, it focuses on the Dragon Force & Ultraman dealing with various monster & alien threats. It was the first season to be produced after So Long, Ultraman's release.
- Season 2: Dragonsoul Awakens (钢铁飞龙2龙魂觉醒. 26 episodes, 2019): This season doesn't feature bootleg Ultraman on-screen, but elements of him can be found within the show such as Lucas' Ultraman-themed mecha pilot suit. It took place after Power of Ultraman.
- Season 3: Monster Rise (钢铁飞龙3: 山海神兽录. 52 Episodes, 2020-2021): Taking inspiration from Shan Hai Jing/Classics of Mountains and Seas, Lucas/Lele and the Dragon Force team goes on an adventure in the world full of otherworldly beasts.
- Season 4: Space Time Wars & Dream Catcher (钢铁飞龙4: 时空战记 + 捕梦奇兵. 52 Episodes, 2022-2023): Set in a new continuity, it features alternate versions of the Dragon Force team.
- Movies:
- 2013 Movie: Exclusively released in Japan, the story is different from the 2012 show. It is dubbed both in Japanese and English, and the contents of the movie became the basis for the infamous unauthorized crossover film featuring the character Ultraman.
- Dragon Force: So Long, Ultraman (2017): Infamous for the inclusion of the bootleg Ultraman, the story revolves around Dragon Force dealing with the evil aliens who worked together with Ultraman. The movie itself is a retool of the 2013 movie, with some rewrites in scriptwriting. It is also implied to take place in an alternate continuity derived from the 2013 movie.
- Dragon Force: Rise of Ultraman (2019): After the events of So Long, Ultraman, Evan begins rampaging around the world. The Ultraman helps a boy named Lucas who lost his family after Evan almost killed him. The Dragon Force team is assigned with a special mission to help the boy save his family and stop Evan. It is the last of the unauthorized Ultraman-related movies.
Tropes featured in Dragon Force:
- The Ace: Ferre/Homura (2013 movie naming), is the leader of the team.
- Action Girl: Maggie, the yellow ranger of the team.
- All-CGI Cartoon: It was created in full-CGI, thanks to Bluearc's proprietary animation engine.
- Aliens Are Bastards: In the first season, the aliens are responsible for various incidents relating to energy crisis around the world.
- Big Bad: Mo Zun is the purple alien leader of his organization.
- Evan, the top commander of GSB is the true mastermind behind the scenes.
- Henshin Hero: The heroes can transform into Sentai-esque heroes.
- Combining Mecha: The mechs used by the heroes can combine with each other into stronger formations.
- Humongous Mecha: Both the heroes and villains utilize combat mechs in battles.
- Merchandise-Driven: The franchise features plenty of merchandise based on the characters and the mechs:
- The first season's toyline are produced by LDCX.
- Starting from the second season, the toyline are produced by Dison toys instead.
- Sentai: The Dragon Force team was represented as Sentai-esque heroes.
- Sixth Ranger: Xuan Feng/Torneo is the purple ranger, he becomes the 6th member of the Dragon Force team.
- Super Cop: GSB's Dragon Force team are police-themed in the first season.
- Team Title: Dragon Force is also the name of the superhero team who are the stars of the series.
- Transforming Mecha: All of the mechs featured in the franchise are capable of transforming between non-humanoid and humanoid forms respectively.
- The X of Y: The third film, Dragon Force: Rise of Ultraman.