At its core, Dragon Striker is a sports story.

Although the name of the sport our heroes are playing is never actually mentioned, it appears to be based on football/soccer. It's probably no coincidence that the FIFA World Cup kicks off (pun intended) just two days after Dragon Striker debuts.

The trailer's blend of real world and fantasy elements provides a unique twist on a typical sports story and helps to ground this fantasy setting. Even in a world filled with magic and superpowers, you still need teamwork to win!

There truly seems to be something for everyone to get hooked on Dragon Striker. The sport element is highly inspired by football/soccer. Key's team being The Knights, while he begins his journey of becoming a 'dragon' striker is inspired by European mythology. Kal Asterock, a school for students with extraordinary abilities, is an idea lifted straight from the X-Men.

Its magical elements and the team taking their abilities off of the field to stop "something evil in the school" is reminiscent of a typical Harry Potter adventure. Then of course there's the unique animation style which blends elements of Japanese anime with American cartoons, something that Avatar: The Last Airbender mastered, and naturally since both series' involve special powers and fantasy, it also feels like an inspiration. 

The Dragon Striker creative team has been very open about their anime influences, and this is apparent just from looking at the team behind the series. Kevin Penkin was tapped as composer, who won a Cruncyroll Anime Award for his work on the series Made in Abyss. The score he created for Dragon Striker was recorded in Japan with an 80-piece orchestra. The lead creative team has also worked on numerous animated series in Japan as well as France and the U.S. 

Overall Dragon Striker looks like a fun adventure and its variety of influences sets it apart from other animated series. Pulling from a variety of influences leaves you with a unique story, but its sports angle allows for lessons about overcoming the odds and working together as a team. To be quite honest, this feels like it was made in a lab to attract as many young viewers as possible, and if it teaches lessons about good sportsmanship then that's certainly a good thing.

Dragon Striker stars Akshay Kumar (Key), Rebecca LaChance (Ssyelle), Yeukayi Ushe (Milo), Waylon Jacobs (Odward) and Evanna Lynch (Ameline). Its creative team includes industry-renowned talent Sylvain Dos Santos (co-creator/executive producer), Charles Lefebvre (co-creator/director) and Paul McKeown (head writer).

All 11 episodes will premiere June 9 on Disney XD and will stream next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Will you be watching? Let us know your Fan of View below or by sending us a message on social media @fandomdaily_. 

Photo courtesy of Disney+