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Intro to Bakugan - Identifying Bakugan By Generation

Identifying Bakugan

Identifying Bakugan can be tricky at first, especially if you are buying them used and are trying to identify a toy by itself. I will break this list up into the individual attributes that I found helpful in figuring out what kind of Bakugan I am looking at. I will also drop a link to the Bakugan Wiki's identification page. The wiki may also be a good reference to you because my knowledge of the products is limited to those that I have personal experience with. You may find other unusual Bakugan products, but the products I describe here will be the most common and the only ones truly necessary for playing Bakugan as a game.

[http] Bakugan Wiki - Bakugan Identifier

Packaging

[img] Packaging for a Gen 1 Bakugan

[img] Packaging for a Gen 2 Bakugan

[img] Packaging for a Gen 3 Bakugan

If you are buying Bakugan still in the packaging, identifying them is a lot easier. Gen 1's packaging has a slightly older design language to it, and often has the Bakugan in kind of a plastic orb. The cards are also usually visible in the packaging, which lets you check the style of the card (explained below) and is to some degree in and of itself an indicator as the later gens typically did not have them visible, or sometimes only semi-visible. Gen 2's packaging has a similar logo to Gen 1, but the design language is a bit more modern. If you see any reference to "BakuCores" as well (also explained below), you know you're looking at Gen 2. Gens 1 and 2 also often had the set named (such as Gundalian Invaders or Armored Alliance) built into the logo. Gen 3 is a different beast entirely. The logo has taken on a more 3D look, the boxes are less of a generic hanging toy pack and more of a heavily angled square box, for both singles and larger packs. Single packs often have the Bakugan split in half in the box, as Gen 3 Bakugan are modular and combineable.

Size

[img] Four Bakugan next to a cutting mat ruler. The first 3 are a B1, B2 and 38mm Bakugan, the last is the significantly larger Deka Bakugan.

Standard Bakugan come in 3 sizes. However, those sizes don't cleanly correspond to the 3 generations. If you do any reading about Bakugan, you may come across the terms "B1" and "B2". B1 refers to the original 28mm Bakugan in Gen 1, and B2 refers to the size increase to 32mm. Very few Bakugan were part of the original B1 size run, so you will likely not come across a ton of them, but it's good to understand what they are. So, these two sizes are both present in Gen 1 and not Gen 2 or Gen 3. In Gen 2, standard Bakugan became 38mm, and this size has persisted to Gen 3. This method of identification may be hard if you are new to Bakugan and have not held them, but if you already have a few you've held you will notice the size difference right away in your hand between 38mm Bakugan and smaller ones. The best reference I can give otherwise is that a Gen 2 or 3 Bakugan at 38mm is a little smaller than a golf ball or ping pong ball, whereas the Gen 1 Bakugan, either B1 or B2, will not be anywhere near the size of a golf ball or ping pong ball.

Now for the elephant in the photo: there have been some special Bakugan called "Deka Bakugan" that are basically giant Bakugan. They exist in all three generations, and they are not something you can really use when playing Bakugan as a game. However, they can be fun to collect, and it's good to at least be aware of them if you're looking for Bakugan (for example, you wouldn't want to accidentally buy one online thinking it's a normal sized Bakugan in a photo with no size reference). And yes, they do pop open like a regular sized one!

Symbols

[img] Three black Bakugan, Gen 1 through Gen 3, lined up with the symbols on each toy visible.

All three generations use different symbols for the Attributes/Factions/Clans. Even though Gen 1 and 2 used many of the same names for these elements, the symbols were changed. The symbols are printed on the Bakugan in a small circle in the plastic. The easiest way to identify them is to simply reference the symbol list on the Bakugan Wiki.

[http] Bakugan Wiki - List of Symbols

Colors

[img] Bakugan arranged in rows by color, each row being a different gen.

Color is mostly an indicator for identifying a specific Bakugan you purchased without packaging/cards (and identifying exact Bakugan would need a whole separate post), but it can also be used to help identify what gen a Bakugan is from. Gen 1 has six colors: blue, red, green, grey, black and tan. As indicated in the photo, "green" for Gen 1 is often more of a teal color, though some are closer to a normal green. In Gen 2, the grey Bakugan become white, and the tan Bakugan become yellow/gold. There is variation in shades--some blue Bakugan are more teal (but unlike Gen 1 teal Bakugan are part of the blue/water Faction instead of green/wind). Some black Bakugan are more grey than black and some yellow Bakugan are more gold or bronze. Gen 3, as of early 2024, has only five colors. It is worth noting that officially speaking, in Gen 3 "black" Bakugan are considered "purple" (and are purple on the cards), but as physical toys they tend to be black with purple accents. Gen 1 is the easiest generation to differentiate by color as it has the two colors not present in the other generations.

Other Physical Aspects

[img] A neon transparent Bakugan, a clear plastic Bakugan, a diecast metal Bakugan and a galaxy print Bakugan.

You will find Bakugan outside of the standard colors listed in the previous section. There are various special chase Bakugan across all the generations. For those unfamiliar with this use of "chase", this means they are rarer variants, more collectible Bakugan that stores will receive randomly in smaller quantities than the standard toys, so they are harder to find and you have to "chase" after them to get them. A typical variant form for Bakugan is a "Diamond" Bakugan in Gen 2 or 3, which is translucent plastic. Gen 3 also now has "Galactic" chase toys with a galaxy design printed on them, as well as "B.A.M. Boost" variants with a neon metallic look to the plastic. If you start buying Bakugan you will eventually become familiar with these variants and the terminology, but if you aren't sure what you're looking at, I'd recommend just using other methods to identify the generation.

Gen 2 also had "Platinum" Bakugan, which are die cast Bakugan. The packaging also refers to them as "True Metal". There are a few Bakugan that are metal here and there outside of this set, but for the most part if you find a metal Bakugan it is from Gen 2.

[img] Two Bakugan, one with a green top and blue bottom, and one with the reverse. They are two Bakugan that had one half swapped between them.

As briefly mentioned before, Gen 3 Bakugan are designed to split in half. Though there were a few special Bakugan in Gen 1 made like this, the vast majority of the time if you find a Bakugan that splits in half to combine with others you are looking at Gen 3.

[img] Two special attack Bakugan, with plastic rings around them.

Gen 3 introduced "Special Attack" Bakugan that are essentially little Beyblades. These are easy to identify by their plastic "weapon" rings. If you find one loose with the ring missing, you will likely see the indentations on the side where the ring would go. They are also heavier and have a small tip to spin on on the bottom, with the magnet off center next to it.

[img] Gen 1 Bakugan closeup showing text 580g printed on it.

[img] Gen 2 Bakugan closeup showing text B600 printed on it.

For Gen 1 and Gen 2, a Bakugan's base power was printed on the inside of the figure. Gen 1 Bakugan referred to this as "G Power" and will have a G next to the number, and for Gen 2 this is instead "B Power" and has a B next to the number. Gen 3 does not have the power printed on the toy. Look over a Bakugan carefully, because sometimes the number is very small, and sometimes it is hidden in a weird crevice somewhere.

Is This Even A Bakugan?

[img] Various unusually shaped Bakugan, closed.

[img] Various unusually shaped Bakugan, opened.

Inevitably if you are shopping for Bakugan you are going to start finding some Bakugan-branded toys that aren't quite what you're expecting. I can't cover every strange Bakugan ever made, but I've posted some common ones in this photo. If you are looking to just get started in playing Bakugan, I would focus on getting a set of normal Bakugan to play with before getting any of these.

From left to right, the first three are called "Geogan". These are essentially special summons in the Bakugan TCG in Gen 2. Though they pop open like regular Bakugan, they are not round and cannot be rolled like regular Bakugan and are instead dropped onto the field when played. The pyramid shaped Bakugan below those is a "Trap Bakugan" from Gen 1. Functionally it is similar in concept to Geogan.

To the right is a cute bear-shaped Bakugan with a helmet. This is Cubbo from Gen 2, and there are a lot of them with different themes. Cubbo is definitely worth mentioning because as of writing this, I have come across a lot of them in discount stores. The packaging for Cubbo is a bit different, but still has the typical Bakugan logo on it.

Last is the tiny sphere, this is a Nanogan. This is also a Gen 2 gimmick, and another thing that serves as a special playable card in the TCG. Nanogan are a little smaller than the original B1 Bakugan in Gen 1. They have no magnet and must be opened manually. They are not used on the field, though the rulebook suggest using them as a card marker.

Cards and Other Parts

[img] The metal and paper cards for each gen of Bakugan, as well as a Gen 2 BakuCore.

[img] The back art of each type of Bakugan card.

Bakugan cards have changed across the generations to accomodate the different gameplay rules. But, in the simplest terms, Bakugan cards come in two types: paper cards, that represent gameplay elements like Bakugan stats, and cards with a metal core, called "Gate Cards", that you roll your Bakugan onto in gameplay to open it via the magnet.

Gen 1 (top left) did not come with paper cards specific to the Bakugan in the package. These were instead "ability" cards that could be played to trigger various effects in the game. The Bakugan's power was instead purely determined by the number printed on the toy itself. The Gate Cards came in copper, silver and gold colors, with game rules determining how many of each type you could use. They also would often have effects that would trigger when the Gate Card was flipped over, which is not present in Gen 2 and Gen 3. These cards, both paper and metal, are a little larger than cards from other gens, and both have the same orange card back

Gen 2 (bottom left) sees a big shift from Gen 1. Gen 2 introduced paper character cards that represented the stats for a particular Bakugan. This gen also introduced the TCG, and the toys come with the character card for the Bakugan. Cards meant to go in a TCG deck will have the same visual style as the character cards, but with a slightly different back. Gate Cards are similar to Gen 1, but with different backs, slightly smaller size and a different visual style. Also introduced in Gen 2 are BakuCores, which are metal hex tiles used in some of the gameplay rulesets in this gen. These are used to assemble a play area with your and your opponents' BakuCores combined. Gen 3 does not have BakuCores, so if you find a figure with BakuCores it is definitely Gen 2.

Gen 3 (right) has more card types than the previous two gens. The Bakugan cards have been split into two parts. The Bakugan itself is the top half, and the bottom half is a Special Attack card. If you'll remember, Special Attack Bakugan have plastic rings around them. Each ring has a corresponding card that gets played with the Bakugan card. Non-Special-Attack Bakugan will only use the top half. Though Gen 3 does not have a TCG, each player can have a deck of 6 "Brawler Cards" that feature characters from the Bakugan anime. The Gate Cards in Gen 3 are split into multiple zones with symbols. For Gen 3, each Bakugan has 3 power values, and the number used depends on the corresponding symbol based on where exactly the Bakugan lands on the card.

I Have A Random Loose Bakugan--How Do I Figure Out What It Is?

This guide is meant to help you identify whether or not a Bakugan you find belongs to the generation that corresponds to the game you want to play. However, you may find yourself needing to identify a mystery Bakugan you've bought, especially if, say, you have found a Bakugan at a thrift store or purchased a mixed lot of random toys online. Though I am not prepared to write my own guide for doing this, I would like to share a sort of quick "guide to guides".

First, I recommend checking the Bakugan Wiki. If you have no idea where to start, begin with their Identification Guide, linked at the top of this page. This is good for determining which Bakugan you have, as in determining if you have, say, a Dragonoid or a Nillious. It features both its own list and scans of official checklists that came with different Bakugan releases. Note: while the checklists list what colors a Bakugan was released in, some Bakugan releases ended up never coming out, so some variants may not actually exist.

Hopefully with this guide, you know what generation the Bakugan you have belongs to. If so, you can also utilize the wiki's Bakulog pages. Below is a link to Gen 2's Bakulogs (this link goes to the first set, but the links to the following sets are at the top). They are sorted by Faction which means they are largely sorted by color. There is also a similar list page for Gen 3. The wiki has some pages with lists of Bakugan from Gen 1, but there doesn't seem to be a page listing all of these lists, so I would stick with the identifying page linked before for now. Some Bakugan are printed in multiple forms in a single gen, so pay attention to things like color and the G or B power on the toy.

[http] Bakugan Wiki - Bakulog (Battle Planet)

[http] Bakugan Wiki - List of Generation 3 Bakugan

If you're completely stumped, a last resort option may be image search or ebay. Try searching the attribute name based on the color (so, for a red Gen 1 or Gen 2 Bakugan, "Pyrus") and add the G or B power and see if you can find a photo match. So, for example, "Pyrus Bakugan B500". eBay listings often include these details, and I've identified several toys this way.

That's all for now, I hope this helps some of you get into Bakugan and try it out without getting too confused or frustrated by not knowing how to approach it. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at the email on the main page of this blog and I will see if I can help you.

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