''D.I.C.E.'' (DNA Integrated Cybernetic Enterprises) is an English language-originated anime series produced by
Bandai Entertainment
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and f ...
,
Xebec
A xebec ( or ), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a small, fast vessel of the sixteenth to nineteenth ...
, and Studio Galapagos (
computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
). Originally made for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the series was first shown on
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
in the US, then
YTV in Canada. On December 12, 2005, the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
version was shown on
Animax
, stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...
under the title . On January 7, 2006, the
Tagalog version premiered on
Hero TV
Hero (also known as Hero TV) was a 24-hour Philippine pay television channel created by ABS-CBN's narrowcast arm Creative Programs Inc. from 2005 to 2018. The programming was composed primarily of Filipino-dubbed Japanese anime series. It wa ...
.
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
network followed by broadcasting the series in
Tagalog on January 28, 2006. As of October 31, 2009, D.I.C.E. has already run for a total of 15 full runs in the 4 channels which broadcast D.I.C.E. in the Philippines.
Story
In the Sarbylion galaxy, there is an organization named D.I.C.E. (an acronym for DNA Integrated Cybernetic Enterprises) to help those in need. Among them, F-99 is the only unit composed entirely of children. Often being trivialized by their young ages, DICE member use RADOC to summon the Gild suit (Gild jacket) to help them to gain some respect among suspicious locals. When a problem arises, DICE is called to the rescue. With their Dinobreakers which can transform from Vehicle Mode to
Dino Mode, the DICE team can always get the job done.
D.I.C.E. is sometimes compared with
Thunderbirds, not only because of the rescue theme, but also the GTR catchphrase, which means "Good to Roll" (some prefer it as "got the request").
In the Japanese version of the show, D.I.C.E. stands for "Dinobrakers Integrated Cybernetic Enterprises."
Characters
D.I.C.E. members
Fortress F-99
Among D.I.C.E., the F-99 is run by children, specifically orphans. It has been said that all of them grew up in a time of war and that their families were victims of it.
;
:
:A hot-headed pilot who always rushes into danger with little or no forethought. Despite his hot temper, Jet has a strong moral sense and isn't afraid to take risks to rescue those in need. His fierce competitive streak often leads to friction with his teammates. Jet's Dinobreaker is Motoraptor. (Age: 12) (Red)
;
:
:Captain of F-99. As the second oldest member of the team, he is looked upon by his other teammates as an older brother. A well-respected and capable leader, Tak always stays calm and decisive even under enormous pressure. In episode 8, it was hinted that he and Marsha are dating. Tak's Dinobreaker is Dimetrover. (Age: 15) (Yellow)
;
:
:Described best as "a pretty-boy pilot who is always concerned about his looks." As the pilot of the only flight-capable Dinobreaker Hoverptera, Robert is often sent to the front lines to scout the situation. Though Robert and Jet always compete over everything, they also make the best partners on the DICE F-99 team. It is shown often throughout the season that he is close friends with both Sam and Marco. (Age: 12) (Purple)
;
:
:Jet's buddy in orphanage and a close friend of Robert. Always complaining about something, especially how cramped his cockpit is, Marco and his Dinobreaker Monocrawler are often assigned to heavy-duty tasks such as demolitions and heavy lifting. Despite his constant gripes, Marco always gets the job done. He can be relied on to solve tough situations and often remains calm and in control in bad situations. (Age: 12) (Blue)
;
:
:Holds the position of data analysis expert on board F-99. She sees Marsha as an older sister figure and happens to be a bit of a shop-a-holic. She is sometimes temperamental and hates Jet to the core, however in the last episode of Season 2, when Jet was commissioned in the hospital after the final battle with the Immortal Pharaoh, she watched over and cared for him every day until he recovered, hinting that she has deeper feelings for him. Puffy can also guild up but does not have a dinobreaker. (Age: 12) (Pink)
;
:
:A mechanical expert and another close friend of Robert. Though the youngest of the team, he is also referred to the brains of bunch. Sam drives the Dinobreaker Paratricar. He also prays in his free time and for the safety of his crew-mates (Age: 11) (Green)
;
:
:Both the pilot and navigator of F-99. He is the giver of advice to anyone who seems to be troubled or upset, and is willing to speak out against his captain if he has to. (Age: 17) (Brown)
;
:
:Serves as second-in-command of D.I.C.E. F-99. In episode 8, it was hinted that her and Tak are dating. Marsha can also guild up, but does not have a Dinobreaker. She is seen by all of her teammates as an older sister. (Age: 14) (Teal)
;Randall
:A tall blue
android serving under DICE F-99.
;Gelati
:A short yellow android serving under D.I.C.E. F-99, often serves as Jet and Puffy's punching bag.
;
:Chao Lee's pet. When Moke's parents were killed by poachers, Chao took on the responsibility of raising Moke. Moke only speaks Chao's name.
;
:
:A new member from the Heron universe who is introduced in the second season.
Other D.I.C.E. members
;Captain Spike Japanese:
:
:A D.I.C.E. E-01 member. He always appears in his stylish hat (even when piloting his Dinobreaker Hoverrhynchus), and loves to brag about how it was tailor-made. In episode 7, Chao's pet moke stole his hat and ran through a dinner half naked to get it back. (Age:25) (Light Blue)
;
:A member from D.I.C.E. Fortress C-01, His Dinobreaker is Lambeotracker. (Age:23) (Orange)
;Commander Sid
:
:Commander of the D.I.C.E. F station. His Dinobreaker is Mototyranno. (Green)
;Phantom Knight (Phantom Black) (Japanese: )
:
:A mysterious "stranger" who always get into Jet's way and steals items related to the long-lost Heron civilization with his crew of
space pirate
Space pirates are a type of stock character from science fiction. A take on the traditional seafaring pirates of history or the fictional air pirates of the 19th century, space pirates travel through outer space. Where traditional pirates target ...
s. In episode 25, it was revealed that Phantom Knight is Jet's long lost brother Zack. The Phantom Knight is treated in a similar manner to "Racer X" from ''
Speed Racer
''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...
''. His Dinobreaker is Knight Rex.
;Body of Elders
:A group of 12 men that are governing D.I.C.E. since its beginning. They make executive decisions for the organization. The Body of Elders also staged a conspiracy involving implanting wormhole detectors to Dinobreakers and use them to find Heron's Gate, kidnapping D.I.C.E. executives, staging war between D.I.C.E. factions, in an attempt to achieve immortality. They were presumably dead when they were trying to pass the temporarily closed Heron's Gate.
Heron Knights
The Heron Knights first appeared in Episode 27, during the show's second season. They are the guardians of the Heron Universe.
B-D.I.C.E. (B CORP)
B-D.I.C.E. is an organization that tries to discredit DICE by posing as DICE members. Without a convincing disguise, their tricks are easily uncovered. The famous slogan is ''We are B-D.I.C.E., but that doesn't mean we're nice!''
;Club
:The taller of the Poker brothers.
;Diamond
:The shorter of the Poker brothers.
;Laughing Boy
:A B-DICE member that dressed like the Joker from poker.
;Luigi
:A Sitanian archaeologist working with B-D.I.C.E. to find the Sitan Kaleidoscope. After he had found the kaleidoscope, he and his former associate Falco were transported back in time, and was never seen again.
Dinobreakers
Dinobreakers are transformable mechanical creature used by a Dinorider. Dinobreaker transforms by calling it with the appended phrase "libertize." To keep their wild personalities under control, they only eat refined pellets. Feeding a Dinobreaker with raw pellet is a recipe that guarantees troubles! Among the Dinobreakers are:
;
:Jet's Dinobreaker. Its vehicle form is a motorcycle and its dinosaur form is a
Velociraptor
''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the pa ...
.
;
:Tak's Dinobreaker. Its vehicle form is a race car and its dinosaur form is a
Dimetrodon
''Dimetrodon'' ( or ,) meaning "two measures of teeth,” is an extinct genus of non-mammalian synapsid that lived during the Cisuralian (Early Permian), around 295–272 million years ago (Mya). It is a member of the family Sphenacodontid ...
.
;
:Robert's Dinobreaker. Its vehicle mode is a hovercraft and its dinosaur form is a
Pteranodon
''Pteranodon'' (); from Ancient Greek (''pteron'', "wing") and (''anodon'', "toothless") is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with ''P. longiceps'' having a wingspan of . They lived during the late Cr ...
.
;
:Marco's Dinobreaker. Its vehicle mode is a drill tank and its dinosaur form is a
Monoclonius
''Monoclonius'' (meaning "single sprout") is a dubious genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur found in the Late Cretaceous layers of the Judith River Formation in Montana, United States, and the uppermost rock layers of the Dinosaur Park Forma ...
.
;
:Sam's Dinobreaker. Its dinosaur form is a
Parasaurolophus
''Parasaurolophus'' (; meaning "near crested lizard" in reference to '' Saurolophus)'' is a genus of herbivorous hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, abou ...
. Paratricar is capable of becoming invisible.
;
:Captain Spike's Dinobreaker. Its dinosaur form is a
Rhamphorhynchus
''Rhamphorhynchus'' (, from Ancient Greek ''rhamphos'' meaning "beak" and ''rhynchus'' meaning "snout") is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period. Less specialized than contemporary, short-tailed pterodactyloid pterosaurs such ...
.
;
:Macchiatto's Dinobreaker. Its dinosaur form is a
Lambeosaurus
''Lambeosaurus'' ( , meaning " Lambe's lizard") is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived about 75 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage) of North America. This bipedal/quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaur is k ...
.
;
:Commander Sid's Dinobreaker. Its vehicle form is a motorcycle and its dinosaur form is a
Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
.
;
:Phantom Knight's Dinobreaker. Its vehicle form is a race car and its dinosaur form is a
Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
.
;
:A mysterious purple Dinobreaker. Its dinosaur form is a mutant
Velociraptor
''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the pa ...
. It first appeared in episode 12 with its mysterious rider (a robot programmed to destroy Phantom Knight). Unlike other Dinobreakers, it does not need a phrase to transform. It also has several other "features" not common to D.I.C.E. Dinobreakers.
;Tortoise Fortress
:Chao's Dinobreaker. It usually assumes the form of Fortress F-99, but in critical times it can be used to combat giant creatures.
Knightbreakers
Knightbreakers are transforming mechanical creatures used by the Heron Knights. They are believed to be evolved Dinobreakers. Unlike Dinobreakers, they do not have a vehicle mode. Instead, they have a dino mode and a guardian mode which is humanoid. This transformation is triggered when a Heron Knight says the phrase "Knightbreak" and merges with the Knightbreaker.
;
Its dinosaur form is a
Spinosaurus
''Spinosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian to upper Turonian stages of the Late Cretaceous period, about 99 to 93.5 million years ago. The genus was known first fro ...
.
;
Its dinosaur form is a
Velociraptor
''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the pa ...
.
;
Its dinosaur form is a
Stegosaurus
''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been foun ...
.
;
Its dinosaur form is a
Archaeopteryx
''Archaeopteryx'' (; ), sometimes referred to by its German name, "" ( ''Primeval Bird''), is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaīos''), meaning "ancient", and (''ptéryx''), meaning "feather" ...
.
;
Its dinosaur form is a
Archaeopteryx
''Archaeopteryx'' (; ), sometimes referred to by its German name, "" ( ''Primeval Bird''), is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaīos''), meaning "ancient", and (''ptéryx''), meaning "feather" ...
.
Video Game
A video game based on this series was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005.
Game Original Dinobreakers
* Hovertap Puffy's Dinobreaker. Its dinosaur form is a
Tupuxuara
''Tupuxuara'' is a genus of large, crested, and toothless Pterodactyloidea, pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous period (Albian stage) of what is now the Romualdo Formation of the Santana Group, Brazil, about 125 to 112 million ye ...
.
* Ankylorover Marsha's Dinobreaker. Its dinosaur form is an
Ankylosaurus
''Ankylosaurus'' is a genus of armored dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in geological formations dating to the very end of the Cretaceous Period, about 68–66 million years ago, in western North America, making it among the last of the n ...
.
Episodes
Season 1
Season 2
References
External links
*
*
English D.I.C.E. PlayStation 2 audio samples at AudioAtrocities.comD.I.C.E in Xebec official site
{{Toonami Cartoon Network
Mecha anime and manga
2005 Japanese television series debuts
2005 Japanese television series endings
Japanese children's animated action television series
Japanese children's animated science fiction television series
Dinosaurs in anime and manga
Fictional robotic dinosaurs
Bandai Namco franchises
Bandai Entertainment anime titles
Xebec (studio)
Toonami
English-language television shows
Animated television series about orphans
Animated television series about robots
Anime with original screenplays