Double Dragon (TV series)

Double Dragon is an American animated series based on the video game series of the same name. It was produced by DiC Animation in association with Bohbot Entertainment and Tradewest, Inc., and ran for 26 half-hour episodes from 1993 to 1994.

Overview

The premise of the show is that the protagonist brothers are separated at birth. Billy is raised by an elderly martial arts master known as the Oldest Dragon, and his brother Jimmy is raised by the evil Shadow Master as his second-in-command, the Shadow Boss. As a result, the Lee brothers oppose each other as adults; but when Jimmy is betrayed by the Shadow Master, he renounces his evil ways and joins his brother as a Dragon Warrior. During the course of the series, the brothers recruit allies in their war against the Shadow Master and his henchmen. The futile search for their father, John Lee, is a subplot throughout the series.

The plot of the pilot episode is loosely adapted from the NES version of the first Double Dragon game, with the episode's villains consisting of the mysterious Shadow Boss (Jimmy's initial alter-ego), and his henchmen Abobo and Willy (who were based on enemy characters from the game). By the end of the second episode, Abobo and Willy are sucked into the Shadow Mural, never to be seen again, while Jimmy abandons his evil ways and reconciles with his brother to fight against the series' true antagonist, the Shadow Master. All of the characters introduced from the second episode onward are original creations made for the show, although most of the villains are also used in the Tradewest-produced Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, a competitive fighting game released for home consoles.

Cast of characters

The Double Dragons

In the series, the Lee brothers are martial-arts instructors and police consultants, who assume superheroic identities at moments of escalated violence. They usually transform out of those forms by crossing swords again and saying in unison, "For Might! For Right! We are Double Dragons!", although several episodes show that heavy injury can deactivate their powers. Injury sustained by one is also taken by the other (although this characteristic is not always consistent); and if one has his powers deactivated by injury, so will the other. The brothers infrequently show an ability to sense when the other is in danger. They are the leaders of a small group of "Dragon Warriors" endowed with superhuman powers based on the use of a smokeless, green "dragon fire".

• Billy Lee (voiced by Michael Donovan) - The more calm and collected half of the Lee brothers. He regularly wears a blue outfit, and a red dragon mask when he transforms.
• Jimmy Lee (voiced by Scott McNeil) - The more belligerent (and often sarcastic) of the duo. He regularly wears a red outfit, and a blue dragon mask when he transforms.

Dragon Warriors

The Dragon Warriors are Billy and Jimmy's subordinates; they each have a distinct costume and powers.

• Col. Neil "Blaster" McReady (voiced by Alvin Sanders) - A retired U.S. Special Forces officer, who discovers his neighborhood is threatened by the Shadow Master's drug "Oblivion", and assists the Double Dragons to destroy its production. The first of the Dragon Warriors.
• Vortex (voiced by Ian James Corlett) - A boy trained by John Lee, and later orphaned by the Shadow Warriors, finally made a Dragon Warrior. It was later revealed he was illiterate, by reason of living in the streets after the Shadow Warriors killed his parents.
• Kona "Tsunami" (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A Hawaiian Sumo Wrestler, trained in Chi by Su Lien; later made a Dragon Warrior who uses chi to fight.
• Mike "Chop" Pollard (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A former police officer who lost his right arm in a car accident and now works as mechanic, tricked by Shadow Master into making vehicles for the Shadow Warriors. Once he realizes his mistake, he makes the Dragon Cruiser for the Double Dragons, builds himself a robotic arm, and is made into a Dragon Warrior.
• Kami - A vigilante martial artist capable of creating magical armor; initially desirous of petty revenge on the Shadow Master for her father's death, and later a disciple of Su Lien's.
• Daj (voiced by Ian James Corlett) - A mutant (half human, half feline) of the settlement of mutants known as "Undertown"; an ally of the Double Dragons. Later made a Dragon Warrior himself, and the caretaker of an underground Dragon Temple.

Junior Dragons

Billy and Jimmy's younger students, and supporting characters throughout the series.

• Michael (voiced Wesley Morris) - A boy who trains at the Dragon Dojo. He is the most seen of the Junior Dragons.
• Jason - A student featured predominately in an episode where the Shadow Master sold plasma weapons to young street gang members. Jason bought such a weapon to get revenge for his sister's injury, but later relied on his martial arts instead.
• Daryl - A kid who initially wanted to become a Shadow Warrior and helped to trick Billy and Jimmy into a trap. He switched sides when he saw the Shadow Master almost kill Billy.
• Danny - A video game enthusiast, and the son of an archaeologist who uncovers artifacts for the Double Dragons.

Friends and allies

• Oldest Dragon (voiced by French Tichner) - The original Master of the Dragon Dojo, who raised Billy Lee and reappears in subsequent episodes in spirit form, as an advisor.
• Marian Martin (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) - A police officer who helps the Double Dragons; a major character during the first season, but a comparatively minor role in the second season.
• Su Lien - A tai chi chuan instructor who assists the Double Dragons in their quests. The Shadow Master has tried to capture her to learn her secrets.
• Fireball - A young pyrokinetic imprisoned after taking part in a street gangs' war; paroled into the custody of the Dragon Dojo, and implied (though not shown) to later become a Dragon Warrior.
• Marika - The wife of John Lee and the mother of Billy and Jimmy, she is also the Shadow Master's half-sister. She willingly lets herself be trapped by her half-brother inside the Shadow Dojo to spare Jimmy's life. In one episode, Billy and Jimmy find her, but cannot save her from the Shadow Master's clutches.
• Megabyte - A skilled computer hacker, who helps the Dragon Masters to travel the information superhighway, using virtual reality technology.
• Sashiko - An Interpol agent against cyber crimes, and Kona's girlfriend, who introduces the Dragon Warriors to Megabyte.
• Dragon Spirit - A spirit who inhabited a sword. When the sword is destroyed by the Shadow Master, Chop uses the left over metal in the Dragon Chopper. The Spirit of the Sword then inhabits the chopper and helps the Dragon Warriors fight. His original name was Dao Lung and he once belonged to Chen Long.
• Chen Long - Chen Long was once a Dragon Warrior (literally, a dragon who was a warrior) who owned Dao Lung; presumed dead after his fight with the Shadow Monster, but later shown alive to fight it again.

Shadow Warriors

The Shadow Warriors are the main antagonists of the series, a criminal organization composed mostly of mutants. The Shadow Master says in "Over the Line" that these mutants are created by "high levels of EMF generated by (Metro City's) ancient underground power grid". According to the same episode, the EMF gives the Black Flame its power (the source of the Shadow Master's own magic).

• Shadow Master (voiced by Jim Byrnes) - The leader of the Shadow Warriors. He has many powers which include shapeshifting and teleporting, and he is able to trap warriors who fail him in the Shadow Mural. He is the half-brother of Billy and Jimmy's mother.
• Icepick (voiced by Terry Klassen) - A Shadow Warrior whose body appears composed entirely of ice. He is armed with a katana and a pair of daggers, sheathed under his skin.
• Sickle (voiced by Scott McNeil) - A Shadow Warrior who specializes in disguises and is armed with two large red sickles.
• Trigger Happy (voiced by Terry Klassen) - A purple-skinned Shadow Warrior, who uses a hand-mounted directed-energy blaster.
• Countdown (voiced by Alvin Sanders) - A Shadow Warrior who often serves as the organization's middle man. He is armed with shoulder mounted rocket blasters. In "Shadow Conned", the Shadow Khan manipulates Countdown into betraying the Shadow Master. As punishment for his betrayal, the Shadow Master traps Countdown in the shield that once imprisoned the Shadow Khan.
• Jawbreaker (voiced by Michael Donovan) - A monstrous pink-skinned mutant, capable of biting through almost any solid matter. In "Sight of Freedom", he turns against the Shadow Warriors after befriending the police commissioner's blind daughter.
• Abobo (voiced by Blu Mankuma) - A large blue thug with monstrous strength, who works for the Shadow Boss in the pilot episode ("The Shadow Falls"). He is sucked into the Shadow Mural at the beginning of the second episode and is never seen again for the rest of the series.
• Wild Willy (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A gunslinger who also works for the Shadow Boss. He is punished alongside Abobo in the second episode.
• Shadow Khan (voiced by Alec Willows) - Introduced in the beginning of the second season, he is a powerful sorcerer imprisoned in a shield by the Oldest Dragon. The Shadow Master uses the entrapped being to make himself more powerful, until Khan tricks Countdown into freeing him. He is able to control his victim's worst fears, and is followed by a set of "Terror Warriors" of similar power. Ultimately buried alive by Daj.
• Shadow Warriors (voiced by Michael Donovan) - The Shadow Master's group of thugs. Their uniform consists of urban camouflage pants, gray body armor and a face guard covering the lower half of their faces. They are armed with energy blades generated by their gauntlets. Blade, a character from Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, has the standard design used for most of the generic Shadow Warriors on the show, while Sekka appears to wear a female variant of their uniform.
• Shadow Boss - Jimmy Lee's alter-ego when he was in the service of the Shadow Warriors until he abandons the organization at the end of the second episode. As the Shadow Boss, Jimmy draws his powers from the Black Flame, causing his entire body to be clad entirely in black in a manner similar to the Shadow Master himself. In "Over the Line", Billy is deceived into becoming the new Shadow Boss after suffering from memory lost, although he regains his memories with Jimmy's help and breaks free from the Shadow Master's influence, like his brother did in the past. In "Doom Claw", when the Shadow Khan causes the Dragon Warriors' greatest fears to manifest themselves, it is shown that Jimmy is haunted by his past self as the Shadow Boss.

Others

• Hannibal - A huge doglike monster appearing in only one episode, "Judgment Day".
• Little Brother - Daj's tame Western dragon; the mascot of Daj's underground Dragon Temple.

Cast

• Jay Brazeau
• Donald Brown
• Garry Chalk
• Ian James Corlett
• Michael Donovan
• Terry Klassen
• Scott McNeil
• Wesley Morris
• Alvin Sanders
• French Tickner
• Dale Wilson

Additional voices

• Carol Alexander
• Kathleen Barr
• Randall Carpenter
• Babz Chula
• Raj Eriksen
• Saffron Henderson
• Mark Hildreth
• Cusse Mankuma
• Jason Michas
• Maxine Miller
• Jesse Moss
• Brad Swaile
• Tracey-Lee Smyth
• Jayleen Stonehouse
• Marcus Turner
• Louise Vallance
• Samuel Vincent
• Alec Willows

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Merchandise

In addition to the video game Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, made for the Genesis, Super NES, and Jaguar, Tyco Toys produced a set of action figures. The figures included: Billy Lee, Jimmy Lee, Blaster, Vortex, Shadow Master, Sickle, and Trigger Happy. Three vehicles were also made: The (Dragon) Cycle, (Dragon) Cruiser, and Shadow Raven.

Home video releases

Certain episodes of the series were released on pre-recorded VHS tapes by DiC's Toon Times Video subsidiary.

External links

• Double Dragon series director yoshihisa kishimoto HP
• Double Dragon Cartoon at Double Dragon Dojo
• Double Dragon at the Internet Movie Database
• Double Dragon at TV.com