Brave Command Dagwon


Brave Command Dagwon is a Japanese anime series begun in 1996, created by Takara and Sunrise under the direction of Tomomi Mochizuki and was the seventh Yūsha or "Brave" metaseries.
Earth is the target of the former Sargasso prisoners who took over the prison asteroid and attack our planet. To counter this, Brave Seijin chose seven youngsters from Earth to receive the DagBraces and turn into Dagwon, the alien equivalent to "brave".
Drawing inspiration from Super Sentai, the youngsters can don battle suits by activating their braces with the voice command "Try Dagwon!", which grant them pseudo-elemental powers and attacks as well as amplified physical power and advanced protection. If that is not enough, they have personal vehicles at their disposal which can turn into humanoid robots. Through Fusion Combine, they merge with their vehicles and control their humanoid forms as if they were their own bodies. If even greater power is needed, the heroes can merge with additional support units, or even with each other to create stronger robotic warriors.
In addition to the heroes, other friendly mechanical aliens arrive to aid their quest. Lian, last survivor of his race, is essentially a huge sword who helped the team after they've proven their worth to him. Gunkid, who can take on the form of a jet or a bazooka, was initially on Sargasso's side before he decided to help the Dagwon team. Lian proceeded to become the teacher of Gunkid. The team also have a large robotic base called Dag Base at their disposal.

Composition

Dagwon consists of 48 episodes, first aired on Nagoya TV from February 3, 1996 to January 25, 1997. Its success warranted the two-episode OVA "The Boy with Crystal Eyes", which came out in September 1997. The show currently is not licensed in the US as is the status with all the other Brave Series, except GaoGaiGar.
Despite the series' lack of popularity among children, it found an audience among young females, who enjoyed the bishōnen main characters.

Team

Voiced by Kōichi Tōchika
The fire warrior. The stereotypical hot-headed and determined type. Reckless, short-tempered and stubborn to a fault, but also brave, fearless and a loyal friend. En often locks heads with Kai, who just so happens to be his superior in school. He develops a close friendship with Ryu in the beginning of the series. He's the only one on the team who has two different vehicular bodies. His robots are stand alone versions and do not combine with his teammates'. En's vehicle's are Fire Stratos, based on a Lancia Stratos. Fire Jumbo, based on a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. Fire Ladder, based on a Japanese Fire Truck. Fire Rescue, based on a Japanese Ambulance. And Fire Shovel, based on an Excavator.
Try DagwonEn = Fire En
Yūgō GattaiFire En + Fire Stratos = DagFire
Kaen GattaiDagFire + Fire Jumbo + Fire Ladder + Fire Rescue = Fire Dagwon
Gōriki GattaiDagFire + Fire Shovel = Power Dagwon
Chō Kaen GattaiFire Dagwon + Power Dagwon = Super Fire Dagwon

Voiced by Takehito Koyasu
The speed warrior. Kai is head of the student council and practitioner of Kendo. He is almost always seen carrying a Shinai, which he uses to enforce the rules at school. He also tries to remind the team of their job and that it's not only fun and games, but does not always succeed since his strict, no-nonsense personality tends to rub them the wrong way. Kai vehicle is Turbo Liner, based on a 300 Series Shinkansen.
Try DagwonKai = Turbo Kai
Yūgō GattaiTurbo Kai + Turbo Liner = DagTurbo
Jūren GattaiDagTurbo + DagArmor + DagWing = Liner Dagwon
Chō Jūren GattaiDagTurbo + DagArmor + DagWing + DagDrill = Super Liner Dagwon

Voiced by Jin Yamanoi
The weapons warrior. Shin is a luckless flirt with girls and has an alarming tendency to get shot down whenever he talks to one. In spite of this, Shin is friendly and good-natured. He is also skilled at martial arts, as seen when he uses Judo to stop a purse-snatching in the first episode. Shin's vehicle is Armor Liner, based on an E1 Series Shinkansen.
Try DagwonShin = Armor Shin
Yūgō GattaiArmor Shin + Armor Liner = DagArmor
Jūren GattaiDagTurbo + DagArmor + DagWing = Liner Dagwon
Chō Jūren GattaiDagTurbo + DagArmor + DagWing + DagDrill = Super Liner Dagwon

Voiced by Hiro Yūki
The sky warrior. Shy and a bit geeky, Yoku is the brains of the team. He is very knowledgeable and computer savvy. He also likes to study strange and unusual things. Yoku's vehicle is the Wing Liner, based on a 400 Series Shinkansen.
Try DagwonYoku = Wing Yoku
Yūgō GattaiWing Yoku + Wing Liner = DagWing
Jūren GattaiDagTurbo + DagArmor + DagWing = Liner Dagwon
Chō Jūren GattaiDagTurbo + DagArmor + DagWing + DagDrill = Super Liner Dagwon

Voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi
The shadow warrior. Calm, mysterious and a puzzle even to his team members. He's the only one to have "subordinates", animal robots stored in the form of cards. He was the last of the team to achieve his mecha fusion. Ryu develops a close friendship with En in the beginning of the series. Ryu is one of two members of the team who doesn't get an upgrade combination. Ryu's Vehicle is the Shadow Jet, based on an F-15 Eagle.
Try DagwonRyu = Shadow Ryu
Yūgō GattaiShadow Ryu + Shadow Jet = DagShadow/Shadow Dragon
Kijū GattaiDagShadow/Shadow Dragon + Guard Tiger + Guard Wolf + Guard Hawk = Shadow Dagwon

Voiced by Hisao Egawa
The ground warrior. Geki has a rivalry with En, who injured his arm in a fight at Geki's old school. He is even more short tempered and impatient than En and has a serious crush on Maria. Geki had something of a misguided view on being a hero at first, but eventually became a valuable member of the group. His robot, Dag Drill combines with Kai's, Shin's and Yoku's. Geki's vehicle is Drill Liner, based on a JRN Class C62 Steam engine.
Try DagwonGeki = Drill Geki
Yūgō GattaiDrill Geki + Drill Liner = DagDrill
Chō Jūren GattaiDagTurbo + DagArmor + DagWing + DagDrill = Super Liner Dagwon

Voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi
The thunder warrior. An alien Dagwon officer, Rai appears late in the series. He is very good looking, which earns him the unwanted advances of practically every female student at the boys' school. Rai hates the attention and it easily embarrasses and flusters him. Like En, his robot, DagThunder is a stand-alone mecha and does not combine with the others. Thunder Dagwon is based on Galaxy Shuttle from. Like Ryu, Rai doesn't combine with any other mechs to achieve an upgrade. Rai's vehicle's are the Thunder Bike, based on a Sidecar Motorcycle. And the Thunder Shuttle, based on a Space Shuttle.
Try DagwonRai = Thunder Rai
Yūgō GattaiThunder Rai + Thunder Bike = DagThunder
Raimei GattaiDagThunder + Thunder Shuttle = Thunder Dagwon

Allies

Humans

; Maria Tobe
; Manabu Tobe
;Erika Serizawa
; Yukari Fujii
; Minako Hashiba
; Souichi Asahiyama
; Haruka Ijuuin
; Nagisa Hirose

Aliens

; Alien Brave/Brave Seijin
; Lian
; Gunkid
; Luna
; Kenta

Major antagonists

;Arch Seijin
;Warugaia Seijin Brothers
;* Hido
First appearing in his human disguise, crashing into Luna's ship as she is leaving earth, kidnapping and then brainwashing her into doing his bidding. He tried to have her kill Kai but he is able to break her out of it. Killed by Brave Seijin.
;* Gedo
;* Mado
; Genocide
The being responsible for the Sargasso prison break. Able to possess machines and organisms, he manipulated the prisoners throughout the entire series when his asteroid-like body crashed into Sargosso and took over the prison's computer system. He was thought to be killed when Sargasso was split in half by Dag Base. He survives and possesses Fire Dagwon, creating a barrier of hatred that consumes the Earth. Finally killed when En forces a fusion into Super Fire Dagwon and self-destructs in space.

Minor antagonists