is a marble shooting toy franchise produced in Japan by Takara. It was originally based on the Bomberman series, but later expanded into other franchises and its own original designs. The toy's design is a humanoid figure, with a round cavity in its abdomen that houses a specially made marble (though other marbles of the same size may be used). The marble is launched by pressing a spring-loaded trigger on the back of the figure. Different attachments and accessories can be used to change various traits of the B-Daman, such as its accuracy, power, balance, control, and firing rate. They are customizable, and each have their own special gimmick. In the Japanese language Battle B-Daman toys, the marbles are referred to as "B-Dama". In all cases they are simply called "marbles" (; bīdama, hence the name "B-Daman") in Japan. In the English language B-Daman toylines and media, the marbles were originally called 'B-DaBalls", but was later changed to "B-DaMarbles" for safety reasons. Timeline In 2004, Hasbro collaborated with Takara and Fox Entertainment Group to bring the franchise to the USA. In 2005, Hasbro licensed the "Battle B-Daman" configuration of the toy. In 2005, Takara licensed the show to Fox Entertainment Group. Game rules Depending on how it is played, there are different sets of game rules. In Hasbro's "Battle B-Daman" tournament set, it has the following 10 games: Direct hit battle (DHB): Shoot at each other's B-Daman until the opponent's B-Daman's switch is hit. In the "Zero" system, this causes a cap to block the barrel and prevent any more B-Dama from being fired (originally a specially made game piece would pop out). Direct Hit Battle armor is required. (Note: Hasbro only sells the Zero, and blastercore versions) Tag Team DHB: Similar to DHB, only you have teammates who you can tag in when you are not being fired at. You cannot tag in your tag team partner if their armor has been disabled. DHB havoc: Similar to DHB, but the opposing B-Daman is behind target barricades placed in the battlefield. B-Daman Invasion: Shoot at the battle puck in the arena until it reaches opponent's baseline. This is known as "Battle Hockey" in Japan. Battle Hammer: Try to shoot the puck as far as you can using 5 shots. Ultimate Strike: A classic bowling-esque game of shooting down as many target pins as possible in one shot. Shoot the Gap: