Tai Chi Chasers also known as Taegeuk Kids on KBS World is an action-adventure and a Manhwa anime television series produced by JM Animation and Toei Animation. The series, inspired by East Asian mythology, revolves around the protagonist Rai, a child who gains supernatural abilities and becomes involved in a long-running armed conflict between two ethnic groups, the Tigeroids and the Dragonoids.
Tai Chi Chasers originally aired on KBS 1TV from 29 April 2007 to 20 January 2008. A localised Cantonese version of the series aired on TVB Jade in Hong Kong from 13 August 2009 to 1 January 2010, and an English language localization was distributed through 4Kids Entertainment in the United States, airing on Toonzai from 17 September 2011 until 2 June 2012.
Contents
Premise and plot
Tai Chi Chasers is set in a fantasy world that is influenced by East Asian mythology. Within this fantasy world, two ethnic groups, the protagonist Tigeroids (Korean: 호족) and the antagonist Dragonoids (Korean: 용족) are engaged in a long-running armed conflict over Tai Chi cards, a set of 500 magical artefacts that both groups seek for their own purposes.
The plot revolves around the main character Rai, a child who discovers that he is descended from the Tigeroids after his community is attacked. He therefore possesses various magical abilities that all Tigeroids possess. Rai becomes a combatant in the Tigeroid armed forces, and enhances his magical abilities. He also becomes a member of an elite group of combatants, known as the Tai Chi Chasers.
Tai Chi Chasers utilizes Korean hanja to represent the various magical abilities and artefacts present throughout the series. In the English language version, distributed by 4Kids Entertainment, the hanja characters are referred to both by their Korean pronunciations and their English language translations.
Production
Tai Chi Chasers was produced by KBS in association with Toei Animation. The series was distributed and localised by 4Kids Entertainment in the United States, airing on Toonzai from 17 September 2011 to 2 June 2012. The series has a total of 39 episodes, broadcast across three seasons, with 13 episodes in each season.
Similar to other productions dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment and its subsidiary 4Kids Productions, the third season of the series was not dubbed into English. This was mainly due to the dub being produced following 4Kids' bankruptcy and eventual sale of their assets in June 2012. The licensing rights would eventually revert to co-producer Iconix Entertainment.
Tai Chi Chasers was also adapted into Hebrew in Israel, where it aired on Arutz HaYeladim under the name Tai Chi Champions.