The History of the WBO: 10th Anniversary Interview Series

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Looking Back on 10 Years of the World Beyblade Organization
We’ve come such a long way since the World Beyblade Organization was launched on December 4th, 2008. It’s hard to believe, but there’s members in the community now who might not have even been born yet when the WBO first launched!

It’s for this reason that we felt reaching out to many of our current and past staff members to get their take on how they got into the game, how they found the WBO, and what it meant to them would be valuable not only to record for those of us who have been around for a long time, but for everyone new to the community who might not know much about the history of the WBO.

These are the questions we asked:

  • How did you originally get into Beyblade?
  • What is your favourite aspect of Beyblade?
  • How did you find the WBO? / What led you to the creation of the WBO? (for Bey Brad)
  • What is your first memory of your time with the WBO? The oldest thing you can remember.
  • What are some of your fondest memories of your time with the WBO? On-site in the community, at our events, or working on projects.
  • What is your favourite Beyblade combination and why?
  • What impact did/has your time with the WBO have/had on your life?
  • What are you up to these days?

I’d like to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to respond and contribute to this small project to help celebrate our 10th anniversary. The response rate was incredibly high, and everyone was so willing to take the time to participate. Even people who haven’t been active in the community in seven years. To me that illustrates how important the WBO is for the people that dedicated themselves to the community and how valuable of an experience it can be for all of us. I can only hope that the new members of today feel the same way years down the road.

Want to share your memories?
Hearing from the WBO staff is just one side of the story. We want to hear yours too! Feel free to answer the same questions here, and also enter our #WBOMemories Instagram contest for a chance to win a Cho-Z Valkyrie and more!

Read all of the interviews below!
Click the link below the excerpt from each member to read their full interview.





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@[Bey Brad]
WBO Founder – Created Beywiki Oct. 07 2007 which became WBO Dec. 04, 2008
Bey Brad Wrote:“I’d played Beyblade for years by that time, and battled many of these same players before. But as soon as I launched my Beyblade in my first ranked match, I felt it: This is different. This is for real.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[G]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Oct. 07, 2007
G Wrote:“Even though we don't talk regularly, I still think about a lot of them and the other forum members from back in the day. As cheesy as it sounds, they still hold a special place in my heart.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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Kei
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Oct. 08, 2007
Kei Wrote:“I’ve been avoiding answering this question for a few days now. Not because I didn’t want to answer, but because it isn’t an exaggeration to say: the impact the WBO has had on my life is almost beyond description.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Cye Kinomiya]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Oct. 08, 2007
Cye Kinomiya Wrote:“After I stopped playing Beyblade as much, I was working at a children’s library. One day I’m shelving some books and a small child comes up to me and says, “Aren’t you Cye Kinomiya from the WBO?” Obviously, I couldn’t believe this was happening.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Roan]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Oct. 08, 2007
Roan Wrote:“It just goes to show that if you’re truly passionate about something, nothing you do in pursuit of that passion is “a waste of time.” Believe me, I heard that from my parents about my Beyblade obsession more times than I could count, but I can’t imagine I’d be doing what I do now if I hadn’t learned so much from my time with the WBO. Never let anyone take your dreams or passions away from you!”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Kai-V]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Oct. 09, 2007
Kai-V Wrote:“You might not be able to meet them all in person, but the World Beyblade Organization facilitates discoveries and acquaintances like nothing else, not even in other hobbies even.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Nic]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Oct. 09, 2007
Nic Wrote:“I thought it [the WBO] was a really cool idea and to be honest now I'm really surprised how big it's grown over the past decade!”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)






@[theflightyellz]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Oct. 12, 2007
theflightyellz Wrote:“I met a lot of amazing people through the WBO, some of which (even though I’m not as close to now) I still hold exceptionally dear today... It wasn’t just a hobby, it was a community, and a family above all else.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Khel]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Jul. 01, 2008
Khel Wrote:“My favourite part has to be the tactile nature of it [Beyblade]. Unlike trading cards you had something more substantial. Something that you could take apart, customize and make your own.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Blitz]
Joined Beywiki/WBO: Sep. 12, 2008
Blitz Wrote:“... travelling to a different country to play my favourite hobby and feeling so welcome even though I’d never met anyone before was one of the most memorable moments I’ll ever have ...”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Serotonin]
Joined the WBO: May. 16, 2009
Serotonin Wrote:“A lot of this post will seem overtly sentimental to both the hobby and community, but it’s amazing to think how long the WBO has been around, and how many friendships must have been formed. Looking back, this is amazingly positive, and certainly had a huge impact on me growing up.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Bae Master]
Joined the WBO: May. 31, 2009
Bae Master Wrote:“Spamming Bey Brad’s inbox with stupid questions like: WHERE CAN I BUY METAL FACES and WHAT IS BEYBLADE WAR ROOM”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Daegor42]
Joined the WBO: Dec. 07, 2009
Daegor42 Wrote:“Ey yo, you know it's my aibou aka good ol' MF Sagittario 90RF with its explosive one hit knock out potential. Win fast, win hard, or lose!”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Angry Face]
Joined the WBO: Sep. 23, 2010
Angry Face Wrote:“We bought the two pack with Storm Pegasus and Rock Aquario that day, and I remember precisely saying to my parents, “We'll just get this one...”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Arupaeo]
Joined the WBO: Jan. 10 2011
Arupaeo Wrote:“It helped me to see that when you have a positive spirit and determination, you can help other people become successful and lift everyone up together!”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Uwik]
Joined the WBO: Jan. 26, 2011
Uwik Wrote:“The organized events by far! Meeting other bladers and actually battling them in real life are experiences worth remembering.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[~Mana~]
Joined the WBO: Jul. 22, 2011
~Mana~ Wrote:“It was a very small community, but in the short few hours I'd gotten to know them, they already felt like a second family. We laughed together, cried together, completely Ragnarekt our opponents ...”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[Naijalak]
Joined the WBO: Nov. 26, 2012
Naijalak Wrote:“I loved the local community we had in Connecticut. I ran tournaments for about 2 years and both my kids and I made some great friends during that time.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[LMAO]
Joined the WBO: Dec. 12, 2012
LMAO Wrote:“Definitely the competitive side. I loved how knowledge meant more than luck in Beyblade, and that’s what made the game so much more fun for me.”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)





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@[cadney]
Joined the WBO: Aug. 03, 2015
cadney Wrote:“I'm still in touch with all the Beyblade friends I've made around the world, and they're all such wonderful people I never want to lose contact with!”

Read Full Interview (Click to View)
Man, this has gotta be my favorite thread in all of the WBO. Though I haven't finished reading everyone's interviews yet, seeing so many old "faces" and reading their writing again brings back some great memories. Thanks for putting all of this together, @[Kei].
Well, since all members can do this, I might as well do it myself!

How did you originally get into Beyblade?
At school, probably back in the second grade(2012), I saw a lot of kids playing with these little tops. When I would ask them what they were, they would say "Beybladkding". After practically begging some kids to let me try, I was hooked. I went out to Target and got some beys with birthday money. The only beys I remember getting specifically were Dark Bull and the Max Stampede Stadium. I practiced all night, and when I went to school the next day, dominated. Looking back, I think it was because I went with what I actually thought would be effective, instead of just looking cool. After probably 2 more years of this I was the self-proclaimed California Champion. Yet after a bit, I fell out, as everyone did. I eventually came back to Blading when I was at my cousins house on day and saw they were playing with this giant mess of parts and stadiums(All MFB). I made combos, taught myself about types, and was re-hooked.

What is your favourite aspect of Beyblade?
It's something I'm good at. It gets me hyped. It makes me feel like I'm doing something to prove myself. I guess... It gave me friends. I liked that. I kept doing it.

How did you find the WBO?
I was Googling "Beyblade" just trying to find other people online who were talking about it, and I found the WBO, and made an account. I lost that account's login, though, so RIP Ye Olde 2013 WBO Account.

What is your first memory of your time with the WBO? The oldest thing you can remember.
I remember people using abbreviations and having no clue as to what they meant, but going along with it anyways, posting my two cents about Beyblade.

What are some of your fondest memories of your time with the WBO? On-site in the community, at our events, or working on projects.
On site. Back when Burst was young, I had myself a Valkyrie Wing Accel with Light Launcher and Beylogger set, and I simply adored discussing Beyloggers and the future of Burst.

What is your favourite Beyblade combination and why?
Drain Fafnir(Red recolor, Metal God Chip) 7 Glave(Hasbro, Star Strike Set Ver.) Bearing/Destroy/Atomic. My most powerful tournament legal combo. For MFB? There was this one bey I once had, before I even knew part name, but it had a white energy ring, twisted tempo's metal ring, a white spinning-blade spin track, and I always found my self switching the performance tip to either a metal ball, metal point, or plastic wide defense(Even though it's a stamina part). I was always on the search for a metal wide "defense".

What impact did/has your time with the WBO have/had on your life?
Competitive Blading is a thing to me. I own good combos now. I've stayed with Beyblade as long as I have. The WBO is priceless to me, and I'm so happy to see it having it's 10th anniversary.

What are you up to these days?
Oh, you know, school, beyblade, writing pointlessly long extra-credit essays on Harry Potter for English and Beyblade for Physics, so the usual.
(Dec. 05, 2018  5:09 PM)Angry Face Wrote: Man, this has gotta be my favorite thread in all of the WBO. Though I haven't finished reading everyone's interviews yet, seeing so many old "faces" and reading their writing again brings back some great memories. Thanks for putting all of this together, @[Kei].

You're welcome! I treasure this series now, but I think down the road it'll gain even more value. I'm glad I did it.

There's so many interesting tidbits throughout and maybe I'll pull out more later on when I read everything again, but one which stood out to me was this quote from @[Bey Brad] (which I mentioned to him when I first read it):

Bey Brad Wrote:One of the things that the plastic gen accomplished that I think following systems — including the incredible HMS — have failed to is the opportunity for bladers to express their personality in the unique way they build their combos. The pool of viable parts that play their “roles” effectively is narrower than it previously used to be. If there’s one thing I could improve about the way Beyblade is managed right now, it would be that.

I'd never really thought of how you could "express your personality" in Plastics, but given the pool of parts and complexity of the system, I can totally see that and agree. That being said, I do think that our Metal Fight Limited Format does sort of come close given the larger pool of parts that are viable within each type.

On another note, I remember being so surprised when @[G] sent me those photos of him and Brad hahaha. I might have seen them ages ago, but it was so cool to see again.

And when I was talking to Cye Kinomiya about photos he wanted to include, he informed me that there was a picture of him, Brad, and us together from the very end of BEYBLADE NORTH 2016 that I had completely forgotten about. It's the only photo of us three have taken together, so I found it to be quite special!

It was also genuinely interesting to read about everyone's favourite combos. I thought it would just be like an attack-fest, but seeing so many people list stamina combinations too was interesting. I love that you listed Gravity Perseus BD145RDF @[Angry Face]; that combo was non-existent in Toronto until a few years ago when we were doing an MFB tournament and @[1234beyblade] told @[U wot m8] to use it against @[LMAO]. He totally caught him off-guard and won the match! I have a video for that tournament (including that match) still to make someday, actually.
Beyblade is fun and it will always be.

(Dec. 24, 2018  6:51 PM)Slash Spriggan Wrote: "The way I found Beyblade is when I was at my aunts house and I found these 2 kids playing something.... it was Beyblade but I ask what was it and as they said it was Beyblade metal fight and I ask "Can I try "they said yes, after that I thought it was cool but then I forgot about Beyblade until Beyblade burst came out and then that's how I found Beyblade."
Once again, great thread! Thanks WBO!
I guess I'll post this if it is okay?

- How did you originally get into beyblade?
- What is your favorite aspect of Beyblade?
- How did you find the WBO?
- What is your first memory of your time with the WBO?
- What is your favorite Beyblade combination and why?
- What impact has your time on the WBO had on your life?
- What are you up to these days?
I would like to wish the World Beyblading Organization and all beybladers a happy 10th anniversary!