Dragon Striker is an animated epic sports fantasy television series created by Sylvain Dos Santos and Charles Lefebvre, and produced by La Chouette Compagnie in association with Disney Television Animation. It follows farmboy Key, who joins a team that plays a game called gorotama - a football-like game that is augmented by magic. The series debuted on June 9, 2026 on Disney XD, and premiered worldwide on Disney Channel and Disney+ on June 10. Initially labeled as a Disney+ Original, the series was relabeled as a Disney Channel Original at the 2025 edition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. A second season is scheduled for release in early 2027.

Synopsis

Cast and characters

Akshay Kumar as Key Nagatatsu Rebecca LaChance as Ssyelle Tournefeuille Yeukayi Ushe as Milo Stonegarden Waylon Jacobs as Odward Stonegarden Evanna Lynch as Ameline

Additional voice cast Laura Aikman Christine Allado as Lilas Glasmearin Díana Bermudez as Callista Ferreiro Emily Carey Silas Carson as Surya Sunspear Christopher Chung Joshua Collins as Ragno Garanthar Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Skadi Savarog Ruthie Henshall Arina Ii as Pregrina Freaks, Ondine McKraken Luke Kempner Gregg Lowe as Griffin Wells Omar Malik Shai Matheson as Announcer Joseph May Flora Montgomery as Noreen Sugoi Patrice Naiambana as Sanga Shala Nyx as Cleo Philopatra Sarah Pitard as Beatrix D. "Rumble Bee" Rumble, Brunelca Ostercrumble Cherrelle Skeete Ellen Thomas as Nurse Volgora Stefan Trout as Casper Ferreiro

Episodes

Production In June 2022, the series was announced as a greenlit production at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, among other new productions, noting it would be produced by Cyber Group Studios and La Chouette Compagnie for Disney EMEA. A sneak peek for the series was revealed at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Following the insolvency of Cyber Group in November 2024 and their eventual liquidation in April 2025, the company is not credited or listed as being involved in the final product.

In April 2025, Animation Magazine described the series as "anime-inspired", produced by Disney Television Animation and the "creative team at Chouette Studios", with Claire Sun as art director, with a presentation at 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on the series "creative development journey...[and] the artistic complexities involved in the production process." The series was later featured at a Studio Focus panel at Annecy on June 10, 2025, during which Disney EMEA was said to have "spotlighted Paris-based Chouette Studios' Dragon Striker" and noted its anime influences. Variety noted that, at the festival, series co-creator Sylvain Dos Santos stated that the series has a heavy influence from anime, and on all the work by the studio, saying it had "200 artists, 75 of them animators," and was founded by those who loved "Japanese animation and comics and dreamed of making something in that style." The article further noted that series director Charles Lefebvre listed other series inspirations, such as The Vision of Escaflowne, RWBY, Final Fantasy IX, and Chrono Trigger, and the real-world city Rio de Janeiro. ScreenRant described the series as "first original anime" produced by Disney, saying it combines "sports action with supernatural elements that effectively channel the energy of classic shōnen anime," drawing inspiration from various anime, with the site predicting the series would "deliver unforgettable and cinematic moments throughout its run."

In March 2026, Animation Magazine profiled various "rising stars" in animation, including Claire Sun, a concept artist on the series, who was noted as graphic author of Taki Tanuki and said that the series had a "team of talented people," with Sun praising series director Charles Lefebvre as teaching her about storytelling, art direction, and design. She also said that all the crew members put "so much heart" into the series, calling it "ambitious" due to the world-building, cast, storyboards, and "beautiful landscapes of the world of Asteria," and said that she had created a lot of "fan content about my favorite characters, twins named Casper and Callista, including stickers, fan art, fan comics, plushies, [and] magnets."

On May 6, 2026, the cast and crew were announced, noting that the series score was "recorded in Japan with an 80-piece orchestra," the writers and producers of the theme song ("Power of the Dragon"), specifically Cash Callaway as writer and producer and Sarah West as performer, and the end credits song ("The Very End") which Kieran Rhodes wrote and performed. The official release state was noted, and an official trailer was posted. Animation Magazine said that the series would blend "European fantasy with Japanese animation influences," while following the hero's journey of an underdog character, with the series "brought to life through high-stakes battles, visually stunning action and expansive mythology." Disney Television Animation is producing the series in collaboration with La Chouette Compagnie.

The series was renewed for a second season on July 2, 2026, and it will be released in early 2027.

Release The first eleven episodes of the series premiered on June 9, 2026 on Disney XD. It streamed on Disney+ and Hulu the following day. It eventually made its debut on Disney Channel later that same week on June 12, 2026. Prior to the series release, a series of animated shorts was posted on Disney YouTube channels on May 13, 2026, introducing viewers to the "world of Dragon Striker."

See also Messi and the Giants, an upcoming television series with similar premise.

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