Class of 2002
The Show That Kept Toonami Afloat

Zoids: Chaotic Century wasn't the most popular series according to the ratings. It wasn't properly promoted by Cartoon Network. It spent the first half of 2002 in the graveyard morning hours with very little promotion. Heck, Cartoon Network premiered the series that followed Guardian Force, Zoids/0, many months before it premiered Chaotic Century.

Oh, one more thing. Zoids: Chaotic Century is the series that kept viewers watching Toonami.

Think about it.

Instead of concentrating heavily on the high-profile shows of the year like G Gundam, Masters of the Universe, and Transformers Armada (as the network did), the fans attached themselves with Zoids Chaotic Century because it had a good story as well as a healthy diversion (oh, and the almost uncut dialogue was a plus). When the series was replaced by repeats of Dragonball Z in October and relegated back to early morning hours, the Toonami faithful grew furious and demanded action. The fans wanted the repeat hour removed and Zoids Chaotic Century back on the air. Slowly but surely, the fans got their wish, and on December 30, 2002, when the DBZami schedule was removed, Zoids Chaotic Century became the new opening show of Toonami until the end of February.

Cartoon Network even offered an on-air apology for holding back the final four episodes, airing them for the first (and unfortunately only time) on January 4, 2003.

Because of Zoids: Chaotic Century's popularity, Cartoon Network ordered 26 new episodes for fall 2003. Zoids Fuzors came and went not really capturing the minds of the fandom as Chaotic Century or even Zoids/Zero did. Zoids has become a potential cornerstone on Toonami as well as one of the shows that actually saved the block in the fans' eyes.

Go on to the next show.