Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Digital enemy and parallel world give show flair.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 31 kid reviews
Kids say this show is one of the best animated series they've experienced, often praising its entertaining plot and valuable messages about friendship and teamwork. However, many reviews express concerns regarding its occasional violence and scenes depicting characters in undergarments, suggesting it's more suitable for older children due to some complex themes and mild content.
- entertaining plot
- valuable messages
- mild violence
- suitable for older kids
- complex themes
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
CODE LYOKO is the story of four boarding school friends who, despite very different personalities, rely on each other as they muddle through the process of growing up. The new-age twist to this timeless tale is that the foursome alone knows of the existence of XANA, a villainous computer in a parallel world whose aim is to annihilate Earth. In a secret computer lab within their school, Jeremy, Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi battle XANA's efforts with help from Aelita, a digital resident of Lyoko. Genius Jeremy leads the foursome as the techie who can "virtualize" the others into Lyoko, where each has unique powers.
Is It Any Good?
Kids will like the battles in Lyoko -- each plays out much like a video game. The monsters' hits on the heroes deduct "life points" from them, and once they've run out, they are "devirtualized" back into the computer lab. Jeremy can also reverse time to maintain the secrecy of the foursome's efforts on Earth, but in doing so, he strengthens XANA's powers. Strategy and teamwork are themes throughout the series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea of fighting an enemy that can subtly influence our lives. How can someone or something we can't see pose a threat to us?
Does the media and/or the Internet enable those who seek to do harm? How can you protect yourself from this kind of threat?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 19, 2004
- Cast : Barbara Scaff , Mirabelle Kirkland , Sharon Mann
- Network : Cartoon Network
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate