Parents' Guide to

Dinosaur King

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Card-game-based anime has too many fierce battles.

TV CW Kids' Animation 2007
Dinosaur King Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 9 parent reviews

heidi H.
heidi H. Parent of 13-year-old
September 2, 2023
age 3+

i loved this show when i was a kid

i loved this show as a kid and i can still name all my favorite dinosaurs 10 years later. sometimes i watch this show with my younger brother because we both used to watch it for hours everyday in like 2013. 10/10 recommend but the second season is a little complex for a little kiddo so i always liked the first season the most lol. i put my kid as 13 but hes actually just my younger brother lol

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
J M.
J M. Adult
January 7, 2023
age 5+
This show really holds up, watched it as. Kid and now 15+ years later rewatching it as an adult with my husband (for laughs and nostalgia), I surprisingly remembered most episodes. It's also really educational as it used over 30 different dinosaur names and teaches true facts about their lives. Of course there's fictional aspects to it, but that's normal for kids shows. As for the negative comments that are definitely Karens. Having just rewatched most of it, there's no inappropriate clothing of any sort. There's 2 instances of bathing suits and one of towels, but they were not inappropriate... unless you're a pervert and *trying* to picture things way more provocatively than they are, but then you're the problem not the animation.

This title has:

Educational value
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on a Sega card game, the anime DINOSAUR KING follows the adventures of young Rex, Max, and Zoe, who stumble on some mysterious stones and cards that give them the power to summon dinosaurs from the past. They soon find themselves caught up in a violent battle with Dr. Z and his Alpha Gang, who want to use the dinosaurs to take over the world. With the right combination of cards and stones, a player can bring to life a flesh-and-bone animal. When a card is found, both teams race to the site and the dinosaurs they already control do battle for rights to the newfound one. The challenges also include additional cards that can help the players and their dinosaurs escape sticky situations. Certain cards, for example, can re-energize wounded dinosaurs or give them additional power.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (16 ):

If all of this sounds a bit too familiar, you're not alone. Dinosaur King bears plenty of design and plot similarities to the ubiquitous Pokemon conglomerate, so parents who are averse to the connections between TV series and seemingly endless marketing machines may want to steer clear of this one. There's little of substance here anyway, with mostly weak adult characters, no strong positive messages to speak of, and high levels of unrealistically bloodless violence.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about animated violence. Kids: Do you often see violence in the cartoons that you watch? Does it seem real to you? Why or why not?

  • What sets animated violence apart from live-action violence? Do you think seeing fighting on TV can make the people who watch it more violent?

  • What do you know about how dinosaurs lived and died? Which dinosaurs are your favorites? Why? Would you like to study dinosaurs and other extinct species?

TV Details

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 suggesting a diversity update.

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