The Saint Shields are a fictional team of the anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 and manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 Beyblade

Beyblade

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Aoki. Originally serialized in CoroCoro Comic from 2000 to 2002, the individual chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon by Shogakukan...

. They are formed by four mysterious teenagers whose intentions remain unclear until halfway through the second season, when they reveal that they want to capture the four sacred bit beasts in order to prevent them from falling into wrong hands. All members wear similar clothing and have Bit-Beasts at first invisible for the Bladebreakers.

Members

Ozuma (voiced by Lyon Smith, uncredited in the American version)

He was the first to appear, and is the leader of the Saint Shields. His bit-beast is Flash Leopard. In the manga, he owns a Flash Leopard during his first encounter with Tyson and a Flash Leopard II during the second. He is also known as Mr. X during the tournament when he first encountered Tyson.

His beyblade is Flash Leopard with the Cross Fire and Sacred Fire attacks.

Dunga (voiced by Kent Williams

Kent Williams (voice actor)

Kent Williams is an American actor and voice actor who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films.-Anime:...

 in the American version)

Dunga is the muscle of the Saint Shields. His strength is rivaled only by his temper. He uses his fury and anger during fights to provide maximum power for his beyblade. However, once he loses his temper, he may be easily defeated. His bit-beast is Vortex Ape, a gorilla, and the perfect Bit Beast for such a strong and short-tempered blader.

His beyblade is Vortex Ape with the Spark Hammer attack.

Joseph (voiced by Craig Lauzon

Craig Lauzon

Craig Lauzon is a Canadian actor, writer, comedian, and member of the Royal Canadian Air Farce. His main caricatures on the Farce include George Stroumboulopoulos, John Baird, and Stephen Harper...

 in the American version)

A 14 year old kid, Joseph is Mariam's younger brother and is very sneaky. He was the chosen one to sneak into and out of the Psykick hideouts to see what they were up to. During his fights, he uses the “hit and run” tactics, to leave his opponents wondering what hit them. However, he was mercilessly defeated by King and Queen - the notorious Parts Hunters.

His beyblade is Vanishing Moot with the Great Rock attack.

Mariam (voiced by Shannon Perreault in the American version)

Mariam is as skillful and dangerous as her teammates. Her sense of humor often gets under Dunga's skin and she rarely lets an opportunity to give him a jab slip by, especially when he's fighting any battle. During her fights, she tends to be unpredictable, and her ability to confuse her opponents leaves them vulnerable for attack. She often teams up with her little brother Joseph to take on their more difficult opponents. Together, they are a formidable pair. However, they lost to the King & Queen during the World Championship. She was so absorbed in her destiny to seal the sacred bit-beasts that she forgot about the beyblading spirit. Only after her battle with Max, did she realize the true spirit of a Beyblader.

Her beyblade is Sharkrash with the Abyss Fire attack.

Mariam has shown some feelings for Max, though she usually turns him down because of her loyalty to the Saint Shields. They're often portrayed as a couple.

History

Ozuma was the first to appear, on the very first episode of season 2, disguised as "Mr. X", when he challenges and defeats Tyson. Joseph and Mariam defeat Ray and Max respectively. Dunga was the last to show up. He challenged Kai, who had given up beyblading due to the lack of good bladers to fight with. Both fought on top of a building, and the game ended as a draw.

Halfway through the second season, after the battle between the Bladebreakers and the Cyber Bit-Beasts. Ozuma surprised all the bladers by saying: "One day, your bit-beasts will be ours!". It is later revealed that the Bit-beasts are sacred good spirits that the evil men used for their own wills. The Saint Shields raised as a clan whose mission is to capture and seal the four bit beasts so that nobody can use their power to destroy the world. Dunga battles Ray soon after telling the bladers his story, and he manages to steal Driger.

Some days after, the Saint Shields challenge the Blade Breakers for the ultimate battle, on an abandoned amusement park. Every Saint Shield is defeated. The Saint Shields then realize that the sacred Bit-Beasts are in good hands and decide to give the bladers a break.

They come back days after, to take part of the World Championship. They divide themselves into two pairs: Ozuma & Dunga, Mariam & Joseph. Ozuma and Dunga open the championship, facing Zeo and Gordo. Gordo easily defeats Dunga, but Zeo faces some difficulties when fighting Ozuma. After Zeo reveals his new Bit-Beast, Cerberus, he unleashes a devastating attack on Ozuma, who struggles to stay in the game in order to protect the Bit-Beasts. However, he doesn’t make it. Joseph and Mariam then engage on a 2x2 battle against King & Queen. As the latter is used to fighting as a couple, they make it to destroy Sharkrash and Vanishing Moot. It was the end of the participation of the Saint Shields on the World Championship. They would later appear only among the audience.