Toonzai (formerly known as The CW4Kids from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010, or stylized as TOONZAi) was an American Saturday morning cartoon children’s television block that aired on The CW from May 24, 2008 to August 18, 2012. The block was created as a result of a four-year agreement between 4Kids Entertainment and The CW. The original name for the block from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010, The CW4Kids (stylized as THE CW4K!DS), was retained as a sub-brand through the end of the block’s run in order to fulfill branding obligations per 4Kids Entertainment’s contract to lease The CW’s Saturday morning time slots.[citation needed] The name is a portmanteau of “toon” and the Japanese term banzai, reflecting the majority of anime programming on the block.[citation needed]

The block was replaced by Saban Brands’ program block Vortexx, which debuted on August 25, 2012. On April 11, 2013, the Toonzai website redirected to the Vortexx website. Since October 4, 2014, none of 4Kids’ shows air on broadcast television anymore (with the exceptions of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, TMNT, and Sonic X), as Vortexx ended its run on September 27, 2014, and before being replaced by Litton Entertainment’s One Magnificent Morning.

History
Origin and launch
On October 2, 2007, The CW announced due to a joint decision between the network’s parent companies Time Warner and CBS Corporation that it would discontinue the Kids’ WB programming block, due to the effects of children’s advertising limits and competition from cable television, and sell the programming time to 4Kids Entertainment.[1][2][3] Kids’ WB ended its run on The CW on May 17, 2008 (Kids’ WB, like The WB Television Network that the block originated, then relaunched as an online-only video on demand service). 4Kids Entertainment took over programming the block on May 24, 2008, premiering under the name The CW4Kids. In addition to programming the block, 4Kids also handled responsibilities for its content and advertising revenue.


The CW4Kids logo used exclusively from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010. The logo was still being used as a sub-brand to the Toonzai name until August 18, 2012.
At the time of the block’s launch, 4Kids also programmed the competing 4Kids TV block for Fox, until that network nullified its time leasing agreement with 4KidsTV on December 27, 2008, due to a dispute between Fox and 4Kids involving 4Kids’ failure to pay the network for its time lease, and the network’s inability to maintain guaranteed clearances for the block, due to difficulties getting Fox affiliates and stations that would be used as default carriers of the block in markets where the Fox station did not carry 4Kids TV to air it.[4]

On April 27, 2010, 4Kids announced the rebranding of The CW4Kids under the new name Toonzai, a name change that took effect on August 14, 2010.[5][6]

Takeover by Saban Brands and end of Toonzai
On June 26, 2012, Kidsco Media Ventures, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group, finalized a bid to acquire 4Kids’ agreement with The CW for the block.[7] On July 2, 2012, it was announced that Saban Brands, via Kidsco Media Ventures, began programming the block, which would be relaunched under the name Vortexx.[8][9] Toonzai quietly ended its run on The CW on August 18, 2012, after a Yu-Gi-Oh! marathon, with Vortexx premiering the following week on August 25, 2012. Some of Toonzai’s programming, including Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, Sonic X, and Dragon Ball Z Kai continued to air on the block until September 27, 2014, when Vortexx ended its run.[10][8][11][12][13]

Programming
It was the final children’s block on The CW to be broadcast only in standard definition, because blocks like Litton’s Weekend Adventure on ABC and NBC Kids were broadcast in high definition.

Programming differences
In most markets, CW affiliates used the network’s recommended Saturday morning scheduling for the block – though some such as CW owned-and-operated station WUPA in Atlanta aired it on Sunday, instead due to regular Saturday programming. Connecticut affiliate WCCT-TV aired three hours on Saturday, and two hours on Sunday. KMAX-TV in Sacramento, California aired the entire lineup, but it had a four-hour tape delay, running from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. WLFL in Raleigh, North Carolina and WNUV in Baltimore, aired the entire lineup, but it had two hours earlier, running from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. San Diego’s XETV-TV, aired three hours from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and two hours from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. San Antonio’s KMYS, which affiliated with The CW in 2010, aired it on Sunday and Monday before 5:00 a.m. Other stations preempted portions of the block, while Shreveport, Louisiana’s KPXJ-TV preempted the final hour of the block. Columbus, Georgia’s WLTZ-DT2 preempted the first half-hour of the block.

While The CW recommended that its affiliates carry The CW4Kids/Toonzai block at 7:00 a.m. to Noon Saturday mornings (regardless of time zone), its secondary CW Plus national feed for smaller markets aired the Toonzai block an hour earlier on its broadcast and cable-only affiliates in the Central, Mountain and Alaska time zones, as The CW Plus operates two separate feeds running on Eastern and Pacific time zone schedules. The only exception was in Boise, Idaho, where they had two CW networks (both The CW and The CW Plus), The CW Plus affiliate (now a MeTV affiliate) KNIN-DT2 carried the block (also aired an hour earlier), but the main CW affiliate (now a Fox affiliate) KNIN-TV declined to carry the block or the block’s predecessor Kids’ WB upon becoming a charter CW affiliate after the affiliation switch from UPN in September 2006; KNIN-TV instead carried syndicated E/I programming in the station’s Saturday morning timeslot, making Boise one of the only television markets where Kids’ WB and The CW4Kids was not available through over-the-air analog broadcasts before the KNIN-TV’s analog signal shutdown on June 12, 2009.

Former programming
The CW4Kids
Programming from 4Kids TV
Title Premiere date End date
Chaotic June 21, 2008 July 10, 2010
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ‡ August 7, 2010
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX September 6, 2008
Viva Piñata September 13, 2008 October 18, 2008
Dinosaur King August 7, 2010
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s ‡
GoGoRiki September 27, 2008 November 14, 2009
Sonic X ‡ January 3, 2009 August 7, 2010
Kirby: Right Back at Ya! June 6, 2009 July 11, 2009
Winx ClubE/I July 18, 2009 July 17, 2010
Yu-Gi-Oh! † ‡ September 5, 2009 May 22, 2010
Magical DoReMiE/I April 24, 2010 July 17, 2010
Cubix: Robots for EveryoneE/I † ‡ July 24, 2010 August 7, 2010
Acquired programming
Title Premiere date End date
Will and DewittE/I † May 24, 2008 April 4, 2009
Magi-NationE/I † ‡ September 20, 2008
Skunk Fu! † October 18, 2008
May 29, 2010 July 10, 2010
Tom and Jerry Tales † May 24, 2008 September 6, 2008
The Spectacular Spider-Man † January 31, 2009
World of Quest † June 14, 2008
Johnny Test † June 14 2008
Eon Kid † June 14 2008
The Batman † August 2, 2008
Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight December 13, 2008 December 26, 2009
Huntik: Secrets & Seekers January 3, 2009
RollBots September 19, 2009 January 23, 2010
Write an alternate universe where the block still stands, and write a lineup
In this alternate universe, Toonzai is still a successful and popular Saturday morning cartoon block on The CW. The lineup features a mix of classic and new animated shows that cater to children of all ages. Here is a sample lineup for a typical Saturday morning:

7:00 AM - Pokémon: The beloved animated series follows Ash Ketchum and his journey to become a Pokémon Master as he travels with his trusty Pikachu and a team of Pokémon friends.

7:30 AM - Sonic X: Join Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends as they battle against the evil Dr. Eggman and his robot minions in this action-packed adventure series.

8:00 AM - Yu-Gi-Oh!: Follow Yugi and his friends as they duel with powerful duel monsters and face off against rival duelists in intense battles to become the greatest duelist of all time.

8:30 AM - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Join Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo as they fight against evil and protect the city from the nefarious Shredder and his Foot Clan.

9:00 AM - Magical DoReMi: Follow the magical adventures of three young girls who discover they are witches and must learn to control their powers while balancing school and friendship.

9:30 AM - The Spectacular Spider-Man: Join Peter Parker as he juggles high school life with his responsibilities as the friendly neighborhood superhero Spider-Man, facing off against villains like the Green Goblin and Venom.

10:00 AM - Kirby: Right Back at Ya!: Follow the lovable pink puffball Kirby as he battles against monsters and villains to protect Dream Land and its inhabitants.

10:30 AM - Winx Club: Join a group of fairy warriors as they attend the Alfea School for Fairies and battle against dark forces to protect the Magic Dimension.

11:00 AM - Dragon Ball Z Kai: Join Goku and his friends as they battle against powerful foes to protect Earth from destruction in this action-packed anime series that follows the adventures of the Z Fighters.

11:30 AM - Viva Piñata: Follow the colorful and comedic adventures of a group of piñata creatures as they live and play in the vibrant world of Piñata Island, encountering fun and whimsical challenges along the way. Write a follow up in January 2024 where it's name reverts, and also 3 shows return