King Arthur & the Knights of Justice

King Arthur & the Knights of Justice is an animated fantasy-adventure television property built around a deliberately hybrid premise: a contemporary American high-school football team is transported into the world of Arthurian legend and assigned to serve as substitute Knights of the Round Table. The series was created by Diane Eskenazi and Avi Arad, with Eskenazi and Arad also serving as executive producers. Production was credited to Golden Films, C&D (Créativité et Développement), and Bohbot Entertainment, and the program was distributed to television audiences through Bohbot’s Amazin’ Adventures programming block. The story begins after Queen Morgana, an evil sorceress and King Arthur’s sister, imprisons Arthur and the original Knights of the Round Table inside the Cave of Glass. Merlin cannot release them through his own magic, so he searches across time for suitable replacements. He selects Arthur King, quarterback of the New England football team known as the Knights, and transports Arthur and his teammates to Camelot immediately after a football game. In the medieval world, the players receive magical armor, weapons, animal emblems, and specialized abilities. Their principal mission is to locate the Twelve Keys of Truth, objects that can ultimately free the imprisoned knights and allow the newcomers to return to their own era. The show’s central device combines recognizable school-sports roles with fantasy archetypes. Arthur becomes the team’s leader and wields Excalibur; Lance, formerly Arthur’s closest friend, serves as his second-in-command; Tone contributes engineering and blacksmithing skills; Trunk supplies physical strength; Wally and Brick act as guards; and the remaining players bring distinct combat, technical, or intellectual abilities. This arrangement gives the ensemble a team-oriented structure while allowing each character to have a separate visual identity and toy-oriented accessory system. Camelot’s allies include Merlin, Queen Guinevere, Lady Elaine, the squires Tyronne and Everett, and other magical or courtly figures. The principal antagonists are Morgana and her stone-built Warlords, including Lord Viper, Axe, Blackwing, Bash, Hammer, Spike, and others. The second season expands the conflict through the Purple Horde, led by Master Chang, whose forces enter an alliance with Morgana’s Warlords. Across the series, the replacement knights are expected to uphold an oath centered on fairness, protection of the weak, and opposition to evil. The series ran for two seasons and 26 episodes, premiering on September 13, 1992, and concluding on December 12, 1993. Although its initial television run was brief, the property developed a secondary life through action figures, vehicles, accessories, comic books, a Super Nintendo Entertainment System game, home-video releases, and later streaming availability. Mattel produced a small range of action figures and related products, while Marvel Comics published a three-issue miniseries in 1993. Enix released a video game in 1995 that supplied a more conclusive confrontation with Morgana and depicted the football team’s return to its own time. The complete animated series later received North American DVD treatment from Image Entertainment in 2010, following earlier partial VHS and DVD releases. It was also made available through several digital or subscription services at different times, including Netflix during part of the 2012–2014 period, Amazon’s digital storefront through a Golden Films release in 2016, Watch It Kid!, and Tubi. The franchise was revived in comic-book form by Mad Cave Studios in 2024, using a soft-reboot premise in which Arthur and his teammates attempt to resume ordinary school life before Morgana’s escape forces them back into action. The television series itself is no longer in original production, but its characters and premise remain active in licensed and revival-oriented media.

King Arthur and the Knights of Justice was developed as a children’s animated adventure series by Diane Eskenazi and Avi Arad and produced by Golden Films, C&D, and Bohbot Entertainment. Its concept places a modern football team inside a conventional Arthurian fantasy setting. Rather than retelling the familiar legend directly, the program uses a time-displacement premise: Merlin recruits Arthur King and his teammates after the original King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have been imprisoned by Queen Morgana. Arthur King is the quarterback of the New England team called the Knights. Once transported to Camelot, he is recognized as the replacement leader and is equipped with Excalibur, magical armor, and the Dragon of Justice emblem. His teammates receive corresponding knightly identities and specialized equipment. Lance becomes the second-in-command; Tone acts as an inventor and builder; Trunk provides brute strength; Wally and Brick function as protective guards; and the other players occupy roles based on their athletic positions, personalities, and fantasy abilities. Their goal is to find twelve Keys of Truth, each associated with a knight, so that the imprisoned original heroes can be freed. The series frames its adventures around a moral oath requiring the knights to act fairly, protect vulnerable people, and defeat evil. Merlin remains the only Camelot resident who knows the newcomers’ true origins, while Guinevere initially assumes that the transformed Arthur is her actual husband. This creates a recurring contrast between the team’s modern identity and its public role in the medieval kingdom. Supporting characters include Guinevere, Lady Elaine, Mary, Cryslin, Katherine, and the squires Tyronne and Everett. Morgana serves as the principal villain. She is responsible for sealing the original knights in the Cave of Glass and commands the Warlords, magical stone soldiers who can be reconstructed after destruction. Her field commander is Lord Viper, supported by specialized enemies such as Axe, Bash, Blackwing, Blinder, Hammer, Lucan, Slasher, and Spike. The second season broadens the threat by introducing the Purple Horde, an Asian warrior faction led by Master Chang. Although the Purple Horde and the Camelot knights are opponents, Master Chang’s adherence to a strict warrior code gives that conflict more nuance than a simple division between heroes and villains. The program premiered on September 13, 1992, within Bohbot’s Amazin’ Adventures block and ran through December 12, 1993. It comprised two seasons and 26 episodes. Its commercial extension followed the licensing pattern common to action-oriented children’s animation. Mattel released 5.5-inch action figures, vehicles, and accessories, while Marvel published a three-issue comic miniseries in 1993. Enix adapted the property for the Super NES in 1995; the game’s dragon-form Morgana confrontation provided an ending in which the football team could return to the modern world. The television series later circulated through physical and digital home entertainment. Maximum Entertainment released the complete series on Region 2 DVD in the United Kingdom, and Image Entertainment issued a complete three-DVD set in North America in 2010. The show appeared on a number of streaming and digital services at different times, including Netflix from 2012 to 2014, Golden Films’ Amazon release in 2016, Watch It Kid!, and Tubi. In 2024, Mad Cave Studios began a soft-reboot comic continuation that revisited the characters after their supposed return to ordinary life. The revival demonstrates continuing recognition of the property, even though the original television production remains concluded.

1. 2024Mad Cave Studios comic revival

   A soft-reboot comic series brought Arthur King and the Knights back into conflict with Morgana.

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2. 2010Complete North American DVD release

   Image Entertainment released all 26 episodes in a three-disc North American boxed set.

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3. 1995Super NES game

   Enix released a video-game adaptation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

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4. 1993Original series ended

   The second season concluded on December 12, 1993, bringing the original run to 26 episodes.

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5. 1993Marvel comic miniseries

   Marvel Comics published a three-issue adaptation or continuation of the television property.

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6. 1992Television debut

   The series premiered on September 13, 1992, as part of Bohbot Entertainment’s Amazin’ Adventures programming block.

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A youth-oriented fantasy-action property that merges Arthurian mythology with the teamwork, uniforms, and competitive structure of American football.

• King Arthur and the Knights of JusticeAnimated television series1992

  The core television property, produced by Golden Films, C&D, and Bohbot Entertainment. It ran for two seasons and 26 episodes from 1992 to 1993. The narrative follows Arthur King and his football teammates as Merlin’s substitute Knights of the Round Table in a Camelot threatened by Morgana and her Warlords.

• King Arthur and the Knights of Justice action figuresToys

  Mattel produced a range of approximately 5.5-inch figures based on characters from the animated series, supported by vehicles and accessories. The toy assortment reflected the property’s emphasis on individually equipped knights, distinctive shields, weapons, armor, and fantasy opponents.

• King Arthur and the Knights of Justice comic miniseriesComic books1993

  Marvel Comics published a three-part comic miniseries in 1993, extending the television brand into licensed print publishing.

• King Arthur and the Knights of JusticeSuper NES video game1995

  Produced by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the game adapts the show’s characters and conflict and culminates in a confrontation between King Arthur and Morgana in giant-dragon form.

• King Arthur and the Knights of Justice: The Complete Animated SeriesHome video2010

  Image Entertainment’s 2010 North American boxed set collected all 26 episodes across three DVDs. It followed earlier partial VHS and DVD releases and provided the first complete North American season collection identified in the reference material.

• King Arthur and the Knights of Justice comic revivalComic books2024

  Mad Cave Studios began a soft-reboot comic series in 2024. Its premise places Arthur and the team in an attempted return to school life before Morgana escapes and forces them to resume their knightly responsibilities.

• 2024Reintroduce the franchise through a soft-reboot comicGeneration change

  Mad Cave Studios revisited the property decades after the original animated series had ended.

  What changed. The new comic placed Arthur and the Knights in a post-Camelot school-life setting before bringing Morgana back as a renewed threat.

  Aftermath. The comic continuation expanded the property’s narrative beyond its original television and licensed-media cycle.

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• 1995License the property for a Super NES gameProduct launch

  Following the television run and toy and comic extensions, the property was adapted for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

  What changed. Enix released a game featuring the Knights and a climactic battle with Morgana in dragon form.

  Aftermath. The game supplied a more conclusive ending than the television series by allowing the football team to return to its own time.

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• 1992Launch a contemporary sports-and-fantasy premiseStrategy

  The creators framed the property around a modern American football team being transported into Arthurian legend rather than presenting a conventional medieval retelling.

  What changed. Arthur King and his teammates were recast as replacement Knights of the Round Table and given distinct magical armor, weapons, and animal emblems.

  Aftermath. The hybrid premise supported a team-based television format and provided clear character and accessory concepts for licensed toys and games.

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• 2025A Blu-ray release of the complete series was announced

  Discotek Media was identified as the planned publisher of a Blu-ray edition of the complete animated series.

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• 2024Mad Cave Studios announced a soft-reboot comic continuation

  Mad Cave Studios began a new comic-book continuation in which Arthur King and his teammates face a renewed threat from Morgana after attempting to return to normal school life.

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• 2010Image Entertainment issued the complete animated series on DVD in North America

  Image Entertainment released all 26 episodes in a three-disc North American DVD boxed set after earlier partial physical-media releases.

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• 1995Enix released a Super NES video game adaptation

  Enix produced a Super Nintendo Entertainment System game based on the series, featuring a final battle between Arthur and Morgana in dragon form.

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• 1993The original television run concluded after two seasons

  The series ended on December 12, 1993, with 26 episodes broadcast across two seasons.

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• 1993Marvel published a King Arthur and the Knights of Justice miniseries

  Marvel Comics extended the television property into print through a three-part comic-book miniseries written by Mike Lackey.

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• 1992King Arthur and the Knights of Justice premiered in television syndication

  The animated series began its original run on September 13, 1992, as part of Bohbot Entertainment’s Amazin’ Adventures programming block.

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1. King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
2. BKN International King Arthur and the Knights of Justice website