[7][8] Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when the company acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Saban Entertainment.

[12] The series that focuses on master thief Diabolik and his woman companion Eva, as they fight the criminal organisation Brotherhood and its leader Dane, while evading Inspector Ginko.

[3][5] The series differs considerably from the darker-toned comic, making it more suitable for a young audience;[1] the main differences include the rejuvenation of Diabolik and Eva Kant, the introduction of new characters (such as the main antagonist Dane), the replacement of Diabolik's Jaguar E-Type with a fictional modern car, the absence of murders by the title character, and the setting in the real world rather than fictional locations.

Five years later, after King's death, Dane became the leader of the Brotherhood and organised the prison escape of his adoptive brother.

[1] It was developed by Charles Corton and written by Jean Cheville and Florence Sandis,[3] and produced by the French studios Saban International Paris and M6 Métropole Télévision, the American Saban Entertainment, and the Italian Mediaset,[4] with Asiatic animation services by Ashi Productions and Saerom Animation.

In the end, a "workable format" seemed to be found, which balanced expounding on the character's darker backstory with his reformed nature in the present day of the series.

[15] About the series' development and broadcast, Mario Gomboli also said: The project started well, but when Saban was bought by Fox Kids the production moved [from France] to Los Angeles, and the first problems arose.

One guy wanted them to be brother and sister to justify unmarried people living under the same roof.

[16] The series premiered in Europe on Fox Kids on May 5, 1999, and lasted for 40 episodes before ending on January 1, 2001; it also aired on M6 in France and on Italia 1 in Italy.

[19] In France, TF1 released exactly half of the series on DVD on February 22, 2007 exclusively in French,[20] including on-screen text and a unique opening sequence.