#mfb episode 4

[sky-of-dusk]

Funny how battling a bull all day makes you hungry for beef.

– Ginga, episode 4

His sense of humor is so underrated.

[stormyrainyday]

How to Read MFB Like a Professor: Chapter 1

Supplementary Content: Quests

This is an addendum to this analysis mostly containing other thoughts and things I've learned. There is less focus on analysis itself and more on the technical approach to analyzing. It's mostly things to think about when trying this for yourself-- aka, the intended lessons learned.

This chapter teaches you to take pause when you see a character go on a trip to fulfill an objective and think about what the 'true' goal of their trip is. Provided in the chapter were the key components of any given quest, listed here for convenience.

The person on the quest

The 'Holy Grail' (a.k.a. the thing they want)

The stated reason for going on the quest

The obstacles on their journey

The real reason behind the quest

As stated in the analysis itself, items 1-4 are in service of understanding item 5, the true reason or outcome of the quest. Of course, this checklist is a guide, not a mandate. It serves to provide a framework by which to organize your thinking when attempting to understand a character's personal development. Not all components are necessary to analyze a trip as a quest. In fact, there are other components of a classic quest that I left out for the sake of clarity and also not writing 5000 words.

If you're curious these include things like a nemesis/rival (perhaps on the quest with the quester as well), a princess (someone whom to attract the attention of while on said quest), a dragon or steed (a vehicle by which protagonist or rival get from place to place), etc. Of these and for my episode analysis specifically, only Ryuga can count as a potential nemesis (and maybe Ryo can play the role of the princess-- Gingka does everything in his name after all), but I mention it only as an aside to demonstrate just how optional some quest components can be. They are a good exercise to think about, but I feel they should only be included if they actually serve the analysis, which, in my specific case, I don't feel they did.

This is a very wordy way of saying that the quest formula itself is a tool to help you get to key questions about a character's actions. At the end of the day, the important things to consider are these: What is the character learning about themselves? How do they grow? You can jump straight to these questions of course, but the journey helps contextualize it.

There are then additional questions you can ask to further your understanding.

Does the character realize their real reason for the quest by the end? Or does it happen subconsciously? Do they even realize it at all?

Does the character's stated goal align with the real reason behind the quest? Why or why not? (Most of the time, according to Foster in his book, the answer is no. The failure is often what gives the journey meaning by forcing the character to look deeper)

How does the character feel at the end of the quest, and how does that affect their actions going forward?

Does the character go on this journey alone, or with friends? Why? Did this affect the outcome? What would have been different if they took their solo journey with other characters (or vise versa)?

By virtue of Beyblade being a children's show where the narrative needs to make some things more overt, a lot of the lessons are told explicitly to the viewer, and The Silver Pegasus is no different. I say as much in my analysis, but to rapid fire through the questions posed:

Gingka does learn of the 'true' reason for his quest.

This realization and resultant self growth indirectly ends up serving his stated goal, as healing his spirit allows him to grow stronger with Pegasus later on.

He feels hopeful, uplifted, and sentimental by the end, and this quest gives him resilience to keep going when things get difficult. The 'never give up' and 'rely on your friends' messaging is a major theme in the show.

Finally, Gingka believes himself to be going on the journey alone; he's lost faith in his blader's spirit and has run away from his friends, unaware that they followed him to Koma Village. His newfound understanding of how Pegasus is right there beside him is critical to him regaining his strength later on. He even realizes that his deceased father is with him in spirit, and this prevents the grief from weighing at him as heavily as it does in the opening episodes of the show. It's not even possible for him to have gone on this quest with others; the entire reason he left was because he believed himself to be so thoroughly weak and alone.

The beauty of this symbolic framework is that it provides any number of questions that can be used to pick apart the character's actions and motivations, and thus provide more depth of understanding of them and their role in the story. It can even be broadened beyond this to wonder: if the character acted differently on the quest, what would change about the story itself? If Gingka allowed himself to be buried in the snow, if he came back down the mountain empty-handed, if the letter from his father made him angry and desperate instead of hopeful-- what would change in the story? It's a lot to think about, and a fun exercise.

Now go forth with this knowledge and make a big deal out of nothing.

[mrcompass]

Fun Facts about Gingka Hagane

1. Gingka Hagane is the main protagonist of the Metal Saga for the first three seasons and the second main protagonist of the Beyblade franchise overall. The first being Takao Takao Kinomiya.

2. That said, he is the first to have a successor in his own universe—Zyro Kurogane who takes the spot of main character for Zero-G.

3. Fittingly, he gave Zyro his Samurai Ifrit in the anime, but in the manga, this was done by Gingka's father, Ryusei.

4. Both Zyro and Gingka use the Samurai element wheel.

5. Beyblade X seemingly paid homage to this with Samurai Saber, whose holder, Tenka Shiroboshi (whose name translate to "white star"), has special moves/Extreme Dash with the word star in it. Her Samurai Saber is even associated to a shooting star.

6. Gingka means Galaxy, and Hagane means Steel, so his name roughly translates to Steel Galaxy, which is fitting considering the Metal Saga named Beys after constellations and celestial bodies. Also them having metal was the main "gimmick" of the series.

7. Gingka’s design encompasses all the possible colors of stars (yellow, red, orange, white, blue, etc.).

8. His scarf is similar to that of Kai Hiwatari, possibly as a tribute to him. It might also be a direct reference to the wings of Pegasus.

10. Additionally, Ryusei Hagane, Gingka’s father, also wears a similar scarf and used a Phoenix/Firebird Bey, just like Kai.

11. Gingka and Takao Kinomiya (the main protagonist of the first generation of beyblade) both had a relative who tested them while wearing a mask and using a different identity. In Gingka's case it was his father.

12. Gingka is the first main protagonist to use only right-spin Beyblades, as well as a blue Bey with three blades—something later protagonists like Valt Aoi in Beyblade Burst and Ekusu Kurosu in Beyblade X also share.

13. His hairstyle resembles orange leaves associated with autumn, and he is the Legendary Blader of Autumn.

14. His voice actress’s given name is Aki, which is the Japanese word for Autumn.

15. In Shogun Steel, his hairstyle resembles Phoenix’s.

16. Gingka is the first character to own a Pegasus Bey in MFB by order of appearence, but not the first in the Beyblade franchise—he is technically the fifth. The first was Amo Karou, a blader who only appeared in the video games. The second and third were Julia and Raul Fernandez, while the fourth was Ryo Hagane (the original owner of Storm Pegasus).

17. Other notable Pegasus beyblade includes Sora's Cyber Pegasus, Heaven Pegasus of Beyblade Burst owned by Pheng Hope and Aero Pegasus from Beyblade X.

18. Aero Pegasus is a direct hommage to Gingka's Pegasus Beys. And it is the first hommage of a Metal Figth Bey. As a result a diamond can be seen on the background of the motif which pay tribute the MFB's facebolts.

19. All of Gingka’s main opponents are direct opposites of him—they are ruthless and arrogant, while Gingka is sympathetic and has a sense of humility. They use others to gain power, while Gingka is strong thanks to his talent and the support of his friends.

20. He is the first character to defeat a left-spinning Beyblade and the first to beat Ryuga.

21. In all of the final battles, Gingka ends up riding Pegasus’s avatar, making him the first person to interact with a Bey Beast in such a way.

22. He is also the first character to defeat a Bey representing the creator of his Bey’s avatar—not just once, but twice—since he defeated both Reiji and Julian’s versions of Medusa.

23. He had three different auras in the shows. Gingka’s red aura of anger only appears in one episode. He temporarily gains a golden aura when receiving the power of the entire world. And he usually has a sky blue aura.

24. Like some shonen protagonists, Gingka is presented as a Christ-like, messianic figure—he is wise and sometimes spiritual, he has a positive influence on people, and through his victories, he is able to perform miraculous acts (such as freeing everyone’s soul from L-Drago). He is associated with the divine, was resurrected in the manga, and his enemies are tied to hell, darkness, and demons.

25. Gingka also shares similarities with Son Goku from Dragon Ball—both are the main protagonists of their respective series, have unique hairstyles, are avid eaters, lead their respective groups, and are extremely powerful. They both have a close rival who wishes to surpass them (Kyoya and Vegeta, respectively). They both defeated an evil entity of destruction (Majin Buu and Nemesis) by receiving power/life energy from others.

26. Though Gingka had many enemies, his most consistent opponent was Daidoji, as he was the only one who wasn’t redeemed (like Ryuga) or permanently defeated (like Damian and Rago) before the end of the series. Ironically, Daidoji and Gingka were the only two characters to battle in Zero-G who previously appeared in the show.

27. Gingka had the most battles with Kyoya, and his last battle in the original trilogy—which wasn’t shown—was also against him.

28. The first major character Gingka battled was Benkei, and the second was Kyoya.

29. However, the first major character using a non-generic Bey that he fought was Kyoya, as Benkei didn’t have Dark Bull yet.

30. In the anime, Gingka used the highest number of Beys:

Storm Pegasus

Galaxy Pegasus

Big Bang Pegasus

Samurai Pegasus

31. He is the first character whose name is referenced in one of his Beys—Galaxy in Galaxy Pegasus.

32. Galaxy Pegasus is also the only Bey he owned that had paint on the fusion wheel.

33. The W105R²F combo was used twice—for both Galaxy Pegasus and Samurai Pegasus.

34. While the energy rings of Pegasus are generally dark blue (safe for Galaxy), the spirit itself is sky blue, almost white.

35. Though Storm Pegasus and Galaxy Pegasus are two different Beyblades, it seems they contain the same spirit, as seen in Gingka’s reaction when he reunites with Pegasus and the fact that Galaxy Pegasus was completely different after Gingka received it.

36. It is implied that Samurai Pegasus is an evolution of Big Bang Pegasus, since Kira and Daidoji said it had the power of the Star Fragment.

37. Although all Pegasus Beys are depicted as powerfull in the anime, their competitive viability is debatable—the most useful part is often the tip/driver.

38. His special moves mainly reference storm, stars and galaxies.

39. Gingka used all the different types of launchers Takara Tomy commercialized for MFB.

40. He is the only character that appeared as an active blader in every seasons.

41. His first defeat was against Tetsuya, who cheated, which left Gingka in shock (albeit in a comedic way). His second defeat—and first fair loss—was against Ryuga, which greatly impacted him.

42. When Gingka and Ryuga partnered to stop the Spiral Force, they adopted roles that would typically belong to the other—Pegasus absorbed the energy while L-Drago stopped the turbine, despite L-Drago being famous for its ability to absorb.

43. When releasing the energy, Gingka created a new light, unintentionally fulfilling King Hades' prophecy.

44. Gingka is the strongest Blader in Japan, having won Battle Bladers.

45. He is also the leader of the strongest team in the world, Gan GanGalaxy, which is partially named after him.

46. He is the only member of his team who battled in each stage of the world championship, as Masamune and Tsubasa didn’t fight against the Russian team, and Yu didn’t participate in the battle against Wang Hu Zhong.

47. Gingka awakened his Star Fragment and evolved his Bey at the same time as Kyoya.

48. He was the first character to change Beyblade and the only one who did so while retaining the same avatar without an evolution.

49. Like other protagonists (except Zyro), Gingka’s silhouette was seen among the people who defeated Quinn Manju in Beyblade X.

50. Beyblade X will release an adapted version of Storm Pegasus along with the Beys of the other protagonists.

51. However, this is only the second (technically third) MFB Bey to receive this treatment—the first was Lightning L-Drago, which was released in both of its modes.

52. Though Gingka mostly fought alone, his main partners in team battles were Masamune and Yuki.

53. According to Takafumi Adachi, the series' creator, Gingka’s parents are separated.

54. He is the second character whose parent is seen on-screen, the first being Hikaru.

55. Storm Pegasus is said to be a legendary Bey, though other Beys use the Storm fusion wheel, such as Storm Capricorn.

56. Gingka has battled almost every zodiac-themed Beyblade except for Scorpio and Gemios, though he encountered Busujima, Lera, Damure, and the Sodo Twins.

57. Gingka changed his headband between Metal Masters and Fury. In the manga, it was explained that his new headband originally belonged to his father, who gave it to him during the final battle of the World Championship.

58. His Pegasus Beys are always the first Beys to be featured in the title card for every season. Galaxy and Big Bang Pegasus are also the only (first and second) bey to have a silhouette featured.

[cloudys-fics-and-art]

(Its curedeity) happy birthday and please drop me your top five platonic dynamics in beyblade!

Thank you! Oooo that one is one I was hoping to get!

5) Tsubasa and Yu, Kenta and Ryuuga, & Dynamis and Tithi. Basically I hold them on the same place because I view them as the same. Kind of like a mentor/student dynamic that evolved (or had the potential to evolve) into a big brother/little brother dynamic. They are cannon and they were honestly the most interesting dynamics of Masters and Fury respectively.

We have VERY little time with Dynamis and Tithi, but I treasure every minute and I would love to see them just living their lives and learning about the world together. I think that Dynamis appreciates having a person to protect and Tithi appreciates having someone who is just as clueless of the outside world as he is.

I feel that if Ryuuga was more allowed to feel emotions and the plot had been allowed to step away from beyblade battles, we would have amazing episodes where they get a more stablished dynamic...But alas, Beyblade is a shonen first and a series second.

Tsubasa and Yu are so funny to me because while it appeared to be Yu being an annoying little kid following Tsubasa around because he was cool turned into an actual sibling relationship where Tsubasa would kill everyone in the room if anything were to happen to Yu....And vice versa because let's face it, Yu could be a menace to society if he wanted to.

4) Benkei and Kyoya. Okay so you all know I'm not fond of Kyoya but I just love how by Fury, Benkei was Kyoya's impulse control. LIKE I'M NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING. This man has probably prevented so many Kyoya disasters and we should thank him! Something I also like is that we see a moment in Fusion where Kyoya realizes that Benkei truly cares for him, and that he is wasting his time trying to push him away. I think he has problems grasping having someone who cares about him that unconditionally. If you ask me, I feel like Benkei was onto something when he said Kenta reminded him of himself when he was little. I think Benkei has just always been a ride or die guy from the start.

3) Madoka and Yuki. We were robbed. ROBBED I TELL YOU. We were robbed of these silly nerds just hanging out, doing science, and simply being buddies together. I have many AU's where they are siblings or at some point related because the possibilities of them being nerdy twins and causing mayhem is just huge. If the gang in Fury had been the Scooby Doo gang, these two would be fucking Velma and I just love that.

I love how Yuki is terrible at pretty much anything that isn't science and I love that Madoka is very gifted but is also good at social interaction. I would love for them to have a friendship where they are just chill nerds doing their science, talking about complicated topics and ending up talking about how to defeat the British museum when the initial topic was the long list of actors/singers considered to play Eric in the Phantom of the Opera film adaptation and why it should have been Antonio Banderas.

2) Okay, so this is very fanon but there is a reason why I love the idea of King, Chris, and Yuki as a friend group. THEY WOULD BALANCE EACH OTHER SO WELL! King would bring some fucking sunshine to their lives, Yuki would bring some critical thinking, and Chris would just ask himself why he hangs out with these two idiots. He has better things to do, but then realize that no he fucking doesn't. If they are in trouble, he has a shovel, nobody will find out.

1) I'm a simple woman. Gingka, Kenta, and Madoka. THEY ARE A FAMILY, OKAY?! THEY ARE A FUCKING FAMILY AND I ALWAYS LOVED THEIR DYNAMIC!

No matter what, these three will remain the reason why I started watching MFB. The first time I watched it, I was sick and couldn't get the remote, and the episode airing was the one about Tetsuya AND I JUST LOVED HOW THESE THREE FRIENDS WERE DEALING WITH THIS WEIRDO CRAB GUY!

I love how childish they are, I love how they would act first and ask questions later for each other, I love how Gingka and Kenta NEVER treat Madoka like a nag EVER. I also love how no matter how many adventures they have or how many friends they make, we can always find them back at the B-Pit chilling.

Also, I have a headcannon that Kenta becomes taller than BOTH of them in the future. And it just. Makes me happy.

....I'm sorry to write such a long and scattered-brain answer, but I hope you liked it!

Thanks again, Deity!

[irisviel101]

How would you rank the Metal Series by entry?

Ooh, this is a good one. Thanks for asking!

4) Shogun Steel: As much as I like Shogun Steel, I have to say it's the weakest of the four. It's problems mostly boil down to a lack of time spent on properly fleshing out characters and situations. If it had more episodes, I think it good have reached its full potential. It has some really cool characters that just don't get enough screen time, like Ren, Eight, Takanosuke etc. Also, let Kite win once a while. He's said to be pretty strong, but we never get to see it, mostly because of the limited number of episodes.

3) Metal Fury: I like this season, but it has its issues as well. For one, the episodes are shorter than usual, so some things are pretty rushed like how Kyoya rejoins the group after a few words from Yuu, Chris's whole existence, the villains etc. Still, it has some good ideas and some great character arcs like Ryuuga and Kenta, and I like the idea of the prophecy and the rest of the plot, but it could have used more time to develop certain plot points and characters.

2) Metal Fusion: It was hard to decide between this one and Metal Masters. I do believe that objectively, this season is better written in terms of how the characters are utilized and how the plot is slowly built up from the first episode. Ryuuga and Doji are excellent villains from the moment they are introduced. That said, Metal Fusion has its fair share of underutilized characters, mostly in the form Hyoma and Hikaru, but it's much better than the other seasons in this regard. Also, they could have explained Ryo's decision to fake his death and never reveal himself t Gingka until he had no choice but to do so

1)Metal Masters: This one is my favorite MFB season. No surprise to anyone who knows me or has seen my MFB content. What I love about this season is the vibe mostly; tournament arcs are my favorite parts of most anime that I have seen, and this season is basically that up until the last arc. I love the other teams introduced, especially Wang Hu Zhong and Excalibur, and Masamune is my favorite character in MFB period. His plot with Zeo and Toby was my favorite thing in the entire season. I also really liked Ryuuga's character progression from the first season and Tsuabsa's charactr arc.

That said, this season has a problem when it comes to utilizing major characters. Yuu, despite being one of the main cast, is relegated to the background most of the time, but even more egregiously, Benkei is reduced to a joke in this season with his "Bull" gag dialed up to eleven and Kenta is pretty much nonexistent until the Brazil arc.

I wouldn't mind so much if these were side characters like Hyoma and Hikaru, but these are main characters. Granted, Yuu only gets that status in Metal Masters, but still. At least the main characters should have something to do. Yuu manages to utilize the limited screen time he gets well enough, by the sole virtue of being in all the episodes, but even in the episodes they do get the spotlight in, Benkei is pretty lack luster and Kenta is not all that remarkable either.

Still, preference wise:

Metal Masters > Metal Fusion > Metal Fury > Shogun Steel.

Writing wise:

Metal Fusion > Metal Masters > Metal Fury > Shogun Steel

[fatoomie2801]

metal fight beyblade is that thing for me that comes back every 4-5 years and clings for dear life every time and I LOVE IT (10, 13, 18, 22)

and the older i get the more emotional i get over it so i will literally cry at ANYTHINGGGGGG like i'll see gingka and masamune interact in the first few episodes of masters and i'll get so giddy and excited and i smile so hard and then my eyes water and then i wanna cry because i just love it all so much

but yes!! me 🤝🏾 being a yoyo stan since day 1

i always thought it started when 10 year old me saw him in fury but my diary entries from 2014 prove me wrong because it was at the end of masters that it started

beyblade was all over my schoolwork in my final year of primary school and i still have the written pieces and also the times i gushed about the characters in my diary entries and i will NEVER THROW THEM AWAY HAHA

so yeah brainrot started at 10 mfb was in fact actually my first ever and longest running hyper fixation so coming back to it feels like returning to my roots i feel like my life truly began at this age LMAO

anyways enough about that

KIARA my sweet sweet girl

i ship her with kyoya there's a whole unfinished fic about it that follows the plot of the anime so it's lowkey a little boring to read LMAO and also super cringe cause i wrote it when i was 18 and wrote it more like an essay than a fic with how descriptive i got 💀 i used to post about it on here back in 2021 actually but they're probably buried under the pile of posts i've uploaded since i came back on here in march

if you wanna read it i can share the link with you!! otherwise i'm totally fine to just info dump and spoil it all LMAO i highly doubt i'll finish writing it

i published all of fusion and half of masters

the other half of masters (the best half) was never published but it's all written up and i've been thinking about just publishing it all because after the masters arc there's a 2 chapter long winter break arc that i wrote and it WARMS MY HEART EVERY TIME I GO BACK AND READ IT

fury was drafted but never properly written up so i've got bullet points but that's the point in the story when the entire plot sort of came together and we had this huge ass reveal and it got super crazy and to this day idk why i did all that but it was fun to do and I'D LOVE TO TALK ABOUT IT HAHA

ALSO YOUR OC IS SO PRETTY OMG i saw your pfp and she's GORGEOUS i would LOVE to do an oc interaction!!!!

i'm such a yapper omg this is so long it in fact could have been longer LMAO IM SO SORRY

don't mind me, just that your profile sparks a lot of joy. Your oc Kiara is so interesting and cool, would love to see her more often. Also you being such a Kyouya enjoyer is contagious (<- says as if they've not been one for over a decade themselves already) :D

omg this is the sweetest thing ever you're so kind 🥹🥹🥹 i'm so glad to know that you find joy in my profile since beyblade is really what makes me the happiest ☺️ thank you so much!!!!!! <3

ALSO KIARA YES i will try and draw her more often i am MORE THAN HAPPY TO YAP ABOUT HER please ask i will tell you whatever you want to know 🙏🏾

and kyoya ah yes i've been a kyoya stan since i was 10 and i fear it'll never leave me he's the reason why lions are my favourite animal he is quite literally for life

the more people i can convert to kyoyaism the better 😈 though i don't think i need to do much work everybody loves him

but thank you for this sweet sweet message this really made me so happy to see >O<

[lady-lazagna]

something silly you say... whats your silliest crack ship? (in mfb and outside of mfb)

Hmmmm… silliest crack ship… I have quite a few, but almost all of them involve Tsubasa lmao (spreading my “everyone is a little bit in love with him” propaganda)

Not sure if it’s because of Shogun Steel or my beyblade Sims 4 save, but I’ve been thinking a bit about Tsubasa x Benkei recently (SummerShipping? BurgerSummerShipping? Idk). I just think they’re funny little guys, with my version of Tsubasa being a romantic and Benkei being easily flustered. They could cook together and cuddle and bond over their struggling self-worth after Fury🥲 And why not make the two dads of the Shogun Steel gang date? (I have watched only the first episode and the This is Summer compilation but that’s all I really need to see)

Maybe I should make a more in-depth post about them later…

[mach-speed-spin]

Rating Beyblade Metal Fusion + some games drip

1) Long ass post

2) 2/10 here is equal to a 6/10 irl

3) Original season 1 here, V-Force here, G-Rev here

4) Characters that kept the same design over multiple seasons are listed under the debut season (ex: Gingka is here but not in the Masters)

5) All mfb games released prior to Metal Masters with original characters I can easily find images for on the wiki are included

Gingka: 6/10. The scarf and headband are what elevate this design

Kenta: 3/10. Almost a background character

Blader DJ: 7/10. I love everything about his design. He 100% looks like someone who could get me hyped about the end of the world (and he did)

Osamu: 2/10. Background character

Takashi: 2/10. Same as Osamu

Akira: 3/10. He looks a little better

Benkei: 5/10. Cool jacket with the bull on the back and a cool beanie with a bull design on the side

Face Hunter A: 3/10. Great for a background character, but a background character design nonetheless

Face Hunter B: 5/10. He looks like a guy in the earliest stages of making a Jotaro Kujo cosplay

Face Hunter C: 4/10. I like the shirt

Face Hunter D: 4/10. I like the tank top

Face Hunter E: 6/10. I love that jacket and he looks better than some main characters

Kyoya: 7/10. I love the ripped coat and ripped crop top

Madoka: 4/10. Her design is kinda neat

Doji: 4/10. It’s an evil purple business suit

Young Tetsuya: 3/10. Pretty basic

Tetsuya: 5/10. I love the cape with a crab cutout

Flirty Tetsuya: 4/10. I like the ponytail but would prefer is he kept the cape

Nigel Crabcakes: 7/10. Fucking amazing. Tetsuya larping as British (also I couldn’t find any images online)

Echizen: 3/10. Basic character, which works for a background character but still not great

Taraba: 3/10. Same as Echizen

Young Hikaru: 2/10. Designed like a background character (like regular background and not the Facehunters)

Hikaru: 5/10. I like it. It’s pretty cool

Supika: 3/10. She looks kinda plain

Katol: 3/10. I like the facepaint but that’s it

Pre-Gemios Dan: 3/10. Very muted colors and a somewhat generic look

Dan: 5/10. I like the jacket and I like the arm warmers

Pre-Gemios Reiki: 3/10. Same as Dan

Reiki: 5/10. Same as Dan

Ryuga: 8/10. I love jackets being worn as capes. I love how he makes a tiara look so badass. I love the gauntlet

Possessed Ryuga: 9/10. He loses the cape but veiny muscles + face marks + his face stretching to like if you put a dragon skull in a human head

Ryo: 7/10. His outfit is just Gingka’s but better

Hyoma: 4/10. It’s stylish but doesn’t have anything special going for it

Hokuto: 2/10. That’s a weird ass dog but I like the headband

Yu: 4/10. It’s just alright really

Tsubasa: 10/10. This is just personal bias because this is exactly how I want to look. Also, have this image taken from his debut scene

Tobio: 4/10. Mainly for the eyepatch/visor

Kumasuke: 4/10. Nothing special (except for the fact that Benkei joked about Doji having a merch store and Kumasuke proves it’s probably true)

Kumata: 3/10. A downgrade from Kumasuke

Kumaji: 3/10. Same as Kumaji

Sora: 7/10. I love sleeveless jackets

Ryutaro: 6/10. The makeup makes it work

Phoenix: 10/10. I love the hang glider coat. I love the mask. I love the boots. Easily one of my favorite designs

Teru: 7/10. I love that jacket (side note but watch the scene in episode 34 where he meets Gingka and tell me the ost there is not one of the best of the season)

Django: 6/10. He’s practically a background character yet he gets such a good cowboy design

Kazuki: 3/10. He’s almost a background character but I like the beanie

Yui: 1/10. Absolutely nothing going on

Busujima: 8/10. Cyberpunk Waluigi wearing spiked arm (shoulder?) bands and steel toed boots

Reiji: 6/10. His clothes are plain until you look right below his belt. Also snake eye hair clips

Nemea: 7/10. Very stylish and I love the necklace

Van: 7/10. I love the spikes and the chain belt

Aegis: 5/10. He’s simultaneously a 10 and a 0

Crow: 5/10. I like the coat

Hajime: 3/10. Really no sense of fashion

B-Killer: 10/10. I love every part of this giant robotic design

Rochi: 4/10. I like the jewelry but that’s it

Tsuyoshi: 4/10. Some of it works. Some of it doesn’t

Kai: 4/10. That necklace makes it work

Kouki: 6/10. It looks good and the earrings complete it

Asami: 3/10. Practically a background character

Hellbeyd: 4/10. Looks good but nothing special

Kakeru: 4/10. It’s camouflage but more can be done with it

Mamoru: 4/10. Kinda plain, but that gauntlet does look good

Mariko. 5/10. Good, but more detail would be nice

Rina: 5/10. You can’t go wrong with a cat girl but at the same time she’s nothing standout

[curedeity]

oh boy okay i'm gonna send a few. what are your top 5 women moments in mfb?

Oh god there are 5 women moments? Oh gee im gonna struggle (says the feminist)

1. Hikarus introduction

I quite like Hikaru introductory episode(s) and how they establish her as strong and competent, along with her backstory about her mother. I think her as a traveling blader lends her a unique air, like how many members of the first cast are set apart. Her rivalry with kenta is also well executed for those two episodes.

2. Madoka stopping Kyoya during the survival battle

As much as i am one to cheer for Madoka and having characters be relevant in ways that arent blading, Madokas relevance is often shoehorned, pushed to the back, or it doesnt connect emotionally. The survival battle where she notices Leone is damaged and has to stop Kyoya is one of the bedt uses of her character. While it can feel a bit off, i look past it cor what a good dramatic moment it is for both charactersm it keeps Madokas priorities the same as always while giving her a new way of showing those, and making her incredibly relevant.

3. Ren stealing Benkeis keys

Naming a Ren moment is hard because all her ups come with downs, but in this episode i remember her clearest because the glimpses into what her arc could be. The way shes so done with the entire cast and doesnt really connect with them is very telling, along with the fact she does something no one else has, and steals benkeis keys? It really characterizes her uniquely.

4. Hikaru vs. Kyoya

One of hikarus better rivalries, this comes out just because of how much i like the respect he affords to hikaru. I dont remember the exact words or anything, but the feeling of respect was nice, especially because their first match ended more with them teaming up to chase people down.

5. Sophie parting the water

A smaller but memorable moment, Sophie was the only part i liked of the excalibur introduction episode. She comes off very strongly and curiously, along with being absolutely epic. We love a girlboss.

Honorary moments are maru bullying zyro and shinobu. Anything hikaru does in masters where shes frustrated at ryo. Madoka snapping and yelling at everyone. Lera in destroyer dome.

[sky-of-dusk]

I'm travelling around the whole country. I search for stronger rivals in order to become the very strongest blader.

– Ginga, episode 1

I'll say it as many times as I want: it's not my habit to battle weak opponents.

– Kyouya, episode 4

[voidix]

hani talk abt Ryuga and Gingka I want to hear what you have to say

First of all thank you Axel for enabling me get settled and get ready for this

Okay so first

Gingka Hagane

Where do I begin Gingka MY BOY MY SUNSHINE he’s beyond a comfort character at this point I see him and I smile. Fun fact back when mfb aired and I was 9yo I used to crush on him but now he is like a little brother to me. I know the general opinion is that he has older brother vibes and it’s very logical why people say that but to me he’s my younger brother who has done nothing wrong ever in his entire life.

Let’s go through the fields I marked systematically to give this a sense of structure

He’s like a blorbo to me: Hw is THE BLORBO I love him so much he’s a literal sunshine can you look at Gingka and not smile? I don’t think so unless you’re more miserable then doji which phew.

Everyone but me is wrong about him + he’s deeper than he seems + the fans have done him dirty belong together because a lot of people especially back in the old fandom days used to reduce him to burgers and friendship or whatever but he’s so much more than that which you can see especially in fusion he gets angry he loses his mind he feels lost at times he’s so much deeper than what most people make him out to be and I get him he is my little brother.

Didn’t get enough screen time: now you might be thinking hani you’re insane and it’s true I am I know he’s in every episode almost but that’s not enough I needed more okay idcidc give me my boy

I think the rest is self explanatory but you know what I’ll say it his wins being dismissed because power of friendship is so unfair especially when fans compare him to Tyson Granger who half the time wins and doesn’t even know what he’s doing like you’re okay with that but not Gingka who has been training forever? Yeah hypocrisy much. Now obviously I’m biased but at the same time Gingka’s battles are so fun to watch and you can see a lot of strategy if you actually pay attention.

Not to let my inner kpoppie jump out but stop sleeping on Gingka he’s actually such a fun and cool character. I love him.

Now onto

Ryuga

There’s a lot to unpack here. First of all when I originally watched mfb I hated him when I watched when I was 14 he was okay when I watched when I was 16 I became obsessed with him and since then nothing has changed. I can’t help it even if you want to hate him you can’t deny that he’s just so enjoyable to watch. To this day he is the coolest character I’ve ever seen in a series. Like look at his introduction in fusion and his role in the entire season you cannot convince me you didn’t think he was cool like there is just no way you’d be lying to me and to yourself. The 3 headed purple dragon that spins backwards and can steal powers that’s cool af and ryuga himself with his confidence and the fact he is the funniest bitch on the show. Like even if you hate him he will make you laugh with his one liners. And when you thought he couldn’t get cooler they somehow did make him cooler with Meteor L-Drago in metal masters. I know a lot of people think he shouldn’t have played such a big role in masters but well… I think masters starts getting much more fun when he appears I think he should’ve appeared in masters even more that’s my controversial opinion for today. I really liked his role in masters too where he helped Gingka but in his own weird way. Their dynamic is so good in masters but that’s an essay for another day. And of course fury I can’t forget fury. He’s alive btw trust me.

He is a main character in my fic “and then there were 4” and I have to say he is hard to write but also I hate it when people reduce him to that overpowered asshole who hates everyone because that’s simply not true and there is a lot of evidence for that but once again that’s a whole other post. And also if you think about his backstory be it the manga or anime one (which we only got glimpses and implications on but still) you realise that although he is powerful even he fell victim to manipulation. Now obviously that doesn’t mean he hasn’t done anything wrong because he has but that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing he is. I really wish we got more time in the anime to explore the other side of his character more but even if not we can see that it’s there and I really hate when people ignore it.

As you can tell I’m very insane about these two characters and also their dynamic together but I’m already getting close to 900 words so if you read until here thank you so much

Send me characters

[appletart09]

Rank your top 5ish characters and why? 👀 (or top 5 ish episodes n why)

Hmm... let’s go characters. (Because we all know my top 5 eps would just be Kyoya episodes)

5. Dynamis- this is like,, almost entirely for his design ngl. He is one of my favorite designs in the show! Also I can respect his sacred job of giving exposition and stargazing. I know that’s what I plan to do in my retirement.

4. Nile- design wise, like dynamis, Nile is stunning. His colors really seem like they should clash but he really makes them work. Also he’s just kinda a scheming bastard and I adore that. Also he keeps Kyoya in check.

3. [REDACTED]

2. Reiji!!!- a very recent development but wow guys I love Reiji so much. That funky snake is so good visually especially just in the way he moves! The animators did so good with his body language he’s beautiful.

1. Kyoya- ✨and no one is surprised.✨ this dude has just kinda always been around? He’s been my favorite since I was little and watched MFB while it was airing on TV. Came from a combonation of me also being a Leo, his design being absolutely awesome, and just how cool I thought he was when I was a kid. You see now I know that he’s a dumbass with no self preservation but like that’s beside the point.

[popkas]

I don't know if you've heard about it (or if it's even freely and legally available for you to watch), but all the episodes of the English dub of Beyblade Burst have finished airing. It's not as silly as MFB, there are no people trying to take over the world or anything, but it's still about psychic kids using spinny tops to compete. Are you going to watch it?

Probably!  I noticed it on Netflix.  I’m still procrastinating on getting a Yu-Gi-Oh season 4 writeup done, I’ve just been kinda busy with a lot of nonsense.  Still haven’t seen Shogun Steel yet either, I’m hoping it shows up on Netflix or Hulu eventually.

[sky-of-dusk]

It's so interesting how Kyouya is haunting the narrative at the beginning of Beyblade Metal Fusion, when he's training with the Dark Nebula and doesn't have screentime anymore.

Episode 4:

The episode is focused on Benkei. We have a flashback about him meeting Kyouya. Kyouya seemed to be travelling to face strong bladers (like the Ginga). Benkei fights Ginga and, at the end of the episode, saves him. Madoka and Kenta are surprised by it, Ginga not so much. The end of the episode focuses on maybe the Face Hunters aren't that bad. And Ginga saying a blader training hard is an honorable opponent… with the episode starting on Kyouya training hard.

Episode 5:

Tetsuya cheats heavily and actually damages the beys. What Kyouya did against Ginga (using the Wind at the top of the Metal Tower) is shown as strategy. The Face Hunters threatened Sagittario, Kenta pictured them destroying it, but it did not happen. Contrary to the several scenes in which Tetsuya is shown damaging and destroying beys.

Moreover, having battled Kyouya allows Ginga to win against Tetsuya.

Episodes 6 and 7:

Hikaru appears. She isn't a villlain, but she respects less efforts than Kyouya. There's a very blatant parallel between them.

Episode 8:

Ginga and the others talk about Kyouya like he belongs to their group. He asks Benkei if Kyouya ordered him to keep challenging him, without a single hint of judgement in his voice.

Conclusion:

The scenarists are totally preparing the audience for Kyouya to come back and be with the good guys. Worst, they're preparing the audience for him being a good, skilled and honorable blader despite how it started XD

[my-beyblade-world]

Yay!!!!Thanks for the reply!! This is so cute!!! This really touched me... And I totally agree with you!! 🤗 (And I wasn't surprised at all that you fell in love with Kyoya, he's a rare and a special boy XD...)

I watched MFB together with my older sister 11 years ago. 4 years ago we started talking about the series and thought we'd watch it again together.

As we watched almost every scene with Kyoya and Gingka, we talked about how it was like they were in love... 😅 Then it happened........ I noticed the specialness of their relationship, how cute they are together. I really like that they have a separate world that only they can understand. 💙💚

That's how I became a KyoGin shipper, and every time I watch it again, I start to ship them more and more (and not just because I love them both so much...XD)

That's why I was happy to find your site and start reading the analyses. I'm glad someone else noticed what I noticed. It is very difficult to choose a favorite moment because there are a lot of them. I love how they always think of each other and encourage each other.

My favorite out of the top 4 (When Gingka can only defeat the Phoenix when Kyoya is there, when Gingka thinks of Kyoya during the fight against Dashan, when Gingka hears Kyoya screams.) But my all time favorite is the penultimate episode of Metal Fury, Kyoya's monologue.

Kyoya : Well, if you really are gonna go, take the spirit of lion with you ! (....) I don’t really want to admit it but you are the reason I am who I am today.

Gingka: Kyoya........

Come to think of it...... Kyoya said that!? 😱 The great Kyoya Tategami, who never reveals his feelings, now speaks to Gingka with all his heart! That was really sweet and the best decision in the series. And Gingka's face as he looks at Kyoya... The way his eyes sparkle... The way he is still surprised... For me, this moment means more than anything...💙💚

Hi! I have a question for you. When did you become a KyoGin shipper and what is your favorite KyoGin moment? 💚💙

Hello! Thanks for the question.

Well! It goes back to the first time I watched MFB… in 2012. I caught an episode of Metal Masters on TV, fell in love with Kyouy and binge watched Metal Fusion. And I saw how KyoGin are together and about each other. How they're just… their very own category. I just added it to the anime informations. For me, MFB: they're bladers, they use their beys to save the world, also Kyouya and Ginga are in love XD.

For the first re-watch, I was like "Maybe my imagination got the best of me"… but I didn't remember half of it 🤣 And I noticed new things. I actually notice new things with every rewatch, it's so funny.

There are so many good moments between Kyouya and Ginga!!! That's like… 50% of the anime (I'm only half-kidding). Kyouya spending his time helping Ginga, Ginga treating him so differently from his friends, their rivalry, their battles…

It's difficult to choose one moment, but I'll try.

*intense thinking*

It's really difficult.

I was going to choose episode 103 (for the whole Kyouya drama, for Ginga not seeing it and their amusement during their beybattle), then episode 108 (for how Ginga calms Kyouya with a few words and how they crush Yuuki XD) but I'm finally choosing when Kyouya battles Damian (Episode 100 of MFB / 49 of Metal Masters) because Kyouya decides to stay behind to help Ginga, and allow him to succeed his mission (he does so often, I know), because Ginga trusts him (like everytime)...

More precisely, the moment Ginga hears Kyouya's pain.

Kyouya: [screams in pain] Scene cutting to Ginga, who immediately stops running and turns around. Ginga: Kyouya?

It's highlighting how special is their relationship. For good measure, there's Masamune around and he doesn't hear Kyouya. But Ginga does. He doesn't doubt it one second. He looks the way he knows Kyouya is, hesitates, and then moves on again. Because he trusts Kyouya to win. And he encourages him inwardly:

Kyouya. You've got to win. I believe in you.

This moment is so special 💙💚

And you? When did you start shipping them and what is your favorite moment?

[sky-of-dusk]

Why Ginga doesn't tell jokes

Episode 4

Madoka: My advice: we turn around and don't have anything more to do with those guys.

Kenta: I agree.

Ginga: If I don't show up, they'll come looking me. They mean business.

Madoka: That's true, but-

Ginga: They might even come to you next Madoka.

Madoka: AAAAAAAAH!

Ginga: Relax, I'm just kidding.

Madoka: Yeah.

Next episode: