#MFB Osamu

[mach-speed-spin]

Beyblade character design analysis: Kenta Yumiya

Masterpost here. Now let's take a look at Kenta, who somehow went from getting beaten up by the Face Hunters to gaining Ryuga's respect

Starting with the hair, it's green. This has nothing to do with his bey, but the green, and more specifically this shade, make Kenta stand out. The rest of Kenta's design is fairly generic, to the point where some actual background characters have more captivating designs (like Django), so the hair helps set him apart from someone like Osamu. Green is one of the lesser-used hair colors in mfb, and the characters with green hair all have a very dark shade (like Kyoya). Kenta is the exception, which catches our attention when the rest of his design doesn't

Kenta wears a yellow shirt with a blue stripe. The yellow-green-blue color scheme looks like the Brazilian flag (insert joke about the time the Garcias jumped Yu). The design itself is quite plain, but the colors are bright enough to make Kenta not seem like a background character. He's still a generic audience surrogate in design (and character, at least at the start), but without being too generic as to be mistaken for a background character

He lacks gloves or a visible belt, which are accessories used by most bladers. This makes his design seem more generic, and it's on purpose because almost everyone else has at least one of these 2. However, Kenta does have a belt that holds his launcher, which is just not seen very much. He is a strong blader, but doesn't seem like it at first

Kenta wears shorts. There's nothing I can really say about them other than they contribute to his child look (I mean, he is a child, but he looks way younger than almost everyone else)

His shoes are unremarkable, but unlike some other footwear, seems like something a real-life kid would wear, cementing Kenta's role as an audience surrogate for the first few episodes (though he grows out of it fairly quickly)

His hair in Fury is mostly the same, but altered slightly to be a little more detailed. This is still the same Kenta from the previous seasons, but he's older and more mature. He also becomes a lot more important to the plot in Fury. Despite having less screentime than in Fusion, his contributions are a lot bigger

His shirt gets a redesign. The new style makes him look older, which is the primary purpose. The blue stripe is also gone and instead we have a white, vertical stripe. With his redesign being more detailed in general, the blue stripe loses its purpose of making Kenta stand out as an important character. The white gives it just as much detail, if not more, but isn't as flashy. Plus, Flash Sagittario's facebolt has white in the center, unlike Flame's. Subtle foreshadowing maybe?

Kenta wears pants that are rolled up to look kinda like shorts. It makes him look older while retaining most elements from his original design. Despite how much Kenta grew over the course of the series, at his core he's still the same

His shoes are a little more detailed but still essentially the same. Not much I can say about them

[mfb-better-fury]

Episode 5

Day

In Ryo’s office, Gingka and the others are video chatting – Gingka with Masamune, Kenta with Excalibur, and Madoka with Wang Hu Zhong. Gingka asks to see Striker, but it hasn’t changed at all. Hikaru is abruptly pulled over by him to show Masamune the transformed Aquario. He’s amazed, asking what she’s calling it, but she admits she hasn’t figured that out yet.

In Madoka’s call, though Mei Mei remembers seeing a light at the time mentioned, the others remind her it had been a power surge. Kenta has finished his own explanation, but then voices his confusion over Julian’s absence. Sophie explains they’ve been making him take more days off recently, as the events with Ziggurat and Spiral Force did a number on his head. Wales assures them that they’ll catch him up to speed on everything. Though the team exchanges looks of intrigue, they unfortunately have no information either.

Ryo muses that it seems only Hikaru and Kyoya have awakened and wonders where the other eleven legendary bladers might be. He’s startled out of his thoughts when Masamune loudly declares he will become a legendary blader and surpass Gingka. Ryo encourages them all, saying some of them may well become legendary bladers, which impacts Kenta in particular. He becomes briefly lost in thought on the subject.

They say their farewells and the calls end. Gingka expresses his confusion that neither Masamune nor Dashan were chosen. Madoka adds that they didn’t get any leads in Russia either; Kenta says the same for his calls with Desert Blaze and Chandora. Gingka wonders whether Tsubasa or Yu might be legendary bladers, but Madoka points out that as they went off on a training journey, no one knows where they are. Hikaru confirms this rather worriedly, admitting that though Tsubasa had been contacting them at first, he suddenly went off the grid after the first month. To get their minds off their worry, Ryo changes the subject, asking Yuki how things are going with his part.

Yuki, who had been doing some work on his own, shows the group a video of the moment the star fragment broke. He has calculated the trajectory of one piece to a remote island in Indonesia. The group decides to go there and find it. Ryo reminds them of the urgency of their mission and that they must hurry. Hikaru holds Aquario a bit tighter but says nothing.

Kenta asks about Kyoya and whether he should come, as he is a legendary blader. Gingka comments that he would like that to happen, but Madoka is uncertain after the events of their last battle, especially since he went off on his own instead of joining them here.

At the dock warehouses, Kyoya is training with the new Leone, with Benkei watching excitedly. He muses on its new strength and new fangs, then dubs the evolved bey Fang Leone and declares that once these new fangs are polished, he will rise above the dark power and prove he is more than capable of winning any battle on his own.

Yuki thinks back to that morning when he and Kyoya had met eyes. He hesitantly asks what kind of person Kyoya is, saying he knows his power is high due to watching the World Championships, but he didn’t seem very friendly earlier. Madoka agrees that Kyoya is rather wild and Kenta comments he “doesn’t play well with others”. Gingka tells him that Kyoya is filled with a heated bey spirit, despite his rough exterior.

Ryo tells them to rest up, pack their things, and that he’ll have their transport ready after lunch. Madoka and Kenta run off to prepare, with Yuki following after giving a polite goodbye. Hikaru excuses herself as well, but Ryo stops Gingka before he leaves, asking if they could talk for a moment.

The two stand in silence as Hikaru closes the door behind her. Gingka is a bit tense as he looks at his dad. Ryo sighs and starts gently, telling Gingka that he shouldn’t blame himself for what Kyoya is going through. This isn’t what Gingka expected to hear and he’s caught a bit off guard. Ryo continues, saying that the dark power is something ancient and terrible, and its effects have often left its victims scrambling to find themselves again. Kyoya is strong in his own right and Ryo has certainty that if he has fought it this long with so much success, he will be able to overcome it before too much longer. Gingka must have faith in this as well.

Seeing Gingka’s lack of enthusiastic response, Ryo says he has something for him and asks him to close his eyes. He then opens a drawer in his desk and pulls something out, placing it in Gingka’s hands, and tells him to look. When Gingka opens his eyes, he finds Ryo’s headband in his hands.

Ryo wants Gingka to know how proud he is of overcoming everything that he’s faced so far, even with all of the obstacles and adversaries in his way. Even if the star fragment has not awakened in Pegasus yet, he knows Gingka is powerful without it and wants him to use this time to test himself once more and find his role in this fight for their future. Gingka is silent, but has lost some of his stiffness at his dad’s words, and stares at the headband contemplatively.

Hikaru arrives home again to find her mother waiting for her at the kitchen table with a box. She’s confused as she’s asked to sit, but does so. Her mother says that she’s been hoping for the chance to give this to her for months, and thinks now is the right time for it. Opening the box reveals an outfit, which doesn’t make sense to her at first, but then it occurs to her that it looks a lot like what her mother had worn during her time as a blader.

Her mother tells her that, as Aquario has rebuilt itself, she believes it is time for Hikaru to do the same. This journey involving Nemesis sounds like a difficult one, but one that Hikaru can take. She has always thought Hikaru was strongest when facing a storm that pushed her to her limits, and this looks like a hurricane waiting to bring out the very best in her. Hikaru is teary-eyed as she asks if she really thinks so; her mother reaches over to take her hand and promises she does.

After wiping her eyes, Hikaru takes out Aquario and thinks back to her battle with Kyoya the day before. Before and after the bey’s evolution, she had felt its excitement at being in the field again. She can’t deny that. With the panic of the moment over, she can clearly see the difference between Aquario’s light and the explosions of darkness that Ryuga had once been known for. She internally muses about her mother’s words, wondering if Aquario was trying to tell her the same thing as it circled Kyoya’s tornado.

At last finding the inspiration she’d been searching for to start again, Hikaru finds a name for her transformed bey – Hurricane Aquario. She thanks her mother and takes the clothes with her to another room to change.

Once Hikaru has left the room, Akiko muses about ‘his’ gut feeling being right. She carefully moves to the living room to take a pad of paper and begins writing something: “It looks like the time has come. The star fragment has arrived just like you said it would, and my dear Hikaru has been chosen.”

At the B-Pit, Yuki and Madoka are in an argument about packing, with Yuki thinking his cousin is trying to take too much. He manages to convince her it’s more practical to take a travel bag than a suitcase when they don’t know what kind of places they’ll go and the large suitcase could hinder her. As Madoka reluctantly begins repacking, he tells her he’ll get started on filling her portable repair kit.

While in Madoka’s workshop gathering parts, Yuki notices her bey equipment is tucked away in a drawer. After a brief moment of puzzlement, he removes it and begins inspecting it, stopping as he takes her bey out of its case. He becomes lost in thought as he stares at it.

When Madoka comes out to report she is now ‘properly’ packed, she finds Yuki still holding her bey. He’s startled as she puts her arm around him, but smiles when she reminds him of the promise they made when they were younger.

Yuki: “When the new star fragment arrives…”

Madoka: “...We’ll follow it together.”

At Bey Park, Kenta is all packed up and has just finished explaining their mission to Osamu, Takashi, and Akira. The trio is amazed at his story, with Akira wondering if the star fragment fell into any of their beys, but Takashi highly doubts it, as people like Kyoya and Hikaru are way above their level. Osamu insists it’s possible and they should get back to training.

Akira asks Kenta how long he thinks he’ll be gone, and Kenta admits he isn’t sure, which is why he wanted to tell them he was leaving – so they wouldn’t worry something had happened to him. Takashi questions if Kenta told his mom about everything. Kenta assures them that he called Ryo to help him explain everything to her and to promise her he would stay safe, and he promises them the same.

Takashi comments on how far Kenta has come – from following them around learning the basics, getting involved with the Facehunters and Gingka, and all the crazy adventures he’s gone on since then. “It feels like just yesterday we gave you Sagittario, and now here you are going off to save the world.” Osamu tells him to knock it off before he starts crying; Akira is already trying to scrub away tears, saying how fast their little Kenta’s grown up.

Kenta, both bewildered and embarrassed, frantically tries to reassure them they’ll always be his best friends and he’ll be back before they know it. He then says he’s got to get going or the others will leave without him. As he runs off, the trio tearfully waves goodbye and assures him he’ll be the greatest legendary blader of them all.

When Kenta arrives at the train tracks, he is greeted by the waiting Gingka, Madoka, and Yuki. Madoka explains that Benkei will be there just as soon as he gets confirmation from the computer that Bull’s repairs are complete. Gingka is sure that Kyoya will follow. Kenta declares that he’s along for the ride and wants to become one of the legendary bladers too. Gingka encourages him, hoping for the same. Yuki comments that their bond is strong, which he’s envious of as he’s always been alone. Gingka tells him he’s one of them now. Kenta and Madoka back this up, making Yuki feel touched by their kindness.

As Gingka asks about Hikaru’s decision, the group is startled as she comes up to them, saying that she’s going too. Madoka compliments her new outfit, saying she looks more like herself already. Kenta agrees and admires the brooch pinned to her jacket. Hikaru smiles a little, putting her hand to it as she thinks back to what her mother had said while pinning it on her just before she’d left: “My greatest friends gave this to me as a gift to celebrate the win of a particularly difficult tournament. Now, I pass those feelings on to you, Hikaru. I know you will find your strength again, and you’ll rise above everything that tries to get in your way.”

Kenta runs off to start their journey with the others rushing after him, watched from atop a hill by first one, then five cats. At a corner ahead of them a line of meowing cats blocks the path. Johannes appears from around the corner, startling Yuki, and says he’s been waiting for them. When Gingka asks what he wants, Johannes explains that while yesterday he hadn’t gotten exactly what he wanted out of the day, it seems that because of it he’s been saved the trouble of explaining everything to them – that a new dawn of beyblade will arrive soon, when Nemesis awakens. Yuki tries to duck behind Madoka to hide, looking pale, making Madoka realize this must be his attacker, and he nods with a whimper when she asks him to confirm.

As Johannes asks them to join him and rule with them, Madoka interrupts by stepping forward and declaring that the only way a new era of beyblade will begin is by the bladers of the world moving toward it together in the light of their own bladers’ spirits, not by following cheap promises and dark secrets. Johannes says that she’s been listening to things that don’t concern her, and asks which among them is the legendary blader. Hikaru tenses at this, but tries to shake it off. Before she can make herself step forward, however, she and the others are stunned as Madoka pulls out her launcher and bey, telling Johannes that his first mistake was attacking her family, and his second was being stupid enough to show his face to her after.

Mist Delphis VS Beat Lynx begins

After being launched, Delphis manages a strong hit against Lynx, and Gingka and the others are caught off guard by Madoka’s aggressive style. Even so, Lynx’s hits seem to hit harder. Yuki uses his tablet to scan Lynx with a similar program to Madoka’s laptop and explains that while both beys are balance types, Lynx’s spin track height is letting it deal more damage.

Johannes comments that he doesn’t feel the star fragment within Delphis and decides this battle has no purpose. He demands once more to know who the legendary blader is, but Madoka ignores him to continue her attack. Though Delphis manages to knock Lynx into the air, it lands safely due to its cat-like balance. At her next attack, Lynx’s spin track extends and Delphis passes under. The same thing happens with the next attack as Yuki explains how it’s happening, saying its tallest height is comparable to Flame Byxis.

After lowering its spin track, Lynx launches its own attack, knocking Delphis into the air, then follows to smash it back into the ground. When the smoke and dust clear, Delphis is barely hanging on, much to Madoka’s anger. Johannes asks a third time for the legendary blader. This time, Hikaru starts to open her mouth, but is interrupted as Kyoya’s voice cuts in: “You want a legendary blader? Well, now you’ve got one!” He then launches Leone and Johannes recognizes his new power due to his aura. As he expresses his shock, Leone knocks Lynx back. Delphis, though unsteady, still manages to deliver a blow of its own. Johannes, disadvantaged by the two-on-one attack, catches Lynx midair and flees the scene, still declaring that he will have their star fragment.

With the battle over, Benkei arrives with a bag of his own. Kyoya says that Benkei explained their mission, and a startled Kenta asks if he’s saying he’ll come with them. Kyoya doesn’t answer, instead turning his attention to Madoka as she calls back Delphis. He recognizes the bey as the one she used to stop him from battling in the Survival Battle tournament, which she’s surprised he remembers. Reminded of the tournament, Hikaru admits she’d forgotten Madoka had a bey at all, which confuses Yuki, though he doesn’t voice it. Explaining she doesn’t battle much, Madoka looks at her bey and wonders if that’s something she should change.

While Gingka compliments Madoka’s quick action and assures her he’ll help her train, Kyoya picks up his bag and declares they should stop wasting time and get going, already walking away. Benkei follows him.

Kenta and Hikaru remark on his behavior but know his power will help him. Yuki watches Madoka and Gingka, confusion still clear on his face, but follows when the others hurry to catch up to Kyoya, with Madoka asking if he even knows where they’re going.

[mellythedork]

OTA Appreciation Week

From the 11th to the 17th of March

Three bladers for the price of one! Osamu, Takashi, and Akira have always been trying their best, for themselves and for Kenta! I wonder what they’re doing these days? Let me know!

How can I participate

Gifs

Edits

Fics

Drawings

Anything related to these characters and don’t forget to tag it with #mfb appreciation week and #OTA appreciation week let them know we haven’t forgotten about them, and we still love them as much as Kenta does!

[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