#comparison of characters

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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

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Something else differentiated Kyouya to Hikaru and Tsubasa.

Kyouya is the only one talking about the blader's spirit. Hikaru and Tsubasa say they are going to battle Ryuuga, but they never talk about it. We don't even know if they believe in it. More importantly… Let's look closer at his quotes about the blader's spirit, in episode 49:

Kyouya: But I have the blader's spirit. This is how Leone and I fight and win.

Ryuuga: How nice for you two. Now I'm just gonna crush that spirit like a bug.

Kyouya: This is far from over. Go ahead and try but you'll never touch my blader's spirit.

And later

Dark Power: The only way to heal our wounds… The only way… to heal our wounds… We need blader's power to.

Kyouya: Okay, that's really nice. Go ahead, and try. But I'll never let you steal from me my blader's spirit. thinking Ginga, take a good look. This is my blader's spirit.

Kyouya doesn't only talk about his blader's spirit as something that'll help him win, he also says openly he'll prevent Ryuuga, L-Drago and the Dark Power to influence his blader's spirit.

I notice it because I search it to make this post… But Kyouya's spirit is the first one to help Ginga in episode 51. First as the shield preventing Ginga to fall

then as an added power

His spirit, even trapped by L-Drago's Dark Power, can make his own decisions and acts as he decides.

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The Dark Power : Those who lost and the one who won

The Dark Power wasn't supposed to infect Kyouya.

First, Kyouya has all this arc with the Wolf Canyon that differentiate him from Hikaru and Tsubasa. And the Dark Power doesn't overwhelm him as he does with Hikaru, Tsubasa and Ryuuga.

And those aren't the only differences. Let's take a look at two other points showing the difference in Hikaru's, Tsubasa's and Kyouya's reaction, and consequently on Dark Power's influence on them.

Psychological influence

The Dark Power, and Ryuuga, uses a psychological ascendancy to win. Their power impress, or even scare their opponents. If it's not enough, however, Ryuuga doesn't hesitate to use words to make their opponents doubt about themselves.

Hikaru loses even before the duel's beginning.

"Why did I- Why did I think I could ever win for a moment… against a guy like that?"

-Hikaru, episode 41

Thought Tsubasa resists longer than Hikaru, using the strategy he planned to battle Ryuuga, he loses before the battle's end.

Ryuuga: What's wrong? If you think you can dodge it, give it a try. If you think you can stop it then go ahead and stop it. Why don't you?

Tsubasa: Don't quit Eagle.

Ryuuga: I congratulate you for being able to make me use some of my real strenght. As a reward, I'll take extra special care and stealing that power from you. (...) It's finished. You were reckless and foolish to even consider challenging me in a battle at all.

Ryuuga: So say hello to the pit of despair!

-episode 45

Tsubasa lets Ryuuga's words (and power) touch him without replying. At the end of their duel, he's entirely passive.

On the other hand, we have Kyouya. He is evenly matched with Ryuuga, driving him to give up the Dark Power for their duel and even snatching some kind of compliment from Ryuuga:

"You are no match for me. (…) However, I can't remember anyone taking so many of my direct hits without completely collapsing. I give you credit for that."

Kyouya fights Ryuuga as if he was any other blader (an interesting blader, not a horrible monster he has to defeat to protect the world). He returns every blow and taunt, without being impressed, and even less scared, by Ryuuga. When L-Drago's Dark Power intervenes, Kyouya isn't afraid…

Ryuuga: Ah what?

While Ryuuga is shocked by the Dark Power's apparition. This is the first time he shows such an expression.

Kyouya is destabilized, somewhat worried for Ryuuga, but he isn't afraid.

Kyouya: Ryuuga? What's wrong? (…) Yeah. Just when I thought it was getting good. Now the circus' act is becoming a bit much, huh? Hey Ryuuga?

He tries reaching out to Ryuuga but the Dark Power entirely overwhelms him. It soliloquizes about its need and Kyouya's answer is just:

"Okay, that's really nice. Go ahead, and try. But I'll never let you steal from me my blader's spirit. (then, thinking) Ginga, take a good look. This is my blader's spirit."

Kyouya stays in fighting mode until the end of their battle. The last sentence he says is adressed to Leone, "Shatter him! Let's use everything that we've got left!"

If Kyouya loses the duel, he isn't the one who loses against the Dark Power. Ryuuga is. The Dark Power controls him as a puppet at the end of the battle.

A symbolic detail

Hikaru and Tsubasa fall. Kyouya doesn't. He's standing despite his defeat, which is shown from different angles. He never hits the ground.

[sky-of-dusk]

I've been wondering this about Kyoya for a while. Since Kyoya can guide himself in any place using the moon and the stars (like in Fusion and how he gets everywhere despite being in the middle of nowhere) could that mean that he is better at astronomy and navigation, or at least knows more, than Yuki?

And further question, do you think his education is more advanced than the one of his friends? Could Kyoya be smarter than Madoka?

Oooh ! I hadn't thought about that. Indeed, Kyouya has firm knowledges in astronomy and navigation. We don't know if Yuuki would manage to orient himself only with the moon and the stars. His talent linked to astronomy is precision : it's said by Dashan when they visit the Beylin Temple, and it's shown when he uses Anubius to draw a constellation to enter Dynamis' temple.

I think Kyouya's education is more advanced than the others'. He has a concrete goal for his adult life : he's supposed to inherit his father's international corporation. He doesn't have as much pressure as Julian Konzern, but his parents give him a lot of freedom (he's of every Ginga's adventures and often off in the wilderness), so I guess he has to do some efforts in studying in exchange.

It's quite difficult finding how much Kyouya knows compared to the others because he doesn't put forward his knowledge. For example :

in episode 30, though he doesn't try to explain Ryuutarou's special move (just saying "magic doesn't exist"), he doesn't seem surprised by Madoka's conclusion

in episode 121, though Kyouya guesses which way is the safest (the camera zooms on his face... this is the picture above, in fact), he lets Ryuuto leads them

Kyouya lets his friends do the thinking and the explaining except if he feels like hurrying up. But some scenes show he may be smarter than Madoka :

in episode 40, he's the one guessing Yuu sees through the sand storm

in episode 41, he understands how Reiji's attacks work before Madoka does (and she has to use her laptop to see it)

in episode 115, he tells the gang they have to search tournaments to find Aguma and Bao and orders Madoka to start searching for important tournaments

in episode 123, he explains Dynamis has used his battle against Ryuuto to trap Ginga

Contrary to Madoka, Kyouya doesn't lean on a tool to analyze data, but what he sees, hears, feels.

in episode 25, he predicts Capri's moves because he already witnessed his special move

in episode 72, in the flashback, he understands how tornadoes work only by watching them

He's also the only blader who talks about known Beyblade strategy. In episode 16, when Benkei is battling Hyouma, he says he's using a "101 strategy".

Kakeru (Kyouya's little brother) is the only blader we know who made his bey. He chose each elements, not contenting himself with changing the performance tip or the wheel. He created the bey he exactly needs.

Links to related posts : Kyouya's cleverness (highlighting other scenes) and Beyblade's training (showing he's gifted)

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Beyblade’s training

I already talk to you about prejudices about Ginga’s and Kyouya’s characterization, because the first one is the protagonist and the other is his rival, but there is one I have left aside:

how some people are undermining Ginga's Beyblade skills.

On the board: “The three most important points to become a good blader : 1. Strenght 2. Skill 3. The Blader’s spirit (the most important)

Beyblade Metal Fusion (both anime and manga) shows clearly Ginga used to train everyday since... forever, in fact. Besides, in the manga, the author even clarified that Ginga's bey before Pegasus was just a training bey, heavier and less balanced than true beys. He trained non-stop for years. It’s equivalent to high leveled sportsman. He worked hard to get his skills. It didn’t fall out of the sky.

And, to be sure the spectators understand it, Kyouya tell it clearly in episode 18:

“So you’ve been training like this since you were in diapers. Hmmm. No wonder you’ve become strong.”

- english dub

“This way you’ve been training naturally since you were a kid. Of course you’d be strong.”

- japanese dub

It’s an explanation. Kyouya tells why Ginga is so strong. There is no judgment in his words. There are nothing else than a statement.

Ginga gets his skills not because he’s the protagonist, but because he trained his whole life to be a good blader.

On the other side, we have Kyouya Tategami, who doesn’t take Beyblade seriously until he meets Ginga (and loses to him). Despite this, he’s one of the stronger blader Ginga had met during his travels :

Ginga, thinking: Beating Kyouya isn't exactly an easy thing to do. It took everything I had.

- episode 8

Ginga trained for years, but he admits he had hardly won against Kyouya, that he needed all his strenght and skills to beat him... but Kyouya hadn’t made any efforts. He’s just gifted. But no one blames him for this because he’s the rival, and not the protagonist.

After their first duel, Kyouya starts taking Beyblade seriously. He trains a couple of months with the Dark Nebula and finds two new special moves, while bladers have to train hard to only find one (like we saw with Kenta). He loses again against Ginga... but only because Leone is on Ginga’s side. Otherwise, he would have won.

Then, Kyouya trains again for the World Championships and he succeeds to be level with Ginga ! Since he’s the rival, it’s regarded as normal (and even deserved) that Kyouya reaches in months the level of beybladers who trained seriously since their early childhood (like Ginga, of course, but also Hikaru and Tsubasa).

In fact, we have many childhood flashbacks (about Ginga and Hyouma, Hikaru, Tsubasa, Dashan and Chi-Yun, Masamune and Zeo and Toby...) and Kyouya is the only one who isn’t beyblading during his flashback. 

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I don’t think Kyouya’s character was created to be cool, dark and class. That’s just how people decided to see him because he’s the rival. This is just an unfounded a priori: the hero is necessarily a happy-go-lucky character, with an easy past and everything one needs to be happy, while the rival is necessarily dark and taciturn, with a tragic backstory.

In MFB, one doesn’t have to look attentively to see this isn’t true for Kyouya and Ginga.

Let’s do some character comparison (and put links to previous posts because I’m too lazy to develop each point again xD)

Ginga Hagane

The whole 1st season is Ginga wanting to get his revenge because Ryuuga and Daidouji “killed” his father, so the easy past...

Besides, in the beginning of this season, he has trust issues, difficulties to share his emotions, and is shown unable to count on his new friends. This issue comes back then and again, but less and less often, and less intently.

Even the “lighter” parts of the season, when he’s acting “childlishly” are darker when you take the time to think about it, like his mood swings and his reaction when Pegasus is fixed.

Every time there is a problem provoked by beys, Ginga goes willingly on the first line to fight. His friends want to accompany him but he doesn’t ask them to (in Shogun Steel, in fact, he’s travelling alone... except in the manga!), he doesn’t make anyone feel guilty about what they should or not do. He’s a very accepting character, never trying to change the others judging them about good/evil. As long as one has the blader’s spirit and doesn’t hurt his friends, Ginga doesn’t mind what they think or do. He doesn’t bear grudge against Kyouya and Benkei for the Face Hunters!

Also, if he was just a happy-go-lucky character, he wouldn’t be able to judge the other characters so rightly. He guesses all he needs to know about them almost in one glance.

Ginga wouldn’t have, either, so biting words when he fights (in particular against Kyouya).

Kyouya Tategami

First of all, Kyouya isn’t class all the time. There are many scenes in the show his behavior is ridiculed. Besides which, he’s acting dramatically most of time (especially when he’s about to fight/challenge Ginga). It doesn’t prevent him to be smart, or the other characters to look up at him, but still.

And he poses! All the time (I’d like very much if someone can give me the link of the post showing he’s contantly posing). And he’s slightly(?) affected.

For Kyouya, despite what the gang witness, Beyblade is a game. It’s his passion and it makes him really enthusiastic. He tackles most Beybattles with the same kind of energy, even against Ryuuga, when everyone was fearing the Dragon Emperor because he was about to destroy the world with L-Drago.

Kyouya’s familial background and his backstory are so lightweight the Dark Power has no effect on him.

Also, when I look the translation for “taciturne” (I’m still French x) ), the dictionnary also gives me “man of few words”. Isn’t that exactly Kyouya’s opposite? XD He spends much time talking, so this word doesn’t suit him. At all.

Conclusion

Ginga and Kyouya are the exact contrary they are supposed to be if we only care about their label (as the “hero” and as the “rival”) and not about their actions and words during the show.

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Fun fact: Kyouya cares more geniunely about Ginga than Hyouma

The Beyblade Metal Fusion episodes taking place in Koma focus on Ginga, primarily. They show to his friends and to the spectators how he had spent his life before his quest for vengeance. But these episodes also stage a new rivalry, between Hyouma and Kyouya. What's new, with this rivalry, is that it's not about Beyblade, but about the right to be Ginga's rival. It highlights two different relationships with Ginga, because Hyouma and Kyouya don’t interact with and don’t care about Ginga the same way.

To prove what I state with the title, however, I have to go back some episodes earlier.

After Ginga succeeds to make Kyouya come to his senses, after the Wolf Canyon, Kyouya shows sign of empathy for his new friend rival :

“Something is happening to him.” (english dub)

“Just what happened to Ginga...” (japanese dub)

- episode 13, when Ginga is fighting Ryuuga

“It's no use. (...) That battle with Ryuuga was important. More important than we can possibly understand. When he lost it, then his spiritwas broken. (...) He has to deal with it on his own.” (english dub)

“It might be impossible. (...) The fight with Ryuuga probably held some great meaning to him of which we have no idea. Losing this fight is breaking his heart. (...) He has to do it himself.” (japanese dub)

- episode 14, when Ginga isn't able to launch Pegasus anymore

“So that's Ginga's story.” (english dub)

“Ginga went through all that...” (japanese dub)

- episode 15, after Kenta tells the others Ginga's past

Reaching Koma and Ginga

On their way to Koma, the gang meets Hyouma, who tries to stop them to reach the village. Kyouya is wary of him, seeing he's lying, but he doesn't expose him right away. He gives to Hyouma the benefit of the doubt, collects proofs of his treachery (showing he had already evolved since the first episodes) and only then he shows the rest of the group Hyouma is deceiving them.

Once Hyouma’s intentions are revealed, Kyouya challenges him but Kenta, and then Benkei steal his fight. When it's his turn, Hyouma chooses to ignore him (to take revenge because Kyouya was the only one to doubt him and see the truth behind his false-friendly behavior ?) and begins to present himself as Ginga's childhood friend.

In the next episode, when Ginga is facing his trial to be a blader again, Hokuto tries to prevent Ginga's new friends to catch up with him. Kenta, Madoka and Benkei hesitate, but Kyouya doesn't let Hokuto decide for him :

“We can't just stand around here doing nothing. Let's go help Ginga. (...) I don't care if it is a sacred place. That has nothing at all to do with us. I'm going.” (english dub)

“Just twidling our thumbs won't do it. Let's go after Ginga. (...) Holy ground or whatever, that doesn't concern us. Let us go.” (japanese dub)

- episode 17

This time, Hyouma sides with them. But he's shown ambiguous : it looks like he doesn't truly want them to succeed. He allows himself some contemptuous remarks, and doesn't accompagny them to meet Ginga.

With Ginga at Koma

In episode 18, we get the first moment between Ginga and Hyouma. Instead of witnessing their friendship, we see there is a gap between them:

Ginga: You never change, do you my good buddy?

Hyouma: The village have just changed completely and so of you Ginga.

Ginga: Really?

Hyouma: Well, since you're back now after such a long time, want to check out of the forest together.

- english dub

Ginga: You haven't changed a bit, have you?

Hyouma: The town has changed quite a bit, though, huh ? And so have you.

Ginga: Huh?

Hyouma: Since you came all the way back home, tomorrow, let's take a walk in the woods for old time's sake.

- japanese dub

Ginga is happy to see again his childhood friend, happy to see he's the one he remembers, but Hyouma doesn't share his feeling: he reproaches Ginga for having changed. Well, Ginga had witnessed his father being killed and had to travel alone during months to stop his murderers and their organization. How was he supposed to stay the same carefree child who was raised in Koma under these circumstances? Plus, he spent months discovering how the world was beyond their little and isolated village.

Hyouma changes the subject before Ginga has the time to register his remark. He doesn't want to take the responsability for his words and thoughts, and rather acts like nothing had changed, smiling.

He suggests a tour of the village, hoping Ginga will leave his friends to stay only with him. He's hurt when Ginga gets enthusiastic about the prospect of showing them where he used to live.

When they begin their tour of Koma, Hyouma hides what he thinks of Ginga's new friends’ presence, acting like he is pleased to be with them, but always implying he knows Ginga better than them. The first time Kyouya shows off his Beyblade skills, and the gang is acting like a fanclub (they are all: "he is so great!" xD), he gets offended.

After Ginga does the second training exercise, we’ve got this dialog:

Kyouya: So you've been training like this since you were in diapers. Hmmm. No wonder you've become strong.

Hyouma: It's one of the lucky things about growing up in Koma village. There is no real subsitute for experience, is there Kyouya?

Kyouya: ?

- english dub

Kyouya: This way you've been training naturally since you were a kid. Of course you'd be strong.

Hyouma: That's the privilege of being raised in Koma Village. There is nothing you can do about that distinction, is there?

Kyouya: ?

- japanese dub

Kyouya is beginning his I’m-having-the-cool-quotes-because-I-understand-everything attitude, playing his rival role... And Hyouma starts to provoke Kyouya, belittling him because he wasn't born in Koma (Kyouya can hardly do something about it) and implying he would never reach the level of Koma-born bladers. You can see Kyouya is shocked by Hyouma's attitude toward him.

Then, we get another dialog, showing the difference between what Hyouma says and what he thinks (the complete opposite), showing again the contempt he feels for Kyouya:

Hyouma: You never back down, do you? I see why Ginga takes you so seriously.

Ginga: You bet!

Hyouma, thinking: But no matter how hard he tries, there are some things he'll never do.

- english dub

Hyouma: Pretty competitive, isn't he? I see why you approve of them.

Ginga: Yeah!

Hyouma, thinking: But... no matter how hard he tries, there are some things he can't do.

- japanese dub

A brief aside

This is character bashing, really. As much as I enjoy the scene where Kyouya is shocked because Hyouma ignores his challenge (certainly the first time ever someone is so casual about him xD), in fact, Hyouma decided arbitrarily to dislike Kyouya. He doesn’t like Ginga’s friends, either, but he hounds Kyouya:

- he accepts Kenta’s and Benkei’s challenge, but he turns down Kyouya’s.

- he speaks little to Ginga’s friends, but he makes snide remarks to Kyouya whenever he has the opportunity to.

- he casts him contemptuous looks when no one else is watching.

Back to episode 18

When the group reaches the Green Hades, Hyouma finally drops the mask :

Hyouma: The time has come for Ginga and I to have a serious battle.

Benkei: Why are you talking about?

Hyouma: Ginga and I battled in this very stadium many times when we were little kids. Rain or shine, we'd always come here to compete so, you see, I know him better than anyone else. If I battle with Ginga here, I can tell if he has truly recovered or not. You guys have just become friends with him so you can't tell. After living together in this village for so long, I'm the only one who can tell how he is!

Everyone: ?!!!

Hyouma: Ginga, as your true rival, I will test you right know.

He confesses Ginga and his new friends what he thinks: since he's the only one who knows Ginga (though he reproached Ginga to have changed), they can't be considered as his friends, let alone as his rivals. The only point that truly annoys Kyouya is the moment where Hyouma says he's Ginga's only rival, implying Kyouya is nothing to him in Beyblade. Benkei and Kenta are annoyed too : they have accompanied Ginga during his adventures, battled him, and suddenly they aren't worthy of him? Kyouya "calms down" the game by ordering to Ginga to accept Hyouma's challenge. During the battle, he shows he believes in Ginga's victory, no matter the advantages Hyouma takes. He even reminds the others he used a similar advantage with the windy stadium, talking about his defeat. I want to stress it out : Kyouya reminds them he had LOST. Kyouya Tategami! Only to show them Ginga is able to win this duel.

Kyouya: Winning means more because it's a difficult stadium. Have you all forgotten? The windy stadium. My Leone had the advantage there because of wind but Ginga never backed down. (...) No matter what disadvantage he faces, he won't run. That's the Ginga I know. But it really bugs me that Ginga beat me but has never defeated this guy. Come on Ginga! Defeat him right here, in front of all of us.

(in japanese, he says: That's the Hagane Ginga I know. However, I don't like that he's beaten me, but hasn't won against him yet. Leave him in the dust and let me see how you win!)

Ginga: Yeah, count on it. I'm gonna show you that Pegasus and I are back in top.

However, it is shown that Kyouya is the one who, at this point of their life, knows Ginga best. He guesses when his rival is about to launch his special move (and is very happy to tell Hyouma about it xD - a little revenge for Hyouma’s attitude and for having fallen twice because of this special move). Then, at the end of the duel, Hyouma is shocked to have lost. He doesn't understand how anyone can have the idea of destroying the stadium to win. And Kyouya thinks:

“Ginga would. You gotta think outside the crater sometimes.”

But he doesn't tell it out loud. He doesn’t show to everyone he understands Ginga better. As soon as the duel ends, Kyouya considers there is no more reason to argue.

Then, Ginga is congratulated by his new friends for his victory. He’s proud and happy among them, and Hyouma says:

“I guess I'm of no further use to you anymore. Please, continue to improve with your new great friends. I'm sure you will.”

This sentence looks too much like emotional blackmail for my taste... Anyway, Hyouma takes out this idea out of the blue, like it goes without saying and everyone agreed about this before the duel. Ginga gets shocked, not understanding what Hyouma is talking about, then Kyouya comes to them.

Kyouya: He can have more than one rival, you know.

This sentence is said by Kyouya, who will go as far as Africa to be able to fight Ginga. Despite Hyouma's attitude, Kyouma wants him to resume seing himself as one of Ginga's rivals.

The Survival Battle

Then, Hyouma and Kyouya meet again during the Survival Battle. Once more, Hyouma tries to dodge fighting Kyouya but Leone's blader spots him. They have to battle and, after some struggles, Kyouya wins. Despite this, Kyouya tries to cheer up Hyouma, telling plans don't always work as expected (he knows something about it xD). And he doesn't understand why Hyouma is so dispirited.

Hyouma: I changed the performance tip and it wasn't as stable as it normally is.

Kyouya: Plans can be flawed you know.

Hyouma: But there's another cause behind my defeat.

Kyouya: Huh?

Hyouma: I have to give up the right to battle Ginga. Yeah. For today, but the next time we battle Kyouya, it won't end this way.

Kyouya: So you say. I'll battle you anytime.

At first, I thought: "This is a great moment of sportmanship". But I rewatched this scene, and thought again about it, and does Hyouma's words imply that he expected Kyouya to stop being Ginga's rival if he had lost? I know if Kyouya had lost, he wouldn’t have been allowed to resume fighting during this tournament. But Hyouma says they’ll have to face each other to decide who will have the right to face Ginga the next time. He's still in the same state of mind he was when he met Ginga’s new friends, at Koma.

Comparison of their attitude

During their stay in Koma, Hyouma spent his time pulling the blanket to him. He doesn't truly talk about Ginga, but about his place: he is Ginga's childhood friend, he lives in Koma, he is the only one who deserves to be his rival... He reproaches Ginga for having changed, doesn't give him a word of comfort for all he came through. He is jealous of the friends he makes outside Koma, instead of being relieved he wasn't completely alone all the time he was away. He tries several times to prevent them to be with Ginga, wanting to have him for himself. The duel wasn't about seeing if Ginga was all right, but about showing to everyone he is Ginga's true rival, that the others don't count and can't expect to matter. Even when Ginga wins their duel, he goes toward the group to talk about himself. He's shown as very self-centered, thinking more about himself than about his friend. He considers if Ginga is friend/rival with him, he doesn't need anyone else.

Kyouya, on the contrary, is here for Ginga. He tells and retells it. He watches how Ginga had spent his life before meeting him, doing remarks about this (but not about himself). He shows he can do what Ginga does, and he's pretty happy of himself when he gets compliments, but he doesn't try to take credit all the time (sometimes he does, of course, he’s still Kyouya Tategami and Yuu gives us a perfect sum-up of his personality at the end of Fury). Kyouya lets Ginga having most of the foreground since they are in his home. He believes in him. He doesn't bear grudges against Hyouma for his attitude and even pushes him toward Ginga twice (once when Hyouma lost against Ginga in episode 18, once when Hyouma lost against him in episode 21). He tells three episodes after the episode 18 he only cares about defeating Ginga, because they are rival, so it is certainly in his mind right then, but he doesn't utter a word about it during the Koma episodes.

Maybe what I’ll add is an extrapolation, but I think Kyouya doesn't want Ginga to lose anything more. Ginga already lost his father, quited everything he knows to chase the Dark Nebula, spent months alone (with only Pegasus for company),... so he can't lose his childhood friend too (the only person left from his past, someone who should be like family).

[sky-of-dusk]

Hikaru, Tsubasa and Kyouya: a comparative study about the Dark Power

The first time we met them

Kyouya is bored. He doesn't train seriously, throws tantrums, leads a gang of thiefs (and certainly spending his father's money to do so). He thinks he's better than others, that no bladers can surpass him.

Hikaru travels to become stronger and fullfils her mother's dream. She crushes her opponents, looks down at them.

We don't know it right away, but Tsubasa is travelling to obey the WBBA's orders and his actual mission is to stop the Dark Nebula.

First difference: Kyouya stays where he is, without a concrete goal, while Hikaru and Tsubasa travel, motivated by a specific objectif.

Backstories

The first backstory we saw is Hikaru's. She was defeated at a tournament and was crying to her mother. Her mother lectured her and told her to become stronger.

The second backstory is Kyouya's. It shows us he always had Leone to his side. There is nothing to report. His first memories are sweet, soft, only about his love for his bey. The only bad memory is during the Wolf Canyon, two episodes earlier and it shows Leone is still by his side.

The last one is Tsubasa's. It's shown during Masters, because of the Dark Power (could it mean that Tsubasa never looks back on his life?). We see him, as a child, after he lost a duel against cheaters and nearly lost himself because of it.

Second difference: Hikaru and Tsubasa meet with difficulties early during their blader careers : they were only children (about Kenta's age or even younger). Hikaru was lectured instead of being comforted because of her defeat. Tsubasa faced cheaters and discovered the Beyblade world isn't only about having fun and fair battles. Kyouya was a teenager when his problems happened, and it didn't happen before the series but right during it, with the episodes dedicated to the Wolf Canyon. Another thing that differentiated his story from Hikaru's and Tsubasa's is that he (literally) jumps into his problems, while they suffered it.

The Battle Bladers

Their motivations to take part in the Battle Bladers are different. Hikaru and Tsubasa consider it as a way to reach their goals: being acknowledged as the strongest blader of the country for Hikaru, and stopping the Dark Nebula for Tsubasa. For Kyouya, the Battle Bladers is nothing more than a tournament where he can fight interesting bladers and his rival Ginga (and crushing Daidouji's projects as a bonus). This is the way he handles tournaments.

Their reactions, before their duel against Ryuuga, are different too.

The Dark Power

Hikaru is attacked right away by Ryuuga, and imprisonned in the fear she feels when she faces him. It breaks the illusion of strenght she clings to, this illusion that shattered everytime she lost.

Tsubasa is able to fight longer. He follows faithfully the strategy he developped before the duel (maybe too properly...) and ends up defeated by Ryuuga.

Kyouya resumes his this-tournament-is-great-I'm-eager-to-face-my-rival attitude. He believes this deeply, it's shown in his thoughts. He succeeds to convince Ryuuga to stop using the Dark Power and prooves he's dangerous for its projects. Dangerous enough the Dark Power unveils its abilities: it takes control of Ryuuga (who didn't know it was possible until then) to attack Kyouya directly.

Hikaru and Tsubasa suffers the Dark Power's attack, but through Ryuuga. It was only a touch of it, controlled by someone. Besides, Ryuuga mocks Tsubasa when they meet during Masters and everyone acts like Tsubasa is under the Dark Power's influence. Kyouya was directly attacked by the Dark Power. The Dark Power decides to stop him, of its own will, and uses Ryuuga to do so.

Also, you can see the Dark Power doesn’t overwhelm Kyouya, contrary to Hikaru and Tsubasa. The attack is neat. The Dark Power doesn’t submerge him like a wave or surround him. It “just” pierces him.

Aftermath

The Dark Power brings out hidden flaws.

Hikaru tried to bury the crybaby she was deep inside her, hidding herself behind haughty and cold looks. Tsubasa wanted to erase his desire to win no matter what. Their interactions, during Masters, show the Dark Power resonates in every person it touches. When Tsubasa is overwhelmed by it, Hikaru suffers its consequences too.

Kyouya's exception

Kyouya shows no sign of Dark Power's influence. He has no flashbacks or auras. When Tsubasa falls under the Dark Power's influence during their duel, it doesn't unsettle him. He continues to lead his blader's life as he wants to: sometimes he helps the gang, sometimes he goes it alone, and has a lot a fun during his duels. I can see two reasons he's an exception, despite the Dark Power attacks him directly:

1. The backstories

From what we see about the backstories, Kyouya doesn't have a trauma linked to Beyblade, unlike Hikaru and Tsubasa. For him, Beyblade was only a game, and he had sweet memories about it (more about Leone than Beyblade in fact).

2. The Wolf Canyon

Unlike Tsubasa and Hikaru, Kyouya has to face all his flaws before the Battle Bladers and meeting the Dark Power. It happens during the first arc of the series, and several episodes are dedicated to it. The Wolf Canyon had put him in front of his weaknesses: Kyouya realized he wasn't aware of reality and the need to make efforts to become stronger, he relied on others too much (going as far as hiding behind them) instead of taking responsability for his failures (two things he'll reproach to Damian and Aguma). So he realized he wasn't as strong and awesome as he thought. For example, despite his defeat against Ginga in the second episode, he still talks about himself as talented in episode 3, when he faces Daidouji.

All these revelations, added to the fear, the adrenaline and the howling wind in the valley, has led to the masterly freakout we know, with hysterical laughters, animalistic roars, the desire to avenge every affronts (from Benkei's "betrayal" and Kenta's intervention, to Ginga's victory against him - especially since he blames him for the Wolf Canyon) and his wish to destroy every bladers on the planet. Ginga fights him and helps him to reconnect with his bey and his blader's spirit. Then, we have Kyouya 2.0, who does his best and trains tirelessly to become stronger, who stops blaming his problems on others and who finds again his taste for beyblading.

CONCLUSION

The Wolf Canyon is a tiny interlude in Kyouya's life, but it's his only trauma linked to Beyblade (his flashbacks show Leone is with him since forever, and even in difficult times... which are only represented by the Wolf Canyon). Kyouya learns from it. He didn't do like Tsubasa and Hikaru who buried their problems deep down, thinking it's the only way to become stronger. He uses it to become a best version of himself. He learned from his mistakes, his flaws, and moves forward, taking them into account. He doesn't hide behind others anymore, accepts his defeats, does efforts... And what is his first Beyblade action when the Battle Bladers ended ? He goes back into the Wolf Canyon, alone, and he succeeds to overcome it. 

Then, we heard him say: "This cliff looks so small for me now."

Hikaru and Tsubasa are stuck and emprisonned by their failures, because they hide it instead ot using it to become better. This is the reason the Dark Power was able to use it against them.