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beybladefanboy · 2 years

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A brief review of every Beyblade Metal Fusion episode

Okay not all of these are brief but most of them are, and only slightly satirical at times, all my ratings are genuine. I just feel the need to be a sassy little bastard sometimes.

Episode 1: Pegasus has Landed! 7/10

Good introduction to the world of Beyblade, the characters of Gingka, Kenta, Benkei, and Kyoya, and the relationships between them, though it’s absolutely littered with early series weirdness.

Episode 2: Leone’s Roar 7.5/10

Very basic one one one battle but it’s also the first one on one battle that’s longer than a minute so it’s fine. Kyoya is great and Madoka is introduced well.

Episode 3: The Wolf’s Ambition 8/10

The way Doji appears and defeats Kyoya, who is the main villain at this point, is a great way of setting Doji up as a major villain this season. Also, the still newbie Kenta battling on Gingka’s level is great to see.

Episode 4: Charge! Bull Power! 7.5/10

Surprise, Benkei has character now! This episode feels like his true introduction, as we get to really see who he is as a blader and get an honestly really blatant hint that he’s going to be redeemed. Still, it’s cute.

Episode 5: Vengeful Gasher 8/10

This is a really crappy episode. Oh sorry I meant crabby :P

In all seriousness, this episode mainly hinges on your enjoyment of the disaster known as Tetsuya. And well… you see my rating.

Episode 6: Aquario’s Challenge 8.5/10

Hikaru’s introduction is one of the best in this season. She slays fools and Kenta and we even get a brief glimpse of her backstory, which is a rarity in Beyblade. For some reason… also Kenta really shines in this episode too, despite his failure.

Episode 7: It’s Our Special Move! Sagittario 8.5/10

Lots of great moments in this episode: the start of Kenta and Benkei’s wholesome friendship, Kenta’s special move, Benkei officially being part of the crew, Kenta’s first big win in the series. Overall a fun time.

Episode 8: Merci’s Dangerous Trap 7/10

The Kyoya stuff in this episode is awesome, the Gingka stuff is… a little too weird for me. Not bad, just weird.

Episode 9: Leone’s Counterattack 8/10

Kyoya goes feral in this episode and I’m honestly living for it, it’s both intimidating and amusing. And heart-breaking the way it affects Benkei.

Episode 10: Heated Battle! Gingka vs Kyoya 8.5/10

More feral Kyoya, always a plus. This is also the first really intense battle of the series, with stakes that are higher than losing some measly points (and that didn’t involve cheating) so I like it for that.

Episode 11: Chase the Wolf! 8/10

And so the main story begins. Kyoya’s next up for redemption, and he’s just as slow to the punch as Benkei but that makes the moment where he does fight by Gingka and co’s side really satisfying. Also, the scene where they break a metal door by combining their special moves is the coolest moment so far.

Episode 12: Infiltrate the Dark Nebula’s Castle! 8/10

The kids act kind of stupid in this episode I’m sorry to say. “Why aren’t we getting anywhere?” Because you’re on a treadmill! That’s Dora level stupidity. At least they also get some cool moments to even it out.

Episode 13: L-Drago Awakens! 9/10

Ryuga! :D

Do I… need to say anything else? This is an excellent way to introduce a villain. He absolutely slaughters Gingka in the main character’s first (real) loss in the series and makes the previous main villain, Doji, look like a silly wimp in comparison.

Episode 14: Memories of Ryo 7.5/10

Ignoring what comes later, this is actually a really good episode storywise. It answers all the questions about Gingka and Ryuga that the previous episodes raised and honestly just makes me feel bad for the poor kid.

Episode 15: The Mysterious Hyoma 7/10

These kids can’t last a few hours in the woods without trying to kill each other (some of which is amusing). Kyoya is the only one in the group with a brain. Hyoma is introduced really well, saving two of the fools from falling to their deaths with superhuman skills so that’s nice.

Episode 16: The Magnificent Aries 7.5/10

Hyoma is a blader! Who could’ve possibly seen that coming?! :O You know, besides Kyoya, who is once again the biggest brain member of this ragtag group, exposing Hyoma for the liar that he is. Benkei and Kenta’s battles with Hyoma are pretty good.

Episode 17: The Silver Pegasus 6/10

I don’t know why Gingka went up that mountain. I don’t know why his dad left him a passive aggressive letter to find in that mountain. I get what this episode is going for: getting Gingka out of his funk, but the execution feels kind of off to me. In retrospect, it’s honestly the first hint that Ryo is a garbage bag of a human being.

Episode 18: The Green Hades 7.5/10

Hyoma being jealous of Gingka’s new friends is amusing, maybe even a bit sympathetic and the Green Hades was a really cool stadium for their battle. The way Gingka wins is also quite clever. It’s not just a Star Blast Attack Ex Machina.

Episode 19: Conquer the Tag-Team Battle! 8.5/10

This episode is adorable, I won’t accept any slander of it. I know it’s complete filler and the conflict is kinda dumb but Benkei and Kenta are so freaking cute that I honestly don’t care.

Episode 20: Begin! The Survival Battle 7.5/10

Yay! A wild tournament!

Yikes, a wild Tetsuya!

It hurts itself in confusion!

Yeah, I don’t really have much to say about this episode. It’s fine, a good start to the tournament that’s more important than meets the eye.

Episode 21: Warriors on a Deserted Island 7.5/10

Yu’s formal introduction is great, you’d never expect anything was off about him :) Also Kyoya and Hyoma have a pretty good battle which leads very nicely into the next episode.

Episode 22: The Fearsome Libra 9/10

I don’t know how this episode slipped my mind when I made my top five Fusion episodes list. It’s a massive game changer. I mean, it’s what sets Battle Bladers in motion but also Gingka loses to someone who is at this point in the plot, just a random kid. Gingka is not infallible! That’s really bloody important. Also the stuff with Kyoya and Madoka in this episode is top tier. Madoka throws herself into battle for the sake of saving Leone and Kyoya puts his bey over his pride and forfeits the battle to save Leone. It’s a scene that gives me chills just thinking about it again.

Episode 23: The Road to Battle Bladers 7.5/10

This is really just an establishment episode, setting up Battle Bladers and dropping the bomb that Yu is a member of the Dark Nebula. However, it does this job as well as it needs to and none of it feels like padding.

Episode 24: The Beautiful Eagle 8/10

In this house we stan mystery eagle boy and eat our vegetables :)

Episode 25: The Sniper Capricorn 9/10

Yes, I am biased towards Kyoya. Thank you for asking. I can’t help it, he’s hilarious in this episode, every little thing he does in this episode makes me at least chuckle in some way. Also it’s a good introduction for Tobio.

Episode 26: Tsubasa Flies Into the Dark 8/10

That title is so on the nose when you know what this episode is about oh my lord. I like the way this episode shrouds Tsubasa in further mystery. He also really gets a chance to show his skills, slaying some fools and tying with the nearly undefeated Yu.

Episode 27: Intruders in the Challenge Match 7/10

This one’s fine. I like all the characters involved and the battles are good, just not exceptional. It’s honestly kind of filler but not bad filler.

Episode 28: Dark Gasher’s Big, Crabby-Crabby Operation 8/10

Why Tetsuya? Why are you the way that you are? And Benkei, why in the world did you fall for that crap?! Was Tetsuya’s ponytail that cute to you? Tell me, simp!

Okay I will admit this episode is pretty funny but that doesn't change the fact that it sent me spiralling into insanity.

Episode 29: Kenta and Sora 6/10

I find this episode kind of dry. I’m sorry. I love Kenta, he’s one of my absolute favourite characters in the show, and seeing him teach someone Beyblade is pretty nice. Sora though… I think he’s annoying. This episode is alright, it doesn’t really do anything objectively bad, I’m just not a fan of it.

Episode 30: The Bewitching Pisces 8/10

Ryutaro is one of the most unique bladers in the series. I don’t think he quite gets the attention he deserves considering how terrifying his abilities are when you think about it.

Episode 31: The Twin Gemios 7.5/10

Dan and Reiki aren’t all that spectacular and two bladers controlling one bey feels like an idea that’s doomed from the start but it’s nice seeing Kenta beat some fools.

Episode 32: The Stormy Battle Royal 8.5/10

I think this is the first battle royale of the series? Unless I’m missing a really small example, this is the first one and it’s epic. There’s so much going on all at once and the outcome is honestly pretty unexpected.

Episode 33: The Oath of the Phoenix 4/10

(Okay this got really long and heated. Also in this section I discuss abuse, specifically a parent abusing their child, so skip over it if that’s a triggering topic.)

The first half of this episode is fine. I mean it’s Tetsuya being Tetsuya so I can’t exactly hate it (as much as I want to) but the second half… okay, maybe it’s unfair for my opinion on an episode to be based on something a later episode did but it’s not like the Phoenix twist was a retcon or a random addition, it was planned from the start and honestly? That knowledge makes this episode reprehensible to me. I know people will disagree with me but Ryo’s actions are abusive. Gingka may not know in the moment that it’s his father berating him with statements of how he’s not trying hard enough (something that’s painfully familiar to me personally) and even putting him in physical danger and possible risk of death by burning the metal beams but it’s something he finds out later and was always going to find out at some point. That’s the kind of crap that leaves lasting psychological damage, especially on a child. Don’t even get me started on him breaking the point counter. Not only is that incredibly stupid, as Gingka NEEDS to get into Battle Bladers as he’s the only one who can literally save the world from destruction (something Ryo absolutely understands as he’s the one who explains it) and this raises a significant possibility of him not making it but it’s also abusive and just way over the line even if he wasn’t Gingka’s father. So yeah, screw this episode.

Episode 34: Shine, Virgo! 10/10

The last episode puts a sour taste in my mouth every time I watch it. This episode is the exact opposite. It lifts me up every time I watch it, both because I love Teru and because his story is genuinely inspirational and sweet. They had no need to go this hard with a random background character but I’m ecstatic they did. Gingka and Teru’s battle is also a really good one in general, with Gingka needing to create a new special move in order to defeat him. It’s a damn near perfect episode in my eyes.

Episode 35: L-Drago, on the Move 8.5/10

This episode consists of Ryuga slaying fools and Tsubasa being a sneaky boi. Of course I love it.

Episode 36: Broken Wings 8/10

Tsubasa and Ryuga’s battle here is really thrilling, even though it’s obvious Tsubasa won’t win. Gingka and Tobio’s afterward kind of pales in comparison but it’s a neat idea.

Episode 37: Rock Scorpio’s Deadly Poison 5/10

Like the last Sora episode, I find this one really dull and it has the additional problem of bringing the pacing of the overall story of the season to a screeching halt. This is filler, and really badly placed filler for that matter. If you skip it, the story actually flows better. Again not bad, I just find it boring.

Episode 38: Run, Gingka! 7.5/10

Gingka makes a really really stupid deicision at the end of this episode, I think even as a kid I was yelling at Gingka for throwing away the opportunity his friends gave him like that. The rest is good though. Hyoma and Kenta in particular have really good battles with Tsubasa.

Episode 39: Clash! The Phoenix Vs The Pegasus 7.5/10

Okay this one is not as bad as Phoenix’s last display. In fact, it’s a pretty good episode overall. This is a cooler way for Gingka to earn his way into Battle Bladers than just earning three thousand points from some random tournament. And Gingka (seemingly unconsciously) using his friend’s techniques was kinda nice. That moment where they basically reveal the Phoenix twist though is kind of insulting.

Episode 40: Go! Battle Bladers! 8/10

This is the last time these characters are all happy and having fun for a while… which of course you don’t know on your first watch but still. It’s a fun episode. Gingka finally defeating Yu is satisfying and the mini battles are fine. It’s got some funny moments and the whole thing is light-hearted… for the last time in the season.

Episode 41: The Serpent’s Terror 9/10

…I mean. What am I sssupposed to sssay about this one that I haven’t talked about before? From the very beginning, there’s this feeling that something is… off about Hyoma’s battle. No one knows who his opponent is, not even the Dark Nebula spy and there’s this uneasy feeling throughout the first part of the battle, even though Hyoma is seemingly in no danger, either confusing the audience or filling them with dread, especially those eagle-eyed viewers that notice the little pieces being chipped off of Aries with each strike. (This is honestly one of my favourite bits of animation in the entire show. It’s very subtle and I didn’t even notice it until my friend pointed it out but it is amazing that they actually show the damage happening before the characters or the audience are even fully aware of it.) Then Reiji shows his true colours… and also speaks for the first time. Did I mention that? Reiji doesn’t say a single word until halfway through this episode, which just adds to the uneasiness as that and his puppet-like movements make him seem less human and more like a monster only created to strike fear into the hearts of his victims… And strike fear he does. Hyoma, who is normally cool-headed and even laid back during battle, is driven to screaming and crying as his bey is cut up piece by piece right in front of him. He’s rendered powerless to stop as Reiji is intentionally drawing out the battle and preventing Aries from losing for the sole purpose of destroying it which is just… sickening. When I describe Reiji’s battling as “torture,” I am absolutely not exaggerating. Some people argue that this battle could’ve been stopped. I argue that they couldn’t because Doji is the one in control. Blader DJ has no control over the matches, he just announces them, and Gingka and the gang would’ve been disqualified if they had intervened, which would’ve had world-ending consequences. They had no choice but to sit and watch their friend be tortured before their eyes. It’s what makes this episode so horrifying and honestly the biggest game changer in the entire series. It shifted the tone completely. The way this episode builds tension and strikes dread and fear into its characters makes it feel like something out of a horror film. And that’s not even including the more plot relevant battle after this one, Ryuga vs Hikaru, which straight up kills a major character on screen and has far reaching consequences later in the series. I could go on forever about this episode.

So if I love this episode this much, why wasn’t it on my top five Metal Fusion episodes?, you may be wondering. Because honestly this episode screws with my anxiety. It messed me up as a kid (though not as much as a certain upcoming episode) and the dread and terror that Hyoma and Hikaru go through is genuinely painful to watch and the only thing keeping myself from spiralling into a panic during this episode is making jokes about some of Reiji’s… odder sounding lines.

Episode 42: The Dragon’s Punishment 8/10

Okay, I’ll try to make this one shorter than the last one. The horror aspects of that one are carried over into this episode, though it’s not as effective as last episode due to the random cut away from the battle. Overall still a good episode.

Episode 43: The Deck is Stacked 9/10

This episode doesn’t get nearly enough credit for how great it is. Sure the two battles don’t have much to do with each other but they’re both top tier and do great things for the characters. Kyoya and Benkei’s battle shows how much they’ve grown as bladers and as characters, and even showing a softer side to their relationship. Meanwhile Ryutaro and Gingka’s battle shows someone with the impossible task of defeating Gingka for his right to live, knowing it’s almost guaranteed he will die and the world will be destroyed. He fights brutally, even being willing to set someone he views as a friend on fire in an attempt to survive. He knows the future is doomed but is desperate to live regardless. It’s just… really cool and makes me feel bad for him.

Episode 44: Entrusted Emotions 6.5/10

Okay this is a tricky one for me, not just because of my past with this episode, although that is somewhat part of it, but because… I honestly don’t know if this is a good episode. Reiji defeating Kenta is terrible writing. It sends a message that you can never overcome anxiety and if you try, it’ll just lead to more pain, something that’s even easier to interpret since the only person who defeated Reiji was the one who was never scared of him. Kenta’s bond with his friends should’ve been enough to overcome his fear, in the eyes of the show’s morals. The fact that it wasn’t weakens the show’s morals. The audience backing Kenta is an insanely sweet moment and Gingka knocking Serpent away was nice but honestly neither of these moments make up for this. If it weren’t for the ending, I would consider this a good episode. The battle is full of so many ups and downs and back and forths that I didn’t know who was going to win when I first watched and rewatched it. It’s thrilling but also terrifying and painful to watch. That is what it’s supposed to do though so from an objective standpoint, that stuff is done well. It’s just… Kenta’s defeat. It kinda kills the whole thing. I don’t think it makes the whole episode bad but it’s a terrible moment. I’d still take it over the episodes Phoenix slaughtered though so that’s why I’m rating it kind of high.

Episode 45: Eagle Counterattacks 8.5/10

This is just a really good Ryuga battle. They’re good by default if the opponent puts up a fight and Tsubasa’s strategy is so genuinely clever it really feels like it could work. Overall just a really great episode of two great characters clashing.

Episode 46: Libra Disappears 7/10

Gingka’s super important semi final! …is cut off by a subplot. Admittedly the subplot isn’t actually that bad here. I like seeing Kenta and Hyoma and the cutaways don’t feel as frustrating since Gingka and Reiji’s battle is… pretty unspectacular stakes-wise. The next episode though…

Episode 47: Bonds of Steel 6/10

Ryo and Doji’s battle looks kind of cool and the bit with the fragment of Sagittario breaking into Dark Wolf was nothing short of spectacular but the battle overall isn’t that great and the way it cuts off Gingka’s semi final still really annoys me. Also, Gingka vs Reiji is garbage. Pure unadulterated, unfiltered garbage. I hate that Gingka doesn’t struggle with it at all compared to Reiji’s previous opponents and like I discussed in Kenta vs Reiji, it feels like it’s teaching a bad moral … but this battle is too hilarious for me to hate. I recorded myself watching this episode (with facecam so it’s not public) and I was cackling the entire time. It’s absolutely ironic entertainment and it’s a terrible reason to give this episode a higher rating but I get more enjoyment out of this episode than I do from the episodes I rated lower or similarly so… sorry, my reviews, my rules.

Episode 48: The Truth About Light and Darkness 3/10

This is the worst episode of the show. It’s nothing but exposition dumping and abuse apolosing with one fun scene at the end. Even if you don’t hate the Phoenix twist, this episode is just boring, and useless on rewatch. Goodnight episode 48. I refuse to talk about you any longer.

Episode 49: Fierce Battle! Lion Vs Dragon 10/10

This episode is nothing short of epic. The result of Kyoya’s growth this season is on full display in this battle and seeing him constantly picking himself back up and continuing to fight is inspiring in the same way Teru’s episode was. It’s also a really good lead into the finale and hints that Ryuga may actually have some honour as a blader.

Episode 50 and Episode 51: The Furious Final Battle! and Blader’s Spirit 9.5/10

These episodes are definitely Beyblade’s best finale episode, and not just because it’s the most iconic. It honestly just is that good. This is the only season where Gingka felt like he had significant importance to the story or a character arc and I think it’s concluded quite nicely here. And I will forever love the shift from defeating Ryuga to saving him from the dark power. I love stuff like that, especially here where the dark power is basically a representation of humanity’s greed, hatred, and anger. Just, good stuff.

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