something that I like about zyro and his unique way of being able to turn every enemy he makes into a new friend is how it happens, because every single time he does it, it’s at a point when their beybattle just becomes a game. Beyblade is such a unique storytelling device and I think about this A LOT, mainly because there’s a lot of mfb characters where im like, there’s so much shit I’ve just made up about them that I could just turn them into an oc IF NOT FOR THE FACT that beyblade is such a specific medium of showing their character and growth that you cannot remove any of them from beyblade and still have it make sense, and like a lot of that comes from how multifaceted it is as a Thing That Exists in its universe. Beyblade is a sport, it’s a spiritual experience, it’s a means of violence, it’s a way to make connections. Beys are objects, they’re companions, they’re weapons, they’re friends, they’re tools. Beyblade encompasses SO MUCH, but at the end of the day, the core of the themes of the story come from the fact that, ultimately, beyblade is supposed to be fun. What matters is that you enjoy yourself while you’re doing it. And that’s why it’s so interesting where those turning points are for zyro and the antagonists he faces. It exists on a smaller scale with characters like shinobu, where they initially just REALLY piss each other off and their main motivation in their conflict is just how much they piss each other off, but their one-day tournament battle is just so much fun that shinobu can’t help but stick around. Even if it’s not the end of their early conflict, that battle and the fun they have during it is what makes shinobu become Zyro’s friend. With the unabaras, once their and Zyro’s battles stop being about trying to best each other and just become facing each other with everything they’ve got for the love of the game, they too become part of the group. On a larger scale, it makes me really emotional how this happens with Sakyo and kira too. Sakyo is introduced as a dangerous, unpredictable wild card. His first battle with Zyro is filled with so much spite and hate that Zyro resorts to very petty arguments trying to justify his loss, with the promise that they’ll meet again for a rematch later. Zyro’s training for this battle is intense because Sakyo is an intense opponent, but by the time their nbb battle comes around, it serves as such a shift in their relationship and Sakyo’s character. There’s the whole fated rival’s commentary that happens from the sidelines, which is interesting, because they’re meant to specifically parallel gingka and Ryuga, but when gingka and ryuga’s rivalry was always intense and had that undercurrent of violence no matter how much both of them changed, once zyro makes Sakyo realize the truths about the bladers spirit and all that, their battle is no longer a match between enemies, but between two spirited bladers pushing each other to their limits. There’s no good or bad that decides the outcome of the battle, just who wants it more. And it is after this battle that Sakyo resolves himself to change, to truly become better as a blader and as a person, and he is never an antagonist again, and it’s all because he had fun playing a game against someone who opened his eyes to just how fun that game could be.
And all of this is even more so for kira, who is a continued antagonize throughout the season, who openly REJECTS Zyro’s olive branch and deliberately continues to make an enemy out of himself. And for a while, the scope of understanding towards him is narrow. For a while, the perspective really becomes “I hoped you could change, but you haven’t, and I can’t let you keep doing this” but the solution was never to just defeat kira, because kira was never that simple. Zyro’s unrelenting force of friendship and empathy make it impossible for it to just be as easy as defeating kira, and in their final battle, he can’t help but extend a hand to him still, and kira, this time, takes it. Kira is such a layered character which make him as a villain so heartbreaking, so for Zyro to never give up on her and to continue to reach out and SUCCEED and getting through to her makes it all the more satisfying when kira disregards doji, disregards their plan, disregards anything about anything that’s happened between them prior, and just says, “okay Zyro, let’s battle!” with a true, genuine smile across his face. When there’s so much hanging in the balance (haha(unintentional)), what saves the day in the end is having fun playing a game with a new friend, and I just think that’s beautiful and says so much about the kind of character that zyro is