Do I really need a title?

Fear me, if you dare!

Normally action scenes (even beautifully animated ones) make my eyes glaze over in disinterest, but that was not the case in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. I realized an important reason why is because the layout of each action sequence highlights whatever point in the personal growth journey the characters are at.

For this post I wanted to bring attention to how 6 specific action sequences highlight the state of Puss and Kitty's relationship throughout the film, each of them bookmarked by a notable dialogue from Kitty (save for one, but one of her weapons plays an integral part nonetheless):

1: "Nice catching up with you, Puss. Gotta go!"

Not off to a great start. The two are at odds with each other, each wanting the map for themselves and trying to take it from the other. Other villians like Jack Horner and Crime Family are present, and Puss and Kitty deal with them separately, not as a team. Also the only weapon Puss has at this point is the stick sword.

2: "I've got a plan. First one to the dog gets the wish!"

Takes place right after the trust-rebuilding exercise of shaving the beard off. Puss is now given the gatito blade, but does not truly understand the significance of it yet, and is frustrated at at his disadvantage. Kitty is starting to see Puss is not the same guy who left her, but as he hasn't opened up to her yet, she's still hesitant to trust him and team up with him. The two are at a tentative truce. No longer fighting each other, but not exactly working together either. Both he and she still want the wish for themselves.

3: "Shall we dance? I'll lead."

Puss has addressed Santa Coloma with Kitty, and now Kitty is more willing to trust, and consider the prospect of sharing the wish with him. She invites him into a dance-fight. Puss is confounded and not used to it at first, but gets the hang of it quickly enough. (If memory serves right, this is the first time we see Puss smile again while actively fighting, since the first fight scene with the giant.) They even do their signature boot-for-boot dance from the first film! Them starting to fall in sync with each other as a sign of their repairing bond.

*guhhh excuse me while I swoon over these two for a minute*

4: "Go on, get your lives back. Just keep them out of mine."

Puss has broken Kitty's trust once again by trying to take the wish for himself. Kitty opens up about her wish, seemingly to deaf ears. Ultimately she allows him to have his wish, leaving with only a request to not bother her again. Puss desperately tries to open up but they're interrupted by the other villians. A messy fight ensues. The two aren't even seen fighting together. Every man for himself. But even though they aren't working together, they still have the common goal of getting the map to Puss, which is why Kitty doesn't protest when Perrito hands him the map. She still cares about him.

5: The one with the Gatito blade

No dialogue from Kitty here but this fight is still pretty significant. Puss' most important fight in terms of character development. Kitty isn't even participating, but she and Perrito are the biggest parts of his character-defining decision to fight, instead of running away again. Puss bringing out Kitty's Gatito blade is the turning point of the fight. Now armed with both his rapier and his blade, he gains the upper hand and defeats (or at least disarms) Death. His gatito blade is a symbol of everything he's learned to cherish and fight for, alongside his status of legend.

6: "Spanish Splinter!"

Yelling the name of this infamous move alongside Puss, Kitty is now fully willing to trust him after he demonstrated his growth in the previous fight. They are completely in sync again, and tear apart the map together along with Goldi. A culmination of the whole journey they went on. They all got they needed without the star, so they don't need it anymore.

Each fight sequence happens after a new development in their relationship, which is reflected in how exactly they fight together (or not). You wanna know what state their relationship is in at any point in the movie? Look no further than the closest fight scene. The action isn't there purely for the sake of action; it's highlighting the narrative. And in this instance, they've done an undeniably phenomenal job at highlighting the complex journey Puss and Kitty's relationship goes on throughout the film.