A Dump for my Beyblade Stuff

Big Damn KaiRei Post (#3)

• KaiRei in Season One 
• KaiRei in Season Two (V-Force)

I managed to finish this early! This is the last “Moments that felt like KaiRei moments” and “Moments that fuel my love for KaiRei” post, but not the last Big Damn KaiRei post. Anyway this covers the Movie and Season 3. 

BEYBLADE THE MOVIE

I’m not sure the movie is considered part of canon seeing as at the beginning of G-Rev they all act like they haven’t ever met Daichi. Their enemies were weird (even for Beyblade, lol) and the plot was weak though, so I guess it’s fine. There is however one KaiRei moment of note:

Rei and Kai turn to look each other while they stand in the far back. That’s it, that’s the scene, nothing else of note as far as KaiRei goes in the movie (there IS the screencap where they’re both smiling and standing together, and several other screen caps of them together, but that’ll be in my next post (‘Kai and Rei standing/sitting/lying down together’)).

SEASON THREE (G-REVOLUTION)

While I DO personally think Season 3 has a better overall plot and better quality of writing than Season 2, it’s probably the only season that REALLY frustrated me both the first time I watched it and during my rewatch, because I feel like it largely ignored the characterizations developed in Season 1 & 2, most notably of the All Starz (who regressed to how they were originally (though they did get better mid season)), the White Tigers (who seem so insecure, sloppy, and dependent (on Rei) compared to their season 1 selves, well mostly Lee, who seemed so out of it in the beginning) and Rei (who often acted in ways that he would have scolded people for back in S1 and S2, I could hand wave that as him getting pressured because he’s the team leader but it still bugged me). This season also ignored the movie’s existence completely. Having said that, since the Blade Breakers aren’t teammates for the first half of season, with Rei and Max leaving pretty early on, and since Kai wasn’t with them in the G-Revolution for most of the season’s second part, Kai and Rei hardly interact at all.

During the BBA Revolution’s training they turn on their TV to watch their competition, Kai doesn’t go over to watch until it’s said that Rei’s the one who’s competing, at which point he is shown to gain interest in what’s about to be shown on the television screen. Watching Rei battle also makes Kai rethink his decision to stay in the Blade Breakers further (before seeing this battle he was much more undecided), ultimately Kai decides to leave.

[side note (skip if you want):] To be honest, I’m surprised that Kai didn’t tell Tyson that he was leaving before he did (and that he’d say that he left because the team was too weak without Max and Rei (I was on the fence about that, was it another OOC moment, or was Kai lying? Fortunately we find out it’s the later). By leaving without notice, I felt that his character development from the first two seasons was ignored (just as how Rei’s is in this same scene when he gets overly pissed at Lee, but yeah, as I’ve said, I can hand wave THAT to pressure, Rei gets better as the season goes anyway). Kai and Tyson’s relationship has always been a bit rocky (I mean they’re good friends but their personalities DO clash). Kai always got along better with Rei, Max, Kenny, and even Hilary. But still they ARE close friends so while I can believe Kai would leave I can’t believe he’d leave without telling Tyson. Then again he did sort of tell Hiro, so maybe he just expected him to tell Tyson that he was leaving. In any case, Kai and Rei’s characterizations in the beginning of the season frustrated me. I’d understand it if Tyson looked down on all of them in a meaner way than he did, but it felt like there was not enough pretense to how Rei was acting (I can believe that he’d leave but I don’t that’s all it should have took). Max got a letter from his mom, and Kai had the fact that Max and Rei already left to spur him on. But oh well, it isn’t as if V-Force didn’t have amazing plot holes either (but I DO think V-Force did a better job with developing relationships, not as good as Season 1 though (but, haha, I’m biased for season 1 maybe people shouldn’t listen to me on this hahaha) [end side note]

Kai watching Rei’s matches, in the two above he’s watching Rei’s match against Tyson, and in the two below he’s watching Rei’s match with Miguel. Kai’s great respect for Rei retains this entire season at least (though Kai, Rei, and Max were SO fixated on beating Tyson all season it was crazy).

Kai and Rei arrive first on Ayer’s Rock where Tyson asks to meet them and Max. Rei asks if Kai’s there for Tyson and Kai says no. The last image is of Rei sighing, obviously knowing that Kai’s lying. 

Episode 25 is entitled: “Ray and Kai: The Ultimate Face Off”, that in itself is noteworthy I guess, no other episode that spans just one battle got named after its participants, even when said battle involved two Blade Breakers. This is the only match that got that honor. And the entire battle was pretty damn intense:

For most of it they’re pretty evenly matched, despite how confident Kai seems, even when Rei was already literally physically down and Kai looked like he’s still fine:

It’s pretty obvious that it was taking a lot of will power so that Kai would keep standing. 

Rei gets back up however, and gives Kai a run for his money by coming back stronger than before. The only time they talk during whole match, the exchange goes like this:

Kai: You’ll have to do better than that Rei.
Rei: Don’t tempt me, Kai, don’t tempt me.

The battle was close, but ultimately (and honestly, PREDICTABLY considering the roles they play in this series):

Kai wins the match, and the White Tigers lose their chance to fight in the finals. After Rei’s moment with his team he calls after Kai:

Rei: Kai!
Kai: *stops walking* Yeah Rei?
Rei: I wish you good luck in the finals!
Kai: Thanks

This is the last actual exchange of words they have all season, and consequently all series (I could be mistaken, but while there are scenes of Rei supporting Kai with Max from the stands in the finals AND much later on when Kai fights Brooklyn, I don’t remember them actually talking anymore). It isn’t however the last moment that we could consider a KaiRei moment.

A little later after their match, when Kai’s alone he slumps on a wall and says: “Now that was way too close Rei, you were an excellent opponent”. It really DID come down to the fact that Kai’s raw power was greater than Rei’s. 

During the finals, Kai’s going nuts in attacking Tyson, and Emily says if he doesn’t switch gears he would definitely run out of steam soon. There’s a scene where we’re shown Max and Rei in the stands.

Rei: *whispers* Kai?
Kai: *battle scream* (lol how else do I describe it)
Rei: *frustrated grunt*
Max: What is Kai trying to do anyway? All he’s going to do is burn himself out!
Rei: There MUST be a method to his madness.
Max: Huh?
Rei: Kai is too focused a player to suddenly lose his cool during battle. He knows exactly how strong Tyson is, so Kai must be absolutely certain that he’s still the stronger of the two, which is why he continues to attack at full power. The real question here is does Kai know his own strength.
Max: Rei?
Rei: I think I finally understand why Kai joined up with the Blitzkrieg Boys. He knew it would lead to something he’s wanted desperately, a championship match with Tyson! This is the battle he’s been preparing for his entire life!

Now here’s something we’re familiar with, Rei explaining Kai’s feelings. While Rei and Max’s intentions in leaving the Blade Breakers was explicitly stated in the beginning, it was always left unclear exactly why Kai eventually decided to leave too. It was never stated why he finally decided to leave, Kai never outright explained his reasons. Even Tala and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys didn’t know what Kai was really thinking. It’s worth noting that when they all first see Kai with his new team at the beginning of the tournament, Rei’s the one looks at him and wonderingly thinks: “So Kai’s jumped ship too huh” (Max just mutters “Kai…” in surprise, while Tyson looks at him in anger). I think Rei’s been thinking about why Kai would leave too ever since then, but only figures it out in the finals, and is used, as per usual with the series, as a vehicle to explain Kai’s reasoning and feelings. I’m surprised nobody figured it out till this moment though, but I think they were all assuming that Kai knows his own strength and knows he can hold out against and even beat Tyson. But here Rei figures out he overestimated Kai’s self confidence.

During the second half of the season, Kai and Hiro join BEGA and Tyson is reeling with rage, leading him to harshly badmouth both of them. Rei stops him and says that Kai and Hiro joined BEGA because they want to beat Tyson, which is what EVERYONE wants to do. Noting this here cause Rei defended Kai in the process of telling Tyson that none of them are content with second place, and they all look at Tyson as their greatest rival.

MISC KAI AND REI RELATED SEASON 3 NOTES:

•  The village Rei grew up in is explicitly called the White Tigers’ “Training Camp” this season, this is of interest to KaiRei fans because this means that both Kai and Rei grew up in Beyblade training camps. 
• Until the end, Rei’s parents aren’t ever mentioned, while this is also true for Kai, the fact that he was going to school in V-Force (which I think he would have thought was a waste of time had he not been told to go) means that his parents are still possibly alive. Is Rei an orphan? You can easily read it that way to be honest.

AND THAT’S IT FOR SEASON 3, way shorter than the other two posts, but well, G-Rev had everyone fixated over Tyson, and/or doing their own thing. Rei was busy bonding with the White Tigers again, and Kai was busy… with stuff, really, Kai did a lot of things this season and joined so many factions its crazy. Kai and Rei were also only in the same team near the end. Anyway, next I’ll make a post with all my screencaps of Kai and Rei standing/sitting/lying down next to each other. It’ll be kind of long since Season 1 and 2 had generous amounts of it. Maybe it’ll be up next weekend, anyway, that’s is for this post.