Well, when we come to love a character, there is one thing we can hardly forget about them – that is, the first time they appear on a show. For most of the characters we love, we always remember the first time we saw them and what impression they left on us, whether it was bad or good. Whether they were introduced as heroes or everyday people, even if we come to see them under another light by the end of the series, we can hardly forget how they looked the first time they showed up, because that's where our love for those characters was born. And Kai is no different – I was immediately drawn to him ever since he got his very first screentime (which was not enough, in my opinion, though that's what made him special in the first place – the mysterious aura and all). So, when did Kai first appear in Beyblade?
Well, I am pleased to say that Kai is introduced right in the very first episode – which, in my opinion, shows that he's a major character in the series. While the other Bladebreakers were introduced a bit later (Max appeared in episode 3, while Rei came along in episode 4. ... yeah, okay, it's probably not that big of a difference, but still), Kai showed up right before the end of episode 1. Although he appeared for just a few minutes, it was immediately clear what kind of character he was – that is... somewhat of a jerk. Seriously, he did sound like one. Though the way he was introduced was still really cool.
How exactly was he introduced, anyway? Well, let's take a look a his very first scenes in the anime, step by step.
Our protagonist, Takao, had challenged Iruta, a member of the Shellkillers (bladers that worked for Kai) to a beybattle. They had agreed that, if Iruta lost, he should give back all the beyblades he had collected from the bladers he beat; whereas, if Takao lost, then Iruta could take his beyblade as well. However, winning against Iruta is not exactly a piece of cake, as his beyblade is really heavy and thus very difficult to knock out. Kyouji (yes, he too was introduced in the very first episode) tells Takao that the only way he can win is by increasing his beyblade's speed by four times. Most of the episode focuses on Takao trying out a new strategy, which consists in launching his beyblade while running and jumping in the air (yeah, I know, it does sound a bit silly when you're not a kid anymore). Eventually, he finally manages to increase his beyblade's speed and is able to defeat Iruta. But of course, do you really think that Iruta is actually going to keep his promise? As you can imagine, he tries to run away with his collection of beyblades, only to stop in his tracks when he sees a figure in the twilight. That figure, ladies and gentlemen, is none another than Kai Hiwatari!
Talk about a really cool entrance. We see this dark figure standing mighty against the light of the sunset. Isn't that just epic? When I was younger, I was totally blown away by this. This introduction just makes you think, 'Oh my, now THIS is going to be a cool character.' You can just feel it. This is also where all the mysteriousness started. Seeing this character that we absolutely know nothing about, standing there, with the sunset in the background and his scarf blowing in the wind – doesn't that just make him terribly mysterious? It definitely makes you want to know more about this character.
Flames of Ice © Chibi. Part of Reflection & The Endless Sky Network.
Bakuten Shoot Beyblade & all its characters © Takao Aoki.
No copyright infringement intended.
« back | refresh | home | forward »