Bang Zoom Entertainment released the first half of “Beyblade Burst Quadstrike” on Hulu on May 8. The series is the seventh season of “Beyblade Burst,” the third incarnation of the Beyblade franchise, which involves eponymous customizable tops, also known as “Beys,” with magical creatures inside them that can release elemental powers. The tops are launched from plastic devices with ripcords known as “launchers,” and they can battle other tops when two are launched simultaneously. The tops clash against each other in a specialized, bowl-like arena.
The battle ends when one top is knocked out of the arena, stops spinning, or breaks apart, with the last method known as a “Burst Finish.”
The show follows Bel Daizora, the Dark Prince (Morgan Berry), a rich, egotistical child who is a great Blader, that is a Beyblade player. He competes in various tournaments with other characters, such as Pri Forsythe (Anjali Kunapaneni), a new rival character who, under the persona of a masked figure known as “Quadra,” defeats her opponents in four counts. The two train and compete against others, eventually leading to a tournament where they face a series of challenges.
The two main characters have character development that contrasts with each other. Bel starts off the series as an egotistical, stubborn character who fails to learn from his recklessness and remains the same by the end of the released episodes. His chosen Beyblade also indicates this stubbornness. He uses the same one, an attack-oriented top known as “Belfyre,” throughout the series. The top’s nature is highly reminiscent of his recklessness and repetitive nature. Despite multiple losses, he consistently sticks by it. It is also evident in his bond with the Bey, as despite his inconsistent record, he seems to be passionate about it, which contributes to his love of the subject. However, his personality can become annoying for some as Bel constantly gets into trouble and frequently fails to learn his lesson. Hopefully, he will develop in future episodes.
Pri, on the other hand, constantly changes mentalities throughout the episodes, starting as a confident, unstoppable figure before suffering various defeats that cause her to reconsider her original mindset. Her Beyblades reflect these changes, as she receives a succession of three new tops that continually show an increase in power. This also indicates her personality as Pri herself shows more and more growth per episode. The character’s mixture of wins and losses reflects her growth, always searching for the next power ceiling to overcome.
Her character is particularly interesting because throughout the franchise, as well as other boy-targeted toyetic properties, female characters have not been as active in the battles as their male counterparts. Instead, they tend to serve mainly as cheerleaders, and technicians or only do infrequent battling. Pri, on the other hand, battles frequently and beats other figures, including Bel. This makes her significantly more progressive compared to previous female main cast members.
Another interesting aspect of her character is her backstory. According to episode 12 (“Hurricane Winds! Twister Pandora!”) she took up Blading in order to avenge her brother, Pax (Darrel J Delfin) who injured his arm, ending his career in the profession. Pax serves as a technician and motivator over the course of the series, making new Beyblades for Pri and supporting her throughout the series. This makes her seem sympathetic, as her quest for greatness has a reason that, despite the unrealistic circumstances, grounds the show.
Another aspect of the show is the number of references to previous seasons.
Multiple characters from previous seasons appear, such as season one protagonist Valt Aoi (Kimlinh Tran) and season two protagonist Hikaru Hizashi (Jade Dennis). This is a particularly notable aspect, as this is the final season before the franchise’s fourth generation, “Beyblade X,” launches. In addition, the way in which it is integrated is natural — they do not detract from the story and most of them appear as minor cameos or new opponents to fight. In this way, the show is able to pay tribute to the past while not confusing new audiences. While a more ambitious continuity crossover, possibly featuring characters from the other incarnations, would have been preferable for older fans, this is a suitable tribute that establishes continuity within the series.
The show’s animation is also dynamic, with fast movements executed smoothly and, in typical anime fashion, gross exaggerations of a seemingly simple subject. The tops clash with the metallic clink that one expects and yet, the constant powering up and spirits bursting out of the tops allow audiences to suspend their disbelief and experience something beyond the ordinary.
“Beyblade Burst QuadStrike” is a great show that pays tribute to the past and looks forward to the future. Hopefully, the show’s future episodes will have Bel gain character development and leave both characters with more consistent win records.
Bailey Kanthatham is an Entertainment Contributing Writer. He can be reached at bkanthat@uci.edu.