#10: Gingka vs Ryutaro Round 2 (Metal Fusion)
Probably the weirdest of my picks, but I've got a good reason why. In the Battle Bladers tournament quarter-finals, Ryutaro Fukami must battle Gingka Hagane in fear that the Dark Nebula might feed him to the villainous and parasitic Beyblade: Lighting L Drago.
He thinks that his fate is effectively sealed, as the evil bey and his wielder Ryuga have successfully demolished every single person that has gotten his way. Realizing that he's fighting for survival, not only has his fighting style become far more desperate, but he uses the power of Thermal Pisces to bombard Gingka with various illusionary attacks.
Through blazing fire, thinning air, and freezing ice, Gingka can still brave on. As long as there's a chance of survival or glimmer of hope, he'll keep fighting till the end. Using this hope, Gingka turns Ryutaros' grim fate into an unknown but bright future as he knocks him out of the stadium.
This is one of my favorites, mainly because it has a lot to do with real life. Ryutaro thinks that his fate gets decided because of his present situation. He chooses to ignore any possibility of rising above it all because Ryuga takes away everything from a blader, including hope.
Meanwhile, Gingka is the exact opposite as he knows that as long as he has a chance and that there's always one, he knows he can make a good future for himself and gives that lesson to Ryutaro. That is an amazing ass lesson for a series like this, and it resonates with me hard as I'm almost on the cusp of adulthood. Overall a short but sweet battle to add to the list.
#9:Gingka vs Reiji (Metal Fusion)
During the Semifinals of Battle Bladers, Gingka had to fight off the Dark Nebula's number 2: Reiji. I mainly put this on the list because of pure catharsis. I wanted this emo prick to die and die fast. At this point, Reiji had sadistically destroyed the most morally pure characters in the show, like Hyoma, Kenta, and Yu. Through each battle, Reiji's psychopathic philosophy gets tested more and more until he fights against the worst possible opponent he can face off against Gingka.
The fight starts with Reiji wailing on Pegasus, with Reiji's excitement reaching its peak as Gingka stays paralyzed. However, Gingka's single-minded determination gets more excited as he matches Gingka blow for blow. With his resolve tested, Peagus managed to keep a cool head as he intimidated Reiji enough to have him frozen in fear.
As the venomous sadist is effectively crippled, Gingka doesn't give him any thought as he tries to help his friends. This was a good warm-up match before Ryuga and a cathartic beatdown for the ages.
#8: Gingka vs Ryuga Round 2 (Metal Fusion)
Thirty-eight episodes and over 30 battles have all led up to the biggest rematch in the franchise. With the entire country watching this fateful battle, both Gingka and Ryuga's power have skyrocketed since then through entirely different means. While Gingka holds the bonds of friends and has stolen their gifts to add to their own, Ryuga has hoarded the power of others to reach this point.
And with a battle that will decide the fate of the entire world. So which naturally begs the question, I can hear everyone typing, why the hell is this so low? Other battles handle this concept better, and I think the battle is relatively boring.
I get that this is a final boss, but Ryuga does have all the advantages in the battle for so long that it's honestly ridiculous even lost. While the entire dichotomy between the 2 is that they get power from others through different means, this was a little too far.
I also really dislike that "L-Drago" is the real villain or that Ryuga and Doji are the victims in the entire series. Which may be the ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Remember that Ryuga becomes an anti-hero after this battle that still fights by stealing the opponent's power.
He is also just as arrogant as before and genuinely puts the world at risk when he is the main reason Nemesis gets unleashed upon the world. And I don't even want to think of Ryuga's potential body count for destroying Hades city with all those people inside it. Don't get me wrong, I like Ryuga, he's badass and independent, but he's not entirely perfect.
Also, considering that Doji was fine with destroying the entire world, I think we can say that Doji and Ryuga were evil here. Either way, though, the big finish makes for it as Peagusus and L Drago duel in outer space in a battle that shakes entire buildings, ending in the grandest finisher I've ever seen.
#7: Gingka vs Phoenix Round 2 (Metal Fusion)
Given the way that Beyblade is, it's refreshing whenever Gingka gets a legit loss. After his defeat from the mysterious Phoenix, Gingka has to restart his entire journey fast before he gets disqualified from Battle Bladers before it even starts.
Through arduous work, Phoenix and Gingka clash at a fitting stage, a grand yet empty stadium for the fate of Gingka's incredible. The battle begins, and I think we get one of the most tactical and meaningful battles in the series. Gingka is smart in this fight, using fakeouts and various special moves to keep Phoenix in check.
Throughout the fight, though, we get to see Gingka's true ability as a blader: the ability to hold onto the bonds of his friends in battle. Using the techniques of his rivals, Gingka is able to surpass Phoenix, soaring high above the reincarnated bird as he gallops to Battle Bladers. It's a simple but very important battle in my eyes, so I've got no complaints. Plus, this was the debut of my favorite special move Stormbringer, so that's an instant plus.
#6: Team Gan Gan Galaxy vs Team Garcia (Metal Masters)
So team battles to me have always been an interesting thing for me since I considered most of the world tournament battles singular for this list. However, the overall battle with Team Garcia, to me at least, is a full-on team battle, given the unique nature of the battle itself. When the Japanese team arrives in Brazil, they are already at the mercy of Garcia's unfair tactics.
Yu's bey is easily crushed by a surprise attack from the team before the match starts, forcing the team to already be off to a bad start when they get moved to participate in the round-robin type bey battle. Masamune also gets taken out quickly, leading to Gingka being the only one fully capable of turning things around.
Selen starts by sapping most of his bey's stamina, only to have her willingly retreat her bey on his own. Ian is up next, and with his offensive power coupled with the cyclone zone of that particular stadium, he can close the gap on Gingka rather quickly. Though Ian is taken out, Argo immediately takes the stage by blitzing Gingka out of the stadium.
This means that for once, the team's hope lie on the still-recovering Tsubasa as he fights against the relentless Argo. The fight is one of the most interesting in the series, but he waited patiently for the opening that led him to a beautiful victory using his new, strengthened wings.
I don't know how much of a hot take this is, but I think this is honestly one of the most entertaining battles in the series, with Team Garcia being the best enemy team. Sure Starbreaker is the mainstay, but I like Garcia a lot more. Team Garcia grew up on the streets, and judging from their mentality, they have had a tough upbringing as they had to work harder to seemingly prove to those already at the top that they were worth respecting and fearing.
They lived in a harsh and cruel world and would do whatever it takes to survive, yet they perpetuated the same discrimination and arrogance by looking down on other bladers because they hadn't worked as hard. It's a beautiful dichotomy between the two teams, emphasizing teamwork. Combine that with exciting strategies and a fun-ass group of villains, a battle for the ages.