Hey again! University is killing me, and I feel bad about not keeping up 100% with your account and Beatbreak in general, but anyway—I’m here with a theory. This guy Souji—the former "Water Star"—was a mentor/tutor to Kyo. He’s deeply obsessed with Kyo and, above all, with the meaning behind a specific phrase of his. Here’s the breakdown:
1. Age Souji is currently 30 years old
That means there’s an eight-year age gap between him and Kyo (19 ang 11 year's old in the past)—similar to the nearly eight-year gap between Kyo and Tomoro (22 and 15 year's old).
In the chapter prior, Rouse remarked that "Kyo was as cold as a rose with thorns," and Souji is described as an emotionless guy. If he was indeed Kyo’s mentor, he might have just fueled Kyo’s coldness. I mean, we’re talking about an adult corrupting a child, leading him down a path of destruction because—well, here comes another theory—he’s obsessed with him and his power.
3. Souji and Kyo fought frequently
Souji drops an interesting line: "Once more... quench my thirst." This guy doesn't feel emotions, but when he fights Kyo, he *can* feel something; he can satisfy his thirst for combat—specifically because of Kyo. Perhaps because Kyo was the strongest, Souji might have disguised these fights as training sessions or practice, potentially even pushing Kyo to kill people. That’s where his obsession stems from—wanting it to be *only* him. It’s something far more twisted than Kaito, who simply admired Kyo for his strength. If Souji was Kyo’s mentor, he was merely guiding and fueling Kyo’s rage, coldness, and bloodlust to satisfy his own personal desire for action. It’s a twisted form of corruption—or exploitation—of a minor.
4. He left at the same time as Kyo
Souji was the former Water Star among the Five Stars; when Kyo expressed his intention to leave, Souji—unwilling to lose the one person who kept him there—fought for what he wanted. That battle resulted in the scar Kyo bears today, while Kyo inflicted the scar on Souji's chest. Having lost the fight, Souji no longer saw any reason to remain with the Five Stars and simply walked away; he may have also turned his back on Kyo because, seeing him without that characteristic rage, he felt Kyo was no longer the person he had sought to mold. Honoka, who—amusingly enough—is obsessed with Kaito (as if becoming a Water Star required you to become obsessed with someone).
Just as Souji mentored Kyo—schooling him in anger, violence, and a thirst for battle—Kyo broke the cycle of violence by changing his ways. He chose to leave behind his cruel nature to follow the right path, striving to become a better person and the kind of mentor and father figure he himself never had. Kyo also breaks the cycle of violence—or the risk of going down a dark path—with Tomoro by treating him with affection, love, and kindness; this stands in stark contrast to the treatment Tomoro received from society due to his anomalous e-pulse. Perhaps Kyo saw a reflection of himself in the boy—an outcast—and did not want him to follow a path where he would be unable to forge strong bonds with others or his Digimon. It sends a powerful message: despite having endured a truly horrible life, one need not perpetuate the abuse or mistreatment suffered; instead, one can put a stop to it and sow love and respect for the next generation.
Anyway, I'm happy that Dr. Temma is finally appearing in the next episode to drop some revelations, but above all, I hope we get to see Asuka too; it's high time we saw something of him. I know he didn't show up in the previews, but I need to see what their friendship is—or was—like. The animation looks incredible, and if the next four episodes are indeed premiering together on August 8th in a movie format (or at least that's what I gathered), it means we're in for some of the series' best arcs. "GIFT" felt a bit... well, okay; I think it was mostly used as a transition and a way to help the team reach their Digimon's perfect forms. I'm really looking forward to next week—bye! :DDD
Holy hell you just put the newest theory I've been constructing into words and I wish to plaster this all over the feed.
Because you have made so many of the same observations I have made. I feel it's entirely possible Souji was a sort of mentor to Kyo and impressed on him the use of using dark emotions to fight.
We see in the preview that Souji might actually be fighting using dark emotions, which is likely due to the limitations on his own emotions. (I actually do not think that the arm decoration he has is just decorative, I think he might use pain as a means to produce e-pulse but thats just my theory)
If he's always fought like this and won, Kyo might have seen this and thought he could always win if he used black emotions to do so, or Souji could have even impressed that knowledge onto Kyo because it is what he personally believed.
I'm genuinely interested in the upcoming arc because I feel that the return of someone who seems quite intent on fighting Kyo despite his life now, is going to end up pulling Kyo's sins out to the world.
The reveal of Dr Tenma in the preview has me convinced at this point that we're gonna be seeing Asuka and Kyo meeting at some point because if they don't it's going to upset a LOT of people.
They've been dodging around any questions for those two but have been lurking in the shadows watching more and more people talk about it. (I can only take a certain Daikon radish lurking for so long before I need to scream about it)
(Also you're absolutely right about it being released as it's own movie length screening, this clearly is an arc they've been long planning for and want us all to watch it in a row when its out)
