The Parallels Between Excalibur and Team Garcia.
Before Team Gan Gan Galaxy could access the final of the World Championship, they had to overcome two major obstacles in the form of two teams: Team Excalibur, which represents the European Union, and Team Garcia from Brazil. It is interesting to note that both of these teams share parallels and similarities.
Both teams feature a heavy references to greek mythology, notably with their Beys. Julian Konzern, the leader of Excalibur, owns Gravity Destroyer/Perseus, representing the hero of the same name known for slaying the Gorgon Medusa and the sea monster Cetus. The latter is represented by the Grand Cetus Beys owned by Wales and Sophie, who work as a duo. Lastly, there is Klaus and his Grand Capricorn, whose constellation comes from the goat Amalthea, the nurse of Zeus (Perseus's father).
Meanwhile, the leader of Team Garcia uses Ray Gill, associated with the constellation of the Keel, previously part of the constellation Argo Navis. The ship Argo was boarded by Jason and other famous heroes, such as Heracles, in their quest to obtain the Golden Fleece. Ian, the second Garcia brother, owns a Bey depicting a hero who, like Perseus, is an illegitimate son of Zeus: Cyclone Herculeo. Selene and Enzo Garcia both use Ray Gashers, representing the Cancer constellation, which, according to mythology, was a crab sent by Hera to hinder Heracles during his battle with the Hydra.
The first notable similarity is that three members of each team have a Bey that uses a similar Fusion Wheel: Grand for the Europeans and Ray for the Brazilian team. Team Excalibur exclusively uses Defense-type Beys, while Team Garcia uses Attack-type Beys. Both teams have a member whose Bey possesses a unique Fusion Wheel (Gravity and Cyclone) and represents a heroic demigod and son of Zeus (Perseus and Heracles). Additionally, the other Beys on each team are thematically aligned with these central figures.
The teams also share similarities in their members and their roles. Each has two tall, athletic male members who mainly play individually, and a boy-girl duo who tend to play together. While Selene and Enzo don't frequently pair up, they do have a combined special move, as seen in Episode 96. It’s amusing to note that both duos use sea creatures that are antagonistic forces in their respective myths. Heracles and Perseus's tales also fit their bladers while mirroring each other. Much like Perseus, Julian was favored (born into a wealthy family with exceptional talent) and was given everything he needed to succeed, just as Perseus was given every weapon and piece of advice to accomplish his mission. Heracles, on the other hand, faced trials from birth, as Hera sent a snake to kill him as an infant. He later killed his family after being driven mad by Hera and had to complete 12 labors to atone for his actions. This parallels the Garcias, who also faced unfortunate circumstances—they didn't choose to be born poor, and as shown in Selene's flashback, they encountered many trials themselves.
Both the Garcias and Excalibur succeeded in reaching the semi-finals of their respective groups. Their members also share an almost blind admiration for their leaders. When Team Japan first interacted directly with a member of each team (Sophie for Excalibur and Enzo for the Garcias), they didn’t know they were part of an opposing team. Overall, their initial interactions with their opponents didn’t go very well: Wales chastised Gingka and his team for wanting to enter the Festival of Warriors, and Team Excalibur displayed arrogance, while the Garcias injured Yu and damaged his Libra. While both groups were antagonistic, the Garcias were actually villainous—they used underhanded tactics to win and sought victory at any cost. Their ultimate goal was to escape poverty, which is understandable. They saw the tournament as an opportunity to survive and improve their living standards. Julian, Wales, Sophie, and Klaus, however, didn’t seem to come from the same background. What is clear is that they all respected Beyblade as athletes, though Julian especially treated it as another sport or competition, akin to a trophy to add to his collection.
Julian’s true goals and motivations were not so different from those of Argo and his siblings: both sought to improve their families' conditions using Beyblade. This connection becomes even clearer once they all start working for Ziggurat, whose goal of taking control of the world using Beyblade is a more twisted and evil version of Julian’s previous ambitions. Since the Garcias work for Ziggurat, they indirectly pursue that goal as well. The reasons that pushed Julian and the Garcias to work for the Doctor were similar: despair. Julian’s family lost everything due to his loss, but Ziggurat offered to let them keep their reputation and to salvage what was left, Julian joined Hades Inc. The Garcias, having lost what they saw as their only chance for a better life, naturally accepted Ziggurat’s offer of money, especially since it also gave them a chance for revenge against those they blamed for their misfortune.
This brings us to another key parallel: after losing, Julian blamed Beyblade, while the Garcias blamed Team Japan (mainly Tsubasa and Gingka). Additionally, Julian and Argo fought together against Masamune and Dashan. During the Spiral Force incident, most of Team Excalibur sided with Gingka’s group against Dr. Ziggurat. Although Sophie and Wales tried to reason with Julian, it was thanks to his fight with Dashan and the support of his friends that Julian stopped lamenting his loss, came to his senses, and grew as a person. Earlier, I mentioned that both teams idolized and blindly followed their leaders, but the members of Excalibur, as proud bladers who were not part of Julian’s family, neither joined him nor approved of his decision to work for Ziggurat. This is why the Garcias can’t change: their bond is so strong that they follow the same path, no matter the cost, even if it requires hurting others or sacrificing themselves. As a result, their bond is their greatest strength but also their biggest weakness. Years after the World Championship, they still hold a grudge against Tsubasa and Team Gan Gan Galaxy, having neither changed nor learned from their mistakes.
I would understand if you think it is somewhat unfair for the Garcias. However, Sophie and Wales were willing to fight Julian to reason with him, and while Dashan tried to help him, he did so in a much harsher way. Moreover, although Julian lost the battle, he didn’t fall back into despair. Instead, he kept his newfound spirit and motivation intact, ultimately reforming a stronger Excalibur. The Garcias, on the other hand, continued down the same destructive path. Even after Ziggurat's demise and their defeat in the Destroyer Dome, and even after (allegedly) giving their power to Gingka, they spent seven years building their own organization to take over the world of Beyblade and destroy the WBBA—only for Daidoji to take it from them before it was ultimately destroyed. It is almost tragic and ironic that someone like Daidoji, who was so consumed by ambition and so petty that he couldn’t even accept death, would be the one to take what they had built.
