#hell in mfb

[sky-of-dusk]

Zeo Abyss - name study

Zeo is a greek verb. Some of its meaning are: boiling anger, love, zeal for what is good or bad.

Abyss is, of course, is a synonym for the underworld. In the Bible, it can refer either to the Sheol (the kingdom of the dead) or to Hell. It's used most notably in the Book of the Revelation (9).

1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. (...) 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon.

The word Abyss also reminds Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote: "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster, when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you"

All of this suits Zeo's journey.

In Metal Masters, he moves forward for a duty: saving one of his dearest friend. He's torn between his care for Toby and his anger at Masamune, who abandoned them. He knows he can save Toby by working for Ziggurat, while knowing following Ziggurat is wrong. He's ready to work with monsters (becoming one of them) as long as he can save his friend.

Of course, the Abyss refers to the Hell theme of the Team Star Breaker, along with HD Academy, Hades Kerbecs and Faust.

[sky-of-dusk]

When I did the post about the meido and Kyouya traversing Hell, I noticed that Kyouya’s words in the VO, after the Wolf Canyon, are darker.

(The quotes are a translation of the Japanese version of Episode 9 - Beyblade Metal Fusion)

Kyouya: It was hell.

Benkei: Hell.

Kyouya: I can still hear it. The wind blowing from the valley. The bloodthirsty growls of the wolves. I took a look at Hell on Earth you couldn’t even imagine!

Benkei: Hell on Earth...

First, he doesn’t talk about a “terrible” or “horrifying place”, but of hell. And the wolves are described as “bloodthirtsty.”

Kyouya: To live or to die... To kill or to be killed... In the end, you can only depend on your own strenght.

In the English and French translations, Kyouya only talks about battles. He says “Win or lose, defeat or be defeated...” But, while he crossed the Wolf Canyon, he was truly confronted to death for the first time of his life. That’s one of the reason he breaks down the way he did: he never felt so much fear in his life. He tells and retells it after his return.

Kyouya: I'll completely destroy you, so you won't even be able to hold a bey again, and carve that into your body and soul.

The “carve that into your body and soul” surprised me.

Kyouya: In the end, you can only depend on your own strenght.

Benkei: So the Face Hunters aren't needed anymore?

Kyouya: That's right. They gather together like weaklings. I found a way to live in hell alone, so I don't need any company!

And Kyouya doesn’t talk about “friends”, but “company”. Which is more coherent since the Face Hunters are his lackeys (sometime his fan-club, sometimes his security details). But they are not Kyouya’s equals and his relationship to them is absolutely hierarchical. Besides, Benkei and the other Face Hunters refer to him as Kyouya-san (Mr. Kyouya or sir).

Kyouya: Go back and tell this to Hagane Ginga : “Tategami Kyouya had come back from Hell just to defeat you!”

In the original version, Kyouya doesn’t just say he comes back and wants to challenge Ginga. He wants Ginga to know what he went through to battle him (and, in the end, defeat him).

[sky-of-dusk]

Kyouya: It was hell.

Benkei: Hell?

Kyouya: I can still hear it. The wind blowing from the valley. The bloodthirsty growls of the wolves. I took a look at Hell on Earth you couldn’t even imagine !

Benkei: Hell on Earth...

Kyouya: To live or to die... To kill or to be killed... In the end, you can only depend on your own strenght.

- Beyblade Metal Fusion, episode 9 (japanese dub)

Kyouya: Go back and tell this to Hagane Ginga: “Tategami Kyouya had come back from Hell just to defeat you!”

-  Beyblade Metal Fusion, episode 9 (japanese dub)

(I quoted the japanese dub, because I read something in a book and it made me think about Kyouya’s first crossing of the Wolf Canyon. I wanted to check if I was thinking too much into this or if I could be a little right)

The meido is the first step to reach underworld/paradise in Buddhism. It’s for the souls who had a nuanced life, who did nothing extraordinarily good or evil. It is described as a place of non-stop howling wind and harassing animals (normally, birds). It has cliffs so high one would be able to reach their top only with huge efforts, determination and overcoming moments of discouragement. But they have to climb these cliffs if they want to reach the next step, usually the hereafter (though it was the contrary for Kyouya : he had to climb them to come back to life).

The cliffs are a symbol of the soul’s sins.

So, Kyouya in the Wolf Canyon was literally Kyouya crossing Hell... and he didn’t escape it safe and sound.