Battle Bladers formally begins with sixteen qualifiers, most of them unknowingly facing Dark Nebula plants. Benkei, Kenta and Ryutaro all advance, and Gingka faces off against a seemingly reformed Yu in a tense duel of special moves. Gingka wins, earning Yu's respect, while Doji introduces a mysterious new operative, Reiji Mizuchi.

What happens

• Battle Bladers officially begins with sixteen qualified bladers.
• Benkei, Kenta and Ryutaro all win their first-round matches.
• Gingka discovers Ryutaro is secretly working for the Dark Nebula.
• Gingka defeats Yu in an escalating exchange of special moves.
• Yu's loss marks a turning point toward him abandoning the Dark Nebula.
• Doji reveals a new, unnamed Dark Nebula blader, Reiji Mizuchi.

Battles

• Benkei vs Tobio — Benkei wins
• Kenta vs Tetsuya — Kenta wins
• Teru vs Ryutaro — Ryutaro wins
• Gingka vs Yu — Gingka wins

First appearances

Character: Reiji MizuchiSpecial move: Tornado Wing

Places

Battle Bladers stadium

Attributed, not verified by us

Claims We Could Not Check

• This is the first time Yu loses to anyone besides Ryuga outside of the earlier battle royal.
• This marks the first time Benkei beats a named blader since his team battle with Tetsuya much earlier.