On Flames
Insert general warnings for rambling and etc here. This is stuff that's been running around in my head since I first read Air Gear, and it's influenced how I play, but that doesn't always mean I'm good at putting it into words. I'll try to be as coherent as possible on this because it means quite a deal to me and how I play SpitFire, how I see his motivations, and how his relationship with Kazuma works in my head.
Here thar be SPOILERS!
Kazu as a rider
First of all, Spitfire usually looks at people from their position as a rider before all else. There are Storm Riders and then there is everyone else. SpitFire first took notice of Kazuma as a wee babe on wheels. When? Well...
SpitFire was aware of Kazu, when he went to visit Buccha shortly after the Night Lord put Kazu and Onigiri into the hospital. At that point he was hardly worth noting for his A-T abilities, but he knew that Kazuma was part of Ikki's group and he knew that they had given Buccha a lot of trouble despite his inexperience on A-T. Even though Buccha is only an E rider, SpitFire has quite a bit of respect for his abilities and as a rider. However, the moment that caught his attention was when Kazu saw his flames for what they were following Ikki's battle against Buccha. More specifically, he was the only one who saw the flames for what they were. Flash and show and heat. He acted as a strong voice to calm his classmates down. It was a small instance, but worthy of note for his observation skills alone. One that would have been readily forgotten if Kazuma hadn't continued to show potential.
However, he did, and SpitFire being the stalker of all things A-T that he is, he kept an eye out on him. This wasn't such a stretch of resources as it might seem. Kazuma was in Ikki's shadow, and a very loyal shadow. So keeping tabs on him wasn't such a hard thing to do. Watch Ikki and watch his shadow. It was rather easy.
And then Kazuma found a Road of his own that was different from Ikki's. He grew wings not just to fly high, but to go fast. For SpitFire, watching this could only have brought a smile to his face. There was joy in Kazu's run against the Sabeltigers. A release as his wings stretched out for the first time, encouraged as he was to step briefly from Ikki's shadows and just do his best in the one thing he had always surpassed Ikki in -- speed. And he far exceeded anyone's expectations except perhaps Ikki's.
We see absolutely no surprise in Kazu's ability by the time he reaches the Behemoth battle. Instead, Kazuma's battle is watched with great interest. Now, there's two ways to interpret this. First, SpitFire was interested in the fight because he wanted to see how Aeon -- a former ally had developed. Second, he wanted to see how Kazu fought against someone he already held in such high standards. Personally and viewing it retrospectively, I'm leaning towards the second interpretation though both interpretations seem accurate. He knew that Sano outclassed Kazu by a great deal, and had very little expectations for Kazu to win the fight. However, he wanted to see how Kazu fought -- how he handled going up against someone so much stronger than him, how he used his brain during a fight, how he read situations and adjusted his tactics to meet them. We're not able to see SpitFire's response to that fight in the end, but somehow, I don't doubt that he also caught and understood the significance of the bird -- and probably thought it was funny.
Kazu and the regalia
From that point on, we're not really shown much about SpitFire's views on Kazu until SpitFire calls Ine over to tell her about his decision to pass on the regalia. We know that Kazu's abilities have grown exponentially during this time, rising up again in Ikki's shadow. He's not someone who does well with being in the lime-light, but that doesn't mean that his abilities are lagging, just his confidence in himself and his abilities as a leader. We can see clearly how his confidence can make or break his ability to preform, and SpitFire is very pleased when Kazu finally stops being afraid and just concentrates on the run. We see Kazuma far outstrip Ohm in terms of speed and then ask her politely to wait for him to unlock all of his wheels. Then he goes on to perform a trick he had seen one time with near perfection in order to save her life.
As SpitFire puts it:
"About him... Honestly, I don't think he has the required skills, and his technique is still very poor... He isn't even... similar to Ikki and me. What's most important is that, in order to fight against Sleeping Forest... people like him are needed most.
"The absolute requirement to become the Flame King... That he has is... a passion to melt all."
Which is to say, that SpitFire never intended for Kazuma to be able to immediately take over possession of the regalia. Actually that's about as far from his plans as it gets. He had intended to be able to train Kazu and raise his skill level that way until he was worthy of taking over the regalia. These plans were very suddenly derailed by the unexpected return of Nike from the States. We see clearly that SpitFire hadn't even gotten the opportunity to mention passing on the regalia to Kazu before Sora mentions it. Chances are, he wouldn't have put that burden of concern on him until he thought Kazu was ready for the responsibility of it all.
SpitFire however, was lucky enough to have laid several contingency plans. The first being the SpitAI program, which allows him to continue passing on information and techniques post-humusly, and Kokuen, who also doesn't think Kazuma's up to par of a Flame King, but is willing to trust SpitFire's choice in successor enough to train him in the Flame Road.
Kazu as a person
How SpitFire sees Kazu as a person is a little harder to explain. So much of SpitFire's view of people is mixed up in A-T and his planning that it's hard sometimes to step outside those concepts. He sees Kazu as someone who is "not like Ikki and me" -- not a natural leader, not immediately confident, not showy. He shows confidence when no one was looking or he stops paying attention to his doubts, but he's not someone who commands attention or immediate respect. He's a shadow, and not someone who most people would notice.
SpitFire enjoys spending time with Kazuma. He's intelligent and quick witted. He seems almost eager to learn, which is a joy for Spit. The fact that Kazu's willing to work so hard to progress and improve himself and doesn't call attention to it is pleasant. His desire and passion for everything -- how the throws himself into new obstacles and challenges is wonderful. Spit likes being around him. He wants to be able to share more time with him, not just about A-T -- though it does dominate a large portion of his waking thoughts, but he also enjoys getting to know Kazu. What makes him blush, what he sees and is completely oblivious to, how he reacts to things.
He sees Kazu as someone with a lot of potential whether it's A-T related or just with life. He loves teasing him and getting reactions from him. He really, really, really loves the reactions. He likes watching him blushing and protesting and going stupidly shonen about things. He likes that he's reactive.
Which I guess leads to...
Kazu physically
Much to his chagrin, SpitFire is quite attracted to Kazuma. He's not really someone who is attracted to younger people. He prefers a more mature body, someone with experience. However, it's impossible to deny that Kazu's personality isn't appealing to him. It allows him to set aside his age and see Kazu as just a person. When he allows himself to get caught up in things, he ends up striving very hard not to wall the boy or press him too far beyond what he's comfortable with. Yes, he shamelessly used the mistletoe to have an excuse to touch Kazu. He would do it again, if Kazu would make up his mind about himself. Until that happens though, Spit is going to be playing it as casual as he can keep it, focusing mostly on A-T and trying to keep from pressuring Kazu into doing something he's not ready for yet.
In short, as soon as he knows it's actually what Kazu knows he wants, he's going to wall him into next week... and probably Camp themselves in the process.
...
I hope that works...
Notes to self:
Kazu relationship here. (10-02-2007)
Mistletoe kissing here and here.
Here thar be SPOILERS!
Kazu as a rider
First of all, Spitfire usually looks at people from their position as a rider before all else. There are Storm Riders and then there is everyone else. SpitFire first took notice of Kazuma as a wee babe on wheels. When? Well...
SpitFire was aware of Kazu, when he went to visit Buccha shortly after the Night Lord put Kazu and Onigiri into the hospital. At that point he was hardly worth noting for his A-T abilities, but he knew that Kazuma was part of Ikki's group and he knew that they had given Buccha a lot of trouble despite his inexperience on A-T. Even though Buccha is only an E rider, SpitFire has quite a bit of respect for his abilities and as a rider. However, the moment that caught his attention was when Kazu saw his flames for what they were following Ikki's battle against Buccha. More specifically, he was the only one who saw the flames for what they were. Flash and show and heat. He acted as a strong voice to calm his classmates down. It was a small instance, but worthy of note for his observation skills alone. One that would have been readily forgotten if Kazuma hadn't continued to show potential.
However, he did, and SpitFire being the stalker of all things A-T that he is, he kept an eye out on him. This wasn't such a stretch of resources as it might seem. Kazuma was in Ikki's shadow, and a very loyal shadow. So keeping tabs on him wasn't such a hard thing to do. Watch Ikki and watch his shadow. It was rather easy.
And then Kazuma found a Road of his own that was different from Ikki's. He grew wings not just to fly high, but to go fast. For SpitFire, watching this could only have brought a smile to his face. There was joy in Kazu's run against the Sabeltigers. A release as his wings stretched out for the first time, encouraged as he was to step briefly from Ikki's shadows and just do his best in the one thing he had always surpassed Ikki in -- speed. And he far exceeded anyone's expectations except perhaps Ikki's.
We see absolutely no surprise in Kazu's ability by the time he reaches the Behemoth battle. Instead, Kazuma's battle is watched with great interest. Now, there's two ways to interpret this. First, SpitFire was interested in the fight because he wanted to see how Aeon -- a former ally had developed. Second, he wanted to see how Kazu fought against someone he already held in such high standards. Personally and viewing it retrospectively, I'm leaning towards the second interpretation though both interpretations seem accurate. He knew that Sano outclassed Kazu by a great deal, and had very little expectations for Kazu to win the fight. However, he wanted to see how Kazu fought -- how he handled going up against someone so much stronger than him, how he used his brain during a fight, how he read situations and adjusted his tactics to meet them. We're not able to see SpitFire's response to that fight in the end, but somehow, I don't doubt that he also caught and understood the significance of the bird -- and probably thought it was funny.
Kazu and the regalia
From that point on, we're not really shown much about SpitFire's views on Kazu until SpitFire calls Ine over to tell her about his decision to pass on the regalia. We know that Kazu's abilities have grown exponentially during this time, rising up again in Ikki's shadow. He's not someone who does well with being in the lime-light, but that doesn't mean that his abilities are lagging, just his confidence in himself and his abilities as a leader. We can see clearly how his confidence can make or break his ability to preform, and SpitFire is very pleased when Kazu finally stops being afraid and just concentrates on the run. We see Kazuma far outstrip Ohm in terms of speed and then ask her politely to wait for him to unlock all of his wheels. Then he goes on to perform a trick he had seen one time with near perfection in order to save her life.
As SpitFire puts it:
"About him... Honestly, I don't think he has the required skills, and his technique is still very poor... He isn't even... similar to Ikki and me. What's most important is that, in order to fight against Sleeping Forest... people like him are needed most.
"The absolute requirement to become the Flame King... That he has is... a passion to melt all."
Which is to say, that SpitFire never intended for Kazuma to be able to immediately take over possession of the regalia. Actually that's about as far from his plans as it gets. He had intended to be able to train Kazu and raise his skill level that way until he was worthy of taking over the regalia. These plans were very suddenly derailed by the unexpected return of Nike from the States. We see clearly that SpitFire hadn't even gotten the opportunity to mention passing on the regalia to Kazu before Sora mentions it. Chances are, he wouldn't have put that burden of concern on him until he thought Kazu was ready for the responsibility of it all.
SpitFire however, was lucky enough to have laid several contingency plans. The first being the SpitAI program, which allows him to continue passing on information and techniques post-humusly, and Kokuen, who also doesn't think Kazuma's up to par of a Flame King, but is willing to trust SpitFire's choice in successor enough to train him in the Flame Road.
Kazu as a person
How SpitFire sees Kazu as a person is a little harder to explain. So much of SpitFire's view of people is mixed up in A-T and his planning that it's hard sometimes to step outside those concepts. He sees Kazu as someone who is "not like Ikki and me" -- not a natural leader, not immediately confident, not showy. He shows confidence when no one was looking or he stops paying attention to his doubts, but he's not someone who commands attention or immediate respect. He's a shadow, and not someone who most people would notice.
SpitFire enjoys spending time with Kazuma. He's intelligent and quick witted. He seems almost eager to learn, which is a joy for Spit. The fact that Kazu's willing to work so hard to progress and improve himself and doesn't call attention to it is pleasant. His desire and passion for everything -- how the throws himself into new obstacles and challenges is wonderful. Spit likes being around him. He wants to be able to share more time with him, not just about A-T -- though it does dominate a large portion of his waking thoughts, but he also enjoys getting to know Kazu. What makes him blush, what he sees and is completely oblivious to, how he reacts to things.
He sees Kazu as someone with a lot of potential whether it's A-T related or just with life. He loves teasing him and getting reactions from him. He really, really, really loves the reactions. He likes watching him blushing and protesting and going stupidly shonen about things. He likes that he's reactive.
Which I guess leads to...
Kazu physically
Much to his chagrin, SpitFire is quite attracted to Kazuma. He's not really someone who is attracted to younger people. He prefers a more mature body, someone with experience. However, it's impossible to deny that Kazu's personality isn't appealing to him. It allows him to set aside his age and see Kazu as just a person. When he allows himself to get caught up in things, he ends up striving very hard not to wall the boy or press him too far beyond what he's comfortable with. Yes, he shamelessly used the mistletoe to have an excuse to touch Kazu. He would do it again, if Kazu would make up his mind about himself. Until that happens though, Spit is going to be playing it as casual as he can keep it, focusing mostly on A-T and trying to keep from pressuring Kazu into doing something he's not ready for yet.
In short, as soon as he knows it's actually what Kazu knows he wants, he's going to wall him into next week... and probably Camp themselves in the process.
...
I hope that works...
Notes to self:
Kazu relationship here. (10-02-2007)
Mistletoe kissing here and here.