The scenes in which Ken performs the "Great Whirlwind Kick" in Exceedraft E13 follows the rule of three to create a pattern for Ken's signature move to change the nature of each of his three major fights. The pattern is an example of meaningful repetition that guides the creation of long tokusatsu shows.
A compilation of the scenes featuring Ken performing the Great Whirlwind Kick:
All scenes of Ken launching his signature move that is the "Great Whirlwind Kick" 🌪️💥 #Exceedraft E13
While the karate technique seems like a powerful finisher, it doesn't really end Ken's fights, but rather marks a turning point where a one-on-one clash's outcome becomes influenced by those watching it.
A pattern only emerges once we have at least three examples lined up. What links the first and second example must be reflected again between the second and third example.
For the three occasions when Ken performs the "Great Whirlwind Kick", they all start as a one-on-one clash. A closer look at all three clashes tells us that each fight goes on in some way even after Ken succeeds in landing what seems like a "finishing" blow with his signature move.
The first clash happens between Ken and the case's primary villain when Ken directly challenges Fujio in Fujio's dojo after defeating all of Fujio's students or followers.Ken's success in performing the 'Great Whirlwind Kick' on Fujio convinces Fujio to hire him as a fighter for a large sum of cash. Their clash unfolds with an audience of Fujio's underlings and the members of his dojo. It's likely that Fujio foregoes continuing his fight with Ken not only as he sees Ken's worth as a fighter for his brutal matches, but also to not lose face in front of those inferior to him if he takes more hits from Ken.
We continue see an audience's effect on a fight's progress in Ken's larger ongoing fight against Fujio. Their physical clash turns into a mental one as Ken and his teammates proceeds to put on a joint performance to fool Fujio's henchman. Ken, while aware of being watched, deliberately presents himself as a broke loser in desperate need of cash to get Fujio to let down his guard.
For Ken's next one-on-one clash, he has to fight Kogure, his old friend who he has gone undercover to rescue. Kogure, after being coerced to take a drug to enhance his fighting ability, becomes unable to think clearly and recognise Ken. Unlike the bright interior of Fujio's dojo where Ken had his first important fight for resolving the case, his fight against Kogure takes place in a shadowy ring. The darker lighting emphasises not just Ken's struggle in having to hurt someone he cares about, but also the separation between the fighters and those watching their fight.
The ring in which Ken has his fight against Kogure isolates both fighters within it from everyone else. Ken's isolation is further emphasised by close-ups with darkened lighting and against a dark background. Notice the close-ups shot like the ones that finalise Ken's success in landing his 'Great Whirlwind Kick' on Kogure.
The parallel between these two sets of close-up shots reflects the equality between Ken and Kogure as fighters and friends. Once Ken regains the upper hand in the fight, the tables are turned as the fighters collaborate against the audience that seek to exploit them.K ogure attacks Ken only as a cover to plan for a joint attack on Fujio, who sits among their fight's spectators. Their clash turns from a forced one-on-one fight into one where they take on their true enemy.
Ken's third and last execution of his signature move happens in his rematch against Fujio. Here, not only the lighting but also the audio emphasises the separation between the fighters and those watching the fight.
Sunset showdown at the end of #Exceedraft E13 ☀️ Notice how seamless the fight scene appears even after omitting the reactions of those outside of the fight.
The outdoor setting has Ken and Fujio backlit by the setting sun. Their faces become obscured, setting up a contrast against Kogure and Ken's teammates whose faces are clearly lit. The audio for the one-on-one clash amplifies the sounds that the fighters make and hear, emphasising their closeness and distance away from their fight's audience.
Without his armour, Ken appears similar to Fujio in silhouette. The lighting and fight choreography bring out the elegance of their moves that emphasises the closeness in their appearance and distance to each other. They appear all the more separate from the rest with the audio being muted whenever the camera cuts to the reactions of their audience, creating a sort of seamless transition between shots of their fight.
The heightened aesthetic quality of their clash downplays how unnecessary it is for the case's resolution. With no easy way of evading the police, Fujio's arrest is all but assured. Ken's fight against him lets Ken settle a personal score and also suggests the value Ken finds in hand-to-hand combat. The visual appeal of Ken's clash with Fujio implies an intimacy and familiarity arising from a fighter physically getting closer to a sort of equal. A fight's intimate quality is likely to appeal to Ken, who likes being close to others as we've seen in his interactions with Kogure and his teammates.
Ken's physical closeness with Fujio is emphasised in the shot where their silhouettes overlap just before Ken performs his signature move.
We first see Ken's kick landing with clear lighting, then once more in silhouette. Its repetition emphasises the end of Ken's physical clash and his physical separation from Fujio. But the fight doesn't appear to have truly ended as we continue to see Ken backlit by the setting sun.
What follows are a series of shots that delay the moment of triumph from Ken's victory. Ken stands alone against a backdrop that's more cluttered than before, deflating the high that we imagine a powerful fighter to experience on winning a fight. Ken appears as a solitary figure isolated from others without the intimacy of his one-on-one clash.
As we next hear just the sound of hurried footsteps and the whistling wind, the audio continues to suspend the tension in the scene. It only subsides after Kogure's friendly exchange and handshake with Ken.
Kogure's gratitude validates the good that Ken does with his dangerous fighting skills and which differentiates Ken from Fujio, who reflects the destructive potential of Ken's physical and mental strength. We finally get our triumphant moment as the background music indicates Ken's shared victory that connects him with others. The setting sun backlits the overlapping silhouettes of Ken and Kogure, which here presents the warm and comforting kind of closeness that Ken wants.
The recurrent emphasis on the audience's effect on a fight's outcome is implied in Ken's past as the winner of successive karate championships. He becomes a champion through not just defeating his opponents, but in earning points that prove to those watching his fight that he deserves to win. In karate and in his work as a police officer, his abilities that potentially endanger the lives of others are only celebrated if he displays them in a nonthreatening manner.
Taken together, Ken's execution of his powerful signature move in the one-on-one clashes in Exceedraft E13 demonstrate the importance of him exhibiting his strength as a member of Exceedraft through fighting against and for others. We also see meaningful repetition across all three fights as the lighting, and eventually the audio, differentiates each repeated performance of Ken's signature move for illustrating how the fighters perceive each other and how their audience perceives their fight.